Question

Which lines in the poem indicate its theme?

A Shadow
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I said unto myself, if I were dead,
What would befall these children? What would be
Their fate, who now are looking up to me
For help and furtherance? Their lives, I said,
Would be a volume wherein I have read
But the first chapters, and no longer see
To read the rest of their dear history,
So full of beauty and so full of dread.
Be comforted; the world is very old,
And generations pass, as they have passed,
A troop of shadows moving with the sun;
Thousands of times has the old tale been told;
The world belongs to those who come the last,
They will find hope and strength as we have done.

Answer 1

The theme of the poem is conveyed through lines that refer to the passage of time and the hope and strength of future generations.

The theme of the poem is reflected in several lines. In the last two stanzas, the poet consoles Charles' parents by reassuring them that the world is old and generations pass. The theme of the poem is also conveyed in line 7, where the poet refers to the children's lives as a volume with only the first chapters read, representing the unknown future. Additionally, in line 14, the poet describes the world as belonging to those who come last, indicating hope and strength for future generations.

Answer 2

"Their fate, who now are looking up to me For help and furtherance? Their lives, I said, Would be a volume wherein I have read" would best indicate a theme.