Discussion Topic

Descriptions of the blacksmith's strength and hard work in "The Village Blacksmith."

Summary:

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, his tireless work ethic is highlighted through descriptions of his consistent labor, such as "week in, week out, from morn till night," showing his dedication and industrious nature.

Expert Answers

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Which words describe the blacksmith's strength in "The Village Blacksmith"?

The blacksmith is described in the second stanza as a "mighty" man with "large" and "sinewy" hands. His arm muscles are likened to "iron bands." In the fourth stanza, we learn that he swings "his heavy sledge" in a slow and measured way: such a sledge (a heavy hammer) would take a good deal of upper-body strength to lift and repeatedly pound with, as he does.

The blacksmith is an idealized figure who is both strong and good, and we can visualize him as a symbol of strength, with his massive upper-body muscles, black hair, and solid hands. He is not so much a distinct individual as a representative of the hardworking laborer who toils with great integrity and without complaint.

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Which words describe the blacksmith's strength in "The Village Blacksmith"?

In the poem "The Village Blacksmith," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes both the physical strength and spiritual strength of the blacksmith.

To describe the blacksmith's physical strength, the poet first proclaims that he is "a mighty man." Longfellow writes that he has "large and sinewy hands." Sinews are connective tissues that attach muscles to bone, and in strong men, they are clearly visible. The blacksmith's arms are brawny, which, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means "muscular, strong, powerful." His muscles are "strong as iron bands," which gives an indication of great strength. He swings a "heavy sledge." This is in reference to a tool he uses called a sledgehammer, which has a heavy iron head and a long wooden handle and is difficult for anyone but a strong man to lift and swing. All these allusions to the blacksmith's physical strength are in the first part of the poem.

In the second part, Longfellow describes the blacksmith's spiritual strength. He has a daughter who sings in the village choir and some sons who sit with him in church. However, his wife is "singing in paradise," and when he remembers "how in the grave she lies," he "wipes a tear out of his eyes." In other words, his wife has died, but he has several children, and he is raising them all alone as a single parent. Longfellow praises the blacksmith's strength in the midst of sorrow as he relates that "toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing, onward through life he goes." The blacksmith, through his faithfulness, has taught the poet the lesson that "at the flaming forge of life our fortunes must be wrought." The blacksmith's spiritual strength is even greater than his physical strength, because he has the courage to keep going day after day, making his living and raising his children.

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Which words or lines in "The Village Blacksmith" describe the blacksmith's hard work?

Longfellow's poem idealizes the village blacksmith as person of admirable purity, steadiness, and virtue, and his trait of working hard is a key part of his good character.

The blacksmith's hard work is suggested first through the "honest sweat" on his face from the physical labor he performs. That the blacksmith works hard all the time is suggested in the following verse:

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow.

He is at hard labor, working his bellows, which blow cooling air on hot metal, and swinging his sledge to pound hot metal, all day, every day, from dawn to dusk.

"Toiling," or working hard, is described as key part of his life. His only time off seems to be Sunday, when he goes to church with his family and recalls his dead mother.

The speaker reiterates how hard the blacksmith works when he writes,

Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

The blacksmith is to be admired because he is always at some "task," one that starts in the morning and ends in the evening. The fact that he produces things—gets "something done"—is important and is the reason why he "earn[s]" a night's rest.

The speaker takes inspiration from the blacksmith's uncomplaining toil and hard work, work that ends in useful products that make a contribution to society. He is a model to the speaker of the kind of hard work we all need to do it we are going to make our "fortune" and leave our mark on the world.

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