"The Courage That My Mother Had" p. 461 Poem Analysis
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have
STEP 1: Read the poem. Look up any words that you do not understand in the dictionary.
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have
*quarried: rock dug up out of the earth to use for construction.
*granite: a type of very hard stone, used for gravestones
*brooch: a piece of jewellery worn on the chest
*spare: give away
STEP 2: Read the poem out loud. Look at the structure of the poem. How many stanzas are there? Is
there a rhyme or rhythm that gives it a particular feeling?
˘ courage
′ ˘ that
′ my
˘ mother
′ ′ ˘′ had
′
The
′
′
′
˘
˘
˘
˘
′ etc.
Went
′ with
′ her,
′ and
′ is′ with
′ her
′ still:
′
′
′
′
′ ′ from
˘ ′ New′ England
Rock
′ ˘ ′ quarried:
′ ′˘ ′
˘ granite
′ ˘ in′ ′˘a granite
′ ′
′′ ˘ hill.
Now
′
′
′
′ ′ ′ ′
′
′
′
′
a (approximate rhyme)
b
a (approximate rhyme)
b
′
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
c
d
c
d
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have
e
f (approximate rhyme)
e
f (approximate rhyme)



3 different stanzas (different ideas/ feelings expressed) 1 about the mother’s courage and how
she’s now dead, 1 about the brooch, and 1 about wanting the mom’s courage.
Rhyme ties the stanzas together
regular rhythm. (not perfect “New England”). moves towards the end.b6
STEP 3: Look through the poem slowly and try to find examples of figurative language (metaphor,
simile and personification). Look for examples of imagery and sensory language. How do these things
affect you? What do they express?
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have


Metaphor, compares Mom’s courage to a rock
Image: sad image of a hill full of gravestones
Symbol for the mother?
Simile. Again the mom’s courage is like a rock.
Imagery is sad. Hill of gravestones. The poet’s mom is dead and gone
She uses the rock as a metaphor for the mom’s courage. Mom is also now just a gravestone.
Hmmmmmm.....
STEP 4: Read the poem again thinking about the speaker. What kind of person are they? What is their
situation? How do they think and feel and what are they trying to express?
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have
- Speaker respects her mom’s courage she must be sad
that she’s dead.
- Speaker has a gift from her mom that she uses to remember her
- The broach is the most important thing she owns
- But Wait! In this line, she says she could give it away!
-AAAAhhh!! What she really wants instead is her mom’s courage
-She wants the rock-like courage of her mother.
STEP 5: Reread the title of the poem and see if it gives you a clue about what the poem is about.
Reread the poem one last time and think about the theme. Write down what you think the poem is
about.
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have

This poem expresses how much the speaker admired and now misses her mother. She has
imagery that shows a hill of gravestones which is pretty sad. She uses a metaphor and a simile
to say her mother’s courage was a rock, but now it is just one of the gravestones on the hill.
She has a brooch from her mother, but even though it is her most precious possession, she
would easily give it up to have her mother’s courage. The speaker is sad because she doesn’t
have the same kind of courage that her mother had.
How to Analyze a poem: 5 easy steps.
STEP 1: Read the poem. Look up any words that you do not understand in the dictionary.
STEP 2: Read the poem out loud. Look at the structure of the poem. How many stanzas are there? Is
there a rhyme or rhythm that gives it a particular feeling?
STEP 3: Look through the
′ ′ poem slowly and try to find examples of figurative language (metaphor, simile
and personification). Look for examples of imagery and sensory language. How do these things affect
you? What do they express?
STEP 4: Read the poem again thinking about the speaker. What kind of person are they? What is their
situation? How do they think and feel and what are they trying to express?
STEP 5: Reread the title of the poem and see if it gives you a clue about what the poem is about. Reread
the poem one last time and think about the theme. Write down what you think the poem is about.
"The Courage That My Mother Had" p. 461 Poem Analysis
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried:
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear:
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have.