New Mexico School for the
Blind and Visually Impaired

Teen Reader

 “The Highwayman” (1906)

“The Highwayman” Text Version

“The Highwayman” Audio Version

Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes (born Sept. 16, 1880, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, Eng.—died June 28, 1958, Isle of Wight) was an English poet, a traditionalist remembered chiefly for his lyrical verse.

Noyes’ first volume of poems, The Loom of Years (1902), published while he was still at the University of Oxford, was followed by others that showed patriotic fervour and a love for the sea. He taught modern English literature at Princeton University in the United States from 1914 to 1923. Of Noyes’s later works, the most notable is the epic trilogy The Torch-Bearers (1922–30), which took as its theme the progress of science through the ages. His autobiography, Two Worlds for Memory, appeared in 1953. (From Britannica.com)

Discussion Questions

Do you think the choice Bess makes is stupid or inspiring? Is love ever a good enough reason to give up your life?

If you made a movie of this, who would you cast as the highwayman? How about Bess?

Have you ever admired a criminal? Do you think it's OK to make robbers into heroes?

Why do you think people tell ghost stories? Is the ghost story in this poem meant to make us scared? Happy? Sad?

How do you feel about tragic stories? Would you switch this ending for a happy one if you could?

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