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thehighwayman.htm

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

Cloze exercise

Use these words to complete the story. Use each word only once.

Trigger soldiers darkness warn Bess

Taps rifle morning bed moor

Daughter jealous highwayman ghosts inn

The highwayman rides across the ___________. He arrives at an old ________. It

is late at night and the inn is in __________.

His is in love with the landlord’s __________ . She is called Bess. He ________ on

her window. She opens the window.

Tim is the man who looks after the horses. He is also in love with _________. He

is ________ of the highwayman. He hears them talking. The highwayman says he

will be back before ________. Tim tells the soldiers.

The_______ arrive. They plan to ambush the highwayman. They tie Bess to the

foot of her ______ so that she can see out of the window. They fasten a _____ to

her. She is gagged. She cannot ________ the highwayman.

 The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
In the poem The Highwayman, the poet uses similes and metaphors to give the reader a good
picture of the things he is describing.

A simile is when the poet says something is like something else; for example, 'the sun is like a
giant orange'.

A metaphor is when the poet describes one thing as if it is something else; for example, 'the wind
is the breath of an enormous giant'.

Answer the questions below about similes and metaphors in the spaces provided:

1) "The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas."

(a) Is this a simile or a metaphor?

(b) What is the poet comparing the moon to?

(c) From reading the description, explain in your own words what you think the moon looked
like.

2) "The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor."

(a) Is this a simile or a metaphor?

(b) What is the poet comparing the road to?

(c) Explain in your own words what the road looked like

3) "His eyes were hollows of madness."

(a) Is this a simile or a metaphor?

(b) Who is this describing?

(c) What picture is the poet giving us of this person through this description?

4) "his hair like mouldy hay."

(a) Is this a simile or a metaphor?.

(b) What picture is the poet giving us of this person through this description?

5) "His face burnt like a brand."

(a) Is this a simile or a metaphor?

(b) Who is this describing?

(c) What picture does this description give us of his face?

(d) Why do you think the man's face was this colour at this point in the poem?
THE HIGHWAYMAN

Names of people in group:

Group 1: verses 1, 2 & 3

Verse 1: Find the three metaphors in the first verse.

Which is the most effective and why?
What is the effect of repeating the word "riding"?

Verse 2: Look at the description of the highwayman.

Why are his clothes described in such detail?
Why does the poet stress the words "twinkle" and "jewelled"?

Verse 3: Find an example of alliteration (the repetition of consonant sounds to achieve

a particular effect) and onomatopoeia ( a word which sounds like the thing it
describes) in this verse.
What effect is the poet trying to achieve?
What colours are associated with Bess?
What do they symbolise?

THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 2: Verses 4, 5 & 6

Verse 4: Pick out any details which tell you that Tim is a "bad" character.

Verse 5: Why are the words of the highwayman quoted?

How does he speak? (Using old fashioned words? Like a hero? In a daring
way? With authority? With exaggeration?)

Verse 6: What romantic gesture does Bess make to the highwayman?

What is her hair compared to? (Look at "waves" and "cascade")
 THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 3: Verses 7, 8 & 9

Verse 7: Why is the fact that the highwayman didn't come stressed three times?
From whose point of view are we seeing it?
Why is the word "marching" repeated?

Verse 8: What does "There was death at every window;" and "hell at one dark
window;" mean?

Verse 9: How did the red-coats treat Bess? Give examples.

Why is the highwayman called "the dead man"?

THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 4: Verses 10 & 11

Verse 10: List the verbs which show how hard Bess tried to free her hands.
Find the simile which shows that time passed by slowly.

Verse 11: Find an example of alliteration (the repetition of consonant sounds to achieve
a particular effect) in this verse. Read it aloud.
What rhythm is the poet trying to create in this verse? (Read the last line)
What words does Bess keep remembering?
 THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 5: Verses 12 & 13

Verse 12: Find an example of onomatopoeia (a word which sounds like the thing it
describes).
Whose point of view do we take at the beginning of this verse?

Verse 13: Why is "Tlot-tlot" repeated in the first line?

Why is Bess's face "like a light"?
What example of onomatopoeia can you find at the end of this verse?

