RAIN ON THE ROOF

COATES KINNEY

MESSAGE

The poem ‘Rain on the Roof’ conveys the message that rain is Mother Nature’s way of
showing her healing and therapeutic properties. It leaves everlasting memories in the
minds of humans with its presence, fragrance and sound apart from the experiences
of humans with it. The rain rejuvenates and refreshes the human mind by helping it
to relive and recollect pleasant memories of the past and relive those moments.

New Words

Mind Map

POETIC DEVICES

Rhyme scheme of the poem: abcbdefe

Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant sound in two or more consecutive words

or words in close proximity.

‘Humid Hover’ - ‘h’ sound is repeating.

‘starry spheres’ - ‘s’ should is repeating.
‘press pillow’- ‘p’ sound is repeating.
‘lie listening’ - ‘l’ sound is repeating.
‘busy being’ - ‘b’ sound is repeating
‘their thread’ - ‘th’ sound is repeating
‘rain roof’ - ‘r’ sound is repeating
‘memory my mother’ - ‘m’ sound is repeating
‘Darling dreamers’ - ‘d’ sound is repeating

Onomatopoeia: The use of sound words to create a dramatic effect and auditory
imagery.
‘Patter’ is the use of sound word. It is the sound made by the rain drops falling on the
roof top.
‘tinkle’, ‘patter’ – sounds made by the raindrops

Personification: Treating a non – living thing as a living being.

And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears.
Darkness has been personified when the poet says that it is sad.

And a thousand recollections

Weave their air-threads into woof
Recollections are personified here as they are shown to be weaving a cloth with
threads of air.
Metaphor- The memories are compared to threads

Transferred Epithet: The use of an adjective with a noun when it refers to another
noun.
In ‘melancholy darkness’, the darkness is not melancholy, but it refers to the sad
people.
‘dreamy fancies’, – it does not mean that the fancies are dreamy but refers to the
people who have dreams.
Humid shadows- shadows are not humid—it refers to clouds which are moisture
laden

Short answer questions:

1. What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss

(i) humid shadows
(ii) starry spheres
(iii) what a bliss
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof
2. What appears when the rain falls on the shingles?

3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the
“darling dreamers” he refers to?
4. Do you think that the poem, ‘Rain on the Roof’, is lauding the healing power of
the rain?

Answer the following question in 100-150 words:

1. Dreams hold importance in the poet’s life. Explain.

2. What virtues do you find in the sound of the rain? Explain with reference to
the poem “Rain on the Roof”

Answers of Short Questions

1. (i) ‘humid shadows’ refers to the dark clouds which are full of water.
(ii) ‘starry spheres’ refers to the sky at night time which is full of stars.
(iii) ‘bliss’ means a blessing.
(iv) ‘a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start’ means that people start
having varied sweet dreams.
(v) ‘a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof’ means that when
people are asleep, the memories of the past come back into their mind in the form
of dreams.
 2. When the drops of rainfall on shingles, they make a tinkling sound. The tinkling
sound echoes in the poet’s heart. A thousand old memories weave their air-threads
into pattering sounds.

3. The poet has memories of his beloved mother. When he was a child, she would
put him and his siblings to bed and would leave to sleep in her room. They had
pleasant dreams in their sleep. “Darling Dreamers” refers to the poet and his
siblings when they were children and had sweet dreams. They were loved by
their mother and so, were her ‘darlings’.
4. The poet is appreciating rain, especially when he hears it from a cozy bed in a
lovely cottage. The rain and its sound have resurrected the fondest memory of
the poet’s mother in his mind. As the rain continues, the poet tries to recollect
all that caused him pain, yet at the same time lifted his spirits.

Answers of Long Questions

1. This poem is depicting the overall mood on a rainy night. During the night
the humid cloud full of water creates dark shadows over the star-studded
sky. The poet dreams about his mother and the way she used to tuck him in
bed.
When it rains, the poet is delighted to lie in bed with his pillow pressed to his
face and to listen to the patter of the raindrops falling upon the roof of his
cottage.
The poet’s dream of his mother reminds him of his childhood days. His
mother used to tell stories to lull him into a sleep full of dreams. The music
being played on the rooftop is like the affectionate look by which his mother
used to see him, while he was a kid. So dreams make him realize the
importance of the past and the things that he now misses.

2. The sound of rain is pleasing to the ear. When we hear this sound, we forget
everything. We feel nostalgic and find ourselves in the world of fancies. We
remember the sweet memories of the past in a peaceful heart. Of course, we are
unable to forget such moments of life. We must take this lesson from rain and
create peace in mind of people by our behaviour. (Elaborate and explain with
reference to the poem)