Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Nature

Motif of nature is present in a lot of these poems. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many poets and this is the case here as well. "The Angler's Song" is a poem solely dedicated to the appreciation of the nature's beauty: river's plashy bank, green sedge growing, the morning lark speeds upward, misty lakes, rustling reeds, meadows, elms, oaks, green woods and winding brooks and more images that serve this appreciation.

The Arrow and The Song

In the poem "The Arrow and The Song" the poet makes a connection between those two. He first shoots an arrow into the air and can't see where it lands. Later, he finds it unbroken underneath an oak. He shoots a song into the air as well, and he can't follow to see where the song goes and later discovers it in a heart of a friend. Just like the oak tree protected the arrow, so his friend protected his song by keeping it in his heart.

Blacksmith

Blacksmith from the poem "The Village Blacksmith" could be seen as a symbol of honesty and morality. The blacksmith is a hard worker; his brow is wet with honest sweat because everything he has is earned with his honest hard work.

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