3. Explanation of stanza 1 from the poem "The Shed"

Explanation:

 

The speaker begins the poem by stating how there is a shed in his garden.

 

The shed, located near the end of the garden, looks frightful. One may find a spider's web across the door. The presence of a spider’s web across the door shows that it is rarely used, and it is more of a deserted building.

 

 

Moreover, the hinges of the door are affected by rust, and as a result, it creaks in the wind.

 

The speaker says that he could hear the creaky noise when he is lying in his bed. Here, the speaker can be seen talking about how he is "in" the bed rather than "on" the bed. Both are grammatically correct, but they suggest two distinct meanings.

Lying "in" the bed would mean that the person is under the sheets. That is, he or she is covered with blankets, and hence, he/she is "in" the bed. This phrase would suggest that the person has been spending, or is planning to spend, some quality time in it and that the person is seriously considering getting some sleep. However, lying "on" bed suggests that though he/she is lying on it,  they are expected to move out of it soon.

So, coming back to the poem, the speaker is lying in bed, and he hears the noise from the shed. The line, "when I’m in bed I lie and I listen", suggests that the time is night. It is night, as he is all set to sleep. Also, since it is night, the silence in the atmosphere lets the sound travel relatively easily to his room.

As he listens to the sound, he promises himself that he would open the door one day. The place doesn’t seem to be frequented, and he is curious to find out what lies behind the door. However, the stanza suggests that the speaker’s wild imagination had caused fear and suspicion in him.