English Classics - Lyrics Series

Instructions:

  1. Open a new browser.
  2. Copy and paste the following keywords into a search engine.
  3. Choose an appropriate website, read the lyrics and answer the following questions.

Vincent

"Vincent" was released in Don McLean's classic album Amercian Pie in 1971. McLean wrote the lyrics after reading a book about the famous Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh. The song is sometimes subtitled "Starry Starry Night" because of its direct reference to Vincent van Gogh's painting "The Starry Night" in the opening line. Vincent van Gogh was a post-Impressionist artist known for his portraits, landscape and still life paintings, as well as his use of bold colours and expressive brushstrokes. Vincent van Gogh gained little recognition for his artwork during his lifetime and suffered mental illness. He produced some of his most well-known paintings, including "The Starry Night" and "Irises" during his confinement in a mental asylum from 1889 - 1890. He committed suicide at the age of 37 after years of depression and poverty.

1. Who does "you" refer to in the song?

  1. the persona himself
  2. the persona's father
  3. Vincent van Gogh
  4. the audience / song listener

Your answer:

Think about this line in the lyrics:

But I could have told you, Vincent

2. The persona (i.e. "I") feels connected to "you" and can understand his suffering because:

  1. they both harbour some darkness in their souls.
  2. they are both insane.
  3. they both love painting and artwork.
  4. they both find the world beautiful.

Your answer:

Think about this line in the lyrics:

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

3. Allusion is a literary device involving the act of making a brief and indirect reference to something. Many of Vincent van Gogh's paintings are alluded to the lyrics. Search online for the images of the following paintings and match them to the correct descriptions in the lyrics.

  1. The Starry Night
  2. Wheat Fields with Crows
  3. The Potato Eaters
  4. The Sunflower Series
  5. Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portraits

Lyrics

Painting alluded to

3a.

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze

3b.

Swirling clouds in violet haze

3c.

Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue

3d.

Morning fields of amber grain

3e.

Weathered faces lined in pain

Check again to see which painting shows the underlined objects in each question.

4. Imagery is a literary device involving the use of descriptive language that draws on the five human senses (i.e. sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch). Identify the sense(s) appealed to in the following lines of the lyrics. There may be more than one correct answer to each line.

Lyrics

Sense appealed to

4a.

Catch the breeze and winter chills

4b.

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze

4c.

Morning fields of amber grain

4d.

The silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Any descriptions of colours appeal to the sense of sight, whereas descriptions of the temperature and texture appeal to the sense of touch.

5. Match the following figures of speech / literary devices with the right examples from the lyrics.

A. repetition

B. alliteration

C. internal rhyme

D. end rhyme

5a.

Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills

5b.

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze

5c.

Frameless heads on nameless walls

5d.

The ragged men in ragged clothes

  • Alliteration means the use of repetition of the initial consonant of words that are close together.
  • Rhyming words are words ending with the same sound. End rhymes are found at the end of lines, whereas internal rhymes are found within a line.

6. Some pronouns are left ambivalent in the lyrics. Work out what/who the underlined pronouns in the excerpts may refer to with contextual clues and your understanding of Vincent van Gogh's life.

Excerpt

Pronoun Reference

6a.

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free

6b.

For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life, as lovers often do

6c.

They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

Refer to the introduction on the top of this page and search online for biography of Vincent van Gogh.

7. Which adjective does NOT describe the tone of the persona in the following lines:

But I could have told you, Vincent
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you

  1. sarcastic
  2. admiring
  3. complimentary
  4. sympathetic

Your answer:

Pay attentioin fo the adjective "beautiful", which suggests a positive view.

8. What might the change in the last two lines of the refrain suggest and imply?

They would not listen, they did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

↓

They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

  1. Vincent van Gogh's achievement is incomparable and unprecedented.
  2. Vincent van Gogh's struggle cannot be resolved and may still exist in the world today.
  3. People tend to look at Vincent van Gogh's artwork rather than listen to what he said.
  4. Vincent van Gogh's artwork is still underrated and unappreciated up to now.

Your answer:

Consider the words underlined below:

They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

9. How would you describe the ending of the song?

  1. hopeful
  2. pessimistic
  3. abrupt
  4. surprising

Your answer:

Read the last two lines of the lyrics and consider if the underlined phrases suggest any positive change:

They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will

10. This song is often seen as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. What is the main purpose of writing the song?

  1. to condemn people who are indifferent to Vincent van Gogh's suffering
  2. to explain why Vincent van Gogh rose to fame after his death
  3. to provide a brief biography of Vincent van Gogh
  4. to show respect and admiration for Vincent van Gogh

Your answer:

A tribute usually expresses approval or gives praise to someone.

Vincent

Score Sheet

Questions Results
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3a
Question 3b
Question 3c
Question 3d
Question 3e
Question 4a
Question 4b
Question 4c
Question 4d
Question 5a
Question 5b
Question 5c
Question 5d
Question 6a
Question 6b
Question 6c
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10
Total

Extended Questions: Think and Share

11.

And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night
You took your life, as lovers often do

Vincent van Gogh committed suicide out of despair, which was a loss to the art world. Write a letter to someone who may have similar emotional problems or suffer from depression like Vincent van Gogh. In your letter, you may:

12.

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me

What did Vincent van Gogh try to say to us? Choose two of his paintings and share with the class the messages you think they convey.