Analysis for the Christmas Tree

Literal Analysis
The Surface meaning of the Christmas tree is riddled with definitive descriptions of both the setting and Christmas Tree itself. Within the first stanza the speaker emphasizes the delineation of the Christmas Tree. "Put out the lights now! Look at the Tree, the rough tree dazzled In oriole plumes of flame". The speaker is shown to possess a desire to turn off the light to reveal and introduce the tree, detailing its rough edges being enveloped in an extremely bright plethora of colours, resembling fire. "Tinselled with twinkling frost fire, tasselled with stars and moons-the same". "That yesterday hid in the spinney, and had no fame Till we put out the lights now" . The Christmas tree is now associated with vivid sparkles and glitter, that mimic the stars and moon. . The speaker describes that this tree was not always a Christmas Tree, and fame never began until the lights were turned off at this moment. The second stanza is more of a emphasis on the literal setting."Hard are the nights now. The fields at moonrise turn to agate <ag-it>" The nights are characterized as difficult, long and as the moon comes up the fields turn into a stone or quartz of diverse colours. "Shadows are as cold as jet;/In dyke and furrow, in copse and faggot". The shadows are intensely cold, this coldness is present in grooves within the ground and groves of living and fallen trees. This is further emphasized by the line The frosts tooth is set; And the stars are the sparks whirled out by the north winds fret On flinty nights now. The frost or coldness is now prominent within the described setting. The speaker describes how the stars have been blown away by the wind, and only the grey, hard nights now remain. The third stanza reverts back to the surface description of The Christmas Tree itself. "So feast your eyes now/ On mimic star and moon-cold bauble" The speaker details the attention being heavily directed on the tree, again describing the decorations. (mimic star at the top, baubles being the ornaments). The lines "But the Christmas tree is a tree of fable/A phoenix in evergreen" details how the Christmas tree is described as being supernatural. Phoenix, in its alternative description as a thing of peerless beauty or excellence is used in context to illustrate the evergreen Christmas tree as beautiful. " the world cannot change or chill what its mysteries mean/ To your hearts and eyes now." The Christmas tree and its influence on our hearts and eyes is immune to being changed by the world.

The fourth and final stanza is an emphasis on the Christmas Tree literally being returned to the earth. The vision dies now Candle by Candle; the tree that embraced it Returns to its own kind. The vision of the tree has begun to cease now. The Christmas tree gradually shifts back to a regular tree, "To be earthed again and weather as best it/ May the frost and the wind." The tree will be taken down and returned to the ground to endure the weather. "Children it too had its hour-you will not mind/ If it lives or dies now" The trees visual moment (represented by 'its hour') has passed, and the tree will be forgotten about.

Figurative Analysis
The Poem depicts the theme that the golden age of the Christmas tree is a symbol of contrast and victory over the bitterness and darkness of winter. The speaker also portrays the Golden Age of the tree as a temporary but a viable transformation to defeat the darkness of winter. The idea here is also presented through the duality of the Christmas tree and its metamorphosis into a symbol. The speaker successfully transforms the tree into a image of warmth and light through the imagery and metaphors established. This view of nature of a Christmas tree as a symbol is used to contrast the darkness of winter. The Golden Age of the Christmas tree is represented within the poem as metaphysical and temporary, but enough to defeat the harshness of the winter. The first introduction of the Golden Age of the tree is illustrated by the lines "That yesterday hid in the spinney and had no fame/ Till we put out the lights now". The fame of the Christmas tree instigated by the sudden darkness is in fact the start of its Golden Age. The lines also distinguishes the duality of the tree itself. The tree had hid in a generic woody area where it was just a conventional tree. But now the Tree has been elevated to something more than just a tree. It has become a Christmas Tree, a symbol within the darkness, embraced with fame. The speaker also attaches the Golden Age of the Christmas Tree to supernatural qualities. "But the Christmas tree is a tree of fable. " The simile reflects the idea that the tree is something magical, it makes the Christmas tree something transcendental. This further develops the Golden Age of the tree and the power held within the Christmas tree. The speaker then goes on to fulfill the purpose of this Golden Age within the line "And the world cannot change or chill what its mysteries mean". The world which the speaker has just described within the second stanza as cold and dark, with the long nights of the winter solstice serving as difficult times for the speaker, cannot defeat the Golden Age of the Tree.

