Essay Example on Comparing Wordsworth and Sidney: Sleep Poems

Introduction

The two poems chosen for this analysis are "To Sleep," by William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and "Come Sleep, O Sleep," by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586). The essay aims to compare and contrast the two poems to establish their similarities and differences in theme and style, subject and method of expression, mood, structure, symbolism, and speaker.

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What the Poems Talk About

"To Sleep" is a poem that demonstrates the poet's inability to sleep because of the many thoughts in his mind the entire night. The author uses the words "I have thought of all by turns, and yet do lie, Sleepless! And soon the small birds' melodies" (Wordsworth L5, L6). These phrases show that the poet is struggling to sleep and continues thinking of other nights that sleepless. Sadly, the poet stays awake even at the present night. In the poem "Come Sleep, O Sleep," the author creatively presents the poem in the form of a song and basically with the characteristics of a sonnet to express sleep using metaphors and symbols. The author is annoyed and depressed because of being rejected by Stella and wishes to sleep as it will provide a resting place. Sleep is a metaphor that demonstrates relieve from pain the poet is experiencing from the unreciprocated love. One can say that the poem as a death wish whereby sleep is associated with resting not to feel pain again. However, when looking at the feelings of the poet, pain is still experienced even during sleep as he dreams of Stella (Sidney L14).

Similarities and Differences

Theme and Style - A common theme of sleep is evident in the two poems. Therefore, the two poems have a similar subject, 'sleep' which is beneficial to the life of the poets. In the "To Sleep," the author is counting sleepless nights in the first five lines of the poem. A reader can see that the poet is thinking of other sleepless nights before and that he is not getting sleep this night. A different theme of nature is seen in the "To Sleep" poem as the author revolves around associating lack of sleep with nature, including wind, the sea, and rivers, among others. The "Come Sleep, O Sleep," sleep is revealed as the source of happiness, wisdom and freedom to human life.

The theme and style of the two poems demonstrate their similarities and differences in the subject and method of expression. A variation appears in how the poets describe the effects of sleep. The style used by Wordsworth in the "To Sleep" poem is idealistic as the poet constructs a natural phenomenon in the readers' mind by giving an account of the insomnia in his sleepless experiences to arouse sympathy to the audience. The "To Sleep" focuses on explaining the sleeplessness of the poet and how lack of sleep makes him unhealthy, lacking joy and fresh thoughts. It shows a difference in the method of expression whereby "To Sleep" is expressed in a manner of complaining and showing sleep as a need while "Come Sleep, O Sleep" is expressed in the way of appreciation.

Specific emotions and ideas the poets are trying to elicit in the reader - The feelings of sleepiness are demonstrated in the two poems. In the poem "To Sleep," the poet evokes the emotions of pain and sympathy in the reader. The poet sadly describes sleepiness. While reading through, the reader realizes the suffering that the author is experiencing due to lack of sleep. Sleeplessness is a significant idea that the poet wants the reader to understand. Lack of sleep is a problem to the poet and wishes to get even a bit of it this night as he says "So do not let me wear to-night away" (Wordsworth L11).

On the other hand, the poet of "Come Sleep, O Sleep" arouses the emotions of sleep as soothing. The reader can associate with the peace that sleep will bring to the poet as it will provide a resting place. The author calls sleep, "The baiting place of wit" (Sidney L2), to show the test it brings to a person's life. The idea that the reader elicits from the "Come to Sleep" is that sleep is a medicine that can cure the pain of rejection.

Mood, symbolism, structure and speaker - The poets are the speakers in the two poems. As a person reads through the poems, the expressions are direct from the poet. The authors describe all the feelings and experiences as personal and affecting them directly. The two poems present a difference in the mood. "To Sleep" offers a romantic and sorrowful atmosphere. The author associates sleep with the "mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health" (Wordsworth L14). These words depict romance obtained from sleep as it brings good thoughts and joy in someone's' life. In the "Come Sleep, O Sleep," the mood is sorrowful. The poet is in despair to get sleep that will solve all his problems. By personifying sleep in all manner, and exhausting all other ways of describing sleep, Sydney sees the only solution to seeing and meeting Stella as only in sleep.

Symbols are commonly used in the "To Sleep" and "Come Sleep, O Sleep" poems. In the beginning of the "To Sleep" poem, sleep is described using symbols such as "a sheep passing by, a sound of rain, buzzing bees, the fall of rivers, winds and seas" (Wordsworth L1-L3). However, these words disapprove the poet's expectations to get sleep this night. He cannot imagine the power of nature in its calmness cannot help him to get sleep. This brings the sorrowful mood of the poem as the poet cannot get solution of sleeplessness.

The two poems have a similarity in structure as they are sonnets, whereby the beginning twelve lines provide the theme or problem and resolving it in the last two lines. In the "To Sleep," poem, the poet follows the sonnet structure whereby the subject of sleeplessness is highly demonstrated in the first twelve lines of the poem (Wordsworth). The solution to the problem of insomnia can be identified in the last two lines of the poem whereby the author states "Come, blessed barrier between day and day, Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!" (Wordsworth L13-L14). The author wants sleep to come as it is a blessing that comes to break the barrier between day and day. Sleep is also described as a solution that brings happiness, health and fresh thinking after a person rests.

In the "Come to Sleep" poem, the same sonnet structure is used by Sidney to bring out the theme of sleep and its different descriptions. In the first twelve lines of the poem, the author describes sleep in various ways as "knot of peace, baiting place of wit, balm of woe, poor man's wealth and prisoners' release" (Sidney L1 -L3). The descriptions are also the symbols that the author uses to describe sleep in the poem. As a baiting place, sleep is associated with a resting place. As a balm of woe, sleep is depicted as the medicine of pain. Sleep is also described as a tool that releases those imprisoned and a form of richness. All these symbols represent how sleep is beneficial to the poet.

Conclusion

"To Sleep" and "Come Sleep, O Sleep" are two poems with a similar theme of sleep but expressed in different ways. Sleep is beneficial to the two poets, but the style of how Wordsworth and Sydney show it is of significance for the reader to differentiate. "To Sleep" presents sleep as a need, and expressed in a complaining manner. The "Come Sleep, O Sleep" shows sleep as a reward and manifests in the way of appreciation. The expression of sleep creates the mood of the poems, whereby, "To Sleep" exhibits a romantic and sorrowful mood while "Come Sleep, O Sleep" presents a feeling of despair. The symbols and structure of the poems help in establishing their mood, theme and style.

Works Cited

Sidney, Philip. Come Sleep, O Sleep. (1554-1586).

Wordsworth, William. To Sleep. (1770-1850).