Winter Morning
By Ogden Nash
Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That’s the season to be young,
Catching snowflakes on your tongue!
Snow is snowy when it’s snowing.
I’m sorry it’s slushy when it’s going.
Summary of Winter Morning
- Popularity of “Winter Morning”: “Winter Morning” is a short poem by the American poet Ogden Nash. Although the exact publication date is unclear, it likely appeared in the mid 20th century. The poem celebrates the delight and wonder that winter brings, using vivid sensory details to evoke a childlike appreciation for the season.
- “Winter Morning” as a Representative of Wonder: The poem portrays winter’s allure through the speaker’s admiring eyes. The arrival of winter fills the speaker with awe and affection. Nash playfully declares winter “the king of showmen” to highlight its transformative power – turning ordinary landscapes into whimsical scenes. Tree stumps become snowmen, houses resemble birthday cakes, and lakes are coated with a sugary sheen. The clean, frosty season invites us to embrace its beauty, even as melting snow turns to slush.
- Major Themes in “Winter Morning”: The core themes are nature’s bounty, pure merriment, and a sense of wonder. The speaker enthusiastically celebrates winter, noting how it decorates the world with snow and fills our hearts with delight. The poem acknowledges seasonal change and urges us to welcome winter wholeheartedly.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Winter Morning”
Literary devices are the tools writers use to craft their unique style and effectively convey ideas, emotions, and imagery to readers. Ogden Nash skillfully employs several devices in “Winter Morning” to emphasize the magic and joy of winter. Let us examine some of them.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in close proximity. In the poem, the short “i” sound appears repeatedly in words such as “winter” and “showmen,” creating a subtle musical quality.
- Consonance: Consonance involves the repetition of consonant sounds. For example, the repeated “s” and “w” sounds in “Snow is snowy when it’s snowing” give the line a gentle, flowing effect that mirrors the fall of snow.
- Anaphora: The repetition of the word “And” at the beginning of several lines in the first stanza is an example of anaphora, which reinforces the cumulative sense of transformation.
- Enjambment: Unlike many poems, “Winter Morning” uses complete lines that end with punctuation, so enjambment is absent. Each line stands on its own, contributing to the poem’s clear rhythm.
- Hyperbole: The claim that “Winter is the king of showmen” exaggerates winter’s impact, emphasizing its beauty and spectacle.
- Imagery: Nash creates vivid pictures with phrases such as “Catching snowflakes on your tongue,” “Turning tree stumps into snow men,” and “houses into birthday cakes,” allowing readers to experience winter’s whimsy.
- Metaphor: The central metaphor, “Winter is the king of showmen,” portrays the season as a grand performer that transforms the world around us.
- Symbolism: Winter and snow symbolize nature’s beauty, renewal, and the capacity to inspire wonder.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Winter Morning”
While many literary devices appear in poetry, certain techniques are especially characteristic of the form. Here is how Nash employs these poetic devices in “Winter Morning.”
- End Rhyme: The poem uses end rhyme to create a musical and pleasing effect. In the first stanza, “men” rhymes with “men” and “cakes” with “lakes.” The second stanza features a different pattern: “white” and “bite” rhyme, “young” and “tongue” rhyme, and “snowing” and “going” rhyme.
- Quatrain: The first stanza is a quatrain, a four‑line stanza that helps establish the poem’s rhythm.
- Rhyme Scheme: The first stanza follows an ABAB scheme. The second stanza follows an AABBCC scheme, providing variety while maintaining cohesion.
- Stanza: A stanza is a grouping of lines that forms a unit. “Winter Morning” contains two stanzas, each with a distinct number of verses, creating a varied yet cohesive structure.
- Sestet: The second stanza is a sestet, a six‑line stanza that delivers a concluding image of winter’s fleeting beauty.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines from the poem are particularly effective for inspiring appreciation of the winter season.
Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.
These lines encapsulate the poem’s central theme – the transformative power and joyful beauty of winter.