The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

1
The Highwaymanby Alfred Noyes

• The outlaw as hero is our motif for this
  multimedia project.
• Read Alfred Noyes The Highwayman, and listen
  to Canadian folk artist Loreena McKennits
  recording of it from her CD Book of Secrets.

2
Ideas for Discussion ofThe Highwayman

• The Highwayman is set in the Romantic period
• What were highwaymen?
• Are there modern counterparts to highwaymen?
• How did modes of transportation prior to the use
  of the automobile help or hinder highwaymen?

3

• Literature and media often portray the outlaw as
  a hero. Name some popular books, movies, TV
  shows, and songs that celebrate the rebel with a
  cause.
• Give some examples from our own history and
  literature of outlaw heroes.
• Discuss the possible reasons for flaunting the
  law and getting away with it. How does this
  perspective differ from what we are taught at
  home, in school, or in our values and beliefs?
• Is there ever a justification for breaking the
  law and not being punished? Why is this idea so
  appealing in literature and in the media? What
  does it teach us about ourselves, our
  communities, our values, and our laws?
• Is it easier or more difficult now to be the kind
  of outlaw hero in The Highwayman?
• How might times, society, transportation, and
  consequences affect the role of the outlaw today
  compared to the Romantic period?

4

• Look at map of the region where you live and
  compare it to a map of the British countryside.
• What are some similarities and differences in
  size and terrain?
• How do people travel today across Kentucky? The
  United States? Great Britain? How does this
  differ from travel in the 19th century?

5

• Using reliable and authoritative sources on the
  Internet or an encyclopedia, look up population
  statistics for Kentucky and England during the
  late 1800s and the present.
• What does this information tell you about what
  it was like to live during the time when The
  Highwayman was written?
• Imagine what it would be like to live during the
  Romantic Period.
• How would your life be different? Discuss these
  differences in small groups
• School? Work? Lifestyle? Home? Friends?
  Activities?

6

• The innkeepers daughter sacrifices her own life
  to warn the highwayman that British soldiers have
  caught up with him.

• How does the theme of self-sacrifice for another
  play out in real life as opposed to dramatic
  literature?
• Can you think of other characters in literature
  who have made such tragic choices?
• Is there any real-life situation that could
  possibly justify such a dramatic decision?

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Activities for The Highwayman

• The outlaw as hero theme and the idea of
  sacrificing oneself for ones lover are both
  popular themes in the media. Songs, movies,
  plays, literature, all use these devices.
• Compare such themes in The Highwayman to other
  media. Choose a popular song and movie with
  similar themes and write about the similarities
  and differences, based on time, culture,
  characters, and circumstances. Include an
  introduction and a conclusion.

8

• Create your own dramatization of scenes from
  The Highwayman.
• Using media such as videotape or still digital
  photography, recreate either a modern or period
  piece using verses and scenes from the poem.
• If you have the resources, recreating a period
  piece will be fun as well as informational. While
  a trip to the British countryside is not
  feasible, can you find locales in your region
  that might substitute for the inn in the
  countryside? What about costumes? Props?

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Use of Language in The Highwayman

• Alliteration - the repetition of consonant
  sounds, usually at the beginning of words
• Make a list of words from the poem that use
  alliteration
• Metaphor - A figure of speech which makes a
  comparison between two things without using the
  words as or like
• Identify at least 4 examples from the poem
• How are these metaphors used? How do they enhance
  the poem?
• Personification - A figure of speech in which a
  non-human object is given human qualities
• Where in the poem is personification used? List
  and define at least four inanimate objects that
  are personified in the verses.

10

• Simile - A figure of speech which makes a
  comparison between two things using the words
  as or like
• Identify and discuss at least three similes in
  The Highwayman and three similes in the song
  lyrics you have chosen to compare with this poem.
• Why do you think similes are used in poems and
  lyrics?
• What do they contribute to the poem or song?
• Vocabulary words Language changes over time.
  Words that were once commonplace give way as
  times change.
• List for at least four words in The Highwayman
  that are no longer in common use.
• Define each of the four words and try to find
  more current words that have replaced them.

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Summing Up

• Poetry and literature reflect the times in which
  they were written
• To sum up your experience of reading, presenting,
  and comparing The Highwayman to more modern forms
  of literature, write a Reflective Essay about the
  differences you learned about between the 19th
  century and the 21st century.
• Would you have wanted to live in the Romantic
  Period? Why or why not?
• What might have been good about living in a time
  when life was not quite so hectic or complicated?