Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendell Holmes

Which of the following describes the style of "Old Ironsides"?

• It is distinctive, innovative, and uniquely American

• It is complex and difficult to understand

• It is experimental and modern

• It is similar to that of many European poems

Why did Oliver Wendell Holmes write about the USS Constitution when rumors held that the ship was going to be scrapped?

• The ship was one on which Holmes had served during the War of 1812

• Holmes agreed with the decision to scrap the USS Constitution

• The ship was a link to the nation's history and a symbol of it's strength

• Holmes regularly wrote about military history of the United States

Read this excerpt from the first stanza of "Old Ironsides"

Beneath it rung the battle shout,

And burst the cannon's roar; --

The meteor of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds no more.

The battle imagery in this excerpt suggests ________.

• the financial cost of war

• the necessity of war

• the eternal nature of war

• the frenzied danger of war

By call Old Ironsides the "eagle of the sea" in the poem's second stanza, Holmes uses

• hyperbole to exaggerate the importance of the ship to the United States

• onomatopoeia to link the ship to the sounds it makes when moving in the water

• symbolism to associate the ship with the strength of the United States

• personification to give the ship, an inanimate object, human traits and qualities

By writing "Old Ironsides," Oliver Wendell Holmes asserted that the United States _______

• was too young to be considered among the great nations of the world

• would be conquered by the nations of Europe if it scrapped Old Ironsides

• was a nation of pious and industrious citizens and a place of great possibility

• was every bit as strong, proud, and important as the older nations of Europe

In the first stanza of "The Village Blacksmith," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow highlights the central figure's _______

• great intelligence

• physical strength

• sense of humor

• unending curiosity

After reading the lines "His brow is wet with honest sweat,/He earns whate'er he can," readers are likely to view the blacksmith as ___________

• industrious

• courageous

• pious

• intelligent

The description of the blacksmith wiping the tears from his eyes after thinking about his late wife shows that he may be physically strong but he is ____________

• bitter and disillusioned

• discouraged by the actions of the government

• fundamentally flawed

• sensitive and caring

By the end of "The Village Blacksmith", Longfellow makes clear to readers that __________

• the blacksmith will soon retire from his work and enjoy old age

• the blacksmith is someone people would do well the emulate

• the blacksmith is they type of person who is uncommon in America

• the blacksmith has many flaws to balance his virtues

Why is "The Village Blacksmith" a part of America's national mythology?

• The blacksmith embodies the vast untapped potential and possibility of America as opposed to the limitations of Europe

• The blacksmith embodies many core American values and is the backbone of a typical American community

• The blacksmith represents the proud military history of the United States and its willingness to stand up to tyrants

• The blacksmith represents the technological advances that sparked America's growth and industrialization