Fern Hill vs. Tintern Abbey
Fern Hill vs. Tintern Abbey
Both “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas and “Tintern Abbey” by Williams Wordsworth are written to share a childhood memory. In each poem themes of youth and time are evident throughout. Thomas and Wordsworth use strong imagery of nature to convey the power of a memory.
“Fern Hill represents the passage of one mans life from boyhood to adulthood and the realization of his mortality. The speaker in this poem uses expressive language and imagery to depict a tale of growing up. The use of color and nature adds life and character to people and abstract ideas of aging, life and time. Throughout the poem, many lines use religion to symbolize the speaker’s youth and innocence. “It was Adam and Maiden” (Line 30). The speaker's descriptions of the landscape are intertwined with his feelings about being young. They can always be interpreted as a place similar to the Garden of Eden. In line 33 the speaker says, “So it must have been after the birth of simple life.” Fern has taking a “holy” significance. The speaker also creates a relationship with the color green and youth. “I was green and carefree “(line 10). In this line he is describing his emotional state to the reader; he was happy, carefree and young. In Line 22 the speaker says, “fire green as grass.” The speaker is using repetition to emphasis the same feeling. But as the poem travels through time, the significance of green changes. “Before the children green and golden… Follow him out of grace” (line 44-45). IN this line, green is no longer associated with happiness rather than loss. At the end of the poem the significance of green has completely shifted. The speaker says “Time line 53), which suggests to the reader that time is slowly coming to an end as well has his happiness. His memories of youth swerve from joy to sadness. Through the imagery of the power, the setting is transformed to a magical place. “I was “About the happy year and singing” (Line 11). The descriptions in
Both “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas and “Tintern Abbey” by Williams Wordsworth are written to share a childhood memory. In each poem themes of youth and time are evident throughout. Thomas and Wordsworth use strong imagery of nature to convey the power of a memory.
“Fern Hill represents the passage of one mans life from boyhood to adulthood and the realization of his mortality. The speaker in this poem uses expressive language and imagery to depict a tale of growing up. The use of color and nature adds life and character to people and abstract ideas of aging, life and time. Throughout the poem, many lines use religion to symbolize the speaker’s youth and innocence. “It was Adam and Maiden” (Line 30). The speaker's descriptions of the landscape are intertwined with his feelings about being young. They can always be interpreted as a place similar to the Garden of Eden. In line 33 the speaker says, “So it must have been after the birth of simple life.” Fern has taking a “holy” significance. The speaker also creates a relationship with the color green and youth. “I was green and carefree “(line 10). In this line he is describing his emotional state to the reader; he was happy, carefree and young. In Line 22 the speaker says, “fire green as grass.” The speaker is using repetition to emphasis the same feeling. But as the poem travels through time, the significance of green changes. “Before the children green and golden… Follow him out of grace” (line 44-45). IN this line, green is no longer associated with happiness rather than loss. At the end of the poem the significance of green has completely shifted. The speaker says “Time line 53), which suggests to the reader that time is slowly coming to an end as well has his happiness. His memories of youth swerve from joy to sadness. Through the imagery of the power, the setting is transformed to a magical place. “I was “About the happy year and singing” (Line 11). The descriptions in