Quick Revision Notes

The Theme: The poem is a beautiful, imaginative piece about freedom, exploring the joy of kite flying and the fantasy of soaring high above the world.

The Scene (Stanza 1): The speaker is watching kites fly high up in a “wind-whipped” (strongly blowing) sky. The poet compares the kites to “coloured birds” dancing in the air.

The Wish (Stanza 2): The speaker expresses a deep wish to be as small and light as the air itself, so they could climb onto a kite and sail up into the sky.

The Experience (Stanza 3): In their imagination, the speaker is riding on the kite’s “paper wings.” From up there, they would drift along and listen to the beautiful, wild songs sung by the wind.

The View (Stanzas 4 & 5): Flying high above, the speaker imagines how fun it would be to look down over the park and the rooftops of the town. Meanwhile, the people on the ground would just stand and stare up at the sky, wishing they could fly high in the air just like the speaker.