Chapter 1

Haunted Houses
Longfellow
Wadsworth
AlI houses wherein men By Henry
Are haunted houses.
have lived and died
Theharmless Through the open doors
phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make n0 sound
upon the floors.

We meet them at thedoor-way, on the

stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the
A sense of something moving toair,and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts

Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see

The formns I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.
We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.

The spirit-world around this world of sense

Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.

Our little lives are kept in equipoise

desires;
By opposite attractions and
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
that aspires.
And the more noble instinct
jar
These perturbations, this perpetualhigh,
aspirations
Of earthly wants and of an unseen star
Come from the influence
our sky.
An undiscovered planet in
 And asthe xo f r soe dark gate ofcloud
Troses eer tle sat a fiatting ridge of light.
Aornss ahse trlimg planks our fancies croest
Irto the ronalm of mystery and night
So from the oorld of spirits there descends
Abridge of light, connecting it oith this,
Oer uhose unsteadv floor, that suays and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.
About the Poet
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
(February 27, 1807--March 24, 1882)
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow was America's most beloved poet from the nineteenth
century. He was born in Portland massachusetts. His mother was the daughter of a
revolutionary war hero. His father was a prominent lawyer and later a member of Congress.
In 1831, he married Mary Storer, a former classmate and soon published his first book, a
description of his travels called 'Outre Mer (overseas). He was a traveller, a linguist, and a
romantic who identified with the great traditions of European literature and thought. He is
known as onè of the 'fireside poetspoets whose works were meant to be read out as a form
of entertainment for family and friends gathered by a fireplace. In his best known poems,
Longfellow created mean myths and classical epics from American historical events and materials-Native Amernican
Oral history (The song of Hiawatha'), the diaspora of Acadians (Evangeline: Atale of Acadie), and the first batle of
the revolutionary war (Paul Reverie's Ride'). His works were quite popular and widely translated making hinm the best
known poet in the English-speaking world during his times. He was the first American poet to be honoured with abust
in Poet's Corner at Westminister Abbey.

Summary of the Poem

Many countries around the world, celebrate 2nd November as the Day of the Dead. On this day the people remember
their loved ones who have passed away. To remember them, they visit their graves or attend special religious services.
The title of the poem may suggest that the poem is about paranormal scary activities or some menacing ghosts and
spirits but Longfellow through his pòem 'Haunted Houses, erases these fears by diminishing the line between memory
and supernatural existence. In the poem, the people who lived in there, have actually been living in haunted houses
These houses are crowded with these ghosts who are everywhere. These souls who departed from the Earth, according
to the poet still linger in their former dwelling places. They are present at the passages and glide around the house, only
their presence can be felt, invisible as they are. They are harmless and as silent as the pictures on the wall. They dont
disturb anyone, they make no noise and the narrator is happy to welcome them at the table along with the other guests.
Onlythe narratoris aware of their presence; only he can perceive or feel them around. The people siting around the
fireside cannot see these spirits, only the narrator can. At some point, it seems that these ghosts are the memories and
the images in the mind of the narrator. The narrator says that these spirits of the owners of the houses do not own the
house' now and do not cary any property deals, which means materialistic pleasures do not afect them and they have
no worldly desires.Thus, the poets makes the spirits look good. Spirits have no temptations. The human's jar of greed is
never full, which is influenced by an unexplored star and planets which make them curious. Moon has been viewed as
an object of mystery. The poet connects the virtual world of thoughts and feelings present in our minds with the world
of spirits.Thus, Longfellow's poem reflects on the supernatural elements as being harmless.
4 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASS-X
Theme of the Poem
Longfellow through his poem Haunted Houses' wants to tell the readers that every house ahs phantoms of fhose who
lived in it betore and one should not forget about them. The poet delves into the nature of meory and the pa
of time. he poet laments about how time passes very auickly and with it the momerts and lives fadea y b
behind only echoes and memories.
The prominentttheme highlighted by the poet is the transient nature of time andthe fleeting nature of human existence.
He reflects upon how the once vibrant and cheerful places ultimately fall to abandonment and decay. The poet also
contemplates on the significance of memories and the bond one shares with the places of one's past Longielloe
emphasises that although the materialistic possessions may deteriorate, the remembrances adhered to them pettst
andI preserve the essence instilled in them.
Thus Hauning Fiouses by H.W. Longfellow is an impresive probe into feelings of nostalgia, the unceaseble passage
time and the uneraseable power of memories. He shows that the past, though gone, yields apowerful impact on ones
life. The souls who linger in our memory; linger in our homes as harmless phantoms.
Explanation
Stanza-1
All houses... floors.
The phantoms in Longtellow's poem are the soul who roam about in our homes where they lived earlier and stayed in
our memories. He begins his poem with abold statement that houses which have ever been occupied by men and they
have died there, are haunted houses. But the spirits who haunt these houses are harmless. They are invisible and they
glide around slentiy; making no noise with their feet. These spirits move around the entire house for small purposes
and do not intertere with the present ocupants and their tasks. Thev just share the space with the men. These men fel
the ghosts at different places in the house but it simply feels as if something is moving in the air.
Stanza-2

We meet .... .and fro.

