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Nice proverbs

2021-10-21T08:11:03.42-04:00

Some nice proverbs that we have heard over a period of time & their meaning: 1.Swedish proverb: The pillow is the best advisor. Meaning: Sleep over a problem and see how you feel in the morning. 2. Kenyan proverb: When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets hurt. Meaning: Fights of the powerful hurt only the little guys. 3. Ancient Roman proverb: Hunger is the best sauce. Meaning: Everything tastes better when you are hungry. 4. Japanese proverb: A frog in a well does not know the great sea. Meaning: There is more going on than you know, try and see the big picture. 5. Turkish proverb: If the world flooded, it would not matter to the duck. Meaning: Things that are bad for you, aren’t always bad for everyone. 6. Filipino proverb: Leave it to the batman. Meaning: Some problems require superheroes to solve. 7. Russian proverb: To live with the wolves, you have to howl like a wolf. Meaning: In dangerous situations, try and blend in. 8. French proverb: A hungry stomach has no ears. Meaning: You can’t concentrate without food in your tum tum. 9. Kenyan proverb: Slippery ground does not recognise a king. Meaning: Even the most powerful people are just human deep down. 10. Gaelic proverb: A cat in mittens won’t catch mice. Meaning: Being careful and polite doesn’t always get things done. ____________________ 1.Swedish proverb: The pillow is the best advisor. Meaning: Sleep over a problem and see how you feel in the morning. 2. Kenyan proverb: When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets hurt. Meaning: Fights of the powerful hurt only the little guys. 3. Ancient Roman proverb: Hunger is the best sauce. Meaning: Everything tastes better when you are hungry. 4. Japanese proverb: A frog in a well does not know the great sea. Meaning: There is more going on than you know, try and see the big picture. 5. Turkish proverb: If the world flooded, it would not matter to the duck. Meaning: Things that are bad for you, aren’t always bad for everyone. 6. Filipino proverb: Leave it to the batman. Meaning: Some problems require superheroes to solve. 7. Russian proverb: To live with the wolves, you have to howl like a wolf. Meaning: In dangerous situations, try and blend in. 8. French proverb: A hungry stomach has no ears. Meaning: You can’t concentrate without food in your tum tum. 9. Kenyan proverb: Slippery ground does not recognise a king. Meaning: Even the most powerful people are just human deep down. 10. Gaelic proverb: A cat in mittens won’t catch mice. Meaning:

Guild wars 2 create design instrument

2012-12-16T20:25:07.103-05:00

Sylvari are generally our crystal clear favourite however. Much to ensure I’m by now plotting out and about which in turn in the probable resource possibilities I’ll need to select pertaining to our sylvari necro inside are living sport. Be sure you think about throughout what is the best ethnic background will be your favourite thus far inside responses down below! The second our test commenced, My spouse and i built an area involving touring your waypoint to the massive monster struggle throughout Sparkfly Fen. Since vibrant celebration wasn’t jogging at this time, My spouse and i scampered throughout the place to secure a experience pertaining to any alternative sorts of difficulties I can find me straight into. Granted our appreciation pertaining to necromancy, I seriously liked the belief that there are a good amount of Orrian undead available, even more boosting abdominal muscles eerie all round ambiance in the place. The idea wasn’t prolonged prior to the test warn sprang high on monitor showing us that this combat versus Tequatl your Sunless ended up being gonna start off. Through the quite starting point, your combat is often a huge, lovely package involving manipulated turmoil along with furnished avid gamers a good amount of methods of the way they planned to be involved. To offer you a greater thought of your huge range in the struggle, be sure you enjoy your online video in the celebration down below via each of our pals at guildwars2gold.org, household with an exceptional GW2 create design instrument. Eric Flannum in addition presented people a number of more observations straight into situations on this range, by way of example while inquired regarding the transmitted radius to the Tequati celebration Eric known: “Every celebration carries a distinct transmitted radius who's demonstrates. This specific won’t make an appearance through the total road, since many of us genuinely don’t need to promote everyone into the future to the present one particular location. One of several motives many of us don’t transmitted these people genuinely, genuinely commonly happens because we’d accomplished that will previous throughout growth along with many of us observed that will triggered additional men and women keeping the expertise wherever you’d identify that a celebration ended up being going on along with manage in direction of the idea just to arrive appropriate while the idea concludes knowning that thinks genuinely undesirable. Consequently many of us try and merely transmitted with an

kenneth slessor essay: being a resource for students

2007-11-30T03:50:52-05:00

Kenneth Slessor wrote many poems such as ‘Beach Burial’, ‘William Street’ and ‘Country Towns’. In many of his poems slessor uses many techniques such as simile, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification and tone, to convey his message to the responder. Each of slessor poems all have certain themes, for example “beach burial represents a anti-war theme, William Street represents a theme of poverty and “Country Towns” represents the theme of slow moving and sleepiness, which can relate to the contemporary world we live, therefore being a resource for students. In the poem ‘Beach Burial’ Slessor creates an anti-war theme. In the first stanza, Slessor explains how sailors and soldiers are shot and killed and left floating in the water which he describes as “the convoys of dead sailors”. He effectively uses rhyme such as “come” and “foam”, “under” and “wander”, to convey that life and dignity has all been lost, and it also creates an vivid imagery of sailors floating in the water and how they role a sure in the morning . Onomatopoeia is also used in the opening stanza’s as it is again continuously throughout the poem such as “gunfire and under”, “come and humbly”. These word combinations add to the sombre tone of the opening stanza by making the stanza flow smoothly, it is the opposite of what to expect, it starts off with a gentle tone. In the final two stanzas, Slessor describes how there was a sense of urgency, a sense of brutality; this is shown by there is a person who has the “time to pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows and tread the sand upon their nakedness”. This person also makes crosses for them and writes “unknown seamen” which becomes smudged from the rain. This shows the loss of identity and honour. In the final stanza, Slessor represents an anti-war theme of Beach Burial. Slessor, points out enemies killing each other, has robbed these men of time and “the sand joins them together” which represents unity and meet “on the other front” which is conveyed as the afterlife, heaven. Slessor is suggesting ironically all of these men have gone to battle “in search of the same landfall” only to find it loses all meaning in death. This also represents the loss national identity. ‘William Street’ is a poem which compares and contrasts about the beauty and ugliness of the red light

kenneth slessor essay: being a resource for students

2007-11-30T03:49:04-05:00

Poetry: Sonnet CXLVII and "anyone lived in a pretty how town"

2006-12-05T01:34:44-05:00

Poetry is a fascinating entity. It is impossible for one to accurately define poetry; its forms and styles are multitudinous in nature, and its essence is often as original and individualistic as the manner in which it is written. Two prime examples of poetry, its eccentricity, and its aesthetic value are Sonnet CXLVII by William Shakespeare, and “anyone lived in a pretty how town” by e.e. cummings. Sonnet CXLVII is an astounding example of the metrical and structured form of poetry, whereas “anyone lived in a pretty how town” is a paragon of the potential for individuality and uniqueness in poetry. Sonnet CXLVII is a sonnet that is written to the popular yet contemptible “Dark Lady.” This Sonnet, the tone of which is both sorrowful and painful, follows Shakespeare’s reflections on his woeful condition, and his disdainful attack upon his mistress’ immorality. The theme of this sonnet can most aptly be described as the foolishness of human love and the conflicting feelings of hatred and desire towards another. Moreover, Shakespeare reveals his tumultuous relationship with his mistress, as well as his struggles to cope with her unfaithfulness, and his admission of how he still desires her to sexually please him, in spite of her having been with other men. Shakespeare declares that the “…physician to [his] love…,” which symbolizes his reason, has left him, for his “…prescriptions are not kept…,” which represent the advice that Shakespeare does not follow for his proper course of action. Additionally, Shakespeare aggressively longs to comprehend his addiction to the mistress, an addiction that he declares to be an “illness.” This ultimately leads to Shakespeare’s declaration that he certainly must be insane, for he once thought of his mistress as “fair” and “bright,” although she is neither of the two; and that she is the opposite of just that: “black as hell” and “dark as night.” "Anyone lived in a pretty how town” is a poem that shows how individuality can cause discomfort and anxiety among society. This poem, the tone of which is both weary and jaded, displays how people live their lives on a routine and consistent basis and are not accepting of change. The theme of this poem illustrates the aspects of individualism versus the aspects of traditional society, conformity, and the cyclic nature of life. This poem follows

Ritchie Valens

2006-06-10T21:30:37-04:00

Ritchie Valens The greatest thing to come out of the San Fernando Valley, Who used to play with his band in the alley. Straight from Pacoima, All he wanted to do was entertain ya! Richard Valenzuela & his flying guitar, He was America’s 1st Latino Rock Star. He bought a brand new

Ritchie Valens

2006-06-10T21:30:06-04:00

Analysis of Kubla Khan

2006-02-01T04:33:47-05:00

In the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Coleridge, language is used to convey images from Coleridge’s imagination. This is done with the use of vocabulary, imagery, structure, use of contrasts, rhythm and sound devices such as alliteration and assonance. By conveying his imagination by using language, the vocabulary used by Coleridge is of great importance. The five lines of the poem Kubla Khan sound like a chant or incantation, and help suggest mystery and supernatural themes of the poem. Another important theme of the poem is that of good versus evil. The vocabulary used throughout the poem helps convey these themes in images to the reader. In the first two lines, Coleridge describes the “pleasure dome” in Xanadu. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree Kubla Khan did not merely order, but decree that a “stately pleasure dome” be built. This dome is evidence of how unnatural the place of Xanadu is, it has a ruler who ignores the unpleasantness that can be found in life. The use of vocabulary challenges and teases the imagination into seeing what he, Coleridge saw in his dream. In Xanadu, there are not small streams, but “sinuous rills” and wall and towers do not enclose the gardens but are ‘girdled round’. Coleridge’s use of language and vocabulary helps to convey the extent of his imagination. In the poem Kubla Khan, imagery is also important for Coleridge to convey his imagination to the reader. There are images of paradise throughout the poem that are combined with references to darker, more evil places. On example of this is the “demon lover” that has bewitched the woman. Coleridge’s image of the “dome of pleasure” is mystical, contradicting the restrictions of realism. Xanadu is also a savage and ancient place where pure good and pure evil are much more apparent than in the monotony of everyday living. By using images, Coleridge conveys the extent of his imagination to readers. The structure of Kubla Khan is really in two parts. The first, which contains three stanzas, describes Xanadu as if Coleridge is actually there, experiencing the place first hand. The second part of the poem is filled with longing to be in Xanadu, but Coleridge is unable to capture the experience again. The first stanza has a definite rhythm and beat and describes the beauty and sacredness of Xanadu with rich, sensual and exotic images. The second

imagine- John Lennon

2006-01-31T18:54:01-05:00

The song "Imagine" by John Lennon from the Beatles is certainly one of the songs that affected the youth in the 60's and the early 70's. It is clear that the song is trying to present a certain ideal about the world in the future- and ideal of peace, harmony and no wars. It is hard to argue with the song about the necessity of the things, but it is very easy to revoke the possibility that this ideal will come true. In this paragraph I would like to talk about the ideal itself. The ideal for sure indicates that religion, god and the religious officialdom is connected to war and to all of the evil factors on earth ("Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too"). Again, although I am a "believer" I can not argue with this fact, and it is a fact. The great scholar Barbara W. Tuchman wrote a book called "The Bible and the Sword" which confirms the fact that one of God's hobbies is to stir up war. It is obvious that many wars were made in God's errands, and the crusades are the most welcome example. In verse II, Lennon asserts that the existence of countries is the cause of war. It is not written directly but one can realize it from the following: "Imagine there's no countries; it isn't hard to do nothing to kill or die for…" This claim is totally unacceptable by any means. The first two men who fought with sticks about the skin of a mammoth didn't have countries but a conflict. Tuchman writes in her book "The March of Folly" that war always was a result of people's care to self-interests without thinking of reasonable ways to solve the problem (like cutting the mammoth into two). Lennon's claim was accepted later by the Hippies, but with all due respect, they were the only group who ideologically accepted this baseless claim. Now, that it is clear that the ideal is good, but some of it is totally nonsense I would like to talk about the possibility of making it come true, which is almost insignificant- not mentioning the fact that no one can pass religion out of the world. I know it can bore, but I would like to mention Mrs. Tuchman again. "The March of Folly" says that a

