Discussion Topic
Participants and setting in the poem "Uphill"
Summary:
The poem "Uphill" features a dialogue between two speakers. One asks questions about a journey uphill, while the other provides reassuring answers. The setting is metaphorical, representing life's journey and the challenges faced along the way, culminating in a restful inn that symbolizes peace and rest after life's struggles.
Who are the participants in the poem "Uphill"?
In the first stanza of the poem the speaker asks the guide how long the journey up the hill will take. The guide tells the speaker that the journey will take "from morn to night." In the second stanza the speaker asks the guide if there is anywhere for her to rest once she reaches the top of the hill, and the guide assures her that there is an inn that she "cannot miss."
In the third stanza the speaker asks the guide how she will gain admittance to the inn, and the guide says that there will be people already there to let her in. In the fourth and final stanza the guide tells the speaker that she will find "comfort" at the inn.
The inn that the guide describes to the speaker represents heaven, and the hill that the speaker walks up represents the speaker's life on earth....
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The meaning of the poem is that there is a heaven waiting for everybody at the end of their lives. If we understand the poem in this sense, then we can perhaps refine our understanding as to the identities of the speaker and the guide. The speaker is perhaps a Christian who is anxious about what will happen to her after her death, and the guide is perhaps an angel or even the voice of God trying to reassure the speaker.
What is the setting of the poem "Uphill"?
The setting of the poem "Uphill" by Christina Rossetti is intentionally left vague because the journey in it is intended to be a metaphor representing a difficult activity with obstacles that need to be overcome. We can get an idea of what the author intends if we consider the expression "an uphill battle" to mean a challenging struggle to reach an elusive goal. The poem consists of a dialogue between two unidentified speakers; one of them is undertaking a difficult uphill journey while the other is attempting to provide reassurance.
The setting of a poem or story is the time and place in which it happens. This can include details such as the season, the time of day, the historical era, the weather, and so on. Not all of these specifics are mentioned, but if we take the descriptions literally, we can put together an outline of the poem's setting.
The only detail concerning time that we can infer is that the speaker asking questions is at the beginning of the journey. They are contemplating the road that needs to be taken, wondering whether it continues uphill all the way and whether there is accommodation to be found en route. The speaker who provides answers seems to have taken that path before and is confident in the advice provided.
As far as place is concerned, it is unclear whether the speakers are having this discussion at the bottom of the hill before the first speaker begins or whether they are walking the beginning stretch of the road together. We understand only that the road carries on uphill until the end and that there is an inn somewhere along the way where the first speaker will be able to rest and meet other travelers.