the reaper and the flower

8/8/2019 The Reaper and the Flower

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Stanza by Stanza


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There is a Reaper whose name is Death,

And, with his sickle keen,

He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,

And the flowers that grow between.

Words to Notice and Know

Reaper

Harvester

Refers to the Angel orDeath or the Grim

Reaper

Death

Sickle Keen

Metaphor

Grain Flowers

Rhyme Scheme (a,b,a,b)


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``Shall I have naught that is fair?'' saith he;

``Have naught but the bearded grain?

Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me,

I will give them all backagain.''

Bearded grain

Not sweet compared to the

breath of the flowers

Eye Rhyme

grain and again

Fairness of Death

Flowers must be taken as

well

Rhyme Scheme (c,d,c,d)


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He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,

He kissed their drooping leaves;

It was for the Lord of Paradise

He bound them in his sheaves.

Tone of Regret

Death takes the flowers with

the grain

Loss of Life

drooping leaves

Lord of Paradise

Refers to God

Sheaves

Bundles of wheat

Rhyme Scheme (e,f,e,f)


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"My Lord has need of these flowerets gay,"

The Reaper said, and smiled;

"Dear tokens of the earth are they,

Where he was once a child."

Bearded grain

Not sweet compared to the

breath of the flowers:

Introduction of Deaths motives

Lord refers to God

Doing work for heaven

Flowerets

Bundles of small flowers that

make a larger flower

Rhyme scheme (g,h,g,h)


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"They shall all bloom in fields of light,

Transplanted by my care,

And saints, upon their garments white,

These sacred blossoms wear."

Deaths motive

He will take care of the souls

of the children and allow

them to grow in heaven Promises that the children

are heading to heaven

Fields of Light

Refers to heaven

Rhyme Scheme (i,j,i,i)


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And the mother gave, in tears and pain,

The flowers she most did love:

She knew she should find them all again

In the fields of light above.

Mother

Reveals the flowers has a

mother

Flowers Children who were taken by

Death

The bearded grain from

the beginning is revealed to

be older people taken by

Death. Eye Rhyme

pain and again

Rhyme Scheme (k,l,k,l)


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O, not in cruelty, not in wrath,

The Reaper came that day;

'Twas an angel visited the green earth,

And took the flowers away.

Deaths true side

not in cruelty, not in wrath

Death is just an angel who

takes flowers visited the green earth

Shows that Death is regular

Eye Rhyme

wrath and earth

Shows that there is no wrath

from Death on earth Rhyme Scheme (m,g,m,g)


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SOAPSTTone


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An observer who understands that Death, although merciless on the

outside, hides a caring personality that assures a good future for a

mothers children.

Death is not to be feared. Even though Death seems merciless on the

surface, he expresses care and mercy for his victims.

Change in Tone:

Fear and uncertainty to assurance

Summary of Action

Death takes a mothers children away, assuring her that thechildren will be cared for in heaven. The mother knows she will

see her children again in the future.

(As shown in stanzas): Eye rhyme, rhyme scheme, symbolism, allusion,

metaphor

Allusion: refers to the Bibles ideas of life after death and deathis only the body, not the soul

SO

A

P Figuratively, the poem is about the issues behind death. Death isfeared by so many people and is inevitable to the point that it

becomes merciless. The poem shows a whole different side to death,

revealing that death brings a new light: heaven.

S


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The Reaper and the Flowers

Allows two different views on the poem: man takes away from

nature or Death takes away life

Foreshadows the fate of the flowers by associating it with a

person who cuts down and harvests plants

Tone:

Beginning:

Fear (Death seems merciless)

Uncertainty (the flowers blurry future among the grain)

Middle:

Assurance (Death tells the mother about the flowers

destination)

End:

Hope (the mother knows that she will see her children

again)

T

Tone


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Credits:

Art by Dennis Ku

"The Angel of Death." Open Bible. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Web. 16 Dec. 2010.

.

"Analysis and Comments on 'The Reaper and the Flowers.'"American Poems. N.p.,

18 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. .

the reaper and the flower

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