John Donne, Sexuality, and the Flea

2006-01-03T02:22:02-05:00

John Donne’s poems are similar in their content – love, sex, and religion – and dissimilar in the feelings they express. These subjects reflect the different stages of his life: the lust of his youth, the love of his married middle age, and the piety of the latter part of his life. “The Flea” presents the youthful restless feeling of lust with a true respect for women through the metaphysical conceit of the flea as a church in the rhythm of the sexual act. The speaker in “The Flea” is a restless, would-be lover who is trying to convince his beloved to give her virginity to him. In truth, it would be possible to envision the poet as a woman, but because Donne is male, and because this process of convincing is generally associated with men, it is easier to defend it being a man (and we lose little in assuming this). To convince his lover, the speaker employs a flea that is buzzing around the two to form three arguments. The first stanza compares sexual intercourse to two people being bitten by the same flea. Both are connected by “two bloods mingled”; and the act of sex is defined by the mixing of fluids, not an act of love or lust. Yet the tone of the passage is one of playful curiousity, which suggests the smile on the face of the speaker as he envisions achieving his lusty goal. We can see the playfulness in his selection and treatment of the subject. A flea is not a normal object held in the light of love; in raising this conceit, we can see the unconventional way the speaker tries to sell his argument. He acts jealous of the flea because it received her blood “before it woo.” The argument isn’t intense or angry; it ends with a mock sigh: “And this, alas, is more than we would do.” The playful conceit of the first stanza lays the ground for the more outlandish claims of the second and third. The speaker next takes a more impassioned tone as he seeks to save the flea’s life and embellishes his original conceit. As in the other stanzas, this arranges its four supporting arguments into three couplets and a triplet by rhyme. However, whereas the first stanza fairly loosely held the

The Fact Remains

2005-09-12T09:19:23-04:00

The Fact Remains The fact that I was, The fact that I am, The fact that I will always be, Will not change the fact that I will always be For what I am cannot be

poetry in satanism and occultism

2005-08-24T22:05:38-04:00

Hymn to Lucifer Ware, nor of good nor ill, what aim hath act? Without its climax, death, what savour hath Life? an impeccable machine, exact He paces an inane and pointless path To glut brute appetites, his sole content How tedious were he fit to comprehend Himself! More, this our noble element Of fire in nature, love in spirit, unkenned Life hath no spring, no axle, and no end. His body a bloody-ruby radiant With noble passion, sun-souled Lucifer Swept through the dawn colossal, swift aslant On Eden's imbecile perimeter. He blessed nonentity with every curse And spiced with sorrow the dull soul of sense, Breathed life into the sterile universe, With Love and Knowledge drove out innocence The Key of Joy is disobedience. Aleister Crowley Poetry in Occultism and Satanism "The joy of life consists in the exercise of one's energies, continual growth, constant change, the enjoyment of every new experience. To stop means simply to die. The eternal mistake of mankind is to set up an attainable ideal." Edward Alexander Crowley Occultism and Satanism enjoyed a rapid rise in the early 19th Century, when occult activities were commonly practiced throughout Europe and – though to a lesser extent – in the USA. Although the occult magick was accepted by notable people (e.g. American rocket scientist Jack Parsons) and helped make some people notorious (Anton Szandor LaVey- the Founder of the Satanic Church), the occultists and Satanists relatively remained a minority; in an age when romanticism was struck by realism and when technological advances alongside with wars forced people to abandon what they had been trusting in all their lives – God. Aleister Crowley (Edward Alexander Crowley) was one of the most notorious artists associated with Satanism. Also a convict of many serious crimes, Crowley influenced the whole world of arts both Eastern and Western through his unending travels through Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA. He, alone, takes his place in famous poetry portals beside poets such as Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickinson. If any life can be accounted as wicked and dark it is Edward Alexander Crowley’s, who was born in Leamington, Warwickshire, England, on 12 October 1875. His father, Edward Crowley, once maintained a lucrative family brewing business and was retired at the time of Aleister's birth. Aleister grew up in a staunch Plymouth Brethren household. His father, after retiring from his daily duties as a brewer, took up the practice of preaching at a fanatical pace. Daily Bible studies and private tutoring were

To Download or Not to Download: Legalization of Internet “Piracy”

2005-07-10T20:36:44-04:00

Samuel Coleridge's Kubla Khan and Materialism

2005-04-20T23:03:43-04:00

Samuel T. Coleridge’s Kubla Khan is a poem of two opposing ideas: materialism and imagination. In the poem, Coleridge presents imagination and emotion as the means to achieving pure pleasure and creating paradise. He does this by depicting two separate creations of a pleasure dome. One, made by Kubla Khan (a Chinese emperor in the 13th century), was founded on materialistic greed and was created in physical reality, infecting an already present paradise in nature. This now contaminated paradise is doomed to be destroyed. A first-person narrator in the rest of the poem discusses being able to create this pleasure dome in his mind, thus achieving the experience of pure pleasure. In addition to the basic portrayals of materialism and imagination, Coleridge associates religious views, specifically those of paganism and Christianity, with each one. The pagan emphasis on nature and the abstract ties in with the ideals and, in the words of John McKay, “emotional exuberance [and] unretrsained imagination” (766) of the romantic period. Christianity’s great desire to continuously spread, as well as its comparatively ungrateful attitude toward nature and its superstitious rejection of most forms of pleasure as negative and evil, fits in with Kubla Khan’s materialistic pleasure dome as well as the presumed attitude toward the narrator’s creation. Coleridge communicates all of this in Kubla Khan with allusions, imagery, recurring ideas (both in repetition and of actual ideas), and excellent and elaborate diction throughout. All of these (particularly the imagery and the repetition) are characteristic of romantic poetry, so not only do Coleridge’s beliefs fall in line with the many of the ideals of romanticism, his techniques reflect those used by other romantic poets. Kubla Khan, the source of the title of the poem as well as the creator of the first pleasure dome, is representative of all those who desire control over territory and land. The real Khan was an emperor focused on territorial gain. He conquered several other dynasties in China and made attempts to conquer Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It is of note that when Kubla Khan was written, Napoleon had recently come into power in France. His land-hungry crusades throughout Europe could have inspired Coleridge to use a historical leader (specifically Khan) as his figure of materialistic greed. Kubla Khan’s pleasure dome is a futile attempt by mankind to capture and physically create the epitome of pleasure in

Kubla Khan and It's Relationship to Romanticism

2005-04-06T03:30:29-04:00

“Kubla Khan,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is one of the most enigmatic and ambiguous pieces of literature ever written. Allegedly written after a laudanum (an opiate) induced dream, the author claims to have been planning a two hundred to three hundred line poem before he got interrupted by a “man from Porlock,“ after which he had forgotten nearly all of his dream. This may have been merely an excuse, and the poem was scorned at the time for having no poetic value, one critic even going so far as to call it “more a musical composition than a poem.” This is partly true, as the language seems to strive for an aural beauty more than a literary beauty, although it accomplishes both. Like many great artists, Coleridge has been most appreciated after his death, when his radically different works could be justified, as the ideas presented in his works hadn’t been popular during his life. Coleridge’s philosophy in life was very romantic, and so nearly all of his poems exemplify the romantic ideal, especially Kubla Khan. This romantic poem uses brilliant imagery and metaphors to contrast the ideals of romantic paganism with often ingratious Christianity. The vision of paganism is the first idea introduced in the poem. The super-natural reference to “Alph,” or Alpheus as it is historically known, “the sacred river, [which] ran/ Through caverns measureless to man/ Down to a sunless sea,” begins this pagan theme by referring to an underground river that passed through dimensions that could not be understood by any man, and then emptying into an underground sea. This also introduces an idea of the lack of human understanding that recurs at the end of the poem, one of the common elements that tie the poem’s seemingly two-part separate structure together. Xanadu’s walls enclosed “gardens bright with sinuous rills.” These gardens represent the Garden of Eden, or a natural paradise on Earth. The degree of nature in this paradise is such that, although it is a biblical reference, it is still connected to pagan and romantic ideals. The “sinuous rills” flowing through this garden can be taken as two different metaphors. The word “rills” can mean either a stream or a valley on the moon. The moon is seen as the source of all creativity in romantic idealism, and so

Interpretation of “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browing

2005-03-29T21:59:50-04:00

In “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning, the reader is introduced to the dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a speech in the speaker unknowingly reveals his personality. In this poem, the audience listens to a monologue of the Duke of Ferrara (who is soon getting married) in which he sees the portrait of his deceased Duchess and brings up her faults to an unknown envoy only know as “sir!” (l.54). Through the Duke’s ramblings, it is learned that he is a self-centered, materialistic, proud and chauvinistic man. He has a high rank in nobility (assumed because he was married to a “Duchess” (l.1) who is only allowed to marry other nobility) and an old well-respected name (l.33, “My gift of a nine hundred years old name”). Thus, he tries to portray himself as powerful and sophisticated. But his underlying motives are revealed and he is seen jealous and possessive. The Duke was formerly married and this marriage ended tragically. His last Duchess had a wandering eye and a smile for everyone (l.24, “her looks were everywhere”). These actions tremendously infuriated the Duke because he perhaps believes that her “looks” should be reserved for him. He expresses this discontentment in line 44 where he states that “She smiled, no doubt, whene’er I passed her; but who passed without much the same smile?”. With this said an assumption can be made that the Duke of Ferrara enjoys the spotlight and is enraged when this attention is not focused solely on him. He feels that he should be the only one in his Duchess’s life to be able to invoke joy or any sort of emotion from her. But instead this is not the case and she “Would draw from her alike the approving speech, / Or blush at least…” (l.29), meaning she showed emotions such as delight in simple pleasures and common courtesy others. With all these innocent little flirtations the deceased Duchess must have given, a rage would have been built within the Duke and then overflowed. And yet he could not talk to her about his feelings, “…Even had you skill in speech – (which I have not)…” (l.35). And even if he was able, he probably would not choose to because this would damage his ego even more. Throughout the poem the issue of the Duke’s attempts to dominate and control the late Duchess (with obedience—described as being

Interpretation of “This Is a Photograph of Me”

2005-03-29T21:57:49-04:00

In the poem "This Is a Photograph of Me", Margaret Atwood attempts to depict the parallels between a picture slowly developing and the narrator’s realization of her death. This poem is divided into two different parts, with the second half separated by brackets. In the first stanza, it is as if the speaker is trying to reminisce (by

Analysis of "Because I could not stop for death" by Emily Dickinson

2005-03-29T21:56:22-04:00

In Emily Dickinson’s, “Because I could not stop for Death”, the speaker personifies death as a polite and considerate gentleman (which is very ironic because by many people death is believed to be a dreadful event) who takes her in a carriage for a journey “toward Eternity” (l. 24); however, at the end of this poem, she finishes her expedition realizing that she has died many years ago. In the first stanza, she begins her journey with a gentleman named Death who takes her along to the carriage “the carriage held but just ourselves” (l.3). Even though in the first line, the poet suggests of the speaker's disappearance in the world (death, the event that takes life away, has being personified into a human form and is taking Dickinson away again as “the carriage held but just ourselves” suggests), nevertheless the speaker believes that she is still alive. With the use of the term “Immortality” (l. 4) the poet shows that at the beginning of her journey the speaker is young and enthusiastic to tell about her existence of life in the world and that she cannot think of dying. In the second stanza, Death drives her so well (unhurriedly) “we slowly drove, he knew no haste” (l. 5) that it suggests pleasantness. For the pleasure he has given her, she rewards him by putting away her “labor” (her struggle) and “leisure” (her freedom) (I. 6) for his politeness “civility” (l. 8). Symbolically, in stanza three, the poem signifies the three general stages of life: childhood represented by “Children strove” (l. 9), youth represented by “the Fields of Gazing Grains” (l. 11) and the end of the life symbolized by “the Setting Sun” (l. 12). On the way of her journey, the speaker views children struggling to win in the race in School. She also sees cereal grasses collectively in the field, and at last the speaker perceives with her eyes that the sun is setting on the way of her journey. This stanza gives us a clue of her passing by this world; however the speaker is realize that she has passing away. She simply believes the sun is setting on a regular basis. The first line of stanza four “Or rather, he passed us” (l. 13) demonstrates that the speaker is uncertain about her existence in the world. Now she feels that her life symbolized by the sun is passing by. She

