A PROJECT

On

RAIN ON THE ROOF

[Submitted as a partial fulfilment of B.A.L.L.B (hons) 5-year integrated course]

Submitted on: Jan, 08,2022

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Nikhil Ola Dr. Priyanka Khetan

Roll no. 70 (Faculty of English)

Sem 1st sec B

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 Certificate

Dr. Priyanka Khetan Date: Jan.08,2022

Faculty

University Five Year Law College

This is to certify that Nikhil OLA of 1st Semester of University Five Year Law College,
University of Rajasthan has carried out the project entitled “Rain on the Roof” under my
supervision and guidance. It is an investigation report of a minor project. The student has
completed research work in my stipulated time and according to the norms prescribed for the
purpose.

Supervisor

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 Declaration

I, Nikhil Ola, hereby declare that this project entitled Rain on the Roof is based on the original
research work carried out by me under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Priyanka Khetan.

The interpretations put forth are based on my reading and understanding of the original Texts,
the books, articles and the websites etc. Which have been relied upon by me have been duly
acknowledged at the respective places in the text.

For the present project which I am submitting to the university, no degree or diploma has been
conferred on me either, in this or in other university.

Date: Jan.08,2022 NIKHIL OLA

Roll no. 70

Semester:1st B

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 Acknowledgment

I have written this project “Rain on the Roof” under the supervision of Dr. Priyanka Khetan,
faculty, University Five Year Law College, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. Her Valuable
suggestions herein have not only helped me immensely in making this work but also in
developing an analytical approach this work.

I found no words to express my sense of gratitude for Director Dr. Aruna Choudhary for
constant encouragement at every step.

I am extremely grateful to librarian and library staff of the college for the support and
cooperation extended by them from time to time.

Nikhil Ola

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 Table of Contents

S. no. Particulars Page no.

1. Certificate I

2. Declaration II

3. Acknowledgement III

4. Introduction of the Poet 6

5. Introduction of the Poem 7

6. Critical Study of the Poem 8

7. Comparative Study 14

8. Conclusion 16

9. Bibliography 17

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 Introduction of the Poet

Coates Kinney (November 24, 1826 - January 25, 1904) was an American lawyer, politician,
journalist and poet who wrote the poem “Rain on the Roof”. Coates Kinney was born in 1826
near Penn Yan, New York, he was partly educated at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio,
and studied law with Thomas Corwin. He was admitted to the bar in Cincinnati in 1856, he
became a journalist, and worked on papers in Cincinnati, Ohio, Xenia, and Springfield, Illinois.

From June 1861 until November 1865, he was a paymaster in the United States Army and was
mustered out with the commission of brevet lieutenant-colonel of volunteers, he was a delegate
to the convention that nominated Ulysses S. Grant for the presidency in 1868 and its Ohio
secretary. He was the senator for the presidency in 1868 and its Ohio secretary1. He was the
senator from the 5th district in the Ohio legislature 1882-1883, and delivered a speech against
"The Official Rail Road Pass".

He wrote poetry, and his verses were collected in Keeuka and Other Poems (Cincinnati, 1855)
and Lyrics of the Ideal and the Real (1888).2 Of his verses, "The Rain on the Roof", which was
set to music, was the most popular, he died in Ohio in 1904.

A Portion of his Works are:

i. Keeuka (1885)

ii. Lyrics of the Ideal and the Real (1888)

iii. Mists of Fire: A Trilogy and Some Eclogue (1899)

iv. Rain on the Roof (poem)

1 https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Coates_Kinney
2 https://www.learninsta.com/rain-on-the-roof-summary/

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 Introduction of the Poem

Rain on the Roof written by Coates Kinney is a thoughtful poem in which the poet expresses
his thoughts and past memories when the rain pours over his house. The poet is trying to relate
the rain to his past memories. The memories are both sweet and sad. They ease him as well as
make him sad. The poet lies in his bed, holds his pillow tightly, and then gets lost in the thoughts
of his caring and loving mother. The poem has been divided into three stanzas having eight
lines each. The poem talks about the poet’s varied reactions to the sound of raindrops falling
on the roof of his house. He says that the raindrops at night are like tears shed by the sad, dark
night. He loves to lie in bed and hear rain falling on the roof of his room because it gets back
sweet memories of the past. He says that the sound of raindrops helps him fall asleep and gives
him sweet dreams. He has memories of his loving mother who would put them to sleep.

In this poem, the poet expresses his love for nature and praises the healing power of rain,
especially when heard from a cozy bed in a lovely cottage. The poet is thrilled when he observes
the starry sky being overcast with rain-bearing clouds. But he does not like the darkness that
spreads all around 3 . It is something like mourning the melancholic spirit of indescribable
sadness. Soon it starts raining to compensate it with the spirit of peace for the lonely night at
hand.

The poet feels immense pleasure to lie in his cottage-chamber bed with his head pressed against
a soft pillow and listen to the sound of the raindrops falling on the tin roof overhead. Every
drop of rain falling on the roof makes a tinkling sound that produces an echo in the poet’s heart.

