Ah, are you digging on my grave? Stephanie Rodriguez Period:3 11/4

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist/ poet Victorian realist Influenced by romanticism First collection published in 1989

Theme Once you’re dead and buried you have no interest in the living

Plot The plot to this story is that some dead person felt someone digging at their grave. She starts talking to herself about who it could possibly be. Its not her ex cause he married someone else. Its not her family cause they don’t care about her anymore since she's dead. Not her enemy cause there is no point to hate her when she’s dead. It ends up being her beloved puppy but the dog admits that he forgot she was buried there and just wanted to bury a bone.

Characters/ speakers Dead lady- she feels someone upon her grave and wonders who it is, she has a conversation with herself about the possibilities Doggie- he’s just wondering around looking for a place to bury his bone and ends up at his master’s gravesite but forgets she’s buried there

Conflict A dead lady is disturbed from her endless sleep when someone starts messing with her gravesite.

Resolution She finds out that its her own doggie digging at her grave and she’s happy because she misses him

Memorable line “Mistress, I dug upon your grave to bury a bone, in case I should be hungry near this spot when passing on my daily trot. I am sorry, but I quite forgot it was your resting place.”

Questions…. Who is speaking in the poem? Who’s the one who was messing with her grave? Why did they mess with her grave?

Interesting… Its interesting and kind of sad that her own family isn't digging at her grave to plant flowers, cause they don’t care since she’s dead. Its cute that its her doggie that ends up being the one digging at her grave, even though he forgot she was there and was just burying a bone