Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Home-keeping hearts are happiest,
For those that wander they know not where
Are full of trouble and full of care;
5 To stay at home is best.
Weary and homesick and distressed,
They wander east, they wander west,
And are baffled and beaten and blown about
By the winds of the wilderness of doubt;
10 To stay at home is best.
Then stay at home, my heart, and rest;
The bird is safest in its nest;
O'er all that flutter their wings and fly
A hawk 1 is hovering in the sky;
15 To stay at home is best.
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1 hawk: a type of bird, one that hunts its food
from Paul Revere’s Ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere 1 ,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
5 Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, “If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
10 One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm
For the country folk to be up and to arm.”
15 Then he said, “Good night!” and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
20 A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
25 Wanders and watches with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
30 Marching down to their boats on the shore.
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1 Paul Revere (1735–1818): a silversmith in Boston, Massachusetts, who participated in the
American Revolution. His ride in 1775 warning the colonists that British troops were coming
became legendary.
Multiple Choice Question
Part B Which answer best summarizes the details in the poem that most clearly develop the theme identified in Part A?
A.
The poem uses images of birds leaving a nest to represent the difficulty of growing up.
B.
The poem uses the image of a nest to represent the love and safety of home.
C.
The poem uses images of stormy weather to represent doubt and unhappiness.
D.
The poem uses images of wandering and travel to show how boring home life can be.
1 answer
The best answer that summarizes the details in the poem "Song" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which develops the theme of the safety and comfort of staying at home, is:
B. The poem uses the image of a nest to represent the love and safety of home.
This choice reflects the imagery in the poem where the speaker emphasizes the idea that staying at home brings peace and safety, similar to how a bird is safest in its nest.
