STEVIE SMITH

AWAY, M E L A N C H O LY
Definition of ‘melancholy’
Sadness or depression of mind or spirit.
SANDRO BOTICCELI

LONELINESS, OR
M E L A N C H O LY ( 1 4 8 8 )

Discussion Task:

What do you think might have

happened before this scene?

Why might the central character

be upset, do you think?

What visual clues in the image

draw you to these conclusions?
EDVARD MUNCH - MELANCHOLY (1894) Individual
Writing
Task:

How do the
colours in this
image make you
feel?

How does the

central character
of the image
seem to be
feeling?

Write a short
paragraph
expressing this
man‘s thoughts.
 E D VA R D M U N C H –
THE SICK CHILD
(1920)
The image shows a weak, pale young girl in
bed with an older woman, believed to be her
aunt, sitti ng in grief by her side. Munch’s
sister Johanne Sophie died of tuberculosis at
the age of 15, which is what he references
and returns to in these paintings. He himself
also almost died of the infectious disease, and
it’s believed that the image records his
despair as well as guilt that he was the one to
survive instead of his sister.

Vocabulary Task:
Using a dictionary/thesaurus
produce a list of at least 10 words
that define the emotions of the
image.
 E D VA R D
M U N C H –
T H E
D A N C E O F
L I F E 1 9 2 5

Discussion
Task:

What is the
message
here, and
how does The Dance of Life shows couples dancing under the moon on a summer’s evening.
it differ The focus point of the painting is the couple in the middle, believed to be Munch
from the and the love of his life, Tulla Larsen. The image as a whole tells a story of human
previous experience, and the two women facing the couple on each side represent the
paintings, different stages of a woman’s life. The one on the left, reaching for the flower in her
do you white dress, represents child-like innocence looking forward, and the woman in dark
think? colors shows a mature figure looking back at the couple mournfully. This is a great
example of the painter’s emotional sensibility and somewhat melancholic outlook
on life and love.
 CLAUDE MONET–

T H E T R U T H O F N AT U R E
(1899)

Read this except from today’s poem

and discuss what the author might be
saying about melancholy.

Are not the trees green,

The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the rivers flow?
Away, melancholy.
Read this except from today’s
poem and discuss what the
author might be saying about
melancholy.

The ant is busy

He carrieth his meat,

All things hurry

To be eaten or eat.

Away, melancholy.
Man of all creatures
Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of good
Calling, good, God.
Away melancholy, let it go.
Read this except from today’s poem and discuss what
the author might be saying about strength, resilience
and goodness.
Speak not to me of tears,
Tyranny, pox, wars,
Saying, Can God
Stone of man’s thoughts, be
good?
Say rather it is enough
That the stuffed
Stone of man’s good, growing,
By man’s called God.

Read this except from today’s poem and discuss what

the author might be saying about our ability to grow
and change.
Man aspires
To good,
To love
Sighs;

Beaten, corrupted, dying

In his own blood lying
Yet heaves up an eye above
Cries, Love, love.
It is his virtue needs
Read this except from today’s poem and discuss what
explaining, the author might be saying about our ability to find light
Not his failing. in any darkness we may face throughout life.
Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.
Are not the trees green,
The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the rivers flow?
Away, melancholy.
The ant is busy
He carrieth his meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.
Away, melancholy.
Man, too, hurries,
Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.
Man of all creatures Man aspires
Is superlative To good,
(Away melancholy) To love
He of all creatures alone Sighs;
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy) Beaten, corrupted, dying
Into the stone, the god In his own blood lying
Pours what he knows of good Yet heaves up an eye above
Calling, good, God. Cries, Love, love.
Away melancholy, let it go. It is his virtue needs explaining,
Not his failing.
Speak not to me of tears,
Tyranny, pox, wars,
Away, melancholy,
Saying, Can God
Away with it, let it go
Stone of man’s thoughts, be good?
Say rather it is enough
That the stuffed
Stone of man’s good, growing,
By man’s called God.
Away, melancholy, let it go.
 therapy ant imagery senses living
world

Potential Meaning and Purpose of The Poem

• ‘Away, Melancholy’ is an emotional poem in which the poet conveys __________________________________ in the face
of __________________, or specifically _____________________. It is fundamentally about finding light in the darkness.

