GRADE 12: TERM 2 POETRY

SOLITUDE: PAGE 93

A. BACKGROUND: THE POEM IN CONTEXT

1. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, an American journalist and poet, was born in Wisconsin, USA in 1850 and died in
1919. She was the youngest of four children.
2. By the time she was a teenager, she was already publishing her poetry in various magazines. She studied at
the University of Wisconsin and she published her first book at the age of 22. Throughout her life she
published various other works, including several volumes of poetry, two autobiographies and a series of
novels. Her poems reflect her belief that the world needs more kindness and compassion.
3. ‘Solitude’ is her most well-known poem and it is about the relationship between the individual and the
outside world. The poem shares a universal truth: others are eager to share in our joys, good times and
prosperity, but we have to endure our sorrows and dark times alone (in solitude).
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B. TITLE
1. Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote ‘Solitude’ after she had travelled to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the
Governor’s inaugural ball. On her way to the ball, perhaps by train, she sat across from a young widow who
was dressed in black.
2. This young woman was grieving the loss of her husband. Wilcox tried to provide the woman comfort
during the journey. When they arrived at the ball, Wilcox was saddened that she was unable to comfort the
woman over her loss.
3. A while later, when Wilcox saw her own ‘solitary’ reflection in a mirror, she was reminded of the crying
woman and subsequently wrote this poem in which she reflects on the world’s response to sadness.
4. The title ‘Solitude’ refers to a state of seclusion/ being alone. This can be both positive and negative
depending on the situation. It can be beneficial if one needs a space to meditate/ reflect/ have peace and
quiet. However, it can also be detrimental if solitude leads to adverse circumstances like isolation,
depression and loneliness.
5. It can be argued that the title does not totally support the message of the poem because although the speaker
explores both sides of the argument, she advocates for a life that is not lived in solitude or isolation. The
poem seems to equate solitude with being sad and lonely.
6. The poet therefore implies that the world needs more kindness, compassion and generosity (of spirit).
People who are lonely, depressed and miserable need help and not rejection.
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C. FORM AND STRUCTURE

OUTER STRUCTURE
1. The poem has 24 lines, separated into three stanzas of eight lines each.
2. Lines one and two (in each stanza) and lines five and six (in stanzas one and two) start with contrasting
imperative verbs, e.g. in Stanza 1: ‘laugh’ is followed by ‘weep’ and ‘sing’ is followed by ‘sigh’, again
reinforcing the opposite reactions people have to different emotions of others.
3. In the final stanza, the poet breaks with the pattern of contrast in lines 23 and 24 and instead ends the stanza
with ‘But one by one we must all file on/Through the narrow aisles of pain’. Although there is a contrast
and balancing of emotions throughout life, ultimately pain and isolation dominates happiness and company.
INNER STRUCTURE
1. Each stanza follows a consistent rhyme scheme of a-b-c-b-d-e-f-e.
2. The fact that the second and fourth lines rhyme and the sixth and eighth lines rhyme in each stanza
creates a sense of regular and inevitable logic, linked to the message of the poem: happiness attracts others,
sadness repels them.
3. The internal rhyme in the third line of each stanza (‘earth’ and ‘mirth’ in Stanza 1; ‘measure’ and
‘pleasure’ in Stanza 2; ‘give’ and ‘live’ in Stanza 3) is used to reinforce the link between concepts, and also
to create a repetitive rhyme scheme that reinforces a sense of the inevitable.
4. The poem has a very regular rhythm, created by alternating nine and seven syllable lines, with a strong
iambic rhythm. The regular rhythm scheme creates a sense that pain and loneliness being linked is
inevitable.
5. By using the pronoun ‘you’ throughout the poem, the reader feels drawn in/ personally addressed. The
technique creates the impression that the advice being offered is directed at the reader.
6. Irony: the word ‘but’ is used six times in the three stanzas. The ‘world’ (people) wants good things from
‘you’, BUT will not want ‘you’ if life is hard.
THE POEM IS BUILT ON A SERIES OF CONTRASTS/OPPOSITES
The excess of sadness in the world (Stanza 1). The shortage of happiness in the world (Stanza 1).
The echoing of happy sounds (‘sing’) (Stanza 1). The silencing of sad sounds (‘sigh’) (Stanza 1).
People share joy happily (Stanza 2). People retreat from grief (Stanza 2).
Delicious ‘nectared wine’ enjoyed in company. Bitter ‘life’s gall’ which must be drunk ‘alone’.
People share the enjoyment of pleasure happily People retreat from those who abstain from pleasure
(‘feast’). (‘fast’).
Happy people having ‘crowded halls’ with rooms Images of sad people being isolated and ignored as ‘the
big enough for a ‘large and lordly train’ and ‘halls world goes by’.
of pleasure’.
Rooms big enough for a ‘large and lordly’ train. Suffering alone in the ‘narrow aisles of pain’.

