"My Heart Leaps Up"
by William Wordsworth
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
Discussion Questions:
1. Analyze this poem! Make sure you include your thoughts on what he means by "The Child is the father of the Man."
1. God put a rainbow in the sky when he promised not to bring about destruction like the Flood again, and so when he sees a rainbow, he rejoices at the reminder of the promise.
ReplyDeleteHe always has, and he always will, since God keeps his promises perfectly. He would rather die than stop rejoicing, and he hopes it stays that way.
DeleteI think the child is the father of the man in the way that fathers learn things and teach them to their children. You learn as a child, and you remember it as an adult, so in a way your childhood self is teaching your future self.
Yes, this is good stuff. I think you're right -- what you learn as a child informs what you believe and think as an adult, like a father teaching their child.
DeleteI am bad at analyzing poetry.
ReplyDeleteNot necessarily, it's just something you need to practice. And so you shall, bwahahahahahaha!
Delete1. He's saying every time he sees a rainbow he is happy and his "heart leaps", and he's always felt this way since he was a boy, and if he ever stops he want's to die. And when he says "The Child is father of the Man", I think he means children are known for loving rainbows, then the child that he was, taught him, as a father teaches, to still love rainbows. If that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteNadia, yes, I like it. The child he once was has taught his adult self to love simple things like rainbows.
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