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    Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 27: A Fable

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Performer: Librivox - Joy Chan


Some cawing Crows, a hooting Owl,

A Hawk, a Canary, an old Marsh-Fowl,

One day all meet together

To hold a caucus and settle the fate

Of a certain bird (without a mate),

A bird of another feather.



'My friends,' said the Owl, with a look most wise,

'The Eagle is soaring too near the skies,

In a way that is quite improper;

Yet the world is praising her, so I'm told,

And I think her actions have grown so bold

That some of us ought to stop her.'



'I have heard it said,' quoth Hawk, with a sigh,

'That young lambs died at the glance of her eye,

And I wholly scorn and despise her.

This, and more, I am told they say,

And I think that the only proper way

Is never to recognize her.'



'I am quite convinced,' said Crow, with a caw,

'That the Eagle minds no moral law,

She's a most unruly creature.'

'She's an ugly thing,' piped Canary Bird;

'Some call her handsome—it's so absurd—

She hasn't a decent feature.'



Then the old Marsh-Hen went hopping about,

She said she was sure—she hadn't a doubt—

Of the truth of each bird's story:

And she thought it a duty to stop her flight,

To pull her down from her lofty height,

And take the gilt from her glory.



But, lo! from a peak on the mountain grand

That looks out over the smiling land

And over the mighty ocean,

The Eagle is spreading her splendid wings—

She rises, rises, and upward swings,

With a slow, majestic motion.



Up in the blue of God's own skies,

With a cry of rapture, away she flies,

Close to the Great Eternal:

She sweeps the world with her piercing sight;

Her soul is filled with the infinite

And the joy of things supernal.



Thus rise forever the chosen of God,

The genius-crowned or the power-shod,

Over the dust-world sailing;

And back, like splinters blown by the winds,

Must fall the missiles of silly minds,

Useless and unavailing.

    Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 27: A Fable

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Performer: Librivox - Joy Chan

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read or listen to the poem.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Read about the poet.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

A gossiping group of jealous birds meets to discuss reprimanding a majestic eagle that they feel soars too high in the sky. The eagle pays no mind and continues to soar through the sky.

Vocabulary

Caucus: To hold a meeting.
Settle: Resolve or reach an agreement about.
Unruly: Disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control.
Lofty: High.
Gilt: Fancy decoration consisting of a thin coat of gold leaf or gold paint.
Supernal: Relating to the sky or the heavens; celestial.
Unavailing: Achieving little or nothing; ineffective.

Concepts

  1. Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born in 1850 in Johnstown, Wisconsin. See her picture below.
  2. Zoom in and find Wilcox's birth state of Wisconsin (WI) on the map of the continental United States.
  3. Wilcox infused her poems with passion, optimism, and joy. One of her most famous poems, 'Solitude', contains the line, 'Laugh, and the world laughs with you, Weep and you weep alone'.
  4. After her marriage in 1884, Wilcox became very interested in the paranormal. She and her husband promised that whomever passed on first would communicate with the other from the spirit world. When her husband died after thirty years of marriage, she was distraught when no message from beyond came from her husband.
  5. Wilcox died of cancer in 1918 at the age of 68 in Short Beach, Connecticut.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

  • Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture of an Eagle

  • Study the poem picture, and describe how it relates to the poem.

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

After reading or listening to the poem, narrate the poem events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 29 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Activity 5: Sketch the Poem

One day this week, sketch or color each of the poem's gossiping birds. Label each bird with its name.

  • Crow
  • Owl
  • Hawk
  • Canary
  • Marsh-Fowl / Moorhen

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?
1 / 5

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'A Fable.'
1 / 5

Question 2

What is the name of the poet who wrote 'A Fable?'
2 / 5

Answer 2

The name of the poet is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
2 / 5

Question 3

What happens in the poem?
3 / 5

Answer 3

An eagle ignores a gossiping group of birds who are jealous of the eagle's ability to soar high in the sky.
3 / 5

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?
4 / 5

Answer 4

The main characters include the caucus of gossipy birds and the eagle.
4 / 5

Question 5

Does the poem teach us anything?
5 / 5

Answer 5

The poem suggests that, like the eagle, we should ignore small-minded gossip and jealousy and focus on achieving our goals.
5 / 5

  1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'A Fable.'
  2. What is the name of the poet who wrote 'A Fable?' The name of the poet is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
  3. What happens in the poem? An eagle ignores a gossiping group of birds who are jealous of the eagle's ability to soar high in the sky.
  4. Who are the characters in the poem? The main characters include the caucus of gossipy birds and the eagle.
  5. Does the poem teach us anything? The poem suggests that, like the eagle, we should ignore small-minded gossip and jealousy and focus on achieving our goals.

References

  1. 'Ella Wheeler Wilcox.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

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