Download Title of Poem

By: Constance Fenimore Woolson
Cassie Check
The Florida Beach
OUR drift-wood fire burns drowsily,
The fog hangs low afar,
A thousand sea-birds fearlessly
Hover above the bar;
Our boat is drawn far up the strand,
Beyond the tide's long reach;
Like a fringe to the dark green winter land,
Shines the silvery Florida beach.
Behind, the broad pine barrens lie
Without a path or trail,
Before, the ocean meets the sky
Without a rock or sail.
We call across to Africa,
As a poet called to Spain:
A murmur of "Antony! Antony!"
The waves bring back in refrain.
Far to the south the beach shines on,
Dotted with giant shells;
Coral sprays from the white reef won,
Radiate spiny cells;
Glass-like creatures that ride the waves,
With azure sail and oar,
And wide-mouthed things from the deep sea caves
That melt away on the shore.
Wild ducks gaze as we pass along:
They have not learned to fear;
The mocking-bird keeps on his song
In the low palmetto near;
The sluggish stream from the everglade
Shows the alligator's track,
And the sea is broken in light and shade
With the heave of the dolphin's back.
The Spanish light-house stands in haze:
The keeper trims his light;
No sail he sees through the long, long days,
No sail through the still, still night;
But ships that pass far out at sea,
Along the warm Gulf Stream,
From Cuba and tropic Carribee,
Keep watch for his distant gleam.
Alone, alone we wander on,
In the southern winter day.
Through the dreamy veil the fog has spun
The world seems far away;
The tide comes in-the birds fly low,
As if to catch our speech.
Ah, Destiny! Why must we ever go
Away from the Florida beach?
The Florida Beach
 Lyric Poem
 Rhyming Verse
The Florida Beach
iambs = one short and one long as in above
trochees = one long and one short as in apple
dactyls = one long and two short as in tenderly
anapests = two short and one log as in unaware
spondee= a stressed syllable followed by another syllable of
approximately equal stress, as in "hot dog"
anapest (~~/ )
iamb ( ~/)
dactyl ( /~~)
trochee ( /~ )
spondee (//)
~ / ~
/
~
/
~
/
Far to the south the beach shines on,
~ / ~
/ ~
/
Dotted with giant shells;
~ /
~
/ ~
/
~ /
Coral sprays from the white reef won,
~ / ~ / ~
/
Radiate spiny cells;
The meter of the poem is iambic tetrameter alternated with iambic
trimeter.
The Florida Beach
 The theme of the poem involves focusing on the
elements of nature that create the ocean and shore.
The poet describes all the wonderful natural aspects
that combine to create the Florida coast. She writes
about all the sights and sounds she encounters looking
at the beach from aboard a boat, not wanting to
disturb the nature untouched by man. She reminds
the reader how wonderfully simple nature is, not
wanting to leave this peaceful place at the end of the
poem.
The Florida Beach
The mocking-bird keeps on his song
In the low palmetto near;
 The mockingbird symbolizes
innocence. It is a creature that
does no harm to anybody and
only provides joy to others by
singing its song.
The Florida Beach
IMAGERY
The poet’s lines are detailed and descriptive
that portray the images she sees.
 Fire burns drowsily
 Glass-like creatures that ride the waves
 Sluggish stream
 Dreamy veil the fog has spun
The Florida Beach
The poem describes the aspects and
characteristics of nature that all together
form The Florida Beach, the title of the
poem.
The Florida Beach
The meaning of the poem is to marvel at how
wonderfully the beach exists undisturbed.
She implies how perfect the beach setting is
because it has not been marked by human
touch.
About Constance Fenimore Woolson
 American novelist and short story
writer
 Born in New Hampshire, but moved
to Ohio after the death of her three
sisters from scarlet fever
 Published her first novel Anne in
1880, followed by three others: East
Angels (1886), Jupiter Lights (1889)
and Horace Chase (1894)
 Suffered from long periods of
depression and isolation due to a
hearing impairment that brought on
increasing deafness
 Moved to St. Augustine, Florida after
the Civil War
March 5, 1840 – January 24, 1894
By: Cassie Check
Always With Me
By my side morning, noon, and night.
Protecting me without reservation and
guiding me through temptation.
Teaching me right from wrong—good and bad.
Enlightening me of life’s importance.
Reminding me of everyday blessings and
creating miracles with no explanation.
Acknowledging my faults and failures by
overshadowing my every move.
Observing my trials and tribulations and
comforting me through times of need.
Leading me on the right path.
Preparing me for eternal life.
…MY Guardian Angel
Presented by: Cassie Check
Date: September 28, 2009
Class: ECE 3602
Bibliography:
Burleson, Carolyn O. "Exploring Poetry." Poets' Corner. The Poets' Corner
Editorial Staff. Web. 25 Sept. 2009. <http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/>.