The Sower Appreciation 11th class Maharashtra State Board
The poem Sower will be asked to write an appreciation of the poem for 4 marks under section II and in Q.3 B). The poem is about hard work, perseverance and dedication and all these things are mentioned in the poem in the form of the sower.
About the Poet: The Sower Appreciation
Victor Hugo: Poet, novelist and dramatist of the 19th century was the most important of the French Romantic writers. Though regarded in France as one of the country’s greatest poets, he is better known for novels as “Notre-Dame de Paris”(1831) and “Les Miserables”(1862
Torulata Dutt: A Bengali poet, also known as Toru, wrote in English and Fench, was born on 4th March 1856 in Kolkata. She is considered to be ‘The first Indian poetess’ to write verses in English and French. She translated dozens of poems and completed a novel before her death at the age of 21. Her poems such as ‘Seeta’, ‘Lotus’ and ‘Our Casurina Tree, are well-loved.
‘The Sower’ is a translation of Victor Hugo’s poem, Saison des Semailles: Le Soir. It is translated by Toru Dutt from French to English. ‘The Sower’ is a poem about a farmer who is sowing seeds. He has seen many bad harvests in his life. However he is so optimistic of having a good harvest every time he tosses grain.
Poem:
1
Sitting in a porchway cool,
Fades the ruddy sunlight fast,
Twilight hastens on to rule–
Working hours are well night past
2
Shadows shoot across the lands;
But one sower lingers still,
Old, in rags, he patient stands,–
Looking on, I feel a thrill.
3
Black and high his silhouette
Dominates the furrows deep!
Now to sow the task is set,
soon shall come a time to reap.
4
Marches he along the plain,
To and fro, and scatters wide
from his hands the precious grain;
Moody, I, to see him stride.
5
Darkness deepens. Gone the light.
Now his gestures to mine eyes
Are august; and strange–his height
seems to touch the starry skies.
Appreciation: The Sower Appreciation
About the Poem, Poet, and Title
- The Sower, poem is written by the great French poet Victor Hugo. The poem is translated from French to English by Bengali poet Torulata Dutta. The poem is about the sower, who is a hardworking farmer. In the poem, the poet gives reverence to the sower who is working still the time of evening while others are moving to their home. The title of the poem (The Sower) is apt and suitable to the theme of the poem because the poet talks about the sower and his determination to hard work.
Theme/summary/gist of the poem
- The theme of the poem is about the sower who is working in his field still the time of evening. In the poem, the poet is watching the working figure of the sower. The people are moving towards their home because working time is almost over but the sower is still working in his field. The poet sees the appearance of the sower, who looks old and poor.
- The poet tells that it is the time of sowing and that’s why the sower has set a target to complete the sowing target. The sower knows that in time if he sows the grain, soon the harvest will come. In such a thought the sower is sowing the grain on his farm even if it is time to go home but still he is working on his farm. By watching such activities of the sower the poet feels how noble and dignified the sower is!
Poetic style/language, poetic devices
- The poem is written in simple and lucid language. The poem is a short poem that consists of five stanzas. The poem has fine rhyming pairs, which are as follows- cool-rule, fast-past, lands-stands, still-thrill etc. the rhyming scheme of the poem is abab,cdcd,efef etc. The poet uses fine figures of speech to increase the beauty of the poem; these figures of speech are Alliteration, Personification, Inversion, Antithesis, Repetition and Hyperbole.
Special features/novelties/focusing elements
- The poem is about reverence for the farmer of the universe. The poet tells the worst condition of farmers by the example of the sower. The poet shows the dedication and determination of farmers related to the work and farmers have to work within a stipulated time and then they will get a good harvest on time. The poet has used word imagery to show the greatness and dignity of the sower. eg: “his height seems to touch the starry skies.”
Message /value/morals in the poem
- The poem, The Sower gives the message of perseverance, hard work and dedication towards our goal and target. Through the experience, we will definitely achieve the things in our life. The poet set out the example of the sower to the readers that we should always be optimistic in life. the final message of the poem is not to lose our hopes and should be optimistic in life.
Your opinion about the poem
- I like the poem very much because the sower mentioned in the poem is always optimistic about having a good harvest every time he sows seeds on his farm. We should always be optimistic while doing any kind of work in our life. I am impressed by the poet’s keen observation of the working figure of the Sower. The poem The Sower is the best example of hopefulness and dedication in our work.
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