A beauteous heap, a hill of moss The imagery created in this scene is reminiscent of a grave site. The irony of having fresh, new earth to cover the grave of what is often an aged and ?knotted? person, similar to the thorn is intriguing. As discussed in class, Wordsworth is evidently letting the world give a good account of itself if one is able to pay attention to the smaller details such as the fresh pile of moss adjacent an elderly and useless "thorn". It is possible to interpret this fresh ground being placed over as a new start or a second life for whatever is being buried underneath. The fresh earth reminds those that have gathered for this ?endeavor? that there is something better ahead, and the thorn or person is being surrounded and returned to the youth of nature from which their life began. The moss helps to remind those present of the cycle of life. Wordsworth usage of the hill of moss continues at the end of the poem. In stanza XX, Wordsworth writes of the hill of {link:moss|http://ssad.bowdoin.edu:9780/snipsnap/eng242-s05/space/The+Thorn#moss} in reference to the death of a young child as opposed to the aged thorn. He questions ?what?s the hill of moss to her as well? and how the hill of moss may surround the infant in it?s time of death. In each instance Wordsworth acts merely as the observer and allows nature and death to present the irony of the fresh moss against a lost life. 2005-02-21 23:52:59.0 2005-02-21 23:50:02.0