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I Remember, I Remember - Questions & Answers

1. True / False

1. Thomas Hood was born in Dundee, Scotland.
False

2. The poem "I Remember, I Remember" was first published in 1844.
True

3. The poet's brother planted a laburnum tree on his birthday, and the tree is still living.
True

4. As a grown man, the poet's spirit feels as light as feathers.
False

5. During his childhood, the poet believed that the slender tops of the dark fir trees were close against the sky.
True

2. Fill in the blanks

1. William Michael Rossetti called Thomas Hood "the finest English poet" between the generations of Shelley and Tennyson.

2. The poet fondly remembers the roses, violets, and lily-cups, describing them as flowers made of light.

3. While playing on the swing, the poet thought the air must rush as fresh to swallows on the wing.

4. The poet refers to his early belief that the tree tops touched the sky as a childish ignorance.

5. As an adult, it gives the poet little joy to know that he is farther off from heaven than when he was a boy.

3. Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Thomas Hood's mother move after the death of her husband in 1811?
After the death of her husband, Hood's mother moved to Islington, where he received education from a supportive private schoolmaster.

2. In the first stanza, what dark thought does the adult poet often have regarding the night?
The adult poet is so burdened by his gloomy adulthood that he often wishes the night had simply taken his breath away.

3. Which two birds are specifically mentioned by the poet in his childhood memories?
The poet mentions a robin that built its nest in the lilacs, and swallows flying fresh on the wing.

4. How does the poet describe his "spirit" in the past compared to the present?
He describes his childhood spirit as flying "in feathers," meaning it was extremely light and carefree. In contrast, he says his spirit is "so heavy now" in his adulthood.

4. Longer Answer Questions

1. Describe Thomas Hood's early struggles with his career and health before he fully dedicated himself to poetry.
At the young age of 14, Thomas Hood was placed into a counting house belonging to a family friend. However, he found the profession highly uncongenial, and it severely affected his health. He then left to study engraving, but that manual labour proved no better for his fragile condition. Due to his poor health, he was eventually sent to live with his father's relatives in Dundee, Scotland. It was there that he lived a healthy outdoor life and began to write poetry seriously, publishing his first work as a letter to the editor of the Dundee Advertiser.

2. How does the poem "I Remember, I Remember" highlight the contrast between childhood and adulthood? Discuss with examples from the poem.
The poem effectively highlights the universal theme of growing up by contrasting the pure joy and light of childhood with the heavy, uncertain realities of adulthood. In his youth, the poet remembers the morning sun warmly peeking through his window, playing energetically on his swing, and admiring beautiful, vibrant flowers. He possessed an innocent wonder, believing the tall fir trees reached heaven itself. However, as an adult, this innocence is lost. His spirit, which used to be as light as feathers, is now heavily weighed down by the sorrows of life. He feels a metaphorical "fever on his brow" that even the cool summer pools of his youth cannot cure, ultimately lamenting that he feels spiritually farther away from heaven now than he did as a young, ignorant boy.

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Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!

Question

During which years did the English poet Thomas Hood live?

Answer

1799 – 1845

Question

In which city was Thomas Hood born?

Answer

London

Question

Besides being a poet, Thomas Hood was also known as a great author and a _____.

Answer

humourist

Question

Name two of Thomas Hood's most famous poems mentioned in the text.

Answer

"The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt"

Question

To which three major publications did Thomas Hood regularly contribute?

Answer

The London Magazine, Athenaeum, and Punch

Question

At what age did Thomas Hood lapse into invalidism?

Answer

Question

How did William Michael Rossetti describe Thomas Hood's status in English poetry in 1903?

Answer

The finest English poet between the generations of Shelley and Tennyson

Question

To which London district did Hood's mother move following the death of her husband in 1811?

Answer

Islington

Question

What task earned Thomas Hood a few guineas under the guidance of his private schoolmaster?

Answer

Revising a new edition of the 1788 novel Paul and Virginia for the press

Question

At age 14, in what type of establishment was Thomas Hood admitted to work?

Answer

A counting house

Question

What did Thomas Hood jokingly say he turned his stool into while working at the counting house?

