Maggie and Milly and Molly and May Questions

Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.

  1. Which character do you identify most with in the poem and why? Which one is a bit harder to relate to? What do you think these observations say about you?
  2. What's the effect of the speaker's simple rhymes and childlike tone? Would the poem sound any different with a more sophisticated approach?
  3. Why does the speaker claim that we find ourselves in the sea? What can the sea teach us about the world and our own lives?
  4. How can a stone be small and large at the same time? What's the point of the similes in line 10?
  5. Can you sum up each character's experience in one word? Go ahead and give it a try (maggie's is (x); milly's is (y), etc., etc.).