Skip to main content

How is the reaper's concentration on her work reflected in "The Solitary Reaper" by William Wordsworth?

In this poem, Wordsworth describes the experience of watching a solitary reaper who has no idea she is being watched. She is very much in "tune" with nature. Wordsworth was always interested in the artist's connection with nature. Also, his Romanticism and his poetry often concern the theme of the individual in nature. So, when he watches and listens to the "solitary" reaper, we can relate her art (singing) to Wordsworth's own art (poetry). In the...

In this poem, Wordsworth describes the experience of watching a solitary reaper who has no idea she is being watched. She is very much in "tune" with nature. Wordsworth was always interested in the artist's connection with nature. Also, his Romanticism and his poetry often concern the theme of the individual in nature. So, when he watches and listens to the "solitary" reaper, we can relate her art (singing) to Wordsworth's own art (poetry). In the first stanza, her work is linked with her song.



Alone she cuts and binds the grain, 


And sings a melancholy strain; 


O listen! for the Vale profound 


Is overflowing with the sound.



Wordsworth suggests that being in nature and/or working with it (in solitude) produces an atmosphere conducive to expressive feelings and emotions. Just as Wordsworth would often find inspiration in his solitary walks in nature, the reaper finds inspiration in her own solitude.



In the final stanza, she is seen/heard "singing at her work": 




Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang 


As if her song could have no ending; 


I saw her singing at her work . . .



To say that she sings "at" her work suggests that she is singing "to" her work. And since her work is the grain, we might say that she is singing to nature itself. So, it is more accurate to say that it is her concentration on nature that inspires her beautiful song.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
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

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