Analysis of "I never say a moor" by Emily Dickinson

2005-03-29T21:52:25-04:00

“I never saw a moor” is a short poem of only two quatrain stanzas. It is Emily Dickinson’s’ well thought out approach to try and explain a difficult religious belief. The first stanza states that even though the

Another Nightless Sleep

2005-02-01T02:56:57-05:00


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The following was written on March 21st 2002:

A N O T H E R _ N I G H T L E  S S _ S L E E P

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Absurd bewildering coercement

eat tobacco tea with Tabasco

team torso triangulations toaster

bing bango blipy belch bothus

sapphire quid ellipsion sperm

socks a weed in your corrosion 



Tiny taco tamed teal toots

touring water spatulas 

dominate the cityscape

transcend sound waves 

oblong oral tradition

mayhem meandering means motion



Melancholy moss sleeps in all day

turn left and shower bath

replisome soap cadet smears scat

scoop poop grind litter noise

forsake my ears with the tonal solo

mature mono masquerades mangler



Meet beep plot and point

sheer career cut and paste

write collaboration copy random

anagram nerds mingle tangibles

sacrifice the pop on tour

drop the midrange and rewind



Dance trance and eat plants

retreat unforgiving grammar

mishaps placed precisely

charms dwindle and shimmer

hair coat shampoo and shave

share familiar interest 606



Sing it live interject 909

bass riff splits curfew

show shimmies shipping

Dulce et Decorum Est

2005-01-31T22:21:30-05:00

This poem was written by Wilfred Owen and is based on his situation in the trenches during World War One. I wish to discuss how Owen effectively portrays the suffering of the soldiers using various writing techniques. In this poem Wilfred Owen describes the agony these men are put through after a hard day of fighting, gas attacks and the excruciating pain of watching a fellow soldier die a gruesome death. In the first stanza the poet shocks us by using an image of tired defenceless men, and uses the unexpected simile, “bent double, like old beggars.” This gives an idea of weakness, vulnerability and despair which is ironic because of the supposed strength we associate with soldiers. In the second stanza I found the last line particularly disturbing. The quote I have chosen is “gas shells dropping softly behind.” I find this particularly moving because the noise of gas shells dropping is usually quite a loud noise, but compared to artillery noises the soldiers have been accustomed to, gas shells dropping may sound quieter or perhaps the hearing of the men is now so badly impaired because of the constant high noise level, that the gas shells dropping appears to be a softer noise. In the third stanza the pace of the poem changes entirely, when a gas attack strikes. The punctuation increases the drama of the attack where capitals are used for the full word, “GAS!” This almost startled me because of the slow beginning the poem has, where all the men are trudging through the mud very depressed and all of a sudden things change because there has been gas thrown so everyone has to move fast. The fourth stanza is the shortest, consisting only of two lines. However four words in the stanza produce a very vivid image. The poet is watching a man chocking to death on the gas that has just been thrown at them and he uses the words, “he plunges at me.” After reading this short phrase I felt the desperation of the soldier drowning in the gas. It clearly paints a picture of how he knows he is going to die and how Owen who is watching him is completely helpless and unable to do anything to save him. In the fifth stanza I found three rather striking expressions. The first being, “the wagon we flung him in.” I think in this line,

Vietnam War Oral

2004-11-17T13:11:59-05:00

The Vietnam War is slowly fading into history. The 20-year struggle between South Vietnam and its American, Australian an New Zealand allies against the communist North Vietnamese is remembered today through films, songs and poetry. Films such as ‘Platoon’ and songs such as ‘The Real Thing written by Russell Morris and ‘I Was Only Nineteen written by John Schuman and performed by the band Red Gum are examples of this remembrance. Elected lines: • ‘When each step can mean your last one, On two legs: it was a war within yourself’ • ‘But you wouldn’t let your mates down ‘till they had you dusted off’ • ‘Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon. God help me, he was going home in June’ I Was Only Nineteen By Red Gum This song was written in the seventies, by a man called John Schuman and performed by him in a band called “Red Gum”. It immediately became a national hit, especially among the Vietnam Veterans. It is still performed today whenever Vietnam Veterans get together for a concert. This song isn’t so much a protest song, but more so a song of the effects of war. This song in fact glorifies the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam wars as it alerts us to the physical and emotional struggles that people involved in war. I WAS ONLY NINETEEN Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal (1t was long march from cadets). The sixth battalion was the next to tour and It was me who drew the card. We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left. Chorus I: And Townsville lined the footpath as we marched down to the quay. This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean. And theres me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens. God help me, I was only nineteen. From Vung Tau riding Chinooks to the dust at Nui Dat, Id been in and out of choppers now for months. But we made our tents a home. V.B. and pinups on the lockers, And an Asian orange sunset through the scrub. Chorus 2: And can you tell me, doctor, why I still cant get to sleep? And night times just a jungle dark and a barking M.16? And whats this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only nineteen. A four week operation, when each step can mean your last one On two legs: it was a war within yourself. But you

Response to "Hotel Room 12th Floor"

2004-11-08T14:39:52-05:00

America’s Own Choir of Individuals

2004-10-05T00:12:43-04:00

Walt Whitman helped shape American poetry through his various works. In “I Hear America Singing,” he glorified the average working man in his “Ideal Democracy.” In the introduction to Leaves of Grass, Whitman expressed his belief in the common man and woman (Napierkowski 157). Whitman used many different themes to get his point across, and these themes shaped his work. The theme of common people in the American democracy sets the tone and wording, and contributes to the overall message of “I Hear America Singing.” Whitman’s tone of the piece includes three main topics: individuals speaking for themselves, the common man and woman, and patriotism. In the speaker’s view, American culture involves the song “sung” by each unique individual (Napierkowski 153). “I Hear America Singing” also shows Whitman’s strong belief that the common man and woman are important in American society (Napierkowski 151); therefore, in his eyes the working class deserves just as much credit as the wealthy (Napierkowski 155). Marie Napierkowski believes that “Whitman’s poem elevates the common working-class American to an image of near perfection” (155). The theme of intense patriotism in America and its greatness is shown in the poem’s first line (Napierkowski 151). The tone in the poem, now set up by Whitman, leads into the way the poem is worded. Whitman uses wording in “I Hear America Singing” to show the people speaking are common and have their own individual words and characteristics. One phrase repeated throughout the poem, “I hear,” represents a different person’s song each time it is stated. This phrase also shows the importance of the speaker and his or her individuality (Napierkowski 152). Each person represented in the poem is defined by their occupation, but they sing and express their individuality and uniqueness (Napierkowski 153). Marie Napierkowski says the individual characters are “singing what belongs to him or her and to no one else” (151). After the characters sing their own songs, they come together and form one enormous choir. This choir represents America and her people’s uniqueness (Napierkowski 151). The message of “I Hear America Singing” is shown through this choir. Throughout the poem, Whitman describes America in many ways including what he thinks America should represent and his beliefs about America. America is the entire group of the unique American individuals’ voices (Napierkowski 152). “I

Comparing and contrasting the content and style of ‘The charge of the light brigade’ by Lord Tennyso

2004-09-05T16:39:37-04:00

‘Dulce et Decorum est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred lord Tennyson are both about war and death. However, the themes are portrayed in two very different ways; one is about glory, and the other about a horrific death. Tennyson wrote ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ in 1854 after reading a article in a newspaper. The poem was written to increase the moral of the fighting soldiers and of the people at home. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ celebrates the glory of war, and how it’s noble to die for your country. Tennyson also talks of how the six hundred soldiers ‘boldly’ rode to the battle, even though an error had been made, ‘Someone had blunder’d’ This mistake sent six hundred soldiers to their death. The soldiers, however, are quickly detached from any blame; this is shown by the repetition of three in the second stanza. ‘theirs not to…’ This shows that it is not the soldier’s fault but someone else is to blame for their death. The repletion of ‘the six hundred’ at the end of each verse reminds the reader of the loss of life, except in the last verse, ‘the noble six hundred’ Again, this reminds us of the bravery and glory, it also elevates the soldiers above just being ‘the six hundred’. In the last verse, Tennyson also creates a sense of immortality by using a rhetorical question. ‘when can their glory fade?’ This makes us believe that they will never be forgotten, because they are ‘the six hundred’ and they were braver than anybody else was so they should be remembered. The poem is started in the middle of the action, ‘Half a league, half a league Half a league onward’ This gives a sense of excitement and galloping horse in the charge, because the rhythm represents the horses hooves galloping on the ground Tennyson uses a lot of repetition, ‘Flash’d all their sabres bare flash’d as they turn’d in air’ It creates image of the bravery of the soldiers because the repetition makes it stand out making the reader notice it and think about it more. He also uses metaphors and similes, ‘The valley of death’ ‘Mouth of hell’ These describe the fate the soldiers await, however Tennyson does not describe the battle its self, as he was not an eyewitness to it. These metaphors and similes are effective because the progressively build up the horrific entrance to the battle

"Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow" : Summary and Response

2004-07-21T15:05:31-04:00

Ted Hughes, "Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow", Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1971. Ted Hughes’s “Crow” is as vivid and terrifying a trip to hell as the artistic antecedents conceived by Dante, Milton and Hieronymus Bosch. The book, a poetry sequence with the character Crow at its center, is fraught with grotesque scenes of dismemberment, evisceration, castration and disembodied and exploding body parts. Hughes writes in a very sparse manner, with no surface sense of “poetry”. Its lines are brutal, ugly, and deceptively simple, but closer examination reveals the overwhelming presence of alliteration and assonance as an alternative to rhyme in verse. The character Crow appears as a trickster figure the like of which appears in oral traditions worldwide. It is plain Hughes was inspired by the epic tales of old in the writing of “Crow” for these poems are filled with references to mythological and heroic figures such as Proteus, Ulysses, Hercules, Beowulf, and most strikingly Oedipus, whose legend Hughes shows hasn’t lost its ability to horrify in “Song for a Phallus”. The majority of the poetry cycle’s symbolism, however, is Judeo-Christian. Fitting “Crow”’s overall sense of distortion, Hughes inverts the standard images in shocking fashion: In the beginning was Scream Who begat Blood... Who begat Adam Who begat Mary Who begat God Who begat Nothing... (“Lineage”) So on the seventh day The serpent rested... (“Apple Tragedy”) And rather than God as the Word, “Crow”’s word is one of death and destruction: There came news of a word. Crow saw it killing men... (“The Disaster”) Words swamped him with consonantal masses– Crow took a sip of water and thanked heaven. Words retreated, suddenly afraid Into the skull of a dead jester Taking the whole world with them– But the world did not notice. And Crow yawned–long ago He had picked that skull empty. (“The Battle of Osfrontalis”) God is a physical presence in several of the poems in “Crow”. While Hughes’s God is powerful, he is not all-powerful, and while his intentions are good, he is often inept. Within “Crow”, God’s attention tends to wander, often with devastating effects, as in “A Childish Prank”. At times God even abandons his creation outright: When God, disgusted with man, Turned towards heaven, And man, disgusted with God, Turned towards Eve, Things looked like falling apart. (“Crow Blacker Than Ever”) Hughes, with the mocking Crow as his alter ego, dwells on themes of disenchantment and alienation from the modern world in which he does not fit, finding its pervading culture and religion distasteful and essentially bankrupt. What should

One Moment

2004-05-17T22:04:45-04:00

One Moment You feel a sense of uneasiness each drop that falls from the skies Its like a tune of harmony kept inside a secret heart For an instant it is there then vanishes evaporating... yet leaving a scar behind That one moment feels like forever.. simply unforgettable Search for that moment again but why.. when it lies there.. there in your heart forever. its like a puzzle where one oversees the picture but can not touch it for it may shatter to pieces shatter the memories, the moments a smile, a tear that’s all it costs to live a lifetime a smile full of memories a tear with that feeling caught caught in your eyes forever too

