Acquainted with the Night

Questions for Discussion and Writing

1. Describe the form and structure of the poem. Does it have a specific meter, and if so, what is it? Does it have a rhyme scheme, and if so, what is it? How is the poem structured in terms of lines and stanzas? Do these structural aspects of the poem contribute to its effect in any way?

2. Describe the overall tone of the poem.

3. What do “night” and “light” symbolize in the poem? What does the speaker intend “acquainted with the night” to mean? What is the effect of the narrator’s choice of the word “acquainted”? What rhetorical devices does the phrase “acquainted with the night” contain?

4. What does “rain” symbolize, and what is the meaning of line 2?

5. In what sense(s) do you think the city lane mentioned in line 4 can be sad?

6. What do you think the speaker is “unwilling to explain” (line 6) and why?

7. What is the significance of an “interrupted cry” (line 8) from far away, and how does this detail add to the tone of the poem? What does the comment “but not to call me back or say good-by” (line 10) imply about the speaker’s state of mind?

8. What do you think the term “clock” (line 12) represents? (Consider the significance of the narrator’s choice of the words “unearthly” and “luminary” when describing it.) Why do you think the narrator feels that according to the clock, “the time was neither wrong nor right” (line 13)?