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How Does The Speaker Use Imagery In The Rainy Day

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A booming echo of thunder bellows in the distance as the rain hurls upon the earth with no intent of ceasing, demolishing what would have been a gorgeous sunny day. Abruptly, the precipitation pauses, the sun glows upon the land, and the harmonious chirps of birds fill the air. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rainy Day,” he depicts the immediate and long term effects of enduring hardships on the mind. Misfortunes are an inescapable element of the life of any individual. Symbolism and imagery convey the speaker’s initial mindset that life will always remain dull and gloomy. For example, what begins as a sorrowful day transitions into the speaker’s whole life, which he describes as “cold, and dark, and dreary,” (7). Addressing the entirety of life in this manner identifies immense emotional unrest. This negative mindset influences the belief that there are no moments to cherish in life. In addition, the speaker discusses his unsettling thoughts that “cling to the…show more content…
For instance, the speaker comforts himself with the belief that “Behind the clouds is the sun still shining,” (12). The sun is a symbol for better days and more positive instances yet to come. These pleasurable moments are masked by symbolic clouds that represent the complications that make life seem dreary. This demonstrates the understanding that pain and discomfort are provisional. Moreover, the speaker continues to explain his belief that, “Into each life some rain must fall, / Some days must be dark and dreary,” (14). The rain represents hardships and unpleasant days, which are now understood to be inevitable. Instead of fretting over these obstacles, the speaker learns to accept this fate. As the turmoil begins to cease and a wave of content commences, the speaker realizes that bad days are unavoidable, but they do not last
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