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3. What does the poet mean by the phrase ‘medley of disjointed things’? Explain in
reference to the poem.

4. How does the poet conclude the poem?

Reference to the context

Read these lines from the poem and answer the questions that follow.

And many monstrous forms in sleep we see,

That neither were, nor are, nor e’er can be.

Sometimes forgotten things long cast behind

Rush forward in the brain, and come to mind.

The nurse’s legends are for truths received,

And the man dreams but what the boy believed.

a. What is typical about the ‘monstrous forms’ we see in our dreams?
I. They are too violent.

II. They only appear in our nightmares.

III. They do not exist.
IV. They existed many years ago.

i. I and II ii. II and III

ii. I and III iv. III and IV

b. What can be the summary of these lines?

Sometimes forgotten things long cast behind

Rush forward in the brain, and come to mind.
i. that dreams are where are deepest desires are stirred

ii. that when we wake up, we don’t remember our past dreams

iii. that forgotten things of the past can appear in our dreams

iv. that our inner demons sometimes get manifested in our dreams

c. Who believed the nurse’s legends as true?

d. What does the poet mean by the last two lines of the above stanza?

Time to think and answer

1. The poet starts with defining dreams and, through the poem, underlines the farce-like
nature of dreams. Do you agree? Why or why not?

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