Answer

A Pegasus on three legs

Question

Which profession did Hood begin to study after the 'uncongenial' counting house affected his health?

Answer

Engraving

Question

Where was Hood sent to live with his father's relations to improve his health?

Answer

Dundee, Scotland

Question

In which publication did Thomas Hood's writing first appear in print?

Answer

The Dundee Advertiser

Question

In what year was the poem "I Remember, I Remember" first published?

Answer

1844

Question

What is the central narrative theme of the poem "I Remember, I Remember"?

Answer

The passage of time leaving only memories behind

Question

How does the poet characterise adulthood in contrast to childhood?

Answer

Adulthood is gloomy and uncertain, while childhood is perfect

Question

In the first stanza, what does the sun do at the 'little window'?

Answer

Peeps in at morn

Question

According to the first stanza, what does the speaker often wish for 'now'?

Answer

That the night had borne his breath away

Question

Which four types of flowers are explicitly mentioned in the second stanza?

Answer

Roses, violets, lily-cups, and lilacs

Question

Where did the robin build its nest in the speaker's childhood home?

Answer

In the lilacs

Question

What did the poet's brother plant on his birthday?

Answer

A laburnum tree

Question

What is the current state of the laburnum tree according to the second stanza?

Answer

The tree is still living

Question

In the third stanza, the speaker remembers the place where he used to _____.

Answer

swing

Question

What bird is used to describe the freshness of the air the child felt while swinging?

Answer

Swallows

Question

How does the speaker describe the weight of his spirit in childhood compared to adulthood?

Answer

It flew 'in feathers' then but is 'so heavy now'

Question

What physical sensation in adulthood can 'summer pools' not cool?

Answer

The fever on the speaker's brow

Question

What type of trees did the child believe were 'close against the sky'?

Answer

Fir trees

Question

What term does the speaker use to describe his belief that tree tops reached the sky?

Answer

Childish ignorance

Question

In the final stanza, what 'little joy' does the adult speaker find in his knowledge of the world?

Answer

Knowing he is farther off from heaven than when he was a boy

Question

To what generation of poets does William Michael Rossetti link Thomas Hood?

Answer

The generations of Shelley and Tennyson

Question

What happened to Thomas Hood's professional life after contributing to various magazines?

Answer

He published a magazine largely consisting of his own works

Question

The poem describes the sun as never bringing 'too long a _____' to the child.

Answer

day

Question

The speaker describes the flowers of his childhood as being 'made of _____'!

Answer

light

Question

What does the 'fever on my brow' represent in the context of the poem's themes?

Answer

The pain, stress, or turmoil of adulthood

Question

How does the speaker describe the appearance of the fir trees in the final stanza?

Answer

Dark and high

Question

What specific guinea-earning job did the schoolmaster encourage in Thomas Hood?

Answer

Revising for the press

Question

What poetic feet are mentioned in Hood's joke about his counting house stool?

Answer

Dactyl or spondee

Question

Why was the counting house profession considered 'uncongenial' by Hood?

Answer

It negatively affected his health

Question

What kind of lifestyle did Hood lead in Dundee that helped his health?

Answer

A healthy outdoor life

Question

Which stanza focuses on the physical movement and lightness of the child's spirit?

Answer

The third stanza

Question

What is the primary contrast presented in the final two lines of the poem?

Answer

The proximity to heaven in childhood versus the distance from it in adulthood

Question

Concept: Childhood Ignorance in "I Remember, I Remember"

Answer

Definition: The innocent, mistaken belief that nature's heights (tree tops) literally touch heaven.

Question

The sun is personified in the first stanza using the verb _____.

Answer

peeping

Question

What color are the roses mentioned in the poem?

Answer

Red and white

Question

The speaker notes that the sun 'never came a _____ too soon'.

Answer

wink

Question

What was the name of the author of the 1788 novel Paul and Virginia?

Answer

The source material does not provide the author's name.

Question

By what age had Thomas Hood died?

Answer

Question

What type of 'ignorance' does the poet look back on with sadness?

Answer

Childish ignorance

Question

What did the speaker think of the air while on the swing?

Answer

That it must rush as fresh to swallows on the wing