Spring Analysis

Form and Meter

"Spring" follows the form of an Italian Sonnet. It has fourteen lines and uses the rhyme scheme ABBAABBA CDCDCD. Generally, sonnets are written in a single stanza, but it's not too uncommon for an...

Speaker

The speaker of our poem sounds like the kind of guy who goes for long walks in the woods or fields, and who can have a powerful spiritual experience just by looking at a bird's nest or an earthworm...

Setting

This poem takes us on a stroll through the countryside in spring. It's a natural setting, but not a completely wild place. We get the sense there are farms around, and pastures. We walk through wee...

What's Up With the Title?

It's a simple title, but that one word – "Spring" – is loaded with associations. Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal of the natural world. For Christians it's also the time to c...

Calling Card

The sonnet is probably the most common form of poetry in the English language. The limited space (fourteen lines) forces compression of thought and emotion – there's just no room to ramble on...

Tough-O-Meter

The wording can be confusing or ambiguous in a couple of spots, but the music of the language will usually carry you through with at least a general idea of what's happening.

Brain Snacks

Sex Rating

There's not a lot that's very steamy here, except if you're a plant. Evidence of plant reproduction is all over the place: weeds sprouting, plants growing leaves, flowers budding. But the images se...

Shout Outs

The Bible (Genesis, the Garden of Eden) (lines 10-11)