A Geographical Tour of Literary America

The Grand Tour of Literary Landmarks resulted from my students' success with another project that we called "Poetic License with THE AMAZING RACE." This new journey also begins and ends in my students' hometown. Chosen writers are specific to our curriculum and texts; however, teachers can adapt new selections to their students' needs. Side images are their original work. Photo images at each destination go directly to official sites or to the slideshows of my own travel photos. The main sources of written material here are www.Poets.org and Adventures in American Literature, Heritage Edition and Pegasus Edition.

Rockland, Maine

On the literary map, travel from Head Tide to Rockland, Maine.

Calculate:

# _____________ Miles to Rockland, Maine

$ _____________ Cost for Gasoline to Rockland, Maine



Visit Edna St. Vincent Millay at www.Poets.org and fill-in-the-blanks.

"Poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in Rockland, Maine, on ___________. Her mother, Cora, raised her three daughters on her own after asking her husband to leave the family home in 1899. Cora encouraged her girls to be ____________________________, teaching them an appreciation of music and literature from an early age. In 1912, at her mother's urging, Millay entered her poem _______________ into a contest: she won fourth place and publication in The Lyric Year, bringing her immediate acclaim and a scholarship to __________. There, she continued to write poetry and became involved in the theater."

Read "God’s World" and answer the questions.

What are the poet’s feelings on this autumn day?



Does she experience only pleasure in the natural beauty of the world? Explain.



Toward the end of the poem, the poet says the world is “too beautiful this year.” How are both pleasure and pain suggested by the poem’s language.





Why does she pray “Let no bird call”?