A Song to David

Essay Questions

1. *How does Smart use the catalogue form in A Song to David to construct a theological argument about the relationship between creation and its Creator?*

Explore how the accumulation of natural imagery — animals, plants, minerals, and seasons — serves not only as decoration but as philosophical evidence for divine order. Consider how the catalogue technique mirrors the style of the Psalms and what this structural choice reveals about Smart's view of poetry as a sacred act. [AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Language & Form; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *To what extent is A Song to David as much a poem about the act of artistic creation as it is a devotional tribute to a biblical figure?*

Examine how Smart's portrayal of David — as poet, musician, and worshipper — reflects a broader argument about the nature of art itself. Consider how symbols such as David's harp and the divine source of poetic inspiration position creative expression as inseparable from faith and prayer. [AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; IB guiding concept: Art; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *How does the biographical context of Smart's confinement shape the tone and meaning of A Song to David?*

Analyse how the poem's ecstatic, ceremonial voice can be interpreted as a creative defiance against the conditions of its composition. Consider how the tension between Smart's confined circumstances and the poem's celebration of structure, beauty, and goodness contributes to its emotional complexity. [AQA AO1/AO3; IB guiding concept: Trauma & Resilience; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *To what extent does Smart's use of structural and numerical organisation in A Song to David reinforce its theological message?*

Consider how the poem's architecture — its seven-stanza groupings echoing the days of creation and the sacred numerology of scripture — functions as a symbol in its own right. Explore whether the poem's form can be understood as an act of worship and how this connects to Smart's understanding of divine order. [AQA AO2; IB guiding concept: Faith & Belief; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *How does Smart use light and solar imagery throughout A Song to David to communicate ideas about divine presence, truth, and glory?*

Trace the role of light as the poem's dominant symbol, exploring how its appearances build toward the closing stanzas. Consider how this imagery relates to the broader themes of redemption and honour, and what it suggests about Smart's vision of God's relationship with the created world. [AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Beauty & the Sublime; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *Compare the way Christopher Smart in A Song to David and one other poem you have studied present the relationship between language, praise, and the limitations of human expression.*

Both poems may be considered in terms of how their poets grapple with the inadequacy of words to fully capture the divine or the sublime, yet persist in the attempt. Consider how each poet's formal choices — including repetition, anaphora, and structural culmination — reflect different attitudes toward what language can and cannot achieve. [AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; IB guiding concept: Language & Communication; AP Lit Q2 poetry comparison]

1. *To what extent does the closing sequence of A Song to David represent both a poetic and a spiritual resolution?*

Examine how the anaphoric 'Glorious' repetitions and the famously compressed three-word final line work together to produce a sense of completion. Consider what is resolved — emotionally, theologically, and formally — and whether the ending can be read as a statement about the nature of faith, courage, and creative achievement simultaneously. [AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Honour & Redemption; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]

1. *How does Smart's treatment of nature in A Song to David challenge the Augustan literary values dominant in eighteenth-century England?*

Explore how the poem's enthusiastic, sensory engagement with the natural world — its dew, blossoms, creatures, and birdsong — positions it in contrast to the wit, balance, and restraint favoured by Smart's contemporaries. Consider how this tension reflects broader questions about the purpose of poetry and why the poem was neglected in its own time yet celebrated by later generations. [AQA AO1/AO3; IB guiding concept: Nature; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis]