POEM 1: HAUNTED HOUSES

Questions and Answers:

EXTRACT 1:
“All houses herein…sound upon the floors”

Q1. According to the narrator of the poem, why are all the houses
haunted? What kind of houses are these?
Ans1: The narrator of the poem strongly suggests that all houses wherein
men have lived and died are haunted houses. He dictates that all houses
are haunted by “harmless spirits” as they are full of memories,
experiences and emotions of their former inhabitants. The narrator wisely
states that these haunted spirits are not at all connected with their
predetermined notion of being evil but are old harmless spirits who go
about their day as the living, only invisibly.

The narrator also states that “all houses…are haunted houses”. Generally,
not all houses are supposed to be haunted, they are generally old and
abandoned castles, bungalows or houses. But in the poem the speaker is
referring to the spirits of loved ones who have died a long time ago and
visit our house regularly connected to their memories and emotions. They
remain connected to the living regardless of the kind of house.

Q2. Who are the harmless phantoms? How are these phantoms different
from the usual image of phantoms?
Ans2: In the poem “Haunted Houses”, the narrator calls the spirits
“harmless phantoms”.They are the spirits of the loved ones of the house
who have died a long time ago and visit the houses regularly. The spirits
are mundane in their activities in the sense that they share the same safe
spaces as the living, observe them and join them in their day to day
happening like at the dinner table or by the fireside.
By calling them harmless phantoms, it separates these spirits from their
usual frightening and freakishly supernatural notion. By calling them
harmless it is assured that these ghosts are benign and non-threatening.
Unlike their conventional image they are neither mischievous nor angry
spirits who intend to harm. They come and go without making any noise
and go about their activities sometimes even with the living.

Q3.What “errands” are done by these phantoms? Are their errands

different from the known errands of phantoms?
Ans3: repeat ex 1, ans 2 1st para

Q4. At what places in the houses are these phantoms found as described
later in the poem? How do they enter the house?
Ans4: The poem later dictats the places where these harmless phantoms
are found-”at the door way, on the stair, along the passages…”. They are
found everywhere in the house. This reassures the recurring theme of the
poem that they can neither be seen nor can be heard but their presence
can be perceived anywhere in the house. Though they cannot be
physically touched, their presence is felt around the house as something
moves to and fro. They do not just roam about in the house but are busy
with errands as they used to when they were alive.

They enter the houses through the door (at the door). This suggests a
seamless connection between the living and the dead, the past and the
present.

Q5. Explain briefly how this extract suggests the title of the poem.
Ans5: “Haunted Houses” is an intriguing title for the poem by H.W.
Longfellow. It feels like an eerie introduction to the poem with the word
haunted’s association with the frightening supernatural world. Yet this
notion is quickly dispelled right after the first stanza about the harmless
phantoms that are exactly opposite to the generalized belief people have
of ghosts. Their strange behaviour different to their usual counterparts
are explained repeatedly throughout the poem. These spirits are said to
be the loved ones of the families living the houses who have died long ago
but visit the house regularly, showing the lingerance of their memories in
the minds of the living. They are described to be as “silent as the pictures
on the wall” who come and go, at times joining in with the activities of
the living (at the dinner table, by the fireside). They are acknowledged to
be the rightful owners of the houses and guide the living in their daily
happenings. Thus, these harmless, impalpable and inoffensive ghosts are
those who live in our hearts, our memories and in our houses, making the
title quite appropriate with reference to the context of the poem.

