Literary Analysis: The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Literary Analysis: The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Siddiqui
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Rainy Day” uses the themes of lost and renewed hope, youth and grief to show how much our past and future experiences affect our lives and how though we face multiple struggles in life we can overcome them. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born February 28th, 1807 and died March 24th, 1882. He was inspired to write poetry from Romanticism. Not only did he accomplish writing many pieces of poetry he was also a novelist. He wrote “The Rainy Day” in 1841 and wrote it in memory of his wife who had passed away in front of his eyes. Longfellow’s poems are mostly long but this was one of his few short poems. “The Rainy Day” was popular for the way Wadsworth had displayed his grief, he was not one to publicly grieve but through this poem we can most certainly understand his loss was at a great magnitude. There are many people who had agreed with these topics of renewed and lost hope, youth and change.
Hope is a part of fate. Fate is something we don’t know of. FOr Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, his fate had a large impact on his hope. He lost his wife and submerged under waves upon waves of grief. Through his grief he had made the poem “The Rainy Day” which had shown how he saw hope after his loss. At first he says “My life is cold, and dark, and dreary; / it rains and the wind is never weary;” (6-7). In these lines Longfellow shows how there is no hope and there is only darkness ahead, he enhances the feeling of loss and darkness by using imagery which has a more sorrowful effect. Through the rhyme and consistency of the rhymes he gives the impression that there is no hope and there never will be. Then contradicting these lines he later says, “Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; / Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;” (11-12). Through the use of rhyme and positive connotation and imagery Longfellow explains that in the end, above all the dark clouds the
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Rainy Day” uses the themes of lost and renewed hope, youth and grief to show how much our past and future experiences affect our lives and how though we face multiple struggles in life we can overcome them. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born February 28th, 1807 and died March 24th, 1882. He was inspired to write poetry from Romanticism. Not only did he accomplish writing many pieces of poetry he was also a novelist. He wrote “The Rainy Day” in 1841 and wrote it in memory of his wife who had passed away in front of his eyes. Longfellow’s poems are mostly long but this was one of his few short poems. “The Rainy Day” was popular for the way Wadsworth had displayed his grief, he was not one to publicly grieve but through this poem we can most certainly understand his loss was at a great magnitude. There are many people who had agreed with these topics of renewed and lost hope, youth and change.
Hope is a part of fate. Fate is something we don’t know of. FOr Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, his fate had a large impact on his hope. He lost his wife and submerged under waves upon waves of grief. Through his grief he had made the poem “The Rainy Day” which had shown how he saw hope after his loss. At first he says “My life is cold, and dark, and dreary; / it rains and the wind is never weary;” (6-7). In these lines Longfellow shows how there is no hope and there is only darkness ahead, he enhances the feeling of loss and darkness by using imagery which has a more sorrowful effect. Through the rhyme and consistency of the rhymes he gives the impression that there is no hope and there never will be. Then contradicting these lines he later says, “Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; / Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;” (11-12). Through the use of rhyme and positive connotation and imagery Longfellow explains that in the end, above all the dark clouds the
Bibliography: Fynn, Caroline. "Poetry Review the Rainy Day by H W Longfellow." 29 June 2013: n. pag. Print. Guest. "Re: Rainy Day, The Analysis." Weblog comment. Elite Classic Skills. Google, 8 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2013. "Poems "Rain In Summer" & "The Rainy Day" (Summary Included)." Web log post.Benign Blog. Talal, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. "The Rainy Day - A Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - American Poems." The Rainy Day - A Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - American Poems. N.p., 18 Mar. 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.