A Noiseless Patient Spider Poem Analysis

A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman is a powerful and captivating poem. This analysis of the poem focuses on several major themes, such as Alliteration, Hyperbole, and the speaker's soul. The following paragraphs will provide a detailed analysis of this piece of poetry. Learn Whitman's poetic style and see why he used the spider metaphor to describe the speaker. After reading this article, you will be better prepared to discuss Whitman's poem in your own context.

Whitman's metaphor of a spider

In A Noiseless Patient, Walt Whitman uses an image of a spider to make a point. The speaker refers to the spider as a patient spider who sits still, weaving its web. This description of the spider raises it to the level of a metaphor, revealing its importance. Its metaphoric power comes from the speaker's use of imagery and metaphor.

In A Noiseless Patient, the speaker sees a spider clinging to a ledge. The speaker is able to link the spider to himself through the assonance of the long /i/ sounds that he uses to describe the spider's motion. The speaker then links the spider with the word "noiseless," a negative form of the word "silent." This negative word choice suggests that there is no noise in the world, reflecting the spider's isolation.

The speaker's soul

In "The Speaker's Soul in a Noiseless Patient Spider," the poet describes the search for connections that are not possible in this life. He compares human life to the journey of a spider as it tries to find a connection to the world around him. Though human life is difficult and the spider's journey often seems hopeless, the poet tries to provide a sense of the loneliness of the soul.

Whitman's lyric begins with an image of a spider spinning a web on a small ledge, a scene that evokes the speaker's experience. As the speaker observes the spider, he is connected to him in an assonance of long /i/ sounds. The adjective "noiseless" is a negative form of "silent." The word evokes a feeling of absence, reflecting the spider's isolation.

Alliteration

The speaker of "A Noiseless Patient Spider" begins with an image of a spider standing alone on a ledge. He is linked to the spider through the assonance of the long /i/ sounds. The word "noiseless" has a negative connotation and creates the impression of absence, as the spider is isolated and alone. In addition, the word "noiseless" refers to the absence of sound, which further emphasizes the sense of emptiness.

The use of parallel elements in "A Noiseless Patient Spider" suggests that the poet is trying to suggest a confused and lost relationship between the spider and the reader. As the spider is a metaphor for the soul, it must venture out into the world, just like the soul must venture out into the world. This poem exemplifies the value of literary devices in enhancing the simplicity of the text.

Hyperbole

"A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman is a short, poetical piece that was first published in 1868 as part of a larger collection, Whispers of Heavenly Death. It deals with the speaker's loneliness and attempts to connect with others. In a nutshell, Whitman compares the soul and the spider. "A Noiseless Patient Spider" contains two stanzas, each five lines long, and both mirror the size of each other.

The poet's imagery makes the speaker's soul appear as an unreachable spider. In the third line, the speaker repeats the word "mark'd," and this repetition functions as a form of anaphora. Using the word "mark'd" here helps the reader remember that the speaker is watching the spider, and this repetition gives the poem energy. It also makes the reader anticipate the spider's outward reach.

Lyrics

"A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman is a free verse poem with no set rhyme scheme. The poet chose to write this style to get as close to human speech as possible. The resulting poem is highly unpredictable, free-flowing, and exploratory. The speaker tosses lines into the "measureless oceans" of the blank page, just as the spider launches threads into the vast, empty surroundings.

The poet uses the word "mark'd" several times in the poem, emphasizing that he is watching the spider. In this way, he reflects on his own soul and its constant effort to survive. Moreover, he ties the image of the spider to his own soul, which becomes more urgent as time passes. As the poem continues, the speaker's tone shifts from meditative to earnest, reflecting the author's desire to explore and understand his own inner world.

Connections between the spider and the speaker's soul

A Noiseless Patient Spider explores the relationship between the individual self and the larger world, and shows how the spider actively spits out filaments to reach out to other things. Its imagery of isolation and loneliness serves as a metaphor for the speaker's own soul, and suggests that soul work is about forming connections. The poem's lyricism is a powerful expression of loneliness, and the reader can relate to this theme.

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The poet uses the image of a spider to personify the speaker's soul. The speaker's soul seeks connections to escape the loneliness that surrounds him. The speaker's soul also seeks connections, so the speaker uses the metaphor to enact the process of creating connections in the poem. In a sense, the poem is a complete act of creation.