EXTRACT 2:
“There are more guests…on the wall”

Q1. Why are there more guests at the table? How do these uninvited
guests behave at the table?
Ans1: The haunted spirits came and went (to and fro) whenever they
wanted indicating that they were the true owners of the houses. They
would even sit with the living during their daily activities like at the dinner
table or by the fireside. This is why there are more guests at the table
than invited.
They occupy the places like it was made for them. These uninvited guests
behave quietly and inoffensively, staying as silent as the pictures on the
wall. Despite not being invited, they coexist peacefully with the living,
contributing to the serene and calm atmosphere.
Q2. Why are they described as “quiet” and “inoffensive”? State two other
traits of the ghosts described in the poem.
Ans2: The haunted phantoms described in the poem are not in any way
similar to their usual kind. Unlike their conventional image, they are
neither mischievous nor angry spirits who intend to harm. They come and
go without making any noise. They are quiet in the way that they are as
silent as the pictures on the wall, and they are inoffensive as they do not
aim to hurt or disturb the peace of the living.
The narrator also describes them in the poem as “harmless” (harmless
phantoms) and “impalpable” (impalpable impressions).

Q3. Why are they “as silent as the pictures on the wall”? Whose pictures
are they?
Ans3: The impalpable impressions are described in the poem to be “as
silent as the pictures on the wall”. This is because they are quiet and
inoffensive with no intentions to harm or hurt. They join their living
counterparts quietly and continue on with their daily activities. While
doing so, these ghosts are as silent as the pictures on the wall, not
wanting to disturb the peace and serenity of the house.
Houses usually have pictures of their ancestors on the walls. It may be
that the pictures on the wall depict the very harmless ghosts that roam
the houses with its living inhabitants. This only forges the connection
between the world of the living and the realm of the dead within the
house.

Q4. Which figure of speech is used in this extract? Explain this figure of
speech.
Ans4: While the poem uses various literary devices throughout the poem,
the figure of speech used in this stanza is simile.
A simile is a figure of speech in which comparison between two different
things is explicitly stated using the words ‘as’ or ‘like’.
The simile in this stanza is used in the words “as silent as the pictures on
the wall”. The harmless phantoms are compared with the pictures on the
wall, more specifically their quiet and silent nature are compared to the
inanimate pictures.

Q5. In this extract, there is a reference to ‘more guests’. What is said in

the extract that shows that they are uninvited?
Ans5:

EXTRACT 3

“We have no title….their old estates”

Q1. Who are “We” referred to in this extract? Why do they not have ‘title-
deeds to houses or lands’?
Ans1: In this extract, ‘We’ refers to the living descendants or the new
owners of the houses. The poet, in the stanza, acknowledges that the
haunted ghosts of the houses are the rightful owners of the house.
The narrator implies that the living have no ownership of the title-deeds
to their houses or lands and it belonged to the past owners, the same
past owners who float around the houses quietly and inoffensively. The
dead owners of the house are still said to exist in the form of spirits who
hold a firm hand in mortmain (permanent ownership of land or property)
their old estates, the present houses of the living inhabitants.

Q2. Who are the ‘Owners and Occupants of earlier dates’?

Ans2: In this stanza, the owners and occupants of earlier dates signify the
haunted ghosts or the harmless phantoms of the past owners of the
houses who float the houses regularly with no intention to harm or
offend.

Q3. Explain the line-”From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands”
with reference to the poem.
Ans3: In the poem, the harmless spirits repeatedly mentioned throughout
the poem are the loved ones of the living who passed away long ago.
They are acknowledged to be the rightful owners of the houses and
property. This line suggests that the spirits of the former owners and
occupants of the houses reach their dust covered hands from their
forgotten graves to keep a firm hold on their estates that are currently
inhabited by their descendants. They continue to exert a lasting influence
over the houses even beyond the grave. This line connects the land of the
living to the world of the dead. It brings a worldly fact to life that the
deceased retain a connection to the properties they once owned despite
the marching of time.

Q4. Who ‘hold in mortmain still their old estates’? Why?

Ans 4; repeat ex 3 ans3

Q5. Explain briefly two poetic devices used in the extract with examples.
Ans5:

EXTRACT 4

“Our little lives…instinct that aspires”

Q1. Whose ‘little lives’ are referred to in the first line of the extract? In
comparison to whom are they ‘little’ and why?
Ans1: in this stanza, the poet talks about the lives of humans (little lives).
He says that human lives are short and kept in balance by maintaining
‘opposite attractions and desires’.
The little lives of human beings are implied to be insignificant compared
to the sheer vastity of unexplained concepts of life like the universe, time
and space. The imperfect lives of humans seem to be inconsequential in
relation to these unknown factors which only prove that time moves on
and yet the memory of the dead lives in the living.

