Question

1. read as you read \pastoral\ by william carlos williams, begin to collect and cite text evidence. - underline words and phrases that contrast with nature. - in the margin, explain the contrast. pastoral william carlos williams the little sparrows hop ingenuously about the pavement quarreling 5 with sharp voices over those things that interest them. but we who are wiser shut ourselves in 10 on either hand and no one knows whether we think good or evil. meanwhile, 15 the old man who goes about gathering dog - lime walks in the gutter without looking up and his tread 20 is more majestic than that of the episcopal minister approaching the pulpit of a sunday. these things 25 astonish me beyond words. 2. reread reread the poem. how do the final two lines affect your understanding of the poem?

Explanation:

For Task 1:

1. Underlined phrases contrasting with nature:

• pavement: A man-made, hard urban surface, unlike the natural ground/grass sparrows would typically inhabit.
• shut ourselves in: Humans isolating themselves in man-made enclosed spaces, separating from the natural, open world of the sparrows.
• gutter: A man-made urban drainage feature, a dirty, unnatural space for a person to walk, contrasting with natural outdoor environments.
• Episcopal minister approaching the pulpit: A formal, structured human religious ritual in a man-made building, contrasting with the unscripted, natural behavior of the sparrows.

1. Margin explanations (abbreviated):

• pavement: Replaces natural sparrow habitats.
• shut ourselves in: Humans separate from nature.
• gutter: Unnatural, urban space for a person.
• minister/pulpit: Formal human ritual vs natural sparrow behavior.

For Task 2:

The final lines ("These things astonish me beyond words") shift the poem from a simple observation of contrasting scenes to a personal reflection. They frame the odd, jarring mix of natural life (sparrows) and harsh, disconnected human urban existence as something surprising and thought-provoking. They invite the reader to share the speaker's sense of shock at how far human life has strayed from natural patterns, emphasizing the poem's core contrast between nature and urbanized human experience.

Answer:

Task 1:

• Contrasting phrases: pavement, shut ourselves in, gutter, Episcopal minister approaching the pulpit
• Contrast explanations:
• pavement: Man-made surface replaces natural sparrow habitats
• shut ourselves in: Humans isolate from natural spaces
• gutter: Unnatural urban space for human movement
• minister/pulpit: Formal human ritual contrasts with unscripted natural sparrow behavior

Task 2:

The final two lines reframe the poem's observed contrasts as a source of profound surprise for the speaker. They highlight the dissonance between natural, unselfconscious life (the sparrows) and the strange, disconnected, man-made world humans occupy, inviting readers to recognize and reflect on this striking, unexpected gap between nature and modern human existence.