Fern Hill ~ Dylan Thomas

Explain the title of the poem

the poem speaks about the beauty of a place called Fern Hill, where the poet spent his time as a child. It is a reflection on his happy times at this place

This poem can be considered ... because the poet himself is speaking about his experiences

autobiographical

Briefly describe the structure of the poem

there are six stanzas with half rhyme and internal rhyme -> there is no rhyme at the end of the sentence. The first 3 stanzas relate to the poet's experiences as a child while the last 3 stanzas focus on the awakening in the child which signifies a loss of innocence

What does the starting word "Now" indicate

the speaker is an adult reflecting on his childhood

Provide a synonym for "bough"

branch

Provide a synonym for "easy"

carefree

Provide a synonym for "lilting"

singing merrily

What does the colour green symbolise throughout the poem?

youth, innocence, health, inexperience

The description of the "lilting house" can be classified as ...

personification

What is a "dingle"? (line 3)

valley with forests

Explain the importance of time throughout the poem

time is personified as a parent that allows the poet to do things. The reason for his freedom and happiness as a child was because he was not worried about time, which is in contrast to adults

Explain the connotations of the colour gold throughout the poem

wealth, value, beauty, abundance

What does the word "heydays" (line 5) imply?

it was a perfect time/prime days

Explain the line "and honoured among wagons...prince of the apple towns"

this is a metaphor comparing himself to a prince, which indicates he may have been well-known among the town (importance) and that his imagination took flight when he was a child

Explain the lines "and once below a time...windfall light"

this is a metaphor comparing himself to a lord, indicating this place made him feel like royalty

What does the "windfall" in line 9 symbolise

an apple blow down from a tree or a large amount of money arriving unexpectedly

What does the line "farm was home" indicate

that as a child he had a sense of belonging and he was oblivious to the adult world

The line "in the sun that is young once only" suggests

this is his first realisation that growing up is inevitable

Lines "and green and gold I was a huntsman...clear and cold" is another ...

metaphor, where the child imagines he was the hero

Elaborate on the metaphor in the lines "And the sabbath rang slowly in the pebbles of the holy streams"

this compares the ringing of the bells at the church to the sound of the water running over the stones in the stream, therefore this suggests that Fern Hill is sacred/God and nature are one

What does the sun represent in the line "All the sun long it was running..."

it represents that time is passing, but that the summers were long and never seemed to end

Explain the simile in the lines "the hay fields high as the house..."

compares the height of the hay to the height of the house, which could also be hyperbole because a child's imagination can exaggerate things

"As I rode to sleep the owls...farm away" indicates

as the child drifts off to sleep he imagines the farm is carried away into 'dreamland' by the owls heard in the night

Explain the importance of the ending of stanza 3 "flashing into the dark"

the child's symbolic sleep ends in a flashing light in the dark which could be the light of awareness and hence indicates the loss of paradise, freedom, and innocence

What does the word "And" at the beginning of stanza 4 signal?

there is a change -> the child is becoming more mature

Explain the personification of the line "...and the farm, like a wanderer white"

he wakes up to the rooster crowing

What does the line "with the dew..." indicate

time has passed and it is now winter. Winter symbolises a loss of innocence and childhood

What is allegory?

something that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

Identify the allegory in stanza 4

Biblical references. Firstly, this stanza mentions the crow of the cock/rooster, which took place in the Bible when Jesus was betrayed. The speaker uses this because he feels like time has betrayed him. Secondly, there is a reference to Adam in the Garden of Eden which began the creation of man, therefore the speaker suggest that his time at Fern Hill is like Adam and Eve's time in the garden before the loss of innocence

How does the line "the birth of the simple light" have a biblical reference?

this indicates the birth of the world or the first light in Eden

What is the "spinning place" in line 34?

the earth (garden of Eden where it all started)

The word "whinnying" is an example of ... and it ...

onomatopoeia (sound of a horse), brings the scene to life

There is a ... mood in stanza 4

reverent

The word "gay" is used in stanza 5 to personify the house and indicate ...

how the child felt about the house -> it was lively and happy

What could the "new made clouds" be a symbol of in stanza 5?

the beginning of adulthood

Provide a synonym for "heedless"

without concern

Explain the lines "Before the children green and golden follow him out of grace"

This indicates a change. The young, naïve and innocent child he was, is fading away and is becoming more aware of reality -> he is leaving his carefree world and growing up

In stanza 6, the speaker is speaking in the ...

present

"Lamb white days" is a symbol of

purity and innocence (childhood)

The reference to swallows in the line "up to the swallow" could suggest that

just like swallows, the speaker had to migrate/move on -> grow up

"...by the shadow of my hand" suggests

the speaker can feel his childhood suddenly end -> the joy has been sucked and there is now a shadow (negative)

The word "Oh" towards the end of stanza 6 is a cry of ..., elaborate

regret or sorrow -> this is the turning point where the child-speaker disappears and an adult steps in to tell us about waking up from the dream of his childhood memories

The ending lines "Time held me green and dying though I sang in my chains like the sea" are impactful because

the speaker is mourning the end of his childhood. He suggests that deep inside he still feels green (young, naïve, inexperienced) but he is no longer that child and has lost his freedom and experiences hardships -> he is chained

What are some themes of this poem?

childhood joy and innocence, harmony and nature, the importance of time and the loss of innocence

What is the tone of this poem?

reflective, nostalgic