TO SLEEP
REVIEW OF THE POEM “TO SLEEP”
William Wordsworth’s poem “To Sleep” tells us the importance of having sound sleep in our life. The Poet is very confident that sleep will help us to remain mentally and physically fit. He wants sleep to visit him and bless him.
The poem is a sonnet of fourteen lines with a strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm. He begins the poem by describing peaceful pastoral scene. He gives a list of things in nature. The flock of sheep sets the mood of the poem. This really creates a cheerful and jolly mood. All the other images created by the poet in the beginning are the images of calmness. He is optimistic to think that all the peaceful images in the nature will help him to get a sound sleep.
The second stanza intensifies the sadness of the mood. He could hear the melodies of the small birds and the sad song of the cuckoo. The bird’s cry is personified and it seems to the poet as a sad cry. The cries are negatively presented here because it reminds the poet that morning comes soon.
The melancholy mood is further intensified in the third stanza. The poet shares his feeling that he can’t win sleep by any stealthy means. He says that he has already spent two sleepless nights. He wishes to win sleep the third night. Hence his prayer, “do not let me wear tonight away”.
The last stanza makes a difference in the mood. He thinks about the wealth and happiness that sleep will bring. He attributes all the morning’s glory, freshness of thoughts and the joyous health to sleep. He makes a prayer in the end, “come blessed barrier between day and day”. Thus the poem ends with a note of prayer.
This poem is really helpful for the readers to have a better view of life by living close to nature. The poet highlights the positive aspects of sound sleep. It appeals everyone as it is the real issue faced by men. It gives a number of thoughtful ideas. The tone of the poem is very serious as it deals with the philosophy of life. The philosophical statement, ‘Without Thee, what is all the morning’s wealth’ is worth to study.
The poet employs many poetic devices to highlight the theme of the poem very clearly. Alliteration is abundantly used eg. Flock, leisurely (‘l’sound), bees, sheets, smooth (‘s’ sound) and ‘stealth, wealth’(th). Assonance is used in bees, seas, trees etc. We can see metaphor also in attributing sleep as mother and barrier. Personification can be seen in “win thee”. True oxymoron is used in ‘blessed barrier’. The rhyme scheme used here is abba,abba, cdc, dcd.
Although the poem treats a simple theme, it has a deeper insight and philosophy of life. Modern people are interested to do everything instantly. They want to have sleep instantly by swallowing sleeping pills. This poem is really an answer to the problems of the modern people.
William Wordsworth's poem “To Sleep” tells us the importance of having sound sleep in our life. The Poet is very confident that sleep will help us to remain mentally and physically fit. He wants sleep to visit him and bless him. The poem is a sonnet of fourteen lines with a strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm
إرسال تعليق