Text analysis “Virginia”

by Thomas Stearns Eliot

Approaching Literary Genres p. 42Millennium

VirginiaRed river, red river,Slow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river

FOCUS ON THE MEANINGIn this poem Eliot uses a river in Virginia as a metaphor for life flowing slowly but unceasingly, running its course until it doesn't anymore. He hints that the Gate awaits each of us. He hints that we live, but decay and try to slow time down so we can live more.

2. What other physical features of Virginia are mentioned in the poem. Highlight them in yellow.

1. The poem begins with the image of the red river flowing slowly. Highlight in blue the examples that refer to the river.

• “Slow flow”(l.2);• “still as a river” (l.3)• “Still” (l.4)• The river is seen as calm and still.

• First of all the great river Mississippi , then the hills (“Still hills”, l. 6) and various kinds of trees(“Purple trees/White trees” ll. 7-8).

• The description is dominated by the presence of heat of this Southern State. (“heat is silence” l.2, “Will heat move”, l.4)

VirginiaRed river, red river,Slow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river

FOCUS ON THE MEANING3. Colour is important throughout the

poem. Highlight in red all the references to colours.

• “Slow flow”, (l. 2) “No will is still as a river /Still ” (ll. 3-4), “Still hills” (l.6); “White trees, wait, wait, / Delay, decay” (ll. 8-9); “Never moving” (l.10)

• “Red river” (ll.1, 13)”, “Purple trees/White trees” (ll. 7-8).

4. One of the themes of the poem is slowness and immobility. Which other words and images express this? Highlight them in green.

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE5. Alliteration means the repetition of the same (especially initial) consonant sound/s.

Highlight in pink the lines that contain repetitions, underlining the alliterating sounds.

Red river Red riverSlow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river

l. 1

l.7l.8l.9l.10

l.13

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE6. Now look at the following consonant sounds and match them with the alliterating

words in the poem, underlining them line by line: • m l s (s, as in “say”)• t d w r ng s (s, as in “cheese”)

Never moving. Ever moving l.10Iron thoughts came with me l.11And go with me: l.12

m:

l: Slow flow heat is silence l.2No will is still as a river l.3Still. Will heat move l.4Heard once? Still hills l.6Delay, decay. Living, living, l.9

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE6. Now look at the following consonant sounds and match them with the alliterating

words in the poem, underlining them line by line: • m l s (s, as in “say”)• t d w r ng s (s, as in “cheese”)

Slow flow heat is silence l.2 s (say):

t:Wait. Gates wait. Purple trees, l.7White trees, wait, wait, l.8

d:Red river, red river l.1Delay, decay. Living, living l.9

w: Slow flow heat is silence l.2Wait. Gates wait. Purple trees, l. 7White trees, wait, wait, l.8

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE6. Now look at the following consonant sounds and match them with the alliterating

words in the poem, underlining them line by line: • m l s (s, as in “say”)• t d w r ng s (s, as in “cheese”)

Red river, red river l.1Red river river river l.13

r:

ng:

s (cheese):

Delay, decay. Living, living, l.9Never moving. Ever moving l.10

No will is still as a river l.3Wait. Gates wait. Purple trees, l.7

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE7. Highlight in grey the assonances (similar vowel sounds) in the poem, underlining them line by line.

Red river, red riverSlow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE8. Though this poem is not, strictly speaking, rhymed, it has a few lines that may

be said to end with rhymes . Highlight in violet other examples.

Red river, red riverSlow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river

• FOCUS ON ALLITERATION AND ASSONANCE9. The poem’s rich texture of sounds is also given by the presence of internal

rhymes, that is, rhyming words which are found within the lines and not in the more usual final position. Circle them in the poem

Red river, red riverSlow flow heat is silenceNo will is still as a riverStill. Will heat moveOnly through the mocking-birdHeard once? Still hillsWait. Gates wait. Purple trees,White trees, wait, wait,Delay, decay. Living, living,Never moving. Ever movingIron thoughts came with meAnd go with me:Red river river river