Essay Database

Analysis of "Piano" The speaker in "Piano" by D. H. Lawrence is proud to be a full grown man, yet he loves remembering his happy childhood; his nostalgic attitude causes him to feel guilty as if he had betrayed his present state of being. Through effective imagery, Lawrence is able (to describe an image) to help the reader understand the speaker's nostalgic attitude. The diction and tone used in this poem reveal the speaker's struggle …

…sends him back to the past while the third line of each stanza shows his increasing distress. In the first stanza it's the singing woman that takes him "down the vista of years." Next, the song takes him to "the old Sunday evenings at home." Finally, the "great black piano" reminds him of the past. The continuing conflict of the speaker's emotions is described as he enjoys his memories, yet he despises his continuing nostalgia.