The Cool Web (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Graves
- First Published: 1927
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Language or languages, Children, Emotions, Fear, Gods or goddesses, Joy or sorrow
The Poem
This poem of four stanzas makes an unusual observation about the relationship between the emotions and the language used to express them. The cool web of the title is a metaphor for language itself, which, rather than intensifying and clarifying what one feels, may actually dull or cool the passions.
The first quatrain presents the plight of those who presumably have limited ability to put feeling into words: “Children are dumb to say how hot the day is.” The other three lines name other experiences that induce emotion in children: the scent of roses, the...
[The entire page is 1530 words long]
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