Rain Flashcards
What is the main theme of the poem? (Rain)
In this poem, the poet reflects on his solitude and also explores the possibility of his early death (he is a soldier in WW1), which is brought on by the incessant rain.
Paragraph 1? (Rain)
In the beginning of the poem, Edward Thomas focuses on his solitude and his own death.
Quotes for paragraph 1? (Rain)
‘rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain’
‘on this bleak hut, and solitude, and me’
‘since i was born into this solitude’
‘rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain’
Throughout the poem, it becomes clear that the rain gives way to contemplation of death
the growing tricolon shows the incessance and magnitude of the rain, mimicking his overwhelming and unavoidable thoughts of death
‘on this bleak hut, and solitude, and me’
the shrinking tricolon emphasises his loneliness, making him seem even more alone, emphasising his personal pain
‘since I was born into this solitude’
he describes his very existence as solitude, saying that life itself is lonely so solitude is unavoidable, showing his bleak and pessimistic outlook on life (perhaps death is a good thing then)
Paragraph 2? (Rain)
In the middle of the poem, Thomas focuses on death, particularly the negative sides, for him and the people he knows
Quotes for paragraph 2? (Rain)
‘but here I pray that none whom once I loved is dying’
‘dying to-night or lying still awake//solitary’
‘helpless among the living and the dead’
‘but here I pray that none whom once I loved is dying’
enjambment emphasises ‘loved’ and ‘is dying’
loved –> past tense, sees death as inevitable
‘dying to-night or lying still awake//solitary’
prays that no one he loves is dead or alone
sees solitude as almost as bad as death, showing his personal pain where he faces not only death but also extreme loneliness
‘solitary’ emphasised by enjambement
‘helpless among the living and the dead’
‘living and the dead’ –> shows that anyone can be feel solitude, suggesting that even death may not be relief to him because he will still be alone
‘helpless’ –> expresses his own feeling of helplessness
Paragraph 3? (Rain)
As the poem draws to a close, the poet looks at death with a slightly more positive outlook, creating a confusing conflict as to whether death would be a good or bad thing for him.
Quotes for paragraph 3? (Rain)
‘myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff’
‘like me who have no love which this wild rain has not dissolved except the love of death’
‘if love it be for what is perfect’
‘myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff’
‘broken reeds’ –> physically and morally weak
The reeds are a metaphor for dead people (‘still and stiff’ connotes images of corpses and death)
‘like me who have no love which these wild rain has not dissolved except the love of death’
the ‘rain’ has caused him to reflect so much on his solitude and pain that his love for life has been completely drained from him. He now only has a ‘love of death’ (emphasised by the pause that follows), making death seem like a relief and a good thing now
‘if love it be for what is perfect’
with the word ‘if’ the poet questions whether or not death is truly what he wants. this hesitation plays into the internal conflict of whether death is a good thing or not. perhaps when he says he wants death, he is simply trying to reassure himself so that his imminent death is less painful, given his previous stress about death.
Conclusion? (Rain)
‘cannot, the tempest tells me, disappoint’
caesura creates a sense of hesitation, showing his hesitation to accept death (does he really see it as a good thing)
the enjambment throughout the poem and the fact that it is two sentences long makes it feel like chaotic stream of consciousness, showing his mind falling in to a state of anxious despair.
