Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How does the speaker use the four elements in nature to reflect her feelings? Does nature ever appear to run contrary to her feelings?
- What's the point of using iambic pentameter in this elegy (besides it being so common)? Do all of the metrical deviations have a purpose, too?
- How does the speaker provide a unique perspective in regards to grieving and joy? Does life always have to consist of finding joy?
- How does the speaker's tone change by the end of the poem when she speaks of checking her "tears of useless passion"? What has she learned?
- What's so important about the metaphor of the "world's tide" and how it relates to life and loss? Can we ever fight against the tide? Why or why not?