Solitary Reaper : Poetry Analysis

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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Poetry is the most interesting genre of writing that has existed for over a thousand years. Meanings of these poems can be mysteriously hidden within the unique words and dialects the author uses. William Wordsworth's poem "The Solitary Reaper" is no exception to the rule. "The Solitary Reapers" combines elements of innocence and suffering to explain the feelings of early 19th century people.

Wordsworth's poem describes a nameless listener's delight in young woman's sad song in a different language he cannot understand. She is working by herself in a valley as she swings her blade as she collects the grains of the field. Wordsworth uses words such as "single", "solitary", and "by herself" to imply the suffering of the woman in the field. As the poem progresses the listener gets angry for he does not know the meaning of her song. Wordsworth indicates this by making the language seem faster and more aggressive, "Will no one tell me" is an example of frustration by the listener.

I am under the impression that the woman uses singing to make her days seem shorter, and her inner-self is captured into her beautiful song. Wordsworth uses comparisons of her sounds to song-birds such as the nightingale and the cuckoo.