Stanzas 1-3
What does 'Prow' mean in line 1?
The forward-most part of a ship's bow that cuts through the water
What is the daughter showing in the fourth stanza when she "pauses" and "reject[s] his thought"?
She is showing that she doesn't want his help, she wants independence.
What is a starling? (Line 16)
A type of bird
What does the use of the word bloody serve to do in line 25?
It creates imagery of the bird covered in blood. It shows the pain and difficulty the bird is going through.
The starling symbolizes what, and why?
The bird symbolizes the daughter. The bird has to struggle with its own challenge of escaping just how the daughter has to struggle herself on completing her story and getting past her challenges.
The only simile in the first three stanzas are comparing what to what, and why?
a commotion of typewriter-keys to a chain hauled over a gunwale. It is done to create imagery.
What does "Clamor" mean in line 14?
a loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently
Why does the author use a starling in the sixth stanza?
It describes a bird trapped in the room as others watch him struggle to get free, just like the speaker is watching his daughter struggle to write.
Why does Wilbur use the word world instead of a word like a window?
The world is used to show that it is achieving something much greater. It's used to show that the girl has finally finished her boo, but more importantly succeeded over her challenges.
Where is this poem taking place? Where is the father?
This poem is taking place at the prow/front of the house, with the father listening to the daughter from the stairs.
The use of prow in line one creates an example of this type of figurative language
A metaphor
"The whole house seems to be thinking" (Line 13) is an example of what figurative language?
Personification
What are they doing when they "lift a sash"? (Line 18)
They are opening up a window.
What do lines 31-32 reveal about Wilbur?
It reveals that as a writer, he realizes how difficult it is to be a great writer and understand her struggle.
He may be speaking to parents who can relate to him, or speaking to teenagers going through change and experiencing both good and bad like his daughter.
What is the purpose of the metaphor in the third stanza?
It compares her life to a heavy ship which eventually unloads just as he hopes she will eventually overcome her difficulties and have a lucky future.
Why does the author use personification in the fifth stanza?
In order to create imagery of a silent house, to a chaotic house, back to a silent 'thinking' house.
Why do they retreat after opening up the sash? What does this represent?
In order to not harm or scare the bird, giving it the opportunity to escape. This represents the daughter needing to be alone to find a solution.
When he wishes luck to her again, how does it differ from the first time?
He wishes her luck and hopes she will find her own way to be successful like the starling finally flying into the sky.
The first extended metaphor in the first three stanzas compares what to what, and why?
It compares her in life to a ship's voyage. It serves to show that her daughter is currently working through something, with both good and bad feelings/experiences.
Through the first three paragraphs, what is the speakers daughter writing about?
Writing about her life experiences to better understand herself.
What is the transition from the fourth to fifth stanza?
It transitions from the speaker wishing his daughter luck to her not wanting that luck (his help).
The simile in line 8 serves to do what?
The simile serves primarily to serve as imagery, allowing the viewers to imagine the hard drop of a glove going straight down against the floor.
Why does Wilbur have a run-on sentence from the end of stanza 4 to the end of the poem?
To really show the sequence of things, and how both the bird and the daughter have to face their challenges to create meaning in their life, or "clearing the sill of the world".
The second extended metaphor from stanza 4 to the end of the poems compares what to what and why?
It compares the starling finding the right escape window to the daughter overcoming her struggles to write her story. The trapped starling symbolizes her struggles as they both try to overcome difficulties.