If you are doing Bachelors or masters in English literature, you have good command over poetic skills. So, let explore the solitary reaper analysis line by line by Williams Wordsworth’s.
Introduction
“The Solitary Reaper” is a poem
written by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth. The poem was inspired by the poet’s
trip to Scotland in 1803 with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. It was first
published in 1807. In the poem, the speaker tries—and fails—to describe the
song he heard a young woman singing as she cuts grain in a Scottish field.
Summary
In the poem the poet talks about a
mountainous girl of Scotland. She is all alone in the field. She is cutting the
crop as well as singing a sweet song. The poet is greatly impressed by the
sweet song which the girl is singing. He compares her song with the song of a
nightingale and a cuckoo bird. Both these birds sing melodious songs but the
song of the solitary reaper surpasses their songs. The girl is singing in
Scottish language which the poet does not understand. But the fact is that he
is greatly amused and impressed by the music of the song. The poet listens to
the song of the solitary girl for a very long time. Then he leaves the place
and climbs on a small hill on the way back to his house. Though he is unable to
hear the song any more but he bears the music, echo and melody of the song in
his heart for a very long time.
Structure and Form
Williams Wordsworth “The Solitary
Reaper" is a lyrical poem. It is made
up of four stanzas, primarily written in iambic tetrameter. Each stanza follows
the rhyme scheme: ABABCCDD. While the poem carries a contemplative and
melancholic tone. Moreover, the poem is written in the first-person point of
view, suggesting that the speaker is experiencing the moment himself. The
setting of the poem is the hills of Scotland.
Figurative devices in poem
Throughout the poem, Wordsworth
employs various literary devices to convey the depth of his emotional response.
The poem begins with an Apostrophe “Behold” where the poet addresses the unknown
passersby. He uses it again in the seventh line “O Listen” telling them how the
valley is filled with the sound of her. The poet use metaphor and makes
a symbolic comparison of the
young woman’s song with Nightingale and Cuckoo bird for the melodious nature of
her song. “Will no one tell me what she sings? Is a rhetorical question that helps
to make the point clear.
Apart from
this, the use of alliteration, such as the repetition of the /p/ sound in
"Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow," and the /n/ sound in "No
Nightingale did ever chaunt," adds a musical quality to the verses.
Furthermore, the poet employs hyperbole to emphasize the enchanting impact of
the solitary reaper's song in poem 7,8 line. Additionally, the lines
"Breaking the silence of the seas" and "Among the farthest
Hebrides" serve as further instances of hyperbole, exaggerating the
reaper's voice and its impact on the surroundings. Furthermore, enjambment is
employed in these lines to create a sense of continuous flow and rhythm,
enhancing the musicality of the verses.
Moreover, the
visual imagery of nightingales, Arabian sands, bodies of water, and the
Hebrides all represent imagery that triggers mental pictures in the
reader's mind.
“Breaking
the silence of the seas
Among the farthest
Hebrides.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, "The
Solitary Reaper" is a timeless poem that captures the essence of
Romanticism. The poet says that simple moments of life have extreme soothing
effect on human' mind and soul. In this romantic poem, he is greatly impressed
by the sweet song of the Scottish girl. The image of the solitary girl, reaping
and singing a sorrowful song, gives the feeling of the everlasting beauty and
sorrow which is the dominant theme of the poem.
