American Academy
Vocab Lists:
March 2015
Grade-12
Lines composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey:
Repose: lie at rest
Copses: thickest of small trees
Pastoral: rural and serene
Vagrant: wandering
Burthen: burden
Corporeal: bodily
Sylvan: located in a wood or forest
Wye: a river near by Tintern Abbey
Cataract: waterfall
Faint: lose heart
Recompense: compensation
Chasten: scold: make modest
Perchance: by chance, perhaps
Genial; relating to genius; creative
Thou my dearest friend: Wordsworth’s sister, Dorothy
Exhortations: words of encouraging advice
Past existence: the speaker’s own past experience five years before
ULYSSES, FROM IN MEMORIAM, CROSSING THE BAR:
Analyze: to examine something in detail to understand better.
Dominate: to hold a commanding position.
Impact: the effect or impression of one thing on another
Resource something that can be used for support or help ;
Scheme: a secret plan; a plot or outline of a system or object
Ulysses: Odysseus in Greek is one of the Greek leaders who fought ten years Trojan war.
It little profits --It is unavailing/ It can do no good.
Idle king ----Ulysses refers to himself as the idle king of Ithaca which is an island at the mouth of
the Gulf of Corinth. Since he is widely known his name has become synonymous with inquisitive
knowledge, courage, intelligence and undaunted spirit. Accordingly he finds himself of not
much use while living a dull and do-for-nothing life in Ithaca. It is for this reason that he calls
himself an idle king.
Mete and dole: give and distribute
To the less- to the dregs or bottom of the cup; completely
Scudding drifts: windblown rainclouds; Hyades: a constellation whose rising was believed to
signify the coming of rain
Troy : the ancient city conquered by the Greeks in the Trajan war, in which Ulysses was among
the Greek leaders.
Three suns: three years
Sceptre: a staff held by a king or a queen as a symbol of royal authority.
Meet: appropriate
Frolic: merry
Smite……..furrows: strike the waves with boat ‘s oars
Baths…stars the ancient Greeks believed the earth was surrounded by an outer ocean or river ,
into which the starts descended.
Happy Isle…….Achilles: the Islands of the Blessed , where the souls of heroes, like Achilles ,
dwelt after death.
Barren ----not growing anything
Still --wanting in any great deed.
Hearth--- It stands for his family and domestic life.
barren crags ---it refers to the island of Ithaca which is covered with rocks that are barren as
nothing can grow on them.
Matched--- married
aged --old
mete and dole--- regret for not being worthy
savage---- uncivilized
unequal laws -----unjust laws
know me not -------do not value me and my great adventures in life
rest from life -------- with no adventures in life
drink life to the lees -----------make the most use of life
to the lees------- to the last remnants of the cup of life
rainy Hydes --------Hydes is a group of stars that causes rains; therefore called rainy hydes.
scudding drift--------- clouds that during the rainy session move about confoundedly ( in the sky)
vexed ----------disturbed or making commotion in the sea
dim ----------dark owing to the clouds gathered in the sky
roaming -----------not stationery or moving from one place to another
with hungry hearts ----------with intense desire for new adventures
councils -------advisory bodies to the king.
drink delight with my peers ----------- have greatly enjoyed fighting with people who were my
equals in strength in war.
ringing plains--------- in Toy the winds are blowing and making hissing sounds and for this reason
to Ulysses it appears that the plains there were ringing.
How dull it is to pause,--------- to make an end of forward movement amounts to death while
to follow ... star ---------the comparison here is not between knowledge and star but between
Ulysses’s own life and a star. A star moves throughout night and finally sets in the morning and
is seen no more. So Ulysses also says about his own life that he has travelled a lot and gathered
experiences throughout his life before his life comes to an end. Indirectly it means that he will
be hunting for knowledge till he dies.