• Throughout, Smith uses powerful _________________ that taps into multiple _____________________, in order to
remind the reader of the innate __________________________________________they live in.

• The poem takes the reader through the basic reasons why the speaker believes there’s no reason to feel melancholy. She
taps into humanity’s goodness, its ________________________, and resilience. Humans, she reminds the reader, are also
animals and are just as much a part of the instinctual natural world as an ___________________ is.

• In ‘Away, Melancholy,’ the poet explores the prominent theme of nature. Throughout natural images, the poet sets the poem
up to remind the reader of the basic beauty of the ________________________________. She uses an ant, the wind, and
the rain to express ways of helping to relieve someone’s melancholy. Nature acts as a kind
_______________________________ here.

her argument for positivity melancholy beauty of the world sorrow strength
Potential Meaning and Purpose of The Poem

• ‘Away, Melancholy’ is an emotional poem in which the poet conveys her argument for positivity in the face of sorrow, or
specifically melancholy. It is fundamentally about finding light in the darkness.

• Throughout, Smith uses powerful imagery that taps into multiple senses, in order to remind the reader of the innate
beauty of the world they live in.

• The poem takes the reader through the basic reasons why the speaker believes there’s no reason to feel melancholy. She
taps into humanity’s basic, decent nature, its strength, and goodness. Humans, she reminds the reader, are also animals and
are just as much a part of the instinctual natural world as an ant is.

• In ‘Away, Melancholy,’ the poet explores the prominent theme of nature. Throughout natural images, the poet sets the
poem up to remind the reader of the basic beauty of the living world. She uses an ant, the wind, and the rain, as a way to
bring someone’s melancholy back around reality. Nature acts as a kind therapy here.

Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.
Are not the trees green,
The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the rivers flow?
Away melancholy.
The ant is busy
He carrieth his meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.
Away, melancholy.
Man, too, hurries,
Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.
She personifies “melancholy” and casts it off. She’s willing it away
with the effort of her words, asking herself, and anyone listening to “let
it go.”
The trees are green, the wind blows, and the rivers flow. The elements
of the world are aligned and working just as they always do. This is
something to take pleasure and comfort in. It should be enough to
banish any sense of melancholy.
Everything, like the ant, is going about its business. It’s ready to “be
eaten or eat.” The ant is not sad, so why should we be?
The refrain of “away, melancholy” at the end of the stanza feels like an
invocation of goodwill. It becomes a mantra.
The fourth stanza connects the behavior of the ant and the broader
animal world to the human world.
Humans are also animals and have instincts and simple joys to fill their
lives with. The use of the musical “hey ho” in the fourth line means that
the poet creates a perfect rhyme with “also” and “go” in the preceding
and the following line. This lifts the whole tone of the poem.
Man of all creatures
Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of good
Calling, good, God.
Away melancholy, let it go.
Speak not to me of tears,
Tyranny, pox, wars,
Saying, Can God
Stone of man’s thoughts, be good?
Say rather it is enough
That the stuffed
Stone of man’s good, growing,
By man’s called God.
Away, melancholy, let it go.
If we are “superlative”, then we should be able to rid ourselves of
sorrow.
She uses the metaphor of a stone, raised by God and humankind to a
higher status.
The speaker brings God, or the idea of a god, into the poem. Perhaps
she is suggesting that faith, as well as nature, can provide lightness in
the dark. Whatever we are feeling melancholic about, there is more to
life!
The sixth stanza transitions into first-person, using the pronoun “me.”
Do not remind me of the world’s evils, but instead tell me of the
goodness of people.
She refuses to ask if God can be “good.” She wants everyone to know
that it’s enough that humanity is good - or was made good. Or,
depending on one’s interpretation of these lines, that humanity made a
good God.
 The speaker’s hope in life comes from the fact that there is love and
that humanity aspires “To good” and “To love.” It seems that she is
Man aspires suggesting love is the counterpart to melancholy. If we can love, then
To good, we are strong.
To love
Sighs; Even in the darkest moments of life, when one is dying in his own
blood, humanity raises an eye to the sky and “Cries, Love, love.” There
Beaten, corrupted, dying is no reason to delve into the failings of humankind, the speaker says.
In his own blood lying It’s more interesting to consider the depths of humanity’s goodness.
Yet heaves up an eye above That is where the true complexity and amazement lies.
Cries, Love, love.
It is his virtue needs explaining,
Not his failing. The final lines of the poem reiterate the first stanza and the refrain
that’s structured the entire piece.
Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go
 Tone of annoyance, belittling melancholy, shooing it like an annoying fly. The shortness of
Tone of
optimism, this stanza really
Imagery – energy
focusing on makes it stand out.
and power. Away, melancholy, Man of all creatures Task: Label the the positives The whole poem’s
Away with it, let it go. Is superlative
Powerful nature (Away melancholy)
poem with the over the meaning is
negative captured in these
is heavily Are not the trees green, He of all creatures alone annotations. things in life. short lines.
contrasted with The earth as green? Raiseth a stone
petty
Does not the wind blow, (Away melancholy)
melancholy.
Assonant rhyme
Fire leap and the rivers flow? Into the stone, the god Man aspires
emphasizes this Away, melancholy. Pours what he knows of good To good,
contrast. Calling, good, God. To love
The ant is busy
Eponymous Away, melancholy, let it go. Sighs;
Refrain – has the
He carrieth his meat,
tone of a chant, or All things hurry
Speak not to me of tears, Beaten, corrupted, dying The use of
mantra, to the self/ To be eaten or eat.
Tyranny, pox, wars, In his own blood lying asyndeton speeds
reader. Away, melancholy. up the pace,
Saying, Can God Yet heaves up an eye above
Cries, Love, love. reflecting the
Asyndeton once Man, too, hurries, Stone of man’s thoughts, be good? fleeting rapidity of
more. Eats, couples, buries, Say rather it is enough It is his virtue needs explaining, life.
He is an animal also That the stuffed Not his failing.
Contrasts man with With a hey ho melancholy, Stone of man’s good, growing, Contrast once more
god. Makes us Away with it, let it go. By man’s called God. Away, melancholy, to highlight that we
realise that even if Away with it, let it go
Away, melancholy, let it go. should focus on the
god is evil, we can
good, and not the
be good.
Tone of humour Repetition draws bad. A simple yet
through the archaic Asyndeton again. our attention to effective message
The jolly tone continues. phrasing. Uplifts Destructive the central we can all learn
the reader’s spirit. imagery. message. from.
 Tone of annoyance, belittling melancholy, shooing it like an annoying fly.
The shortness of
Imagery – energy Powerful nature this stanza really
and power. is heavily Eponymous makes it stand out.
contrasted with Refrain – has the The whole poem’s
petty tone of a chant, or meaning is
Away, melancholy, melancholy. Man of all creatures mantra, to the self/
Man aspires captured in these
Assonant rhyme Is superlative reader. short lines.
Away with it, let it go. To good,
emphasizes this (Away melancholy) To love Asyndeton again.
Are not the trees green, contrast. He of all creatures alone Tone of Destructive
Sighs;
The earth as green? Raiseth a stone optimism, imagery.
Does not the wind blow, (Away melancholy) focusing on
the positives Beaten, corrupted, dying
Fire leap and the rivers flow? Into the stone, the god
over the In his own blood lying
Away, melancholy. Pours what he knows of good negative Yet heaves up an eye above Repetition draws
Tone of humour Calling, good, God. things in life. Cries, Love, love.
The ant is busy our attention to
through the archaic Away, melancholy, let it go. It is his virtue needs explaining,
He carrieth his meat, phrasing. Uplifts the central
All things hurry Asyndeton once Not his failing. message.
the reader’s spirit. Speak not to me of tears, more.
To be eaten or eat.
Tyranny, pox, wars,
Away, melancholy. The use of Away, melancholy,
Saying, Can God Contrast once more
asyndeton speeds Away with it, let it go
Man, too, hurries, up the pace, Stone of man’s thoughts, be good? to highlight that we
Eats, couples, buries, reflecting the Say rather it is enough should focus on the
fleeting rapidity of That the stuffed good, and not the
He is an animal also
life. Stone of man’s good, growing, bad. A simple yet
With a hey ho melancholy, Contrasts man with effective message
Away with it, let it go. By man’s called God. god. Makes us we can all learn
Away, melancholy, let it go. realise that even if from.
The jolly tone continues. god is evil, we can
be good.
Possible Essay Questions:

