The Wild Swans at Coole Group

Question:

presgirl
presgirl
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In "The Wild Swans at Coole," the poem is partly based on a contrast between the speaker and the swans. What are some other contrasts?

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Posted by presgirl on Sunday September 28, 2008 at 9:14 AM and tagged with contrast, speaker, swans, the wild swans at coole.

Answers:


  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    A good question. The poem is based on contrasts between the past and the present, and between the narrator when young and the narrator now, which is 19 years later. As the poem indicates, this is a large and sad change:

    "I have looked upon those brilliant creatures, And now my heart is sore. All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight," 

     Everything has changed, from the speaker's heart on. Therefore, from hopeful and loving to sad and heartbroken.
    Another contrast is between the unchanging quality of the swans (not just their presence, but that they are the same) and the changed quality of the speaker.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/wild-swans-coole-salem/wild-swans-c...

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    Posted by gbeatty on Sunday September 28, 2008 at 11:23 AM