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Chapter 7 – Stopping by the Wood on a Snowy Evening

The poem by Robert Frost describes a lonely wanderer, who has stopped to watch the snowfall while riding a horse through the woods at night. The poet is transfixed by the beauty of the snowbound forest. He wishes to enjoy the beauty of nature in that deep dark night but his duties towards his life force him to move ahead.

The poet says that in our life we want to do many things and enjoy many moments but due to our responsibilities, we must move on. We have many desires but it is not possible for us to achieve them in the short span of life. Life has its own plans for us. He feels compelled to move ahead into the snowy woods, but he ultimately decides to continue his journey.

The ‘woods’ mentioned in the poem can also suggest distractions and temptations during our journey of life. Some scholars believe that the poet wants to say that we should focus on our goals of life. We must accomplish our duties before we die. So, we should not spend our valuable time on the distractions of life.

Chapter 8 – I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

The poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth explores the relationship between nature and humanity. It focuses on the aspect that nature and humanity are interdependent. A strong bond with nature is the key to human happiness.

The poet (metaphorically) compares himself to a cloud, describing his thoughtless mental state on that day. Like a cloud, he was wandering in the valley aimlessly. The sudden spark that the daffodils gave to his creative spirit is expressed in this poem.

The poet is wandering down the hills and valleys when he stumbled upon a beautiful field of daffodils. The speaker is transfixed by the daffodils seemingly waving, fluttering, and dancing along the waterside. The daffodils in the poem represent—natural beauty, happiness, merry, and bliss. This experience of nature and humanity fills the poet’s life with blessings and contentment.

Chapter 9 – A Bird, Came Down the Walk

‘A Bird, came down the Walk’ by Emily Dickinson describes the simple, yet beautiful, actions of a bird searching for food and then taking flight. In the poem, the poet comes across a bird on the walk that feasts on a worm, quenches his thirst by drinking dew from the grass, and moves aside to let a beetle pass. The poet notices each and every action of the bird.

The flying away of the bird when approached by the poet showcases the quick, lively, ungraspable wild essence of nature that keeps it away from the human urge to tame it.

Dickinson contrasts the image of the bird eating the worm against the bird fleeing when the poet approaches to show the delicate balance of nature, where one can be both predator and prey at the same time. In doing so, Dickinson explores the simultaneous conditions of danger and peacefulness that are evoked by nature.

Chapter 10 – Three Little Birds in a row

In the poem ‘Three Little Birds in a row’, Stephen Crane engages with the theme of human behaviour, particularly kindness and cruelty. The poem was written in an attempt to show what it looks like to make fun of someone or judge them before you know them. In the poem, the birds laugh at someone they don’t know, ignoring the fact that this person has feelings and would likely be upset if he could understand the birds. They consider themselves superior singers and therefore laugh at the man’s attempts at singing. Thus, this poem attempts to show the folly of judgment which many of us fall for and jump towards without much thought.

Chapter 12 – The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’ by Edward Lear is a simple, joy-filled poem that tells the marriage story of an owl and a cat. It is an example of a nonsense verse or nonsense poem which is often whimsical and humorous in tone.

This fun-filled poem starts with the boat journey of the two main characters named in the title. They profess their love to one another and decide to get married. They need to find a ring and their search takes them to a pig. That pig sells them its nose ring for one shilling and they get married. After that, there is much celebrating and the poem ends with the owl and pussy-cat dancing under the moon.