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

Lesson 28: Sunset

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

The poem personifies 'day' (writes as if 'day' is a person). Day lowers a lamp (the sun) over the edge of the world (the horizon) at sunset.

Vocabulary

Edge: The sharpened side of the blade of a cutting implement or weapon.
Chasm: A deep fissure in the earth, rock, or another surface.
Blazing: Burning fiercely or brightly.
Plunged: Pushed or thrusted quickly.
Headlong: In a rush; with reckless haste.
Lurid: Very vivid in color, especially to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect.
Swift: Happening quickly or promptly.
Expiring: Come to an end or die.
Flung: Thrown or hurled forcefully.

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

• 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 30 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'Sunset.'

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the name of the poet who wrote 'Sunset?'

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

Day lowers a lamp (the sun) over the edge of the world (the horizon) at sunset.

3 / 5

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?

4 / 5

Answer 4

The characters are the narrator and 'day'.

4 / 5

Question 5

Does the poem teach us anything?

5 / 5

Answer 5

The poem serves as an example of personification, treating the 'day' as if it were a man holding a lamp.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'Sunset.'
2. What is the name of the poet who wrote 'Sunset?' The name of the poet is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
3. What happens in the poem? Day lowers a lamp (the sun) over the edge of the world (the horizon) at sunset.
4. Who are the characters in the poem? The characters are the narrator and 'day'.
5. Does the poem teach us anything? The poem serves as an example of personification, treating the 'day' as if it were a man holding a lamp.

References

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