“Old Man” Summary

“Old Man” Themes

• 

  Hope, Disappointment, and Aging

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Old Man”

• Lines 1-3

  At six years old I had before mine eyes
  A picture painted, like the rainbow, bright,
  But far, far off in th' unapproachable distance.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 4-7

  With all my childish heart I longed to reach it,
  And strove and strove the livelong day in vain,
  Advancing with slow step some few short yards
  But not perceptibly the distance lessening.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 8-11

  At threescore years old, when almost within
  Grasp of my outstretched arms the selfsame picture
  With all its beauteous colors painted bright,
  I'm backward from it further borne each day

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 12-15

  By an invisible, compulsive force,
  Gradual but yet so steady, sure, and rapid,
  That at threescore and ten I'll from the picture
  Be even more distant than I was at six.

  

  

  

  

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“Old Man” Symbols

• 

  Rainbow

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“Old Man” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Simile

  

  

  

  

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“Old Man” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Mine
• Th'unapproachable
• Strove
• The livelong day
• In vain
• Perceptibly
• Threescore
• Selfsame
• Beauteous
• Borne
• Compulsive
• Threescore and ten

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Old Man”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Old Man” Speaker

“Old Man” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Old Man”

More “Old Man” Resources

• External Resources

  • Henry's Poetry and Philosophy — Poet David Wheatley discusses Henry's neglected poetry and his views on religion.

  • The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse — Check out the seminal 1987 anthology in which a handful of Henry's poems were published. 

  • James Henry Biography — Learn more about the poet's life over at the Dictionary of Irish Biography.  

  • Christopher Ricks on Henry — Literary critic Christopher Ricks talks about discovering Henry's work while compiling an anthology of Victorian poetry.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by James Henry

  • Very Old Man