Love is Not All
Edna St. Vincent Milay
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
Which best represents a theme of this sonnet?
Responses
A Ultimately, love is more valuable than any other possession or experience.Ultimately, love is more valuable than any other possession or experience.
B Love is just like any other basic need: food, shelter, or water.Love is just like any other basic need: food, shelter, or water.
C Love is important until you are in a challenging or tortuous position.Love is important until you are in a challenging or tortuous position.
D Love is over-rated and is entirely praised too much in society.
C. Love is important until you are in a challenging or torturous position.
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
Which line from the sonnet best exhibits personification?
Responses
A Nor yet a floating spar to men that sinkNor yet a floating spar to men that sink
B It well may be. I do not think I would.It well may be. I do not think I would.
C Yet many a man is making friends with deathYet many a man is making friends with death
D Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
A. Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink.
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
The speaker of this sonnet is addressing
Responses
A a person the speaker considers a friend.a person the speaker considers a friend.
B a person the speaker loves.a person the speaker loves.
C a person in the speaker's family.a person in the speaker's family.
D a person the speaker is angry with.
B. a person the speaker loves.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,
But not to call me back or say goodbye;
And further still at an unearthly height
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
Which best describes the effect of the last line of this sonnet?
Responses
A It conveys that the speaker hasn't escaped his sorrow.It conveys that the speaker hasn't escaped his sorrow.
B It conveys that the speaker has fallen in love.It conveys that the speaker has fallen in love.
C It conveys that the speaker has finally grown up.It conveys that the speaker has finally grown up.
D It conveys that the speaker has a sense of humor.
A. It conveys that the speaker hasn't escaped his sorrow.
I shall forget you presently, my dear,
So make the most of this, your little day,
Your little month, your little half a year
Ere I forget, or die, or move away,
And we are done forever; by and by
I shall forget you, as I said, but now,
If you entreat me with your loveliest lie
I will protest you with my favorite vow.
I would indeed that love were longer-lived,
And vows were not so brittle as they are,
But so it is, and nature has contrived
To struggle on without a break thus far,—
Whether or not we find what we are seeking
Is idle, biologically speaking.
How does the sonnet structure contribute to the meaning of the poem?
Responses
A It sets up a humorous situation in the first part, then changes to a more serious one with the couplet at the end.It sets up a humorous situation in the first part, then changes to a more serious one with the couplet at the end.
B It sets up an idea at the start, then explores another, and comes back to the first idea with the couplet at the end.It sets up an idea at the start, then explores another, and comes back to the first idea with the couplet at the end.
C It sets up a mystery at the beginning and then solves it with the couplet at the end.It sets up a mystery at the beginning and then solves it with the couplet at the end.
D It does not have any effect on the meaning of the poem.
B. It sets up an idea at the start, then explores another, and comes back to the first idea with the couplet at the end.
Which BEST describes how the sonnet structure helps make the meaning of this poem?
Responses
A The first 7 lines set up a riddle and the last 7 lines set up the answer to the riddle.The first 7 lines set up a riddle and the last 7 lines set up the answer to the riddle.
B The first 6 lines set up a conflict and the last 8 lines settle the conflict.The first 6 lines set up a conflict and the last 8 lines settle the conflict.
C The first 8 lines set up a situation that affects the speaker strongly, then the last 6 lines explain why.The first 8 lines set up a situation that affects the speaker strongly, then the last 6 lines explain why.
D The first 8 lines set up a problem and the last 6 lines represent the solution to the problem.