Q2. How is balance maintained in their short lives?

Ans2: the inconsequential lives of humans are only kept in balance by
maintaining “opposite attractions and desires”. This suggests that the lives
are kept in balance only because of various different desires and
attractions of the people pulling them into opposite directions and
creating a sense of equilibrium in their lives.

Q3. What are the two types of instincts referred to in this extract? Give
examples of each type.
Ans3: In this stanza, the poet explains two types of instincts that every
person on earth follows-
The first one is the base instincts. These are those instincts which seek
worldly pleasures and enjoyment, those that represent human desires or
impulses that are driven by immediate gratification of pleasure. For
example, materialistic pleasures, indulging in comfortable desires, etc.
The second is the noble instincts. These are the ones which aspire for
higher and noble goals and spiritual aims, those that transcend
gratification and prioritize long term goals and moral values. For example,
knowledge, selflessness, sympathy and empathy, etc.
Q4. What is the reason for struggle between the two types of instincts?
How is the struggle resolved?
Ans4:

Q5. Explain briefly the rhyme scheme used in the poem with examples.
What role does it play in the poem?
Ans5: In this poem, the poet, H.W. Longfellow sets the rhyme scheme to
follow the regular rhythm and unvarying ‘abab’ rhyme scheme. These two
along with its gentle content work, evoke a feeling of comfort and
peacefulness not usually associated with the notion of haunted houses or
ghosts. Longfellow’s assertion that all houses are ‘haunted houses’ is
comforting, rather than menacing - an acknowledgment that our loved
ones, although no longer with us, will continue to walk among us, as long
as they walk in our memories.

EXTRACT 5:

“These perturbations…planet in our sky”

Q1. What are referred to as ‘these perturbations’? Who are affected by

‘these perturbations’?
Ans1: By the dictionary, perturbations mean some mental uneasiness that
follows anxiety and fear. In this poem, the poet refers to the disruptions
caused by apprehensions that humans are plagued with when faced by
dilemmas of various desires, ambitions and struggles in human lives.
It is the living who have to face these perturbations. The dead have long
since accepted the fact of their life. Human beings are the ones who have
to struggle with different disturbances every day and yet are expected to
go on. Hence, the poet highlights the struggles of the living.
Q2. Which figure of speech is used in the line “this perpetual jar /Of
earthly wants and aspirations high”? Explain it briefly.
Ans2: in these lines, the poet uses personification as a figure of speech to
emphasize the animated ideas of inanimate objects.
Personification is a literary device in which human qualities are attributed
to both inanimate and abstract ideas.

Q3. What comes from the influence of an unseen star? What is this
unseen reference star a reference to?
Ans3: The fear and anxiety that humans face due to struggles of life is the
result of their earthly needs and high aspirations. The poet states that
these anxieties of nature are in fact other worldly and come from an
unseen star…some unknown forces have created these emotions and not
human beings. It is the work of some untold or hidden force from a
distant undiscovered planet far away from the world we know of.

Q4. Why has the narrator referred to ‘an undiscovered planet in our sky”?
Ans4: repeat ex 5 ans 3

Q5. Explain briefly how this extract suggests the existence of supernatural
element.
Ans5: From this extract, the poet suggests the existence of supernatural
forces. The speaker describes the spirits to belong to a different world,
i.e., the world of spirits that floats around the human world of reality. The
speaker even describes the moonlight streaming through a dark cloud on
the surface of the sea that looks like a floating bridge that shakes and
looks unsteady due to the movement of the water . This is the bridge that
connects the living on earth to their departed loved ones and it is only the
spirits who can cross over to the world of the living as we know it using
this bridge. It is not the humans who create struggles of life like anxiety,
depression and certain fears for the world awaiting them, but some
unnatural force unknown to the living which works to create these
problems in some distant far away undiscovered planet. This suggests the
existence of supernatural forces that work among us every day.

