The Full Text of “The Moment”
The Full Text of “The Moment”
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“The Moment” Introduction
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“The Moment” Summary
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“The Moment” Themes
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Humanity's Arrogance and Nature's Strength
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-18
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Moment”
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Lines 1-6
The moment when, ...
... , -
Lines 7-12
is the same ...
... you can't breathe. -
Lines 13-18
No, ...
... other way round.
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“The Moment” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Parallelism
Where parallelism appears in the poem:- Lines 7-8: “the trees unloose / their soft arms”
- Line 9: “the birds take back”
- Line 10: “the cliffs fissure”
- Line 11: “the air moves back”
- Line 13: “You own”
- Line 14: “You were”
- Line 15: “climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming”
- Line 16: “We never”
- Line 17: “You never”
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Personification
Where personification appears in the poem:- Lines 7-8: “the trees unloose / their soft arms from around you,”
- Line 9: “the birds take back their language,”
- Lines 13-18: “No, / they whisper. / You own nothing. / You were a visitor, time after time / climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming. / We never belonged to you. / You never found us. / It was always the other way round.”
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Irony
Where irony appears in the poem:- Lines 1-12
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Simile
Where simile appears in the poem:- Lines 11-12: “the air moves back from you like a wave / and you can't breathe.”
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“The Moment” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Unloose
- Fissure
- Proclaiming
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(Location in poem: Lines 7-8: “the trees unloose / their soft arms”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Moment”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Moment” Speaker
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“The Moment” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Moment”
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More “The Moment” Resources
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External Resources
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A Brief Biography — Read the Poetry Foundation's short biography of Atwood and read more of her poems.
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to Atwood herself reading the poem aloud.
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Atwood's Website — Visit Atwood's official website for more on her work.
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Atwood's Influence — Read a recent interview with Atwood in which, with tongue in cheek, she discusses becoming a "great sage on top of the mountain" as an older writer.
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An Interview with Atwood — Watch an interview with Atwood in which she discusses her life and work.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Margaret Atwood
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