Download Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendell Holmes Ay, tear her tattered ensign

Old Ironsides
by Oliver Wendell Holmes
Ay, tear her tattered ensign1 down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more!
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;
The harpies2 of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the God of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
1
2
The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned vessel in the
world. It fought in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812, and
earned the nickname Old Ironsides for its ability to absorb British
hits without damage. A make of ship with a life expectancy of 10-15
years, it fought for 31—an amazing feat.
In 1830, the ship was old, beyond repair and taking up space, so
the Navy decided to scrap it. But word got out, and Oliver
Wendell Holmes got mad. He wrote this poem, it was published,
and, due to popular demand, the ship was saved.
Ensign – n. – flag, emblem
Harpy – n. – a mythical, predatory monster; also: a predatory person
1. Lines 3-4 say that people have “danced to see that banner in the sky.” Why would
people dance just because they saw the ship’s flags?
2. What is the “meteor of ocean air” that “shall sweep the clouds no more”? What is
Holmes referring to?
3. What makes this ship so special (according to Holmes)?
4. To whom do you think Holmes is referring when he says “the harpies of the shore” at
the end of the second stanza? Why would he call them that?
5. Is the eagle a symbol for anything in this country? Why would Holmes call Old
Ironsides “the eagle of the sea”?
6. In the third stanza, Holmes outlines what he thinks should be done with the ship.
What is his idea?
7. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?
8. Write down a quote from the poem that shows alliteration. Use correct citation
methods (including line breaks and line citation).
9. Write down a quote from the poem that shows assonance. Use correct citation
methods (including line breaks and line citation).
10. Write down a quote from the poem that shows consonance. Use correct citation
methods (including line breaks and line citation).