The North Wind Doth Blow
By Mother Goose
The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?He’ll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.
Summary of The North Wind Doth Blow
- Popularity of “The North Wind Doth Blow”: Published back in the 16th century, “The North Wind Doth Blow” is a lyrical poem. Mother Goose, the imaginary author of the French collection, brilliantly grabs the reader’s attention while talking about the condition of Robin during the winter storm. The poem explicitly battles with the conventional ideas of nature and survival. The popularity of the poem lies in the fact that even years after of its first inception, it is still read, sung, and adored in many institutions across the globe.
- “The North Wind Doth Blow” As a Representative of Kindness: This poem records warming changes in the natural order. It begins when the writer announces the arrival of the cold season. The speaker says that the North wind is blowing, indicating the arrival of snow and a storm. This description follows a question expressing concerns about what the robin will do during the storm. She feels sorry for the poor bird and thinks of how Robin can survive. She believes the bird will keep himself warm while sitting in a barn and hiding his head under his wings. Thus, he will apply the best possible means to avoid the winter season’s severity, harshness, and calamity.
- Major Themes in “The North Wind Doth Blow”: Change, survival, and worry are the major themes of the poem. This simple poem shows that seemingly beautiful snow brings a lot of challenges not only for human beings but also for birds. The drastic weather shift equally affects man and other creatures. She explains how birds and other animals try to survive during the winter season. Placing a tiny bird in the poem’s center, she shows how even birds are blessed with survival instincts. They know how to combat troubles, as the speaker explains how he will survive by keeping himself warm in a barn. This simple poem makes us realize how little creatures survive during winters when there is darkness, snow, and storm. She urges us to sympathize with tiny animals and be thankful for what we have in life.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The North Wind Doth Blow
literary devices are tools that writers use to insert deeper meanings into their texts. Mother Goose, too, has used some literary devices in this poem. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem shows it all.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “And hide his head under his wing, Poor thing” and the sound of /o/ in “The north wind doth blow.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /h/ in “hide his head.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?” and the sound of /n/ in “And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Mother Goose used imagery in this poem, such as; “The North wind doth blow”, “And what will poor robin do then, poor thing.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used sympathy as an extended metaphor to sympathize with a bird that has no proper accommodation to survive during chilly winter.”
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. The poet posed rhetorical questions in the first stanza of the poem to emphasize her point, such as, “And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as sympathy, worry, the natural cycle, and survival, to show the harshness of the weather.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The North Wind Doth Blow
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows descriptive, simple, and poetic diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Mother Goose has used end rhyme in this poem, such as; “blow/snow” and “barn/warm.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABC rhyme scheme in both stanzas of the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two stanzas in this poem, with each comprising three verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a simple, interesting as well as tragic tone.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote to sympathize with the creatures that survive hardly during the deadly winter season.
“The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?”