In the second stanza, the poet has discused the movement and the behaviour of these spirits. Longfellow says that
we can meet these spirits at the stairways, along the passages where those who are living move. As these ghosts are
invisible to the human eye, only their movement can be sensed. Longfellow's use of passages and doorways in the poem
could also be a symbol for the various phases of human's lives. These ghosts are with the readers during all transitions
of their life and they leave their impressions as intangible beings.
Stanza-3
There.... the wall.
In this stanza, Longfellow, has considered the ghosts as the uninvited guests at the table along with the other guests.
There are more guests than the occupants of the house and their number is big. The hall where they meet is beautifully
lighted. The uninvited gets i.e. the ghosts are absolutely silent and cause no harm or do not interfere in the tasks of the
host. They do not trouble the other guests. That is why they go unnoticed by everyone. They make no attempt of getting
the attention of the living ones. The poet has, for this reason made use ofa simile to describe these invisible guests, He
compares them to the silent pictures on the walls.
Stanza-4
The stranger
..clear
The fourth stanza refers to astranger who is sitting by the fireside at the house of the speaker. Here the speaker mention
that only the speaker can see the phantoms roaming in the house. The stranger is immune to their presence. He ca

Haunted Houses
 imagining
neither see any ghost nor hearany sound. Athought may arise in the readers mind that the speaker may be
things and probably the ghosts exists only in his mind or memory. Between the stranger and the speaker, the poet has
shown the speaker having a stronger power of sensing the presence of ghosts in the houses. The strangers can only
perceive' the ghostsbut the speaker can see them and hear his sound. These speakers seems to have extraordinary skill
unlike the normal humans.
Stanza-5
We hare. ..old estates.
Here, the poet talks from the perspective of the ghost. These ghosts are the spirits of the dead people who have lived in
these houses. After their death, they have been living in the houses,yet they own no property claims. They do not have
any written documents proclaiming their ownership of their houses. Their houses have now been taken from them
by theoccupants who are living there. The people seem to have forgotten them though they may be still holding the
property papers in their 'dusty hands'. But the poet wants to state that after their death, the ghosts have no attachment
for the materialistic objects. The ghosts do not bear any worldly desires. Thus, the poet has hinted at man's love for the
material pleasure during his lifetime. Once he dies, all these things stop mattering to him. The ghosts are content with
the way things are.
Stanza-6
The spirit... ethereal air.
Longfellow in this stanza joins the connection between the physical world of the humans with the spiritual world of
the phantoms. He says that the spirit float around the humans' world like an atmosphere. Both the worlds, as per the
poet, are tied together and they co-exist. The way the air engulfs the earth, similarly, the dead world engulfs the livine
world. The mist and vapours cover this earth, and it is through these that the spirits enter into the human dimension
The extremely delicate and light layer of air forms a passage for the spirits into the human world.
Stanza-7
Our little.
.....spires.
The poet's focus now shifts to the living human world. He says that their life is short and during this 'litle life, they try
to balance their life by fighting abattle against their desires and temptations, the ones that keep attracting the humans
towards them. There is a constant strife of the instincts when men try to rise higher in their lives or try to achieve
greatnes. Thus, the humans are never at peace. On the con trary, the ghosts face no such desires, they have no reasons,
interest or necessity for such struggles, thus, they live in peace.
Stanza-8
These ... ...our sky.
In this stanza, the poet highlights the influence of the celestial bodies on the humans nature. Humans are full of desires,
aspirations and wants. They are greedy. Their jar of greed which actually causes disturbance in their life, never gets
filled. They keep seeking for more. The living are never content with what they have. They are curious to know more
and get more. But the poet says that it is the influence of the some unseen star or some undiscovered planet in the sky. It
means that the humans are perpetually struggling to know more about things around them or even far in the sky. They
re not content with what they have.
Stanza-9
And as ...... .niglht,
The poet uses the beautiful images of a dark night, clouds and the moon to express the element of mystery and the
inknown inrelation with the human fancies. The moon that shines in the sky and peeps through an opening in the
louds, shinesbrightly over a sea. This opening in the clouds is referred as 'a dark gate'. The moonlight that illuminates
6 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASs-x (
the water of thhe sea is compared to a passage for the souls to travel
from the sy
floating bridge. This bridge becomesa
over them
into the human world. The planks of
this seem to shake, but our imagination travels
and reaches into a world of mystery. Thisimaginary
lighted bridge
world is unknown andl beyond the reach of the humans.
Stanza-10

