Question

Away

Away, away I would go if I could,
Perhaps to an overgrown sun-dapple wood;
Away, away I would fly in a flash,
If I thought peace awaited under a towering ash.

Away, away you would wish me go too,
If only the pain of my staying still was known to you;
Away, away you would bid me farewell,
And on my wellbeing, you’d never again dwell.



"Longing" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Question
Use the poem to answer the question.

In 3–5 sentences, use effective reasoning to explain a conclusion you can draw from the structure of “Away.” Base your conclusion in part on the structure of the poem.

(4 points)

Answer 1

The poem’s structure—two mirrored quatrains that both begin with the repeated phrase “Away, away”—shows that the speaker’s desire to escape is persistent and obsessive. The repetition creates a driving, urgent rhythm that mirrors the speaker’s urge to flee, while the parallel stanzas (first imagining personal peace, then imagining others wanting him gone) highlight a shift from hope to alienation. Together, these structural choices support the conclusion that the speaker feels compelled to leave and believes he is or would be rejected by others.