Extended commentary of ‘During Wind and Rain’ by Thomas Hardy Essay

On the Title An ambiguous and provoke choice of title, in that it is as I entrust show two ironical with the tense (or time-scale) employ in the poem and draws the ratifiers attention to descriptions of the weather. The word during makes the weather conditions affect the present. However, the poem is mostly scripted in the historic present and many of the stanzas depict compasss of bright, pleasant eld not the wind and rain t bug bulge ensembleuded to in the title. thither is clearly an soundly-read discrepancy being orchestrated here by daring.Quote sodium lauryl sulfate Bew atomic number 18 during, the incongruous preposition.Over every(prenominal) Structure Four stanzas of seven stresss, with a very strange ( notwithstanding regular) rhyme scheme. stalwart uses a very anomalous structure indeed. The rhyme scheme utilised in the poem consists of ABCBCDA.There atomic number 18 multiple effects of this* The sixth line in the stanza breaks the poetic flow of the s tanza, as it is the besides line not to rhyme with another(prenominal) hence acting same a mid-stanzaic volta. It draws attention to itself. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the sixth line of every stanza breaks external from the topic of familial pleasure painted in the previous five lines, and turns the thing to the contrasting theme of death. Observe the refrains used* The drawn out A rhyme encom fountainheades the entirety of individually stanza. Given that the move line ( more or less death) is colligate to the first (about support), is stout trying to show the unavoidable connection of life and death?* Seven lines to each stanza maybe represent a week, h atomic number 53st as the four stanzas represent the placates? Very poor allusion.Themes finish, Family life, Time, The Seasons.Difficult oral communication pure tones Blithely means happily.First Stanza maintainsThey sing their de arest songs He, she, all of them yea,Treble and air and bass, And one to playWith the candles mooning each faceAh, no, the days OHow the sick leaves purl down in throngsThis poem is one full of re duckyition and refrain. The general layout of each stanza, in terms of theme, establishment and repetition of certain lines, stiff constant. Each stanza, for example, opens with an image of a family presumptively the same one throughout in a place, or carrying out an action, in a unified and expert way. This stanza evokes a scene of the twee family gathered, singing, a fine-tune a lenient (one to play), as piano playing and sing-a-long was, of course, very common in dauntlesss time.Note how he only uses personal pronouns distancing effect?Hardy goes to mayhap utmost(prenominal) lengths to show the familys unity. On a critical note, one could notice his rather inefficient use of the first four lines of this poem, tho that is not our aim. Some analysis* They sing their dearest songs. Note the use of a superlative adjective in dearest. It is the first of many. We whitethorn interview its meaning perhaps it indicates a certain reverence to familial attitude, both in Hardy and in the family itself. They are en satisfactioning it* He, she, all of them. Illustrates a togetherness at heart the family one which (as Hardy will later comment upon) ending of necessity overcomes. The following line regarding the different musical voice (Treble and tenor and bass) illustrates a similar thing, but is used to forecast out that destruction affects all elements of family, regardless of age. How very depressing were only at line 3 Even better, he does this in all stanzas.* yea Note use of colloquial (conversational) affirmative. Not only is it used to force the rhyme scheme, but it contrasts with the later Ah, no, which is negative. Hardy does this in all stanzas. Without jumping ahead, however, it is simply a friendly comment of approval.* With the candles mooning each face Night time scene. Interesting, seeing as it contr asts with the other images presented, which are all in bright daylight.* Ah, no the eld O thereof we encounter the inter-stanzaic volta. Not only does the rhyme scheme depart from geometrical regularity (We label the sixth line in all stanzas the D rhyme, as it is the only line not to energize a rhyming companion). It signifies a departure from the pleasant theme of the unadulterated joy of family life, and an arrival at the theme of its death or the fact that it is all going to pass eventually. As before mentioned, the Ah, no contrasts with the previous affirmative. The actual sense datum of this line is rather obscure. We assume that Hardy is implicitly commenting on the fact that the years take away/ damage the family life as they pass, so does the family and its happiness. O is an ejaculation, expressing sadness or mourning for the family.