The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
PART 1
Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands,
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
His hair is crisp, and black, and long;
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.
Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.
And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.
PART 2
He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.
It sounds to him like her mother's voice
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.
Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.
Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.
Question 1 (1 point)
Select the line that best indicates how the audience knows the author respects the craft of the blacksmith.
Question 1 options:
"They love to see the the flaming forge, and hear the bellows roar," (lines 21-22)
"Like a sexton ringing the village bell, When the evening sun is low;" (lines 17-18)
"The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands;" (lines 3-4)
"His hair crisp, and black, and long, his face is like the tan;" (lines 7-8)
Question 2 (1 point)
Why does the author describe the strength of the blacksmith?
Question 2 options:
To entertain the audience with lavish details and intriguing imagery.
To amuse the reader with a charismatic and likeable character.
To describe the blacksmith's physique to emphasize how hard he works.
To persuade the audience to consider blacksmithing as a career choice.
Question 3 (1 point)
Which figurative language is used when the author says "Are strong as iron bands" to describe the blacksmith's muscles?
Question 3 options:
Simile, because it is comparing two things to make a connection.
Onomatopoeia, because the word iron is the pronounced the same as its sound.
Personification, because the iron bands are given human characteristics.
Metaphor, because it is comparing two things that are not alike.
Question 4 (2 points)
In your own words, describe the blacksmith's work ethic as described through imagery in the first 3 stanzas of the poem.
Question 4 options:
Question 5 (2 points)
What is the theme or purpose of this poem?
Question 5 options:
Question 6 (1 point)
Why does the author contrast the hard work of the blacksmith in Part 1 with his day of "repose" in Part 2?
Question 6 options:
To persuade the audience into thinking the blacksmith is not as strong as he appears.
To describe how the blacksmith appreciates what has gain through is hard work.
To entertain the audience with a story about his family at church on a Sunday morning.
To characterize the blacksmith as a church going man who gets his strength from God.
Question 7 (1 point)
Which quote from the text best supports that the blacksmith appreciates and rejoices in the life has even though life hasn't been easy?
Question 7 options:
"It sounds to him like her mother's voice, Singing in Paradise!" (lines 7-8)
"Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose." (lines 17-18)
"He hears the parson pray and preach, he hears his daughter's voice," (lines 3-4)
"Toiling,--rejoicing,--sorrowing, Onward through life he goes;" (lines 13-14)
Question 8 (1 point)
What does the author mean in line 21 by "flaming forge of life"?
Question 8 options:
Like fire, life is powerful so it is important to be strong.
Be careful who you trust in life, because they might burn you in the end.
Life isn't easy, but we can forge our own life with hard work.
Everyone is destined to find their one true love; their burning desire.
