The Widow's Lament in Springtime

#12

In this poem, the season of Spring is portrayed again, but not really in the same way. This widow used to love Springtime, but ever since her husband has passed, it could almost be considered a haunting season for the widow. Even though this is a rather depressing poem, there are many symbols in it. The woman is in her yard in the poem. Her yard is a confined area which represents her familiar sorrow. The widow's son tells her about a meadow with beautiful white flowers, but there was a woods in between the meadow and her yard. The meadow represents a peaceful and unfamiliar place with no boundaries. This is a place for her to move on and get away from her sorrows, but first she must go through the woods. This forest is symbolic of the rough times she will have to go through to reach the peaceful meadow. Lastly, I believe the white flowers are a symbol of her husband in her life. These white flowers are found on a plum tree in her yard where all of her memories are with her husband. Also, her son speaks of white flowers in the meadow in the distance. This means that even if she moves on away from her sorrows, her husband will always be with her.

Spring

#11

I particularly like this poem. Spring is a season that I believe everyone should enjoy because who doesn't like to start over fresh and new after a dark cold winter? In this poem, I believe Hopkins' use of alliteration is very clever and wise. When I began reading this poem, the emphasized syllables beginning with the same letter gave a nice sound to the poem. It was almost a pure and precious sound. This is how the season of Spring should be portrayed. Spring is a time for new beginnings and nature is one of the best examples of this fresh start. His imagery is so clear here that I could actually create a vivid picture of an open field with flowers, trees, leaves, weeds and racing lambs.