Winter Flashcards
“The year”
From the beginning this poem is about the effect of the passage of time
“Goes”
Repetition of goes and gone are references to the passing of time and also creates a negative tone
“Dies” “decay”
WC reminds the reader of aging and dying
“A ghost”
Metaphor- describing a beautiful swan as a ghost creates a dark tone and reminds the reader of death
“Ice appears, it holds”
The ice is something cold and without life which survives when other things leave or decay
“Stand around surprised”
The gulls are surprised to be standing in water - winter is something that is unexpected and unwelcoming
“Swan-white Ice”
Complicated imagery. First reference is to colour yet the second reference is to devoid of colour which shows that the colour disappears leaving a world that is no longer vibrant or full of colour
“After many summer dyes”
Refers to the colours of summer but again reinforces the idea of death
“Dearest blues”
WC dearest shows that it is something that is loved/important which reinforces the idea that the world is devoid of colour
“Poets would find it”
This offers some hope that memory and creativity can remember the world with colour and vibrancy yet in this poem Morgan is unable to find any colour.
“I”
First mention of the narrator which reinforces the idea of humans being passive and unable to act
“Escapes into breath”
Suggestion of last breath highlights the them of death
“Fades”
Repetition of fades shows that the activity and life is trailing off into nothing
“The woods that fall, decay and break”
All that is left is the trees but even they are declining as showed by the list
“Shouts run off”
Personification- humans in the poem have been reduced to mere noise
“Disappear”
Word disappear creates an empty feeling to the poem
“Out to the west”
Has connotations of things finishing and leaving as the sun sets in the west
“In my room”
Even in his small space the darkness and negative mood is affecting him
“I do not know”
The poet is vulnerable and helpless he cannot know death
“That nothing sees”
You cannot know death and yet is inevitable. Poem ends with a bleak nihilistic tone
What are the main themes of the poem?
-The poem uses the image of a frozen pond to reflect the nature of death and the relentless passage of time
-it explores the paradox that death is something that is certain and yet we cannot know what death is like
- nihilistic tone - a nihilist is a person that believes life is meaningless
- pathetic fallacy attributing human emotions to an object or thing in this case the weather
- winter is a time where things decay and hibernate so it suits the poems theme and mood
“When stakes take over”
It is the stakes and not the boys who are in charge - shows how passive humans are in this poem
“As the last lamps go too”
Life is leaking from the scene artificial (human light) also leaves
“Grey dead pane”
Ice is a barrier that separates living and the dead and the colour is lifeless not vibrant
