Poetry Analysis

Courage by Robert William Service
Today I opened wide my eyes,
And stared with wonder and surprise,
To see beneath November skies
An apple blossom peer;
Upon a branch as bleak as night
It gleamed exultant on my sight,
A fairy beacon burning bright
Of hope and cheer.

"Alas!" said I, "poor foolish thing,
Have you mistaken this for Spring?
Behold, the thrush has taken wing,
And Winter's near.
"Serene it seemed to lift its head:
"The Winter's wrath I do not dread,
Because I am," it proudly said,
"A Pioneer."

Some apple blossom must be first,
With beauty's urgency to burst
Into a world for joy athirst,
And so I dare;
And I shall see what none shall see -
December skies gloom over me,
And mock them with my April glee,
And fearless fare.

"And I shall hear what none shall hear -
The hardy robin piping clear,
The Storm King gallop dark and drear
Across the sky;
And I shall know what none shall know -
The silent kisses of the snow,
The Christmas candles' silver glow,
Before I die.

"Then from your frost-gemmed window pane
One morning you will look in vain,
My smile of delicate disdain
No more to see;
But though I pass before my time,
And perish in the grale and grime,
Maybe you'll have a little rhyme
To spare for me."

How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

Hyperboles
In stanza 3 and 4, the statements “I shall see what none shall see”, “I shall hear what none shall hear” and “I shall know what none shall know” are hyperboles. This is because they emphasize the rewards of being courageous to explore new boundaries. The author uses these hyperboles to encourage us to be brave.

Personification
There is a lot of personification in this poem as the author is writing about a tree with feelings. A tree is not supposed to have feelings, only humans have, so the poem should be all about personification. In the first stanza, the apple blossom tree “gleamed exultant” and “burned brightly”. (I am not saying that humans can burn brightly but rather the apple blossom tree was full of life and fervour) The author chose to use this to tell us that people should be like that apple blossom tree, full of courage to face life.
Also, the apple blossoms serenely “lift its head” to look at the winter skies. Then, the apple blossom said that it was not afraid of the “winter’s wrath”. The author uses this personification to tell us to have courage in times of difficulty. The apple blossom tree is “A pioneer”, the one to bloom before spring, the one to endure the winter. Similarly, we need to step out of our comfort zone and try out new things.
Regarding the winter, the apple blossom said that it will “mock them” with his “April glee” and “fearless fare”. The author is trying to tell us to not be afraid of danger. Instead, we should mock it by doing our best to overcome it.
The “Storm King gallop dark and drear across the sky” and “silent kisses of the snow” are also personifications. The author uses these to describe the hardships but also the happiness whenever a person has courage.
In the last stanza, the tree has a “smile of delicate disdain”. This personification actually tells us the satisfaction when one is brave enough to cross boundaries to explore new fields of study. Courage certainly has many advantages, according to the way the author writes.

Similes
There is only one simile in the poem, which is “as bleak as night”. The author uses this simile to emphasize the dangers ahead for the courageous.

Why do I like this poem?
For starters, it actually rhymes and the syllabus for each line is almost the same. (8 for the main lines and about 4 for the shorter lines.) This makes the poem a lot easier to read than other poems that do not rhyme.

Secondly, there is an effective use of personification. The author portrays a lowly tree as brave and strong-willed, even more so than most people. This is an inspirational poem and its main purpose is to tell people to be brave as even a tree is brave. After all, courage is what made the world, and will continue to do so. If no one is courageous enough to step out of their own comfort zone, nothing great will be accomplished.

Thirdly, It does not only critisise men, but also gives us inspiration to be brave. The author mentions rewards during and after the jouney. This, I think, is quite good inspiration for a depressed person. Thus, I like this poem.