Poem: The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson
Learning Objectives
To enable the students:

To learn about the poet
To improve their vocabulary
To answer the given questions
To summarize the poem
About the Poet
Robert Louis Stevenson was born on 13th November, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland and died on 3rd December 1894. He was a Scottish essayist, poet, and author of fiction and travel books. His most famous novels are “Treasure Island”, Kidnapped, “A Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll” and “Mr. Hyde”.
Stanza 1
The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.
Stanza 2
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.
Stanza 3
But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.
Qa. What is the Moon’s face compared to?
Ans. The face of the Moon is compared to a clock’s face.
Qb. What are the various things that the Moon shines on at night?
Ans. At night the Moon shines on thieves, streets, fields, harbour quays, birds sleeping in trees, and animals (cat, dog, mouse, bat)
Qc. Which creatures love to be out at night?
Ans. Creatures like the cat, the mouse, the dog, and the bat love to be out at night.
Qd. What do the things that belong to the day, do at night?
Ans. They cuddle to sleep; they nestle together or in a comfortable place and go to sleep
Qe. The poet has mentioned various creatures of the night. Which other creatures does the Moon shine on at night?
Ans. The moon shines at night on the birdies asleep in the forks of trees, the squalling cat, the squeaking mouse, the howling dog, and the bat.
Qf. Name some creatures you know that love to cuddle up at night.
Ans. Baby animals such as chickens, kittens, puppies and other certain animals love to cuddle up at night.
Summary of the poem " The Moon"
In this poem, the moon is personified. The poet pays tribute to the moon and the moon is made to seem like it is alive and from far above watching all the things that happen at night. The moon shines on the creatures of the night. It shines on a father and his child. It watches over them every step of the way. It is witnessing that the father wakes the child, takes him outside, goes to their boat trip around a cove and comes back home, They admire the presence of the moon and feel the moonlit night. The mother welcomes them home from their journey. The moon is compared to the shape of a round clock on a wall. Just like the clock determines the time, the moon signifies the night time. It spectates the thieves stealing at night and the birds on trees. The "squalling' of the cat and the "squeaking" of the mouse with the howling dog creates a sharp contrast to the silence of the night. The children and the flowers are asleep as if they are denying the moon's beauty and light whereas the animals seem to like to spend the night under the moonlight. The poem has lovely rhythm.
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