A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth

Theme:
Grief and Mortality

In the poem, “A Slumber did my Spirit Seal”, the themes of grief and mortality comes to life. It
brings to light the pain of the author due to his beloved’s death. The author, William Wordsworth
expresses his love for a mysterious woman. The speaker marvels over the strangeness of his
beloved's death. He lived in a deep delusional slumber and was not prepared for this day to
come. When he finally comes to acceptance of this harsh reality of mortality, he can hardly wrap
his head around the fact that her body is now as inert as the rocks, and stones, and trees after
having always seen her as young and vibrant.
In the first stanza, the poet explains that his soul had drifted into deep “slumber” as he did not
have any realization of the truth. He had taken life for granted and had never thought that one
day death would take his beloved away from him. When she was taken away, he could not bear
the loss. The poet looks back with wonder on a time when his now-dead beloved was alive. Back
then, he reflects, he had no ‘human fears’ of death, feeling that his beloved, always young and
vibrant was somehow beyond ‘the touch of earthly years.’ He believed that she would not age
with the passing of years, barely acknowledging mortality despite death's inevitability.
In the second stanza, the poet accepts the truth that his beloved is no more. She is motionless,
lifeless. She cannot see nor hear. She is buried within the earth. She will assimilate into the earth
and rotate along. One day she will become one with the rocks, stones and trees that are a part of
the Earth. Here, the author is referring to the process of decomposition. When any living
creature dies, its body decomposes.
 On Killing A Tree by Gieve Patel
Theme:
Man v/s Nature… The poet throws light on the cruelty of man in killing trees… Killing a tree is
equivalent to killing oneself… the endurance and vitality of life.
Stanza 1 - The poet highlights that killing a tree is a time-consuming process. A full-grown tree
cannot be killed by a simple jab of a knife. A sudden rough blow will do nothing to the tree
because it has grown up strong slowly consuming the Earth. Its roots have grown deep into the
earth’s crust After years of receiving sunlight, water, and air for the process of photosynthesis,
the tree becomes mature and leaves sprout from the discolored bark of the tree.

Metaphor – Leprous Hide – There is a comparison drawn between the discolored bark of a tree
to the skin of a person suffering from leprosy.
Stanza 2 - The poet again highlights that killing a tree is a time-consuming process. A tree cannot
be killed by hack and chop alone. It would do nothing to an enormous tree. It will endure all the
pain but the tree would continue to live. The bleeding bark would heal and curled green twigs
will start growing and rise into small saplings. They will rise because the tree revives itself as
long as its roots are intact. If they are unchecked, they will again grow back to their normal and
formal size, illustrating the tree's inherent strength and capacity to recover from damage.

Metaphor and Alliteration – Bleeding bark – There is a comparison drawn between the bleeding
of an injured person to an injured bark of a tree.
Stanza 3 - The poet once again confirms and emphasizes with, ‘No’ that a full-grown tree cannot
be cut with a simple knife or through hack and chop. He now describes how a tree can actually
be killed. He explains that for killing a tree, the roots have to be pulled out from the anchoring
Earth. He says that the tree has to be entirely pulled out with a rope and chopped into pieces.
And once, a tree is separated from the Earth Cave, the interior of the Earth, the roots which are
the source, are white and wet are exposed. As the roots are the strength of the tree, the tree loses
its strength.
Anchoring Earth – Trees are held securely with the help of the roots in the Earth.
Earth Cave – The interior of the Earth
Stanza 4 - Once uprooted, the tree gradually withers up and dies with the action of heat and wind
(Conveyed through “Then the matter of scorching and choking in the sun and air”) The trunk
will become brown, get twisted, harden and finally die. Now the tree is killed completely and
nothing is left.
 No Men Are Foreign by James Kirkup [Free Verse]

Theme:
Universal Brotherhood and Equality of Mankind
In the first stanza, the poet reminds the readers that no men are strange, and no country is
foreign. He wishes to remove the borders from the Earth, which have been erected to separate
different countries, so everyone can move around freely. The poet wants convey that the entire
Earth is one and all the people who live on this Earth belong to one human race. No one is
strange or different. Inside the uniforms worn by soldiers of different countries, the human
bodies are the same and all breathe in the same way. All the soldiers and men are our brothers.
The land on which men of other countries walk is similar to the other and upon our death, shall
lie in the grave in the same Earth.
In the second stanza, the poet says that ‘they’, people from other countries, also have the same
sun, air and water. This means that God does not differentiate between people and treats
everyone equally. During the time of peace and war, all are affected in the same way. At the time
of peace, everyone eats food, relaxes and enjoys their life [‘Peaceful Harvests’ – Transferred
Epithet]. Similarly, during war, they suffer bad times and starve [‘war’s long winter starv’d’].
The ‘lines’ in our hands can show one’s destiny and hard work. So, the poet conveys that all of
us have the same hands. We all have similar destinies and labor, and we all work hard to earn
our livelihood.
In the third stanza, the poet reminds us that the people of other countries have eyes similar to us
that wake and sleep. They also have the strength that can be won by peace and love.
Everywhere on the land, life which is universally the same, can be recognized and understood as
our body parts functions in a similar way. When we recognize it, we will understand that all
human beings share the same kind of traits and feelings.
In the fourth and fifth stanza, the poet says that whenever we are told to hate a person of another
country and think of him as our enemy, then we are depriving, cheating and condemning
ourselves. We should not consider anyone to be our enemy. He further says that we should not
pick up weapons and indulge in war. Human beings spoil or defile the earth with their hate.
They are destroying the purity and innocence with the fire of war. The smoke which comes out
through the weapons fills the air we breathe with dust. He finally repeats, ‘no men are foreign,
and no countries strange,’ to emphasis that we are all the same [Refrain].
 The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler

Theme:
1. Nature v/s City Life
2. Nature and Renewal
3. Memory and Nostalgia
4. Escapism from the Mundane
The poet is longing escapism from the monotony. He wants to leave the mundane and seek inner
peace and tranquility at the Lake Isle of Innisfree. He is desperate and restless to leave his boring
city life, experience tranquility away in Innisfree and looks forward to a renewal. Even though
the poet spent his boyhood days at Innisfree, a place that is uninhabited, Innisfree is a state of
mind rather than a place.
Stanza 1 –
The poet is longing to escape to Innisfree and emphasizes on this desire to go [Repetition – ‘go’].
In this stanza, he states all that he wishes to have at Innisfree. He will build a small cabin with
the help of clay. He will make the walls of the rooms with small sticks. He will grow nine rows
of the bean and will also have a honeybee comb from which he can collect fresh honey. He will
live alone in silence and peace with the buzzing of bees. We can observe that poet is a minimalist
and don’t wish for too much.
Stanza 2 –
The poet states that he feels peace on Innisfree island. Further, he says that in the morning, when
the clouds cannot be seen clearly, it appears as if the morning has worn a cover. As the clouds
clear, it would seem as though the ‘veils of the morning’ are dropping which brings inner peace
to the poet. This scene makes him feel more serene. He says that he enjoys the morning song of
the cricket insect. At midnight, the twinkling and glimmer in the sky gives him immense
pleasure. In the afternoon, the purple glow of the sunlight makes him feel happy, and in the
evening, he enjoys the music, produced by the linnet birds flying in the sky
Stanza 3 –
The poet restates his desperate desire to go to Innisfree. He can feel the call and the low sounds
of shore from the island deep in his heart while standing in the city, on the ‘roadways’ or
‘pavements grey’.
 A Legend of Northland by Phoebe Cary
Theme:
1. Consequence of Greed
2. Value of Kindness and Compassion
The legend teaches us not to be greedy and that we should possess the qualities of kindness and
empathy. The theme of the poem explains that those who don’t have kindness and compassion
for others do not deserve to be loved and will face consequence. One must not get greedy in the
lust of possessing more materialistic pleasures and comfort in life. We must treat everyone with
empathy and should understand others' plight. Those who are selfless and help others are always
rewarded by the almighty, whereas those who are greedy and don't care about others have to face
the consequences too.
The Legend of Northland is a ballad type of poem by Phoebe Cary, that narrates a legend of an
old lady who angered Saint Peter because of her greed.
The story is set away in the northland, where days are few, and nights are very long. Here in the
north pole, they harness the reindeer to the sledges when it snows and children wear furry
clothes, which make them look like bear cubs, to keep themselves warm. The parents and elders
referred to as ‘they,’ tell them a strange and curious story, which may not be true but it may
teach us a lesson.
Once, Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, lived on earth and walked around, preaching, as
usual. While travelling, he came across a cottage, where a little woman was making cakes and
baking them on the hearth. Saint Peter was famished and weak as he was fasting. The day was
almost done, so he asked her from the store of cakes, to give him a piece. So, she made him a
little cake. However, while the cake was baking, she felt the cake was too large to give away.
This brings to light the woman lacked compassion and kindness. So, she kneaded a cake smaller
than the previous. Yet, it looked as big as the first one when turned over. The selfish lady takes a
tiny scrap of dough and rolled it flat and baked it as thin as wafer. But that did not satisfy her.
Her greediness is portrayed in a strong manner. She then said, “My cakes that seem too small
when I eat them myself large are yet too large to give away,” and places them on the shelf.
The lack of compassion and kindness, and the little woman’s selfishness angered Saint Peter,
who was starving due to fast. He said, “You are far too selfish to dwell in a human form, to have
both food and shelter , and fire to keep you warm. Now, you shall build as the birds do, and shall
get your scanty food by boring, and boring, and boring, all day in the hard, dry wood.” Then
without another word, she went up the chimney and turned into a woodpecker. She had a ‘scarlet
cap’ and her clothes were burned. Every country schoolboy has seen her in the wood, boring for
food all day.
 Wind by Subramania Bharati
Theme:
Embracing the Power of Adversities
In the poem, ‘Wind’ by Subramania Bharati, the wind has been personified and is metaphorical
to our adversities of life. It begins with the poet requesting the wind to come softly and be gentle.
He requests the wind to not scatter the papers, throw down the books from the shelf. Despite his
repeated request, the wind comes in with great force and ruins everything. It tears the pages of