abyss.
So from
siy.
The poet become reflective towards the end of the poem. He has hinted towards aspirit world present beyondthe this
From this worldIof spirits, there develops a falls from the sky onto
connectt with the human world. The light which
earth works as a bridge for this phantoms in the dark mysterious sky. The floor of this bridge is not firm; it is unsteady,
which means tnat our fancy is not substantial and firm. It keeps shaking. Similarly, the bridge of light is not sieday,
keeps Swayng to and to and bending on one side or other Our thoughts travel through this bridge and move into the
unknown, and untathomable world which is the dark and unclear.
About the Poem
The poem consists of 10 stanzas, each with arhyming scheme abab which makes the poemvery easy to read. Longeo
poetry is particularly known to be simple arnd easily understable to such an extent that it is read by people of every cass
and status. The tone is plain and simple.
Poetic Devices

Simile: When two unlikely objects are compared to each other for having asimilar quality with the use of words as or
"Hke'. Some examples from the poem are:
"Floats like an atmosphere' Here, the poet has compared the presence of the spirits around the living word to a
surrounding layer of atmosphere.
"as silent as the pictures on the toall'-The ghost is in the house are quite as the pictures hanging on the wall.
Metaphor: An expression that describes aperson or object by referring to something that is considered to possers SiImiar
characteristic.

The word'mortmain' has been used as ametaphor for the bond one shares with the past the ownership of our past over
Our present.

'Unseen star' and 'undiscovered planet in our sky is referred to the unobserved, unseen influences in our lives.
Imagery: The poet uses the imagery of the moon throwing a floating bridge of light over the sea from 'some dark gate of
cloud to describe our ignorance of the hidden memories and uncertainties of the past.
The ghost isslipping into the human dimensions through mist and vapour, makes one imagine a veil of air which is
lifted so the spirits may enter.
Symbolism: 'Open Doors' symbolise our access to our past through which our memories enter.
'graves forgotten' symbolise our lost memories from the past. The trembling plan symbolise our uncertain and unsure
understanding of the influence of the past on our lives.
Floating bridges of light'symbolise the connection between our present and our unknown past.
Alliteration: Itrefers to the repetition of the same consonarnt sound at the beginning of two or more words in aparticular
line.
impalpable jmpressions'
littlelives'
'perturbations, this perpetual jar

Haunted Houses 7
 Word/Meaning
Haunted visitedor inhabited by ghosts.
Phantonms a ghost or a figment of the imagination
Errands a short trip taken to attend to some business often for another
Glide to move smoothly, continuously and effortlessly
Impalpable unable to be felt by touch
Impressions a telling image impressed on the senses or the mind
Illuminated to supply or brighten with light
thronged to flock or to be present in great numbers
Perceive become aware or conscious of something, to realise or understand
Mortmains lands held by a religious organisation
Estates a landed property usually with a large house on it.
Wafts to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium
Mist water particles floating or falling in the atmosphere near the surface of the earth
Ethereal heavenly or spiritual
Equipoise a balance of forces
Perturbations disturbances
Perpetual continuing forever, everlasting
Planks heavy thick boards
Realm - kingdom, sphere, domain
Abyss the regions of hell conceived of as a bottomless pit

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Select the odd one out
(a) Phantoms (b) ghosts
() forms (d) hosts
2. What is the meaning of the word impalpable?
(a) unable to be felt by touch (b) invisible
() unerasable (a) unavoidable
3. Where does the poet not mention meeting the ghosts?
(a) doorway (b) stairs
() passages (d) kitchen
4. Identify the simile:
(a) with feet that make no sound (b) as silent as the pictures on the wall
(c) our little lives are kept in equipoise (d) a vital breath of more ethereal air
5. The ghosts of Longfellow are:
(a) fearful (b) interfering
(c) inoffensive (d) trouble some
6. The ghosts in the poem are moving about:
(a) for some errands (b) for disturbing the hosts
(c) as they are confused (d) for finding some escape route
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASS-X
 7. Longfellow has termed these houses where the spirits of the
(a) churches
dead line as:
(6) imagination
(c) haunted houses (d) estates
Q The ghosts at the table have been
compared to:
(a) the furniture
(b) the pictures on the wall
(c) the fireside
(d) earthly mists
9. The stranger at the fireside can:
(a) see the forms
(b) hear the forms
(c) touch the forms (d) perceive the forms
10. The 'dusty hands' stand for:
(a) dirty hands
(b) the hands of the dead
(o) the influence and memories of the dead
(d) the hands of the spirits
11. The spirit world floats like:
(a) an atmosphere (b) a boat
() a ship
(d) a memory
12 The word in the poem which means 'legal documents of property'
(a) mortmain
(b) estates
(c) wafts (d) planks
13. The spirits enter into the human world through:
(a) the open doors (b) a new born baby
(c) earthly mists and vapours (d) darkness of the night
14. What kind of ghosts are not imagined by the poet?
(a) those who leave impalpable impressions in the air
(b) quiet and inoffensive
(c) sit, talk and enjoy with human guests
(d) move about for different errands
15. Where do the ghosts throng around:
(a) passages (b) dining table
(c) illuminated halls (d) both (b) and (c)
16. What brings the ghosts to these houses?
(a) a wish to trouble and humans
(b) memories and emotions associated with them
(c) jobs that they had left incomplete while they were alive
(d) questions left unanswered
17. The lives of the men are kept in balance by
(a) having conversations with the spirits
(6) by struggling against opposite attractions and desire
(c) earning a lot of money and getting everything they desire
(d) livinga happy and healthy life
18. Which extraordinary power does the speaker possess?
(a) to see clearly the ghosts at the dining table (b) to capture the ghosts
(c) to talk to the ghosts (d) to ward off the ghosts from the house

