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Tasks: There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale

Discuss:

Work in groups and discuss the questions. Explain your views as fully as you can.

  1. Does the poem have an optimistic or a pessimistic message?

  2. What is the poem about?

  3. Is this an anti-war poem?

  4. In the box below, you will find the photo that was used to illustrate the poem. Do you feel that the photo is relevant? Why do you think this photo was chosen?

Photo of the ruins of an old pier in England. The sun is setting so the sky is blue and pink. We see the ocean.
Bilde: Sue Cro / CC BY-NC 4.0

Analyse:

Work in groups. Discuss the questions and write down your answers in a shared document. Make sure your answers relate specifically to the examples found in this poem.

  1. How is imagery used in the poem, and what is achieved by using this imagery?

  2. Find examples of alliteration in the poem. Explain what the poet achieves by using alliteration.

  3. Find examples of repetition in the poem. What is achieved by repeating these words or phrases?

  4. Point out one more literary device that you observe in the poem. What is achieved by using this literary device?

  5. What is the theme of the poem?

Research:

Find out more about one of the following topics and share your findings in a group.

  1. What was the Spanish flu pandemic, and how did it affect the world?

  2. Find out more about the poet, Sara Teasdale; her life; and her writing.

  3. How did World War I influence everyday life in the United States? Sara Teasdale lived in New York City during World War 1. Would she have been personally affected by the war?

Create:

  1. Write a poem in the style of "There Will Come Soft Rains" about any topic you choose.

  2. Write a poem inspired by "There Will Come Soft Rains" about climate change.

Explore:

The poem inspired a short story called "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury. The short story was first published in 1950. The story is set in the future, 6 August 2026, and portrays an automated house that keeps going after the inhabitants are gone.

You can find out more about the short story by following the link below, or by doing an internet search.

  • Do you see similarities between the poem and the short story?

Link to the short story 'There Will Come Soft Rains' by Ray Bradbury

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