Metaphysical Ambivalence

2004-02-06T06:18:55-05:00

Metaphysical Ambivalence Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself explores the philosophical nature of this world. By definition, metaphysics is the study that seeks to uncover the nature of reality and of being itself. In not directly committing to one of the already accepted and more traditional doctrines of materialism or idealism, the poem suggests the existence of a more radical theory that draws its support from both extremes of the metaphysical spectrum. Whitman challenges the notion that the nature of the universe lies in a singular perception of reality by presenting evidence in favor of both rationales but ultimately supporting the idea of dualism in which enlightenment arises from an integration of both viewpoints and not exclusive adherence to one or the other. Seemingly by design, Whitman obscures the true metaphysic of the text by juxtaposing instances of both materialism and idealism. Initially rejecting social constructs like “words,…music or rhyme [and]…custom or lecture” (ln. 76) and celebrating the “peace and joy and knowledge that pass all the art and arguments of the earth,” (ln. 82) he reveals his idealistic convictions in regard to the nature of reality. Whitman’s lack of interest in all worldly entities and his desire for the transcendent forms of peace and knowledge justify the predication of the poem as an idealistic text. However, despite these tendencies, Whitman immediately contradicts himself by reveling in the “[r]ich apple-blossomed earth” (ln. 445) and embracing “unspeakable passionate love” (ln. 448). Although not entirely discounting the importance of a higher reality by virtue of the reference to love, Whitman allows his temporal desires to emerge and consequently causes the poem to develop a materialistic guise, which serves as an antithesis to the idealism and establishes ambivalence over the real metaphysic. This intentional discrepancy insinuates that the nature of the universe does not adhere to a singular ideology but rather incorporates many different ideas into one absolute and comprehensive philosophy. Whitman, by combining examples of materialism and idealism into one poem, implies that an individual will ultimately find secular transcendence. As a “poet of the body [a]nd…of the soul” (ln. 422-423), Whitman finds that the “fleshly and [the] sensual” (ln. 500) are as enlightening as “the pleasures of heaven” (ln. 424). Thus, an individual, though living in the material world, does not have to wait until death and their subsequent passage into Canaan to attain enlightenment, for “clear and sweet is [their] soul…and clear and

Comparison and contrast - wordsworth vs coleridge

2002-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

Lines Written in Early Spring – William Wordsworth The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Part 4) – Samuel Taylor Coleridge Early 19th Century witnessed the dawning of a new era of poets known as the Romantics. With leaders such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the world of poetry was now bursting with what these poets considered as ‘real emotions’. Their idea of poetry, in contrast to the previous neo-classic poets’, allowed for the free flow of sentiment, encouraging a response from the soul, not the brain. In their poems, the poets were able to create vivid images using simple middle class language, with tasteful descriptions. Two very famous poems written during this time -period are Lines Written in Early Spring by William Wordsworth, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Both poems, arising from the same time-period are similar in the manner with which the poets have composed them, but highly contrast each other with respect to the subject matter, the form of poetic diction that is used, the mood built up and the images and symbols that are used. The Romantics did not constrict themselves to themes that the elitists conferred, but explored the lives of the middle to lower class people, and opened their eyes to the nature that was living around them. The poem lines Written in Early Spring expresses one person’s experience as he sits in an orchard, in the midst of nature. He then begins to reflect on this sight, and ponders over a few of his thoughts. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner however, illustrates the voyage of a sailor out at sea. As he relates it to a wedding guest, he describes how his boat gets lost astray in a fog, with the crew’s only guidance being an albatross that leads them out of their perils. The seaman then goes on to explain how in spite of the bird’s service to the crew, he shoots the albatross, ending its life. This however does not improve their situation, for the wind has died out, and they are once again hopelessly lost. The fourth section of the poem portrays the mariner, on the verge of death, as he slowly begins to feel a small hope of light. Poets of the Romantic period worked endlessly at creating a certain mood, or atmosphere that lingered through the poem. While lines

Eloquent, Beautiful & Divine

2002-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

Poetry is only a mere fifteen lines or so in length, yet it is one of the most beautiful, impressive, and widely effective mode of saying things. (Matthew Arnold) As much joy it has brought to many readers, there are many more who are unaware of this hidden secret. It is my honour {pleasure} to unlock the door and share the many pleasures of poetry in Eloquent, Beautiful & Divine. Containing passionate emotions of the Elizabethan period and concluding with the alluring Cavalier Poets, I believe my anthology contains poems of the most important period. They will hopefully craft striking images for my readers through the writer’s use of various poetic techniques. In the opening section of my compilation- Everlasting Elizabethan, I have selected the finest poets of that era such as Even Such is Time by Sir Walter Raleigh; extracts from “The Faerie Queene” by Edmund Spenser; With How Sad Steps, O Moon by Sir Philip Sidney; and Michael Dayton’s The Ballad of Agincourt. Their popularity (still to the present day) is due to the poets’ talent of expression stimulated by the lively world of music and excitement of the Renaissance. Even a shoemaker had to be able “to sound the trumpets or play upon the flute, and bear his part in a three-man’s song, and readily reckon his tools with rhyme”. The sensuous theme of innocent love and beauty flowed out of every pen during the period, but none so memorable then the poems of William Shakespeare. My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun which I believe is the most represented poem of that time, has been included in the first section of my anthology. This is a reflective sonnet dedicated to the mysterious “Dark Lady”. Whilst poets in this period focused on physical beauty and deportment, Shakespeare believed that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Throughout the poem, he describes his love as having eyes “nothing like the sun”; lips not red enough; and cheeks not rosy enough. Every bit of her features doesn’t represent the “ideal” lady of that time. If the final couplet were neglected, the reader would think that Shakespeare had an immense hatred towards his mistress: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. This sonnet of three quatrains and his beliefs in the final couplet was Shakespeare’s typical structure. Written with an ironic tone and simple diction, visual

Eloquent, Beautiful & Divine - preface

2002-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

Poetry may only be a mere fifteen lines on a page, yet it is much more. It is the art of using various literary techniques and vivid imagery to capture immortally anything from a scent of a rose to the misery of a heartbreak. It also has the ability to provide comfort and insight into many of life’s complexities. This makes poetry, as P.B. Shelly states, “indeed, something divine”. However, there are many more who are unaware of poetry’s hidden secrets. Therefore it is my pleasure to unlock the door and share the many pleasures of poetry in Eloquent, Beautiful & Divine. My anthology contains poems from the Romantic era and the Contemporary- the two periods which I believe help provide answers and comfort at troubled times. Regardless of when poetry is written both eras express issues everyone has to confront, no matter what time they live in. In the opening section of my compilation- Romantic Ripplets, I have included poems by the most ‘loved’ poets such as P.B. Shelley’s Mont Blanc, John Keats’s To a Nightingale, William Blake’s The French Revolution and I Wandered lonely as a cloud by William Wordsworth. The combination of vivid imagery and poetic techniques in all these poems successfully portray the author’s profound issues in life. Gone are the days of the classic Shakespearean poems where ‘Romantic’ was regarded as something dreamy and remote. Whilst Blake saw “a world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wild flower’ and Shelly “met a traveller from an antique land”, other Romantic poets had different views on looking at life’s problems. Many dramatic 19th centaury events occurred, the most significant being the French, American and Industrial Revolutions. The movement of freedom and equality and the constant hopes and fears about the changing society were greatly reflected in its literature. Poets particularly dealt with the individual and quite often, nature, in contrast to the turmoil of the political and social surroundings, was the focus of their poetry. Nature was believed to be the “manifestation of God’s glory on earth” where poets can find their haven. To some people, taking a stroll may be an exercise, but it can also be a time for inspiration to bathe the inner soul. It is these long walks that inspired the work of the most distinguished poet and founder of the Romantic period- William Wordsworth who found pure bliss when isolated with

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – An Explication

2002-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

Robert Frost, one of the America’s most widely known 20th Century poets, was successfully able to live beyond his time, through his literature. Having won a Pulitzer Prize in his lifetime, Frost captured the poetic world with his subtlety and effectiveness. Using very basic language, he was able to convey a whole world of ideas and thoughts through his writing. One such example is the poem ‘stopping by woods on a snowy evening’. Here, Frost describes a very simple scene of a man, accompanied by his horse and carriage, stopping by a familiar setting of woods on the coldest day in the year. He also indicates that this man is on a journey of some sort, and is not able to remain at that stop for long. Frost utilizes various forms of imagery, figurative phrases and symbolic expressions, to create an atmosphere of tranquility mixed with a feeling of mystery throughout the poem. Frost has employed very delicate imagery to create the world of nature in the poem. Throughout the description, Frost hints at the silence that surrounds the woods. He mentions the frozen lake and easy wind, that suggest a calm tranquility that envelopes the forest. Frost also describes the woods as peaceful yet mysterious. He indicates at how they ‘fill up with snow’, giving a sense of fullness, yet at the same time, serene motionlessness in the woods. Frost also mentions that the woods are secluded, ‘without a farmhouse near’ proposing a feeling of undisturbed isolation and harmony. Frost imagines the woods as dark and deep indicating a certain mysterious element related to the woods. Embedded within his simple language, Frost includes certain figurative phrases that very effectively capture the picture he describes. When describing the woods as filling up with snow, Frost captures the core essence of the image of the light, dry snow that falls unto the woods. He also describes the sounds of ‘the sweep of the easy wind and downy flake’. Using the word ‘sweep’ to describe the wind, Frost helps the readers imagine the wind breeze, brushing along the snowy ground. While the word ‘downy’, relating to the feathers of a bird, characterize the snowflakes as light. Using his imagery and figurative language, Frost is able to include certain symbolic characters into the poem. He has essentially utilised two images to illustrate the woods, or his paradise. With the image of snow indicating purity,

Sonnets from the Portuguese, Remember and My Last Duchess: love and relationships

2002-10-19T14:00:00-04:00

Discuss the portrayal of love and relationships in any three poems. The poems that I have selected to portray the idea of love and relationships all incorporate contrasting thoughts to show the many different aspects of love and relationships. The poet achieves this in the use of language, structure and the form, which is chosen to present the ideas. Elizabeth Barrett Browings’ “Sonnets from the Portuguese” presents the idea of pure, unconditional and eternal love, whereas “Remember” by Christina Rossetti, conveys an alternate idea of bitterness that love and relationships can lead to. “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning displays again a different side of love and relationships. The demonstration of obsession, possessiveness and materialistic views within the poem convey the different aspects of love and relationships. “Sonnets from the Portuguese” uses the traditional form of the Italian petrachan sonnet to present the theme of love and relationships discussed within the poem. The poet, to develop the argument of the different stages of love, uses this traditional form of sonnet. This allows for a change in tone or mood as the sonnet is broken down into two sections, the octave and the sestet, containing eight and six lines respectively. This was a traditional way to present the expression of love in the Victorian era. From the opening line, the poetic voice portrays the joy and delight felt by this kind of love and relationship. This is presented to the reader in the form of the rhetoric question, “How do I love thee?” The tone conveyed is one containing happiness showing this love to be as such. This sets the tone of the poem to portray love to be joyful. In the portrayal of love, the poetic voice conveys how it to be boundless as: I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight The language of this abstract image portrays love to be inconfinable. This is emphasized by “when feeling out of sight” as the image of the love is portrayed as being further that can actually be seen which accentuates the boundless image of love. The poetic voices’ “soul” adds to the this image as a soul is not an object which can be contained within the body as it knows no bounds, and so the portrayal of love can be viewed as eternal. This image also depicts the magnitude of love as the language

Birches Essay

2002-09-16T14:00:00-04:00

In any life, one must endure hardship to enjoy the good times. According to Robert Frost, the author of “Birches”, enduring life’s hardships can be made easier by finding a sane balance between one’s imagination and reality. The poem is divided into four parts: an introduction, a scientific analysis of the bending of birch trees, an imaginatively false analysis of the phenomenon involving a New England farm boy, and a reflective wish Frost makes, wanting to return to his childhood. All of these sections have strong underlying philosophical meanings. Personification, alliteration, and other sound devices support these meanings and themes. Frost supports the theme by using language to seem literal, yet if one visualizes the setting and relates it to life, the literal and figurative viewpoints can be nearly identical. Take this example: “Life is too much like a pathless wood”. This simile describes how one can be brought down by the repetitive routine of day-to-day life, but only if one processes the barren, repetitive forest scene that Frost paints in that sentence. Sound devices also add to the effect of the poem. Frost gives the image of the morning after an ice storm, as the ice cracks on the birch trees: “They click upon themselves / As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored / As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. / Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells / Scattering and avalanching on the snow crust--” The repeating /s/, /z/, and /k/, sounds in this passage are strong examples of alliteration, and sound devices are crucial in the image presented; calm, reflecting, and romanticizing, like a quiet walk in the woods. The /k/ sound is the sound of the ice cracking off of the birches and “shattering” and crashing “on the snow crust.” The /s/ and /z/ sounds suggest the rising morning breeze, and they increase as the passage continues. Birch trees are naturally very flexible. Frost explains that this is caused by ice storms placing weight upon the branches: “When I see birches bend to left and right / Across the line of straighter darker trees, / I like to think some boy’ been swinging in them. / But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay. / Ice storms do that. Often you must have seen them”. He writes of the difference between childhood and adulthood in the first two lines of this passage. The

