Poetry Analysis Worksheet: "To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of Age" by Samuel Johnson

Name:___________________ Date:_____________

Read the following poem slowly and carefully at least twice then answer the questions below.

"To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of Age" (A Short Song 16. heir p. someone who inherits or expects to
of Congratulation) by Samuel Johnson inherit property
17. pother q. person who gets prostitutes for another
Long-expected one and twenty person
Lingering year at last is flown 18. vice r. a person who is not yet an adult
Pomp and pleasure, pride and plenty 19. pomp s. to pledge some property to get a loan -
Great Sir John, are all your own. the lender can take the property if
Loosened from the minors tether, the loan is not repaid
Free to mortgage or to sell, 20. lavish t. grandfather or ancestor
Wild as wind, and light as feather, 21. woes u. English gold coin
Bid the slaves of thrift farewell. 22. scorn v. misery
Call the Bettys, Kates, and Jennys,
Every name that laughs at care, II. Comprehension
Lavish of your grandsires guineas,
Show the spirit of an heir. Every group of four lines forms a sentence or a complete
All that prey on vice and folly thought. Read each group of four lines and then answer the
Joy to see their quarry fly, questions right below.
Here the gamester light and jolly,
There the lender grave and sly. Long-expected one and twenty
Wealth, Sir John, was made to wander, Lingering year at last is flown
Let it wander as it will; Pomp and pleasure, pride and plenty
See the jockey, see the pander, Great Sir John, are all your own.
Bid them come, and take their fill.
When the bonny blade carouses, 23. Who is the speaker addressing in this poem?
Pockets full, and spirits high,
What are acres? What are houses? ________________________________________________
Only dirt, or wet or dry.
If the guardian or the mother 24. How old is Sir John?
Tell the woes of wilful waste, ________________________________________________
Scorn their counsel and their pother
You can hang or drown at last. 25. According to the speaker, what can Sir John expect now
that he is twenty-one?
I. Vocabulary - Always be sure to look up any words you
don't know in the dictionary. So, please do use a dictionary ________________________________________________
to do the matching exercise below.
Loosened from the minors tether,
1. mortgage a. to reject with contempt Free to mortgage or to sell,
2. tether b. leash Wild as wind, and light as feather,
3. thrift c. showy display Bid the slaves of thrift farewell.
4. grandsire d. to drink and make merry
5. guineas e. hunted animal 26. Who does the first three lines above describe?
6. prey (verb) f. give or spend abundantly
7. minor g. fuss ________________________________________________
8. folly h. a dashing youth
9. quarry i. foolishness 27. In what way has Sir John been "loosened from the
10. gamester j. one who rides a horse in races minor's tether"?
11. jockey k. immoral conduct or habit
12. pander l. gambler ________________________________________________
13. bonny m. to victimize for profit
14. blade n. handsome
15. carouses o. using money carefully and
economically

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Poetry Analysis Worksheet: "To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of Age" by Samuel Johnson

28. What can Sir John do now that he is an adult and no c. to spend money extravagantly
longer a minor? d. to save all your money for a rainy day
e. none of the above
________________________________________________
All that prey on vice and folly
29. Find two similes in the above lines, then explain what Joy to see their quarry fly,
two things are being compared in each simile. Remember Here the gamester light and jolly,
that a simile is a comparison of unlike things using "like" There the lender grave and sly.
or"as." Example: Mary's skin was white as snow. In this
simile, Mary's skin is being compared to snow. 35. "All that prey on vice and folly" are all people who

________________________________________________ a. like to hunt

b. target as victims those who are foolish and have wicked
________________________________________________ habits
c. act like hunted animals
________________________________________________ d. none of the above

30. What advice does the speaker give in the last line? (Bid 36. These people (from #29 above) "joy to see their quarry
the slaves of thrift farewell.) Explain in your own words the fly." Who is the "quarry" and what does it mean that it is
advice the speaker gives. flying?

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

Call the Bettys, Kates, and Jennys, 37. The speaker specifically names two types of people who
Every name that laughs at care, "prey on vice and folly." Who are these two types?
Lavish of your grandsires guineas,
Show the spirit of an heir. ________________________________________________

31. In the second line above, what does "care" mean? Wealth, Sir John, was made to wander,
Let it wander as it will;
a. to desire or wish See the jockey, see the pander,
b. worries Bid them come, and take their fill.
c. supervision
d. attentive assitance 38. In the third and fourth lines above, whom does the
e. none of the above speaker tell Sir John to call to come?

