Leisure - William Henry Davis

Introduction to context:

William Henry Davis (1871-1940)

- welsh poet, was homeless (tramp) in the UK and USA.

- popular and well known poet in the Georgian era and is known for direct simplistic verse often commenting on mans relationship with nature, 

- Leisure is one the most famous poems and has recently been used for adverts, centre parcs and orange mobile. 

- He showed the pace of life... 

Modernity - 19th Century = industrialisation - 20th Century = motor car and countries turned into cities. 

Exploring the poem through language levels

Lexis and semantics: 

• Enrich - gives an affect of nature and improving. 
• Poor - used to describe people who are nature deprived. 
• Lexis - simplistic words - child-like reflects his need for simplicity in life.
• Personified nature - "watch her feet, how they can dance" relates to the grass and flowers dancing.
• Repetition - emphasises lack of time, each stanza is end stopped. Rhyme is child-like and simplistic, Personification of beauty, persuades you to admire nature. it is obvious that we are oblivious to nature.
• Lack of adjectives within the poem, 
• Nature - relates to female qualities
• Sibilance - S sound, gentle, relaxing, calm, Relates to nature.
• Simple syllable.