Possibilities

Essay Questions

1. *How does Longfellow use the structural shift between the octave and sestet in Possibilities to develop his argument about the future of great poetry?*

Consider how the elegiac frustration of the opening transitions into the optimism of the closing movement, and explore how this tonal progression shapes the poem's overall meaning. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Form & Structure)

1. *To what extent does the symbol of the argosies — grand ships bound for an uncharted continent — serve as the central metaphor for Longfellow's vision of poetic ambition in Possibilities?*

Analyse how this extended maritime imagery, revisited in the closing couplet through the figure of the admiral, communicates Longfellow's beliefs about the scale and daring required of truly great poetry. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Intertextuality & Symbol)

1. *How does Longfellow's portrayal of the "dreamy boy" in Possibilities challenge conventional assumptions about who can achieve poetic greatness?*

Explore how this figure's lack of formal education and his formation through lived experience become, in Longfellow's argument, sources of strength rather than limitation, and what this implies about the relationship between identity, background, and artistic potential. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Identity)

1. *"Possibilities is ultimately a poem about restless faith rather than despair." To what extent do you agree with this interpretation?*

In your response, consider how Longfellow balances lamentation for what has not yet been achieved with genuine conviction that it will be, drawing on his use of tone, voice, and symbol throughout the sonnet. (AQA AO1/AO3; IB guiding concept: Perspective & Interpretation)

1. *How does the biographical and historical context of Possibilities — including Longfellow's position within nineteenth-century American literary culture and its uneasy relationship with the European tradition — illuminate the poem's central anxieties and hopes?*

Consider the irony of a celebrated poet questioning the existence of great poets, and evaluate how awareness of this context enriches or complicates a reading of the poem. (AQA AO1/AO3; IB guiding concept: Context)

1. *To what extent does Longfellow's use of classical and mythological reference in Possibilities both honour and critique the European literary tradition he inherited?*

Explore how invoking Olympian standards and employing the sonnet form simultaneously elevates the benchmark for poetry and raises the question of whether American literature can — or should — meet it on its own terms. (AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Intertextuality & Tradition)

1. *Compare the treatment of ambition and the possibility of future greatness in Possibilities with that in one other poem you have studied in which a poet reflects on the nature or purpose of art.*

In your comparative essay, consider how each poet constructs a vision of what great art demands, the obstacles standing in its way, and the kind of figure who might ultimately achieve it. (AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; AP Lit Q2 comparative; IB guiding concept: Ambition & Art)

1. *How does Longfellow's deployment of the unmapped chart as a symbol in Possibilities explore the relationship between originality, freedom, and the limits of established literary tradition?*

Discuss how this image of uncharted territory functions alongside the poem's broader thematic concerns — including hope, ambition, and the nature of a poet's journey — to define what Longfellow believes truly great poetry must accomplish. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Freedom & Language)