Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Haunted Houses and Biography

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms, themes, and characters from the poem 'Haunted Houses' as well as biographical facts about its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Haunted Houses

According to Longfellow, all houses wherein men have lived and died.

Phantoms

Harmless entities that glide on their errands through open doors with feet that make no sound upon the floors.

Impalpable impressions

A sense of something moving to and fro on the air, encountered at doorways, on stairs, and along passages.

Mortmain

The condition by which owners and occupants of earlier dates from forgotten graves still hold their old estates.

Equipoise

The state in which little lives are kept by opposite attractions and desires, specifically the instinct that enjoys and the instinct that aspires.

Perturbations

The perpetual jar of earthly wants and high aspirations caused by the influence of an unseen star or undiscovered planet.

Bridge of light

A descending structure from the world of spirits connecting it with the world of sense, over which thoughts wander above the dark abyss.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

An American poet born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine, who lived until 1882.

Zilpah Wadsworth

The mother of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the daughter of a Revolutionary War hero.

Stephen Longfellow

The father of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a prominent Portland lawyer and later a member of Congress.

Paul Revere’s Ride

A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published in 1861.

Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published in 1847.

The Village Blacksmith

A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published in 1840.