“Very Old Man” Summary

“Very Old Man” Themes

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  Childhood, Old Age, and Death

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Very Old Man”

• Lines 1-3

  I well remember how some threescore years
  And ten ago, a helpless babe, I toddled
  From chair to chair about my mother's chamber,

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 4-6

  Feeling, as 'twere, my way in the new world
  And foolishly afraid of, or, as 't might be,
  Foolishly pleased with, th' unknown objects round me.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-9

  And now with stiffened joints I sit all day
  In one of those same chairs, as foolishly
  Hoping or fearing something from me hid

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 10-12

  Behind the thick, dark veil which I see hourly
  And minutely on every side round closing
  And from my view all objects shutting out.

  

  

  

  

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“Very Old Man” Symbols

• 

  The Chairs

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“Very Old Man” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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“Very Old Man” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Threescore years and ten
• Babe
• Chamber
• As 'twere
• As 't
• Th' unknown
• Minutely

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Very Old Man”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Very Old Man” Speaker

“Very Old Man” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Very Old Man”

More “Very Old Man” Resources

• External Resources

  • James Henry Biography — Learn more about the poet's life over at the Dictionary of Irish Biography.   

  • The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse — Check out the seminal 1987 anthology in which a handful of Henry's poems were published.

  • Christopher Ricks on Henry — Literary critic Christopher Ricks talks about discovering Henry's work while compiling an anthology of Victorian poetry. 

  • Henry's Poetry and Philosophy — Poet David Wheatley discusses Henry's neglected poetry and his views on religion.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by James Henry

  • Old Man