Solitude

• About Ella Wheeler Wilcox


  American poet who was commercially successful due to her accessible and easily understood writing. Wrote very emotionally for the time period
• Tone of the poem


  Cynical
• What is the poem about?

  judging people for not wanting to be around people who are struggling/lonely/sad
• First two stanzas deal with


  the attitude, behaviour and actions adopted in life
• Last stanza deals with

  death
• Rhyme pattern


  abcbdefe...
• The poem is built on ... and ...

  opposites, contrasts
• What is the effect of the regular beat due to the rhyme and stressed syllables?


  causes the reader to pause at telling moments
• What is mirth?


  high spirits and amusement, especially expressed in laughter
• What does bound mean?


  to resound
• What does nectared mean?


  sweet, enjoyable
• What is gall?


  a bitter substance
• What is train?

  a retinue of attendants accompanying an important person
• What example of synecdoche can you identify in line 1?


  "The world" -> a whole representing a part -> people in society
• Identify three examples of personification in stanza 1


  -"world laughs"

  -"sad old earth"

  -"hills will answer"
• What does the word, "borrow" (line 3), imply about the nature of "mirth"?


  This implies that mirth (happiness, laughter etc) is not consistent/it is temporary. You do not own it, it is seen as a valuable possession when you do "borrow it"
• How does the internal rhyme in line 7 emphasise the point made in this line?


  This internal rhyme is an echo itself because the "-ound" is repeated/echoed. This further emphasises the "joyful" and cheerful sound. This is assonance; "ou". This reinforces the echo
• Which lines in this stanza best convey the idea that "the approach and attitude you have to the

  world will be reflected back at you"? Give reasons for your answer.


  Lines 1 and 2 and lines 5 and 6 because if you give something positive to the world such as laughter in line 1 and singing in line 2, you will receive a positive response from the world (society), for example the world will "laugh with you" and the "hills will answer", but the opposite is true for if you give something negative into the world such as weeping in line 2 and sighing in line 6, you will receive a negative response
• Express the line "They want full measure of all your pleasure" (11) in

  your own words

  Society only wants to be exposed and engaged in all the positive aspects of your life -> "full measure" means society wants to be a part of all the good/positive aspects of "all your pleasure" referring to happiness etc
• What do the words "want" and "full" imply about the nature of

  humanity?


  These words imply that humanity is greedy and expects the most of all the positive aspects of life
• Give examples of what would be considered "life's gall" (line 16)


  The "gall" refers to the gall bladder where all the bitter bile sits, therefore this refers to the hardships and bitter experiences in life, such as loneliness or loss
• What frightening truth does the speaker reveal in line 20? How would

  you describe the tone of this line?

  The speaker reveals that ultimately in the end you will die and no one can go through that with others, it is a lonely experience. The tone is sombre
• Why do you think "pain" is experienced through "narrow isles" (line 24)?


  Aisle - like in theatre

  Isle - like an island with sea on either side

  This suggests that nobody can fit in the narrow aisles/isles despite them surrounding you (like the sea of an island) and that there are times in your life where nobody can assist you in this pain
• Theme


  Difficult reality. Happiness and pain
• Devices used to express theme


  Antithesis eg laugh whether you are glad or sad
• Tone


  It is reflective or sincere. Looking back