 Semi-colons are used to balance the equal ideas presented in the pairs of lines.
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 D. MOOD
1. The mood is sombre, reflective and melancholic.
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E. TONE
1. On the whole, the tone is melancholy/sombre/depressed. Although the poet reminds us that happiness is
possible (evident in words and phrases like ‘laugh’; ‘sing’; ‘rejoice’; ‘nectared wine’ and ‘halls of
pleasure’), the poet contrasts these words and phrases with their opposites (‘weep’; ‘sigh’; ‘be sad’; ‘life’s
gall’ and ‘narrow aisles of pain’).
2. These contrasts could imply that people automatically reject negative emotions (and are therefore selfish)
or that suffering and pain is the other side of pleasure and happiness and are therefore unavoidable, rather
than being the result of human selfishness.
3. In the last two lines of the poem, it could be argued that the poet makes a point about a universal truth
regarding the experience of pain in one’s life. In this instance, the tone is realistic.
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F. THEMES
1. HAPPINESS VERSUS PAIN
a. The poet stresses that although we must bear our hardships alone, we should understand that life is a
mixture of positive and negative events, and happiness and grief are inescapable parts of the human
condition.
b. Therefore, the poem suggests that one must face one’s problems/ issues head-on and tackle the realities
of life with practicality, resilience and self-reliance, instead of seeking happiness through others.
2. INDIVIDUAL VERSUS THE OUTSIDE WORLD
a. The speaker highlights the contradictory reactions of people to both positive and negative experiences in
life. Happiness is observed and celebrated, whereas sadness and grief are largely ignored by others.
b. The speaker describes the connection between one's emotional outlook on life and the friends and
community one attracts.
 The speaker emphasises that positive behaviours like singing (‘sing’), laughing (‘mirth’) and
rejoicing are infectious and attract the company of others. This will result in a happy, fulfilled life.
 On the other hand, negative behaviours like weeping, sighing (‘sigh’), grieving, and sadness (‘woe’)
drive people away and leave you alone to suffer in isolation because people tend to shy away from
negative emotions.
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STANZA 1

 The world is personified in Stanza 1 and the poet describes how the world responds to happiness and
sadness.
 People are attracted to happy, laughing, joyful individuals, whereas opposite traits like sadness and grief
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discourage others’ desire to be in one’s company.
LINES 1 – 2
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
1. The first two lines of this stanza are the most well-known and often quoted lines of the poem. The speaker
presents a sharp contrast in how people react to both joy and sorrow.
2. Line 1 suggests that joy and laughter in oneself will create happiness in others and thereby attract the
companionship of many (‘the world’). Laughter is contagious, and it brings people together.
3. The words ‘the world’ are an example of a literary device known as synecdoche. This is a figure of speech
in which a whole entity is used to describe only a part of something. The whole ‘world’ is used to describe
only a part of the world – that part being its people.
4. In line 2, the speaker describes the contrasting emotion to happiness, which is sadness displayed through
weeping. If you were to ‘weep’, according to the speaker, you would experience your sorrow in isolation,
which conveys how displaying negative emotions tends to push people away rather than attracting support
and camaraderie.
5. People seek pleasure and joy and are reluctant to associate with or be burdened by the suffering, sadness or
unhappiness of others, perhaps for fear it may be shared, and would thus avoid those who are upset.
6. The opposite images of happiness versus crying emphasise that joy is a shared experience while sorrow is
experienced alone.
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LINES 3 – 4: PERSONIFICATION
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
1. The words ‘sad’ and ‘old’ used to personify the earth convey an impression that the earth is tired out,
gloomy, depressed and suffering hardships.
2. The speaker argues that the earth has so much trouble and sadness that it has to ‘borrow its mirth’
(happiness). The earth does not have a well of happiness to draw from and must rely on others to make it
happy/joyful. These lines convey the impression that happiness is not inherent in the world; it is rare and
fleeting. The speaker implies that sadness is the natural state of the world and that happiness is harder to
achieve than sadness.
3. The word ‘mirth’ means absolute joy that is accompanied by laughter. The idea that the ‘sad old earth’ or
mankind has to ‘borrow its mirth’ might suggest that people often ‘borrow’ or look for external sources of
happiness or happiness outside of themselves.
4. The statement ‘But has trouble enough of its own’ further reinforces the idea that the world is burdened with
its own problems, making genuine happiness scarce and difficult to sustain. If likened to humankind, people
have their own problems and might not always want to be burdened even more by the troubles and sadness
of others.

