specific poems are: the darkling thrush, the ruined maid, the self- unseeing, a church romance, the man he killed, the covergence of the twain, a thunderstorm in town
Perhaps, Thomas Hardy generally writes poems related to relationship with his beloved wife emma,love and regret.Specific poems related to this are "The Darkling thrush","The ruined maid","The self-unseeing","A church romance""The man he killed","The convergence of the twain", and "A thunderstorm in town".In the poem "The darkling thrush",is introduced by a supposedly old man(symbolising Hardy himself at anadvanced age).Leaning upon a fragile coppice sends a picture of sadness and desolation.This feeling is complemented by the weather winter.The usually white frost is spectre-grey.the desolation is further marked by the picture of a weakening eye of the day.Auditory imagery is introduced by the stems of broken trees compared to broken lyres(musical instrument).
End stops are used to mark the tone of thye poem.Stanza 2 which paints the picture of the century as being dead has quite alot of end stops to slow the paceof the poemand create a meditative mood.On the eve of the new century,Hardy at this time nearing his grave has suddenly realised the corrupt,decadence and hopelessness of the passing century,in which he had lived most of his life.However,with coming of the birds which embodies two forces.Hardy appears to see aray of hope where both the old and new wolld have to co-exist to give aglorious future.Therefore,this poem is related to regrets in Hardy's poems.
the second poem "The self-unseeing",is the poem which celebrates the joy of childhood as Hardy reminisces on his glorious past.The 1st stanza draws attention to what you nused to be Hardy's former home.In this poem we can see many relationships with his past days.The word used ancient depicts a monument of historical significance and not just an ordinary home.Floor also sends a message of a place of passage,where many feets have trod upon.The confirmation come3s in use of footworn,hollowed and thin.
In second stanza,the image of Hardy's mother is presented reclining happily before the fire.Hardy's father is juxtaposed against the mothers 's position as he plays the violin in a senere happy family setting.
The last stanza takes a remeniscence of the happy family setting potrayed above.He paints a glorious picture of alife that is dream-like and where blessings emblazoned that day.The last line however casts a regretful tone on the glorious picture painted as Hardy did not seem to appreciate all these then.
In capturing childhood innocence,the language follows the same simplicity.The description indetail and dramatic as Hardy tries to recall and imprint details once again on his mind.The use of here at the beginning of the stanza one and in stanza two is to stress the monumental significance of his childhood home.Paralellism is also applied in stanza two to paint acorelation of harmony between his mother and father.Alliteration is used to help enhance the liveliness of childhood in glowed and gleam.As in most Hardy's poems,the past is often glamorized and appreciated over the present.
commentry on thomas hardy's poems.
QUESTION:DISCUSS THE WAYS HARDY EXPRESSES HIS APPRETIATION OF NATURE IN TWO POEMS YOU HAVE STUDIED?
Answer:The two poems that I have chosen are both by Thomas Hardy:both the poems are related to nature.The first poem which is related to nature is "In Tenebris 1". The poem picks up winter and explores all its negative sides as it relates to human.THe first stanza is related to death not being able to kill twice.
The second stanza picks flower as a symbol of beauty and the impact of winter on it.The dread of winter makes flower petals flee.The experience of severing of flowers which also translates to withering of beauty only happens once,so it does not leave any impact on the person.
The third stanza explores the impact of winter on birds which are symbolic of creative works.Birds faint in dread.
The fourth stanza of this poem relates to leaves which are symbolic of changeability of friends' loyalty.The consolation of hardy is that if he doesn't have any friends,the possibility of being betrayed by any friend is almost nil,so he is beyond the harming effect of winter.
The fifth stanza mocks the power of winter as it is compared to Tempests,which despite its power of force can only manage the scath.The last stanza ends on a conclusive notes as it present winter as a symbolic of death.
Lots of imagery which is related to nature are also used by Hardy in this poem,like "Flowers-petals flee","Birds faint in dread","Frost's black length" and "Tempests may scath".
The imageries are mainly drawn from nature,using personifications mostly to present their reactions to the impact of winter.ne strong vehicle of the poem is the use of symbolism in words like flower,Birds,leaves,black etc.The poet also employs neologisms in words like unhope and bereavement-pain to stress the level of negativivity that winter causes.The simple and regular rhyme scheme abba of the poem mirrors its simplicity.The pervading subject of winter somehow casts an atmosphere of gloom over the poem.Therefore,in this poem Thomas Hardy appreciates nature.
The other tpoem in which Hardy appreciates nature is "Beeny Cliff".The poem starts against the background of scenic wandering western sea which is referred as the Atlantic ocean,and Emma riding with so much freedom and excitement.The beauty of the scene is described from above on the Beeny Cliff.The time is summer in March.The experience is still being described in stanza 3,as the lovers are covered with a cloud followed by the rain and then the colourful background as the sun bursta out again.In the fourth stanza,the poet brings forth how he would wish for him and his lover to visit the same spot again and releive the experience of the past,especially the words shared.The last stanza draws a contrast between two situations,of the beauty of the spot where they share their experience and the irony of the fact that Emma would not be around and nor knows and nor cares for Beeny.
The themes of this poem is beauty of nature.The poem is built around the descriptive power of Hardy in using imagery to potray the beauty of nature.Examples related to this are"The opal and the sapphire","Wandering western sea"and "Waves...engrossed in saying their ceaseless babbling".Vocabulary words are chosen to convey a vivid sense of the beauty of nature.The power of colour especially its beauty is used in the poem in the nether sky,which means the lower sky that is the horizon.the others power of colour used are "clear-sunned March""Atlantic dyed","Purples prinked"which means the colour of the rainbow is changing.The poem has a regular rhyme scheme of aaa throughout the poem.each line is marked by end stop which is used to control the awe the person feels concerning the beauty around him.The caesura is the middle line of stanza5 is meant to draw attentionto the absence of Emma.
The use of alliteration in wild,weird western shore is to potray the awe-shaping and expansiveness of the beauty of nature.Though the theme of departure of death is introduced in the last stanza,it does not appear to becloud the beauty of nature expressed.Therefore,this is perhaps one poem where Hardy allows the sweet memory of Emma especially the nature-awed beauty of that experience to becloud his sense of loss.He is probably celebrating theenduring power of the beauty of nature as capable of erasing the grief of loss.
