Skip to main content

How does the mood of the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" change dramatically?

Mood is the emotion caused by reading the poem.  A poem might be sad, happy, excited, passionate, or mourning, just like a person.  Any mood that a person has can be found in poetry. This little poem is very interesting, because it is about the effect of war on nature.  The poem starts out with a very serene mood, and ends up with a depressingly warning tone that makes the reader thoughtful. 


The beginning of...

Mood is the emotion caused by reading the poem.  A poem might be sad, happy, excited, passionate, or mourning, just like a person.  Any mood that a person has can be found in poetry. This little poem is very interesting, because it is about the effect of war on nature.  The poem starts out with a very serene mood, and ends up with a depressingly warning tone that makes the reader thoughtful. 


The beginning of the poem starts off in a way that seems very mellow and inviting.  It takes us through nature, and it is raining, but softly.  Everything is calm and sweet. 



There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, 


And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; 


And frogs in the pools singing at night, 


And wild plum trees in tremulous white; 


Robins will wear their feathery fire …



The beginning of the poem may be calm and celebratory in nature, but there is a shift in the middle.  Now the poem is talking about war.  There is a war on, and humans are destroying ourselves.  The poem may make us surprised at this point, because we were talking about frogs and plum trees a moment ago, and now we are talking about war.


The ending of the poem is very dark.  The mood is cautionary.  If we do not change our ways, this is what will result for us.  We will destroy ourselves, and nature will not care.



Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree


If mankind perished utterly;


And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,


Would scarcely know that we were gone.



The implication is that nature and animals were here before our civilization and will be here after.  We can war with each other and destroy each other, and nature will heal itself and go on.  Nature is not interested in the least.  This may make the reader feel depressed, but in a way the poem is also reassuring.  We may destroy ourselves, but nature will be fine.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more