Figures of Speech

• Personification: Arnold gives human-like qualities to natural objects to show the poet’s emotional bond with the landscape.
• Imagery: Imagery means using vivid and descriptive language that appeals to our senses. Arnold uses strong visual and sound imagery to create a picture of Oxford’s natural beauty.
• Metaphor: Arnold uses metaphors to compare emotions and experiences to more concrete things.
• Symbols

• The Hill (and the Tree on It): Memory, constancy, and enduring friendship. Even after Thyrsis (Clough) is gone, their favorite tree on the hill remains. It shows that friendship and shared memories live on even after death.
• Thyrsis (Character): The poet’s real-life friend, Arthur Hugh Clough, and the struggle of idealism in a harsh world. Thyrsis is not just a shepherd figure but represents a poet who tried to hold onto truth but was defeated by life’s challenges.
• The Cuckoo: Hope, spring, and lost happiness. Arnold repeatedly mentions the cuckoo’s voice, calling it the “herald of spring.” It reminds him of the past and the joy he once felt.
• Oxford Countryside: A place of inspiration, peace, and youthful dreams. The countryside is not just a setting; it represents the time of hope and poetic ambition that is now fading away.

Main Message: "Time changes all, memories remain."