Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How do images of dark and light work throughout the poem to represent grief, death, knowledge, and life? How do these develop throughout the poem?
- What is the lesson the speaker learns by the end of the poem? What is his relationship to the grief he feels for Arthur by the epilogue?
- What's going on in Canto 95? This canto is usually considered the turning point or climax of the poem. What is Tennyson imagining with Arthur? How does this give him some kind of closure?
- What is the significance of nature throughout the poem? Why do you think Tennyson engages with the issue of evolution (the famous "Nature red in tooth and claw" line)?
- In what ways is Tennyson's faith affirmed by the end of the poem? Remember: he's had quite a struggle between science/reason and faith/religion. What is the outcome of this struggle, and in what sense does this seem to make Tennyson feel better about the loss of his friend?
- Can you trace the general structure of the poem? Where do new chunks seem to start? Where do you notice shifts in Tennyson's tone, thoughts, and/or approach to his problem?