A Reader-Response Approach of the poem “The Arrow and the

Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Course Research Paper requirement in Poetry

Submitted to
Dr. Carousel B. Tagaylo
Graduate School Professor

Submitted by
Arjhel M. Sayson
February 4, 2018
INTRODUCTION

We can never predict the power of our actions. The word

said, the deed done, disappear into the past, but often, years

later, we can be astounded to learn of their impact. A friend

explodes with rage over an imagined slight; a stranger thanks

us for a favour we had forgotten (Nield, C. 2009).

If we read this poem, we may think that this is just

about a person who shot an arrow then later found it in a

tree, but is more something say. This poem talks about someone

shooting an arrow and losing it, and then sang a song and the

song disappears but later find it in a friend. This poem’s

theme is based around the fact that words are unbroken.

In this paper, we will concisely state first that The

Arrow and the song was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

on October 16, 1845. This paper wishes to offer an analysis

of “The Arrow and the Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

First, we will look at rhyme, meter and form. Second, we will

offer an approximate line by line analysis looking for

possible literary devices and carefully examining the lyrics

of the poem. Finally, we’ll state our interpretation as far

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as the poem’s ultimate meaning is concerned—that will

constitute our summary.

Author’s Claim:

This poem express the fact that words could be unbroken

and that this poem was written during the Romantic Period.

This study theorizes that the poem “The Arrow and the

Song” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow induces that words are

not just hurtful but they also can be touching and Reader-

Response Criticism is used in the analysis.

DISCUSSION

Rhyme, Meter, and Form in The Arrow and the Song

The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is

made up of three stanzas, each four lines long. Each line is

either eight or nine syllables long and rhymes with the last–

so that there are a total of eight couplets (Krishna, 2015).

Parallelism is important in the poem. The first and

second stanza strongly mirror each other grammatically—and,

in fact, share an identical line. In each of the first two

stanzas, the narrator takes an action, and then states he

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could not know the consequences of this action. He then

explains why he could not.

The final stanza re-establishes this parallelism of the

previous two stanza within a single stanza. The first two

lines of the final stanza conclude the actions begun in the

first stanza, while the second two lines conclude the actions

begun in the second stanza.

The parallelism presented here suggests that we are

perhaps supposed to be making a comparison and contrast

between two different actions both of which bear

consequences. So this is a poetic device of sorts.

Walkthrough of The Arrow and the Song

Here we will present each stanza from The Arrow and the

Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and then make as many

points as possible about them. While this might appear

excessive, as much as possible, we want readers to make up

their own minds about the poem—so our goal is to provide as

much food for thought as possible.

First Stanza:
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

Poem retrieved from: shelby-poetry.weebly.com

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 1. Why does the narrator shoot an arrow into the air? Could

it be the narrator was hunting? Is this simply a metaphor

for some type of action the narrator took?

2. Was the arrow aimed at a specific target? Can we presume

the arrow missed its target? After all, it simply fell

to the ground afterwards. Or could it be the case the

arrow was shot on a whim without any target at all?

3. An arrow is something rich in symbolism. We can

potentially take the arrow as a symbol of cupid and of

love. Could the narrator have been trying to obtain love?

Alternatively, the arrow is a weapon—it is sharp like

our wits. Could the narrator have attacked a person via

some angry words?

Note here that the arrow went so “swiftly” that the

narrator could not “follow it in its flight.” We think this

might suggest angry words—because we think that the narrator

shot off the arrow without really thinking. The entire event

happened so fast, the narrator couldn’t even be sure of what

repercussions took place. Don’t angry words often escape us

this way?

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Second Stanza:

I breathed a song into the air,

The parallelism between the first stanza and the second

stanza has already been mentioned above. We’re clearly

getting some type of comparison here.

The tone and mood of the second stanza is much gentler

and smoother than that of the first.

Note how much nicer a song is than an arrow. I mean,

normally you wouldn’t even think to compare the two—but

clearly in this context we must do so. Both the arrow and the

song travel through the air. We lose track of both. The arrow

can’t be found because it went so swiftly, but it’s totally

different with the song. Who can really follow a song in the

air with their eyes? We can though see a person smile as they

hear the song.