With the speaker now acknowledging the success of the Golden Age it can then precede to convey the transient aspect of the Christmas Tree's Golden Age, represented by the line in the fourth stanza "The vision dies now". The Golden Age and power of the Christmas Tree begins to subside. It has defeated the darkness and now beings to dissipate, becoming again a regular evergreen tree "Returns to its own kind". The speaker then goes on to distinguish the tree's Golden Age "Children it too had its hour- you will not mind/ If it lives or dies now". The hour is the Christmas Tree's Golden Age, again, the speaker acknowledges the Trees power. Also now that the hour is fulfilled the Golden Age of the Christmas tree will be forgotten. The Christmas Tree is manipulated to be a successful symbol of light and warmth through the inclusion of imagery and metaphors. "In oriole plumes of flame/Tinselled with twinkling frost fire, tasselled with stars and moons-the same" The blatant fire imagery here begins to transform the Christmas Tree into a image of warmth. Also present is the metaphor connecting the Christmas tree to being a symbol of light within the darkness (represented by stars and the moon). With the introduction in the first stanza of the fire and light imagery the Christmas Tree begins to undergo metamorphosis to become a symbol to go up against the darkness. The repetition of the fire and the light imagery within the third stanza only emphasises the metamorphosis. It also serves to elevate the symbol of the tree to a supernatural and magical level. "A phoenix in evergreen" . The metaphor here of the phoenix as a fiery, mythological beast represents the warmth and majesty of the Christmas Tree. Also the line "On mimic star and moon-cold bauble" reverts back to the star imagery and that the Christmas Tree a source of light within the darkness. The speaker also helps formulate the tree as a symbol by establishing the contrast between the Christmas Tree and the bitterness of winter by detailing the setting. "Hard are the nights now". Here in the first line of the second stanza is the transition into the contrasting setting <by establishing two endpoints>. "The frost's tooth is set;/ And stars are the sparks whirled out by the north winds fret". The introduction of the Christmas as a emblem of warmth and light as introduce in the first stanza is now contrasted by these lines. The frost's tooth is the frigid coldness that grips the setting. And the stars are now blown out of the sky by the cold winds leaving only long nights a darkness. Where the Christmas tree is a symbol of warmth and light it goes up against winter as being describe as cold and dark. The Christmas tree has become a successful icon against the darkness and cold of the winter nights as represented in the line "And the world cannot change or chill what its mysteries mean/ To your hearts and eyes now." To coincide with defeating the darkness the Christmas Tree is something that evokes strong emotions within others, this only emphasizes the Christmas tree as a symbol. It has power over others with its brilliance.

Analysis of Poets Intent

The Poet evokes an enchanting and triumphant mood within the poem The Christmas Tree. His intent is to convey the truth that the symbol of a Christmas Tree is its Golden Age, and that this defeats the darkness of winter. The nights of winter are long and dark, the highpoint of this darkness being the winter solstice. Thus, the speaker promotes the ritual of putting up a Christmas tree surrounding the Winter Solstice. Since the ritual of a Christmas Tree is temporary the speaker expresses the urgency of taking advantage of the moment through his structure. (Every first and last line of each stanza ends with the word 'now' <give some examples>) The Christmas Tree is something that should be taken use of at the moment, because the Golden Age that defeats the darkness is temporary. The darkness of winter is something that effects everyone, but there is a chose to have the Christmas Tree within a home. The description of The Christmas Tree within the poem epitomizes all Christmas Trees. The poet through the speaker wishes to communicate the magical, and powerful ambience surrounding the Christmas Tree and at the same time evoke a sense to the reader that a Christmas Tree should be in everyone's home to be a symbol of light and warmth against the darkness and cold of winter.