Ruth Pitter - 1897- 1992

- British poet
- disconnected from the
manmade world, and
inspired by nature
'In my dark hermitage, The introduction into the
poem with the words 'In my'
aloof' line 1 creates a sense of intimacy
between the speaker and
the reader, sparking a more
emotive and personal feel to
the poem within the reader.
The large use of assonance within this poem
'From the world's stretches out the pace of the poem. This
draws closer attention to this line and poem,
sight and the world's creating an atmosphere of importance and
seclusion. Furthermore this aural imagery
sound' line 2 done by assonance is reflective of the range
of sounds available in the world. Moreover,
through the repetition of the 'world' and what
it provides and being 'from' it, further
highlights the feeling of being secluded and
isolated

'I groped along the The action of 'grope' suggests

the desparation and desire for
shelf for bread' line food due to being so starved.
5 The verb 'grope' also carries
negative connotations of doing
something wrong. This suggests
how the extremity of the hunger
felt within the speaker in this
moment felt inhumane and wrong
The word 'but' provides a shift and tone, allowing
'But found celestial readers to sense a positive change to the scene of
suffering and starvation. Furthermore, the drudgery of
food instead:' line 6 the speaker living alone in hunger is something she is
used to, however finding this bird of reverence changes
the tedious routine of her everyday life. Also, the use of
the colon at the end of the sentence suggests the
importance of the next sequence of events that follow
 The repetition of 'loud' at the beginning of
'Loud, loud and wild, the line draws out the pace due to Pitter's
with wintry glee,' line use of assonance, allowing readers to pay
greater focus at the moment of the bird
8 making noise. The repetition of 'loud' also
emphasises Pitter's genuine awe and
shock at this moment, especially as aural
imagery is expressed to the reader to better
understand the scene. Additionally, the
alliteration of 'wild with wintry glee' explores
the wonder and joy of the moment
Pitter's addition of measurements in this line
'Scarcely an arm's describe how perfectly in place this moment
has been made in her memory, and how
length from the eye' each detail from the phenomena still remains
clear for us readers to visualise. Furthermore,
line 13 the distance of 'arm's length' highlights the
awe present within the speaker as she
cannot believe how close she has come to
something so magical and enlightening,
opposing the setting of the poem
Through the addition of the speaker
'Myself unseen, I saw being 'unseen', this shows the poet's
him there;' line 14 genuine interest in observing the
candid behaviour of the bird. This
further helps to build on the emotions
of awe and magnificence felt by Pitter.
This contrasts the insignificance of
people in this poem, who are
detached from nature and remain
immersed in the drudgery of life
'The throbbing threat The alliteration of the harsh 'th'
sounds put emphasis on the
that made the cry' line power and effect that the bird has
15 over pitter. Furthermore in the
following lines, parallelism is
expressed through the anaphora
'the', which enhances the
melodic rhythm of the poem,
similarly to the peace of birds
 The 'large eye' highlights the
'The large eye, ringed importance of this moment to Pitter yet
with many a ray' line again, as she recalls specific and
certain details, demonstrating how this
19 scene still remains clear and
untouched within her head. Moreover,
eyes are often described to be the
'windows to the soul'. The adjective
'large' builds a sense of great depth
and importance to the bird's mind and
the emotions it has brought upon
Pitter
'Of minion feathers, The fricatives of this
finely laid,' line 20 line resonate with the
beauty and elegance
of the bird as a gentle
creature
'Plain through the The repetition of the 'broken roof'
emphasises the contrast
broken roof I saw' line between the elegance and
24 beauty of the bird and the state
of the speaker and her house. As
a result, the effect the bird has on
the reader is maximised, as the
bird is a symbol of hope and
peace for Pitter
'The flight-feathers in Fricatives are yet
tail and wing' line 25 again used to
describe the bird,
which underscores
the gentle nature of
the birds
'Gold sequins, spots This metaphorical
description of the bird
of chestnut, shower/ highlights the impact the bird
of silver, like a has made on Pitter, as the
brindled flower' lines bird is no longer just a bird
29 & 30 to Pitter, but rather a figure
of beauty and hope that she
aspires to be.
'Soldier of fortune, The word soldier provides a
shift in tone for newfound
northwest Jack' line confidence within the
31 speaker. Northwest Jack is
 also the 'soldier of fortune'.
This inspires ideas of
freedom within the speaker,
similarly to the bird
February is a month that is both
cold and rainy. However, as the
'Full-fed in February, bird is 'full-fed' and 'dressed'
and dressed' line 36 during this depressing season,
this shows the unconditional
nature of the bird to be content
and happy. This empowers the
speaker to become more like the
bird and feel 'happy' even
through her dark times
'Like a rich merchant This simile puts emphasis on
the power of the birds whom of
at a feast' line 36 which cannot actually be rich,
they are free and do not need
to entertain in
thesemanmade currencies to
feel content
 This is both a metaphorical and
'One half the world, or philosphical phrase presented to us by
so they say,/ Knows Pitter. These lines suggest how
people are too focused in the
not how the half the manmade side of the world and are
ignorant to the wonders and beauty
world may live;' lines that are present in nature. Therefore,
37 & 38 this highlights the idea that people are
disconnected to nature, similar to the
certain ideas also present in 'the
Kraken' and 'London snow'
'So sing your song The sibilance and monosyllabic
words create cadence and adds
and go your way,' line onto the musical qualities of the
39 poem, which are also present
within birds. This also sets out
the poet's urge for her readers to
look around our surroundings
and appreciate the beauty and
wonders of nature more
In the first stanza of this piece the speaker
Stanza 1 begins by stating that she is alone in her
"dark hermitage," or small dwelling. She
has placed herself in this position, or made
her home in this particular spot, in an effort
to hide from the world. The speaker does
not want to be a part of it. However, in her
lonely hermitage, she comes upon
"celestial food instead." This is the first
reference in the poem to another body or
force at work. She has stumbled upon
something which is outside her confined
world.
In the stanza the speaker clarifies, at least somewhat, what it
Stanza 2 is she has found. The first thing she describes is a noise "close
at [her] ear." It is "loud and wild" and seemingly filled with
"wintry glee." The noise is a shock to her ears, but not an
unpleasant one. She refers to the singer of the song as being
an "old unfailing chorister." It is someone, or something, which
is used to singing. It has honed its craft over many years but
still cannot resist breaking "out in pride of poetry." From her
spot in the roof of the structure the speaker can see "Him." He
is "glorified" by his singing.
Stanza 3 The third stanza focuses on
the delicate nature of the
bird, as she identifies certain
details of the bird which
reflect how this moment had
importantly influenced her,
as she still recalls important
aspects of this memory.
She is noticing the complexity of
Stanza 4 the bird's colouring and feather
patterns. They are "finely laid."
She also takes note of the "feet"
and their ability to "grasp the
elder-spray" on which he is
perching. The poet uses the
rhyme scheme to great effect in
these lines when she writes, "The
scale, the sinew, and the claw."
Stanza 5 The fifth stanza is the final which
focuses heavily on depicting the
bird. She concludes her
description by speaking on the
way the bird's colours are all
distinctive but eventually "Merge
into russet". It is not a simple
stormcock any longer. It is so
much more beautiful and
complex.
In the stanza the speaker departs from her
Stanza 6 description of the bird to speak on its larger
impact on the world. She completes this task by
first comparing the bird's jovial nature to
"northwest Jack." This person is described as
being a "Soldier of fortune." Just like the bird, he
does well and makes "so brave a show" in the
coldest months of the year.
 In the final stanza the speaker concludes her
Stanza 7 narrative on a more somber note. Up until this
point she has been celebrating the beauty and
resilience of the bird. She spent time on each
part of its body, making sure the reader
understood how important it is to her, and
should be to any who hears her words. In these
last lines she speaks on one's inability to know
all parts of the world. This is in an effort to
interest a reader in the fact that many more will
never know the mistle thrush, than do. The
speaker has spent her time glorifying the bird,
but time will move on and these thoughts will be
forgotten.

Message To take more time to immerse

yourself in the beauty of nature
and be free like birds

It is still possible to remain

content and happy, even in the
darkest of times

The importance of resilience`

Tone Awe and wonder at
the beautiful spirit of
birds
Structure The poem is written in
past tense, suggesting
how the speaker has
fully left the man made
world behind and is
now fully immersed
within the world of
nature.
Rhyme scheme There is a regular rhyme
scheme which runs through
the poem (ABABCC) which
link to the sweet song that
birds sing, demonstrating
how the free spirit of the bird
is strong and powerful,
running though the poem
unstopped.
There are often many commas,
Caesura suggestive of how the poet is in
such awe of the stormcock that
she often needs moments to
reflect on and appreciate the bird.
The use of many commas also
provide a list-like feel to certain
descriptions of the bird, which
links to how Pitter is in such awe
of the birds and finds each part
beautiful