Page 212 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit
P. 212
“Musee des Beaux Arts”
by W.H. Auden, page 92
Vocabulary
martyrdom – suffering of death for one’s beliefs
forsaken – renounced
1. What is the poem suggesting about the nature of cruelty?
2. Who in the poem cares about human suffering?
3. What is the theme of the poem? Choose one image from the poem and explain how it
reinforces this message.
4. Why do you think the poet chose Peter Bruegel's "Icarus" to illustrate his theme of the
world's indifference to human suffering ?
5. Some critics have argued that this poem hints at Auden’s decision to turn back to
Christianity. What signs do you find in this poem that signal this may be true?
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