* How the sick leaves reel down in throngs Hardy furthers his ideas about death. Here is a line referring to the autumnal m seniorer of life leaves falling and the way in which it precedes Death. Note how the leaves, when considered in throngs, may represent people? In the same way, a reel is a type of dance is this (a just about sick) dance of death? Un apt(predicate), but we mustiness remember that Hardy has no qualms with tragic irony.Second Stanza NotesThey clear the crawling moss Elders and juniors aye,Making the pathways suitable and the garden gayAnd they build a mistrustful keisterAh, no the years, the yearsSee the white storm- maams wing crosswiseOnce again, Hardy begins his stanza with an image of the family, this time in the garden presumably in spring, as suggested by the fact that they are clearing the ashes of winter (the creeping moss), whilst he describes the garden as gay. peerless can immediately recognise the structural similarities shared with the first stanza, as well as the meaning behind the pleasant image.* Note that Hardy this instant observes that both Elders and juniors part icipate again, he differentiates between the different members of the family, but without delay uses the factor of age, as opposed to musical voices. This serves only to arm the sea captain analysis that unity may be visible and, indeed, enjoyable, but it is only fleeting in the face of Death. Lovely* Observe how the familys actions are arranged around both making the place neat/pretty and around comfort. Making pathways neat and building a comical seat have only temporary effects upon happiness the moss will grow back, the pathways will become untidy in time, when Winter (representing Death and decay) comes. Thus we hold that Hardy is setting up, within his pleasant image, the backcloth upon which he wishes to point out that all happiness, joy and life itself is fleeting.* Or is it an image of the futility of pitying endeavour the weather will erode the dedicate imposed upon it, and ultimately Death will prevail?* On an digression evidence for the scene being set in sp ring if the seat is shady, then surely the sun must be out in broad daylight not a symptom commonly associated with the quick-frozen illnessAh, no the years, the yearsSee the white storm-birds wing acrossAnd yet, on cue, Hardy revives his alternative theme this time with a slightly different D rhyme/ sound out. The colloquial negative remains, but Hardy uses the echo of the years to emphasize the passage of time. He uses the same phrase in the fourth stanza, yet repeats the primary ejaculation in the third base stanza (they alternate).The final line of the stanza is rather interesting. Storm-birds sound like mythical beasts perhaps the extremity of phrase reflects that of Death? yet they are most likely geese, flying away before Winter comes. It is not as troubling an image as that of the leaves reeling, but it again points to the same idea. The use of voiceless verbs in all final lines in all stanza adds to their strength reel in Stanza One, wing in the second, etc. To wing itself is an unusual choice, perhaps adding to a sense of the supernatural. Think back to Neutral Tones and the ominous bird a-wing. The verb has the same effect here.Third Stanza NotesThey are blithely breakfasting all manpower and maidens yea, infra the summer tree,With a glimpse of the bay,While pet boo come to the kneeAh, no the years OAnd the stinking locomote is ript from the wall.Here Hardy is at last explicit about the season and its effects much as Autumn and Winter are object lesson of Death and decay, spring and summer bear idyllic delights. In this stanza, we find ourselves in the latter.One cannot overdo the emphasis which Hardy applies to the seasons. He pictures human life as tragically linear, whilst comparing it to the inevitably cyclical seasons. In the end, the seasons especially Winter bring about the decay of a delimited life. And yet, to begin with, this stanza suggests that the family are blissfully unaware of that fact.* Once again, we find the fami ly in unity and happy seeing as they are blithely breakfasting suggesting a disregard for the potential decay and sadness. They appear to live in the happy present.* It has been suggested that the family have now grown up, seeing as they are now described as Men and maidens as opposed to Elders and juniors. Side point no way to substantiate call. Of course, now Hardy differentiates between them using sex all the more differences which Death can overcome.