The Rainy Day and The Castle-Builder



Read the selections and choose the best answer for each question.



Poem 1: The Rainy Day

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering1 wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

5 And the day is dark and dreary.



My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall think in the blast,

10 And the days are dark and dreary.



Be still, sad heart! and cease repining2;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

15 Some days must be dark and dreary.



Mouldering: decaying; rottingRepining: complaining





Poem 2: The Castle-Builder

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



A gentle boy, with soft and silken locks,

A dreamy boy, with brown and tender eyes,

A castle-builder, with his wooden blocks,

And towers that touch imaginary skies.



5 A fearless rider on his father’s knee,

An eager listener unto stories told

At the Round Table of the nursery,

Of heroes and adventures manifold.



There will be other towers for thee to build;

10 There will be other steeds for thee to ride;

There will be other legends, and all filled

With greater marvels and more glorified.



Build on, and make thy castles high and fair, ,

Rising and reaching upward to the skies;

15 Listening to voices in the upper air,

Nor lose thy simple faith in mysteries.



11.

Based on Poems 1 and 2, what can you infer about Longfellow’s outlook on life?

He thinks life is very predictable.

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He thinks people should try to avoid sadness.

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He thinks only happy experiences are important

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He thinks life is full of joys and sorrows.

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