Possibilities

Quiz: "Possibilities" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1. Recall – Form: What poetic form does Longfellow use in "Possibilities," and what does his choice of this traditionally European form add to the poem's argument about literary greatness?

1. Recall – Structure: How does the poem's tone shift between its first eight lines (the octave) and its final six lines (the sestet)? Describe both tones in your own words.

1. Recall – Key Image: What symbol does Longfellow use to represent ambitious, large-scale poetry that ventures into new artistic territory, and what qualities does this symbol emphasize?

1. Recall – Key Image: What does the image of a bow drawn to full tension represent in the poem, and what contrast does it imply about different kinds of poets?

1. Comprehension: Who does Longfellow imagine as the next great poet in the sestet, and why is this figure surprising or unconventional given the poem's elevated references to Greek mythology and European tradition?

1. Comprehension: What is suggested by the idea of an "unmapped chart" as a symbol in the poem? What kind of poetic achievement does it point toward?

1. Comprehension: In the closing couplet, Longfellow elevates the imagined future poet to the rank of an admiral rather than an ordinary sailor. What does this distinction suggest about the qualities Longfellow most values in a great poet?

1. Analysis: Longfellow wrote this poem at a time when American literature was measuring itself against the grand European tradition. How does the poem reflect that cultural anxiety, and how does it attempt to resolve it?

1. Analysis: The poem's overall tone has been described as "restless faith." Using evidence from the poem's two-part structure and its central symbols, explain what makes this an apt description.

1. Analysis: Consider the biographical irony noted in the historical context: Longfellow was one of the most celebrated poets of his era, yet he writes as though greatness in poetry is missing or yet to come. How does this irony affect your reading of the poem's speaker and its central argument?

Answer Key

1. Longfellow uses the sonnet form, borrowed from European tradition. This reinforces his argument by showing his own debt to that tradition, even as he questions whether America can produce poetry to rival it.

1. The octave carries an elegiac, frustrated tone—like someone gazing at an empty horizon. The sestet rises into genuine optimism and near-excitement about the poetry yet to come.

1. The argosy (tall sailing ship) represents ambitious poetry. It emphasizes daring exploration, power, and the drive to venture into unknown rather than familiar waters.

1. A bow drawn to full tension represents complete artistic dedication and full investment in one's work. It implies a contrast between poets who hold back and those who commit entirely, suggesting that half-effort leads to missed potential.

1. Longfellow imagines a dreamy, untrained boy formed by real-life experience rather than formal schooling. This is surprising because it democratizes greatness, suggesting it can arise from any background rather than only from scholarly or elite traditions.

1. The unmapped chart symbolizes genuinely original artistic territory—work that exists outside established traditions and cannot be claimed by any existing school. It points toward poetry that is truly unprecedented.

1. The rank of admiral suggests that the great poet is not merely a skilled individual but a leader of vast imaginative forces—someone with bold vision and the authority to command entire fleets of ideas.

1. The poem reflects cultural anxiety in the octave's lament that no American poet has yet reached Olympian heights. It resolves the tension optimistically by suggesting that such a poet may already exist, unrecognized, in the present generation.

1. "Restless faith" fits because the poem never settles: the octave's frustration prevents simple contentment, while the sestet's hope prevents despair. The ship and admiral symbols project belief into an uncertain future, capturing a faith that is active and urgent rather than passive.

1. The irony complicates the speaker's authority—a celebrated poet lamenting the absence of greatness suggests either genuine humility, an impossible standard, or dissatisfaction with his own era's achievements. It invites readers to question whether any poet can truly judge the greatness of their own time.