Question

Read the poem.

Answer 1

The words from stanza VI, "And that imperial palace whence he came" have the following effect on the tone of the poem:

A) The palace represents a child's idyllic perspective on life, setting a melancholy tone.

William Wordsworth describes how miserable we grow to be as we get older. The palace he talks about is how a child sees life: pure, joyful, always exciting. However, life itself takes that palace away from us as we experience life in its naked entirety, with all the setbacks, sorrow, pain and misery. The author believes we all come from God, and that we are born with the wonders of Heaven floating above us. Losing such eagerness to live and smile is a melancholic perspective. That is why Christ says in the New Testament that in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, one must be like a child.