The Highwayman

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The Highwayman

• By Alfred Noyes

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What would you sacrifice for love?

• Willing to sacrifice?

• Not willing to sacrifice?

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Notes

• Narrative poem a poem that tells a story
• Rhyme words that sound the same
• Internal rhyme words that rhyme in the same line
• External rhyme words that rhyme at the end of
  lines

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More notes

• Characters a person that takes part in the story
• Setting time and place
• Plot the sequence of events that happen in the
  story
• Theme a message about life

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Figurative Language Notes

• Simile a comparison of 2 unlike things using
  like or as (Life is like a box of
  chocolates.)
• Repetition the repeated use of a word, sound,
  etc. to stress the importance of something
• Onomatopoeia the use of words to imitate sound
  (sizzle, pop, buzz)
• Personification giving human characteristics to
  an animal or object

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Vocabulary

• torrent n flood
• moor n open, rolling land with swamps
• breeches n trousers that reach to or just below
  the knee
• cascade n waterfall or anything tumbling like
  water

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More Vocabulary

• 5. tawny adj yellowish, brown
• 6. strive v struggle
• 7. brandished v waved in a threatening way

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Notes p. 566

• Setting on a moor on a windy, moonlit night
• Mood (adjectives) creepy, scary, spooky
• Metaphors
• The wind was a torrent of darkness
• The moon was a ghostly galleon

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Notes p. 566-67 continued

• Onomatopoeia clattered and clashed (describing
  the horse on the cobbled road)
• Characters
• the highwayman likes to dress nice (he loves
  Bess)
• Bess the landlords daughter friend of the
  highwayman dark eyes dark hair braided red
  ribbon in hair

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Notes p. 567

• Character
• Tim an inn employee who takes care of the
  guests horses sounds crazy looks odd/strange
  he loves Bess too
• Tim is listening to Bess and the highwayman
  (secretly)
• Poem describes the highwayman as a robber

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Notes p. 567 continued

• The highwayman tells hell be back by midnight no
  matter what
• He uses the phrase if they press me sharply, and
  harry me through the day, suggests that he
  will be stealing the gold and they will be
  after him for stealing.

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Notes p. 567

• Bess and the highwayman say goodbye a very
  romantic, passionate goodbye!

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Activity 1 Modern Day VersionPart 1 pages
566-67

• Take Part 1 of the poem (lines 1-36).
• Rewrite the poem replacing adjectives, adverbs,
  names, etc. with new words (new words to you
  also).
• Use a dictionary!!!
• Keep the format the same (or as clos
• e as possible).

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Notes p. 567

• Part 2
• The Redcoats came to the inn to find the
  Highwayman.
• Repetition marching imitates the steps of the
  soldiers.

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Notes p. 568 continued

• Redcoats tied and gagged Bess.
• Posted at windows to wait for Highwayman.
• hell at one dark window the window in Besss
  room where she could see the road
• Redcoat at window with musket.

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Notes p. 568 continued

• Musket pointed at her heart.
• She remembers what the Highwayman said he would
  return.
• She reaches the trigger (at midnight).

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Notes p. 568

• Shes standing with finger on trigger -- she
  hears the Highwayman riding.
• Repetition riding imitates the sound of the
  Highwayman riding his horse toward the inn.
• Onomatopoeia Tlot-tlot imitates sound of horse

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Notes p. 568

• She heard his horse near, she prepared herself,
  then pulled the trigger as a warning to him.
• She died committed suicide.
• For love? Why?
• He heard the gun he rode away.
• He finds out at dawn what Bess did.

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Notes p. 569

• He was back on the highway, angry.
• They found him and killed him shot him down
  like a dog.

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Activity 2 Defend Your Opinion

• What is your opinion?
• How do you feel about the conduct of the Red
  Coats?
• Defend your opinion
• Should they have taken hostages and taken over
  the inn or NOT?
• If yes, why?
• If not, why not and how should they have
  proceeded?

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Theme

• Theme
• subject or topic

Possible Themes Love is immortal. Nothing can
stop true love.
Discussion What might be some other possible
themes?
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Activity 3 Authors PurposeWhich was this
authors purpose?

• To show how romantic a life of crime can be.
• To prove that law enforcement officials were
  cruel.
• To convey the idea that people truly in love
  should be willing to die for each other.
• To entertain readers with a vividly written and
  suspenseful narrative.

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Activity 4 Use of LanguagePart 1 Part 2

• Use the list of events from the plot.
• List key words and phrases the poet uses that
  make each event come alive in your mind.
• Then compare the poem by Alfred Noyes to the
  modified version. Why does his poem make the
  events come alive more than the modified version?