The River

Meaning of Stanzas:
Stanza 1
In stanza 1, the river is characterized as a wanderer, a nomad and a tramp.
The focus in stanza 1 is about the words wanderer, nomad and tramp. The river
is like a person; a wanderer who keeps on moving from one place to the other
without stopping at any particular place for long. Same goes to the river which
continues

flowing

and

never

stops.

Stanza 2
In stanza 2, the river is characterized as a winder. It keeps twisting and turning
and just can't seem to be able to keep still as if it does not rest or stops. Even
though there are valleys or hills upfront, the river will continue flowing by
adapting the surface of the Earth. It talks about the inability of the river to
remain

at

rest

like

child

who

is

unable

to

keep

still.

Stanza 3
In stanza 3, the river is portrayed as a hoarder. The river is like a person; a
hoarder who likes to accumulate or gather things which are well hidden or
guarded from others at its base or bottom.

Because when the river flows, it

wont stop to evade things which come across its way. The river will carry all the

things with it and bury them in the river bed. All the hidden things at the bottom
of

the

river

gives

it

mysterious

aura.

Stanza 4
In stanza 4, the river is pictured as a baby. The sound of running water of a river
is characterized as the sound of a baby gurgling, humming and sucking his
thumb. In addition, a babys voice sometimes can be too loud and sometimes it
can be too slow. Same goes to the river, whenever he goes fast down the stream
the sound is loud and when it comes to a more flat ground, the sound lessen and
sometimes

it

cannot

be

heard.

Stanza 5
In stanza 5, the river is portrayed as a singer seeing that the rivers movement
is significant to the movement of a singer on the stage. While moving, the river
moves with sounds and the sound of flowing water of the river resonates and is
heard

throughout

the

countryside.

Stanza 6
The river is said to be a monster which can cause massive destruction when it's
angry. Because, when the water level increases and the speed of the stream is
boosted, it will be a disaster that no one could stop it until it alleviate itself. It
shows how a calm river can turn into a destructive force of nature especially
during a flood which in turn can destroy properties and even cause death to
people.
Setting:
The poem is set in the countryside as the persona talks about the river, hills and
surrounding area.
Persona:
The voice used in the poem is a he, which is the third person pronoun.
The persona describes what he sees, feels and hears about the river.
Some of the descriptions relate to his lifes experiences and knowledge
about how a river flows, upstream to downstream.
The persona provides details about where the river starts, meandering
through the hills and valleys and finally, ending up in the sea or ocean.

 Apart from being gentle, the persona also warns that the river can be
destructive to both nature and Man.
Theme:
1.

The river is a natural source of water

The river is a natural source of water. It is an important element in the
water cycle.
It balances the ecosystem. Therefore, many living things depend on the
river to get their source of water.
Water is an important basic need for all living things. Many living things

2.

such as plants, animals and human beings will die without water.
The river is a natural source of life.
The river is also a natural source of life. It is considered to bury little
treasure that help to support living organisms such as animals, human
beings and plants.
On the other hand, when the river water overflows, the surrounding
areas are flooded. This natural phenomenon provides a rich source of
fertile soil to farmers to grow their crops as well as helps them to
irrigate their farms. This in turn provides us with different sources of

3.

food for our daily life.

The river causes natural disasters
In stanza 6, the poet warns that the river can at times cause natural
disasters.
Hence, the river described as a monster, hungry and vexed. This
usually happens when there is a heavy downpour which causes the
river to overflow its banks. It displays its power and rage as it gobbles
up or destroys and uproots trees.
Sometimes, the rivers wrath can be seen when lives, properties and

4.

livelihood is lost. This nothing than Man is unable to control.

Man has both positive and negative qualities
Man, like the river, has his positive and negative qualities
Therefore, we must accept people with their strength and
limitations.

Tone and mood

The general tone of the poem is rather philosophical.
At times the poem conveys a rather serious tone. On the other occasions,
the poet conveys the light, happy and gentle side of things where the river
is likened to being a singer that dances along, a carefree nomad and
tramp.
The poet also injects a mysterious tone into the poem when he describes
the river as having buried little treasures deep down the riverbed.

 All six stanzas describe the different moods and facets of the river. The
mood is contemplative, serious, deep and perceptive.
Moral

Values:
We must strive for stability in life.
We must value life experiences.
We should keep good memories in life and people close to us.
We should face our problems positively.
We should not destroy other people when facing challenges.
We should take care of our environment by not polluting our environment
and cutting down trees.

Lesson learnt
1.

2.

Appreciate the rivers

The river is a natural resource. Hence, we should appreciate and take
care of it.
The water from our rivers is used by animals, plants and human beings
to fulfil their basic needs.
Imagine life without water? Hence, we should not take the river for
granted. Apart from providing people water to drink, wash and clean, it
also generates electricity.
Protect the rivers
The river also supports life. Therefore, it is every citizens responsibility
to ensure that we do not pollute our rivers.
We must not throw rubbish, waste products and chemicals into rivers.
All efforts must be made to love and protect our rivers. If our rivers are
polluted, it will not be able to flow properly and this will result in flash
floods during heavy downpours.
This in turn will cause damage to all living things, farms and property.
Hence, we must learn to protect our rivers.