1. Describe the subtle changes in setting and analyze how these shifts reveal Eve’s fall from grace.
The subtle changes put emphasis on how she went from happy innocence to miserable disgrace. The poem begins with Eve in the orchard happily picking berries, while the snake comes and tempts her to walk “Down the dark path to/the Blasphemous Tree.” In the final scene she is seen laying outside of the orchard, weeping and hungry.
2. How does the poem’s diction contribute to tone and meaning?
Adjectives such as “sweet” and “white” describe Eve’s innocence, while the snake is “silvery” and “low”, which describes his dulcet, seductive and deceptive tones. Innocence and deception are juxtaposed in the poem. Words like “whispered,” “wondering,” and ”tumbled,” and “hated” serves to show Eve’s fall from innocence.
3. Consider the poet’s use of figurative language. How does the choice of comparisons influence tone and meaning.
The snake is given a harmless quality when it is said that he was “mute,” which makes him decieving. This creates a tone of seduction, in which the snake leads Eve from paradise with sweet soft tones.
4. Describe the meter, line length, and pattern of enjambment. What does the rhythm contribute to the mood of the poem?
The meter is dactyllic, and there are two dactylls per line. The poem uses enjambment in almost every line. This creates an upbeat tempo that contrasts with the meaning of the poem.
5. Describe the use of repitition and rhyme. Look for patterns. What does the repitition contribute to the mood of the poem?
Each stanza has three repeating rhymes, but there is no rhyme scheme. The words “bells and grass” are repeated three times in the first stanza, as is the word “Eva” in the the sixth stanza. In stanza 7 the birds are asking “How…how…how” which shows the stunned feeling of the birds.
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