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Blind Louise
George Washington Dewey

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1 ; Reading
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What do you understand by courage? Is it only displayed (
\ illingness to face any adversity with quiet ··••,
___
poem about a woman who displays such str _.,.__~

~ge ftla s was rowing blind- '11/ 1,1_

Fd~ h ~\vi-?
That soon wo a stai)
Upon her fading sight;
a .et never did she make complaint,
But prayed each day might bring ~ - ,J
A beauty to her waning eyes, t-,~ :_\,1'":,
The loveliness of spring! tf
@ She drec1-rled tha~ eclips~ hi~ ~i~t
' ~vtA-,11~e t:\:: w
,--.r- .Perpetually enc ose . . \,O
Sad memories of a leafless world, - ;t'
1
A spectral realm of snows • - ~
G)She'd rather that the verdure left
An evergreen to shine

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Within her heart, as summer leaves
1. This is a metaphor where the white winter
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Its me~tZf dte~ e •
2
landscape is being compared to a ghostly
kingdom of snow.
/ sh~ fher wish; for when the sun
Oerhung his eastern towers, o~e 9~ . ~·
2. This is a simile. The poet compares the
everlasting memory left by nature's
And shed his benediction on '\-,->:> \
d •
~reenery in the woma~•s he~rt to summer's
(A world of May-time flowers? ~ ~ impact on evergreen pines.

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3. This is an example of personification where· . ·

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the sun is imagined as a human being,
showering his blessings on the world.

foresaw: knew beforehand spectral: ghostly

wan ing: decreasing gradually in strength verdure: green plants and trees Vu Y-J €"(('
eclipse: (here) dimming of sight benediction: blessing
perpetually: permanently

it
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v
-'\ r;/" ~1ound her seated, as of old, -
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Where did the poe~
.f>) In_~,e~ acc~s~ed place, l,U)
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find Louise?
m1drughfyn her sightless eyes, ~ Los-\- \.J' ')\ (fY)
0 And~orn)pon her face!
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About the poet

Geor~e W. Dewey (~ 818- 896) was an American poet. Blind Louise was published in
1842 1n Rufus W. Griswold s anthology titled Poets and Poetry of America, which was
the most comprehensive collection of verse in its time .

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Understa;ding the p~em

A. Choose the correct answers.
1. Louise knew that she was growing _ _ _ _ __
a. deaf b. old ~lind
2. Her ailment has been imagined as an _ _ _ _ _ _ in the first stanza .
a. eclipse ~ - dreary night c. summer day
3. The line 'a spectral realm of snows' has an instance of _ _ _ _ _ _ .
a. simile b. personification t..S,--fl1etaphor
4. The line 'She'd rather that the verdure left/An evergreen to shine/Within her heart_
means _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

~ he wanted nature's beauty to remain as an everlasting memory within her hear1

b. she wanted evergreen trees to shine within her heart
c. she wanted evergreen trees to be verdant
5. Louise's wish was fulfilled in the month of _ _ __
a. D ecem b er ~ ~ay- ,v,c c. March
6. She was found seated in her _ _ _ _ _ place.
~ customed
a. desired b. hidden
: -
--
 •(I\( 1She knew that she was growing blind-
, Foresaw the dreary night -M
----..i-;That soon would fall, without a star, -VY\
Upon her fading sight; - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Yet never did she make complaint,

'\J But prayed each day might bring
- - - - - - ; - A beauty to her waning eyes,
The loveliness of spring!

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She dreaded tha~lipse)vhich might _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __
"I\Perpetually enclose
Sad memories of a leafless world, ...,-e,,c
-------t 1
1. This is a metaphor w ere the white winter
'A spectral realm of snows ) yv\J,__,__
, _____ landscape is being compared to a ghostly
::::,._ki _
n gdom of snow.
 Sheo rather that the verdure-left
i~ An evergreen to shine , @his is a_simile. The poet compares the
Within her heart, as summeffeaves --------::-- everlasting memory left by nature's
I I Its memory on the pine~ . ___ greenery in the woman's heart to summer's
impact on evergreen pines.

-•she had her wish; for when the s u DR..9-./.),o

A~
- - - - 1l-'--.;;,r--
L Oerhung his easte_rn _towers,
------r-- r} And shed his benediction on
( A world):>f May-time flowers 3,
ound her seated, as of old,
her accustomed place,
1
idnighyrt her sightless eyes,==---1~.....-..~
"'---=-""JtuF-'---~--'
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nd®,.or~pon her
 \ I
-B. Answer the questions with reference to context.
----
1. Yet never did she make complaint,
But prayed each day might bring ...
a. Who is refereed to as 'she' in the given lines? What was the reason why she
· could have complained?
b.• What, related to her condition, could she foresee?
c. What did she pray for?

--")·- - - + = = - - - - - - - = - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2. She dreaded that eclipse which might 2..__
Perpetually enclose ...
a. Which 'eclipse' is being referred to here? Identify and explain the figure of
speech used by the poet. '
b. What does the poet mean by the phrase 'perpetually enclose'?
c. What did she fear that the 'eclipse' would enclose?
d. Why did she fear this happening?
e. What would she prefer to have instead?

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3. We found her seated, as of old,

In her accustomed place,
3
A midnight in her sightless eyes,
And morn upcm her face! .
a. Which expressions in this stanza tell us that she was found at her usual place?
b. What is said about her vision? What is the significance of the word
'midnight'? Identify the figure of speech in the use of the word.
c. How does the poem end on a hopeful note?

f{;~ •l- -Wby d_o_y9u think_Louise n~ver c;omplcJ_ined1 What doe.s this ~ell us about
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