TG is a good example of where form represents meaning. The poem does not have any clear structure, but the stanzas get progressively longer as do the length of the sentences. This maybe to try to create the image of the thunder sounding in the distance slowly getting closer like a drum-roll or crescendo. The longest stanza and sentence being at the end of the poem and therefore nearest to the storm. It may also be a representation of the rain starting off gently and getting stronger. The other possibility is that the poet is trying to create the effect that this image is simultaneous and it is almost as if he is trying to capture this image on paper as it is happening.
The structure of The Trees has a very strong sense of uniformity. This is because the poet wants to convey the thought that everybody lives a similar life, like the life cycle of the trees, i.e. you are born – you live your life – and you die. This is similar to the tree but because it occurs annually we do not realise that it grows old and this is what the poet is trying to describe. He may even be jealous of this annual rejuvenation. This poem is heavily punctuated; this may be to emphasize his uncertainty and his worry. This therefore creates the atmosphere of caution.
TG does not have any rhyming scheme. This may be to symbolize the poets rush of thoughts. It may also be the fact that the poet is dubious of when the rain will come and the reason for making the poem not rhyme is because it would create the image of similarity, which would symbolize the raindrops.
The rhyming in The Trees is very different from that in TG. The rhyme takes the form A B B A. This is another example of the uniformity, mentioned earlier. But I think this may be representing the life cycle of the trees. The first line of each stanza represents growth. The middle two lines represent constancy, strength and flourishment but also aging. The last line represents fading and death.
TG is a poem of description, therefore it is obvious that the adjectives used, paint a very clear picture. Many of the adjectives used refer to colour: “… creamy-coloured… ivory white among the rambling greens… variegated elder…grey-blue blueness…leaves red-rosy… green grass glows…” The last two of these phrases are very striking. The reason the poet uses the phrase “red-rosy” is to avoid the clichéd phrase rosy-red. He may also have done this to alter the effect he is trying to create, by disrupting the reader’s expectation. The reason for doing this was probably to remind us that within the next few minutes the whole image he is describing will be washed away. The other phrase “…green grass glows…” is also noticeable because of the use of the word “glows”. You would expect the grass to look dull because of the lack of sunlight, but again it is emphasis on the fact that nothing is, as it seems. Another word that stands out, in the poem, is “evanescent”. This is because it means quickly fading, The reason the poet may have inserted this word was to emphasize that the picture he is painting us will soon be washed away by the rain.
The Trees does not have as many evocative phrases. This may be because the poet is trying to create the effect of the poem being more of a ‘sob story’ of how life is too short. The adjectives he does use are in the form of complaints:
“…greenness…” may be that they are so cheerful when he is not.
“…thickness…” may be that they are large, oafish and get in the way too much.
The poem also uses many non- committal phrases such as “…almost… a kind of… seem to…” These words are used in conjunction with the verb to say, the usage of this word may be the poet’s way of creating a link with humans.
TG does not only use plain description it also uses literary devices. The metaphor: “…blue with the grey-blue blueness of things from the sea…”gives the effect of mystery, of what is after the thunderstorm. The reference to the sea may be a link to water and in this poem it may be to symbolise the rain. The simile: “… she hesitates on the green grass // as if, in another moment, she would disappear…” reinforces that the image he is describing is one moment in his lifetime. This is also an example of personification, by the use of the pronoun “she”, this produces the effect of the tree being alive and this makes her hesitation a movement in the breeze. The alliteration in the last line: “…green grass glows…” creates a hard sound, the ‘g’, which maybe to produce the effect of thunder. This is very effective because it is at the end of the poem. The poem also contains a vast amount of enjambment. This is to enhance the effect of the continuity rain.
The Trees also contains some of these devices. There is a simile in the first two lines: “The trees are coming into leaf // Like something almost being said…” The poet uses the word “almost” as if he were trying not to commit to his thoughts, this maybe because of the uncertainty of life. The verb “said” suggests that the sound of the trees is a distraction to him as are people. This is also an example of personification and I think that poet has included it so early on to make you think about your own life when reading the poem. The metaphor in the last stanza: “Yet still the unresting castles thresh…” gives the emphasis of the grandeur of the trees. The word “thresh” is used onomatopoeically, as it is the sound made when trees rustle. The word also suggests that the trees are fighting one another and this maybe the poet’s way of telling us that life is survival of the fittest. Unlike in TG, there is repetition. In the last line of the last stanza: “ Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.” I believe the poet has done this to remind us that even though he has described the tree’s cycle once, it does happen annually. The enjambment in this poem usually every two lines, this maybe another representation of the cycle of life. The full stops may be symbolizing death, as if it is a necessity.
The two poems have very different moods, even though they are both about trees. While TG is very descriptive of the beauty and nature of what the poet sees, The Trees is more philosophical and is trying very hard to make a connection between trees and humans. He achieves this very well in the poem, but to understand the real meaning we cannot take the poem for its face value. Where as in TG we can because it is just an illustration of what the poet sees. The moods are both very different, in that while TG is very praising of the trees, The Trees is almost grieving about the constant youth that we as humans can never have. Indirectly though, both the poems are illustrating the majesty of trees. While one pictures the exterior beauty the other depicts their interior strength and ability of revitalization.