Annabel Lee

2002-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

The first time I read the poem "Annabel Lee", I thought it was a really nice poem. But, when I read it for the second time, I realized that it was anything but 'nice'. It was very dark and disturbing, and even had hints of necrophilia (yuuck). Now, this wasn't the kind of poem that I thought was going to be taught to kids like us, so I decided to read the poem over, and this time, a little harder. After reading

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

2002-08-25T14:00:00-04:00

In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Coleridge tells an exciting tale of a man’s sin against nature and his repentance and reconciliation. Coleridge describes the nature of each phase of the Mariner’s sin through out the tale. The tale goes through many different atmospheres as it tells about the Mariner’s crime and punishment. At first everything seemed to be very normal and pleasant. The ship was cheered on as it took off from the harbor and out to sea they went. The ship sailed on southward till it reached the line. The ship sailed with good wind and fair weather. Everything seemed perfect as the sun came up from the left. The story suddenly changes as a storm drives the ship towards the South Pole. “With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe, And forward bends his head, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled.” They ended up in a land of ice, where no living thing was seen. There was ice everywhere surrounding the ship. It looked as if there was little chance for survival. Then, out of know where a great seabird, called the Albatross, appeared through the fog, and brought the seamen hope. “At length did cross and Albatross Through the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul We hailed it in God’s name.” The Albatross was proven to be of good omen and followed the ship as it returned northward through the fog and ice. Then, out of he blue, the Mariner shoots down the Albatross with his crossbow. The shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner, for killing the bird of good omen. The fair breeze continued till it reached the line then it suddenly becalmed. “Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, ‘Twas sad as sad could be; And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea!” The atmosphere has changed as Coleridge tells about the sun be bloody and the Albatross began to avenge. The seamen hang the dead Albatross around the Mariners neck and blame everything on him. “Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung. Because of the drought many seamen died from dehydration. As the seamen lay dieing they curse at the ancient Mariner. “One after one, by the star-dogged Moon, Too quick for groan or sigh, Each turned

Mending Wall

2002-08-25T14:00:00-04:00

Q. Describe the speaker of this poem and his values. Does he have a sense of humour? Describe his neighbour’s values.

A. Robert Frost, the speaker of the poem, has portrayed himself as a reasonable, practical, open-minded and an unorthodox character. He has put himself before the readers as a personality who believes that in order to move on in life a change or a series of changes is necessary. The poet is a balanced character and whatever he says is logical. Robert Frost strongly believes that the physical presence of a wall between his and his neighbour’s territories is not required. He does not believe in any sort of restrictions. If demarcation of property is vital, then a natural demarcation could be made. “He is all pine and I am apple orchard.” The two territories could be demarcated using these two types of trees. Although, not full portrayed in the poem, the author does possess some sense of humour. “My apple trees will never get across and eat the cones under his pines”. These lines show that the poet has some sort of humour in him. Although these lines mean something else, the poets sense of humour can nevertheless be interpreted from them. Similarly, we can interpret the poet’s sense of humour when he says, “Isn’t it where there are cows? But here there are no cows.” The neighbour is the person whom Robert Frost has used for comparing his character with. The neighbour has been portrayed as a person who is the consummate opposite of the poet. He has been put before us as a person whose personality is dark and dull. The neighbour is a narrow-minded person with an orthodox character. He is impractical and does not like changes in his life-style. He likes to remain in the dark and unexposed to the outside world. He feels satisfied when left to his own world and tends to hesitate when he interacts with people. The neighbour likes to lead his life the way his father and forefathers did without pausing to mend the mistakes they made. He follows the family tradition without looking at it logically. He follows it blindly and accepts it on the grounds that his ancestors too accepted it. He is hesitant to live life a new way because that would mean bringing a change in his life-style and he does not possess the confidence and courage to do

Mending Wall

2002-08-23T14:00:00-04:00

Q. Explain what the first line of this poem means to you. Do you agree with that idea or do you think that, “Good fences make good neighbours”?

A.“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” The very first line of the poem is symbolic and sends the reader’s mind in thought. At first glance the words ‘something’ and ‘wall’ bog the inquisitive mind. It makes the reader think as to what is this ‘wall’ and what is this ‘something’ that wants it down. The wall can be taken in the physical sense as well as the poet’s figment of imagination. In my opinion, the wall is a restriction – something that ‘walls in’ and ‘walls out’ things. Something which produces disturbances in the daily routine and that ‘something’ that wants it down is the poet’s will to attain freedom – freedom to explore the other side of the wall. But as we read on we find that there is ‘something’ that does not want the wall down and this is the tradition which has been followed generations upon generations by the poet’s neighbour who without looking at it logically blindly follows it. The poet is of the opinion that in order to progress and move on in life a change or a series of changes is necessary. The poet tells his neighbour ‘there where it is we do not need the wall’ and in reply the neighbour (without thinking) speaks out the family’s tradition ‘good fences make good neighbours’. Thus, we see that the wall is something that imposes restrictions. It restricts the free movement of the two characters in each other’s properties. The above discussion suggests that the narrator is practical and an open-minded person whereas the neighbour is the exact opposite – impractical and narrow-minded with limited imagination. He (the neighbour) has the character of a person who is content in his dark world and does not feel comfortable with the idea of exposing himself to the world beyond his world. The wall performs dual functions throughout the year. It separates as well as connects people. Throughout the year the wall separates the poet and his neighbour but when spring comes, the two meet and mend the wall. And as they do that, they share ideas and talk to each other. Thus, the wall connects as well as separates people. In my opinion the notion that ‘good fences make good neighbours’

Frost and Death

2002-08-18T14:00:00-04:00

There are many reoccurring themes throughout poetry. In Robert Frost’s poetry, he uses symbols found in nature to express the meaning of his poems. Robert Frost was not like other poets in his time; he wrote about nature like the Romantics. He did not use free verse like the other poets of his time either. Robert Frost dwelt upon death in a lot of his poetry. He believed that people should make the best of their lives and live life to the fullest. In his poem “Come In,” Frost tells the reader that people must resolve all of their conflicts before they die. As in all of Frost’s poetry, he uses strong symbols from nature to represent death. As in some of his other poems, he uses the woods and darkness to represent death. He also uses the amount of light and the time of day to represent life and death. The bird, or thrush, in the poem and its music is a symbol for how death calls out to people. By identifying and understanding the symbols in the poem, it is easier to discover the underlying meaning. Frost uses the woods and darkness to symbolize death. This is a common symbol in many of Frost’s other poems. In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Frost uses the woods to symbolize death as well. In the first line of “Come In,” the speaker says, “As I came to the edge of the woods.” This symbolizes that the speaker is coming near death or feels that he is going to die soon. The woods are so dark that even a bird with dexterous flying skills cannot move to find a better perch. This statement, in lines five through seven, gives the reader a greater sense to how dark it is. In line thirteen, Frost gives even more emphasis to the darkness of the woods when he refers to how the trees look in the darkness as “the pillared dark.” This suggests that the woods and the dark are one. In the last stanza, the speaker refuses the song of the thrush and decides not go into the woods. The speaker obviously has some reason to stay alive or something to settle, and that is why he would not go in. Robert Frost uses the time of day and the amount of light to symbolize certain stages in life. This is common in

Socrates' Lesson in Plato's Meno

2002-08-17T14:00:00-04:00

In Plato’s Meno, Socrates discusses ways in which virtue can be acquired with Meno. Meno’s original question of whether virtue can be taught along with the more fundamental question of what virtue is occupies the entire text as Sophocles tries to bring about ways to answer. Three possibilities are confronted; first, that virtue is natural within the human soul; second, that virtue can be taught; and third, that virtue is a gift from the gods. These ways are debated by Socrates and Meno to a very broad conclusion. On page 139 Meno says, “All in the same, I would rather consider the question as I put it at the beginning, and hear your views on it; that is, are we to pursue virtue as something that can be taught, or do men have it as a gift of nature or how?” Not only does this show Meno’s interest in learning, but it also and most importantly expresses that he is open to the thought that virtue may just come to a person. He does not seem to think that there is only way it may come, but rather, he is open to many ways. Although he says this towards the end, it summarizes the possible ways discussed within the dialogue. Socrates poses the question that virtue may be natural within the human soul. This is to say that all people would have virtue within them, but it is only those who find it that can truly become virtuous. To prove this concept to Meno, Socrates, acquires the help of one of Meno’s slave boys to demonstrate. Socrates establishes that the boy has never been taught mathematical geometry and starts bombarding him with a series of questions on the physical properties of a square. First he asks the boy to multiply the square by two, and he succeeds. However, the boy fails when asked to divide the same square into two parts half the original size. By asking the boy a series of questions yet, never actually telling him the answers, Socrates helps the slave to “recollect” the knowledge that is within him. Meno is of course astonished with this feat that Socrates maintains is simply a matter of recollection. This example given by Socrates, though obviously persuasive to Meno, is somewhat unstable. It can be shown that Socrates manipulated the boy into recollecting the information by offering suggestive material within

Life as a Journey in poetry

2002-07-10T14:00:00-04:00

Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads to follow on the continuous journey of life; there exists not a path that leaves one with but a sole direction in which to advance. In his poem, "The Road Not Taken", Robert Frost exhibits insight and perception in using poetic techniques to communicate this message. The piece depicts a man’s regret at not being able to travel two roads, and having to make a choice between the two. The importance of making decisions is disclosed in the narrator’s assertion that his choice “has made all the difference.” The first few lines of the poem introduce the elements of Frost’s primary metaphor and symbol, the diverging roads. The use of the road suggests that life is a journey that the narrator is traveling. The “two roads diverged” symbolize the points in this journey where one must make choices. As the narrator contemplates his decision, wishing that he could take both paths at the same time while knowing there is no possibility in that, the reader is able to glimpse the strength of Frost’s symbolism- every person must make decisions with the knowledge that going back and changing them is impossible, because one has already traveled too far down the chosen path to turn back. The setting, along with imagery, assists in developing the key symbols of the poem. The piece opens with the narrator taking a walk in the woods during the autumn season, when he is suddenly confronted with a diverging path. The central image of “two roads diverged” helps to convey the theme of having to make choices in life. The “yellow wood” corresponds to the autumn season, a period that is often related to the end of the annual cycle in flora and foliage. Autumn may be perceived as a state in limbo between the vivacity of summer and the chill of winter. The speaker examines one path to the best of his ability: “ . . . and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth”. His vision, however, is limited because the path bends, and a certain amount of undergrowth obscure the destination of the road. The description of the paths indicates that although the speaker would like to acquire more information, he is prevented from doing so because of the nature of his environment. The road that will be chosen leads

The May Magnificat

2002-06-15T14:00:00-04:00

In “The May Magnificat” Gerald Hopkins describes the merry month of May as Mary's month, and for that reason it is all the more magnificent. May is Mary's month because she is no other than the great Mother Goddess of earth's renewal.

