A Glance Behind the Curtain

Quiz: A Glance Behind the Curtain by James Russell Lowell

1. Recall – Form & Speaker: Who is the primary speaker within the dramatic narrative of the poem, and what role does the framing narrator play?

1. Recall – Setting: Where are the two historical figures standing at the opening of the dramatic scene, and what are they preparing to do?

1. Recall – Key Image: What does the symbol of the ship on the Thames represent in the poem, and why does one of the men ultimately reject what it offers?

1. Recall – Key Image: What does the "slender bridge" symbolize, and why does Lowell suggest we can never fully understand the forces that brought us to a particular moment in life?

1. Comprehension – Newton's Apple: Why does Lowell use Newton's discovery of gravity as an example near the opening of the poem? What distinction is he drawing between visible causes and hidden ones?

1. Comprehension – Cromwell's Argument: What is Cromwell's central reason for refusing to emigrate? How does he use the idea of God's presence to support his decision to stay?

1. Comprehension – New England Colonies: How does Cromwell characterize those who have already emigrated to the Puritan colonies of New England, and what does this reveal about the poem's attitude toward retreat versus engagement?

1. Analysis – The Oaken Chair: What does the symbol of the oaken chair suggest about Lowell's view of legitimate authority and political power? How does this connect to one of the poem's central themes?

1. Analysis – Historical & Biographical Context: Lowell wrote this poem in 1843 while active in the abolitionist movement. How does Cromwell's speech function as a message to American reformers of Lowell's own time?

1. Analysis – Fate and Ambition: Cromwell argues that our successes, not our failures, are the truly fated events. What does this reversal suggest about Lowell's understanding of the relationship between individual ambition, divine purpose, and personal responsibility?

Answer Key

1. Cromwell is the primary dramatic speaker, delivering a long, impassioned speech. The framing narrator opens and closes the poem with philosophical reflection, providing context and drawing broader lessons from the historical scene.

1. They are standing on a pier on the Thames in London, preparing to board a ship bound for the American colonies to escape the tyranny of King Charles I.

1. The ship represents the temptation of escape — the easier path of emigration disguised as prudence or religious calling. Cromwell rejects it because he believes that fleeing one's homeland in a time of crisis is a form of cowardice, not virtue.

1. The slender bridge symbolizes the hidden spiritual forces that guide us from one phase of life to the next. Because the bridge disappears once we have crossed it, we can only see the void behind us and mistakenly attribute our journey to chance.

1. Lowell uses Newton's apple to illustrate that we focus on the surface-level trigger of a great discovery while ignoring the years of patient inner work that made the discovery possible — a metaphor for how we misread the true causes of historic events.

1. Cromwell's central reason is that God's care encompasses whole nations, not just small groups of emigrants. He argues that God is most present where suffering is greatest, and that real men must confront their destiny on their home ground rather than abandon it.

1. Cromwell dismisses the New England colonists with contempt, portraying them as people who fled only to argue over trivial matters rather than make a meaningful difference. This reflects the poem's core argument that retreat, however piously framed, is no substitute for direct action.

1. The oaken chair — Cromwell's plain seat as Lord Protector — suggests that true authority comes from moral excellence rather than inherited rank or outward grandeur. This connects to the themes of honour and ambition: greatness is earned through sacrifice and action, not birthright.

1. Cromwell's speech serves as a thinly veiled appeal to American abolitionists who might be tempted to form ideal communities or withdraw from political life rather than confront slavery directly. Lowell uses the historical parallel to argue that the moment demands engagement, not escape.

1. The reversal suggests that human beings are instruments of a divine plan, and that genuine achievement is not merely personal — it is the fulfillment of a larger purpose. This places moral responsibility squarely on the individual: to fail to act when called is, for Lowell, a sin against both fate and God.