The sceptre and the isle-------- Ulysses says that when he is gone his son Telemachus will be
the king and will rule his Island of Ithaca in his absence
discerning---------- carefully and thoughtfully deciding
to fulfill... labour -----------how best to perform the work of ruling the Island.
prudence ------------wisdom that tells what should be done and how best it is to be done.
case) to his old mother
meet adoration-------- make suitable and proper worship.
The vessel ---------the boat or the ship
puffs her sail --------the sails of the ship are filled with air
souls------- the spirit of the mariners
wrought worked,---------- here it means had adventures
thought with me ----------who have never disagreed with my ideas
there gloom… seas ---------the darkness of the sea is thickening as a result of which the
sea looks more dark and broad
my mariners--------- the word “my” suggests that those were the same mariners who had been
with him at the time of Trojan war while in Homer’s Odyssey they had all died while returning
their homes from Troy
took the thunder and sunshine for ------ them the thunder and the rains were as much welcome
as the sunshine opposed fought with courage all environmental changes
free hearts ---------whose spirits had been unfettered
free foreheads------- on their foreheads there were no wrinkles at any time which shows their
indomitable courage
Old age … his toil old age does not mean, as is usually thought, not performing great works of
honour
Un becoming -------------- unsuitable but here---------- it means wanting in courage strove fought
against. The reference here is to the saying that in the Trojan war the gods also fought on the
side of the Trojan army
Wanes------ goes to set
the deep ------the sea
moans------------------- producing sad sounds
the long day… with many voices----------- all these details are suggestive that the day is going to
set and the night is advancing on the sea
push off---------- start sailing
smite--------- strike forcefully
sitting well in order---------- occupying their fixed places while sailing the boat
the surrounding furrows-------- as the boat moves on the sea it makes furrows or long lines in
the water of the sea
until I die -------all this he wants to achieve before his death
gulfs will wash us down ---------we may be drowned in the sea
touch the Happy Isles--------- in Greek mythology the Happy Isles were in the extreme west
where the spirits of the dead heroes of the past lived.
Achilles------- the great Greek hero who slew Hector before the war of Troy began. Ulysses
thinks that the great spirit of Achilles must be living in the Happy Isles which were also called by
the Greeks as “Fortunate Isles” or “Blest Isles”.
Much is taken, much abides------ Ulysses means to say that although owing to their old age
much of their youthful strength has been lost still whatever strength in them still survives is yet
enough to add further experiences and knowledge to their lives
abides ----------------------------still exists.
Moved earth and heaven ------------now it is used as a phrase which means to be able to achieve
even that which is usually thought to be unattainable.
One equal temper of ---------Ulysses says that all his mariners in their minds think alike
heroic hearts about life and adventure and their hearts are equally brave and courageous
From In Memoriam:
Void of; lacking of
Linnet : a kind of small songbird
License: freedom of action; liberty
Unfettered: unrestricted
Nor, what….rest; nor do I envy the supposed peace of mind that arises from remaining sunk in action,
never pledging one’s love, nor from any deficiency.
Pangs of nature; -----physical pain
Taints of blood;----- inherited faults
Cloven: ----spilt
Void: ----empty space
Subserves: ----promotes or assists
Diffusive: ----scattered about
Nigh;---- nearby
Crossing the Bar:
Moaning of the bar; ---- the sound of the ocean waves pounding against a sand bar at the mouth of the
harbor.
Evening bell: -----a ship’s bell rung to announce the changing the watch
From out…. Place: beyond the boundary of our lifetimes.
Embark: go on board a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle.
Bourne: a small stream, especially one that flows intermittently or seasonally.
Farewell: an act of parting or of marking someone's departure.
Twilight: the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction
and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere.
Dover Beach;
Straits: the Strait of Dover, a narrow channel separating England and France, located at the
northern end of the English Channel.
