The Full Text of “Morning at the Window”
1They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
2And along the trampled edges of the street
3I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
4Sprouting despondently at area gates.
5The brown waves of fog toss up to me
6Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
7And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
8An aimless smile that hovers in the air
9And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
The Full Text of “Morning at the Window”
1They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
2And along the trampled edges of the street
3I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
4Sprouting despondently at area gates.
5The brown waves of fog toss up to me
6Twisted faces from the bottom of the street,
7And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
8An aimless smile that hovers in the air
9And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
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“Morning at the Window” Introduction
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“Morning at the Window” Summary
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“Morning at the Window” Themes
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Class, Alienation, and Modern Life
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Morning at the Window”
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Line 1
They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
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Lines 2-4
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates. -
Lines 5-6
The brown waves of fog toss up to me
Twisted faces from the bottom of the street, -
Lines 7-9
And tear from a passer-by with muddy skirts
An aimless smile that hovers in the air
And vanishes along the level of the roofs.
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“Morning at the Window” Symbols
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The Divide Between the Window and the Street
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“Morning at the Window” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Consonance
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Enjambment
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Imagery
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Juxtaposition
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“Morning at the Window” 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.
- Trampled
- Sprouting
- Despondently
- Area gates
- Toss up
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Morning at the Window”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Morning at the Window” Speaker
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“Morning at the Window” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Morning at the Window”
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More “Morning at the Window” Resources
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External Resources
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London's Russell Square — Learn more about the place that some critics believe inspired the poem's setting.
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The Poem Out Loud — Hear "Morning at the Window" read by T. S. Eliot himself.
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Prufrock and Other Observations — Read the entire collection in which "Morning at the Window" appears.
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T. S. Eliot's Life and Work — Check out a biography of Eliot with links to more of his writings at the Poetry Foundation.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by T. S. Eliot
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