Available Answers

1. 1.

   'Words are easy like the wind' says the speaker. Whose words is the speaker referring to? In what sense are they 'easy'?

2. 2.

   If words are 'easy' what is 'hard'?

3. 3.

   Complete these sentences. According to the speaker

   1. everyone is your friend when you have...
   2. no one will come forward to take care of you when...
   3. you are praised as generous when you...
   4. when you have money, people will flatter you as if...
   5. your fame will say goodbye to you when...
   6. people do not want to be in your company when...
   7. a true friend shares...
   8. a true friend does not sleep when...
4. 4.

   What can we guess about the speaker's state of mind when he wrote this poem? Is it likely that he was spending a lot of money and being praised by his friends at the time? Or had he probably lost money and was being avoided by them?

5. 5.

   Does the poem indicate a feeling of disappointment, bitterness and a realisation of the dark side of human nature? Or does it show a state of calm observation and conclusion about human behaviour?

6. 6.

   Inversion refers to changing the order of words in a sentence. Poets use inversions to make words rhyme and to create special effects.

   Bountiful they will him call is one example of inversion. Find others.