Piano / David Herbert Lawrence, England (1885-1930) / Four levels
a. Apply the four level of interacting with text to ‘Piano’.
Literal comprehension: Once the poet listened a song produced by a woman by a piano that brought the poet to his childhood. He recollected the scene when he was sitting near piano with his mother who was playing it with lovely tune. He remembered the Sunday evening sitting in cozy parlour, pressing the feet of his mother.Though the poet tried to control himself at present the past memories haunted him so strongly. He couldn’t stay, reminding at present but in the past singing of rhymes. So the speaker liked no more the song of woman rather deeply went back to his childhood. He became ready to hate his manhood and wanted to be child forever. Actually, that was impossible, so he started to weep like in his childhood.
Interpretation: The poem ‘Piano’ is fully nostalgic in tone because the memories of the past are central focus of this poem. Again through this poem the poet is trying to present the power and value of music to human being. The bored and monotonous present of the speaker is easily vanished with the help of music in this poem. By this poem the speakers is telling us that the childhood memories are stronger things we can’t escape from them. It is the charm of music that gives freedom to us from tensions and problems. The love between mother and son is strongly presented in the poem, the happy romantic childhood experiences become pleasant forever.
Critical Thinking: D.H. Lawrence has used the stream of consciousness technique in this poem. By this process the speaker has remembered his childhood experience in this manhood. It has written in rhythmical pattern with music. The present is the result of the present. We can be agree with the point that poet’s childhood was romantic with deep love of his mother. Still some question we can raise against the poet’s idea. A. how can a man weep like a child listening to music? B. can we always hate our manhood? C. can we always be in memories?, etc.
c. Do you agree that the poem ‘Piano’ is about the pain of remembrance? It is also about the pain of growing up?
Yes, I fully agree that the poem Piano is about the pain of speaker’s remembrance being grown up in to manhood from his childhood. There is strong tension in the mind of the speaker between childhood memories and remembrances and the present reality. Now the speaker is adult but he can’t be free from the strong capture of his childhood memories. He is too much nostalgic when he listens the music made by a woman. That reminds him of his past living with his lovely mother. The speaker is at very nostalgic state that has not rejected the present reality also. As he listens the melodious music. He remembers his childhood, while he was sitting by the comfortable and soft feet of his mother in the cozy parlour and with nice tune of music of Sunday evening. Remembering all those Romanic and beautiful moments the speaker feels very sad now. He starts to weep like a child. This weeping is real expression of pain of growing up. Neither he can go back to his childhood physically nor he really can have his lovely mother sitting by. Even he cannot be small child enjoying a melodious music of piano. The memories, remembrances of by gone days have ached a lot to the heart of the speaker. The expression of pain is weeping. So this poem is in real sense. About the pain of remembrance of by gone golden childhood and growing up in to adulthood.