Download Poetry Day 4

Poem #7
Dramatic Poetry
“The Seven Ages of a Man” pg. 944
 Complete questions # 1,2,4,5
1. I agree somewhat with the speaker’s view with the seven stages
of life. There are some bad times, but he didn’t mention any of
the good things that happen during those times.
2.
a. The infant, the whining schoolboy, the lover, the soldier,
the justice, the pantaloon, and the second childishness.
b. The infant represents when people are babies. The
whining schoolboy represents the kids in grade school.
The lover represents teenagers until they get married. The
soldier represents someone who is working and is just
starting out. They have to follow everyone else’s orders.
The justice is an older working person who gets to order
the “soldiers” around. The pantaloons is an older person
who doesn’t care about their appearance anymore. The
second childishness is even older people who are oblivious
to most things because it no longer concerns them.
4.
a. People in the final stage are missing their teeth, their eyes,
and their taste. According to the speaker, people in the final
stage are missing everything.
b. The speaker makes them sound like children again by being
oblivious.
5.
a. The speaker expresses a negative attitude toward the different
stages of life.
b. The speaker of the “The Raven” might have the same
perspective on life. Since the speaker went through such hard
times, he might also have a negative perspective on life.
 List at least 3 poetic devices found in the poem (Name the literary device and list the
example from the poem.) EX: Simile – “And the river flows like a stream of glass” - Line 4
(from “Sympathy”)
1. Metaphor- “All the world’s a stage” –line 1
2. Simile- “Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad” –line 10
3. Repetition- “Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”
-line 28
 Rate the poem on the following scale accompanied by a 1-3 sentence specific explanation for
the rating.
Approval Rating Scale:
It was ok.
I thought this poem was not the best one we read, but it
also wasn’t the worst. At first, I didn’t really understand it,
but once it was explained, I thought it was humorous.
Homework Activity: Write a poem titled “The Seven Stages of ___________” where you
choose a type of person (woman, teenagers, a person in love, baseball player, musician, famous
person, etc.). Then write the seven stages of their life and the activities associated with each
stage. Model it after Shakespeare’s monologue (a poem spoken by one person).
The Seven States of a Musician
All musicians yearn to perform on a grand stage,
Talent and hard work must come first.
Starting to play an instrument is not easy,
It takes practice and patience.
First, a teacher must teach the basics,
The student must be willing to learn.
Once the teacher has nothing more to teach,
The musician goes off on their own.
The third stage of a musician is simple,
They perform for a small crowd.
The fourth stage: courage comes,
They will play for bigger crowds.
The fifth is enjoyable,
They play for fun for whoever wants to listen.
The sixth makes a circle.
The talented musician becomes the teacher,
To spread their love of music.
The final stage is contentment.
After filling the world with their joyous sounds,
They put their instrument down,
To listen to the new age of musicians around.