TAKE-HOME QUIZ (due Friday, March 12):
Jesus's parable of the prodigal son, featured below, is a sub-text of
Wordsworth's Michael. Briefly
discuss two ways in which the poem is similar to the parable,
explaining the similarities in terms of the poem's significance. Then
briefly discuss two ways in which the poem is different from the
parable, explaining the differences in terms of the poem's
significance. Each answer is worth 25 points.
King James Bible, 1611
¶ The Gospel according to S. Luke.
CHAP. XV.
11 And hee said, A certaine man had two sonnes:
12 And the yonger of them said to his father, Father, giue me the
portion of goods that falleth to me. And he diuided vnto them his
liuing.
13 And not many dayes after, the yonger sonne gathered al together, and
tooke his iourney into a farre countrey, and there wasted his substance
with riotous liuing.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land,
and he beganne to be in want.
15 And he went and ioyned himselfe to a citizen of that countrey, and
he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would faine haue filled his belly with the huskes that the
swine did eate: & no man gaue vnto him.
17 And when he came to himselfe, he said, How many hired seruants of my
fathers haue bread inough and to spare, and I perish with hunger?
18 I will arise and goe to my father, and will say vnto him, Father, I
[The lost sheepe, and prodigall sonne.]
haue sinned against heauen and before thee.
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy sonne: make me as one of thy
hired seruants.
20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ranne, and fell on his
necke, and kissed him.
21 And the sonne said vnto him, Father, I haue sinned against heauen,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne.
22 But the father saide to his seruants, Bring foorth the best robe,
and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shooes on his feete.
23 And bring hither the fatted calfe, and kill it, and let vs eate and
be merrie.
24 For this my sonne was dead, and is aliue againe; hee was lost, &
is found. And they began to be merie.
25 Now his elder sonne was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh
to the house, he heard musicke & dauncing,
26 And he called one of the seruants, and asked what these things
meant.
27 And he said vnto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath
killed the fatted calfe, because he hath receiued him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not goe in: therefore came his father
out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Loe, these many yeeres doe I
serue thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandement, and
yet thou neuer gauest mee a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends:
30 But as soone as this thy sonne was come, which hath deuoured thy
liuing with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calfe.
31 And he said vnto him, Sonne, thou art euer with me, and all that I
haue is thine.
32 It was meete that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy
brother was dead, and is aliue againe: and was lost, and is found.