1. In her poem, Away, Melancholy, how does

Smith attempt to encourage her readers feel
more optimistic about life?

2. In her poem, Away, Melancholy, how does

Smith explore the battle between good and
evil?

3. In her poem, Away, Melancholy, how does

Smith use contrast and imagery effectively in
order to convey a message?

4. Make up a question of your choosing.

After writing your essay (see word doc attached for the plan), reflect on your analysis. Here
is an example paragraph to guide your thinking.
 Red Pen Needed!

TITLE:
Reflecting, Improving and Developing
Example Paragraph
Smith uses an upbeat tone to mirror her message of positivity. The repeated refrain
she utilises in, “Away, Melancholy Let it Go” creates a hymn-like tone. Hymns are
traditionally religious which creates a tone that emphasises Smith’s message for
spiritual growth, which is key to overcoming melancholy. I find it surprising that she is
being so casual about melancholy because it is something that can be very painful,
but perhaps that is her key point: to not let it rule over us, we must consciously
dismiss it, and not hold on to it. Furthermore, she implies we can find the strength we
need to dismiss our sorrows in nature, as she describes how fire “leaps” and rivers
“flow.” These elements symbolise the strength of nature, and as we are also nature,
the strength we have within ourselves is symbolised here too. Smith shows us that we
are part of the ecosystem and should not strive for perfection, but see the beauty in
all things, even our own imperfections. Through her wise words, we are encouraged,
empowered and enlightened.
 Red Pen = Write one improvement/extra paragraph.
This will result in 1 bonus mark to your grade.
REFLECTION TASK: Taking into account the feedback I have written on your paper, and after
hearing Luca and Bruno’s pieces, and after your own personal reflection, write one more
paragraph analysing Away, Melancholy by Stevie Smith.
Remember (NO COPYING THESE IDEAS – THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHERS):
Topic sentence (E.G. Smith uses an upbeat tone to mirror her message of positivity.)
Technique and Embedded Quote (E.G. The repeated refrain she utilises in, “Away, Melancholy Let it Go” creates a
hymn-like tone. Hymns are traditionally religious which....)
Analysis, Author’s Message, Personal Opinion (E.G. …creates a tone that emphasises Smith’s message for spiritual growth, which
is key to overcoming melancholy. I find it surprising that she is being so casual about melancholy because it is something that can
be very painful, but perhaps that is her key point: to not let it rule over us, we must consciously dismiss it, and not hold on to it.)

Development (E.G Furthermore, she implies we can find the strength we need to dismiss our sorrows in nature, as she describes
how fire “leaps” and rivers “flow.” These elements symbolise the strength of nature, and as we are also nature, the strength we
have within ourselves is symbolised here too.)
Development (E.G Smith shows us that we are part of the ecosystem and should not strive for perfection, but see the beauty in all
things, even our own imperfections. Through her wise words, we are encouraged and enlightened.)