Read the two poems, and then answer the question that follows. Poem #1 The Sun Has Long Been Set by William Wordsworth The sun has long been set, The stars are out by twos and threes, The little birds are piping yet Among the bushes and the trees; There's a cuckoo, and one or two thrushes,* And a far-off wind that rushes, And a sound of water that gushes, And the cuckoo's sovereign cry Fills all the hollow of the sky. Who would go 'parading' In London, 'and masquerading,' On such a night of June With that beautiful soft half-moon, And all these innocent blisses? On such a night as this is! * thrush: a type of songbird Poem #2 Far from the Madding Crowd by Nixon Waterman It seems to me I'd like to go Where bells don't ring, nor whistles blow, Nor clocks don't strike, nor gongs sound, And I'd have stillness all around. Not real stillness, but just the trees, Low whispering, or the hum of bees, Or brooks faint babbling over stones, In strangely, softly tangled tones. Or maybe a cricket or katydid,* Or the songs of birds in the hedges hid, Or just some such sweet sound as these, To fill a tired heart with ease. If 'tweren't for sight and sound and smell, I'd like the city pretty well, But when it comes to getting rest, I like the country lots the best. Sometimes it seems to me I must Just quit the city's din and dust, And get out where the sky is blue, And say, now, how does it seem to you? * katydid: an insect related to grasshoppers and crickets Question: Imagine someone is doing a dramatic reading of "The Sun Has Long Been Set". In what tone should the actor read the poem to the audience to stay true to the poem? (1 point) Responses In a very fast and hurried tone In a very fast and hurried tone In a calming tone In a calming tone In a cautious and dangerous tone In a cautious and dangerous tone In a loud and excited tone In a loud and excited tone
