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Can someone briefly explain the poem "No!" by Thomas Hood?
Quick answer:
The poem "No!" by Thomas Hood expresses the speaker's strong dislike for the month of November. He views November as a dark, dreary time that deprives him of enjoyable activities and the beauty of summer. The speaker exaggerates his complaints but highlights the truth of feeling trapped, unlike the wealthy who can escape to warmer places.
The poem is a hymn of hate to the month of November. Personally speaking, this is one of my favorite months, but the speaker couldn't disagree more. There's absolutely nothing about November that he likes. It seems to cast a pall of darkness over everything, depriving him of all the wonderful activities he enjoys and the lovely sights and sounds of summer.
Though the speaker greatly exaggerates the many things he detests about this time of year, he reveals in this long litany of woes a glimmer of truth. For instance, he rails against the lack of "afternoon gentility," which would appear to be a reference to the fact that the rich and privileged show a clean pair of heels during November and head off to warmer climes abroad. The speaker laments their absence, indicating that he isn't one of them or at least isn't quite as rich as they are. November's bad enough for the speaker as it is; but what's even worse is that he feels trapped. Unlike the social elite, he has no means of escape.
References
Hello! You asked about the poem "No" by Thomas Hood. The poem is also known as "November." November is a dreary time of year in England. It is late fall and there is scant sunshine. I will present the poem below and explanations in bold. Thomas Hood penned this poem in 1844. Also, I include relevant links below that might help. Thanks for the question!
No sun—no moon! (There is little sunshine in November and you can't
even see the moon)
No morn—no noon—
No dawn—
No sky—no earthly view—
No distance looking blue—
(There seem to be no blue skies in November)
No road—no street—no “t’other side the way”— (Streets are obscured by
the famous London fog)
No end to any Row— (the
word "Row" is part of the name of some streets in England; here, it could refer
to Rotten Row, which is connected to Hyde Park, where the rich liked to go
horse-riding in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Whether it is Savile Row, known
for its excellent men's tailoring, or Rotten Row or Paternoster Row, one can't
see the end of any street in the fog)
No indications where the
Crescents go— (Crescents here refer to the shape of connected buildings
in London like Lansdowne Crescent)
No top to any steeple—
(one cannot even see the tops of steeples because they are obscured by
the fog)
No recognitions of familiar people— (one cannot recognize people's
faces through the London fog)
No courtesies for showing
‘em—
No knowing ‘em! (How
can one communicate to people one cannot see?)
No traveling at all—no locomotion,
No inkling of the way—no notion—
“No go”—by land or ocean—
(travel is impeded by this fog)
No mail—no post— (the
delivery of mail is also impeded by this fog)
No news from any foreign coast—
(this fog prevents ships arriving with news from foreign
regions)
No park—no ring—no afternoon gentility—
No company—no nobility—
(Hyde Park and Regent's Park are devoid of the presence of the
gentility, the upper classes, so used to taking their walks there. Regent's
Park is round in shape, hence, "no ring." You can't even see the round shape of
the famous park, due to the fog.)
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member— (again, the
November month offers none of the cheerfulness of summer)
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, (certainly there are no
butterflies and none of the shine of summer)
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, (November is a dead month
where no fruits and flowers and birds can thrive)
November!
London Fog/ Pea-soup fog/ killer fog.
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