The Full Text of “Letters from Yorkshire”
The Full Text of “Letters from Yorkshire”
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Introduction
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Summary
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Themes
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Agrarian vs. Modern Life
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-3
- Lines 4-13
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Communication and Connection
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 2-4
- Lines 7-8
- Lines 11-15
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Letters from Yorkshire”
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Lines 1-4
In February, digging ...
... in the warmth. -
Lines 5-8
It’s not romance, ...
... a blank screen. -
Lines 9-11
Is your life ...
... path through snow. -
Lines 11-13
Still, it’s you ...
... into an envelope. -
Lines 13-15
So that ...
... the icy miles.
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Apostrophe
Where apostrophe appears in the poem:- Lines 6-7
- Line 9
- Lines 10-15
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “I,” “i,” “i,” “i,” “i”
- Line 2: “i”
- Line 3: “i,” “i,” “i,” “i”
- Line 4: “e,” “e”
- Line 6: “ee,” “ea”
- Line 14: “i,” “i,” “ou”
- Line 15: “ou,” “ou,” “i,” “i”
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Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 1: “February, digging,” “garden, planting”
- Line 3: “me, his”
- Line 5: “romance, simply”
- Line 6: “there, in,” “cold, seeing”
- Line 7: “turning, me”
- Line 10: “so, breaking”
- Line 11: “snow. Still, it’s”
- Line 13: “envelope. So”
- Line 14: “night, watching”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “d,” “gg,” “g,” “d,” “p,” “t,” “p,” “t,” “t”
- Line 3: “t,” “t,” “t”
- Line 5: “c,” “s”
- Line 6: “s,” “s”
- Line 7: “m,” “m,” “h,” “l,” “h,” “d,” “l”
- Line 8: “d,” “d,” “k,” “c”
- Line 9: “r,” “l,” “r,” “r,” “l”
- Line 10: “s,” “s”
- Line 11: “s,” “S”
- Line 12: “s,” “w,” “th,” “th,” “w”
- Line 13: “p,” “r,” “r,” “l,” “n,” “n,” “l,” “p”
- Line 14: “s,” “s,” “s,” “s”
- Line 15: “s,” “s,” “ss,” “s,” “ss,” “c,” “s”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 2-3: “came / indoors”
- Lines 3-4: “singing / as”
- Lines 6-7: “seasons / turning”
- Lines 7-8: “headlines / feeding”
- Lines 11-12: “you / who”
- Lines 12-13: “world / pouring”
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Imagery
Where imagery appears in the poem:- Lines 1-4
- Lines 7-8
- Lines 10-11
- Lines 11-13
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Personification
Where personification appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “his knuckles singing / as they reddened in the warmth.”
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 11-15: “Still, it’s you / who sends me word of that other world / pouring air and light into an envelope. So that / at night, watching the same news in different houses, / our souls tap out messages across the icy miles.”
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“Letters from Yorkshire” 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.
- Lapwings
- Singing
- Romance
- Heartful of headlines
- Sow
- Waterbutt
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(Location in poem: Line 2: “lapwings”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Letters from Yorkshire”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Speaker
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“Letters from Yorkshire” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Letters from Yorkshire”
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More “Letters from Yorkshire” Resources
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External Resources
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Yorkshire Farms Photograph — This photo shows the kind of rural lifestyle made possible in Yorkshire, England, that the speaker of Dooley's poem envies. The accompanying photo gallery shows other photos from similar regions in England and the United Kingdom.
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Maura Dooley's Life Story — The British Council's website offers biographical information about Dooley and her poetry.
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Dooley's Favorite Poets — A transcription of a short interview with Dooley from the Forward Arts Foundation, in which she discusses how she became interested in poetry as well as the other poets she most admires.
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Maura Dooley Out Loud — A YouTube video showing Maura Dooley reading her poetry in England in 2007.
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