The Hollow Men - TS Eliot and society

2002-06-07T14:00:00-04:00

The poem is one of the most powerful literary methods used to convey ideas or opinions. Through vivid imagery and compelling metaphors, the poem conveys to the reader the thoughts and emotions of the author. Modern poets, however, manipulated traditional forms of poetry and sought to greatly influence the ideas of their readers. T.S. Eliot is a prime example of a modern poet who wrote controversial and thought-provoking works, particularly “The Hollow Men”. Modernism is the time period between 1865 and 1950 that consisted of a change in the perspectives of how people examined themselves and their role in society. Many things occurred during these eighty-five years that accounted for great social change. Among these things were World War I, the Civil Rights Movement, prohibition, women’s suffrage, the Great Depression and World War II. Particularly after World War I and during women’s suffrage, society’s standpoint on certain issues changed dramatically. After World War I, people’s attitudes were brimming with high expectations for themselves but were soon lowered after the economy’s fall. During women’s suffrage, society’s focus on simple traditions shifted to concentrate more on urban culture. The Great Depression also caused major stress and hopelessness for the nation resulting in a time of despair for much of the world. Meanwhile, many writers emerged, such as Ezra Pound, e.e. cummings, Langston Hughes, Wallace Stevens and T.S. Eliot. These writers found themselves in a generation of consecutive movements. While having to sustain their creativity, they had to go forward with the seasons at the same time. Their works are characterized as “breaking away from patterned responses and predictable forms”(Reuben). Many of their pieces contested tradition against new methods. The outlook of society changed from a moral perspective to fast times. Many people tended to look individually from average events that occurred in their daily lives to find greater reasoning. T.S. Eliot is considered to be one of the most prominent poets and playwrights of the modern era and his works are said to have promoted a “reshape [of] modern literature” (World Book). He was born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri and studied at Harvard and Oxford. It was at Harvard where he met his guide and mentor Ezra Pound, another well-known modernist poet. Pound encouraged Eliot to expand his writing abilities and publish his

Americanized Walkthrough

2002-06-02T14:00:00-04:00

Bruce Dawe is strongly opposed to consumerism, as shown through his poem, Americanized. The poem is written in a predominantly bitter and ironic tone. The title itself is ironic. Bruce Dawe is Australian and has spelled the title using American spelling rather than Australian spelling, with the ‘s’ being replaced by a ‘z’. Stanza one is set in the morning at breakfast time. It involves the mother and her child. Instead of the usual loving mother, we see a cold mother and one that is doubtful of her lover for her own child. Dawe uses cold language such as ‘beneficence’, ‘beamed’ and ‘laminex’ as well has the pause after ‘she loves him’ to signify this. The pair are also conveyed to be separate from each other, symbolised by them being on opposite sides of the breakfast table. Stanza two shows us how the baby is well looked after, yet is lacking the affection that small children need. The child experiences a ‘vague passing spasm of loss.’ The mother blocks out her child’s cries. There is a lack of contact and warmth between the pair. Stanza three again shows doubtfulness about the mother’s love. We see how the mother locks her child in because she fears the modern world. She sees the world as dangers and especially fears men. Her fear of men is emphasized by the italics used. In the final line of the stanza, the mother puts her son on a plastic pot. This is somewhat symbolic of the consumeristic society i.e. manufactured and cheap. Stanza four is a metaphor. The mother trying to toilet train her son is a metaphor for people learning the rules of society and trying to conform to society’s ways. In this stanza, the mother is society and the child is someone trying to learn society’s values. It is against the child’s natural instinct, yet the mother still tries to force it. In stanza five, the mother leaves the house and leaves her son at home alone. The mother is said to be ‘off to nurse and invalid called the world.’ This is to do with the theory of consumption. The mother has gone out to consume materialistic items that will in turn keep the consumer-based economy ‘healthy.’ If she and the millions of other members of the consumer society fail to do this, the consumer economy will ‘sicken.’ Stanza six shows how toys and presents mark the

Bruce Dawe's poetry - 'Life-cycle' And 'Enter without so much as knocking'

2002-05-29T14:00:00-04:00

‘The poet’s role is to challenge the world the see around them.’ How far is this true for the poetry of Bruce Dawe? How (ie through what techniques) Does Dawe achieve this? Discuss a maximum of 2 poems. Bruce Dawe is one of the most inspirational and truthful poets of our time. Born in 1930, in Geelong, most of Dawe’s poetry concerns the common person – his poems are a recollection on the world and issues around him. The statement ‘The poet’s role is to challenge the world they see around them.’ Is very true for Bruce Dawe, as his main purpose in his poetry was to depict the unspoken social issues concerning the common Australian suburban resident. His genuine concern for these issues is evident through his mocking approach to the issues he presents in two of his longer poems, ‘Enter without so much as Knocking’ and ‘Life-cycle’. Both poems have a similar theme - the cycle of life, the mass-production and lack of uniqueness. ‘Enter without so much as Knocking’ shows how consumerism has a negative impact on society. The poem depicts the life of a typical man, living in the suburbs. It starts off with the birth of a child. The sentences are intentionally made short and clear. As the baby begins to conceive the world he has been brought into, he sees signs, commands and expectations. Dawe stresses the point that the first thing that the baby heard was a voice of consumerism on television, as opposed to the voices of his family. The baby has been brought into a materialistic world – a world where such an important event has just occurred, a new member of the family has been born, and yet the television is on and Bobby Dazzler is preaching his false cliches to the household. “Hello, hello, hello all you lucky people” Followed by a comment highlighting the innocence of the child – Bobby Dazzler’s false heartiness and slogans do not influence the child. ‘and he really was lucky because it didn't mean a thing to him then’ Dawe believes that the child is lucky because he knows nothing of this repetitive deceit of civilisation. The theme really starts to come through here – these people are brainwashed by television so much so that consumerism is a religion for them. He is ferociously denouncing suburban life and the fact that people worship the television

Enter Without So Much as Knocking

2002-05-28T14:00:00-04:00

Bruce Dawe’s Enter Without So Much as Knocking is a poem that is critical of consumerism in the modern world. The poem itself is a story of one man’s life, from birth until being buried and is a satirical look at modern society and its materialism. The poem starts with the line “Memento, homo, qui, pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.” This is a quite from Genesis and in english means man is made of dust and unto dust he shall return. This is the central idea of the poem; no matter how many materialistic items we acquire and consume, in the end, we all end up at the same place. In stanza one, the new born baby comes home. The first thing it hears is “Bobby Dazzler on Channel 7.” This shows how much of our lives television dominates. Bobby Dazzler calls the audience ‘lucky people’ in a bright yet false tone. Dawe creates irony in this stanza by saying how the baby really is lucky, because he does not understand what Bobby Dazzler is saying. The baby is yet to be introduced into the world of consumerism and materialism. In stanza two, Dawe uses advertising language such as “well-equipped”, “smoothly-run” and “economy-sized” to describe the members of the family. These people are like products themselves. They are now just part of the consumer system. This is an obvious exaggeration, but Dawe believes that consumerism has dehumanised the family and taken away the individuality of people. Stanza three again makes use of some advertising language. “Good-as-new” is an example. This sort of language is now standard in life in the modern world. Dawe also shows the hustle and bustle of life by quoting signs that we see every day in the street. “Walk. Don’t Walk. Turn left. No Parking” are all examples of this. These words are very abrupt and somewhat jagged, creating the feeling of business. Stanza three also reminds us of the impact the car has in modern day lives. The car is dominant in the modern world. Dawe uses the onomatopoeic word ‘beep’ representing the sound of the horn to interrupt his sentences. As the stanza progresses the ‘beep’ becomes a sensor for the swearwords spoken as the person gets frustrated with life. The forth stanza of the poem is somewhat bitter and cynical. The character goes to a drive in movie and gets a glimpse of the night sky

The Metaphysical Poets - Marvell, Donne and Herbert

2002-05-26T14:00:00-04:00

Metaphysical poetry was originally a style of poetry to describe the poet John Donne's work, but then later extended to a school of 17th century poets. The verse deals with the use of philosophy to explain the human drama in the universe. Their poetic style and method is what linked the poets together. Here, the poets Andrew Marvell, who wrote 'To His Coy Mistress', George Herbert who wrote 'Love' and John Donne who wrote 'The Sun Rising' all fit into the metaphysical grouping. All the poems include an argument within themselves. The poem 'To His Coy Mistress' is structured within a syllogistic framework - which begins with an initial premise, then introduces a qualification to the premise, and ends with a resolution to the conflict. In addition, Marvell manages to marry a syllogistic framework with a passionate poem of seduction. He firstly argues that if the couple had all the time in the world, he would woo his lady so slowly her coyness would be irrelevant. "Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime." He proceeds to outline what he would do out of love for his lady if they were both to live for much longer, mentioning such lengths of time as centuries and ages. Throughout this initial premise of 'if', he uses esoteric imagery to illustrate his argument. For example, he describes his life as a 'vegetable' love, which not only gives connotations of a slow, developing love to grow for his 'mistress', but also the description of a 'vegetable soul.' The vegetable soul is the lowest level of the soul in the Renaissance concept in the levels of reason. Therefore, this suggests a kind of love that could exist without sensual enjoyment and suggests, by its association with the vegetable soul, that it is a lower form of love than sexual love. This is because the middle soul - the 'sensible soul' – deals with passion and love. This use of metaphysical conceit is common in all the poems, and Marvell's technique of drawing upon philosophy to illustrate his argument gives the poem an intellectual appeal, not just a visual one. There is also complete devotion displayed in this first stage of the argument, namely: "I would Love you ten years before the flood. And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews." Here, this deals with the extremity of his argument. He is prepared to love

Base Details

2002-05-21T14:00:00-04:00

The poem ‘Base Details’ by Siegfried Sassoon is a sarcastic attack against the army generals who view the war as a game similar to checkers. It is therefore evidence of why Siegfried Sassoon is known as the “voice of protest”. The first noticeable thing about the text is the title. The word base is a pun for the fact that base means headquarters as well as dishonourable or cowardly, which implies that he will talk about the dishonourable activities at the Army headquarters. Secondly, Sassoon appeared to have blamed the officers for the purposeless deaths of his fellow men, while they were behind the front line and had no idea what it was like. Sassoon uses many

Darkness and The Prisoner of Chillon - Comparing and Contrasting

2002-05-07T14:00:00-04:00

Introduction

In this essay I will be discussing the similarities and differences between two poems written by Lord Byron in 1816, “Darkness” and “The Prisoner Of Chillon”. I expect the poems will be very similar, as Lord Byron was inspired to write both of them on real events. “Darkness” was inspired by three volcanic explosions in different parts of the world in 1814 and 1815, which threw up masses of dust into the upper atmosphere, which made the summer of 1816 one of the darkest and wettest on record. This fact led Byron to imagine what might happen if the sun was blotted out permanently, and he wrote “Darkness”. Another time he went for a trip around Lake Geneva, Switzerland where he was staying with a close friend to escape London society’s hatred. Whilst on his trip he discovered the Castle of Chillon, in which, between 1526 and 1532, a famous Genevan writer called François Bonnivard had been imprisoned. Byron hated the idea of anyone being imprisoned for his or her beliefs, as Bonnivard was, so he then wrote “The Prisoner Of Chillon”.

Similarities

Byron seems to be obsessed with words ending in “-ess”, in “Darkness” he seems to fixate on words ending in “-less”, but in “The Prisoner Of Chillon” it is generally words ending in “-ess”. In “Darkness” the first example is: “Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;” lines 4+5 Later in “Darkness” there is an even better example of his fixation: “Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless,” line 71 In “The Prisoner Of Chillon” we don’t see this connection until much later in the poem: “A sea of stagnant Idleness Blind - boundless - mute - and motionless.” section 9, lines 249+250 In “The Prisoner Of Chillon” not only do we see his obsession with “-ess” words, but he also seems to be fanatical about the word “no”: “There were no stars - no earth - no time - No check - no change - no good - no crime -” section 9, lines 245+246 The effect this has on the poem is a very upsetting and negative mood, as it is constantly telling us that everything has stopped and there is nothing left, not even the pure elements. In both poems the subject of selfishness is mentioned. In “Darkness” the selfishness is the world’s wish for light: “Of this desolation; and all the hearts Were chill’d into a selfish prayer for light:” lines 8+9 In “The Prisoner Of

