The Arrow and the Song By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Analysis:

In the first line of the first stanza, the word arrow represents a friendship because like arrows, friendships can fly a far distance. The second line of the first stanza, It fell to earth, I knew not where; signifies that what the arrow symbolizes has been forgotten or lost from sight. The last two lines in the first stanza signify that things can change in a blink of an eye because if you blink you can literally miss the flight of an arrow. The word song in the first line of the second stanza can represent many things. It can represent memories, dreams or rumors because if any of these things are spoken aloud, like a song, others will learn of them. I also noticed that the first two stanzas were very similar to each other and that lead me to believe that the arrow and the song both symbolize the same things. lso the second line of the first and second stanzas, It fell to earth, I knew not where represents that you can have no idea of where certain things may end up and they may bear une!pected conse"uences. The last two lines of stanza two confirm this. It also represents that a small act of kindness can convince a person to do an act of kindness to another and so on and so forth. In the first sentence of the last stanza, I believe they choose the word oak because oaks are solid, strong and in this poem are used to symbolize a person#s soul. lso in the second sentence of the first stanza, I found the arrow still unbroke; signifies that they found that the friend from the first stanza was still their friend, no matter what disagreement they may have had. $inally, the last two lines of the third stanza states nd the song, from beginning to end%I found again in the heart of a friend. These lines imply that seeing or talking to a friend can revitalize hopes, goals, and dreams. The title also supports my theory. &ince an arrow is intended to be harmful, this may be the reason that the friendship was killed. lso, since songs are meant to be meaningful, pure and beautiful, this can easily represent memories, dreams or goals, since they are meant to be meaningful, pure and beautiful. I see the poem as your actions. The arrow represents an insult or a bad deed. The song represents praise, or something nice. In the end, the arrow%bad deed is not broken in the oak because if you hurt a friend, then the hurtfulness will last. The song, however, ends up in the heart of a friend. This symbolizes you truly have influenced your friend in a good, friendly way. 'ines ( and ) show the unpredictability of both situations. lthough both are forgotten by the sender, the receiver remembers. *verall, this poem e!presses the results of ones actions.