The River
1. I sit on the bank in my special place,
2. Feel the breeze that lifts my hair,
3. And watch the ripples run across the river.
4. It is so peaceful here.
5. Deep enough to justify a fishing pole,
6. Quiet enough for my every thought,
7. The perfect place to contemplate
8. The world and my place in it.
9. Downstream, though, the river changes
10. From the one I know.
11. Its calm flow reaches rocky shallows
12. And starts to caper like a kitten
13. Darting and chasing shadows among the stones.
14. The river leaves the shallows at a run,
15. Rushing faster and faster--
16. A wildcat roaring past steep banks
17. And wild, wet rocks.
18. It claws and crashes in a furious flood,
19. Foaming and sptting as its fury is subdued
20. In the soothing depths of dark, still pools.
21. Tired and tamed by the journey,
22. The river transforms itself again.
23. Its power abates and it seems to move
24. With deliberation, slower and wiser,
25. Past towns that mark its passing and then
26. Go about their buisness.
27. One by one the towns pass by,
28. And the banks give way
29. To borders of salt-smelling mud marsh.
30. Without need for senseless shows of strength.
31. The river relaxes like an aging lion,
32. Done with the hunt and ready for rest.
33. The water slows until
34. A place not too different from mine,
35. Where the water stretches to meet the sky-
36. Where others just like me use mirrored steam
37. To fish and contemplate
38. The world and their place in it.
You have studied narrative and lyric poems in this unit. Which form of poetry is "The River"? Support you answer with evidence from the poem.
I think this is a Narrative Poem! I feel like there is a lot of feeling being told through the poem. Here are some examples 30. Without need for senseless shows of strength. 31. The river relaxes like an aging lion,
32. Done with the hunt and ready for rest.
Am I on the right track
What is the story in this poem? What is the plot? Does it have characters, like Paul Revere on his midnight ride or Odysseus' journeys and the characters he meets? A narrative poem tells a story, it has a plot. Does this poem do that?
So it's a lyric poem!
Yes, you are on the right track! "The River" can be classified as a narrative poem based on its structure and content. Narrative poems tell a story or describe a sequence of events, and "The River" follows a clear narrative arc depicting the different stages and transformations of the river.
In this poem, the speaker describes their special place by the river and reflects on its peacefulness and their contemplation of the world. They then observe how the river changes downstream, becoming more playful and lively among the rocks. It then transforms into a powerful and furious flood before eventually calming down and meandering past towns. Finally, the river reaches a point where it resembles the speaker's special place, where others also fish and contemplate life.
The use of vivid imagery and sensory details, such as the river "roaring," "foaming," and "clawing," contributes to the narrative structure of the poem. Additionally, the poem's progression from one stage to another and the sense of time passing further support its classification as a narrative poem.