Solitude

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

About the Poet
• Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850 – October 30,
1919) was an American author and poet. Her works
include the collection Poems of Passion and the poem
"Solitude", which contains the lines "Laugh, and the
world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone."
Her autobiography, The Worlds and I, was published in
1918, a year before her death.
• Ella Wheeler was born in 1850 on a farm
in Johnstown, Wisconsin, east of Janesville, the
youngest of four children. The family later moved north
of Madison, after losing its wealth, as the result of her
father's failed business aspirations and speculation
Background
• This poem, much like Wilcox’s other works, contains her observation about
the world around her. Her interest in spiritualism reflects effectively in this
poem.
• Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote “Solitude” after she had travelled to Madison,
Wisconsin, to attend the Governor's inaugural ball. On her way there, she sat
opposite a young widow, who was dressed in black and crying. The poet sat
with her and tried to comfort her for the rest of the journey. When they
arrived at the ball, the poet was so depressed she could hardly enjoy the
party. When she saw her own face in a mirror, Wilcox remembered the crying
woman and wrote this poem, where she thinks about the world’s response
to sadness.
• She sent the poem to the Sun and received $5 for her effort.
Stanza 1
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Stanza 2
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall.
Stanza 3
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.
FORM/STRUCTURE
• This poem follows a strict structure. The three stanzas consist of 8
lines each and the same rhyming pattern is used throughout.
• The first two stanzas focus on attitude, behaviour and actions. The
last stanza focuses on the end of one’s life and suggests a particular
approach to deal with this inevitability.
• Each stanza follows a pattern of happiness-sadness, repeated across
the lines.
Summary
• The speaker addresses the reader directly. She states certain universal
truths – “laugh, and the world laughs with / Weep, and you weep
alone”. The poem speaks of the universal human condition in sharing
joys and ‘good times’ but that a person is alone/solitary in their tough
times/sadness.
• In the first stanza the speaker states that one must face one’s
problems instead of seeking happiness through others.
 You = The poem is directly addressing Contrast between “laughs with In essence, this
the reader, almost as if giving advice. you” and “weep alone”, stanza highlights
Synecdoche – highlights the complicated the loneliness
Stanza 1 “world” here
represents people in
relationship between people
and society – you will be
that is caused by
sadness.
general supported when good things Emotions are
Contrast happen, but abandoned during translated to
between• 1 Laugh, and the world laughs with you; bad times. sound: Happiness
laugh and is spread, sadness
weep • 2 Weep, and you weep alone. Mirth = happiness, joy becomes silence.
• 3 For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, “hills will answer” and “lost on
the air” repeat the contrast
• 4 But has trouble enough of its own. from lines 1-2, reinforcing the
Contrast image of abandonment during
between
• 5 Sing, and the hills will answer; bad times.
sing and• 6 Sigh, it is lost on the air.
sigh Personification: Personifies earth as an old person
• 7 The echoes bound to a joyful sound, so filled with sadness that in order to feel
happiness it must borrow the happiness from
• 8 But shrink from voicing care. elsewhere. This suggests that sadness is the
natural state of the world.
Personification: echo of the hills is personified, links to the synecdoche of
the world, but also to happiness being multiplied (line 7). However, in
line 8, the echoes shrink away because people will not share in sadness.
 The same people who come to you for happiness will leave
once you are sad, or have no happiness left to give.
Stanza 2Full measure = all of This contrast suggests that people will actively
it, as in they will take seek to join in your happiness, but will leave the
all your pleasure. moment you are grieving. When happy, people
Contrast
between • 9 Rejoice, and men will seek you; want to be around you. This links to the
rejoice and personification in line 3, and how the earth has
grieve • 10 Grieve, and they turn and go. to “borrow” happiness.

