Steven Porter
AP Literature
Title Analysis: “The Solitary Reaper”
“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth appears to have two meanings within its
title and contents, one being the denotated interpretation and the other being the connotated
interpretation. The title itself has significant meaning in denotation and connotation, and the
double meanings also appear within the poem itself. Upon examining the denotations and
connotations of each element within the poem, it appears as if both interpretations of the text
were intentional due to their recurring themes.
First of all, the denotation and connotation of the title are crucial in the understanding of
the allegory within the poem. As for denotation, the word solitary means completely alone or in
solitude and the word reaper means someone who helps to gather the harvest. The denotated
version of the title simply states that the poem is about a single person gathering up a harvest.
However, the connotated version of the poem is significantly different. The title could easily be
interpreted with the word reaper being a reference to either the grim reaper as in collecting the
dead, or simply as being a collection of something. In addition, the word solitary is very possibly
symbolic of the feelings of loneliness and despair. Just the title alone contains a significant
amount of information about the poem, and the connotations of each word are open for
interpretation.
Secondly, the denotation of the poem is crucial in gaining a complete understanding of
the literary work. The poem speaks of a Highland lass, which would most likely be a reference to
a Scottish woman. In the poem, she sings a very sad song depicting battles of long ago as she is
collecting the harvest with her sickle, which is a bladed pole used to cut down crops such as
wheat. Her singing voice is described as, "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard In spring-time
from the Cuckoo-bird" (line 13-14 Wordsworth). In the poem, the narrator is depicted through a
third-person perspective, walking up a hill and listening to her singing. Upon walking further
away, the narrator still hears her voice in his head. The denotation of the poem is fairly simple,
but the connotation contains a much deeper inner meaning.
The poem itself has many elements within it that can be interpreted through connotation
as symbolic. In the poem it appears as if the woman is singing a song about sadness and despair,
which is first described by, "Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy
strain;"(line 5-6 Wordsworth). This line depicts the woman as a lone worker who is bringing in
the harvest while singing a song about sorrow, but upon looking further into the text it appears as
if a different theme is present. The aforementioned line contains the first clue leading to her
portrayal as the grim reaper or a soul collector. Later, in the third stanza, the narrator hears the
woman singing of what he believes to be death and battle. If the narrator's estimate is accurate, it
would help to support the idea that the woman is the grim reaper. As she cuts down the