Read the lines from the poem. these lines refer to the biblical story of samson.
, poor and blind,
he saw the blessed light of heaven no more,
shorn of his noble strength and forced to grind
in
samson is dedicated to god, and god gives him enormous strength. to honor god, samson’s hair is never cut. but evil people tricked samson and cut his hair, and he loses his strength. the evil people make samson a slave and blind him. to get revenge, samson asks god for enough strength to destroy the evil people. god gives him strength one last time, and samson destroys the evil people and dies in the process. longfellow compares the slaves in america to samson.
how does the allusion in these lines affect the mood of the poem?
a. the mood is forceful and vigorous, urging the reader to work as samson does to do what god wants.
b. the mood is despairing and hopeless because, like samson, america suffers because it has lost its relationship with god.
c. the poem has a hopeful mood because it discusses “the blessed light of heaven” when god samson.
d. the poem creates a somber mood by describing one of the worst moments in samson’s life.
full story
the warning
by henry wadsworth longfellow
beware! the israelite of old, who tore
the lion in his path,—when, poor and blind,
he saw the blessed light of heaven no more,
shorn of his noble strength and forced to grind
in prison, and at last led forth to be
a pander to philistine revelry,—
upon the pillars of the temple laid
his desperate hands, and in its overthrow
destroyed himself, and with him those who made
a cruel mockery of his sightless woe;
the poor, blind slave, the scoff and jest of all,
expired, and thousands perished in the fall!
there is a poor, blind samson in this land,
shorn of his strength and bound in bonds of steel,
who may, in some grim revel, raise his hand,
and shake the pillars of this commonweal,
till the vast temple of our liberties
a shapeless mass of wreck and rubbish lies.