General and Thematic Questions
1. What is the central theme of the poem?
Answer: The central theme is the power of art (specifically, song) to transcend language and time, and the lasting impact of a beautiful, spontaneous moment in nature.
2. What is the setting of the poem?
Answer: The setting is a remote Highland valley, where the speaker comes across a solitary woman working in a field.
3. What is the job of the Solitary Reaper?
Answer: She is cutting and binding grain.
4. Why is the speaker so captivated by her?
Answer: He is captivated by the beautiful and melancholy sound of her song, which seems to fill the entire valley.
5. How is the woman described in the first stanza?
Answer: She is a "solitary Highland Lass" who is "reaping and singing by herself."
6. What does the speaker ask his listeners to do?
Answer: He asks them to "Behold her, single in the field" and to "Stop here, or gently pass!" to avoid disturbing her.
7. What is the paradox the speaker observes about her song?
Answer: The song is beautiful and moving, but he cannot understand the words, yet its meaning is profoundly clear to him.
8. What does the speaker compare the Reaper's song to in the second stanza?
Answer: He compares her song to the songs of the Nightingale and the Cuckoo-bird.
9. What is the effect of the bird comparisons?
Answer: They emphasize the extraordinary and rare beauty of her song, suggesting it surpasses even nature's most celebrated singers.
10. Why does the speaker call her song a "welcome note"?
Answer: It provides a welcome relief to weary travelers in the desert, just as the song of a Cuckoo-bird brings joy to "furthest Hebrides."
Detailed Analysis and Poetic Devices
11. What is the significance of the word "solitary"?
Answer: It highlights her isolation, emphasizing the private and personal nature of her song, which is sung purely for herself.
12. How does Wordsworth use personification in the poem?
Answer: He personifies the song itself, describing how it "overflows the vale."
13. What is the mood of the poem?
Answer: The mood is one of quiet contemplation, reverence, and wistful melancholy.
14. What does the phrase "A melancholy strain" suggest about the song?
Answer: It suggests that the song is sad or sorrowful, which is a common characteristic of folk songs.
15. What does the speaker wonder about the song's subject?
Answer: He wonders if the song is about "old, unhappy, far-off things, / And battles long ago."
16. How does the poem transition from a visual observation to an auditory one?
Answer: The poem begins by asking the reader to "Behold her" and then immediately focuses on the sound of her song.
17. What poetic meter is used in the poem?
Answer: The poem is written in a combination of iambic tetrameter and trimeter.
18. What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza?
Answer: The rhyme scheme is ABCBDEFE.
19. What is the effect of the alliteration in the line "Will no one tell me what she sings?"?
Answer: The repetition of the "w" sound creates a sense of the speaker's wonder and yearning to understand the song.
20. How does the poem’s structure contribute to its meaning?
Answer: The poem's simple, ballad-like stanzas and musical rhythm mirror the simple, yet profound beauty of the song it describes.
5-Mark Questions and Answers
1. How does Wordsworth use the theme of solitude to create a sense of mystery and profound beauty in the poem?
Answer: The poem's title and opening line, "Behold her, single in the field," immediately establish the theme of solitude. This isolation is central to the poem's effect for several reasons. First, the speaker's encounter is a private, unshared moment, making it feel more personal and special. The reaper is "by herself," and her song is a spontaneous, personal expression, not a performance. This private nature enhances the sense of authenticity and raw emotion. Furthermore, her solitude contributes to the mystery of her song; because she is alone and her words are unintelligible, the speaker must rely on his imagination to understand her "melancholy strain." This forces him to contemplate the universal themes of sorrow, loss, and the beauty of nature. The fact that he is a fleeting passerby who does not intrude on her space emphasizes his respect for her solitude, transforming the encounter into a powerful and lasting memory of a moment of pure, solitary beauty.
2. Question: Discuss the significance of the bird metaphors (Nightingale and Cuckoo-bird) in the second stanza. What do they suggest about the quality of the reaper's song?
Answer: Wordsworth employs two powerful bird metaphors to elevate the solitary reaper's song to a sublime level. First, he compares her to a Nightingale, a bird renowned for its beautiful, melancholic song. He says no Nightingale ever sang "more welcome notes" to weary travelers. This comparison suggests that her song, like the Nightingale's, is a source of profound emotional solace and comfort. The second comparison is to a Cuckoo-bird, known for its simple, enchanting call that signals the start of spring in distant, quiet places.
