There was an Indian- J.C Squire
What is meant by the phrase "gasped for speech"?
He was so suprised that he inhaled sharply.
Why would the Indian man have compared the arriving ships to a canoe?
Those were the only kind of ship that he knew.
Comment on how the use of language in stanza 2 links to the topic of the poem.
This topic is the invasion of America by the Spaniards. The words that refer to this invasion are: 'nothing' to show the dramatic change, 'magic' which potrays that the Native American man did not know how they appeared so suddenly, 'bellying' shows how the sails bulged in the wind, and the alliteration in 'clambering crews' shows how the sailers were working hard and noisily on board the ships to manage the sailing.
Why do you think the speaker described the Indian as a "naked man alone"?
He uses this line to emphasize how many sailors there were against a solitary man. This vulnerability is further emphasized by using the word 'naked' to show that he was unprotected and naive.
Qoute on line from stanza 2 that shows that the Indian's quiet way of life is going to be disrupted.
"clambering crews"