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This analysis explores the intricacies of the poem “Solitude,” which reflects on the dual nature of human experience—how society responds to joy and sorrow. Inspired by a poignant moment Wilcox witnessed, the poem underscores universal truths about emotional experiences.
Wilcox constructs much of this poem with imperative statements—such as “laugh,” “weep,” “sing”—and addresses the audience as an ambiguous “you.”
- Introduction
- About The Poet
- Theme
- Stanza 1
- Stanza 2
- Stanza 3
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “Solitude” is about the relationship between the individual and the outside world. Wilcox wrote this poem after encountering a grieving woman on her way to Madison, Wisconsin. Despite her efforts, Wilcox was not able to comfort the woman over her loss. Distraught, Wilcox returned to her hotel and after looking at her lonely fa...
Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. She is well known for her works that are full of social criticism, in her poems she expresses sentiments of cheer and optimism in plainly written, rhyming verse. Her popular works include Poems of Passion (1883) and Solitude (1883).
Solitude means loneliness and it is the hard reality of life that a man has to live alone and die alone. In this poem, the Poetess reveals the real face of the people. This poem is a great satire on us, our thoughts, and our level of thinking. The Poetess points out a social evil. We cannot decline what the Poetess says to us in this poem. We shoul...
In the first stanza, Wilcox tells the reader that if one were to laugh then the world would laugh with you. This statement is meant to appeal on multiple levels in that happiness within oneself creates happiness in others. Then she describes the opposite emotion, sadness displayed through weeping. If one were to Weep, it would happen alone. People ...
In the next set of eight lines of ‘Solitude,’ the speaker presents another five statements that outline how the world at large reacts to positivity and negativity. The first line says that if you are to spend your days rejoicing then others will seek you out and want to spend time with you. She once again presents a contrast, that if you Grieve the...
In the final stanza of ‘Solitude,’ the speaker presents her final set of comparisons between what a happy life and a sad one is like and the reactions they provoke. She begins by utilizing another comparison to the way meals can bring people together. If one was to hold a Feast then their halls would be crowded. Just as if one Fasted then the whole...
This beautiful Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem is known for its wide reliability and powerful message. The poet uses consistent examples of rhyme to highlight the experiences one has with others and those one has to contend with on their own.
Lyrics for A Road Worth Walking Down. Free at Last. D tuning (DADF#AD) Capo on 3. I will not, I won’t be bought, I will not, I won’t be broken, even though, yes, I know, I’m the living hell for the ones who are holding the keys to my cell. I remember the wind must blow, and the river will have its way, and I will walk out of this cell one ...
Solitude. By Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone; For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth, But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air;
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the classic poems, like 'If' by Kipling, or Ella Wheeler Wilcox's 'The Man Worth While.'" The latter opens: It is easy enough to be pleasant, When life flows by like a song, But the man worth while is one who will smile, When everything goes dead wrong. Her most famous lines open her poem "Solitude": Laugh and the world laughs with you,
