Alone
Alone [1829]
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
Questions for Discussion
1. Which choice best describes the speaker's overall tone in this poem?
A) acceptance
B) anger
C) denial
D) joy
E) bitterness
2. Which of these situations is most like the speaker's?
A) a soldier going to battle
B) an office worker attending a meetings
C) an athlete playing with his or her team
D) a soloist performing with an orchestra
E) a weather forcaster making a prediction
3. What is the speaker's purpose in the poem?
To emphasize his
A) life of luxury
B) conformity
C) lack of feeling
D) intelligence
E) peculiarity
4. Which choice best explains what the poet refers to in, "The mystery which binds me still--(line 12)"?
He felt that
A) he had experienced many personal griefs
B) he was the only people who understood his feelings
C) he could not understand why he was talented
D) he could not explain the purpose of life
E) he had learned from his childhood how to be happy
5. When he was very young, the speaker of the poem lost his beloved mother and father and the woman who adopted him and showed him love. He struggled with his adopted father for most of his life.
Based on this information and the poem, how do you think the speaker felt after the loss of his loved ones?
A) angry
B) solitary
C) confused
D) inspired
E) comforted