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Literary Reading Work Sample Assessment
High School – For Classroom Use
The Wreck of the Hesperus
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1842
It was the schooner Hesperus, That sailed the wintery sea; And the skipper had taken his little daughter, To bear him company. Blue were her eyes as the fairy flax, Her cheeks like the dawn of day, And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds, That ope in the month of May. The Skipper he stood beside the helm, His pipe was in his mouth, And he watched how the veering flaw did blow The smoke now West, now South. Then up and spake an old Sailor, Had sailed the Spanish Main, "I pray thee, put into yonder port, for I fear a hurricane. "Last night the moon had a golden ring, And to-night no moon we see!" The skipper, he blew whiff from his pipe, And a scornful laugh laughed he. Notes on my thoughts, reactions, and questions as I read:
Instructions
Read the following poem carefully and make notes in the margin as you read. Your notes may include: Comments that show you understand the poem and your reactions to it. Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read. Notes and observations on the literary elements (theme, character, plot, setting, narrator, characterization, tone, mood, etc.) and how the author uses them to create an impact. Notes and observations on the literary devices (figurative language, imagery, point of view, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism, etc.) and how the author uses them to create an impact in the story. Margin notes are optional, but they may add to your score for this assessment. Student __________________________________________________________ Teacher ________________________________Class Period_______________ Created by Rachael Leach, Gresham-Barlow SD
Colder and louder blew the wind, A gale from the Northeast, The snow fell hissing in the brine, And the billows frothed like yeast. Down came the storm, and smote amain The vessel in its strength; She shuddered and paused, like a frighted steed, Then leaped her cable's length. "Come hither! come hither! my little daughter, And do not tremble so; For I can weather the roughest gale That ever wind did blow." He wrapped her warm in his seaman's coat Against the stinging blast; He cut a rope from a broken spar, And bound her to the mast. "O father! I hear the church bells ring, Oh, say, what may it be?" "Tis a fog-bell on a rock bound coast!" -- And he steered for the open sea. "O father! I hear the sound of guns; Oh, say, what may it be?" Some ship in distress, that cannot live In such an angry sea!" "O father! I see a gleaming light. Oh say, what may it be?" But the father answered never a word, A frozen corpse was he. Lashed to the helm, all stiff and stark, With his face turned to the skies, The lantern gleamed through the gleaming snow On his fixed and glassy eyes. Then the maiden clasped her hands and prayed That saved she might be; And she thought of Christ, who stilled the wave, On the Lake of Galilee. And fast through the midnight dark and drear, Through the whistling sleet and snow, Like a sheeted ghost, the vessel swept Tow'rds the reef of Norman's Woe. Notes on my thoughts, reactions, and questions as I read:
Demonstrate Understanding
1. Summarize the plot of the poem.
Demonstrate Understanding
2. In the boxes below, describe each of the two main characters. On the left, write the description in
your own words and on the right, write two or more lines from the poem which support your
description.
Description Supporting Lines from the Poem
The Skipper
The Skipper’s Daughter
Develop an Interpretation
3. The poem also contains minor characters. In your own words, describe two minor characters and
explain how they contribute to the story.
Minor Character’s Description Contribution to the Story
Name:
Description:
Name:
Description:
Analyze Text
6. This poem contains many literary devices commonly used in poetry: imagery (words that appeal to
the senses), personification, simile, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, etc.
Identify three literary devices and write them in the chart below – include the exact wording. In the
third column, explain how the use of that device affects the poem.
Literary Device Text from poem Effect on the Poem
