Wordsworth’s Lucy Gray poem stands out a little in my mind. It’s the only poem that gives the audience a sense of awareness of her character. In other poems, she is more like a mysterious hooded figure. Lucy is given a last name and a family. The poem is based on a tragedy, like the usual, which involves Lucy dying. This poem was really easy to read and follow, and it was easy to dissect to further understand her character. This poem provided immense amount of imagery with little effort. It actually takes the reader back into the past. It was more than just a poem; it was a story or even a legend. When I read Lucy Gray, I was actually taken back to olden times and I visualized the scene and the village with vivid details. When I read this multiple times, I noticed that it is also comparable to an old folklore story. Wordsworth is an amazing writer who didn’t use a lot of imagery words, but somehow he made it work. The only part that is hard to follow is when Wordsworth uses old-English terms when telling his story.
This poem has a wonderful start. It explains Lucy’s character in a sense of watching her playing. The beginning relates Lucy to the wild. She is little girl that spends the majority of her time outside. She didn’t have human friends, but she befriended the animals and the wildlife itself. The poem starts off extremely happy and simple, but take a brutal turn when Wordsworth states that Lucy’s face will never more be seen. After this new information, the poem becomes a story. It describes the night when Lucy would lose her life. It all starts when Lucy’s father asks her to light her mother through the snow. It appears that they’re from the pioneer days, so the child’s perception on parents, and people that are in power, are different than children’s thoughts today. You can see that children from the past are more respectful and obedient towards their parents. When Lucy’s father asked her to do this amazing task, she didn’t even hesitate. Instead she says, “that, father! Will I gladly do.” Her father goes back to work after he prepares her for her journey.
When Lucy’s parents notice she’s gone, they franticly search for her. When they stumble upon the end of her footprints, her mother realizes that her worst fears came true. Wordsworth then goes on to tell how she isn’t dead, but very much alive. He states that “You may see sweet Lucy Gray Upon the lonesome Wild.” He also goes on about how she, after death, never looks behind. She sings a solitary song that whistles in the wind. She gets to be forever young, and she is forever surrounded by the one thing she loves the most. Being a Christian, I don’t really believe in that type of life after death. So, I look at it as memories. Everyone that knew of Lucy Gray will see her in the wildlife that she loved so much. Therefore, her parents will never feel lonely because they will forever be comforted by the lonesome wild. This ended leaves me feeling very peaceful for some reason. It reminds me of when I get to heaven I guess. Being surrounded by what you love the most sounds really good to anyone.