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Miniver Cheevy
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Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Miniver loved the Medici,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
Albeit he had never seen one;
He wept that he was ever born,
He would have sinned incessantly
And he had reasons.
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Miniver loved the days of old
Miniver cursed the commonplace
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
The vision of a warrior bold
He missed the medieval grace
Would set him dancing.
Of iron clothing.
Miniver sighed for what was not,
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And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
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Miniver scorned the gold he sought,
But sore annoyed was he without it;
2
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
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And Priam’s neighbors.
And thought about it.
Miniver mourned the ripe renown
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
That made so many a name so fragrant;
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Could he have been one.
4
He mourned Romance, now on the town,
And Art, a vagrant.
1. Thebes is the site of several different myths from Ancient Greece.
2. Camelot is the legendary site of King Arthur’s court.
3. In Homer’s The Iliad, Priam is the king of Troy; he loses the Trojan War.
4. “On the town” is an old-fashioned way of saying “on welfare.”
5. Medici refers to a powerful, wealthy family in 14th century Florence, Italy.
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Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.
– Edwin Arlington Robinson, 1910
Miniver Cheevy
Questions
Miniver Cheevy
Questions
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
To receive credit, you must write complete, thoughtful sentences.
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
To receive credit, you must write complete, thoughtful sentences.
1. Describe the narrator’s tone in this poem. What is the narrator’s opinion of Miniver
Cheevy?
1. Describe the narrator’s tone in this poem. What is the narrator’s opinion of Miniver
Cheevy?
2. What is the rhyme and meter of this poem? What effect does this structure give to the
impact of the poem?
2. What is the rhyme and meter of this poem? What effect does this structure give to the
impact of the poem?
3. In the first quatrain, Miniver Cheevy is described as a “child of scorn.” What’s the
narrator’s point in using this phrase?
3. In the first quatrain, Miniver Cheevy is described as a “child of scorn.” What’s the
narrator’s point in using this phrase?
4. The narrator tells us that Cheevy
“dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
and Priam’s neighbors,” yet there is a
different, darker way of viewing these
historical places and events. Explain
the possible downsides of living in
any of these ancient times.
4. The narrator tells us that Cheevy
“dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
and Priam’s neighbors,” yet there is a
different, darker way of viewing these
historical places and events. Explain
the possible downsides of living in
any of these ancient times.
5. What two elements are personified
in this poem? What’s ironic about Cheevy’s opinion of these two things?
5. What two elements are personified
in this poem? What’s ironic about Cheevy’s opinion of these two things?
6. Alliteration occurs frequently in the poem, as seen with Cheevy and child (line 1),
Miniver mourned (line 13), and ripe renown (line 13). Locate and write down three other
examples of alliteration in the poem.
6. Alliteration occurs frequently in the poem, as seen with Cheevy and child (line 1),
Miniver mourned (line 13), and ripe renown (line 13). Locate and write down three other
examples of alliteration in the poem.
7. Miniver Cheevy’s foolishness is clearly on display in the fifth quatrain. How so?
7. Miniver Cheevy’s foolishness is clearly on display in the fifth quatrain. How so?
8. Does Miniver Cheevy have a job? Cite two lines that help answer this question.
8. Does Miniver Cheevy have a job? Cite two lines that help answer this question.
9. If Miniver Cheevy had lived in an earlier time, do you believe he would have been a
hero? Explain your thoughts and include a line of text from the poem that supports your
stance.
9. If Miniver Cheevy had lived in an earlier time, do you believe he would have been a
hero? Explain your thoughts and include a line of text from the poem that supports your
stance.
10. Great poets, like Edwin Arlington Robinson, are purposeful in every word they pack
into their short pieces. Look closely at the name of our central figure, Miniver Cheevy.
Why, do you suppose, the author chose this unusual name for this man?
10. Great poets, like Edwin Arlington Robinson, are purposeful in every word they pack
into their short pieces. Look closely at the name of our central figure, Miniver Cheevy.
Why, do you suppose, the author chose this unusual name for this man?
11. Why do you suppose many adults pine for the “good old days,” either an earlier era
in history or their own youthful high school/college days? Is this generally a harmless or
harmful thing? Why?
11. Why do you suppose many adults pine for the “good old days,” either an earlier era
in history or their own youthful high school/college days? Is this generally a harmless or
harmful thing? Why?