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William Wordsworth was born, in Cookermouth, Cumberland, England, the second child of an attorney. Unlike the other major English romantic poets, he enjoyed a happy childhood under the loving care of his mother and was very close to his sister Dorothy. As a child he wandered happily through the lovely natural scenery of Cumberland. In grammar school, Wordsworth showed a keen interest in poetry. • His enthusiasm for the French Revolution took him to France again in 1791, where he had an affair with Annette Vallon, who bore him an illegitimate daughter, Caroline, in 1792. Having run out of money, Wordsworth returned to England the following year, and the Anglo-French war, following the Reign of Terror, prevented his return for nine years. • \He was fascinated by the , epic poet John Milton • The spirit of the French Revolution had strongly influenced Wordsworth, and he returned to England imbued with the principles of Rousseau and republicanism.
His works ; • Lyrical Ballads (1789)- a joint work of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor • Coleridge. It contains “ the incidents and agents were to be, in part at least, supernatural in the other subjects were • to be chosen from ordinary life.” • 1- “Tintern Abbey” • Contains clearly his love of nature. • The poet returns to a scene of his • boyhood, sits under a tree. • 2- “Westminster Bridge” • His best sonnet • An emotional view of London asleep
What is the significance of the title The Solitary Reaper ? • Solitary Reaper means that being alone,that word attracted the reader that he sitting alon and this is one of the characteristic of romantic age,frome tha title we know that she is living in another country side ,it is another characteristice of romantic age.
The setting: • The poem is set in the mountainous regions of Scotland. The poet is taking a walk through these Highlands when he sees something which makes him stop
The structure of the poem is : • The structure of the poem is in such a manner that it has four stanzas, each with four lines, totaling to thirty two lines for the entire poem. There is also an element of rhyme in the poem. For instance, in the stanzas except the first one, the first and the third lines have a similar ending. Secondly, the second and the fourth lines end in a given voice. • The same applies for the fifth and the sixth lines with a similar ending but different from the others. The last two lines fall under the same category, ending with a given syllable that is different from the others. This pattern is repeated throughout the poem, creating a pattern that is both interesting to read and appeals to the ears. This pattern gives the poem a characteristic aspect of the works of poetry, which create a synchrony in words
The rhyme scheme is: a-b-a-b-c-c-d-d The Form is : Lyrical Ballad The tone and atmosphere of this poem: is very calm, emotional and peaceful. Language : Simple and direct.
The analysis: • Behold her, single in the field,Yon solitary Highland Lass!Reaping and singing by herself;Stop here, or gently pass!Alone she cuts and binds the grain,And sings a melancholy strain;O listen! for the Vale profoundIs overflowing with the sound.No Nightingale did ever chauntMore welcome notes to weary bandsOf travellers in some shady haunt,Among Arabian sands:A voice so thrilling ne'er was heardIn spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,Breaking the silence of the seasAmong the farthest Hebrides.
The analysis: • The first two stanza: • Once when the poet was in Scotland, he was walking past the highlands. He came across highland lass who was reaping the harvest and binding the grains all by herself. Along with her work she was singing a song. The poet was highly impressed by her singing and stopped to hear her song. Her voice was so enchanting that it seemed to the poet that she was more melodious than the nightingale
Stanza three • Will no one tell me what she sings?--Perhaps the plaintive numbers flowFor old, unhappy, far-off things,And battles long ago:Or is it some more humble lay,Familiar matter of to-day?Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,That has been, and may be again?
Stanza threeThe poet, even so, does not recognize the phrases of the reaper's song. He commences to speculate on the subject matter of the song. He thinks that possibly it is about an historical incident which occurred in a distant land or a battle which might have used spot decades ago. He even more wonders, whether the tune has some thing to do with the day to day daily life of the solitary reaper. He thinks that she might be singing about grief and sadness which has occurred and may well return.
Stanza four • Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sangAs if her song could have no ending;I saw her singing at her work,And o'er the sickle bending;--I listened, motionless and still;And, as I mounted up the hill,The music in my heart I bore,Long after it was heard no more.
Stanza fourTo the poet, it seemed that the song of the solitary reaper would not stop. She sang as she worked, bending about her sickle. For a long time the poet listened to the song, enchanted and transfixed. As he relocated up the hill, he ongoing to have the songs in his heart even following he could no extended hear it.
Poetic Techniques • The poem is in the present tense (“Reaping and singing by herself….Alone she cuts and binds the grain”), but from the fourth and last stanza, it becomes clear that Wordsworth is talking about an incident which had taken place before its telling (“Whate’er the theme the Maiden sang…..I listened, motionless and still”). There is, however, a smooth transition from the present to the past.
Wordsworth, without trying to give moral lessons and without being too suggestive, has given us a poem which is pithy and at the same time passionate. The poem evokes deep thoughts in our mind and we find ourselves carried away by the emotion which it gives rise to in our hearts. The song remains in Wordsworth’s as well as in our hearts “long after it was heard no more”.
The mine Theme • is the power of human imagination to see the transcendent in the everyday.
