What is the structure of the poem to a waterfowl?
Both lyric and didactic, “To a Waterfowl” creates a natural scene in order to derive a moral lesson from it. The poem consists of eight quatrains, or four-line stanzas. Each stanza is written in pentameter and trimeter verse with an alternating rhyme scheme.
What are waterfowl?
Waterfowl are birds that are strong swimmers with waterproof feathers and webbed feet. They use their webbed feet as flippers to push through the water. Ducks, geese, and swans are waterfowl. Many waterfowl spend much of their time on ponds and lakes. Some kinds swim in the sea near coastlines. Others, such as most geese, live mainly on grassland.
What is the rhyme scheme of to a waterfowl?
‘ To a Waterfowl’ by William Cullen Bryant is an eight stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD, changing end sounds from stanza to stanza. Bryant also chose to use iambic pentameter and iambic trimeter in ‘To a Waterfowl.’
What is the lesson in the poem waterfowl by William Blake?
To me, the lesson here is that you should trust in yourself and do what you think is right. It is a statement of individualism. The waterfowl in the poem does not need to be in a flock like one of the geese that fly over my house every late fall and spring. In the poem, the bird is by itself but it will still get to where it needs to be.
Who wrote the poem "To a Waterfowl"?
A LitCharts expert can help. A LitCharts expert can help. "To a Waterfowl," by the American poet William Cullen Bryant, first appeared in a literary journal in 1818 before being published in Bryant's 1821 collection Poems. In the poem, a speaker watches a waterfowl fly across the sky and reflects on the similarity between the bird's long, ...
How many words are in the poem "To a Waterfowl"?
Unlock all 368 words of this analysis of Metaphor in “To a Waterfowl,” and get the poetic device analyses for every poem we cover.
What does the bird's flight push the speaker to express?
The bird's perilous flight also pushes the speaker to express faith in God, who, the poem argues, guides all creatures through difficult times. Bryant allegedly wrote the poem ...
What does the narrator think of the waterfowl?
But this waterfowl is not alone; it is being led by some Power. As the waterfowl disappears out of the narrator's sight, the narrator reflects on God's guidance in his own life. The narrator is sure that God has led this waterfowl, and that the waterfowl had faith in the narrator. Now, the narrator's faith is strengthened. He knows that God is guiding him as well.
When was "To a Waterfowl" first published?
The first page of "To a Waterfowl" as published in The North American Review, March 1818 . " To a Waterfowl " is a poem by American poet William Cullen Bryant, first published in 1818.
How many lines are there in To a Waterfowl?
"To a Waterfowl" is written in iambic trimeter and iambic pentameter, consisting of eight stanzas of four lines. The poem represents early stages of American Romanticism through celebration of Nature and God's presence within Nature.
How long is the study guide to a waterfowl?
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What is the poem about the flight of a waterfowl?
The whole poem encompasses the flight of the waterfowl from two viewpoints. It appears to the poet at dusk as it gently floats overhead and gradually disappears into the horizon. The poet also projects the journey of the bird over vast territories as it flies from its winter abode to its summer home. The immediate image of the bird has the poet reflect on the bird’s destination and the nature of its flight. In his whimsical meditating, the poet addresses the bird directly as though to open up a dialogue between nature’s creature and the poet’s inner soul. However, it is not until the last stanza that the poet reveals himself and speaks out his message in the first person.
What is the poem "The Bird at Sunset" about?
This poem satisfies both goals. Bryant captures the natural scene of the bird at sunset.
How many lines are there in To a Waterfowl?
Both lyric and didactic, “To a Waterfowl” creates a natural scene in order to derive a moral lesson from it. The poem consists of eight quatrains, or four-line stanzas. Each stanza is written in pentameter and trimeter verse with an alternating rhyme scheme.
What does the poem address the bird in?
In his whimsical meditating, the poet addresses the bird directly as though to open up a dialogue between nature’s creature and the poet’s inner soul. However, it is not until the last stanza that the poet reveals himself and speaks out his message in the first person.
What does the poet see when he sees a bird flying alone in the distance?
