LEARNING RESOURCE MATERIAL
The Highwayman © 2005. Written by Alfred Noyes and illustrated by Murray Kimber.
www.kidscanpress.com
About the Visions in Poetry Series
Visions in Poetry is an award-winning series of classic poems
illustrated by outstanding contemporary artists in stunning
hardcover editions.
About “The Highwayman”
“The Highwayman” is the second poem in this exciting and
unique series. Originally published in 1907, the poem is a
haunting, romantic ballad about a highwayman and his doomed
love for the beautiful Bess, the landlord’s “black-eyed daughter.”
The poem opens with the highwayman pledging his love to Bess
and asking her to watch for him by moonlight on the following
evening when he will come back for her. However, while
returning to the inn where his true love awaits, the highwayman
is unaware that the king’s soldiers lie in wait for him, concealed
in Bess’s room. When Bess hears the distinctive “tlot-tlot” of
his horse’s hooves, she warns the highwayman with her death
by pulling the trigger of the musket that the soldiers have
positioned beneath her breast. Her suicide saves her lover who,
after trying to avenge Bess’s death, is shot down “like a dog on
the highway.”
About the Author
Alfred Noyes (1880–1958) was an English-born poet, playwright and novelist
who lived in the United States and Canada during much of World War II.
He was a noted critic of modernist writers such as James Joyce and T.S. Eliot.
Known as a literary conservative, Noyes followed traditional models in
the structure and subject of his poetry, refusing to embrace the modernist
movement in literature. His verse was influenced by Romantic poets such as
Tennyson and Wordsworth. “The Highwayman” is arguably the most wellknown and beloved of his poems.
About the Illustrator
Murray Kimber has illustrated a number of picture books, including
Josepha: A Prairie Boy’s Story, Fern Hill, The Wolf of Gubbio and, most
recently, Ancient Voices. He has received many awards for his artwork,
including two of Canada’s most prestigious honors, the Governor General’s
Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik Cleaver Award. Murray Kimber is also a
fine artist who has had a number of exhibitions of his paintings and does
commercial work for many high-profile clients. Originally from Alberta,
Kimber currently lives in Nelson, British Columbia, with his wife and daughter.
The Highwayman © 2005. Written by Alfred Noyes and illustrated by Murray Kimber.
www.kidscanpress.com
Discussion Topics and Activities
The following discussion topics and activities are
suitable for classes in language and literature, media
and visual arts.
these useful techniques in the poem? Why or why
not? Finally, ask students to come up with their own
examples of onomatopoeic words and similes. For
Please note that some of the activities in this learning example, the onomatopoeic words can describe sounds
that are made in the hallway between classes and
resource require students to visit their local library
similes can be created by comparing voices of friends
or use the Internet for research.
and relatives to the sounds of animals. Have students
1. A ballad is a narrative poem that tells a dramatic
share their examples with the class.
story, which often speaks of love, death, the
supernatural or a combination of these, through simple 3. In his interpretation of “The Highwayman” Murray
narration or dialogue. “The Highwayman” is a haunting, Kimber transforms the rural highways of yesteryear
into the modern streets of 1940s Manhattan. Kimber’s
thrilling, romantic ballad of doomed love.
moody illustrations, use of moonlight and shadows and
The following is a checklist of the common
urban setting give his depiction the feel of a film noir.
characteristics of a ballad:
Discuss with your class the effect that the illustrations
• Short compared to other narrative poems
have on the reader. Ask students to answer the
• Written in simple, concise language
following questions: Do you feel that the illustrator
• Opens abruptly, dropping the reader immediately
captured the essence of the poem in his artwork? Do
into the action of the story without a prolonged
you feel that his visual interpretation of the ballad is
introduction
accurate? What would you have done differently (if
• Often emphasizes a single dramatic event through
anything)?
dialogue and action
4. Murray Kimber creates such a powerful setting that
• Descriptions of character and setting are kept to a
it is almost a character in its own right. Ask students
minimum
to go through the poem again, this time paying close
• Almost always has a refrain
attention only to the illustrations, and create a character
Ask students to use the above checklist to discuss
sketch of the setting based on Murray Kimber’s
in class how “The Highwayman” is a typical ballad.
illustrations. Students’ character sketches should
Encourage students to use examples from the poem to
answer the following questions: Where does the story
support their responses.
take place? What does the setting tell you about the
2. Onomatopoeia and similes are literary devices used
characters? What do you notice about the city? Which
by the author.
images stand out?
An onomatopoeic word imitates the sound it represents. 5. As an individual assignment, ask students to create
An example of onomatopoeia in the poem is the sound their own visual interpretations of another popular
of the highwayman approaching on horse: “Tlot-tlot;
ballad. Students can either choose one of the ballads
tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? / The horse-hoofs ringing
listed below, or choose a different one, which should be
clear; / Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? / Were they
approved by the teacher. Ask students to choose two or
deaf that they did not hear?”
three stanzas that interest them and create illustrations
A simile is a figure of speech that expresses a
for each, rather than creating illustrations for the entire
comparison between two different things using words
ballad. Students should decide whether the visual
such as “like” or “as.” The following is an example of a
setting of the poem will be historical or contemporary.
simile in the poem: “His face was white and peaked. /
• “Barbara Allen’s Cruelty” written by Thomas Percy.
His eyes were hollows of madness, / his hair like
• “Lord Randall” written by anonymous.
mouldy hay.”
• “Robin Hood’s Golden Prize” written by anonymous.
Divide students into small groups and ask them to
• “The Unquiet Grave” written by anonymous.
make a list of all the onomatopoeic words and the
**Note: To pull up the full text of each ballad use your
similes that appear in the poem. Then have each group
favorite search engine and type in the title of the poem.
discuss the effect these words have on the text. Are
The Highwayman © 2005. Written by Alfred Noyes and illustrated by Murray Kimber.
www.kidscanpress.com
6. In “The Highwayman,” Bess is portrayed as both a victim
and a hero. In this book there are a number of images of Bess
bound and gagged, emphasizing her portrayal as a helpless,
defenseless woman victimized by her captives. On the other
hand, she is also depicted as a hero when she chooses to take
her own life in an attempt to save the life of her lover.
Divide the class into two groups and have them debate
whether the reader’s final impression of Bess is that of a hero
or a victim. Encourage students to pay close attention to both
the images and the text of the poem and use examples from
each to help strengthen their argument.
7. Murray Kimber’s illustrations throughout the poem are
extremely arresting and powerful. Yet his depictions of the
tragic events aren’t graphic; instead, he leaves much to the
imagination.
In class, ask students to discuss the following: Why does the
illustrator pull back by either creating a silhouetted image
of the characters at the most dramatic moments or by not
showing the character at all? For example, why is the image
of Bess committing suicide silhouetted? And why do we not
actually see the highwayman as he is gunned down?
Paying close attention to the above mentioned images in the
poem, do you feel that the silhouette technique adds to the
dramatic climax of the poem or takes away from it? Would
you change these two images? Why or why not?
Also available in the Visions in Poetry series
Currently available
Available in October 2005
Coming in Spring 2006, Casey at the Bat
The activity pages in this learning resource have been designed
as originals that can be reproduced for home or classroom
use only. For more learning resource materials, please visit
kidscanpress.com.
The Highwayman © 2005. Written by Alfred Noyes and illustrated by Murray Kimber.
www.kidscanpress.com