TPCASTT #2

Symphony in Yellow by Oscar Wilde

An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly
And, here and there, a passer-by
Shows like a little restless midge.

Big barges full of yellow hay
Are moored against the shadowy wharf,
And, like a yellow silken scarf,
The thick fog hangs along the quay.

The yellow leaves begin to fade
And flutter from the Temple elms,
And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.

T(Title)-I think the title indicates a vague idea of what the poem is going to be about. The reader immediately notices the word 'Yellow' which is a sensory detail of colour, and I think that is important giving definition to the whole poem.

P(Paraphrase)- This poem by Oscar Wilde was written very poetically, in a metaphoric way. Just like the title indicates, 'yellow' is used a lot throughout all the stanzas. The first stanza mentions an omnibus, which is travelling in a cycle carrying many people. Then the stanza shows how 'restless' people are to get on that bus to go somewhere. The next stanza sounds a little darker, perhaps indicating that there is uncertainty amongst an ambition or goal. Words like 'shadowy', 'fog' are clearly representing something mysterious or unclear. Then the last stanza shows transformation, because it is in this stanza that the yellow apparantly fades and sheds its leaves, which could signify a rebirth or something new after a cycle has taken place. The colour green becomes the main focus at the last two lines, which could also represent a new, fresh life.

C(Connotations)- I think this whole poem is one great metaphor, and I see that it's very nature-related and and natural colours are used to indicate what the message is. In the second stanza, I sense there is some irony, because it describes 'fog' like a 'yellow silken scarf', which is bright and positive and very contradictory to the 'thick fog'. Perhaps its meant to say that even though people seem positive, happy, and driven on the outside, there is still a vulnerability and insecurity that they are not willing to show in their outward appearance. So maybe the reason why this stanza is so ironic is to show the contrasting sides of concealment. There is also a lot of imagery in this poem, mostly related to sight. The way that everything is described is quite concise but at the same time detailed enough to evoke senses in the reader. An example is
'An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly'
which involves a lot of images, but also personification and simile, because an omnibus doesn't literally 'crawl like a yellow butterfly'. I've also noted that there is a pattern of a rhyme scheme, which goes like : A,B,B,A/C,D,D,C/ and E,F,F,E. It adds a good rhythm to the poem.

A(Attitude)- This poem is very descriptive and there is no indication that the narrator is personal, because there is no 'I', making it sound more impersonal. The only part that I noticed the narrator was referring to himself was in the last stanza, when he says: 'And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.' The descriptions are very eloquent and not emotionally passionate, so the attitude of this poem is not that strong. There's a certain tranquil and reflective mood to this poem, which makes the reader enjoy the rhythmic flow of this poem.

S(Shifts)- In this particular poem, there is a slight shift in every stanza, because it seems like each stanza represents something different, giving them different vibes. The first stanza starts out bright enough, but it is in the second stanza that the reader can determine where the rest of the poem is going. The first stanza seems to be a starting point, the second stanza the direction of the first stanza goes 'foggy', and in the last stanza there seems to be more optimism.

T(Theme)- There seems to be quite a few 'themes' in this poem. I think one of the messages that came across to me was that people are always rushing for something and trying desperately to reach it without stopping to apprieciate the nature that they are surrounded by. The allusions to nature have no connection with 'passers-by'(1st stanza) which could represent the fact that people just don't notice what they have been given because they are too caught up in their own lives. Also in the 2nd stanza it shows that the 'yellow hay' in the 'barge' is moored on a shadowy wharf. Assuming that the hay represents the people, it shows that many people just pretend to know where their destination is while in fact they have no idea. Again, they are too rushed and hasty, driven by something human and sinful like greed, that they don't realize that they need to take things slow to figure out what their life is meant to be. And since I noticed that the poet writes quite a big about God, I will also mention that this poem could be about people who are bright on the outside but empty on the inside, because they are lost and have no direction. That could be because they don't take the time to let God lead them to where they are really meant to be.

T(Title)- I think the title of the poem was quite well chosen, and the word 'Symphony' almost makes it sound like the poem is a song or hymm, which suits it very well.