These sounds arouse a thousand imaginations in the poet’s busy mind. The pattering sound of
the raindrops also revives a thousand memories of his childhood. One of these memories is
related to his dear mother who is no more in this world. The poet remembers how she used to
give a lovely look at her dear children when she put them to sleep and wished them to have
sweet dreams before leaving them to meet again the next morning.

3 https://edumantra.net/learn-english/rain-on-the-roof-introduction/

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The poet while listening to the repetitive rhythms of the raindrops falling on the roof of his
cottage, can feel the presence of his mother around him4. He visualizes her affectionate look
bending over him. Thus, he presents rain as a bridging force between his present and past.

4 https://www.successcds.net/learn-english/class-9/rain-on-the-roof-class-9-cbse-english.html

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 Critical Study of the Poem

STANZA 1

When the humid shadows hover

Over all the starry spheres,

And the melancholy darkness

Gently weeps in rainy tears,

What a bliss to press the pillow

Of a cottage-chamber bed,

And to listen to the patter

Of the soft rain overheard!

In the main refrain, the writer says when the moist shadows float, that is, the point, at which
the foreboding shadows loaded with water, loaded with dampness amalgamate, it brings
substantial precipitation. Further, these equivalent mists move around the brilliant circles
which is alluded to as the night sky brimming with stars5. The raindrops that appear as though
a tear tumbling from the sky wipe the devastated dimness of the night. In addition, the poet
looks at the raindrops to tears as to him the dim sky appears to be exceptionally miserable. The
poet is charmed by the raindrops that is falling on his housetop and he tallies himself fortunate
to have the option to lie on bed and tune into the sound.

5 https://www.vedantu.com/english/rain-on-the-roof-summary

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STANZA 2

Every tinkle on the shingles

Has an echo in the heart;

And a thousand dreamy fancies

Into busy being start,

And a thousand recollections

Weave their air-threads into woof,

As I listen to the patter

Of the rain upon the roof.

In this verse, the poet communicates his sentiments when he hears the raindrops falling on the
top of his home. Coates Kinney says that each tinkle on the shingles has a reverberation in his
heart. The raindrops on his housetops appear to refresh itself subsequently making a
reverberation in his heart and dreams. Further, he has many entrancing and shifted minds as a
result of the alleviating sound of the raindrops. For example, he remembers numerous
recollections of the past which return into his psyche as dreams. Henceforth, he tunes in to the
tinkling of downpour upon the rooftop accordingly bringing an abundant memory of the past
as dreams.

STANZA 3

Now in memory comes my mother,

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As she used in years agone,

To regard the darling dreamers

Ere she left them till the dawn:

Oh I see her leaning o’er me,

As I list to this refrain

Which is played upon the shingles

By the patter of the rain.

In the last passage, the poet longs for his mother. In the past verses, he discusses how the sound
of the downpour brings back recollections. They were the memory of his mother who is not, at
this point alive. Coates Kinney communicates how his mother used to adore him and let him
rest until dawn and have sweet recollections. The tune alongside the tinkling of raindrops
makes a climate in his room where he feels the nearness of his mother seeing him in this manner
bringing a surge of former recollections.6 The sound of the rain makes him connect his past
with his present and that is one of the reasons why he was so contacted and moved by the sound
of raindrops on his housetop. He discovers downpour conversing with him about his past and
getting the overlooked recollections a way none could.

RHYME SCHEME

The Rhyme Scheme of the poem “RAIN ON THE ROOF” is ABCBDEFE

6 https://www.successcds.net/learn-english/class-9/rain-on-the-roof-class-9-cbse-english.html

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 POETIC DEVICES USED IN THE POEM

Literary devices work as tools for writers to use to enrich their texts. With the help of literary
devices, the writers directly or indirectly project their main ideas.

There are a few literary devices in the poem Rain on the roof by Coates Kinney. These include
the following:
1) . Visual Imagery- In this form of poetic imagery, the poet appeals to the reader’s sense of
sight by describing something the speaker or narrator of the poem sees. It may include colours,
brightness, shapes, sizes, and patterns.

The poem begins with visual imagery with the line, “When the humid shadows hover”.

2) . Alliteration- In literature, alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of identical initial

consonant sounds in successive or closely associated syllables within a group of words, even
those spelt differently.

i. When the humid shadows hover.

ii. Over all the starry spheres.

iii. What a bliss to press the pillow

iv. And lie listening to the platter

v. Into busy being start

vi. To regard the darling dreamers.

vii. Now in memory comes my mother.

viii. Weave their air-threads into woof.

ix. Of the rain upon the roof

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x. Of a cottage-chamber bed.

3) . Onomatopoeia- Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically

imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes7. Such words are themselves also
called onomatopoeias.

i. As I listen to the patter

Of the rain upon the roof.

ii. Every tinkle on the shingles

Has an echo in the heart.

4) . Personification- Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a

person, in literature or art, as an anthropomorphic metaphor.

i. In line 3, Darkness has been personified when it is described as melancholy.

ii. In line 13, Recollection has been personified when it is used as weaving dreams.

