The Scholar Grade 8 · English Reader
Chapter 11 · A Poem

The Scholar

A quiet devotion to books, and the lasting friendship of great minds long gone

📚
Tec — The Education Consultancy | Grade 8 English Lesson & Worksheet

My days among the dead are past;
Around me I behold,
Where'er these casual eyes are cast,
The mighty minds of old,
My never-failing friends are they,
With whom I converse day by day.

With them I take delight in weal
And seek relief in woe;
And while I understand and feel
How much to them I owe,
My cheeks have often been bedew'd
With tears of thoughtful gratitude.

My thoughts are with the dead; with them
I live in long-past years,
Their virtues love, their faults condemn,
Partake their hopes and fears,
And from their lessons seek and find
Instruction with an humble mind.

My hopes are with the dead, anon
My place with them will be,
And I with them shall travel on
Through all futurity;
Yet leaving here a name, I trust,
That will not perish in the dust.

— Robert Southey
About the Poet: Robert Southey (1774–1843) was born in Bristol and educated at Oxford University. A close friend of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he is generally regarded as a member of the Romantic movement and one of the Lake Poets, alongside Coleridge and Wordsworth. Southey was appointed Poet Laureate in 1813 and wrote many poems, including narrative works, though his prose — essays on moral issues, biographies, and volumes of history — is now often regarded more highly than his poetry.

Vocabulary

weal — a general state of well-being, prosperity, and happiness
woe — great sorrow or distress
bedew'd — covered with drops, as if with dew; here, wet with tears
anon — soon; before long
futurity — future time; time yet to come
perish — to die or come to an end completely
converse — to talk or engage in conversation
partake — to share in or experience something along with others
condemn — to express strong disapproval of something
casual — happening by chance; not deliberate

Worksheet — The Scholar

Comprehension · Vocabulary · Poetic Appreciation — Grade 8

Name:
Class:
Date:
Score:
A. Questions
1. Who does the poet refer to as "the dead" throughout the poem, and why?
He refers to great writers and thinkers of the past whose books he reads — though they are dead, their minds and ideas live on through their writing, and he considers them his constant companions.
2. How does the poet describe his relationship with these "mighty minds of old"?
He describes them as his never-failing friends, with whom he converses daily, sharing in both joy (weal) and sorrow (woe), and to whom he feels deep gratitude.
3. What does the poet do with the virtues and faults he finds in these past writers?
He loves and admires their virtues while disapproving of (condemning) their faults, learning lessons from both with a humble mind.
4. What hope does the poet express for his own future and legacy?
He hopes that when he dies and joins "the dead," he will leave behind a name and reputation that will not be forgotten or perish over time.
B. Multiple Choice Questions
1.Who does the poet describe as his "never-failing friends"?
His living neighbours
Great minds and writers from the past✓
His family members
His students
2.What does the poet seek from these companions during times of sorrow?
Money
Relief✓
Silence
Revenge
3.What emotion causes the poet's cheeks to be "bedew'd" with tears?
Anger
Thoughtful gratitude✓
Fear
Jealousy
4.How does the poet approach the lessons he learns from the past?
With arrogance
With a humble mind✓
With indifference
With suspicion
5.What does the poet hope will happen to his name after his death?
It will be forgotten quickly
It will not perish in the dust✓
It will be changed
It will become famous immediately
6.Who wrote the poem "The Scholar"?
Charlotte Brontë
Robert Southey✓
Emily Dickinson
Edna St. Vincent Millay
C. True or False
  • 1. The poet spends his days surrounded by the writings of great thinkers from the past.
    TrueFalse
  • 2. The poet feels no gratitude toward these past writers.
    TrueFalse
  • 3. The poet admires the virtues of past writers while disapproving of their faults.
    TrueFalse
  • 4. The poet believes he has nothing left to learn from the past.
    TrueFalse
  • 5. The poet hopes his own name will be remembered after his death.
    TrueFalse
  • 6. The poem expresses fear and hostility toward the past.
    TrueFalse
D. Match the Words with Their Meanings
1. weal → (c)
2. woe → (a)
3. anon → (d)
4. futurity → (e)
5. perish → (b)
a. great sorrow or distress
b. to die or come to an end completely
c. a general state of well-being, prosperity, and happiness
d. soon; before long
e. future time; time yet to come
E. Theme
1. What is the central theme of "The Scholar"?
The poem explores the enduring power of books and learning — showing how reading connects us across time with the minds of the dead, offering companionship, wisdom, and comfort, and expressing the hope that one's own legacy might live on in the same way.
2. How does the poem suggest that reading can offer a kind of companionship similar to real friendship?
Open-ended — accept answers noting that the poet describes sharing joy and sorrow with these writers, feeling gratitude toward them, and learning from their virtues and faults, all qualities associated with close, trusted friendships.
F. Figurative Language
1. "My days among the dead are past." What does the metaphor of living "among the dead" actually refer to, and why is it an effective way to describe reading?
This is a metaphor for spending time reading books written by authors who have died — it is effective because it captures how vividly and closely reading can make us feel connected to people from the past, as though we are truly living among them.
2. "My cheeks have often been bedew'd / With tears of thoughtful gratitude." Identify the figure of speech in "bedew'd" and explain its effect.
This compares tears to dew, a gentle, natural image, which softens the description of crying and emphasises the tenderness and sincerity of the poet's gratitude rather than sorrow.
3. The poem repeats the phrase "My ___ are with the dead" at the start of several stanzas. What is this technique called, and what effect does it create?
This is anaphora (repetition at the start of successive lines/stanzas) — it reinforces just how completely the poet's thoughts, feelings, and hopes are devoted to the past, creating a steady, meditative rhythm throughout the poem.
G. Critical Thinking
1. Do you agree that books can feel like "never-failing friends"? Explain your view using your own reading experiences.
Open-ended — accept a reasoned personal opinion, ideally supported with a specific example of a book or author that felt meaningful or comforting to the student.
2. What kind of "name" or legacy would you like to leave behind, as the poet hopes to? Explain your answer.
Open-ended — accept any honest, reflective personal response connecting to the poem's theme of legacy and being remembered. (Teacher's discretion.)
Tec Tec — The Education Consultancy | Grade 8 English Lesson & Worksheet