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A Contemplation Upon Flowers
A Contemplation Upon Flowers
by Henry King
contemplate |kntmplt|
verb [ trans. ]
look thoughtfully for a long time at : he sat on the carpet
contemplating his image in the mirrors.
The opening lines are devoted to admiring flowers. The
speaker says that they are 'brave' and 'gallant'. Aren't these
unusual words to be used in describing blooms? Together,
these words convey the ideas of being "able or ready to face
and endure danger and disgrace or pain; splendid, spectacular,
fine, stately". So what we must seek to find out is his reasons
for saying these things. In addition, do notice that the speaker
wishes that he were like the flowers, brave and gallant and be
"as little vain". He continues in this vein throughout, finding
ways and causes to praise flowers.
Now here is what I want you to do:
Important
Rather, they quietly return to the earth, from which they came,
after they are seen. There is the suggestion at this point that
the flowers do not feel important because they know that the
earth is the source of their beauty (embroidered garments)
and so the process of growing, blooming, fading, withering and
then becoming a part of the earth once again is taken as
natural and creates no cause for concern.
Anxious
In the last four lines, our speaker brings the flowers, which he
respects, face to face with death, which he fears. The influence
of the flowers is great, for here he sees them as displaying no
fear. They look good; they brighten up the funereal
atmosphere and make the place smell fragrant. As Jamaicans,
we would say, sweet. The flowers are dying but they do fulfil
their purpose, and this is the attitude the speaker wants to
achieve. He wants to be able to approach death as if he is
approaching a friend, sweetly and with confidence. He desires,
too, to use his life "my breath" in such a way that his death
will not be sad and mournful.
Stanzaic Structures
Has 3 stanzas, ea having 6 lines
Ea stanza has a pair of alternate rhymes and ends with a
couplet (abab cc).
The title of the poem also gives a good idea of what the poem
is about and u will also c that in all the stanzas, these coupltes
strengthens the idea.
Ea couplet has a truth to offer as the speaker contemplates
life.