5) . Transferred Epithet- Transferred epithet is when an adjective usually used to describe

one thing is transferred to another. An epithet is a word or phrase which describes the main
quality of someone or something.

i. Melancholy darkness- Here, the darkness is not melancholy, but it refers to the sad people.
ii. Dreamy fancies- It does not mean that fancies are dreamy but refers to the people who
have dreams.

Ceasing the literary devices, it can be said that on the one hand, these literary devices have
provided uniqueness to the text, and on the other, they have opened new vistas for
interpretations.

7 https://shakespeareforyou.blogspot.com/2020/10/class-9-rain-on-roof-by-coates-kinney.html

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 THEME OF THE POEM

Downpour is a characteristic wonder. The topic of the poem depicts the mending intensity of
the downpour. The incredibly quiet and melodic sound of raindrops appears to remove all the
sluggishness and makes a haze of past recollections. The raindrops around evening time on the
housetop can mitigate and comfort the exhausted and energized brain of the poet by bringing
back all the glad and miserable recollections. The sound of downpour helps the poet or any
depleted brain to nod off quick accordingly bringing recollections from the articulate past.

Comparative Study on ‘Rain on the Roof’ by Coates Kinney and ‘Stopping by the woods
on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost.

Kinney V/S Frost

The poem “Stopping by the woods on a Snowy Evening” written by Robert Frost was first
published in 1923, as a part of his renowned collection ‘New Hampshire’. The poem is narrated
from the perspective of a traveler - who stops on the darkest night of the year to watch snowfall
in the forest and in the process of his encounter, he reflects on both nature and society8.

It is written with a perfect blend of iambic tetrameter and utilizes a tight-knit chain rhyme. The
poem portrays various themes and gives us a glimpse of surreal outpouring imageries. The
rhyme scheme suggested in this poem i.e, ‘AABA BBCB CCDC’, seems intended to highlight
subtly the look and feel of snow. It makes us feel as if, with Frost, we have taken he beautiful
moments of our lives to actually visit and watch the vividly wide snowy woods. There are many
imageries and literary devices such as metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance,
consonance etc. used throughout. It was penned down in order to capture the conflict between

8 https://study.com/learn/lesson/stopping-by-woods-snowy-evening-frost.html

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man and nature and also to accentuate the difference between wishes and obligations we face
in our day to day lives.

The poem “Rain on the Roof” by Coates Kinney discusses how downpour brings back all the
sweet recollections of the artist. The sound of raindrops helps in thinking back his recollections
about downpour in this way rehashing the sound in his heart and dreams. The poem portrays
the writer’s changed responses to the sound of raindrops falling on the top of his home. He says
that the raindrops around evening time resemble tears shed by the pitfall, dim night. He likewise
includes that the sound of downpour drops causes him nod off and gives him sweet dreams.

It consists of 24 lines and follows the rhyme scheme of ABCBDEFE. The poet uses beautiful
imagery to showcase the scenic beauty of the poem9. The poem begins with the visual imagery
with the line, “When the humid shadows hover’. There are many literary devices used by the
poet to enhance the beauty of the poem and to make it appear more relevant. Some of them are
alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, transferred epithet etc.

The reverence of nature and its power to rejuvenate the minds of people to help them think
better and relish both past and present and even the future are the recurring themes of both
these poems.

9 https://graduateway.com/a-comparative-analysis-on-robert-frosts-works/

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 Conclusion

This project dealt with the poem “Rain on the Roof” written by Coates Kinney. The poem
discusses the poet’s changed responses to the sound of raindrops falling on the top of his home.
The poet says that each drop of rainfall on the housetop brings back various recollections and
makes a reverberation in the heart. The intensity of the rainfall is all around lit up in the poem.
The melodic sound of raindrops falling on the rooftop around evening time can restore sweet
recollections and animate likes in a generally bustling psyche. The downpour subsequently
relieves and comforts an exhausted brain by returning it to it’s dazzling past.Consequently, the
downpour helps in alleviating and consoling an exhausted brain by bringing back the
recollections of the poet’s mother and different occasions subsequently making an unceasing
rapture to the poet.

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 Bibliography

WEB SOURCES

• https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Coates_Kinney
• https://www.learninsta.com/rain-on-the-roof-summary/
• https://edumantra.net/learn-english/rain-on-the-roof-introduction
• https://www.successcds.net/learn-english/class-9/rain-on-the-roof-class-9-cbse-
english.html
• https://www.vedantu.com/english/rain-on-the-roof-summary
• https://www.successcds.net/learn-english/class-9/rain-on-the-roof-class-9-cbse-
english.html
• https://study.com/learn/lesson/stopping-by-woods-snowy-evening-frost.html
• https://shakespeareforyou.blogspot.com/2020/10/class-9-rain-on-roof-by-coates-
kinney.html
• https://cbsencertanswers.com/2020/10/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening-
summary-questions-and-answersthemes-analysis-stanza-by-stanzasappreciation.html
• https://englishnotes.com/what-is-the-central-idea-of-the-poem-rain-on-the-
roof/#comment-1389

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