Moon-blanched: shinning palely in the moon light
Tremulous cadence: trembling rhythm
Sophocles: an ancient Greek writer of tragic plays
Aegean; the Aegean Sea, the portion of the Mediterranean sea between Greece and Turkey
Turbid: in a state of turmoil: muddled
Sea of Faith : traditional religious beliefs about God and the world, long viewed as true and
unshakable
Gridle: a belt or sash worn around the waist
Drear: dreary
Shingles: pebbly beaches
Need to study:
1. Analyze Speakers Write the name of the poem told by each speaker.
a. Tennyson remembering a deeply personal loss
b. a distant observer fascinated by an ancient tale
c. a first-person narrator contemplating death
d. a famous hero reflecting on his life
2. Analyze Mood Match each poem with the best description of its mood.
a. mournful and impatient for action
____ “Ulysses”
b. peaceful and accepting
____ “In Memoriam”
c. sad and serious
____ “Crossing the Bar”
d. peaceful at first, but then tragic
3. Contrast Texts Notice how the speaker’s grief changes in the three sections from
“In Memoriam.”
In section 27, the speaker accepts
In section 54, the speaker hopes that
In section 130, the speaker realizes that
4. Synthesize Author’s Perspective Based on these four poems, which statement
best reflects Tennyson’s idea of death?
____ a. Death is a terrifying experience for which we are entirely unprepared.
____ b. Death is the ultimate fulfillment of human experience.
____ c. Death is not frightening because the dead are reunited with God.
5. Evaluate Style These lines from “In Memoriam” are often quoted and remembered:
“ ’Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all.”
What sound devices does Tennyson use in these lines?
6. In “Ulysses,” how does Ulysses feel about travel? Use two details from the poems to support your
Answer.
7. What philosophy about living does the speaker present in part 27 of “In Memoriam”? Cite two details
from the lyric to support your response.
8. Why does the speaker in part 27 of “In Memoriam” have no envy for captives or caged animals?
Assessment from the book; end of topic exercises.
Dover Beach questions:
A sentence that effectively demonstrates skillful literary analysis
-states the context (title, lines, etc.)
-identifies relevant literary device
-uses a strong verb
-interprets the meaning/effect evoked by the lit. device
-integrates quotations/text references that support the interpretation
-blends sentence elements effectively
SURVEY THE WHOLE
The poem is a dramatic monologue. Identify the segments of the poem that represent inward reflection
of the speaker and direct address of the listener.
What details in each stanza identify and characterize the speaker and the listener?
What is the overall Theme, Tone, or Purpose here?
ANALYZE OPPOSITES (Stanza 1)
Consider the opposites of land/sea and visual/sound imagry in stanza 1. Find and list opposing words.
What + and – meanings are suggested by their connotations? Why is the ‘s’ sound so frequent?
List words in stanza 1 that have positive connotations and those with negative connotations. What
ideas and moods are created by this contrasting pattern? Is ‘moon-blanch’d land’ positive or negative?
In the first stanza, list examples of geographical details, spatial details, and examples of syntax used to
emphasize opposites.
Analyze rhyme in stanza 1. How does rhyme support the motif of connected opposites?
ANALYZE OPPOSITES (Stanza 1 & 2)
What are the Stanza 1 parallels of the allusions, “Sophocles” and “Aegean” Sea?
What are the Stanza 1 parallels of the pronouns “it” and “we”? Why the repetition?
ANALYZE METAPHOR
If both the sea and the “bright girdle furl’d” are parts of the vehicle, what is the tenor of the central
metaphor? What does each part of the vehicle reveal?
List the parallel negative opposites of “Sea of Faith/ Was… full, round earth’s shore, bright girdle furl’d.”
What is the impact of this contrast?
How does this stanza suggest a parallel to ‘the grating roar / Of pebbles which the waves draw back…”?
Which ‘dark’ idea is darkest – the ‘eternal sadness’ of Stanza 1, the ‘turbid ebb and flow / Of human
misery’ in Stanza 2, or the conclusion of Stanza 3? Why?