Elizabeth Bishop: The Mountain AK
Below, on the left, are several pieces of Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Mountain.” On the right are several
effects reached from different pieces of the poem. Match the pieces to the correct conclusions. There are more
effect than there are pieces. On page three, write your own conclusions.
Pieces of “The Mountain” Effects of the pieces
a. This suggests being lost in the process of aging.
b. This immediately creates a slightly menacing atmosphere since
these words have the connotations of night and darkness.
c. This foreshadows death later in the poem.
d. This creates a slower pace because of the increased number of
syllables, which reflects how a person who is older or who is losing
the control he/she once had might speak.
e. This implies that the poem will be about something immovable,
1. ____ the title of the poem,
unchangeable, and strong.
“The Mountain”
f. This suggests that time will stop for no one and cannot be reckoned
2. ____ the alternating
or bargained with.
repetition of the sentences
“I do not know my age.”
g. The effect of this – especially because it is found nowhere else in
and “Tell me how old I am.”
the poem – is that, always, there is something large but
at the end of each stanza of
unmentioned lurking about in the back of the mind, very present,
the poem.
very influential, but never at the center of attention.
3. ____ the lack of
h. This gives the sense of an endless, repetitive, and confusing cycle in
contractions in the poem; all
which the speaker is caught.
the words that would
normally form contractions
i. This suggests that whatever the poem is about, it will be at the end
are not contracted (“I do not
of that something.
know,” “it is different,” “I
do not mean to complain,”
j. This suggests that the speaker’s mind is starting to wear away
“I am growing deaf,” etc.)
because he/she cannot communicate in the most natural way.
4. ____ “At evening”
k. Without this, the poem would lose its distinct tone.
l. This immediately suggests that the poem will be about something
huge and giant, or contain something large and enormous.
m. This suggests fatigue and weariness after a long day or a long life.
n. This is a cause and effect device that reflects the burning question
that the speaker has on his/her mind at all times.
Pieces of “The Effects of the pieces
Mountain”
a. This is an apt description.
b. This adds suspense and fear to the mood of the poem.
c. This suggests that, although it cannot be perceived by the
senses, time is the most consistent elements in life.
d. This creates a tonal shift in the poem.
e. This suggests that the speaker is fed up and cannot bear
anymore of what he/she has been going through but that
there is in fact more to be dealt with.
5. ____ “something behind
me” f. This makes what is happening seem smoother, more fluid.
6. ____ The third stanza g. This implies that the speaker has gone through many
begins with the words experiences and that there is quite a bit in his/her past.
“And then.”
h. This mimics the effects that age has on the body by
7. ____ the simile “the utilizing various senses through synesthesia.
valleys
stuff/impenetrable i. This makes the poem seem more like a narration, a story, a
mists/like cotton in my journey.
ears.”
j. This contributes the slightest bit of darkness, suspense and
8. ____ the alliteration in tension to the poem.
line 18: “slowly spread
and sink” k. This suggests that aging is a dark, ominous experience.
l. There is something hidden and stalking the speaker; it can’t
be seen but is there anyway.
m. This establishes the tone of the poem.
Pieces of “The Mountain” Effects of the pieces
9. ____ the enjambment
separating the subject
“waterfalls” and the
predicate “go unwiped” in
lines 30 and 31
10. ____ the syntax and word
choice in lines 31 and 32
(“Let the stars go hang,/the
stars go fly their kites.”)
11. ____ natural images like the
mist in the valleys (lines 9
and 10), shadow and light
(line 21), wings, feathers,
and claws (lines 25-27), bird
calls and waterfalls (lines
29-30), and stars and moon
(lines 33-34)
12. ____ The final two lines are
both of the lines that have
been repeated throughout
the poem (“I want to know
my age./Tell me how old I
am.”).
