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Rain after drought ((Ending of the poem (Poignant - Her love has been…
Rain after drought
Ending of the poem
Poignant - Her love has been unrequited; it was not a mutual feeling because he never loved her "at all". It is those final two words which are so poignant. This is why she keeps her love a secret and lets the rain show her feelings for him.
Significance of title
There is obviously real rain which falls after a period of dryness but for the poet, the rain has a deeper significance. The rain is expressing her feelings which have had to be kept secret, held back, like a drought, and now it is allowing her to let it carry her sadness, allowing it to be alleviated
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"heedlessly"
Means without any cares, easily, having no concern about keeping secrets or talking about important matters that need careful consideration.
Line 1-3 atmosphere
Pleasant social atmosphere in which talk circles "about the room" and people move their chairs to be able to listen better to one another. It is ordinary, friendly social interaction, a "casual interchange and interflow of speech". The word "casual" sums up the atmosphere well and the repeated prefix "inter" emphasises the camaraderie among the people in the room
Title
South Africa is a dry country and rain is very welcome, especially after a drought, so one might think the poem will deal with the life-giving effect of rain on a dry land
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Love of her life dies, but her never loved her back
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Diction and imagery
Webster uses strong verbs to emphasise her meaning. In the first stanza, the repetition of "circles" suggests that the endless noise of human conversation seems endless. It has no beginning, no end and no purpose. She perceives herself as an outsider and therefore takes scent notice of the casual conversations around her. In the third stanza, the verb "roved" implies that her thoughts wandered freely beyond the physical confines of the room
The phrase "my thirsty tree" is personification. The poet suggests that her life has been arid and barren and she regards the rain as life giving. The sound of the rain lifts her spirits and relieves her depression
The repetition of the word "secret" emphasises that she refuses to communicate her discovery to her fellow man. This is reinforced by the word "others" in the final stanza and suggests that she doesn't identify with her peers
She demonstrates her keen awareness of the rain by describing the "quiet, heavy drops" its "measured progress" and the fact that it "patters quietly" with "patient assault"
The "unquiet grass" above the grave reflects the torment she suffered after her divorce and "patient assault" suggests that she is ready to release her bitterness and feelings of rejection
Structure and form
The poem has four stanzas with four lines in each stanza. The lengths of the lines are unequal and are determined by natural speech rhymes rather than a strict, artificial meter. The end-words of alternate line rhyme
Mood and tone
The poet's tone is thoughtful and reflective. She clearly reveals her distaste for the shallowness of her peers and she refuses to compromise in order to "fit in" with their expectations. She realises that here bitterness cannot be healed by social interaction and she turns to nature for answers
Intention and theme
The poet contrasts the healing power of nature with the intensity and indifference of her fellow-man. She emphasises that the presence of the rain is an affirmation of life and clearly expresses her disdain and rejection of modern societal values
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People are laughing and casually chatting to each other, but the poet stands apart and chooses not to participate
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"I hear the rain" - growth, cleansing, healing
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2
Her peers are not aware of the effect the rain has on her and carry on talking, but she realises that she is beginning to emerge from a dark depression
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She regards the rain as life-giving; it washes away the sorrow and torment which she has experienced for so long
"upon my thirsty tree" - Metaphor - her emotional state - needs watering, needs release
She becomes aware of the sound of the "quiet, heavy drops" falling on the arid earth and imagines its healing effect on her "own thirsty tree"
"They went on talking, but for me, for me" - rain is irrelevant to the people but important to her.
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On one hand she thinks of the trauma and hurt which her husband caused her, he lies in an "unquiet" grave.
On the other hand, she feels that the rain's cleansing quality and "patient assault" have begun to heal her torment, pain and suffering.
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The poem wistfully concludes with the observation that though she still loves him, he never loved her at all
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3
She participates in the lively gathering and talks and laughs, but all the while she listens to the rain and observes its progress
In her imagination, she is transported "beyond the room and the voices" to the past.
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