Who did George try to find out what wanted

F. What do B. Wordsworth’s attitudes suggest about how a poet should approach everyday life?

B. Wordsworth’s attention to detail and powers of observation suggest that poets must have the time and temperament to study their environment with reverence.

G. What does B. Wordsworth mean when he says that the boy possesses “the poet’s eye”?

He means that the boy sees things as a poet would or that the boy has the perception and sensibility of a poet.


H. What do these changes in the setting signify?

The changes could signify the advance of modern urban life on nature; the tendency of modern life to stifle poetic ideas; or the idea that poetry has no lasting effect on modern life.

Respond and Think Critically

1. What does B. Wordsworth mean when he says that White Wordsworth was his “brother”? 


He means they are connected and “share the same heart.”

1. What did the boy find comforting about looking at the stars?

He felt like “nothing” and at the same time felt powerful. 


1. How does the boy feel about B. Wordsworth? What does the boy learn from him?

The boy greatly admires B. Wordsworth and cares deeply for him. B. Wordsworth taught the boy to see beauty in nature.

1. Analyze: Consider what B. Wordsworth says to the policeman who asks, “What you doing here?” How is B. Wordsworth’s reply significant? (Is his response what poets also seek to know?)

He is questioning the purpose of life. Many poets seek to understand the purpose of life.

7. Make Judgments: Do you think B. Wordsworth’s tragic story about the boy poet and the girl poet is true? If not, why did he tell it in the first place?

If the story is true, he denies it because he wants the boy to accept mystery. If the story is not true, he tells it to inspire the boy’s imagination.

8. Draw Conclusions: Why do you think B. Wordsworth stopped writing his poem?

He may have felt that the end of his life was near and found it difficult to appreciate living things

9. Compare and Contrast: Consider the contrast between the mother’s no-nonsense ways and the poetic vision of B. Wordsworth. What might Naipaul want to express about the nature of poetry and the role of the poet in society?

Naipaul might want to show how a love of beauty softens and improves one’s perspective.

10.Hypothesize: If we think of the story’s narrator as the author’s recollection of himself at that age, what does the story suggest about the influences (historical, political, cultural) that made Naipaul a writer? What does it suggest about his view of the poet’s position and role in society?

The inspiration of natural beauty and the frustrations of poverty and colonialism all play a part in Naipaul’s becoming a writer. Naipaul believes that poets play a crucial role in affirming nature’s beauty and the potential of human beings.

Literary Skills: Setting

11.Evaluate: What parts of the setting are most vivid in your mind? If you were going to illustrate the story, on what images would you focus?

Students may recollect the lushness of B. Wordsworth’s yard, the palm trees humming with the bees, and the starry sky, including the constellation Orion.

Literary Skills Review: Characterization

12. Analyze: Writers develop their characters through dialogue, description, expression of their feelings and actions, and other characters’ reactions. Which of these methods of characterization made the boy most real for you? What made B. Wordsworth most real for you?

Students’ responses will vary. Students should support their responses with specific examples of characterization from the text.

Extend the Discussion

 1- Based on the interactions among B. Wordsworth, the boy, and the mother, how do you think their relationship will evolve?

The mother seems suspicious of B. Wordsworth, so tension might develop between the two. The boy is intrigued by B. Wordsworth’s deliberate nature, so the boy might develop a fascination with the poet.

 2- Why might B. Wordsworth find it important to study the bees in the boy’s yard?

 Watching the bees would provide stimulation for the senses of sight, sound, and possibly smell, which would appeal to a poet. B. Wordsworth may also want an opportunity to connect with the boy; he may be watching the bees to fulfill that purpose.

 3- Given the boy’s reference to his mother beating him, what can you conclude about cultural views of parental discipline in Port of Spain at that time?

 The boy seems to accept the fact that his mother beats him, so it must be commonplace for parents to discipline their children this way.

 4- Why do you think Naipaul included the detail about the constellation of Orion the Hunter?

 The constellation could be a metaphor for the larger world awaiting the boy through the art of observation and the world of poetry.

 5- Why do you think B. Wordsworth wants to keep his friendship with the boy a secret?

Like his trees, he wants their friendship to be natural and unharmed by outside influences.

6- What might have motivated B. Wordsworth to tell the boy that the story about the boy poet and the girl poet was untrue?

He might have wanted the boy to live with the mystery of not knowing the truth of the story, thus encouraging him to accept that not all things in life are certain.

 4- Why do you think Naipaul included the detail about the constellation of Orion the Hunter?

 The constellation could be a metaphor for the larger world awaiting the boy through the art of observation and the world of poetry.

 5- Why do you think B. Wordsworth wants to keep his friendship with the boy a secret?

Like his trees, he wants their friendship to be natural and unharmed by outside influences.

6- What might have motivated B. Wordsworth to tell the boy that the story about the boy poet and the girl poet was untrue?

He might have wanted the boy to live with the mystery of not knowing the truth of the story, thus encouraging him to accept that not all things in life are certain.