1. The human voice can be one of the most powerful and moving musical instruments. Can you think of a time you heard someone sing (perhaps at a concert, during a religious service or on television) in such a way that it sent shivers down your spine?
2. Have you ever liked and/or felt you understood a song which is sung in a foreign language, even though you may not understand the lyrics?
3. What connotations does the adjective ‘solitary’ have for you?
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING
1. Did you expect a poem like this having read its title? Discuss, with brief reference to the poem as a whole.
2. What image do you picture having read stanza one? Describe it in as much detail as possible.
3. What kind of song do you think the young woman is singing, based on the poet’s description of it as a ‘melancholy strain’? Include the names of any similar songs which you would describe in the same way.
4. Which comparison to a bird’s song (the nightingale or the cuckoo) did you prefer in stanza two? Explain your choice with reference to stanza two.
5. In stanza three the poet tries to guess what the young woman might be singing about. What suggestions does he come up with, and do you agree that they might be likely subjects for this song? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
6. Explain the final couplet of this poem in your own words.
7. Do you think the rhyming scheme of the poem is a musical one? Discuss with reference to the poem and/or its rhyme.
8. What theme or themes can you find in this poem? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
CREATING
1. You’ve been asked to promote a concert by your favourite artist on social media. Write the tweet or Facebook post that you would compose to do this.
2. Write a personal essay in which you explore the meaning and importance of your favourite songs to you and your life.
3. Your class is making a short film of this poem for a class project. You have been asked to find a song for the young woman playing the solitary reaper to sing that fits the following criteria: sad, haunting, unforgettable and universal. Write a short introduction for your chosen song, explaining why you chose it and how it fits the criteria.
