Get every quote explanation for The Thorn Birds Plus so much more...

“Each of us has something within us which won’t be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, that’s all. Like the old Celtic legend of the bird with the thorn in its breast, singing its heart out and dying. Because it has to, it’s driven to. We can know what we do wrong even before we do it, but self-knowledge can’t affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing his own little song, convinced it’s the most wonderful song the world has ever heard. Don’t you see? We create our own thorns, and never stop to count the cost. All we can do is suffer the pain, and tell ourselves it was well worth it.”

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Meggie and Ralph speak together on Drogheda, confronting the painful realities of their lives. Meggie describes the Celtic legend of the bird with a thorn in its breast—a creature that sings its most beautiful song as it dies. ...

Monthly

Annual (Best Value)

$5⁹⁵USD/mo

Charged $71.40 USD every year

Quote explanations & citation info

Every PDF download

One-page Quick Lit Guides

Detailed chapter analysis

Line-by-line poetry analysis

Literary & poetic device analysis

Unlimited quizzes

Advanced search

Ask LitCharts AI

Theme comparisons across books

Highlight, take notes, & save guides

Teacher

$7⁹⁵USD/mo

Charged $95.40 USD every year

Quote explanations & citation info

Every PDF download

One-page Quick Lit Guides

Detailed chapter analysis

Line-by-line poetry analysis

Literary & poetic device analysis

Unlimited quizzes

Advanced search

Ask LitCharts AI

Theme comparisons across books

Highlight, take notes, & save guides

Teacher editions

Printable classroom resources

Discussion question generator

Essay prompt generator

Quiz question generator

Literature Guide PDFs

LitCharts PDFs for every book you'll read this year.

Instant PDF downloads of all 2257 LitCharts literature guides and of every new one we publish. Try a free sample literature guide.

"Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"

Quotes Explanations

Find the perfect quote. Understand it perfectly. Then rock the citation, too.
For all 50,338 quotes we cover.

Find. Search every LitChart by chapter, theme, or character to find just the quote you need.

Understand. Grasp the quote's significance with our detailed Explanation and Analysis.

Cite. Get the quote's page or line number, or a perfect citation with our Cite this Quote button.

Teacher Editions

Close reading made easy for students.
Time saved for teachers.
For every book we cover.

Common Core-aligned

Try a free and complete sample Teacher Edition.

PDFs of modern translations of every one of Shakespeare's 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 3 longer poems.

Every translation available to download as a PDF. Try a free sample Shakespeare translation.

"Every teacher of literature should use these translations. They completely demystify Shakespeare. Students love them!"

Original

Romeo

(aside) She speaks.
O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white, upturnèd, wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.

Juliet

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art though Romeo?
Deny they father and refuse they name.
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

Modern

Romeo

(to himself) She speaks. Speak again, bright angel! For tonight you are as glorious, there up above me, as a winged messenger of heaven who makes mortals fall onto their backs to gaze up with awestruck eyes as he strides across the lazy clouds and sails through the air.

Juliet

O Romeo, Romeo! Why must you be Romeo? Deny your father and give up your name. Or, if you won’t change your name, just swear your love to me and I’ll give up being a Capulet.

Literary Terms and Devices

Definitions and examples for every literary term and device you need to know.
Plus a quick-reference PDF with concise definitions of all 136 terms in one place.

Try a free sample literary term PDF.

Advanced Search

Refine any search. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more.

Poetry Guides

Line-by-line explanations and analysis of figurative language and poetic devices.
For every lyric poem we cover.

	Close Reading Organizers
	Character Analysis Organizers
	Symbol Analysis Organizers
	Theme Analysis Organizers
	Quote Analysis Organizers

Find the perfect quote

Then understand it perfectly. And get the citation, too. For all 35,000+ quotes we cover.

Printable PDFs for every guide

"Would not have made it through without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"

– LitCharts A⁺ user

Understand key basics—fast

Printable, one-page guides that cover the plot points, themes, and ideas you need to know.

Get what happens and what it means

Targeted analysis next to the summary ensures you’ll understand more than just the plot.

Get the meaning in every line

Never feel lost reading a poem again with clear and in-depth analysis of each and every line.

Decode the author’s language

Quickly find and understand the key devices in whatever you’re reading.

Unlimited quizzes and feedback

Boost your learning with quizzes that pinpoint and address knowledge gaps.

Find exactly what you need

Refine your search using advanced filters like genre, time period, literary movement, author context, grade level, and more.

Ask LitCharts AI

Instant answers to all your lit questions. Powered by LitCharts content and AI.

Compare and contrast

Identify similar themes across books, making comparisons fast and simple.

Make LitCharts your own

Add highlights or notes, save guides for easy access later, and request new titles.

Find the perfect quote

Then understand it perfectly. And get the citation, too. For all 35,000+ quotes we cover.

Printable PDFs for every guide

"Would not have made it through without the printable PDFs. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!"

– LitCharts A⁺ user

Understand key basics—fast

Printable, one-page guides that cover the plot points, themes, and ideas you need to know.

Get what happens and what it means

Targeted analysis next to the summary ensures you’ll understand more than just the plot.

Get the meaning in every line

Never feel lost reading a poem again with clear and in-depth analysis of each and every line.

Decode the author’s language

Quickly find and understand the key devices in whatever you’re reading.

Unlimited quizzes and feedback

Boost your learning with quizzes that pinpoint and address knowledge gaps.

Find exactly what you need

Refine your search using advanced filters like genre, time period, literary movement, author context, grade level, and more.

Ask LitCharts AI

Instant answers to all your lit questions. Powered by LitCharts content and AI.

Compare and contrast

Identify similar themes across books, making comparisons fast and simple.

Make LitCharts your own

Add highlights or notes, save guides for easy access later, and request new titles.

Save time with in-depth organizers

"THE best teaching resource I have ever used. My students love the handouts."

– LitCharts A⁺ User

Cut prep time in half

Essay prompts, discussion questions, and comprehension checks—easy to print and ready to use in class.

Discussion question generator

Instantly create discussion questions that get people talking, through the power of LitCharts analysis and AI.

Essay prompt generator

Quickly create thought-provoking essay prompts that will get your students writing, powered by LitCharts analysis and AI.

Quiz question generator

Effortlessly generate targeted quiz questions, powered by the world’s best literary analysis and AI.

Literature Guide PDFs

LitCharts PDFs for every book you'll read this year.

Quotes Explanations

Teacher Editions

Teacher Edition Contents

PDFs of modern translations of every one of Shakespeare's 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 3 longer poems.