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LINES 5 – 6: PERSONIFICATION
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air;
1. The poet juxtaposes positive and negative emotions and behaviours and shows how those behaviours either
attract people or alienate/repel them.
2. The word ‘sing’ in this context refers to the expression of joy and happiness. If a person sings or expresses
joy, it feels as though the landscape (‘hills’) sings with them, i.e. literally, their singing echoes/resounds in
the hills. Figuratively, if you display happiness, that joy spreads/multiplies; society or people will respond
to /reciprocate that happiness and the joy will be a shared experience.
3. However, if a person has to ‘sigh’, which is to express sadness or despair, the sound and the emotion
quickly disappears/ dissipates into the air and is gone without anyone acknowledging it or paying any
attention to it. There will be no response and no shared experience of grief.
4. Positive emotions are returned; negative emotions are ignored/repelled or seen as insignificant by a world
that is indifferent to/uninterested in sadness.
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LINES 7 – 8: PERSONIFICATION
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
1. ‘The echoes bound’ is an example of personification. In this case, echoes are given the human quality of
being able to jump or leap in a playful manner. In other words, a person’s joy will echo, resound or
reverberate when it is present.
2. If a person is sad or going through a difficult time, these echoes will ‘shrink from voicing care’. The word
‘shrink’ in this case does not mean to become smaller, but rather to recoil or draw back in avoidance.
3. ‘Voicing care’ means to express compassion in response to sadness. In other words, unlike joy which will
resonate and echo, the world will not readily share in your sorrows or your troubles. Your sadness will not
spread and be shared with others around you, perhaps suggesting that sometimes our society can be selfish
and unsympathetic.
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STANZA 2

 In Stanza 2, the poet uses the imagery of ‘nectared wine’ and bitter ‘gall’ to outline how the world at
large reacts to positivity and negativity.

LINES 9 – 10
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;

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1. Stanza 2 reiterates the general trend that when individuals are happy they will find themselves surrounded
by company looking to share in their happiness.
2. The act of rejoicing refers to being happy and showing joy and delight. If you are a happy person, according
to the speaker, ‘men will seek you’. In other words, people will actively want to spend time with you and be
in your presence.
3. However, if you ‘grieve’ or if you are depressed and melancholic, the companionship of others dissipates
and people will ‘turn and go’. The same people who would want to be around you when you are joyful are
the same people who would leave you because they would not want to be brought down by your sorrows.
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LINES 11 – 12
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
1. The words ‘full measure’ mean completely/everything. People want to be surrounded by your positivity and
your good times (‘your pleasure’) in abundance, but what they do not need is your ‘woe’ – your problems
and your sadness.
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LINES 13 – 14
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all, —
1. The speaker provides some advice to the reader. If you have a positive, optimistic attitude you will attract
happy people and be more fulfilled. However, if you are a gloomy, negative person, you will lose all your
friends.
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LINES 15 – 16: METAPHOR
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
1. There is nobody who will refuse your ‘nectared wine’. The idea of ‘nectared wine’ can be considered
literally and figuratively.
a. Literally, ‘nectared wine’ refers to sweet wine that is welcomed at any festivity. The word ‘nectar’ is
often associated with something sweet, divine and pleasurable. The sweetness of nectar, in contrast to
gall, places emphasis on the shared pleasure of happy people.
b. Figuratively, the words ‘nectared wine’, which have connotations of celebrations, represent positivity,
happiness and good times. If you have positivity and happiness to share, many people will gladly
indulge in your offer.
2. These metaphorical images point to the idea that people will join in a celebration and one will have friends
in abundance in good times. However, when it comes to drinking ‘life’s gall’, you are alone or in ‘solitude’.
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 ‘Gall’ is a bitter-tasting liquid. Therefore, metaphorically, ‘life’s gall’ refers to the bitter and negative
experiences of life, e.g. sadness, poverty and loneliness.
3. Few people are willing to share in the bitter struggles of others’ lives, i.e. few people will offer support or
assistance when times are tough or when one is faced with an unpleasant situation. Prosperity brings friends
but adversity separates them from us. This implies that people are fickle/shallow and will avoid being
reminded of the difficulties of life.
4. The same message is being repeated throughout the poem – positivity will surround you with people, but
dealing with life’s problems is something that you will always have to do on your own. Everyone wants to
share as much of others’ happy times as possible (a ‘full measure’ of ‘nectared wine’), but a sad person
lives his life in loneliness and isolation because there will not be anyone to share his sorrow.
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STANZA 3
 Stanza 3 is based on the imagery of buildings - happiness expands a person’s world, so that it is filled
with people, while sadness must be experienced alone.
 Stanza 3 reinforces the poem’s main theme of the inevitable isolation and solitude that humanity faces
when experiencing hardship and death.

