Read the two poems, and then answer the question that follows.
Poem #1
The Sun Has Long Been Set
by William Wordsworth
The sun has long been set,
The stars are out by twos and threes,
The little birds are piping yet
Among the bushes and the trees;
There's a cuckoo, and one or two thrushes,*
And a far-off wind that rushes,
And a sound of water that gushes,
And the cuckoo's sovereign cry
Fills all the hollow of the sky.
Who would go 'parading'
In London, 'and masquerading,'
On such a night of June
With that beautiful soft half-moon,
And all these innocent blisses?
On such a night as this is!
* thrush: a type of songbird
Poem #2
Far from the Madding Crowd
by Nixon Waterman
It seems to me I'd like to go
Where bells don't ring, nor whistles blow,
Nor clocks don't strike, nor gongs sound,
And I'd have stillness all around.
Not real stillness, but just the trees,
Low whispering, or the hum of bees,
Or brooks faint babbling over stones,
In strangely, softly tangled tones.
Or maybe a cricket or katydid,*
Or the songs of birds in the hedges hid,
Or just some such sweet sound as these,
To fill a tired heart with ease.
If 'tweren't for sight and sound and smell,
I'd like the city pretty well,
But when it comes to getting rest,
I like the country lots the best.
Sometimes it seems to me I must
Just quit the city's din and dust,
And get out where the sky is blue,
And say, now, how does it seem to you?
* katydid: an insect related to grasshoppers and crickets
Question: Imagine someone is doing a dramatic reading of "The Sun Has Long Been Set". In what tone should the actor read the poem to the audience to stay true to the poem?
Question: If a director were making a short movie based on the poem "Far From the Maddening Crowd", which of these would be a choice that would NOT stay faithful to the original poem?
(1 point)
Responses
A. If the director made the city seem more glamorous and exciting than the boring scenes of the country
B. If the director included beautiful scenes of nature in the movie
C. If the director made the scenes of the country calming and relaxing.
D. If the director used loud noises in to represent the loud noises from the first stanza
For "The Sun Has Long Been Set", the actor should read the poem with a peaceful and reflective tone to stay true to the poem's content.
The choice that would NOT stay faithful to the original poem "Far From the Madding Crowd" would be A. If the director made the city seem more glamorous and exciting than the boring scenes of the country. This choice would go against the poem's message of finding rest and peace in the tranquility of nature.