1. Reread Stanzas 8-19. What message about death does the speaker convey in these stanzas? How does class and the speaker’s comparisons between classes factor into his message about death?

2. Through its many mentions and descriptions of nature, what idea(s) does the poem suggest about nature?

3. Identify mentions of sound and silence throughout the poem. At what points in the poem does the speaker create a contrast between the two? What meaning(s) does Gray convey through this motif of sound versus silence?

4. If you were to divide the poem into three sections, where would you make divisions? Provide the reasoning behind your choices. What makes each section distinct from the others? What subtitle might you give to each section, and why?