Universidad de Oriente

School of Arts and Sciences 

Foreign Language Department  

Subject:

NorthAmerican Literature

Section “A”

Assignment:

A Psalm of Life

Professor:

Lic. Mayra Alejandra Lopez Bonilla

Student:

Ayala Rivera, Kenia Sarai 

Date:

September 30th, 2021

San Miguel, El Salvador, Central America

 A Psalm of Life: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1. Who is the speaker in this poem? What kind of person is he or she?

The speaker in this poem is the “Heart of the Young Man”. In other words, the speaker
is not a human figure, but rather the poet’s personified heart. The heart in this case
symbolizes passion and enthusiasm for life.
2. To whom is the speaker speaking, or in other words, who is the audience?
The speaker is speaking to the “Psalmist,” who is a writer of biblical psalms. In other
words, you can also say that the audience is the poet himself or human beings in
general.
3. What is the situation and setting in time (era) and place?
The setting of "A Psalm of Life" is the earth, more specifically the world of human
affairs. The poem, after all, is concerned with living in the present, in the mortal world.
The poem could apply to any human life, anywhere in time or space.
4. What is the purpose of the poem?
The purpose of "A Psalm of Life" is a message of hope and encouragement. It
encourages people to live their lives to the fullest, using the short time we have here on
Earth as a gift. It’s also a message to future generations to find work and action that
gives them purpose and passion.
5. State the poem’s central idea or theme in a singular sentence.

6. What is the tone of the poem? How is it achieved?

7. Notice the poem’s diction. Discuss any words which seem especially well-
chosen.

8. Are there predominant usages of figurative language? What is the effect?