I redraft my Entry Test.

It asked me to write a textual analysis of the poem She dwelt among the untrodden ways by W. Wordsworth (1789) and make sure I consider: title, structure, language, message, position of the reader, personal considerations.

        How is it possible to admire and remember someone we are not able to know completely?

        The poem I am going to analyse: She drew among the untrodden ways is written by William Wordsworth in 1798 and is part of a collection.

        The title announces the presence of a mysterious, female character. The impression elicited by the title makes me conjecture the girl might be unconventional. As a result I expect the poet to communicate to the reader the reasons why the woman is unreachable.

        The poem is organized into two parts: the first one is an introductory quatrain, the second verse creates a sketchy profile of the character and adds to meaning from the poet’s perspective.

Firs the reader perceives the mystery and the loneliness surrounding the character: she lives in an unreachable place (lines 1-2) and few people can meet and know her (lines 3-4).

Second, one can understand the poet’s personal idea of his encounter with the woman. It is a twofold perspective: either you praise her or you love her.

The colon dividing the the text into two parts communicates the poet’s intention to reinforce his previous considerations.

The second verse is longer than the first one because it is descriptive.

The poet highlights three significant aspects of the woman.

To begin with, the reader understands that ordinary people cannot consider her taking  her whole personality into account.  She is a complex character (half hidden from the eye!). Secondly the poet finds her magnificent (fair as a star). Furthermore she is now dead (ceased to be).

At the very end, the poet exclaims that the woman makes the difference to him (oh,/The difference to me!).

        I now consider the use of language and discuss the relevance of the figures of speech used

There are four run-on lines, which speed up the reading pace. They also convey the idea of the impossibility of reaching the woman.

In addition, there is a symbolical connection between the meaning of the words and the form of the lines. The fourth line is shorter than the others. Indeed this choice states the limited members of people knowing her.

The poet uses rhetorical devices to refer to her. A metaphor identifies her in a shy violet (A violet my a mossy tone) and a simile compares her to a shining star (fair as a star). The figures relate her to Nature, so she may be a young, innocent woman.

The relation with nature is also conveyed by the concrete allusion to her tomb (her grave).

At the end, the poet unveils her real name (Lucy) thus emphasising the poet's intimacy with the character.

The way the poet refers to death suggest the idea Lucy had an emotionally rich life. He writes "Lucy ceased to be".

In addition, the poet’s exclamations express his regret for the deprivation of a unique woman.

        The reader knows the character by the poet’s descriptions and can realistically perceive  (pace, exclamations and oh) his sorrow and therefore possibly be involved in the same emotions. He was not able to reach her in time to reveal her his admiration. He could not expressshe made the difference in his life. As a result the reader feels sympathy for him, probably sharing his emotions.

What the reader cannot be sure about is the reason why she used to stay alone. A possible interpretation is that neither the poet probably knew it. Another possible answer to such curiosity may bethe woman was leading too complex a life to share her existence with others. Also she might have been particularly unconventional or extremely shy.

Like most ordinary men, probably the poet himsel is not able to have a full comprehension of the woman he likes. It follows he can just refer to her in an evocative way and, as a result she appears mysteriously poetic and appealing.

        All in all, I liked analyzing the poem because it requires imagination. In addition it makes me reflect on the meaning of memory.

Dead people are remembered just if they were, somehow, alternative.