Answer:
Coldridge structures his sonnet in the traditional form of 14 lines with a rhyme scheme of abba abba cde cde, following the structure of an Italian sonnet. The sonnet is divided into two parts, with the first part describing the speaker's memories of the river otter and the second part expressing the speaker's desire to relive his childhood.
The meaning of the sonnet is to express the speaker's nostalgic longing for the innocence and carefree joy of childhood, inspired by his memories of playing by the river otter. The sonnet reflects on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life, as the speaker recognizes the many years that have passed since his childhood and wishes to return to that state of innocence and wonder.
The sonnet creates vivid images of the river otter and its surroundings, including the "wild streamlet of the West," the "crossing plank," the "willows grey," and the "bedded sand." These images evoke a sense of natural beauty and tranquility, as well as a nostalgic longing for the past.
Samuel uses various literary devices in his sonnet, including alliteration ("wild streamlet of the West"), metaphor ("sink the sweet scenes of childhood"), and imagery ("bedded sand that, veined with various dyes"). He also uses enjambment to create a sense of flow and movement in the poem, as well as repetition ("what happy and what mournful hours") to emphasize the passage of time.
The overall effect of the sonnet is to create a sense of longing and nostalgia, as the speaker reflects on the joys of childhood and the passage of time. The sonnet evokes a sense of natural beauty and tranquility, as well as a longing for a simpler, more innocent time. The effect on the reader is to create a sense of empathy with the speaker's feelings and to evoke similar memories and emotions in the reader's own life.
Step-by-step explanation: