# An Autograph explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James McIntyre.

## What happens

The poet writes lines for a young lady's mental album, noting with amusement that several respondents named 'McIntyre' as their favorite poet, likely in jest. He hopes to inspire a loftier view of his poetic power in the future. The verses reflect on the album as a collection of minds, mixing earnestness and humor, and conclude with a self-deprecating nod to his residence in Ingersoll.

## Themes in this chapter

### Moral Lessons and Domestic Virtue

The poem reflects on the brevity of life ('time is brief') and the wisdom of maturer ages, offering moral reflections within the lighthearted context of an album.

## Character check-ins

### James McIntyre

The poet and subject of the autograph lines, residing in Ingersoll, who hopes to elevate readers' perception of his poetic power.

## Key lines

> We looked over the book, it was in form of questions and answers. One of the questions was 'who is your favorite poet?' We were quite amused to find a number of different persons had written in answer, 'McIntyre.'

The poet examined the album, which contained questions and answers, and was amused to see that several people had named him as their favorite poet.

_Highlights the poet's self-awareness and the playful tone of the album entries._

> They show that time is brief, That soon comes sere and yellow leaf.

The writings of older contributors demonstrate that life is short and that old age arrives quickly.

_Conveys a moral lesson about mortality, typical of 19th-century didactic poetry._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters/an-autograph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters