A Dream Within a Dream By Edgar Allan Poe

Question

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow1 —
You are not wrong, who deem2
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand —
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep — while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Question 1; The speaker parts from someone who believes the speaker's life has been lived like a dream
True or False

Question 2; In stanza 1, the speaker implies that what we see may not be real. True or False

Question 3; What is the speaker unable to keep?
the sound of the ocean
the grains of sand
the waves
his dreams

Answer 1

Question 1: True
The speaker acknowledges that the other person's belief about their life being a dream is not incorrect.

Question 2: True
In the first stanza, the speaker implies that what we perceive may not be real by stating, "All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream."

Question 3: the grains of sand
The speaker expresses a sense of loss and helplessness as the grains of sand slip through their fingers, indicating they are unable to keep them.

Answer 2

Question 4; PART A: Which sentence best describes a theme of the poem?
Nothing in life is permanent
Our loved ones usually leave us
It is important to hold on to your dreams
We cannot slow the passage of time

Question 4; PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A?
"Through my fingers to the deep, / While I weep — while I weep!" (Lines 17-18)

"And I hold within my hand / Grains of the golden sand" (Lines 14-15)

"O God! I cannot save / One from the pitiless wave" (Lines 21-22)

"Thus much let me avow — / You are not wrong, who deem" (Lines 3-4)

Answer 3

Question 4; PART A: The sentence that best describes a theme of the poem is:
Nothing in life is permanent.
The poem explores the ephemeral nature of life, dreams, and the things we try to hold onto, indicating that nothing lasts forever.

Question 4; PART B: The lines from the poem that best support the answer to Part A are:
"O God! I cannot save / One from the pitiless wave" (Lines 21-22).
These lines emphasize the speaker's feeling of helplessness in preventing loss and the inevitability of things slipping away, highlighting the theme of impermanence.

Answer 4

Question 5; PART A: What is the meaning of the word "vision" as used in line 8?
the future
a spirit
a beautiful person
a dream

Question 5; PART B: Which lines from the poem best support the answer to Part A?

"Is it therefore the less gone?" (Line 9)

"Yet if hope has flown away / In a night, or in a day" (Lines 6-7)

"You are not wrong, who deem / That my days have been a dream" (Lines 4-5)

"All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream." (Lines 10-11)

Answer 5

Question 5; PART A: The meaning of the word "vision" as used in line 8 is:
a dream.
In the context of the poem, "vision" relates to the idea of perception and experiences that may not be grounded in reality, aligning with the theme of dreams.

Question 5; PART B: The lines from the poem that best support the answer to Part A are:
"All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream." (Lines 10-11)
This reinforces the idea that our experiences and perceptions can be likened to dreams, thereby linking the word "vision" to the concept of a dream.

Answer 6

This is the answer, what would be the question?

Student's Answer: In the first stanza, the speaker says goodbye to a loved one, and it seems that their goodbye stems from the narrator's lover criticizing how he lives his life: that his days seem to be like dreams. He asserts at the end of the first stanza that all "is but a dream within a dream" (Line 11). In the second stanza, the speaker stands at a beach, holding sand as it slips through his fingers. When he realizes he cannot hold on to the grains, he begins to question the assertion he made in the first stanza. He asks "Is all that we see or seem / But a dream within a dream?" in the final two lines. By questioning the same premise the speaker had established in the first stanza, Poe further emphasizes how unknowable and mysterious life is.

Answer choices;
How does the division of the poem into two stanzas contribute to its meaning?

How does the author compare and contrast the first and second stanza?

What is the central idea of stanza 1 and stanza 2?

How does the tone shift from stanza 1 to stanza 2?

Answer 7

The most appropriate question for the provided answer would be:

How does the author compare and contrast the first and second stanza?

The student's answer discusses the themes and ideas presented in both stanzas, focusing on the speaker's reflections during the farewell in the first stanza and the feelings of loss and questioning in the second stanza, which aligns well with a comparison and contrast of the two sections of the poem.

Answer 8

that answer choice wasn't correct, it was actually "How does the division of the poem into two stanzas contribute to its meaning?"

Answer 9

Thank you for the clarification. Given that the answer choice is "How does the division of the poem into two stanzas contribute to its meaning?", it makes sense because the student's response discusses the distinct yet interconnected themes in each stanza and how the speaker's experiences evolve from farewell to contemplation.

The first stanza focuses on the expression of a profound emotional parting and the idea of life as a dream, while the second stanza reflects on the transient nature of reality, using the imagery of sand slipping through fingers, which deepens the exploration of impermanence. This division allows the reader to see how the speaker's thoughts progress and how the themes are intricately linked, effectively contributing to the overall meaning of the poem.

If you have further questions or need more assistance, feel free to ask!