A critical analysis of Thomas Hardy’s 1917 poem.
In the span of four short stanzas of his poem, During Wind and Rain, Hardy portrays the decay of human life. This paper analyzes the poem and examines how Thomas Hardy uses emotions and items that the reader can relate to and recognize in order to maintain the flow of the poem.
Each of the four stanzas in During Wind and Rain begins with an uphill roller coaster ride only to plunge down into death and decay. The first stanza begins with a happy setting of a family singing in joyous tune together only to have the end of the stanza remind life of all forms that the end will eventually happen. The second stanza deals with the family applying energy to make their surroundings beautiful only to know that with time and the white storm birds a thunderstorm will take away those things that are precious.