A Visit from St. Nicholas Analysis

A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Summary of a Visit by St Nicholas
Popularity: A Visit to St Nicholas was written by Clement Clarke Moore, a famous American poet. It was first published in New York's Sentinel newspaper in 1823 under the title "A Visit From St.Nicholas" and later popularized with its first line, "It Was the Night Before Christmas". This poem is one of the most cherished poems due to its religious meaning presented through poetry. The poem depicts the excitement of a family upon the arrival of St Nicholas. Its popularity lies in the Christmas theme, which is celebrated every year around the world.
“A visit to St. Nicolás ”as Representative of Joy: This poem is about children and is written from the perspective of a child who was waiting for Saint Nicholas on Christmas Eve. Every year Saint Nicholas comes with many gifts and sweets. As the child listens to him, he carefully examines his arrival, his manners and The expression of astonishment starts from the beginning and runs through the entire poem, however, what remains in the minds of readers is the magical appearance of Saint Nicholas and the endless joy of the visiting family.
Main themes "A visit from Saint Nicholas": Joy, happiness and surprise are the significant themes described in the poem. The poet has presented the enthusiasm of a family at Christmas. The night is calm and dark, and the family is happy with their gaze fixed on the stockings, which will soon be filled with gifts. In the meantime, they experience the magical apparition of St Nicholas. To her surprise, he comes and fills her stockings and then disappears. The arrival of St.Nicholas not only delights them but also gives color to their Christmas.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “A Visit from St.Nicholas”
Literary devices are used to add richness and clarity to the texts. The authors and poets use them to make their poem or prose texts engaging and meaningful.This poem depicts the magical arrival of St. Nicholas. The analysis of some of the literary means used in this poem is given below.

Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line, such as B. the tone of / w / in “When what appeared for my wondering eyes? ”And / c / sound in“ On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner und Blitzen ”.
Simile: Simile is a phrase used to compare an object with something else in order to make the meaning more vivid for the reader. In the poem he used parables like:“ He had a wide face and a small one round belly; It trembled when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. “He compares the belly of St.Nicholas to a bowl of jelly. Other examples are: “I flew to the window like lightning.” “And the smoke circled his head like a wreath” and “And he looked like a peddler just opening his backpack. ”
Metaphor: Metaphor means when a word or phrase used to describe an object or action that is not entirely true but can help readers to compare and get a vivid idea of an object, action, or person. poem, Nicholas is compared to an old elf "He was plump and plump, a very cheerful elf."
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, like the sound of / l / in "With a little old driver so lively and fast "and / or / sound in" On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and "
Personification: Personification is attributing human characteristics to inanimate things. The poet has used the personification in the sixth line "While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads" as if the sugar plums were humans who could dance.
Image: The imagery is the use of words and descriptions so that readers feel and see things through five senses. clear and vivid image of Christmas celebrations such as, "The boy were not all curled up in their beds"; "The stump of a pipe that he had clenched between his teeth" and "And the smoke, surrounded his head like a crown."
Consonance: The consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / sh / in. “Now run! Run! fall away all! "and / l / Ton in" That trembled when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. "
The literary analysis shows that Clement used the above devices wonderfully to show the excitement of the family on Christmas Eve.

Analysis of the poetic resources in a visit from San Nicolás
The poetic and literary resources are the same, but some are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Pair: There are two constructive lines of verse in a couplet, usually in the same meter and linked by rhyme. There are twenty-eight couplets that rhyme from a pastic tetrameter in this poem.
Rhyme Scheme: The entire poem follows the AABB rhyme scheme throughout the poem.
Tetrameter Anapaest: It is a meter in which there are four anapaestic metric feet per line. Each foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. The whole poem follows anapaestic tetrameter like, "It was the night before Christmas and all over the house."
Quotes to be used
These lines can be used in a speech when discussing the fascinating beauty of the moon. These could also be used when narrating any personal experience of spotting moonbeams on a snowy winter night.

“The moon on the chest of the newly fallen snow,
It gave a noon glow to the objects below.