- Respect for intelligent life: a mind deserves respect wherever it is found.
- Reflection over impulse: the speaker's first impulse is to stop the speck; thought leads him to mercy.
- True respect vs sentimentality: Frost values recognising mind, not vague "love of all".
- Small things, large meanings: a speck becomes "considerable".
- Humour and seriousness: a light incident carries a serious idea.
7.1 Tone and mood
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| tone | philosophical, reflective, meditative — with gentle irony and humour |
| mood | curious, amused, thoughtful |
| shift | from casual (dust) to fascinated (a living creature) to respectful (a mind) to wry (the closing joke) |
7.2 Significance of the title
"Considerable" means large or important; a "speck" is tiny. The title is a paradox and a joke: the tiny mite turns out to be worthy of consideration, because it shows a mind. The title sums up the poem's discovery.
7.3 Comparing poems in the syllabus
| Point | A Considerable Speck | The Glove and the Lions |
|---|---|---|
| creatures | a tiny mite | huge lions |
| human attitude | respect for a small life | animals used as royal entertainment |
| key decision | the speaker spares the mite | de Lorge risks his life, then rejects vanity |
| tone | reflective, humorous | dramatic, moral |
| shared idea | thoughtful judgement leads to the right action |
7.4 How to answer questions on this poem
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Place the extract: which stage of the incident? |
| 2 | Explain in your own words — do not copy lines. |
| 3 | Quote one or two short phrases as evidence ("a living mite"). |
| 4 | For "intelligence", list the mite's responses (pause, race, creep, falter, cower). |
| 5 | For "feet", list its movements (ran, raced, crept, turned to flee). |
| 6 | For the tone, name one word and give a reason. |