Parent Guide > Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Welcome to the parent guide for this text! Read below to find out about what your child is reading in class and how you can support him/her at home.
This week in class, we’re reading "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray.
Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was an English poet and scholar. An elegy is a mournful or melancholic poem meant to lament the dead. In "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," the speaker contemplates whether remembering the dead is good or bad as he imagines the people buried in the churchyard.
As we read, we will be discussing the theme of Death as it relates to the text. We are trying to answer this big question :
"How do people face death?"
Ways to support your child:
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Ask your child about this poem at home:
- What was "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" about?
- What did you learn about Death?
- Watch Emily Dickinson on Death - 'If I Should Die' at home with your child.