Silence Allusions & Cultural References

When poets refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.

Literary References

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (3)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance" (5)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Experience" (7)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Resignation" (11-12)
Edmund Burke (13) – "make my house your inn," as quoted in James Prior's Life of Burke

Other Cultural References

The Glass Flowers Collection, Harvard Museum of Natural History (4)

Personal References

A.M Homans, Professor Emeritus of Hygiene, Wellesley College (1) – When Moore published this poem, she also included a note at the end, claiming that this whole poem is actually a quotation from "Miss A. M. Homans, Professor Emeritus of Hygiene, Wellesley College."