Talk:Poems That Every Child Should Know/The Rainbow

Analysis

Wordsworth expresses his desire to be a part of the rainbow and its magnificence. 'So was it when my life began;�So is it now I am a man;�'This line insinuates that Wordsworth found life to be beautiful and still believes so to this day. 'So be it when I shall grow old,�Or let me die!�'Wordsworth claims that he would rather die than lose his wonder of the world.'The Child is father of the Man;'.This line suggests that the child produces the man. The man is made from childhood experiences.'And I could wish my days to be�Bound each to each by natural piety'. Wordsworth hopes that he will always appreciate the wonders of nature throughout his life.

Type, Rhyme and Theme

• This poem is a lyrical ballad

• The rhyme scheme in this poem is A B C C A B C D E

• The theme of this poem is the appreciation of nature and the idea of Romanticism

Literary Devices

• Paradox- most important concept in this poem

line 7- “The Child is father of the Man” Wordsworth is seeing nature as if he were a child again, and it makes him happy to see the natural wonders of the world, rather than the man made ones.

Symbolism

• The concept of the rainbow can be construed as hope, promises or even a fulfilled dream.
• Some cultures believe that the rainbow is a bridge to the afterlife, one for dead heroes to cross to reach paradise, or Valhalla.
• The poem as a whole is symbolic of the beauty of nature and Romanticism

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