On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book Flashcards
What is the main theme of the poem? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
The speaker of the poem finds a crushed fly in a book and reflects on the inevitability of mortality and the importance of leaving a legacy after death.
Paragraph 1? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
The first four lines of the poem focus on the dead fly that the speaker finds crushed in a book, showing its innocence and making its death seem more thought provoking.
Quotes for paragraph 1? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
‘crushed thee here between these pages pent’
‘thou has left thine own fair monument’
‘thy wings gleam out and tell me what thou wert’
‘crushed thee here between these pages pent’
‘pages pent’ –> plosive alliteration draws attention to the image of the crushed fly in the pages.
‘crushed’ –> this imagery evokes a sense of entrapment and confinement
‘thou has left thine own fair monument’
‘fair monument’ –> this suggests that even in death, the fly has managed to leave a mark or a symbol of its existence. this idea of a ‘fair monument’ elevates the significance of the fly’s presence beyond its physical form
‘thy wings gleam out and tell me what thou wert’
‘gleam out’ –> positive and almost suggesting some animation which almost feels like the fly coming to life through its legacy. the wings also serve as a reminder of what the fly once was, which evokes a sense of admiration for the inherent beauty of nature’s creations
Paragraph 2? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
The poem then shifts to a focus on legacy, addressing both that of the fly and somewhat on that of humans, telling us of the importance of being remembered.
Quotes for paragraph 2? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
‘Oh! that the memories, which survive us here’
‘pure relics of a blameless life, that shine now thou art gone’
‘our doom is ever near’
‘Oh! that the memories, which survive us here’
‘oh’ disrupts the iambic pentameter (trochaic inversion). this break is emotionally charged, signalling a sudden outburst of feeling (grief, awe). the disruption draws attention to the line, slowing the reader down and preparing them for a more reflective, emotional idea
the line reflects the central theme of transience - both of life and memory - and the human desire to be remembered
‘pure relics of a blameless life, that shine now thou art gone’
‘now thou art gone’ –> this line addresses the fact that sometimes we only truly appreciate someone or something after it’s gone, adding a tone of loss and reflection
enjambment after ‘shine’ emphasises the word, emphasising the beauty of the legacy left behind
‘our doom is ever near’
end stopped –> contrasts the previous enjambment, emphasising the finality, creating a pessimistic shift in focus towards the inevitability of death
Paragraph 3? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
The poet then explores the inevitability of death through the image of the closing book, telling us that no matter how small or innocent, everything must eventually come to an end.
Quotes for paragraph 3? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
‘the peril is beside us day by day’
‘the book will close upon us’
‘upon the summer airs. but, unlike thee’
‘the peril is beside us day by day’
‘day by day’ –> repetition creates a sense of inevitability and presents death as inescapable
MEMENTO MORI
‘the book will close upon us’
‘book’ –> relates it back to the previous image of the fly, using the closing book as a metaphor for death. by relating it back to the small, overlooked and seemingly insignificant fly, the human becomes that same fly. without a legacy we simply become just another fly that is forgotten
‘upon the summer airs. but, unlike thee’
enjambment to ‘upon’ emphasises the momentum but then the caesura after ‘airs’ contrasts this, giving a sense of cutting it off unexpectedly, just like how life can end even at our best moments with no warning
Conclusion? (On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book)
The poet reflects on how death can come at any point, emphasising the inevitability of our eventual demise. He then addresses the lack of legacy left behind, focusing on a darker idea of not only dying literally but being forgotten by ‘leav[ing] no lustre’. However, this is somewhat ironic because through the writing of this poem he left a legacy for himself
