Question

Select two characteristics that make it clear that this poem is an elegy.
Responses

There are lines in the poem that describe the poet’s sadness when Lincoln was assassinated.
There are lines in the poem that describe the poet’s sadness when Lincoln was assassinated.

The poem allows readers to draw their own conclusions about what really happened to Lincoln.
The poem allows readers to draw their own conclusions about what really happened to Lincoln.

The poem includes three stanzas that emphasize strong words and language.
The poem includes three stanzas that emphasize strong words and language.

The poet makes the setting a boat by using words such as ship and vessel.
The poet makes the setting a boat by using words such as ship and vessel .

The repetition and exclamation of heart! expresses the emotions people felt throughout the nation.

Answer 1

- There are lines in the poem that describe the poet’s sadness when Lincoln was assassinated. (Direct expression of mourning for a specific death is a key feature of an elegy.)
- The repetition and exclamation of "heart!" expresses the emotions people felt throughout the nation. (Repetition and emotional exclamation emphasize public grief and lamentation, another elegiac trait.)