The Solitary Reaper

by William Wordsworth

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Student Question

Does the speaker's inability to understand the song's language in "The Solitary Reaper" matter?

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The speaker's inability to understand the song's language in "The Solitary Reaper" is not crucial. Instead, the song's emotional impact and the imaginative speculation it inspires are significant. This aligns with Romantic ideals, emphasizing imagination and wonder. The speaker's contemplation of the song's possible meanings enhances his appreciation of the moment and his understanding of his place in the world, highlighting the importance of imagination in expanding human experience.

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The speaker does not understand the song being sung in "The Solitary Reaper."  The exact words of the song might not be as important as the emotions and feelings the songs trigger inside the mind of the speaker.  The third stanza initiates a great deal of speculative thought as to what the song could mean, as opposed to what it does mean.  The speaker uses the song to start his own sense of imagination about the nature of what could be as opposed to what is.  In this understanding, one sees the importance of imagination in Romantic thought.  The idea of sensing what could be and what might be from what is given is critical to expanding the moral imagination of human beings.  The speaker hears the song, unaware of its meaning, and starts to wonder about what it might mean.  This sense of wonderment and amazement allows the speaker...

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to understand the nature of "the moment" of which he is a part, allowing him to better understand his own place in the world.

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