Use the poem "Recuerdo" by Edna St. Vincent Millay to complete the activity.

Question

(1) We were very tired, we were very merry—

We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.

It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—

But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,

We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;

And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.

(2) We were very tired, we were very merry—

We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;

And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,

From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;

And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,

And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.

(3) We were very tired, we were very merry,

We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.

We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head,

And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;

And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears,

And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.

In one to two sentences, explain how the repeated lines contribute to the overall meaning of the poem.

Check for any grammical errors and any other stuff, do not change into your words please. list all errors please.

The repetition of the lines "We were very tired, we were very merry" contributes to the poem's feeling of happiness and tiredness from the two characters. It helps convey that the two characters in the story are having fun.

Answer 1

Here are the grammatical errors and suggestions for correction:

1. Tense Consistency:

   • The phrase "characters in the story are having fun" shifts from past tense ("were very tired," "were very merry") to present tense ("are having fun").
   • Suggestion: Change "are" to "were" to maintain past tense consistency.

2. Clarity:

   • The phrase "the two characters in the story" might be made clearer by specifying who the characters are (e.g., "the narrator and their companion").
   • While this is not a grammatical error per se, providing clarity improves the quality of the sentence.

3. Sentence Structure:

   • The structure could be refined by linking the two ideas more directly.
   • For example, "contributes to the poem's feeling of happiness and tiredness" and "helps convey" could be combined or the latter restated for smoother flow.

Revised sentences considering the corrections might look like this: "The repetition of the lines 'We were very tired, we were very merry' contributes to the poem's feeling of happiness and tiredness from the two characters. It helps convey that the two characters in the story were having fun."

However, since you requested not to change to your words, the original sentence can be adjusted as follows without altering your wording:

"The repetition of the lines 'We were very tired, we were very merry' contributes to the poem's feeling of happiness and tiredness from the two characters. It helps convey that the two characters in the story were having fun."

In summary, the key errors are the tense inconsistency and the lack of clarity in identifying the characters.