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

2002-05-06T14:00:00-04:00

“There is a difference between the way Prufrock sees himself, and the way the poem reveals him to us. He dramatises himself as a sensitive and slightly tragic figure; the poem exposes him as comic”. Does this correspond to your own reading of ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’? In the poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’, Prufrock sees himself as a victim social status. He believes that he is constantly being analysed by others and that he has been alienated from society. However Prufrocks way of life is not comic, but is rather the opposite: in that he is insecure; unable to make clear decisions; melodramatic and reserved. It is clear that in order to get what he wants, Prufrock has to be realistic, accept his life and his personality. In the poem, Prufrocks main interest lies in the upper class women, ‘in the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo.’. He is also struggling to leave his previous life behind him, to join the more cultured and civilised society. The frequently repeated question ‘How should I presume?’ demonstrates that Prufrock believes he is attempting to presume a status which isn’t rightfully his. Thus he regards himself as a victim of social status, who is unable to alter his standing in English society. This view is also evident in the line ‘No! I am not Prince hamlet, nor was meant to be;/ Am an attendant lord’, where Prufrock downsizes his role in society, saying that he is destined to remain a minor character, and is unable to take on a major role in society. The metaphor ‘when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,/ When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall’, suggests that Prufrock feels threatened by people, believing that they are constantly judging, analysing and categorising him, similar to an insect which has been pinned on a board for observation. Throughout the poem, Prufrock debates with himself wether or not he will ask one of the high-class women a question on the topic of his feelings of adoration for her. After much antagonising, Prufrock is unable to ask the question, as he is too afraid of the possible repercussions and the judgement which he might face. One of Prufrocks main concerns is that he has been alienated from society and that he does not belong anywhere. This can be seen in the

The world is Too much With us and The Chimney Sweeper (compare and contrast

2002-04-29T14:00:00-04:00

Poems are a particular way an author shows to the reader of what he feels and thinks about the actions of the world. In the poems “The World is Too Much With us” and “The Chimney Sweeper” both poets make the reader feel piety and disgust of human Nature. They both tell how society uses too much materialism, and how there is wasteful selfishness and prostitution. This form of writing was common during this time period in the industrial revolution. A lot of people were fed up with the waste and poverty and it seemed the only way to get the point across was with a pen and paper. The first time a poem is read the reader must go beyond the author’s words and look at the deeper meaning, this shows what the author is trying to prove. In William Blake’s poem, “The Chimney Sweeper”, he goes into a deeper description of the industrial revolution and the effect it had in the people in that time period. When looking closer the reader is able to tell the disguised meaning behind the words written. For example, in line 3 the poem states, “Could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep”. The meaning behind the words of the author proves how young this little boy actually was, and brings pity to the reader. Next the author takes the reader to a sweet dream the boy has and shows the reader of the false hope that carries keeps this boys spirit alive from day to day. This child is so ignorant to what is actually happening in his life he became unable to create a future for himself. In William Wordsworth’s poem, “The World is Too Much With Us” he shows the elegant way of how the societies system of work isn’t functioning properly. It is a warning to the industrial revolution and the future generations. Wordsworth was trying to point out that society is losing sight of what are important in this world. He tells how materialism and greed have overcome the human mind and spirit. In line 6 Wordsworth gives a magnificent of imagery to the reader, “The winds that will be howling at all hours. “ This is where Wordsworth gives nature human emotion so that it is easier for the reader to relate to what is being said and to help get them back with nature. Now looking beyond the meaning

Birches: Do the "Birches" Speak?

2002-04-15T14:00:00-04:00

The poem, “Birches,” by Robert Frost evokes all of the senses. Whether it is the rhythmic flow of the poem or the mere need to recite the words for a clearer understanding, the images that flood the mind are phenomenal. Imagery is an essential part of poetry. It creates a visual understanding of the overall meaning of the poem and gives a glimpse into the unsaid mind of Robert Frost. The imagery also paints a scene of cold wintry days and warmth of summer nights. Robert Frost, while knowing the realistic causes behind the bent birch trees, prefers to add an imaginative interpretation behind the bending of the birches. He also uses the entire poem to say something profound about life. The message that Frost could be implying is that life can be hard and people can lose there way, but there will always be innocence, love and beauty in the world if people look for it. Frost uses imagery to convey this meaning throughout the poem. In the first section of the poem, Frost explains the appearance of the birches. Frost wants to believe that the branches of the birches bend and sway because of a boy swinging on them. However, Frost suggests that repeated ice storms are what bend the branches. Frost compares the breaking away of the ice from the trees to the “dome of heaven” shattering (Line 13). This could be a metaphor for life using imagery. The ice can symbolize difficult times that come in life, while the ice breaking away may represent renewed hope for the future. Initially, the forest scene describes, "crystal shells Shattering and avalanching on the snow crust-- Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away" (10-12). The words "shattering and avalanching" (11) give the feeling of calamity and perhaps fear or sorrow. A disturbance in the universe is suggested by the "heaps of broken glass" (12) that make it seem as if "the inner dome of heaven had fallen" (13). Frost also lends sound to his description of the branches as “they click upon themselves As the breeze rises” (7-8). This may be a spin on the idea that problems and experiences "click" off of people, however, the click is not a snap implying that problems do not break people. Frost further explains the branches bend because of the ice, however, they do not break. This can also be compared

Songs of Experience - Challenges to conventional thinking in the poetry of William Blake

2002-04-13T14:00:00-04:00

In this essay I will be discussing, firstly, and in the context of my vague understanding of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century society in Britain, the criticism of dominant middle-class thought that William Blake presents in Songs of Experience . I understand that perhaps less than thirty copies of this were ever printed in Blake’s lifetime, so any challenge to contemporary conventional thinking was largely unheard, but this does not invalidate exploring the social conditions and attitudes that provoke the poems. I would then like to discuss some of Blake’s grander challenges to conventional thought and, in particular, the received truths of orthodox religion as put forth in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell . Here we find not only a challenge to conventional thought, but also a challenge to sanity, and I found it to be the case that after reading and re-reading, just when the poem appears to come into focus and some understanding is reached, the very line which seemed sensible becomes insane, and meaning is lost. This by no means detracts from the worth of the poem, and could be said to be its very argument: that my doors are in need of cleansing. The latter half of the eighteenth-century saw increased antagonism between the upper classes, which believed the lower classes had become riotous and unruly, and the lower classes, which were questioning the authority of the upper classes to keep them in subservience. With the government playing a diminishing role in the economy, and since only wealthy landholders could elect Members of Parliament, the chief concern of the state was the consolidation of property. ‘The great and chief end,’ said John Locke, ‘of men uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of their property.’ Between 1688 and 1810, parliament added around two hundred capital offences against property. The attitude towards the poor was generally that they were lazy, and so it was harsh treatment that was needed to solve poverty. So, only those wearing a ‘P’ for pauper could receive charity, and workhouses were established to hide the poor from sight. Of over two thousand children who entered London workhouses between 1750-55, perhaps ninety percent died there, and an extreme example of the treatment of children was the hanging of a seven-year old girl for theft. Growing prosperity amongst the middle class gave rise to a ‘culture of comfort’, and

Satan - John Milton

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Satan, as a character, has been satirized, mocked and made foolish in our modern world. John Milton, however, presents quite a different Satan from the devil-on-your-shoulder image people are used to seeing. In Paradise Lost, Milton draws on the Bible for his source of Satan’s character, thereby creating a horrifyingly corrupt Satan. Despite this portrayal, readers often find themselves sympathizing with Satan’s cause, and his determination, viewing him as a hero for his cause, as evidenced by his long, brave speeches. Later, however Satan’s speeches begin to show signs of regret, making the reader question their initial reaction to him. In the end the image of Satan is further skewed by his own incriminating speech. Thus, the speeches of Satan, which initially draw readers to be supportive of his plight, later reveal his truly destructive character, resulting in the reader disliking Satan more than if he initially presented himself as a coward. Early on in Paradise Lost, Satan is found in conversation with his right hand man, Beelzebub, plotting another attack on Heaven. In this conversation, Satan establishes himself as a defender of freedom, a role that is attractive to readers. This is demonstrated in his speech in Book 1, where he says, describing Hell:

Here at least We shall be free; th’ Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heav’n (1.258-263)

Readers admire Satan’s independent attitude, that he feels he would rather be free and reign in Hell, than be under someone else’s authority in Heaven. This speech elevates Satan in the minds of readers to hero status, willing to defend what he believes in, even if it means suffering. His advocacy of freedom gains him reader support, which serves useful later in the poem when Milton uses this perception to highlight Satan’s destructive attitude. Milton is able to do this because it is always worse, and more shocking to see a liked individual reveal himself to be bad, than to always know a bad individual to be bad. Thus, the initial support that Satan gains from readers is designed to alienate him further when his evil side prevails. As the character of Satan progresses, the reader becomes less willing to accept Satan’s goal of freedom of choice. This is largely due to Satan’s own words

Tennyson

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Just a note. i did poorly on this, not becaus the essay completely sucks, but because i completely ignored the topic. It could be tremendously useful for someone not writing a research paper, as I was supposed to have done

Many words have been written on the subject of love. Many words have also been written on the subject of industrial change, specifically the Industrial Revolution. Both have appeared frequently in prose and poetry alike, yet the two subjects are not often connected in the mind. They pose different questions and dilemmas; one tackled primarily from an emotional perspective, the other from a highly intellectual standpoint. Yet, in his poem “Locksley Hall”, Lord Alfred Tennyson tackles both of these issues in one poem. His approach is unique, linking his topics together on the basis of his own indecision, drawing parallels that make perfect sense, but that otherwise would not likely be considered. His use of poetry to achieve this purpose of exposing two issues, and remaining without resolution is crucial. This objective could not be achieved in argumentative prose, where the simple expectation of flow and logic inhibits the ability to combine unrelated ideas. Thus, by using poetry, Tennyson is able to successfully combine emotional love, and intellectual thoughts on the industrial age by tying them together with his own lack of decisiveness. Tennyson’s use of rhyming couplets is the first thing that one notices when reading the poem. Thoughts are quick, and often are left without expansion. The fifteen syllable lines force ideas to develop quickly, creating a sense of the fast paced times that Tennyson was a part of. The poem is told from the perspective of a man who is trying to overcome the emotions he feels about the fact that his love has been lost to a rich landowner. Obviously upset by this, the poem deals with his lack of action in the matter, as he chooses to simply watch the events and comment on them. His lack of action however, can be justified by the idea that he feels virtually helpless in the situation. Tennyson is able to voice the storyteller’s emotions effectively by making use of the urgency and desperation that is created by the couplets. Tennyson writes of the lost love, “O my cousin, shallow-hearted! O my Amy, mine no more!/ Of the dreary, dreary moorland! O the barren, barren shore!/ Falser than all fancy

Wordsworth

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

William Wordsworth’s description of his poetry in “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” gives the impression that it feel much like a modern newspaper to a reader; basic and with wide appeal. He emphasizes the idea of simplicity and familiarity of both topic and language, arguing the superiority of a poem that appeals to the common person. However, despite the value placed on simplicity, his poems are far above what many readers would perceive to be elementary. This is demonstrated by the fact that his poems are still a valuable piece of literature for study. The reason for this is that although he does put a large amount of weight on using common language, Wordsworth also counterbalances his style of poetry by striving “to throw over [poems] a certain colouring of imagination, whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual way”(241). An excellent example of this balance is in his poem “Nutting”, published in the second version of “Lyrical Ballads”. It balances creativity with the ordinary which, when combined with common setting and speech, elevates Wordsworth’s work above many of his contemporaries, and increases its appeal to commoners and scholars alike. Wordsworth’s devotion to the ordinary things in life can be fully seen in his poem “Nutting”. The poem tells the story of Wordsworth as a youth, going into the forest in search of hazel nuts, an activity that would have been very familiar to anyone reading the poem at the time. The diction of the poem is a very customary language, as Wordsworth settles comfortably into his self-imposed formula. However, while this style may be attractive to many, it is his ability to weave common speech into imaginative patterns that truly makes the poem exceptional. Wordsworth’s talent in expression is notable in “Nutting” as he describes himself beneath a perfectly undisturbed hazel nut tree. He takes simple words, and a conventional setting, then spins them into innovative phrases. When describing himself finding the tree he writes, “—a little while I stood,/ Breathing with such suppression of the heart/As joy delights in; and, with wise restraint/ Voluptuous, fearless of a rival, eyed the banquet”(21-25). While the language is common, and the scene familiar, the creative way in which Wordsworth puts the sentence together stimulates the mind without confusing it. It provokes the reader to imagine Wordsworth’s feelings, almost sharing with him the emotions everyone feels when pleasantly surprised by