As the highwayman approaches in these two verses, some sentences are

statements or questions, but most are .........
Why?

THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 6: Verses 14 & 15

Verse 14: What two verbs show that the highwayman acted quickly when he heard
the shot?
How do you know he was shocked to hear what Bess had done? Quote the words.
What two colours are mentioned in this verse? What do they symbolise?

Verse 15: What details show that the highwayman is carried away with emotion
and rushes back at speed?
What vivid colours are mentioned in this verse?
 Find the simile which shows the degrading way in which he was killed.

THE HIGHWAYMAN
Names of people in group:

Group 7: Verses 16 & 17

Verses 16 & 17: In some versions of the poem, there is a break before these two verses.
Can you explain why?
Who are "they" in line one?

These two verses are like verses one and three, but there is a difference.
Can you spot it? (Look at the verbs)

The poem is set in the past. What time is the last section set in?
In what tone of voice should this section be read?
Should it be different from the rest of the poem?
THE HIGHWAYMAN

Performing the poem

Learn the section your group has been studying

Look at the audience

Read following the punctuation. Try to make the meaning clear. Think about pace, volume,
clarity.

Use hands and body to aid expression.

Make sure you get the rhythm right.

Use percussion instruments to improve the performance.

Try to get the right feeling or tone.

How will you divide up the section in your group? All reading all verses? Sharing out the parts?
More than one person reading?

Practise performing in different ways until you like your performance.

The Highwayman
Speaking and listening work: a monologue

You are going to write a monologue. To do this you need to know what a monologue is. You
might have heard the word 'dialogue'. 'Dialogue' means two people talking. The prefix 'dia' means
two, and 'logue' means speech. What do you think the prefix 'mono' means? A monorail is a train
that runs on one rail, so the prefix 'mono' means one. Monologue means one person talking, or a
one person play.

In a monologue we get to hear what a person is thinking. A character tells the audience his or her
story and shares with them his or her thoughts and feelings.

Before you start to write your monologue, you need to make some decisions and do some
planning. Answer the following questions:

1)In your own words, explain what a monologue is.

2)Will you write your monologue as Bess or the Highwayman?
3)At which point or points in the poem will you set your monologue?
4)Now you need to get some ideas on paper. Think about the moment you have chosen and
brainstorm the thoughts and feelings your character might be having at that moment.
5)Now you can start to write your monologue. Remember to write in the first person (I...).

To get an idea of the style of writing you are aiming for, read the following extract from a
monologue about Tim the Ostler. These are the thoughts of Tim the Ostler at the end of the poem:

"I feel so sad. I loved Bess. She was so beautiful and now she's dead. I never wanted her to be
harmed, but I know it's all my fault. I shouldn't have told the Redcoats that they would find the
Highwayman at the Inn, but I was so jealous. I just wanted to have Bess to myself. And now
people are saying they see her ghost. They say the ghost of the Highwayman rides up to see her. I
hope they haven't come back to get their revenge on me..."

Performance
Now you have written your monologue, you are going to perform it.

Start by planning your performance. Read through your monologue and decide how each section
should be spoken. Quietly? Loudly? Think about what kind of voice should be used. A sad voice?
An angry voice? Imagine that someone else will be performing your monologue and write stage
directions, or instructions about how each part should be read.

Now practise your performance. Ask somebody to listen to you and give you some advice on how
you sound. Try using different tones of voice for different sections. Try to learn your monologue,
rather than reading it, as it will sound better and your audience will be more interested if you look
at them rather than at the page.
The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

Some old-fashioned words

The poem The Highwayman was written in 1913 and is set a long time before that, so it contains
quite a few old-fashioned words.

Find out what the following words mean and write the definitions underneath:

1) galleon

2) claret

3) breeches

4) doe

5) rapier

6) hilt

7) ostler

8) casement

9) tawny

10) torrent
When the highwayman arrives Bess pulls the _______ of the rifle. She is killed but

the _________ is warned. He rides off. When he finds out what has happened he

returns. The soldier shoots him down. On winter nights the _____ of the two

lovers return to the old inn.