Haunted Houses
 19, The word ethereal means
(a) far from real (6) belonging to the spiritual world
() associated with the earth
(c) unnaturally light and delicate
20. The word 'perturbations' does not mean-
(a) mental uneasiness () anxiety
(c) worries (d) feeling of joy
21. Who holds the 'mortmains' of the houses?
(a) the dead who once lived there and now in graves
(b) the present occupants of the house
(c) the guests who come and stay for a long time
() the government
22. Who 'cast an influence on one's desires andaspirations'?
(a) an unseen star
() an undiscovered plant
(d) Neither (a) nor (b)
(c) both (a) and (b)
heavenly world?
23. What connects our world to the
(a) bridge of light (b) dark gate of cloud
() trembling planks
(c) title deeds to house or lands
24. The term 'perpetual' means
(a) continuously changing (b) disturbing
(d) never satisfying
(c) never ending or changing
25. Where does our fancy take us? (b) into the realm of mystery and night
(a) into a dark abyss (d) Only (b)
() both (a) and (b)
Reference to Context

Questions
lived and died
All houses wherein men have
doors
Are haunted houses. Through the open
glide,
The harmless phantoms on their errands
Withfeet that make no sound upon the floors.
haunted houses'? And why are they referred
so?
1. As per the poet, what are does it refer to in the poem ? What good quality do they
possess?
2. Whatdoes the word phan tom imply'? Whom
3. How do these 'phantoms' move around?
4. Where can one find these phantoms? presence?
occupants of the house able to see these phantoms? How do they sense their
5. Are the
the hosts
There are more guests at table than
Invited; the illuminated hall

Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,

oall.
As silent as the pictures on the
table?
1. What does the speaker find unusual at the
Howdo the uninvited ghosts behave in
the illuminated hall?
2.
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASS-X
3. Which figure of speech has been used to describe these
4. In what way does the speaker differentiate himself fromghosts? Explain.
the stranger by the hresie
5. The Speaker seems to be closer to the wordd of snirits How do the readers realize this? What could be the reason
for it?

We have no title-deeds to house or lands;

Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.

The spirit-world around this world of sense

Floats like an atmosphere, and everyuhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air
1. Whom does'we' refer to in this stanza? What
do 'we' don't possess?
2. Explain the line 'from graves forgotten stretch their dusty
3. What is a 'mortmain'? In what context is the word hands.
used here?
4. Which two 'worlds' does the poet refer to? How are these two
worlds connected?
5. What role do the 'mists and vapours' play for the 'spiritual world'? Describe the visualimagery used by longreto
in this stanza.

Our little lives are kept in equipoise

By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.

These perturbations, this perpetual jar

Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star
An undiscovered planet in our sky.
1. What does the world "little' lives symbolise?
2. How is our life balanced? What are the contrasting forces
that try to disbalance our life?
3. Describe the quality of the two instincts that are
highlighted in this stanza.
4. What has the poet said about the 'earthly' desires and
ambitions that the humans possess?
5. To what does the poet owe the cause of these
'wants and aspirations?
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o'er the sea afloating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,
So from the world of spirits there descends
Abridge of light, connecting it with this,
O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

Haunted He
 1. How does the poet include 'moon' in the mystery of the spiritual world?
2. The poet has useda beautiful image of the moonlight to express his thoughts. Describe it.
3. On what path do our fancies travel? To where does this path lead?
4. Where do our thoughts wander? And how do they reach there?
5. What do the following symbolise?
(a) trembling plants
(6) Dark abyss

TERATURE IN ENGLISH CLASS-X