Go and catch a falling star Questions Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
Who is the author of the poem “Go and Catch a Falling Star”?
John Donne
What is the theme of the poem?
The main themes of the poem are love, infidelity, and the impossibility of finding a faithful woman.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
The rhyme scheme is ABABCCDDD.
What does the speaker ask the reader to do in the first line of the poem?
The speaker asks the reader to “go and catch a falling star”.
What does the falling star symbolize in the poem?
The falling star symbolizes something rare and unattainable.
What does the speaker say about finding a faithful woman?
The speaker suggests that finding a faithful woman is as impossible as catching a falling star.
What does the speaker ask the reader to do if they find a faithful woman?
The speaker asks the reader to let him know.
What does the speaker say will happen before someone finds a faithful woman?
The speaker says that one could hear mermaids singing or discover a mandrake root before finding a faithful woman.
In the first stanza, what impossible tasks does the speaker mention?
Catching a falling star and getting a mandrake root with child.
What mythical creatures are mentioned in the poem?
Mermaids.
What is the significance of the line “Ride ten thousand days and nights” in the second stanza?
It emphasizes the vast and challenging nature of the journey.
What does the speaker expect the traveler to do upon returning?
Tell about all the strange wonders encountered.
In the third stanza, what does the speaker find sweet about the pilgrimage?
The potential to find a faithful woman.
What reluctance does the speaker express in the third stanza?
Reluctance to go on the pilgrimage, even if a faithful woman is nearby.
What does the speaker anticipate about the woman’s faithfulness in the third stanza?
He anticipates her eventual faithlessness.
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is skeptical and somewhat cynical.
What emotion does the speaker associate with envy in the first stanza?
Envy’s stinging.
What is the speaker’s view on the constancy of love in the poem?
The speaker is skeptical about the constancy of love.
What is the role of mandrake root in the first stanza?
It is mentioned as part of an impossible task, adding to the whimsical and fantastical nature of the poem.
What does the speaker ask to be taught in the first stanza?
To hear mermaids singing and to keep off envy’s stinging.
What does the speaker expect to find out in the first stanza regarding past years?
The location of past years.
What is the speaker’s attitude toward the possibility of finding a faithful woman in the poem?
The speaker is doubtful and cynical about finding a truly faithful woman.
What does the speaker instruct the addressee to do in the third stanza?
To let him know if they find a faithful woman.
What does the speaker say about the anticipated faithful woman in the third stanza?
She will eventually be false before the speaker arrives.
How does the speaker describe the journey in the second stanza?
As riding ten thousand days and nights.
What does the speaker ask to be taught in the first stanza regarding envy?
To keep off envy’s stinging.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is the overall theme of the poem?
The overall theme of the poem is the impossibility of finding true and faithful love. The speaker uses a series of hyperbolic challenges and cynical statements to prove their point.
2. What is the significance of the title of the poem?
The title of the poem is a metaphor for the unattainability of the speaker’s desires. A falling star is something that is beautiful and fleeting, and it is impossible to catch. In the same way, the speaker believes that it is impossible to find a true and faithful lover.
3. How does the use of hyperbole in the poem help to convey the speaker’s message?
The use of hyperbole in the poem helps to create a sense of absurdity and impossibility. The speaker’s challenges, such as catching a falling star or getting with child a mandrake root, are clearly impossible tasks. This suggests that the speaker believes that finding a true and faithful lover is equally impossible.
4. What is the significance of the use of imagery in the poem?
The imagery in the poem is often dark and pessimistic. The speaker uses images of death, decay, and deception to reinforce their cynical view of love. For example, in the first stanza, the speaker asks the listener to tell them where all past years are, suggesting that time is lost and cannot be recovered.
5. How does the structure of the poem contribute to its meaning?
The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which has a different focus. The first stanza focuses on the impossibility of finding a true and faithful lover. The second stanza focuses on the length and difficulty of the quest for love. The third stanza focuses on the speaker’s own personal experiences and their belief that all women are liars and cheats.
6. What is the speaker’s tone in the poem?
The speaker’s tone in the poem is cynical and pessimistic. They seem to have given up on the idea of finding a true and faithful lover, and they are using hyperbolic challenges and cynical statements to prove their point.
7. What is the effect of the speaker’s repetition of the word “no” in the poem?
The speaker’s repetition of the word “no” in the poem helps to create a sense of negativity and despair. For example, in the second stanza, the speaker says, “Thou, when thou return’st, wilt tell me / All strange wonders that befell thee, / And swear, No where / Lives a woman true, and fair.” The repetition of the word “no” emphasizes the speaker’s belief that there are no true and faithful women in the world.
8. What is the effect of the speaker’s use of the word “yet” in the poem?
The speaker’s use of the word “yet” in the poem creates a sense of irony and futility. For example, in the third stanza, the speaker says, “Yet do not, I would not go, / Though at next door we might meet; / Though she were true, when you met her, / And last, till you write your letter, / Yet she / Will be False, ere I come, to two, or three.” The use of the word “yet” suggests that even if the speaker were to find a true and faithful lover, they would not believe them.
9. How does the poem end?
The poem ends with the speaker’s declaration that even if they were to find a true and faithful lover, they would not go anywhere near them. This suggests that the speaker has given up on love altogether, and they believe that it is better to be alone than to risk getting hurt.
10. What is the overall message of the poem?
The overall message of the poem is that love is hopeless and that all women are liars and cheats. This message is based on the speaker’s own personal experiences, and it is likely that they are projecting their own insecurities onto the world.
11. What is the significance of the setting of the poem?
The setting of the poem is not explicitly stated, but it is implied to be a dark and desolate place. This setting reinforces the speaker’s cynical and pessimistic view of the world.
12. What is the significance of the speaker’s use of the second-person singular pronoun “thou”?
The speaker’s use of the second-person singular pronoun “thou” creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy. It also suggests that the speaker is speaking to a specific individual, rather than to the world at large.