EXTRACT 6

“So from the world….above the dark abyss”

Q1. What connects the ‘bridge of light’? How is this bridge made?
Ans1: In this extract, the poet says that there is a bridge of light that
connects ‘the world of spirits’ to the floating bridge created by the
moonlight on the surface of the seas. This bridge of light connects the
living on earth to their departed loved ones. Only spirits are able to cross
this bridge. Our thoughts, that is, our memories, float on the unsteady
floor of this bridge that is above a dark abyss. The memories of our loved
ones keep us connected to them long after they’re gone. These memories
keep the living from falling into deep sorrow that is like a dark abyss.

Q.2 Whose floor is referred to as ‘unsteady’? Why?

Ans2: In this stanza, the poet describes moonlight streaming through a
dark cloud on the surface of the sea, that looks like a floating bridge
which shakes and looks unsteady. This floating bridge is referred to as
‘unsteady’.
It is stated to be ‘unsteady’ due to the movement of the water on the
surface of the sea (sways and bends).

Q.3 What are the ‘thoughts’ that wander above the dark abyss?
Ans.3: In this stanza the speaker describes the feeling of falling into a dark
abyss due to the sorrow felt by the death of a loved one. It is the
memories of loved ones which keep us connected to them long after they
are gone. These memories are referred to as the ‘thoughts’ that wander
above the dark abyss. The spirits of our departed loved ones come to us
in the form of these memories/ thoughts. The poem thus ends on a
reassuring note.
Q.4 What is the significance of this ‘bridge of light’?
Ans.4: The speaker says that as the moon comes out of the dark clouds,
its light falls on the seawaves and forms a floating bridge of light. Human
imagination travels across the planks of this ‘trembling’ bridge into a dark
and mysterious world. This bridge of light connects the living on earth to
their departed loved ones. The latter are the only ones who can cross
over to the world of the living using this bridge. By connecting us, the
benevolent spirits of our loved ones remain in our hearts, our memories,
and our homes; loving, reassuring, and protecting us.

Q.5 Give four reasons to justify the poet’s view that all houses are
haunted
Ans.5: ‘Haunted houses’ is an apt title for this poem by H.W. Longfellow.
The first thought that comes to mind after reading the title is that the
poem is likely about the ghosts or spirits, and is set in an eerie
environment, that would send chills down one’s spine. However after
reading the first stanza, one realises that the poem is about ghosts that
are exactly the opposite to the generalised notion people have about
these phantoms.
First, the poet says that ‘all houses wherein men have lived and died are
haunted houses’. Haunted houses are generally old and abandoned
castles, bungalows or houses, yet in the poem the poet is referring to the
spirits of our loved ones who have died long ago, and visit our houses
regularly. While they cannot be seen or heard, their presence is felt in the
house when they share our safe spaces, observe us, and at times join in in
our daily activities- like at the dinner table, or by the fireside.
Second, unlike their conventional image, they are neither mischievous,
nor angry spirits who intend to harm. They come and go without making
any noise. In fact, they are described to be ‘as silent as the pictures on the
wall’.
Third, the poet seems to acknowledge that they are the rightful owners
and occupants of the houses we live in (hold in mortmain still their old
estates).
Fourth, the poet describes how they enter our ‘world of sense’ from the
realm of spirits. They gently move through earthly mists and dense
vapours from their ethereal space and visit our homes. The narrator goes
on to say that all our daily activities on the material plane are influenced
and guided by these ‘harmless phantoms’, ‘impalpable impressions’ from
an ‘undiscovered planet in our sky’.
Thus these ‘inoffensive’ ghosts are the spirits of our loved ones who still
live in our hearts, our memories and in our houses, constantly reassuring
us.