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Wordsworth
It’s difficult to imagine Wordsworth’s poetry without connotations to nature and the
natural life. The poem is a picture of rustic life and its poignant beauty. The speaker
recounts his experience of chancing upon a humming maiden who was reaping crops
alone. It strikes one as uncommon. It begs the question, why was the reaper alone?
Was it deliberate on the part of the poet? If so, what could his motives be? Perhaps the
reaper represents the human soul when it’s left to become one with nature. The
solitude in this poem is unique because we don’t know what the song actually means.
We, as readers, are not told if the song she’s singing is of hope or despair. However,
the plaintive tone may hint at a more somber subject. Perhaps this too was deliberate.
In this sense, we can trace a pattern between the solitude of the soul when left alone
with only nature or the natural world as companions. This is what lends the poem its
beauty and stirs the poet’s heart.
The poem is attuned to the realm of sounds, be it the ‘melancholy strain’ of the young
reaper or the sounds of various birds. In this sense, it is intensely rooted in the sensual
world. The ears become a strong channel to the heart and mind, and together they
create impressions that become unforgettable for the poet.
Fall appears as a theme as well as of critical importance. Fall or autumn signifies the
end of summer and beginning of winter. It’s a season of harvesting, but it’s also a
season of endings. Just as it brings joy in the form of harvest yet it also marks the
beginning of the end of the year. Metaphorically, it’s the last stage before death.
Death as a reaper with a sickle is a popular trope in literature and mythology. In this
case, the poem is representative of the inevitability of death.
The poem is also famously known as an anticipator of Keats’ ‘ode to Autumn’.
Poetic Devices
“O listen! for the Vale profound
And battles long ago:”- This is an example of a Metaphor. The ‘plaintive numbers’ or
the melancholy tunes of the solitary reaper are likened to a river that winds through
the field, even across the Hebrides dispensing the enchanting song of the young girl.
Rhyme Scheme:
Memory: This theme is one of the integral themes. Nature and memory are intrinsic to
each other in Wordsworth. Natural beauty and the moving melody leave strong
impressions on the poet’s memory. They acts as catalysts for the imagination and go
on to become the source of his inspiration for years to come.
Pastoral: ‘The Solitary Reaper’ has a pastoral aspect. The vast expanse of a harvest
field where a young maiden reaps the fruits of nature, all the while humming to
herself some exquisite song posits this poem in a pastoral frame. In this case, the
poem is instinctively a Romantic one. There are allusions to pastoral motifs like
harvesting, melancholy tunes, rural landscapes, birds of song (the nightingale, the
cuckoo).
Autumn/Fall: autumn or fall, also popularly known as the harvesting season, is one of
the themes of this poem. The poem centers on this important detail because the reason
for the young maiden to be out in the fields singing all by herself is because she is
immersed in the job of reaping.
Music: Music is of course a theme. The very melody the girl sings forms the main
subject of the poem. It fills the poem as the maiden’s song fills the vale with its lilting
tune.
Loneliness: One of the underrated themes of the poem is loneliness or solitude. The
solitary figure of the reaper strikes a lasting picture in this poem and the reason it has
a singular effect on the readers is because she is the only living person in the field. It
intensifies the focus on her and offers a contrast from the otherwise unpopulated area.
Sorrow/grief/sadness: The poem, like the song, has a touch of sadness. The sadness is
derived either from the solitude expressed in the poem or from the unknown subject
of the reaper’s song.