This post is about the line by line analysis of On Seeing A Tuft Of Snowdrops In A Storm written by William Wordsworth. In this post you will find out the complete summary of the poem in an easy to understand language. Moreover you will find some extra information about the poet as well as the poem in this post which you will certainly find helpful. Let us find the line by line analysis of On Seeing A Tuft Of Snowdrops In A Storm written by William Wordsworth.
When haughty expectations prostrate lie,
And grandeur crouches like a guilty thing,
Oft shall the lowly weak, till nature bring
Mature release, in fair society
Survive, and Fortune’s utmost anger try;
Like these frail snow-drops that together cling,
And nod their helmets smitten by the wing
Of many a furious whirlblast sweeping by.
Observe the faithful flowers! if small to great
May lead the thoughts, thus struggling used to stand
The Emathian phalanx, nobly obstinate;
And so the bright immortal Theban band,
Whom onset, fiercely urged at Jove’s command,
Might overwhelm, but could not separate!
ABOUT THE POET
William Wordsworth was one of the greatest poets of the 19th century, during the Romantic Era. He was an English Romantic poet, who had contributed a lot to forming the Romantic Era, during the 19th century. He was born on 7th April 1770 in the United Kingdom. He took his last breath on 23rd April 1850 in the UK.
The poem, ‘On Seeing a Tuft of Snowdrops in a Storm ‘, was written by William Wordsworth in 1820. It was been published in one of the famous books of Wordsworth – ‘The Rover Duddon’. Through this poem, the poet wants to reflect some positive gives towards the people who lose hope after being broken down by their expectations.
ABOUT THE POEM
This poem was written by William Wordsworth in the year 1820. In this poem, the poet expresses his feelings about expectations and how people are being broken down by expecting others.
This poem is about those small flowers that are not torn apart by the harsh behaviour of Nature. They cling to one another and nod their heads with the flow of those rough winds.
ON SEEING A TUFT OF SNOWDROPS IN A STORM – LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS (WILLIAM WORDSWORTH)
LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
LINE 1-4
When haughty expectations prostrate lie,
And grandeur crouches like a guilty thing,
Oft shall the lowly weak, till nature bring
Mature release, in fair society
In these first four lines of the first quatrains of the poem the poet has highlighted all the harsh behaviours that the strong wind does upon those small flowers. He had also portrayed the fact that, in spite of those hardships, those young flowers get to stand against those winds.
Through this poem, the poet wants to reflect some positive gives towards the people who lose hope after being broken down by their expectations.
The poet has said that those young and small flowers are not readily accepted by the nature and that’s why, they are ill-treated by those harsh winds. Here in these lines of the poem, the poet had compared these young flowers with those people who are been tortured mentally and physically, in this world.
LINE 5-8
Survive, and Fortune’s utmost anger try;
Like these frail snow-drops that together cling,
And nod their helmets smitten by the wing
Of many a furious whirlblast sweeping by.
In these lines of the poem, the poet was very soft towards those small flowers. He felt pity upon those flowers as they stand against those harsh winds in spite of all those hardships as the sign of unity.
These Snowdrops flowers are grown to live till the Spring season. But, due to these harsh weathers and frails of winter, they loss their capacity to live till Spring season. In these lines, it has been said, “Zeal outruns his promises “. It reflects the enthusiasm and soulful spirits of those little flowers as, in spite of all these harsh weather, they keep hope to survive till the Spring arrives.
ON SEEING A TUFT OF SNOWDROPS IN A STORM – LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS (WILLIAM WORDSWORTH)
LINE 9-14
Observe the faithful flowers! if small to great
May lead the thoughts, thus struggling used to stand
The Emathian phalanx, nobly obstinate;
And so the bright immortal Theban band,
Whom onset, fiercely urged at Jove’s command,
Might overwhelm, but could not separate!
In these last lines of the poem which is the sestet, the poem has taken a new route to explain the true nature of lives (it might be about the Snowdrop flowers or the human beings).
There is a dramatic change in these lines of the poem. It explains the changing in weather from winter to spring.
These lines also has explained about another flower, named ‘Jonquils’. These flowers have a wide border and they successfully are able to live to Spring season arrives. They are also readily accepted by the Nature and the environment all around. Not only that, they are also not been treated harshly by Nature, “as with those Sundrop flowers”.
Through these lines, the poet wants to convey the message that, in this world, the stronger people are more easily accepted than the weaker ones, by the society.
ON SEEING A TUFT OF SNOWDROPS IN A STORM – LINE BY LINE ANALYSIS (WILLIAM WORDSWORTH)
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