PO1 - Lesson: Contrasts within a Text

A city is surrounded by greenery showing a contrast between an urban setting and nature.Contrasts within a Text

In the previous lesson, we began our exploration of structure and contrasts by focusing primarily on the structure of poetry and specifically on stanzas. In this lesson, we will continue that exploration but shift our focus to contrasts.

Contrasts in Poetry

As a reminder: to understand how structure functions with poetry, consider its central unit of organization—the stanza and contrasts.

Essentially, a stanza is like a prose paragraph in that it contains an idea.

Contrasts serve as the following:

  • Contrast can be introduced through focus; tone; point of view; character, narrator, or speaker perspective; dramatic situation or moment; settings or time; or imagery.
  • Contrasts are the result of shifts, or juxtapositions, or both.
  • Shifts may be signaled by a word, a structural convention, or punctuation.

Shifts may emphasize contrasts between segments of a text.

William Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us" - Contrasts

Read the poem “The World is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth. As you read, take note of contrasting words and phrases.

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

William Wordsworth "The World is Too Much With Us" - Self-Check

William Wordsworth "The World is Too Much With Us" - Additional Analysis

As you read the poem look for contrasting words and phrases. These can be the most immediate points to consider with your analysis and can lead to further analysis. Examples might include the following:

  • World versus Us
  • Sordid (dirty) versus Boon (positive gift)
  • Pleasant versus forlorn

Now consider the shift in ideas—although there is not a direct stanza break, sonnets usually have a shift around line 9. In this poem, we have the line “It moves us not.” This short line establishes a contrast with the previous ideas. The “it” is the world of nature which we ignore. This line also has the emphasis point with “Great God!” where the poet seems exasperated with what we are ignoring in the beauty of the world.

Structure and Contrasts - Final Reflection

When reading poetry, the placement of words on the page is even more important than with short fiction. Look for the breaks, unique uses of punctuation, and repetition of ideas. These can often guide shifts in ideas and meaning. Also consider inherent structures, such as the 9th line of a stanza or the opening and closing lines of stanzas. Ultimately, it is the overall meaning that matters the most, but by singling out something like a contrast, you can arrive at this meaning and have evidence to support it.

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