Analysis Of Report To Wordsworth By Kim Boey Cheng

About the Poem

This post will explain the figures of speech and the themes in Report To Wordsworth by Kim Boey Cheng.

Report To Wordsworth is a poem believed to be addressed to William Wordsworth, the poet, whose poetic messages show affection for nature. Cheng wasn't glad with the deplorable states of natural things like rivers, animals, plants, atmosphere, etc; after he felt that the gods meant to come to the rescue of nature were silent, he had no choice than to address the poem to Wordsworth as his last resort.

The Poetic Devices

"You should be here, Nature has need of you" in line 1 is an example of epanalepsis.

"As Nature's mighty heart is lying still" in line 12 is an example of imagery.

"The flowers are mute, and the birds are few" in line 4 is an example of paradox, parallelism and personification.

"in a sky slowing like dying clock" is an example of simile.
"She has laid waste" is an example of personification; the "She" was referring to "Nature".

"The wound widening" "insatiate man moves" "sky slowing" "poetry and piety" are examples of alliteration.

"Proteus, Triton, Neptune, Wordsworth" are examples of allusion.

The Themes

(1)The effect of Nature on poetry and religion (2)The destructive nature of human (3)Hopelessness and Helplessness in Nature's recovery

It was shown in the poem that without nature, poetry and religion is nothing. Meaning that the bad shape of Nature has a lot of negative effects on poetry and religion: "Poetry and piety have begun to fail/ As Nature's mighty heart is lying still" (line 11 and 12). 

The destruction suffered by Nature is man-made (i.e. caused by the effort of human) and few of them are plants infertility which the poet described "the flowers are mute..." the unreasonable hunting and killing of animals which the poet also described "the birds are few" polution of water and atmosphere beyond control. "all hopes of Proteus rising from the sea/ has sunk; he is entombed in the waste/ we dump..." according to line 5 to 7 of the poem. Kim Cheng revealed the degree of hopelessness and helpless of Nature's recovery by inviting Wordsworth who is a mortal with less power as the immortal deities that has failed to rescue Nature from peril. 

He also made the readers to see reasons for inviting Wordsworth; "Neptune lies helpless as a beached whale/ while insatiate man moves for the kill".

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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