What literary devices are used in Sara Teasdale's poem "Thoughts"?

"Thoughts" is a personal poem of reflection consisting of five stanzas, each following a regular pattern of rhyme with the second and fourth lines rhyming perfectly:

When I am all alone 
Envy me most, 
Then my thoughts flutter round me 
In a glimmering host; 

Some dressed in silver, 
Some dressed in white, 
Each like a taper 
Blossoming light; 

Most of them merry, 
Some of them grave, 
Each of them lithe 
As willows that wave; 

Some bearing violets, 
Some bearing bay, 
One with a burning rose 
Hidden away -- 

When I am all alone 
Envy me then, 
For I have better friends 
Than women and men.

The theme of the poem is that the speaker's being alone is a rich experience to be envied for she is alone with her own thoughts that give her more satisfaction than human relationships.

The primary literary device is personification. She describes her thoughts in human terms. They are dressed; they demonstrate human emotions, being merry or grave. They have the physical characteristic of being lithe. They come bearing gifts.

Similes are also found in the poem. Each thought is "like a taper blossoming light." Each one is "lithe as willows that wave." Connotative language is also employed. A "silver" thought suggests preciousness or nobility, whereas a "white" thought suggests purity.

Implied metaphors can be found in the references to "violets," "bay," and a secret "burning rose. Violets are beautiful spring flowers often associated with youth and innocence; bay suggests domesticity, since it is an herb often used in cooking; a burning rose may be interpreted as a passionate desire of some kind. These implied metaphors communicate the variety of the speaker's private thoughts. Finally, imagery is present in the poem with the words "flutter," "glimmering host," and "blossoming."

What is the theme of Sara Teasdale's poem "Thoughts"?

The primary theme of Sara Teasdale's poem “Thoughts” is the value and joy of solitude. The speaker calls on her audience to envy her when she is alone. This may seem counter-intuitive to many readers, for people often associate solitude with loneliness and sadness. But this is not the case, the speaker maintains. When she sits in solitude, then her thoughts “flutter round” her in “a glimmering host.”

These thoughts are beautiful, and the speaker uses a variety of metaphors and images to describe them. Some are “dressed in silver”; they are grand and exquisite. Some are “dressed in white”; they are pure. They also glow like candles, enlightening the speaker's mind and spirit. Many of her thoughts are happy, although some are “grave” and serious. But they all float along gracefully. Some bear violets, which are symbols of innocence, modesty, and love. Others bear bay, symbolic of wisdom. One even bears “a burning rose / Hidden away.” The speaker's thoughts turn to some passionate love that she usually keeps buried deep within herself.

Yet these thoughts only float around in the speaker's mind when she is alone, when in her solitude she has the time and tranquility to examine them without interruption or distraction. These thought become her friends and companions, better, she says, than human beings. Indeed, in her time alone with her thoughts, the speaker experiences beauty, joy, companionship, and even love.

What is the summary of Sara Teasdale's poem "Thoughts"?

Teasdale's poem lauds the notion of private intellectual reflection.  The fact that she repeats the lines, "Envy me the most" in reference to her ability to create thoughts away from the prying eye of society indicates that value she places on reflection and isolation from others.  Seeming to call back the image of Emily Dickinson and her creation of art in a privatized setting, Teasdale describes the wide and varied nature of her creation of thoughts where she and her reflections are all that are present.  The poet employs contrasting imagery to show the diverse nature of her ruminations.  The second stanza features a physical description of these thoughts using varying colors, while the third stanza contrasts through emotional imagery that display the timbre of thoughts in her mind.  Such opposition is reflection in the fourth stanza through the metaphors of flowers and the different connotations of each type mentioned.  The closing stanza repeats the initial one and emphasizes the speaker's assertion of how powerfully compelling it is to engage in reflection that is removed from the perceptions of others.  There is a very powerful theme of this poem when examining the early 20th century in which Teasdale is writing.  At a time when mass consumerism and celebrity were emerging in American culture, Teasdale's poem praises the notion of individuality and critical examination away from a social setting.

What is the summary of Sara Teasdale's poem 'Thought'?

Last night I had a dream about Sara Teasdale, and the dream made me realize that there might be more to this poem than I discussed last night.  It occurs to me that the thoughts Teasdale describes might be the thoughts of a person in love.  Quite often, when we are in love, our thoughts about the loved one are much better than the company of other people.  If you have ever thought you were in love with someone, or just had a bit of a crush, you might have found it more pleasant to just sit around and think your thoughts about that person, rather than listen to what the people around you are saying.  When you are alone, you might hug the idea of that person to yourself, thinking your romantic thoughts. 

Everyone brings his or her own experiences to the interpretation of a poem or any other form of literature.  As you read the poem, though, you might think about whether the narrator is a woman who just likes to sit and think her own thoughts or is a woman in love. 

What is the summary of Sara Teasdale's poem 'Thought'?

The title of this poem is "Thoughts." 

Some people are very happy in the company of others, and enjoy hearing what women and men around them have to say.  But Sara Teasdale is talking about when she is alone and has no men or women around her to listen to.  When we are alone, what do we have to listen to?  Our own thoughts are all we have when we are alone, and this was particularly true in Sara Teasdale'sday. She died in 1933, before there were televisions, computers, iPods, etc. (She could have turned on the radio, though.)  A person who is alone and who has a good imagination can sometimes have a better time than he or she could listening to other people, and this is the gist of Teasdale's poem. 

She describes her thoughts in a beautiful and imaginative way, with images of light and lightness.  She imagines her thoughts as "silver" or "white" and she says they "flutter."  SOme of her thoughts are "merry" and some are "grave," meaning that she has ideas that make her smile, and ideas that make her serious.

Can't you almost see your thoughts sometimes, fluttering around you in their beauty?  Sometimes those thoughts are much better than the silly chatter we hear all around us.  And if that is true, then we can envy the person who is able to sit quietly and think those wonderful thoughts.