32. In the first two lines above, what kind of people does the ________________________________________________
speaker tell Sir John to gather about him now that he is
twenty-one? Choose the best answer. 39. What would the pander and the jockey "take their fill"
of? What is the speaker telling Sir John to spend his money
a. responsible people on?
b. irresponsible people ________________________________________________
c. people who enjoy jokes
d. only women 40. In the first line above, the speaker gives a reason why
e. none of the above Sir John should spend money on horse racing and
prostitutes. What is that reason?
33. What does the speaker tell Sir John to do in the third
line above? Explain in your own words. a. Sir John enjoys horse racing and prostitutes.
b. Jockeys and panders need to make a living like other
34. Based on the lines above, which of the following would people.
be in the "spirit of an heir"? c. Money is meant to be spread around.
a. to be careful with money d. Money flows out of one's hand and is uncontrollable.
b. to associate with responsible people e. none of the above

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Poetry Analysis Worksheet: "To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of Age" by Samuel Johnson

When the bonny blade carouses,

Pockets full, and spirits high,
What are acres? What are houses?
Only dirt, or wet or dry.

41. Recall what a "bonny blade" is from your vocabulary

exercise in section I. Who is the "bonny blade" in this case?
What is the bonny blade doing in the lines above?

42. In the third and fourth lines above, the speaker is

indirectly suggesting that
a. Sir John should squander his inheritance.
b. looking after land and houses is tiresome.
c. land and houses don't have real value.
d. he does not respect wealth in real estate.
e. none of the above
If the guardian or the mother
Tell the woes of wilful waste,
Scorn their counsel and their pother
You can hang or drown at last.
47. *Bonus Question* Write a paragraph explaining the
tone of the poem, "To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of
Age".
Recall that tone is defined as the author's attitude toward
what s/he is saying. For example, a speech given at a
funeral about the deceased person might be "serious" and
"mournful" in tone. On the other hand, a Saturday Night
Live skit or a MADD TV skit might be "humorous" or
"satirical" in tone.

43. Which two people might stop Sir John from squandering
all of his inheritance?

________________________________________________

44. True or false: The speaker advises Sir John to listen to

his guardian or mother. Write below the line that supports
your answer:

________________________________________________

45. What does the speaker say Sir John can do if he were to
spend all of his inheritance?

________________________________________________

III. Synthesis (or putting it all together)

46. Do you think the speaker is sincere about the advice he

gives to Sir John? Why or why not? Write your answer in
complete sentences.

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Poetry Analysis Worksheet: "To Sir John Lade, On His Coming of Age" by Samuel Johnson

Answer Sheet

I. Vocabulary

1. s 9. e 17. g
2. b 10. l 18. k
3. o 11. j 19. c
4. t 12. q 20. f
5. u 13. n 21. v
6. m 14. h 22. a
7. r 15. d
8. i 16. p

II. Comprehension

23. Sir John

24. twenty-one
25. "pomp and pleasure, pride and plenty"
26. Sir John
27. He has turned twenty-one and is no longer a minor.
28. mortgage or sell
29. "wild as wind" - Sir John is being compared to the wind; "light as feather" - Sir John is being compared to a feather
30. The speaker is telling Sir John he can stop being thrifty in his spending.
31. b
32. b
33. Spend your inheritance lavishly
34. c
35. b
36. The quarry is Sir John and he is "flying" because he is now twenty-one and can spend his inheritance as he likes.
37. gamester (gambler) and the lender
38. jockey and the pander
39. The jockey and the pander would take their fill of Sir John's money. The speaker is telling Sir John to spend his money
on horse racing and prostitutes.
40. c
41. Sir John is the "bonny blade" and he is enjoying himself drinking.
42. a
43. Sir John's guardian or mother
44. False - "Scorn their counsel and their pother"
45. Sir John can commit suicide by hanging or drowning

III. Synthesis

46. The speaker is not sincere in his advice to Sir John. He tells Sir John to do everything that a young man should not do;
however, by doing so, he is mocking the foolish and immoral behaviors that are the pitfalls of a young man coming of age.

47. *Bonus Question* Answers will vary, but in general the tone might be described as "ironic," "insincere," "mocking,"
etc. Students should give examples from the poem to support their interpretation of the tone.

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