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I Wish For A River

Two: I Wish For A River — Quiz

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Question 1. What primary symbol does the narrator use to represent a place of healing and escape?
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Think about the central object mentioned in the title and throughout the verses.

  1. A desert implies dryness and heat, which contradicts the narrator's wish for a deep, cool stream to soothe them.

  2. The poem opens and concludes with a deep longing for a river to help manage sorrows and find peace.

  3. The narrator seeks the motion and depth of water rather than the stillness or shadows of trees.

  4. While a mountain represents a different natural obstacle or height, the text focuses on a flowing body of water.

Question 2. Which activity does the narrator imagine doing to find solace in motion?
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Consider the specific type of graceful movement the narrator associates with the frozen or flowing surface.

  1. The narrator specifically mentions having the 'grace of a skater' to glide away from heartaches.

  2. The text describes gliding on the surface with grace rather than being submerged in the water.

  3. The narrator is looking for emotional release through movement, not seeking to catch something from the water.

  4. Sailing requires a vessel, but the narrator focuses on personal movement and the use of their own 'weary feet'.

Question 3. How does the narrator describe the current state of their soul?
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Look for a word that describes turbulent or chaotic weather used as a metaphor for feelings.

  1. While intense, the poem uses the imagery of storms and shadows rather than heat and flames.

  2. The speaker explicitly states there is a 'storm' in their soul, highlighting internal conflict and turbulence.

  3. The narrator feels 'tangled in shadows,' which is the opposite of a clear and open sky.

  4. This suggests peace, which contradicts the narrator's feelings of being tangled and heavy.

Question 4. What 'treasure' does the narrator lament losing in the poem?
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The narrator mentions 'my love' and a 'goodbye' shortly after mentioning this lost value.

  1. The poem uses 'treasure' as a metaphor for an emotional connection rather than physical wealth.

  2. The narrator mentions making their 'love whisper' a goodbye, indicating the loss of a significant relationship.

  3. While the poem is rhythmic, the 'treasure' lost is specifically linked to the heartbreak of a ended love.

  4. The focus of the regret is on personal actions and a 'goodbye' to a person, not a place.

Question 5. When does the narrator feel heartaches are best hidden?
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Identify the specific time of day mentioned when the light is dimming.

  1. Bright daylight would likely make heartaches and shadows more visible rather than hiding them.

  2. The narrator notes that heartaches 'don't show' during the dim, soft light of the evening.

  3. The poem favors the 'shadows' and 'night' over the brightness typically associated with mornings.

  4. The poem seeks quiet and solace, not the noise and conflict of a struggle.

Question 6. What harsh reality is compared to a river that 'cuts to the core'?
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Think about the word people say when a relationship or a meeting ends.

  1. The narrator states 'Goodbye’s a harsh river,' emphasizing the painful nature of the separation.

  2. The narrator blames their own actions ('I've made my love whisper'), making 'goodbye' the specific source of pain.

  3. The poem deals with the pain of a specific loss rather than the general passage of time.

  4. While a theme, the specific word identified as a 'harsh river' is the act of parting.

Question 7. What does the narrator hope the river will teach their feet?
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Look for the specific artistic movement mentioned in relation to the narrator's 'weary feet'.

  1. The narrator desires 'solace in motion' rather than remaining stationary.

  2. The poem mentions that the river's embrace is intended to teach the narrator's weary feet this specific skill.

  3. The narrator wants to move with elegance and healing, not just escape in fear.

  4. The narrator uses the metaphor of skating on the flow, not a supernatural act of walking.

Question 8. How is the narrator's sadness described in relation to the 'dimming star's light'?
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Identify the two specific adjectives the narrator uses to describe themselves in the second stanza.

  1. A dimming star represents a loss of light and hope, not an increase of it.

  2. The narrator uses these exact words to describe their own state while comparing themselves to a fading star.

  3. While the river might be cold, the narrator's self-description focuses on regret and sadness.

  4. The image of a 'dimming' star suggests a loss of strength and consistency.

Question 9. What happens to the 'burdens of sadness' in the narrator's wish for a path to the skies?
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Think about what happens to something light when it enters a 'path to the skies'.

  1. While skating is mentioned, the specific fate of the 'burdens' in the later verse is weightlessness.

  2. The narrator wants to be free of them, and sinking suggests they remain heavy and grounded.

  3. The poem imagines a river leading to the skies where burdens become light enough to float away.

  4. The narrator describes a process of floating and rising rather than a sudden disappearance.

Question 10. What is the ultimate goal the narrator seeks by 'skating on sorrow'?
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Look at the very last line of the poem to see what the narrator hopes to 'reclaim'.

  1. The skating is a metaphor for emotional motion, not a literal athletic goal.

  2. The narrator is focused on healing from the past and self-recovery rather than seeking something new.

  3. The final line of the poem states the narrator's intent to 'reclaim part of me' through this metaphorical journey.

  4. The river is a metaphorical path for internal change, not a literal means of transportation to a new country.

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