Castle On The Hill Analysis

“In American popular culture, the loss of innocence is characterized as the loss of one’s virginity and the first exposure to alcohol and drugs” (Ojha, “What Causes the Loss of Innocence?”). In “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran and Benjamin Levin, the singer remembers his times back in his hometown. As he’s traveling back home, he recollects good memories from when he was younger, regardless of the inauspicious things he and his friends did. Comparably, Thomas Hoods’ “I Remember, I Remember” remembers what it was like to be a child. Throughout the poem, the writer recalls his times of innocence. Although their stories differ, both the poem and the song use storytelling and description to show the theme of although one loses one's innocence as they grow up, they will always have good memories of their childhood. Despite their differences, “Castle on the Hill” and “I Remember, I Remember” both develop their themes of remembering childish innocence through imagery, sound devices, and other figurative language. “I Remember, I Remember” and “Castle on the Hill” have several examples of imagery which helps illustrate their themes of innocence and good memories. In the second stanza of his poem, Hood paints a colorful picture of bright flowers in the reader's mind. Hood writes, “The roses, red and white, / The vi’lets, and the lily-cups” (10-11). Hood describes a scene of lively the flowers in a garden, which represents purity and the vivid life Hood had before he grew up. In contrast to the previous lines, the writer describes a dark forest. The speaker says, “The fir trees …show more content…
In American culture, Americans distinguish losing innocence with the acknowledgment of drugs and alcohol. Although as one grows up one loses their innocence, there will always be good memories back