If I Should Ever anotated

“If I Should Ever by Chance” annotated


If I should ever by chance grow rich: Although Thomas was a gifted literary critic among other things, this line shows that he believes that he will never become rich from his profession.

eldest daughter: Thomas had two daughters: Bronwen and Myfanwy.

violets: Violets generally bloom in the spring. Calling the flower lonely gives makes it seem like it has just blossomed, being the first violet of the season.

She must find them before I do, that is: This line creates a strong image in the readers mind of Thomas running around in a garden of a lovely house and yard, picking flowers and being jubilant. Find these flowers that are for rent appears to be more of a game, both Thomas and his daughter running around, seeing who can find the right flowers first. If she does, that is what her rent shall be.

furze: Furze blooms heaviest during the spring season, but generally flowers year round.

I shall give them all to my elder daughter: In this poem, you can really feel how Thomas wishes he could provide more for his family. While he was not living in poverty, he was not rich. If he could, he would buy land in all different sections of England and give them to his his daughter, and the only way for her to pay him for “rent” would be in flowers that she would have to find.

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Works Cited


1. “Edward Thomas (Poet).” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 6 Dec. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Thomas_%28poet%29>.
2. “Gorse.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 6 Dec. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furze>.
3. “Viola (Plant).” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 6 Dec. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violets>.