Plot
What does the poem compare the stages of love to?
Shadows
What theme does this poem explore?
Love
What does Donne use to symbolize perfect love?
The sun
What group of poets is Donne part of, thats known for using intricate comparisons?
Metaphysical
What idea is shown when shadows hide the truth and appearances mislead?
Illusions
What time of day are the couple walking together at the start of the poem?
Morning
According to the poem, when does love usually feel the easiest?
At the start of a relationship
What do the shadows symbolize as they grow?
Doubt or problems
What is the name of the extended comparison that connects love to sunlight?
A conceit
Why does the speaker tell the lovers to “stand still” at one point in the poem?
What time of day does the speaker compare perfect love to, when the sun is brightest?
noon
What does Donne warn will harm love if partners stop doing it honestly?
Telling the truth
Noon symbolizes what stage in a relationship?
The peak
What poetic feature is Donne using when he packs complex ideas about love into short, punchy lines that make you think?
His use of wit
What does the growing darkness suggest might happen to their relationship?
Trouble or decline
As the shadows grow, what happens to their love?
It becomes more difficult
What does the poem suggest relationships naturally do over time, just like the sunlight changes?
change
Evening symbolizes what shift in the couple’s love?
Decline
What literary element is shown when the poem shifts from calm to worried?
Tone
What time of day does the speaker think love should stay steady like?
Noon
What does the shift from noon to evening symbolize in the couple's relationship?
The love fading
What does the poem say both people must keep doing to make love stay strong?
Put in effort
What do the changing shadows symbolize that couples sometimes create in their own relationships?
Their own problems or insecurities
What technique is shown when Donne creates vivid images of sunlight and shadows to help readers picture the changes in the relationship?
Imagery
What topic does the poem “lecture” the lovers about by the end?
How fragile love is