Question

What is the theme of To Waken an Old Lady

Answer 1

the poem uses metaphors to portray this message .this poem is giving you a message about old age and happiness.we think of happy summers when they talk about cheeping birds and we think of gracefulness and happiness when we think of old people

Answer 2

The theme of the poem is old age and the realization of one's imminent death/ dying.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem "To Waken An Old Lady" by William Carlos William is a short poem of just 18 lines with short sentences, and mostly with run-on lines/ enjambment. This poem is addressed from the point of view of someone who is presumably experiencing old age and is on the verge of dying. The poem deals with the realization of her old age, and the belief of what is to come next. With the use of metaphors, the speaker compares "old age" like "a flight of small/ cheeping birds /skimming /bare trees /above a snow glaze". Thus, the overall theme of the poem is the growing old age of the speaker, and the approach of death.