Rain on the Roof

1.0About the Poet

The poet, Coates Kinney (1826-1904) was an American lawyer, politician, journalist and poet who wrote Rain on the Roof. He contributed several poems to the world of literature. In the poem, he is trying to relate the rain to his past memories both sweet and bitter.

2.0Central Idea

The poet exhibits that the rain brings the poet maximum happiness, when he is lost in dream and many fancies go on revolving in his mind. He loves the pattering of soft rain on the roof.

The first stanza of the poem tells that it is pleasant to lie on the bed in a cottage and listening to pitter-patter sound on a rainy night. In the second, the tinkle of the rain brings dreamy fancies with bright hues of recollection. In the third, the fondest memory of his mother is stirred before him in all her gentle loveliness by the pattern of the rain.

3.0Nostalgia

The poem 'Rain on the Roof' talks about the poet's varied reactions to the sound of raindrops falling on the roof of his house. He says that the raindrops at night are like tears shed by the sad, dark night. He loves to lie in bed and hear rain falling on the roof of his room because it gets him back sweet memories of the past. He says that the sound of raindrops helps him fall asleep and gives him sweet dreams.

4.0Healing Power of Rain

Here, the poet introduces his mother. He says that he is dreaming of his mother. As he had told in the previous stanza that rain brings memories of the past - it is the memory of his mother who is no longer alive. In the past, she used to love him a lot, she used to consider him a darling and she would let him sleep till daybreak and have sweet dreams.

5.0Poetic devices used in this poem

(1) Imagery - a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers' senses to create an image or idea in their head. Example : imagery is used in vivid and expressive language to evoke pictures or feelings.

(2) Alliteration - Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. Examples : busy being, their thread, rain roof, memory my mother

(3) Personification- A figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object. Example : Darkness has been personified when he says that it is sad. Recollection is personified when poet says that they weave dreams.

(4) Onomatopoeia- The use of sound words to create a dramatic effect. Example : patter-sound of raindrops

(5) Transfer Epithet- The use of adjective with a noun when it refers to another noun. Example : In melancholy darkness, the darkness is not melancholy, but it refers to the people.

6.0Recall

• It is a poem that tells us about the poet's sweet memories of his childhood.
• At night, there are dark clouds that cover the sky.
• All the stars become invisible.
• He says that the darkness is making him sad and reflective, and the rain also seems to mirror his emotions as it looks like tears falling softly from human eyes.
• The poet describes how the raindrops make the loudest sound as they fall on the shingles of the roof.
• As he listens to the soft and continuous falling of the raindrops, all his memories are coming back to him but they are not discrete and separated from each other.
• It rains gently and the poet lies on his cosy bed listening to the patter of soft rain on the roof.
• He enjoys the sound, the melody of nature. Every tinkle on the roof echoes in his heart. The single memory that comes to him, is that of his mother.
• He pictures the face of his mother as it used to look at him as she tucked him in bed.
• He recalls how his mother used to tell him stories.
• These memories are evoked as he listens to the repetitive rhythm of the raindrops as they are falling on his roof.
• He continues enjoying the patter of rain on the roof.
• He says that the Nature's music is restrained, and it also quietens the environment around it.

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