Nobody Comes Flashcards
Rhyme scene? Any effect?
ABBCDCD EFFGEGE As if the third verse (A) is missing, inconsistent.
Context for nobody comes
A man is standing alone along a road, no one stops for him. Nothing momentous happens. a car comes past. Then he describes darkness. Hardy is waiting for his wife.
Quotes relating to nature:
“Tree leaves labour up and down”
“And through them the fainting light:”
“Succumbs to the crawl of night”
“Tree leaves labour up and down”
‘labour’ denotes physical work anf manual labour. It has conotations to the industrial revolution, a common theme with Hardy’s poems, and a contrast to nature. Nature is being taken over by the revolution. It has connotations to slavery as if nature is a slavery to the revolution. Leaves ‘labour[ing]’ creates an image that the leaves are enervated and tired representing the exhaustion of nature.
This shows Hardy’s subconscious thoughts and observations in all the time that he is waiting for his wife as nature is a clear theme although it has little to do with the actual context of the poem.
“And through them the fainting light”
‘Fainting’ conveys how the light is dying, or weak; linking to the ‘sun’ in darkling thrush as it described as the ‘weakening eye of day’ and in Neutral tones. Insinuates natures exhaustion.
Light is literally a form of energy, yet this personified light seems to have none. This can simply be describing the setting of the sun again, implying he has been waiting for a while, backed up by the “darkening land” quote in the next stanza. It is also representative of his hope that someone will arrive.
“Succumbs to the crawl of night”
The word “Succumbs” and ‘Crawl’ have connotations with a sinister and eerie atmosphere. “Crawl” is quite animalistic. It is also quite slow again showing how long he has to wait as “crawl” is quite a slow action, as it has connotations of animals slowly approaching their prey. The “fainting” light “succumbs” so the night like it is scared prey.
It has connotations with death, dying, hunting, lurking
Maybe linked to his mind playing tricks on him as he waits
Quotes for industrialisation?
“Outside in the road the telegraph wire to the town from the darkening land”
“Intones to travelers like a spectral lyre swept by a spectral hand”
“Outside in the road the telegraph wire to the town from the darkening land”
‘Darkening land’ literally just means the setting of the sun but also represents the past, the ‘town’ represents the rapidly developing future. The focus is now on the ‘town’ anymore, the ‘land’ is become ‘dark’ and unknown.
The ‘telegraph wire’ links together the past and future.
Enjambment (line ends) echoes length of wire and it’s movement through time - it also increases pace as though technology is developing too quickly.
“Intones to travelers like a spectral lyre swept by a spectral hand”
Sibilance of ‘s’ adds to ghostlike effect, especially as it is on words like spectral which mean ghostlike. Romantic connotations of ‘lyre’, relevant as he is waiting for his wife.
Obviously there is not actually a ‘spectral hand’ but often as you wait sounds will distract you, in this case the hum of a telephone wire is taking his mind of waiting and becoming a ‘lyre’. Hardy feels slightly scared his mind is playing tricks on him. ‘spectral’ means ghostly, this makes the ghostly presence stronger and more dominant in Hardy’s thoughts though he may be trying to distract himself with the humming.
‘Hand’ has connotations with God, however it is ‘spectral’ making the image negative.
All these different connotations represent how many thoughts are flowing through his head as he waits patiently, this shows his anxiety.
Quotes relating to isolation:
“Whangs along in a world of it’s own”
“Leaving a blacker air:”
“A car comes up with lamps full glare”
“mute by the gate I stand again alone”
“nobody pulls up there”
“Whangs along in a world of it’s own”
“blacker air”
Dismissive tone.
He shows his dislike of cars as “whangs” is an active, onomatopaic word that makes the car seem clumzy and somewhat childish as it is a made up word. Maybe he feels childish for having hope that this might be the car.
As if the car, representing all machinery, is unaware of the ‘blacker air’ it is leaving behind, it is in a “world of its own”. This has connotations with carelessness and the point is machines aren’t in a world of their own, their in this world and Hardy is personifying them as if they don’t care about it. Really it is as if humans don’t care about the world for making the machines, another way Hardy is isolated; his opinions.
“world of its own” can imply how Hardy feels. Small in a huge world by himself. “blacker air” has connotations with the loneliness that surrounds him with the realisation that no one will come.
“full-glare”
Also how Hardly will be looking at it to see if his wife is in it.
instensely staring.
“And mute by the gate I stand again alone”
His only chance of hope drove away.
“mute” is soundless which is quite ominous, there should always be some sound in the air in nature. You never know what to expect which makes you very alert.
Though the reader knows he is thinking all these things he is “mute” making his powerless.
“And nobody pulls up there”
A ghostly absense, relating back to previous themes with the ‘spectral hand’.
As it is a final sentence it is like Hardy should have known all along that no one would come, he is mocking himself as it has all been about nothing.
the start of the sentence “and” is as if he already realised it as the car left, and he is just confirming for himself, again mocking. In the real life context this would have sort of confirmed Hardy’s suspicions that his wife is having an affair with his brother after having a tumor removed.
Very isolated end.