• 11 They want full measure of all your pleasure,

• 12 But they do not need your woe. Contrast between
pleasure and woe
Nectared wine:
Contrast Sweet, delicious wine
• 13 Be glad, and your friends are many;
between
glad and
sad
• 14 Be sad, and you lose them all. (Extended) Metaphor: Compares
happiness to nectared wine, and
• 15 There are none to decline your nectared wine, sadness to gall. This extended
• 16 But alone you must drink life's gall. metaphor again reinforces how
people will want to share your
Gall: bitter liquid from the gall bladder, associated happiness, but will force you to
with throwing up, often called “bile” experience your sadness (gall)
alone.
 But: Even if we share our happiness, we Metaphor: Lines 17-18 are metaphors for
Synecdoche –
will walk through pain alone. Always. life itself, comparing interpersonal action
“world” here
Stanza 3
to eating (a feast or fast).
represents people in
By welcoming community, companionship
general
Fast: Not eating for some time, a and happiness (feasting), you will get more
private and personal ritual companionship and happiness.
Contrast By avoiding community, companionship
between • 17 Feast, and your halls are crowded; and happiness (fasting), you will be
feast and ignored by the rest of the world.
fast • 18 Fast, and the world goes by.
• 19 Succeed and give, and it helps you live, Metaphor: Lines 19-20 compare success
and loneliness with death. Sharing
• 20 But no man can help you die. happiness (succeed and give) will make life
happier and more worthwhile (helps you
• 21 There is room in the halls of pleasure live).
In contrast, you will die alone. Fact. But line
• 22 For a long and lordly train, File on: walk in a
row, single file 20 refers to a metaphorical death:
Everyone loneliness.
will feel • 23 But one by one we must all file on
pain, and Metaphor: halls of pleasure are the happy
we must • 24 Through the narrow aisles of pain. spaces in your life
all deal Metaphor: narrow aisles implies people cannot Lordly train: the procession of people following royalty, also a
with it be helped with their pain – there is not enough metaphor for the people sharing your happiness.
alone. space for others to stand beside them.
Themes
• Happiness/Pain – throughout the poem the speaker states that one
must face one’s problems head-on and not seek comfort in others
instead of addressing your own problems/issues. The poet states that
we cannot run from our problems forever.
• Individuals vs outside world – the relationship between these two
concepts is clear in this poem. The poem acts as a “map” to the
individual on how to create your own happiness and face the realities
of the world. The poet makes it clear that she believes all people exist
in a state of solitude, and that life must be tackled with practicality
and self-reliance.
Still themes.
• The poem deals with how people respond to the emotional state of
others: happy people attract the friendship and company of many
others, whereas sad people tend to become isolated and lonely as
people avoid those with negative emotions.
• In the final stanza, the poet contradicts the previous stanzas by saying
that ultimately everyone must go through pain and suffering alone.
Others can bear witness, but the experience of pain is a solitary one.
The poet is not necessarily saying that people are selfish – jus that a
person can observe the feelings of others but cannot actually
experience them.
Tone
• Overall, the tone of this poem is melancholic (sad, depressed).
Although the poet reminds the reader that happiness is indeed
possible, through words and phrases (such as “laugh”, “sing”,
“rejoice”, “nectared wine” and “halls of pleasure”), she contrasts
these words and phrases with their opposites (“weep”, “sigh”, “be
sad”, “life’s gall” and “narrow aisles of pain”.
• The tone juxtaposes happiness with sadness to show how even
though happiness is possible, sadness is inevitable.
Questions
• 1. Comment on the personification in stanza 1. (3)
• 2. Describe the reaction of the ‘echoes’ (line 7) to the prompts given. (2)
• 3. What does “shrink” mean as used in line 8? (2)
• 4. Suggest a possible example of “life’s gall”. (2)
• 5. Why does the speaker suggest that “pain” is travelled through “narrow aisles”? (2)
• 6. Paraphrase and explain the line: “ Succeed and give, and it helps you live.” (3)
• 7. Discuss the effectiveness of the title of the poem in relation to its contents. (3)
• 8. Is the speaker in this overly cynical? Discuss your opinion. (3)
• 9. Would “Loneliness” have been a better title for the poem? Discuss your answer and
make reference to the connotations/denotations of both words (solitude and
loneliness) in your answer. (3)