* Allusions to an Arcadian perfect a perfect landscape, full of happiness are impossible to avoid. Under the summer tree / With a glimpse of the bay it sounds more like Tuscany than Britain Of course, Hardy is not that explicit. The bay may just as well be a bay tree, as much as a bit of coastland. Still, the image remains idyllic. And yet, I Death am here.* The pet fowl may represent a further source of happiness domesticated or agricultural livestock have always been unploughed for the happiness of ones stomach or ones h eart. Either will do. More human endeavour to be position waste to by Death?Here, as usual, the poem breaks away and returns to the original ejaculation about the years passing. Note how the O lengthens the line it slows the reader down. Otherwise analysed above.The final image evocative of Death, however, is of our greatest interestThe rotten rose is ript from the wall.Again, an ambiguous phrase creates the sense of sickening mystery which Death itself possesses. Not only does the obvious alliteration of the r sound get on with both the tension and force placed upon the final verb, but it also mirrors the ugly nature of the act itself. Ript is merely an archaic spelling of ripped the sense is the same and bears the same strength.Yet who, or what, rips up the rose? Obviously, the image is representative of Death claiming a life the verb suggests an unpleasant or haywire death. Quote SLS A complete severance from life. perchance we can extrapolate this further to make a commen t on the cruelty of Death in Hardys eyes? It may well be the wind. This would fit with the title, although we must still ponder the incongruous preposition, during. Perhaps the entire image is metaphorical, and Death is simply tearing a previously beautiful flower (rotten is probably representative of old) away from life?Fourth Stanza NotesThey change to a high in the altogether house,He, she, all of them aye,Clocks and carpets and chairsOn the lawn all day,And the brightest things that are theirsAh, no the years, the yearsDown their carved names the rain-drop ploughs.Clearly the family have grown wealthier, to prompt house and, it seems, they have moved quite literally up in the world, as it is a high one. One may question whether this stanza also reflects upon the materialistic joys of the world. Maybe that is Hardys intention. I doubt, however, that this is an explicit blow upon those who value material objects rather a memento mori, in that, patronage the temporary pleasur e of wealth and possessions, Death will always claim victory. Deeper analysis* Note how we have returned to He, she, all of them. Have we come round in a full generational cycle?* The weather remains good, as the family display their possessions on the lawn, presumably as they either grind away to move them to the freshly house from the old, or simply before they have been properly installed. Clearly Hardy is using summer to represent joy and prosperity.* The language bears little complexity hence little analysis Is this make to reflect the simple, but enjoyable, pleasures of materialistic desires and good weather?* Brightest things which are theirs. Note another superlative. Relevance/ importance, other than to add emphasis?(Have previously analysed the secondary winding ejaculation. Now repeated.)The final image of the poem is possibly the most interesting, dramatic and explicit.Down their carved names the rain-drop ploughs.Here Hardy at last makes an explicit reference to th e subject of death, in that their carved names are grave stones, whilst also tying in the title (with the reference to the weather). Primarily, we are shocked by the contrast clearly, Hardy is imagining the same individuals with whom we are now familiar (as the family) as being dead. They have been buried. This is a very jerky and rather upsetting realisation. Hardy very successfully makes his point about the frailty and temporal nature of life. Their successes and happiness are irrelevant. How depressingWorse, Hardy suggests that the weather erodes them not only in life, but also destroys (ploughs) their depot in death the rain drop appears to be eroding away the names from the stones. This insensitivity contrasts with the use of names, which are highly personal.Perhaps, however, Hardy intends ploughs to be positive. As in the agricultural sense, the rain drop prepares for new growth?Final note Is the narrator writing the poem in the grave-yard? Are the images he recollects merel y his memories of a family now dead the images of Death are all happening around him during wind and rain? knowing point. Perhaps.