Rain - Edward Thomas Flashcards
What theme is shown by the speaker’s possible death?
Inevitability of death
What theme is shown through the speaker being alone?
The comfort of solitude
What does the lack of rhyme structure represent?
The chaos of nature and war
What is the effect of the poem’s metrical pattern?
It is reminiscent of the sound of rain
What tense is the poem written in?
Present tense
Why is the present tense important in the poem?
It helps the reader visualise the scene and feel the speaker is still in the war
How does the speaker’s unknown fate affect the poem?
It makes the poem feel unfinished
What does the phrase “remembering again” suggest?
The speaker has thought about his mortality and death before.
What does the blunt statement “I shall die” show?
War has made the speaker accept death and stripped him of subtlety.
What does the speaker blocking out the sound of rain suggest?
His thoughts are intense, possibly showing shellshock.
What does “washing me cleaner than I have been” mean literally and figuratively?
Literally: cleans dirt. Figuratively: like baptism, cleansing sin.
What does the word “born” in line 6 suggest?
The war has changed the speaker completely—rebirth into a new world.
What theme is shown in “Blessed are the dead that the rain rains upon”?
Death as a form of peace or salvation.
How does the line about being “born” next to the line about death create an effect?
It uses juxtaposition to show the speaker sees himself as already among the dead.
What idea is introduced with the word “pray”?
The theme of religion and seeking comfort in God.
What does the word “once” in “none whom once I loved” suggest?
He has become numb and desensitised to love due to war.
Why doesn’t the speaker want anyone “Solitary, listening to the rain”?
He doesn’t want anyone to suffer like he is.
What do the phrases “in pain” or “in sympathy” show?
The speaker is in pain and doesn’t want others to suffer too.
What does “Helpless among the living and the dead” show?
The speaker feels stuck between life and death—lost and broken.
