the solitary reaper

11
The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth Presented by Ashapurna Das Class- IX – B Roll no.- 9

Upload: shubhishubhi

Post on 21-Nov-2014

3.139 views

Category:

Entertainment & Humor


5 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: The solitary reaper

The Solitary Reaper by William

Wordsworth

Presented by Ashapurna Das Class- IX – B Roll no.- 9

Page 2: The solitary reaper

THE SOLITARY REAPER

Page 3: The solitary reaper

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 chant More welcome notes to weary bands Of 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.

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?

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.

Page 4: The solitary reaper

MAJOR THEMEThe Solitary Reaper is a romantic poem written after William Wordsworth’s trip through Scottish highlands. The images of the beautiful scenery of countryside attracted him greatly. The poet narrated an experience of a short encounter with a solitary Scottish rustic girl whose song in Scot took him deeply. Therefore, William Wordsworth watch her singing to herself in a distance so as not to disturb her. Wordsworth is in awe of the girl's voice although the meaning of the song was incomprehensible to him. Further, the tone of this poem is pleasant and it is a poem of praise on the natural beauty of countryside as well as the rusticity of the simple rural people. The theme throughout the whole poem seems to be the beauty of the song, and the lingering effect it leaves upon the poet.

Page 5: The solitary reaper

The first stanza is the introduction of the poet’s encountering a solitary Scottish rustic girl who was reaping and singing a fascinating, melancholy song which had a charm for William Wordsworth. In the second stanza, the poet made two sharp comparisons of the melody to the sweet voice of a nightingale and the song sang by a cuckoo-bird in spring. Moreover, he stated that her song was far more beautiful than them. The third stanza is about the poet’s speculation of the content of the song which was sung in Scotland - whether it was about some old, sad matters or some sufferings of present time. The fourth stanza serves as a conclusion in which the poet emphasizes the lingering effect of the music on William Wordsworth.

SUMMARY

Page 6: The solitary reaper

PARAPHRASELook at that girl, a lone young rustic girl in the field! She is reaping and singing, alone. You should stop here, or just pass silently! She is cutting and binding the wheat and, singing a sorrowful song all for herself. Oh! Listen please, because the bottomless valley is reverberating with the fascinating sound.Never did a nightingale sing out sweeter notes than the lonely girl to the tired, lonely groups of travellers in an oasis-like place amidst the Arabian Desert; nor did a cuckoo-bird sing ever sing such a melodic song in spring time so as to break the calmness of the oceans among the farthest Hebrides.Can anyone tell me what she is singing? Maybe it is about the sentimental lines of old, unpleasant, far-reaching matters and the wars long ago. Or is it about some sadder ballad of today’s familiar feelings, such as some natural sorrowful, sombre or painful ones, which have been experienced, and may be experienced again in the future?No matter what the theme the young girl is singing, her song seems to be endless. I watch her singing to herself when bending and cutting the grain with her sickle. I listened, silently and without a move. Then, when I climbed up the mountain, the melody of the song was still lingering in my mind long after it was not been heard any more.

Page 7: The solitary reaper

William Wordsworth

(1770 – 1850)William Wordsworth was an English poet who wrote poems on various topics, though a majority were about nature. Wordsworth made his debut as a writer in 1787, when he published a sonnet in The European Magazine . He was born on 17 April 1770 in Cockermouth, Cumberland .Today Wordsworth's poetry remains widely read. Its almost universal appeal is perhaps best explained by Wordsworth's own words on the role, for him, of poetry; what he called "the most philosophical of all writing" whose object is truth...carried alive into the heart by passion".

Page 8: The solitary reaper

LINGUISTIC PRESENTATION

The first and fourth stanzas strictly follow the rhyme pattern ABABCCDD While the second and third paragraphs follow the pattern ABCBDDEE some poetic or obsolete words have been used, for example, Behold (Look, See), vale (valley) vale profound (word-order); (Stanza 1) chant (sing) (Stanza 2); numbers (lines, verses); lay (ballad, song) (Stanza 3).There are a number of imperative sentences in this poem, especially in Stanza 1, for example, Behold her (Line 1); Stop here, or gently pass! (Line 4); Oh, listen! (Line 7) With these imperatives, the poet actually addressed readers directly.

Page 9: The solitary reaper

MY OPINIONWhile reading the poem I got lost in Scotland in my thoughts….I love the way Wordsworth has described this poem…while reading this poem I assumed that I was the solitary reaper, and I was reaping and singing by myself ….but I am curious what was the reason behind the song sung by her and what was she singing???

Page 10: The solitary reaper

Sites Poemhunter.com Sparknotes.com

enotes.inBooks

New gems English reader 7

Acknowledgements

Page 11: The solitary reaper

Thank you