The Night Mail - Questions & Answers

Section 1: True or False

1. W. H. Auden was born in the United States of America.
   Answer: False
2. The poem Night Mail was originally written as a verse commentary for a documentary film.
   Answer: True
3. The Night Mail train travels from Aberdeen to London Euston.
   Answer: False
4. The sheep-dogs wake up and bark loudly as the train passes by the farms.
   Answer: False
5. The train carries letters for both the rich and the poor.
   Answer: True

Section 2: Fill in the Blanks

1. W. H. Auden paced the verse with a stopwatch to match the rhythm of the train's wheels.
2. The train faces a steady climb and the gradient is against her, but she is still on time.
3. As the train descends towards Glasgow, the dark furnaces on the plain look like gigantic chessmen.
4. The letters are written on paper of every hue, such as pink, violet, white, and blue.
5. At the end of the poem, the poet says that no one can bear to feel himself forgotten.

Section 3: Short Answer Questions

1. Why did W. H. Auden use a stopwatch while writing this poem?
   Answer: He used a stopwatch to carefully pace the rhythm of his verses so that they would perfectly match the rhythmic clatter of the train's wheels and fit exactly to the shots in the documentary film.
2. What does the Night Mail bring in its coaches?
   Answer: The Night Mail brings a wide variety of items including cheques, postal orders, receipted bills, invitations, job applications, gossip, and letters of joy and condolence for people from all walks of life.
3. How do the animals and sleeping people react to the train passing through the rural areas?
   Answer: The train barely disturbs the countryside. Birds only turn their heads to stare, sheep-dogs continue to sleep with their paws across, and no one wakes up in the farmhouses, though a jug in the bedroom gently shakes from the vibration.

Section 4: Longer Answer Questions

1. Describe the contrast between the landscapes the Night Mail travels through before and after dawn.
   Answer: Before dawn, the train travels through a quiet, natural rural landscape. It climbs steep hills like Beattock, passing cotton-grass, moorland boulders, and wind-bent grasses while blowing white steam. The environment is so peaceful that farm animals and people continue sleeping undisturbed. As dawn freshens, the train descends into the industrial city of Glasgow. The scenery shifts dramatically to a working environment filled with steam tugs, fields of apparatus, cranes, and dark furnaces that resemble gigantic chessmen.
2. Explain the central message of the poem's final stanza regarding human nature.
   Answer: The final stanza highlights the deep human need for connection and the fear of isolation. Although thousands of people in Scottish cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen are fast asleep and dreaming, they will wake up eagerly longing for letters and news. The poet notes that everyone experiences a "quickening of the heart" at the sound of the postman's knock. This physical reaction occurs because receiving mail proves that a person is remembered by others, as no human can bear the painful feeling of being completely forgotten by the world.