“Very Old Man” Introduction

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“Very Old Man” Summary

“Very Old Man” Themes

• 

  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

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• 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