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Away Melancholy - Stevie Smith
Away Melancholy - Stevie Smith
Away, Melancholy
Stevie Smith
‘S p e a k
n o t t o
m e o f
te a r s’
h oly
Away, Melanc
Stevie Smith
holy,
‘Away, melanc
t it go.
Away with it, le
es green,
Are not the tre
reen?’
The earth as g
u ll p o e m u n able to be
(F e to
reproduced duictions)
copyright restr
VOCABULARY
Melancholy - a feeling of pensive sadness with no
obvious cause.
Visual imagery - Throughout this poem, Smith employs various kinds of imagery, with
visual imagery being the most prominent of them. The second stanza is a testament to
this as not only does Smith enable the reader to get a more intimate perspective of
nature, but also builds on the theme of nature throughout the poem. The rhetorical
questions “Are not the trees green, / The earth as green?/ Does not the wind blow, /Fire
leap and the rivers flow?” list a series of negatives which the speaker directs back at
herself, towards her own psyche, in order to try and use logic to pull herself out of her
melancholy. The abundance of nature is present here - it is varied, powerful and
beautiful, and therefore, she feels, she should appreciate it rather than being depressed.
Symbolism - “The ant is busy ”- The ant, which is typically an industrious, hardworking
insect, symbolises the concept of hard work. This may also be a religious allusion to
the concept that ‘The Devil makes work of idle hands’, in other words those people who
don’t have enough work to keep themselves busy will fall into sinful or difficult situations -
perhaps because they have too much idle time on their hands, or because they are not
contributing to society and nature as a whole. The speaker seems to direct the
statement back at herself, suggesting that she may be depressed simply because she
hasn’t given herself enough work to do in life, perhaps her life is devoid of true meaning
or purpose.
Personification - “Does not the wind blow/Fire leap” Nature is personified throuhgout
the poem as conscious, living entity which performs its own necessary functions and
behaviours - similarly, living creatures are also personified through the synecdochic
example of the ‘ant’.
Alliteration - This is seen in the use of “fire” and “flow” in the second stanza and “good”
and “god” in the seventh stanza which includes the use of the same consonant sound at
the beginning of multiple words. Overall, Smith uses alliteration to underscore certain
concepts and motifs in the poem.
Asyndetic listing - “Speak not to me of tears, / Tyranny, pox, wars,” - the poem takes on
a more sociopolitical perspective, where the speaker lists common grievances of
mankind - oppressive governmental structures, diseases and wars are all states which
are likely to plunge an individual person into a state of depression simply because they
feel helpless and powerless against these strong, negative forces.
STRUCTURE + FORM
Free verse - “Away, Melancholy,” has nine stanzas of
varying lengths. The poet uses a free verse form,
which makes it imitative of the variations and chaos in
life itself.
Human beings are God’s special creation - Smith says, “Man of all creatures
is superlative/He of all creatures alone/Raiseth a stone.” Despite comparing
man to other creatures and claiming that the animals and man do not differ all
that much, Smith nevertheless concludes that man is the best of God's creation
- as humans, we are capable of more complex thought and action than any
other being on earth, and therefore we could count ourselves blessed.
THEMES
Man and nature
Religion and spirituality
Positivity
Depression TASK 2
Pick tw
Mortality and ad
o of the
se them
e s, m a
d four s ke a m
story th e p arate q i n d ma
a t re l a t uotatio p
Peace analysi
s, expla
e to it. Make
s h o r
ns from
the
relates ining h t notes o
to your ow and f
t h e me . W w h y e ach on
Death is the a
uthor ’s
fi n a
hat, in
y o u r
e
about e l messag o pinion,
ach the e o r s
me tha tateme
t you ch nt
Life o se ?
Nihilism
TASK 2
What do you think is your life’s purpose?
ESSAY QUESTION
1. Critically discuss the theme of religion as brought
out in Stevie Smith’s poem, “Away, Melancholy.”
2. “The speaker has achieved nothing by the end of
the poem.” Discuss to what extent you agree with this
statement, in reference to “Away, Melancholy”.
3. Examine the way in which Smith portrays the
relationship between humans, nature and God in the
poem.