The poet sees a bird flying alone in the distance and muses that it is safe from any would-be hunter who would do it harm. The bird, alone and solitary, is silhouetted across the evening sky. As it floats smoothly by, the poet wonders where it is going.
What does the poet say about the bird?
The poet tells the bird that it is gone, that it is “swallowed up” in the heavens.
Where do waterfowl live?
Many waterfowl spend much of their time on ponds and lakes. Some kinds swim in the sea near coastlines. Others, such as most geese, live mainly on grassland. Most kinds of waterfowl are vegetarian, grazing on water weeds or grass, but some hunt for fish, snails, or insects.
What is a waterfowl?
Waterfowl. Toggle text. Waterfowl are birds that are strong swimmers with waterproof feathers and webbed feet. They use their webbed feet as flippers to push through the water. Ducks, geese, and swans are waterfowl.
How high do bar headed goose flies?
The bar-headed goose flies over the Himalayan mountains during its migration, reaching a top height 4 miles (6,437m) the highest flight of any known bird. Quiz.
What type of bird is a duck?
Ducks are a type of waterfowl. Like all waterfowl, ducks have broad, flattened bills, or beaks, waterproof plumage, and webbed feet for swimming.
What is the style of Bryant's "To a Waterfowl"?
Bryant's style in "To a Waterfowl" is derived from his cleaver use of his preferred subject matter, nature, and diction to create multiple layers of complex meaning. "To a Waterfowl" also demonstrates Bryant's ability to use symbolism. He demonstrates his remarkable ability to control his tone and shift it when necessary. Finally, with his incorporation of natural imagery, Bryant shows his Romantic propensity to use nature as a backdrop for luminous philosophy and deep reflection.
What is the connection between the instinctual flight of a bird and humankind's path through life?
The primary conceit of "To a Waterfowl" is the connection between the instinctual flight of a bird and humankind's path through life. The poet suggests that humans can be guided by a divine power (much like "The Force" in Star Wars) even though it seems, at times, the road is tenuous.
Why do birds flap their wings?
A heart continuously beats with no conscious thought; it is guided by electrical signals in the brain to "follow the right path" and provide life. The bird must instinctively flap its wings to migrate to a warmer climate ; it must find the right path. Ultimately, each person is guided along a certain path, even though it seems he or she has free will.
What does the poet ask the bird?
Speech - the poet asks the bird questions as if could speak.
What does the poet communicate with the bird?
The poet communicates with the bird as if it can respond.
Why did Bryant choose the instinctual need of a bird to migrate?
Therefore, it is not surprising that Bryant chooses the instinctual need of a bird to migrate as a symbol of man's need to recognize divine guidance.
Overview
Analysis
"To a Waterfowl" is written in iambic trimeter and iambic pentameter, consisting of eight stanzas of four lines. The poem represents early stages of American Romanticism through celebration of Nature and God's presence within Nature.
Bryant is acknowledged as skillful at depicting American scenery but his natural details are often combined with a universal moral, as in "To a Waterfowl".
Summary
The narrator questions where the waterfowl is going and questions his motives for flying. He warns the waterfowl that he could possibly find danger, traveling alone. But this waterfowl is not alone; it is being led by some Power. As the waterfowl disappears out of the narrator's sight, the narrator reflects on God's guidance in his own life. The narrator is sure that God has led this waterfowl, and that the waterfowl had faith in the narrator. Now, the narrator's faith is strengthen…
Composition and publication history
Bryant wrote the poem in July 1815. He was inspired after walking from Cummington to Plainfield to look for a place to settle as a lawyer. The duck, flying across the sunset, seemed to Bryant as solitary a soul as himself, and he wrote the poem that evening.
"To a Waterfowl" was first published in the North American Review in Volume 6, Issue 18, March 1818. It was later published in the collection Poems in 1821.
Critical response
Matthew Arnold praised it as "the best short poem in the language", and the poet and critic Richard Wilbur has described it as "America's first flawless poem". The narrator in George du Maurier's "Peter Ibbetson" calls it "the most beautiful poem in the world".
External links
• The full text of To a Waterfowl at Wikisource
• To a Waterfowl at Project Gutenberg
• "On Bryant's 'To a Waterfowl'", by John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine, December 3, 2018