On the Threshold Study Questions & Topics for Discussion

On the Threshold Topics for Further Study

Do people tend to focus more on the past and the future than on the present? How can people live more spontaneously in the present? Write an essay supporting your answers.

Write a paragraph or two about an experience you have had in which you felt completely free. What were you doing? Do you associate such experiences with childhood or adulthood?

Read "Ode to the West Wind" by Percy Bysshe Shelley and compare it with "On the Threshold." Write an essay comparing the similarities or differences in structure, mood, diction, and content between the poems.

Research the poetry from a certain literary period—for example, the English Renaissance, the Victorian period, or the postmodern period—and report on the following questions: How did people in that time period perceive poetry? Why did they write poetry and why did people read it? What did poetry contribute to...
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