A Cottage in the Lane, Dittisham

A Cottage in the Lane, Dittisham

Introduction

The poem A Cottage in the Lane is about a house that is being sold and was owned by a woman who had recently died. The persona is an observer who is watching the activities that have befallen the house. On the perceptions about the woman in the house, the poet claims that “where finally she lived out her life alone” this implies that the woman’s last moments before she died were in this house, and she has been living in the house alone. Given the dread, the poet gives concerning the house “Whatever tragedies occurred in the house” (IGSCE, p.1, 2019). The woman s death could be attributed to this house that it could have been the right course of her death. Given the fact that the woman at her point of departure was alone, it could imply that before she was living alone, there people living in that house and could have also lost their lives because of the house. This woman’s relationship with her neighbor was also one that wasn’t; quite social as the poet states that “No one knew or cared, least of all, those who thought the place was theirs” (IGSCE, p. 1, 2019) this implies that she loved solitude or some things were happening in this house that made people stay away from it. The society that this house is situated also portrayed a prejudiced society one that doesn’t care about the wellbeing of their neighbors but is interested in inheriting their properties when there’s no one left to take care of them.

The house was quiet in a lousy condition either because it was deserted if no the woman who had recently died or perhaps she didn’t care to improve the infrastructure or even make it clean The persona states that, “the squirrels nesting in the roof, the mice in the cellar and in the eaves, the birds that came and nested there and sang, as song as pure as the rain-washed hair.” (IGSCE, p. 1, 2019). The imagery they depicted is one of a house in quite a clapped-out house and feeble all the same. This could either imply that the woman didn’t care about the house or was too old to clean. The figurative speech of personification of birds singing with a beautiful sound indicates the silence and solitude that was in this house. The imagery also presents the existence of bats, creatures attributed to darkness, and therefore conclusively, the house could have been cursed, deserted, or archaic. When the poet claims that no one knew “How full her mind was or how blank, how rich she was or how poor,” (IGSCE, p. 1, 2019) he tries to emphasize that this house had no occupant apart from this woman and also the idea that the society or the community around this house did not care whatever went through that particular house. As hitherto mentioned, this could be attributed to the tragedies mentioned in the first Stanza, and therefore the people were scared of associating themselves with this house.

It’s important to note that this woman was the owner of the house, but some of the residents of the vicinity were only waiting for her death so that they could sell that house since no one was left.  The poet accentuates in the line “those who thought the house was theirs” (IGSCE, p. 1, 2019) to clarify the fact that in as much as the decrypt condition of this house could be attributed to the woman’s inability to clean or take care of it: the people around showed no concern and even after her death they do not appear to concern themselves much with the look of the house but seemed to wait for her death so that they could sell it. The poet states that the woman lived by herself in “…one small room, an electric fire, a lamp.” (IGSCE, p. 1, 2019). It also emphasizes the fact that the woman loved living in solitude. Concerning the nature of the society around the house after the woman is dead “now that the ghost in waiting, she became, has finally evaporated in the air,” their narrow and selfish interests were only interested in the selling of the house “the for sale board gone up.” (IGSCE, p. 1). Thus this society depicts that avarice that exists in the communities.

Conclusion

The poem exhibits a cottage that is owned by a woman that loses her life, and the people around re so quick to sell the house since no one was left to take care of it. The indication of a racist society could be attributed to an atrocity or a tragedy that happened in that house that made the people alienate themselves from the woman in question Its essential o note that he home Is quite in lousy condition and irony is also presented when in this horrible condition those who lived close to this woman were engaged in selling this house. The house also appears haunted with bats, birds, and mice leaving in the roof. The house was then neglected and not taken care of by the owner, maybe because she was old or was also fearing to live alone because the poet claims she only accessed a single room in that house.