The Village Blacksmith Questions and Answers
The Village Blacksmith
What does the "flaming forge of life" represent in "The Village Blacksmith"?
The "flaming forge of life" in "The Village Blacksmith" represents the hard work and effort required to achieve life's goals. Literally, it refers to the blacksmith's fire where he shapes metal....
The Village Blacksmith
Descriptions of the blacksmith's strength and hard work in "The Village Blacksmith."
In "The Village Blacksmith," the blacksmith is described as strong and hardworking. His "large and sinewy hands" and "brawny arms" are emphasized, illustrating his physical strength. Additionally,...
The Village Blacksmith
Why does the poet reference the sexton in "The Village Blacksmith"?
The poet references the sexton in "The Village Blacksmith" to compare the blacksmith's hammering to the measured ringing of a church bell, using a simile to highlight their similar sounds and...
The Village Blacksmith
Which sense does the third stanza of "The Village Blacksmith" focus on?
The third stanza of "The Village Blacksmith" focuses on the sense of hearing. It describes the sounds associated with the blacksmith's work, such as the whooshing of the bellows and the rhythmic,...
The Village Blacksmith
What are three physical traits of "The Village Blacksmith's" character?
The character in "The Village Blacksmith" is described as a "mighty man" with "large and sinewy hands" and "brawny arms" with muscles like "iron bands." He has long, dark hair and a tan, and his face...
The Village Blacksmith
What is the message in "The Village Blacksmith" and is it relevant today?
The poet's message in "The Village Blacksmith" is that hard work and self-reliance are among the most important things in life. Longfellow holds up the eponymous character, who embodies these...
The Village Blacksmith
What is the blacksmith's daily routine in "The Village Blacksmith"?
In "The Village Blacksmith," the routine the blacksmith follows day in and day out regardless of the season is one of working hard from dawn to dusk in his blacksmith shop. He works six days a week,...
The Village Blacksmith
What is man's fate compared to in "The Village Blacksmith"?
In "The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, humanity's fate is compared to the blacksmith's work. The blacksmith is a person who works with metal, usually iron, heating it and...
The Village Blacksmith
Why does the poet thank the blacksmith at the end of the poem?
The poet thanks the blacksmith at the poem's end for the life lessons he provides through his example. The blacksmith embodies hard work, self-reliance, and integrity, allowing him to face others...
The Village Blacksmith
Why can the blacksmith in "The Village Blacksmith" face the whole world?
In "The Village Blacksmith," the blacksmith is able to look the whole world in the face because he doesn't owe a thing to any man. He is a hard-working man who's entirely self-reliant, hence his...
The Village Blacksmith
What activities do the children engage in at the smithy in "The Village Blacksmith"?
The children like to pass by the smithy while on their way home from school and look in through his door in "The Village Blacksmith." They love to watch the flames from his forge, listen to the sound...
The Village Blacksmith
Why do the children look in at the blacksmith's door?
In Longfellow's poem "The Village Blacksmith," the children on their way home from school look in at the village blacksmith's door because They love to see the flaming forge, And hear the bellows...
The Village Blacksmith
What are the sounds of the blacksmith at work in "The Village Blacksmith" compared to?
The speaker compares the sounds of the blacksmith’s work to the sound of a sexton ringing the village bell.
The Village Blacksmith
What does the blacksmith do on Sundays and how does his daughter's singing make him feel?
The poem "The Village Blacksmith," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, strongly emphasizes the values commonly associated with the Protestant work ethic through the character of a blacksmith in a small...
The Village Blacksmith
In "The Village Blacksmith", what is the blacksmith's sledge swing compared to?
The poem says of the blacksmith: You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, With measured beat and slow, Like a sexton ringing the village bell, When the evening sun is low. The village bell is the...
The Village Blacksmith
How does the text suggest that the blacksmith is honest?
Longfellow paints a very flattering portrait of the village blacksmith. This is a man who seems to have no negative character traits whatsoever. He's incredibly hard-working, he regularly goes to...
The Village Blacksmith
What makes "The Village Blacksmith" an inspirational poem?
What makes "The Village Blacksmith" particularly inspiring is the way the man himself goes about his work every day no matter what life throws at him. Being a blacksmith is hard, physical work and...
The Village Blacksmith
The significance of the blacksmith's sadness in "The Village Blacksmith."
The blacksmith's sadness in "The Village Blacksmith" signifies the depth of his emotional experience and the personal losses he has endured. His sorrow reflects the universal human condition of...
The Village Blacksmith
Why is the village blacksmith admired?
The village blacksmith represents a key element of the Romantic period, the common man as hero. He's a common man who is all mankind: The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and...
The Village Blacksmith
What lesson has the "worthy friend" in "The Village Blacksmith" taught the speaker?
The "worthy friend" in the poem is the village blacksmith. The speaker has learned important life lessons from him. First, he has learned the value of hard work. The blacksmith is wet with "honest...
The Village Blacksmith
What work did the village blacksmith perform?
The village blacksmith is the man who makes and shapes anything made from metal; for instance, he would shape horseshoes, make metal tools, and perhaps reshape anything metal that villagers would...
The Village Blacksmith
Who attracts the children to the blacksmith in "The Village Blacksmith"?
It is the blacksmith himself who attracts the children after school to stop by and watch him work. The speaker states, "They love to see the flaming forge, / And hear the bellowsroar, / And watch...
The Village Blacksmith
What brings happiness to the village blacksmith?
The village blacksmith is a single father raising a family by himself. His greatest happiness lies in his ability to engage in honest work to provide for his family and on Sunday, to hear his...
The Village Blacksmith
What can be inferred about the blacksmith's wife from "The Village Blacksmith" second to last stanza?
In "The Village Blacksmith," One can infer from the third to last stanza that the blacksmith's wife was a virtuous woman who sang in the church choir before she died. She was worthy of her husband's...