LINES 17 – 18: METAPHOR

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
1. When we think of a ‘feast’, it is not merely a single meal, but rather food in abundance. A metaphor is used
here to compare a large amount of food to happiness.
2. Literally, if you have a feast of food, your ‘halls are crowded’. Picture in your imagination a large banquet
with people celebrating and enjoying food and drinks. Figuratively, if your life is a feast of happiness,
many people will surround you and indulge in your happiness with you.
3. ‘Fast’ in line 18 means that food and celebration around food are limited. With this idea, there are negative
connotations of deprivation and hardship. If there is a lack of food (in the literal sense) and happiness (in
the figurative sense), ‘the world goes by’. In other words, if you do not participate or feast in the happiness
of life – if you ‘fast’ – people will rather ignore you and will not want to spend time with you.
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LINES 19 – 20
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
1. Success here could refer to either materialistic achievements (such as being wealthy) or to emotional
success – being happy or content in life.

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2. The idea of ‘giving’ of your success could refer to giving of your material successes (perhaps in a charitable
sense), or if we are referring to emotional success, it could mean being emotionally available and giving or
sharing your happiness with others.
3. If you ‘succeed and give’ to others, it will help you live. In other words, you will live a more rewarding,
prosperous, purposeful and happy life.
4. In line 20, the speaker says that ‘no man’/ nobody can help you ‘die’. Death is inevitable for every person.
When a person dies, that person must go through the experience of death alone. Living life and all its
experiences can be shared, but death is one experience that will always be a solitary one.
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LINES 21 – 22: METAPHOR
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a large and lordly train,
1. The word ‘room’ means that there is space for many people. The ‘halls of pleasure’ is a metaphor.
Happiness and the good times in life are compared to spacious halls or rooms filled with many people
feasting and celebrating.
2. The ‘halls’ or rooms have enough space for a ‘large and lordly train’. This refers to a large procession of
people taking part in the ‘pleasures’ or joyous experiences of life.
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LINES 23 – 24
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
1. Suffering is inevitable and inescapable. Though we might want to always be happy, ‘we must all’ ultimately
experience pain/suffering at some stage.
2. Pain is universal, but suffering is individual/personal as each individual experiences pain in their own way.
At such times, no one can share our suffering. ‘One by one’ means that we will go through these ‘aisles of
pain’ individually/ by ourselves. However, while pain is a personal journey, it is also a shared aspect of
being human.
3. The poet says that ‘we must all file on’. To stand in file means to stand in line, one person behind another.
The choice of words like ‘file on’ implies a sense of progression or movement, indicating that while pain is
a part of the journey, it is not the final destination.
4. The poet compares the experience of pain in life to ‘narrow aisles’, in other words, small, constricted and
confined passages/corridors that can only fit one person at a time, unlike a great hall that can fit many.
5. The use of ‘narrow aisles’ implies that there is limited space for others to join in the experience of pain.
Pain and sadness shut people out, making the world of a person who is suffering ‘narrow’ and
metaphorically small. This highlights the isolating and solitary nature of navigating difficulties and
challenges.

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6. Lines 23-24 therefore convey the message that while joyous occasions can be celebrated together with a
large number of people (‘room in the halls of pleasure’), everyone must ultimately experience pain and
suffering in life alone. Even though others can bear witness and attempt to support a person through his/her
suffering, the painful experience is inevitably a solitary one. This is not to say that people are necessarily
selfish. It is just that a person can really only observe others’ deepest feelings, but they cannot truly
experience them.
7. The poem asks us to be positive and attract good company, and demands us to stop being critical and
negative which will only make us unhappy. The poem shows that joy and sorrow are a part of life – in order
to become stronger people, we need to face our problems directly and realise that only we create our own
happiness.
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