Close Analysis of Lucy Gray

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Close Analysis of the Literary Ballard, Lucy Gray by William Wordsworth. The poem Lucy Gray is a Literary Ballard written and narrated by William Wordsworth in 1799. Ballard’s are often associated by childhood and this poem is no exception as the poem tells the story about the disappearance of Lucy Gray, a small child with strong connections to nature. Wordsworth describes the story as familiar ‘oft I had heard of Lucy Gray’ and has expressed his own desire to see ‘the solitary child’. This gives a personal touch to the overall theme of the poem as he describes his own feelings towards Lucy Gray by providing his own endearing descriptions. In spite of his account no indication is given to suggest that the story was created by an actual disappearance. Wordsworth writes in a precise way without any deviation from the simple organised manner of Literary Ballard’s and the poem is made up of four line stanzas which are equal in length. This process is repeated throughout the poem giving it a tight, precise and constructed layout. This structure enables the poet to retell the story and within each new stanza Wordsworth adds more information with regards to the disappearance in a simple, communicative manner. This enables him to create a story-like form which is easy to understand. The sound pattern follows the traditional abab rhythm associated with Literary Ballard’s and is present throughout with no deviation. Within the Literary Ballard Sibilant alliteration is used creating soft gentle sounds ‘the sweetest thing that ever grew’…‘the sweet face of Lucy Gray’. The repetition of these sounds creates a mournful pattern of melancholy and sadness surrounding the disappearance as the reader if forced to acknowledge Lucy’s sweet and innocence and that she did not deserve her fate like many other children who disappear under similar, mysterious circumstances. The
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