It’s fascinating to talk about the song as if it were in

flight. One thinks of a bird flying—and interestingly a bird

can sometimes be a target for an arrow. This brings us back

to our previous question from the first stanza, was the arrow

aimed at a target? Did it hit the target? And now we must

ask, is the song sung for pure joy? Is the song being sung

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for a particular person? Is the song being sung here for a

particular purpose?

Third Stanza:

Long, long afterward, in an oak

Analysis of the first two lines:

The first two lines here are very surprising. They hit

us unexpectedly and leave us in a mood of suspense. They leave

us on tenterhooks as we wait for the last two lines of the

poem.

The arrow is in an oak. Again, one can think of cupid in

this context. When we love someone, don’t we sometimes

represent that love by carving a heart into a tree complete

with an arrow—to show we’ve been struck? Could this imagery

be alluding to love?

The question posed at the end of the second stanza

creates a pause as we ponder it. When the poem resumes, the

scene and the tone have subtly changed (Nield, C. 2009). The

repetition and the three strong stresses in the phrase “long,

long, afterward,” make us feel the heaviness of the speaker’s

aging body. We hear the rueful voice of an older, wiser man.

trees clearly have phallic significance here. In this sense

they represent libido and passion. We don’t really think

that’s the intent here, but feel this must be mentioned at

least in passing.

What’s the significance of the arrow being still

unbroken? Is it still a danger? A threat?

It’s important to remember the arrow can also represent

a weapon. It’s sharp, and it hurts. The narrator shot out the

arrow without ever really thinking about it, perhaps in anger.

Perhaps the arrow represents words that the narrator angrily

threw out and forgot about, but are still around, and still

just as potent. They are sticking in the tree the way a thorn

sticks in a lions paw. The suggestion then is that we should

be more careful with our words.

Analysis of the second two lines:

The second two lines here are much easier to understand.

The joy given off by the song has multiplied in a manner that

the arrow could not (www.shadowofiris.com, 2015). An arrow

can only be one place at one time, sticking in an old tree

perhaps. But what about a song? A song can multiply, and while

it starts out in only one heart, it might find its way to all

of our hearts.

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 So could there be a simple moral here that singing a

song is better than shooting an arrow? Of course, these are

only metaphors pointing to a deeper meaning.

CONCLUSION

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the author of this poem,

uses many different poetic devices in this poem. In “The Arrow

and The Song” you can find Rhyme Scheme, Repetition,

Personification, and Imagery. Without all of the poetic

devices this poem would not have become the great poem it is

today.

When we interpret the poem, we believe the message of

The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is

actually pretty simple. The arrow represents careless and

angry words thrown out, that while surely infertile, yielding

no fruit, are capable of getting in someone’s crawl for a

long time. They are not forgotten, but they are also perhaps

sterile. On the other hand, words of kindness and joy, as

represented via the song, are exactly the inverse. They can

spread to everyone, just like planting a seed. In this sense,

the poem is simply a short moral tale urging us to share

joyful words, as opposed to getting angry and shouting at

someone.

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REFERENCES

Krishna. (2015, February 2). H.W.Longfellow, Poem Analysis

(by Poet), Poets with initials F to J, Poets with

initials H. Retrieved January 31, 2018, from https://

beamingnotes.com/2015/02/20/arrow-song-summary-henry-

wadsworth-longfellow/

NIELD, C. (2009, May 21-27). A Reading of ’The Arrow and the

Song‘ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Epoch Times.

Retrieved February 1, 2018, from http://printarchive.

epochtimes.com/a1/en/us/sfo/2009/05-May/21/B2_

EET20090521-NoCAUS.pdf

https://shelby-poetry.weebly.com/favorite-poem-3-the-arrow-

and-the-song.html

https://www.shadowofiris.com/the-arrow-and-the-song-by-

henry-w-longfellow/

https://beamingnotes.com/2015/02/20/arrow-song-summary-

henry-wadsworth-longfellow/