Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox Laugh and the world

Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone; For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air; The echoes bound to a joyful sound, But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go; They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all, — There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded; Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live, But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure For a large and lordly train, But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Analysis of the Poem • Type of Poem: Lyric poem • Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox Literal Meaning • After you read the poem, what does the literal meaning seem to be? What is happening in the poem? • The poem generally talks about the different reactions of the world when you are happy and when you are sad.

Imagery • 1]. IMAGE: Laugh, and the world laughs with you; (1) MEANING: talks about how people around you would laugh when you laugh. Talks about how your mood influences those around you • 2]. IMAGE: Be sad, and you lose them all (14) MEANING: this stanza talks about relationships with friends and addresses how friends will leave if you are not fun to hang around with. • 3]. IMAGE: Succeed and give, and it helps you live, (19) MEANING: this ling talks about how if you are able to share and accomplish something, people will help you to live.

Lyric Qualities • 1]. Lyric Device: ABCBDEFE GHIHJKLK MNONPQRQ Meaning: a very complicated rhyme scheme but through this, there is a rhythm that we could follow • 2]. Lyric Device: Weep, and you weep alone; (2) onomatopoeia Meaning: expresses the emotion of how you would feel when you weep alone. Adds the tone and the mood of the poem

Figurative Meaning • 1]. Figurative Device: Word laughs with you (1) *personification Meaning: means that when you are happy, everyone around you are also happy. • • 2]. Figurative Device: Sing, and the hills will answer; (5) *personification Meaning: I think singing symbolizes confidence. When you have confidence, even fills would answer to you. • 3. Figurative Device: Through the narrow aisles of pain (24) *metaphor Meaning: We are always struggling by crossing the road of pain.

Theme • The theme of the poem is inescapable solitude that humanity faces when experiencing hardship and death.