Miniver Cheevy

By Edwin Arlington Robinson

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,scorn: anger and disgust
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;assailed: to attack or confront
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.
Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;steed: horse
The vision of a warrior bold
Would set him dancing.
Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, Thebes: Famous Greek City Camelot: King Arthur’s Palace
And Priam's neighbors.Priam: Famous King of Troy
Miniver mourned the ripe renownrenown: fame
That made so many a name so fragrant;
He mourned Romance, now on the town,Note: Romance and Art were very popular modern
And Art, a vagrant.interests in Miniver’s time.
Miniver loved the Medici,Medici:A family that ruled Italy from the 1400s-1700s
Albeit he had never seen one;albeit: although
He would have sinned incessantly
Could he have been one.
Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;loathing: hate or disgust
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing.
Miniver scorned the gold he sought,scorn: to criticize
But sore annoyed was he without it;
Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it.
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.

Partner work with “Miniver Cheevy” (12 points): Please clearly read the directions for the prompts and questions below. To get full credit, you must answer all portions of a prompt/question and you must fulfill the length requirements.

  1. Opening response/journal entry (4 points): The glory and glamour of the past are sometimes charming or interesting in an irresistible way (sometimes, we are fascinated with the past). Sometimes, though, a longing for the past leaves people sorely disappointed and unsatisfied with the present. With your partners, write down some reasons why people might be drawn to the past. (List 5-10 reasons)
  1. Analysis Questions (4 points): What is Cheevy’s problem with life as he knows it (why has he “wept that he was ever born”)? What is his solution to dealing with his problem? (3-4 sentences) Use evidence from the poem to back up your responses.
  1. Evaluation Questions (2 points): Are we supposed to praise (honor, admire, approve of) Cheevy or are we supposed to be critical (judgmental, disapproving) of him? Explain your answer. (2-3 sentences)

4. Synthesis Question (2 points): What is the ultimate lesson of “Miniver Cheevy”? (1-2 sentences)