The Darkling Thrush Poem

The Power of Poetic Devices Towards the end of the 19th Century, Thomas Hardy composed, "The Darkling Thrush" which illustrates how happiness can be found amid dismay and gloom if one still has hope. Poetic devices strongly emphasize the author's message regarding the bleak isolation of the world and how hope can still remain. Techniques involving the choice of diction, atmosphere, and the change of mood demonstrate Hardy's implication as shown in "The Darkling Thrush". As the poem begins, the reader is stricken with ominous images, metaphors and a simile. A strong contrast used within a simile intensifies the underlying meaning portrayed by the author. Hardy's opening consists of a speaker leaning on a gate examining his surroundings as the old century draws to a close and a new one is about to emerge. The speaker comments by a simile that, "the tangled bine-stems scored the sky/Like strings from broken lyres". Strong distinctions of the stems being so twisted and warped immediately arouse the reader's visual imagery senses. The choice of the sinister diction allows for the comparison to stand out of its stanza, thus reinstating the importance of Hardy's atmosphere and mood. Not only can contrasts be used within similes to stress visual importance, but also the choice of comparison within a metaphor can strongly affect the reader's emotional response. The choice of comparing nature to a musical instrument was not by coincidence, but instead very intentional. When asked to describe nature, its connotation generally attributes to a peaceful and harmonic environment. Music as well is usually compared to a peaceful and relaxing repetition of notes. When Hardy compares the vines to broken lyre strings, nature's original cycle has been disrupted in the same way a song has been interrupted. Metaphors tied strong comparisons and also the use of alliteration can strengthen the mood of the poem. The simile used in the first stanza connotes strong alliteration of ‘s' sounds that easily slips off your tongue when reading it. This alliteration has excellent flow and the line jumps out of the page from its strong sounding phrasing. Comparing deteriorating nature with inert objects adds to the poems desolate atmosphere and captures the reader's attention. In addition, the second stanza states, "His crypt the cloudy canopy" which also emphasizes through the use of alliteration how nature is almost choking and suffocating whatever life that remains in this environment. The line suggests that sky is the door of the coffin which is slowly closing, capturing the earth forever. Poetic devices and also a strong sense of atmosphere continue to strengthen the author's technique to display messages of emotion and feeling. Visual imagery reinstates the author's feelings towards his subject, thus creating a more effective atmosphere. Hardy immediately incorporates death imagery into his piece whether it is the reference to the frost appearing, "spectre-gray" such as a ghost may appear, or how the land stretches like a corpse. The author continues to use such depressing images throughout the first two stanzas. Through the use of imagery and symbolism, significances can be found relating to the mood the author is trying to establish. In the first and second stanza, the reader is presented with cold and desolate imagery. Hardy not only uses comparisons to create this negative mood, but uses symbolism to state that not only is the day ending, but an era and century as well. Symbolism along with simple phrasing intensifies the author's atmosphere. In "The Darkling Thrush" the stanzas consist of short lines and powerful diction that leaves no room for avoiding the apparent message displayed. The author's "to the point" phrasing attracts the reader's attention in such a way that becoming lost while reading this poem is unavoidable. The diction is precise and very carefully chosen allowing for a prominent atmosphere to be created.
Hardy's change of mood in the last stanza makes way for a gleam of hope that the world has a chance to grasp. A change of attitude during the poem not only creates excitement but promotes a positive mind-set. As many would agree, any piece of literature that ends on a positive note generally becomes more appreciated and well-liked than a negative piece. Hardy incorporates spontaneity into his third stanza, changing the mood of the poem altogether. As the poem describes, from all the gloom the speaker is experiencing out comes a bird singing a hopeful song. This change of attitude is another effective technique Hardy uses to capture the reader's attention and excite his or her senses. Not only can a change in attitude stimulate the reader but also a change of diction. In the third stanza, dark and dreary imagery suddenly become joyous and uplifting images. The author specifically uses words such as "full-hearted" and "blast-beruffled" to express that not only has a cheery bird appeared from the dark woods, but also a change in the mood has quickly established. The diction is quick, short worded language that adds to the unprompted change. The change of diction and as well as the symbolism expressed in the 4th stanza generates an effective and worldly message. The theme expressed in this poem goes beyond noticing the emptiness of the land or how winter manages to suck the life out of nature. Hardy purposely imposes that although the speaker feels the new century to come will bring only more dismay, this bird's song reveals that hope is universal and can never fade away.
"The Darkling Thrush" captivates its audience through the use of poetic devices, doing so from his carefully chosen techniques involving diction, symbolism and his evident mood. Poetic devices strongly emphasize the author's message regarding the bleak isolation of the world and how hope can still remain. Hardy's poem sends a message to the world stating society should always have hope when stricken with tragedy or despair.