The Tables Turned (Poem)

How does Wordsworth use imperative language in the poem, The Tables Turned?

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Wordsworth uses imperative language throughout the poem in order to imbue it with a sense of urgency. For example, in the very first stanza the speaker repeats the command “Up! up!” twice in their direct address of the reader, petitioning them to abandon their books (1). Later on, the fourth stanza begins with the imperative, “And hark!” which draws the reader deeper into the poem as the speaker commands them to listen closely to what they have to say (13). Another, less forceful, example of imperative language appears in the third, fourth, and eighth stanzas, wherein the speaker repeats the command “come” or “come forth” as they attempt to draw the reader forth into the natural world they describe, both literally and figuratively (10, 15, 31). The use of such language not only engages the reader, but also provides the speaker’s words with a sense of sincerity and importance.

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The Tables Turned