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Essay / A memorable depiction of the speaker's thoughts and feelings in Larkin's The Trees
In the first stanza, through the depiction of the growing trees as both joyous and melancholy, the speaker deliberately reveals the absurdity of life. Larkin illustrates trees as “coming into leaves.” It uses the “leaf” as a symbol of life and conveys a connotation of hope and life. By this he establishes an image of freshness, birth and liveliness. He further reinforces this lively mood by describing the comforting sight of “recent buds [that] relax and spread.” He uses whistling to effectively provoke the idea of the sound of tree leaves, signifying life and youth. Therefore, the speaker further emphasizes the vivid image of the animated trees and enhances the encouraging and hopeful atmosphere. However, immediately afterward, the speaker responds by saying that "their greenness is a kind of sorrow." Larkin uses the alliteration of “green” and “sorrow” to emphasize that such beauty in life is a “sorrow” because it is fleeting. Additionally, he uses the word sorrow to create a rhyming couplet of "leaf" in the first line and "sorrow" in the last line of the stanza. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This rhyming couplet really contrasts the two distinct examples of positivity and pessimism, further emphasizing that the speaker has an idea of ambiguity between what he feels about life. In the second stanza, the speaker reiterates that trees that on the outside appear young, in fact grow old and eventually die, demonstrating that the speaker feels and knows the inevitability of death. He questions the immortality of trees in relation to the linear lives of humans, as he asks, "are they born again and we grow old?" ". Through the use of the phrases “to be born again” meaning new renewal and “to grow old” meaning death, the speaker reveals the idea of the contrast between youth and age. The speaker deliberately uses question mark punctuation to reveal his introspective and almost celebrated tone to show how he thinks about all moments of his life. Through the choice of the word “rings of grain,” the speaker implies that despite looking new and clean, trees are growing old inside, the theme of the contrast between youth and age. The reader can also interpret this expression of the poet in a separate meaning. way: the speaker uses trees as a metaphor for humans. While the trees appear alive outwardly but inwardly they age and die, the speaker almost mocks them in comparison to humans trying to make the most of their lives. Through such a pessimistic tone, we see that the speaker is implying that death is inevitable, and because of it, his melancholy attitude towards life shows that he thinks it has no meaning. In the final stanza, the speaker shows his admiration for the trees that are always trying to revive and renew themselves, in contrast to his own reluctance to try to experience life again. He uses the phrase “still always,” implying a change in tone from pessimism to a more positive tone. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The speaker compares trees to “stirring castles.” The speaker uses this metaphor to create an image of masculinity and strength, as if their branches were turrets. Additionally, Larkin's repetition of the onomatopoeia "again" further enhances the sound of the tree leaves being animated and rustling by the wind, thus signifying..