Year 3 · Unit 7 · Lesson 1 of 5
Reading a Poem: Unlock the Meaning
Who has seen the wind? / Neither I nor you
Nobody can see the wind. So how does the poet know it is there?
By its effects: trembling leaves and bowing trees. That idea, that some powerful things can only be known by what they do, is the poem's theme. This lesson shows you how to find it.
Key terms
Subject
What the poem is literally about.
Rossetti: the wind.
Speaker
The voice talking in the poem. It is not always the poet.
Rossetti: a voice speaking to someone it calls "you".
Tone
The speaker's attitude to the subject.
joyful, sad, angry, calm, curious, admiring, bitter
Mood
The feeling the poem creates in the reader.
peaceful, tense, gloomy, exciting, hopeful
Theme
The big idea or message about life. State it as a sentence, not one word.
Not just "nature", but "Some powerful things can only be known by their effects."
Who Has Seen the Wind?
Christina Rossetti (1872)
Who has seen the wind?Neither I nor you:But when the leaves hang trembling,The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?Neither you nor I:But when the trees bow down their heads,The wind is passing by.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (first stanza)
William Wordsworth (1807, revised 1815)
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
See it done
1. What is the tone of Wordsworth's first two lines?
"Lonely" and a cloud drifting "on high" suggest the speaker feels isolated and a little sad.
2. How does the mood change in line 3?
"When all at once" marks a sudden shift: the crowd of "golden daffodils" brings surprise and joy.
Common mistake: Giving the theme as one word ("nature", "love"). A theme is a full idea: what the poem says about nature or love.
10 questions with instant feedback
Choose the best answer. Use the two poems above.
Who Has Seen the Wind?
Christina Rossetti (1872)
Who has seen the wind?Neither I nor you:But when the leaves hang trembling,The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?Neither you nor I:But when the trees bow down their heads,The wind is passing by.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (first stanza)
William Wordsworth (1807, revised 1815)
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
1.What is the subject of "Who Has Seen the Wind?"?
Not quite. The poem is literally about the wind. Answer: B. the wind.
Correct. The poem is literally about the wind.
Not quite. The poem is literally about the wind. Answer: B. the wind.
Not quite. The poem is literally about the wind. Answer: B. the wind.
2.Who is the speaker in Rossetti's poem?
Not quite. The speaker says "Neither I nor you", so it is a voice talking to a listener. Answer: C. a voice speaking to someone it calls "you".
Not quite. The speaker says "Neither I nor you", so it is a voice talking to a listener. Answer: C. a voice speaking to someone it calls "you".
Correct. The speaker says "Neither I nor you", so it is a voice talking to a listener.
Not quite. The speaker says "Neither I nor you", so it is a voice talking to a listener. Answer: C. a voice speaking to someone it calls "you".
3.Which best describes the tone of Rossetti's poem?
Not quite. The gentle questions and quiet answers show calm wonder, not fear or anger. Answer: D. calm and wondering.
Not quite. The gentle questions and quiet answers show calm wonder, not fear or anger. Answer: D. calm and wondering.
Not quite. The gentle questions and quiet answers show calm wonder, not fear or anger. Answer: D. calm and wondering.
Correct. The gentle questions and quiet answers show calm wonder, not fear or anger.
4.What is the theme of "Who Has Seen the Wind?"?
Correct. The wind is never seen, only known through the leaves and trees it moves.
Not quite. The wind is never seen, only known through the leaves and trees it moves. Answer: A. We can know some invisible things by their effects..
Not quite. Trees appear, but only to show the wind's effects. Answer: A. We can know some invisible things by their effects..
Not quite. The wind is never seen, only known through the leaves and trees it moves. Answer: A. We can know some invisible things by their effects..
5.At the start of Wordsworth's poem, the speaker feels:
Not quite. He says he "wandered lonely as a cloud". Answer: C. lonely.
Not quite. He says he "wandered lonely as a cloud". Answer: C. lonely.
Correct. He says he "wandered lonely as a cloud".
Not quite. He says he "wandered lonely as a cloud". Answer: C. lonely.
6.What changes the speaker's mood?
Not quite. "When all at once I saw a crowd... of golden daffodils" marks the change. Answer: D. seeing a crowd of daffodils.
Not quite. "When all at once I saw a crowd... of golden daffodils" marks the change. Answer: D. seeing a crowd of daffodils.
Not quite. "When all at once I saw a crowd... of golden daffodils" marks the change. Answer: D. seeing a crowd of daffodils.
Correct. "When all at once I saw a crowd... of golden daffodils" marks the change.
7."Fluttering and dancing in the breeze" creates a mood that is:
Not quite. "Fluttering" and "dancing" are light, happy movements. Answer: B. lively and joyful.
Correct. "Fluttering" and "dancing" are light, happy movements.
Not quite. "Fluttering" and "dancing" are light, happy movements. Answer: B. lively and joyful.
Not quite. "Fluttering" and "dancing" are light, happy movements. Answer: B. lively and joyful.
8.A theme is best described as:
Not quite. Theme is the big idea, stated as a sentence. Answer: C. the poem's message or big idea about life.
Not quite. Theme is the big idea, stated as a sentence. Answer: C. the poem's message or big idea about life.
Correct. Theme is the big idea, stated as a sentence.
Not quite. Theme is the big idea, stated as a sentence. Answer: C. the poem's message or big idea about life.
9.Tone is:
Correct. Tone belongs to the speaker; mood belongs to the reader.
Not quite. That is mood. Tone is the speaker's attitude. Answer: A. the speaker's attitude.
Not quite. Tone belongs to the speaker; mood belongs to the reader. Answer: A. the speaker's attitude.
Not quite. Tone belongs to the speaker; mood belongs to the reader. Answer: A. the speaker's attitude.
10.Mood is:
Not quite. That is tone. Mood is the reader's feeling. Answer: D. the feeling the poem creates in the reader.
Not quite. Mood is what the reader feels. Answer: D. the feeling the poem creates in the reader.
Not quite. Mood is what the reader feels. Answer: D. the feeling the poem creates in the reader.
Correct. Mood is what the reader feels.
State subject, tone and theme
Write one sentence each for the subject, the tone and the theme of "Who Has Seen the Wind?". Then compare with the models below.
1. Subject
2. Tone
3. Theme
Model answers.
1. The poem is about the wind, which no one can see.
2. The tone is calm and wondering, like a gentle question-and-answer game.
3. Some powerful things are invisible, but we can know they are there by their effects.
Next: the Lesson 1 exit quiz. Five questions, recorded on your dashboard. Aim for 4 out of 5.