the books. It brings rain again. It causes a lot of destruction with houses, doors, wood, bodies,
lives and hearts shattered and crumbling.
This captures the destructive aspect of the wind and the obstacles of our life. These forces can
destroy nearly anything in its path, especially the weak. Our adversities don’t come with our
permission. It ‘pokes fun at the weaklings’, shatters lives and separates the weak from the strong
like how the wind god winnows.
So, the poet says to build strong homes, firm door, and make our heart steadfast. He tells us to
befriend the wind and brings to light the constructive aspect of the wind. It blows out weak fires
and makes strong fires flourish. Similarly, we should praise our hardships. Instead of being
weak, we should firm our body and overcome our challenges with grit, courage and
determination. Friendship with our hardships can make us bolder and stronger than before. We
must look at it as a creator, that flourishes strength rather than a destroyer.
This poem leaves a note to humanity to stand strong and embrace the power of adversity. To
highlight the aspects of wind, there is a change in the poet’s mood from critical, sad and angry to
encouraging everyone to be strong and bold
 The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Theme:
Making choices and uncertainty in life
The poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’, by the poet, Robert Frost, revolves around the theme of
‘making choices and uncertainty in life’ teaches us that in life we have to take decisions wisely
and carefully. Otherwise we may end up putting our life in danger. We must embrace our
individuality and avoid indecisions. The choices we take now influence our future.
In the poem, the poet finds himself in a forest before two roads “diverging” into the woods with
no directions to help him find his way. He faces a situation of uncertainty. He must choose one
of the roads as he cannot travel both. The roads looked just the same but the poet chooses the
road that would perhaps be a better “claim.” It was “Grassy” and “wanted wear.” He thought he
would keep the other choice for another day, but he was aware that one cannot take the same
decision again. So, with a sigh of regret, he says that ‘ages’ later, he would tell others about the
decision he took, where he selected the path not many would have chosen, and that has all made
the difference to him.
Similarly, in our life, we are faced with decisions, with no signs or directions to guide us all the
time. When we get to make a choice, we do not get a second chance as one decision just leads to
another. In haste, we take a decision without carefully thinking and put our life in danger. Then,
only our future can reveal to us whether the decision we took was right.
 Rain on the roof by Coates Kinney [Lyric]
Theme: Recollection of lost memories and nostalgia
Poem type: Lyric poem (use of onomatopoeia and imagery).
First Stanza: The moisture-laden clouds, described as “humid shadows,” cover the stars,
referred to as “starry spheres,” in the “melancholy darkness” of the night sky. As it begins to
rain, the sad darkness is wiped away by the rain. It seems as though the sky is gently weeping
tears of raindrops. The poet is in bliss while he lies on his bed in his room, listening to the patter
of rain and pressing his pillow. There are mixed emotions of bliss and sadness.
Figures of Speech: Personification, Transferred epithet, Alliteration, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia
Second Stanza: In this stanza, the poet says that every tinkle on the roof shingles has an echo in
his heart. The sound of the rain on the roof repeats in his heart. These sounds bring different
imaginations and dreams to the poet. He also recollects many memories of the past in the form of
dreams. All his thoughts are woven together like "air threads." He uses hyperbole ("thousand") to
exaggerate the number of memories and recollections and compares them to being woven
together like air-threads. He says that as he listens to the patter of the rain upon the roof, he has
many new dreams in his mind and the memories of the past come back in the form of dreams.
Figures of Speech: Metaphor, Alliteration, Hyperbole, Onomatopoeia
Third Stanza: The stanza also depicts the sorrow of losing one’s mother. His love for his caring,
warm and endearing mother is clear from these lines. While listening to the soft patter of the rain
on his roof, many imaginations, dreams, and recollections begin to come into his mind. This
includes the memory of his mother who is no longer alive. In the past, she used to would love
him a lot. She would watch her ‘darling dreamers’ sleep. The poet can still feel that his mother
is looking at him as he listens to the song made by the raindrops falling on the rooftop of his
room. The sound of the rain makes him go to sleep just like his mother would. That is why the
poet is moved by the sound of the raindrops on the shingles of his room. Whenever he hears this
sound it brings back memories of the past and he is reminded of his mother.