Sparrow and Rose - Critical analysis

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

In this essay I intend to look at two poems: Sparrow by Thom Gunn and Rose by Walter de la Mare. I will analyse each poem in terms of their tone, treatment, subject and verse technique and then compare them to see if there are any significant similarities or differences between them. Both poems are examples of lyric poetry. The main features of lyric poetry are strong emotional feeling and extensive use of imagery. Lyric poetry covers everything from hymns, lullabies, and folk songs to the huge variety of love songs and poems. The content of lyric poetry is as varied as the concerns of people in every period and in every part of the world. Attitude and manner were the distinctive aspects of 20th century poetry. Gunn felt that to sentimentalise was to diminish the meaning within a poem. His poem Sparrow completely exemplifies this opinion and the overall style of 20th century poetry. It is written as a speech from a homeless beggar and it gives the reader an outlook on his life. The title of the poem is the nickname of the beggar, Sparrow. Gunn is using a nature comparison by comparing the beggar to the bird; he perhaps feels that sparrows are scavengers and are as helpless as the beggar is. It could also be because living on the streets means the beggar is close to nature. The poem is structured into seven stanzas, each with four lines. This is quite a simple structure, which could serve to represent the intellect of the beggar. The first stanza stands out on the page, as it is slightly indented and also has a different rhyme scheme to the rest of the poem (a, a, b, b). This has the effect of drawing the reader's attention to it and making it seem more significant than the other stanzas. Its tone differs from that of the other stanzas in the poem, as it acts as a soliloquy; it is the cry of the beggar. Gunn uses the repetition of "change Sir" to create emphasis and add to the desperation of the tone. Using 'Sir' to address the person he is pleading to, suggests that Sparrow is polite and respectful, which allows the reader to sympathise with him more. If he were being aggressive the reader would feel that he deserved to be homeless and ultimately would not be moved by the

Romantic poetry - Imagination and Emotion

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

"particular characteristics of the literature of romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on individualism; spontaneity; freedom from rules; solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty; love of and worship of nature; and fascination with the past, especially the myths and mysticism of the middle ages." http://www.uh.edu/engines/romanticism/ In this essay I will be looking mainly at Tears, Idle Tears by Tennyson and discussing how it focuses on aspects of imagination and emotion. I will also look briefly at Rose by Walter de la Mare. I will be examining the ways in which they incorporate imagery and emotions into their poems. I will also compare the poems in terms of the degree of imagery and emotion they contain, to see whether some Romantics were more 'romantic' than others were. Romanticism was a movement in poetry (and art and literature in general) of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in revolt against the type of poetry of previous centuries. It allowed poets to write about anything; no longer were there 'fit subjects for writing'. It introduced the use of realistic-sounding language and talked about first-hand experience, thus communicating meaning much more effectively to the reader. The German poet Friedrich Schlegel first used the term romantic to describe literature, defining it as "literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form." The British Romantic poets lived through a period of rapid social change (brought about by the French Revolution) and responded fully to these changes in their writing. Examples of British poets who were highly influential in the Romantic period were Blake, Coleridge, Keats, Scott, Shelley, Wordsworth and Tennyson. "Many hold to the theory that it was in Britain that the Romantic Movement really started quite early in the 18th century one can discern a definite shift in sensibility and feeling, particularly in relation to the natural order and Nature" (J.A. Cuddon) Now that I have discussed what Romanticism is, I will now look at Tears, Idle Tears, which is one of the three songs from The Princess by Tennyson. The poem is set out into four stanzas of equal length, and is written in blank verse, meaning that it has no rhyme scheme. The title of the poem is interesting because the word 'idle' can have many different meanings (Tennyson revised it from Tears, Foolish Tears, for this reason). The word 'idle' is associated

Evil is Truth, Truth, Evil

2002-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

John Keats brilliantly uses poetic form and descriptive language to attempt to evoke interest in an inherently uninteresting subject, as well as support a hidden agenda, with his poem, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”. The three primary tools Keats uses, from which we can analyze his strategy, are the title of the poem, diction conforming to rhyme scheme, and literary devices. The title of the poem, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” seems at first innocuous and meaningless, but when analyzed at greater depth, sinister meaning becomes evident. Each word in the title has meaning. First, we see that he used the word “Ode” in the title, blatantly stating the poetic form of his work. This makes assumptions about the audience, the first of which being that they are too ignorant to discern for themselves the poetic form of the poem. The second reason for the word “Ode” in the title is to make firm in the reader’s mind that the poem will praise the urn as its primary function. The next word, “on”, is an odd choice for the title. It would make more sense to use the word “to” (Ode to a Grecian Urn); Keats wanted to tie the title to the final two lines, that the true ode (the poetry) is actually ON the Grecian Urn. Perhaps he intended this as a sort of double meaning to his poem, it would come as little surprise from such an odd thinker as he. The third word, “a”, serves an obvious meaning: to establish that there is only one of these Urns, perhaps cementing the uniqueness of the Urn. The fourth word comes as a surprise as well- why did he not simply use the adjective “Greek”? In the Webster’s New World Dictionary, “Greek” is defined as “of ancient or modern Greece, its people, language or culture,” whereas “Grecian” is defined as “1) a Greek 2) a scholar of Greek.” The word “Grecian” is obviously not an adjective, merely a noun, and as such makes the sentence incomprehensible to standard conventions of English. Enter adjectivizing. This practice occurs once writers run out of good adjectives; they take perfectly elf nouns and make those hippopotamus nouns into adjective nouns. This works with verbing as well. In the previous sentence, the noun “verb” was verbed. Either Keats was an ignoramus who thought “Grecian” was an adjective, or he did it on purpose.

The Rape of the Lock - Satire

2002-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

Pope skillfully uses the mock epic genre to satirize the triviality of his society through exaggeration, parody, and juxtaposition in rhyming couplets. The epic form inherently makes subject matter larger than life and Pope cleverly uses this characteristic to reveal the absurdity of the society he lives in. In his epic, he mocks misplaced importance by placing an event as inconsequential as the snipping off of some hair at the root of his action. In Canto III, Pope turns a simple card game into a complex “combat on [a] velvet plain” through description that exaggerates the little action that actually takes place. In this glorified game of Ombre, hands are not merely hands; they are armies, just as face cards are “four kings in majesty revered, with hoary whiskers and a forky beard”, “four fair queens whose hands sustain a flower, the expressive emblem of their softer power”, and “four knaves in garb succinct, a trusty band, caps on their heads, and halberts in their hand.” By placing great importance on insignificant matters, Pope reveals his society’s tendency to do the same thing. Pope also parodies the epic form in order to expose questionable values in his time. The feast, a scene common in great epics, is mirrored by the coffee scene in Pope’s mock epic. “The board with cups and spoons is crowned” in an elaborate display to illustrate the great worth placed on china and utensils. Instead of vessels to hold their beverages, Pope describes them as “China’s earth [receiving] the smoking tide... on shining alters of Japan.” Coffee is given almost supernatural powers in its ability to “[make] the politician wise, and see through all things with is half-shut eyes.” It is this “fuming liquor” that “[sends] up vapours in the baron’s brain”, inspiring him with the plan to cut off a lock of Belinda’s hair. This scene parodies great epics with the purpose of satirizing the importance placed on coffee. Pope’s most skillful weapon his perhaps his talented juxtaposition in rhyming couplets. He places together the mundane with the uncommon with ease to suggest the frivolity of the values at the time. Canto III opens with a description of Hampton Court, where Queen Anna resides, “whom three realms obey, dost sometimes counsel take - and sometimes tea.” In this beautifully constructed and succinct couplet, Pope sets the tone for events to follow in the court. He establishes that these

Metaphysical Conciets in Valediction: A Forbidden Mourning

2002-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

John Donne uses three metaphysical conceits to successfully convince his love of the transcendent nature of their relationship. His first conceit compares their great love to the moving of celestial bodies above the moon. Donne juxtaposes this metaphor with the “moving of th’ earth” in order to emphasize how phenomenal their love is. He states that even though earthquakes “[bring] harms and fears”, the much greater “trepidation of the the spheres... is innocent” This conceit reveals the nature of two contrasting types of love: earthly lust and the transcendent bond between him and his wife. The one dimensional sensual love will be shaken and demolished by change and movement of the two partners. Conversely, the love Donne shares with his partner will not be rattled by his departure because it is far too pure. This pure and precious attraction is compared to gold in Donne’s second conceit. Like the highest quality gold, their relationship is “so much refined that [they] know not what it is”. They do, however, understand that their’s is a love “inter-assuréd of the mind” and could “care less [about] eyes, lips, and hands”. Because their relationship is not founded on the physical aspects of each other, Donne’s leaving will not force their love to “endure... a breach”. Their two souls are one, and like “gold to airy thinness beat”, their souls will “[expand]” as Donne moves farther away. In the final conceit, a vividly described compass is compared to their two souls. In order to further convince his wife, Donne explains that their love will remain intact even if their souls are not one. He declares that “if they are two, they are two so as stiff twin compasses are two”. Their souls are identical, and although separate, they are connected at the top. “[His wife’s] soul [is] the fixed foot” while he is the foot that “far doth roam”. While his wife must stay in one place, she “leans and hearkens after [Donne]”, “[growing]erect as [he] comes home”. Through all the movement, these two souls remain joined at the top of the compass, symbolic of their transcendent union. Only the bottom of the feet are far apart, symbolizing that their separation is only earthly and physical. Donne closes by telling his wife that “[her] firmness makes [his] circle just, and makes [him] end, where [he] begun”, powerfully illustrating the depth of their relationship. Donne’s metaphysical conceits allowed his wife

Exposure

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

A person who experiences war will be changed forever, their outlook on life is forever a special one. These people are the witnesses to a mass slaughter, they couldn’t be anything but disturbed by this. When soldiers are in battle they need to be aware of one thing, their mental health, without it all hope for them must be given up. In Owen’s poem there is a personification, creating a metaphor, made between the never ceasing weather and the emotions of the soldiers. “Watching, we hear the mad gusts of tugging on the wire.” The mad gusts are, literally, the wind blowing against these soldiers who are mentally and physically worn down. As the wind applies to emotions, though, the mad gusts are actually the soldiers' grief that is felt by all of them. The wire represents the emotional line that, if crossed, will physically destroy the soldier by means of emotions. Even something as strong and taught as wire is being forced in an opposing direction do to the war, such is their emotion of nationalism. There is also a strong sense of imagery imposed on the reader. “Shutters and doors, all closed; on us the doors are closed:” This is the turning point not only in the poem but in the war as well. The soldiers have reached such mental fatigue that they have simply given up, they don’t even care about their aching brains at this point, it is now just a matter of getting as far away from there as possible. With the doors and shutters being closed, though, you can see soldiers walking out of a smoke filled abyss of a battlefield with each soldier lost and confused as to what they’ve been through. The soldiers of war bear and enormous load, not just of gear, but of emotional grief as well. “…They carried hot chow in green mermite cans...” O’Brian over elaborates this point to show the reader that this is a very special occasion. This is done so that it is clear to the reader that the soldiers are so lost within themslves. The thought of a hot meal triggers a warm feeling of home for them, this is why they rush to take it in, they are yearning for something that they’re used to. This is why the author has taken the time to describe the color and type of can, he wants

The Panther

2002-02-17T13:00:00-05:00

The language of the poem conjures many images and develops an entire story in itself. The vision of the panther, his line of sight, is filled with, “the constantly passing bars,” his steady strides, pacing back and forth. “There are / a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world,” displays the panther’s state of mind, no

A & P: Barefoot & decently dressed

2002-02-17T13:00:00-05:00

The conflict in this short story is apparent in the differing point-of-views of these conflicting social classes. Sammy, the checker narrator and unappreciated, unsuspected hero, depicts the dividing line, or is in a sense the middleman. There are three social classes which are very distinct within “A & P.” These social classes are all portrayed through Sam’s description of the events of the fateful Thursday afternoon. This afternoon is when the girls, lead by the one Sammy calls Queenie, entered the A & P to purchase the jar of herring snacks. Sammy, the unrequited hero, makes up the first of the three groups represented. He is the embodiment of the middle class, the observer and classifier. His descriptions are from a point of view, which is as if he was brought up in the upper class setting, but never truly saw himself as belonging there. The girls, all three of them, make up the third group representing the lower class. These girls obviously know their standing in this society, “getting sore now that she remembers her place, a place from which… must look pretty crummy,” but are however trying to act as if understanding this doesn’t effect them in their search for the “Fancy” herring snacks. This ploy is not effective enough since Queenie is apparently instructing her friends, “you got the idea she had talked the other two into coming in here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight.” Taking into account these girls were dressed only in bathing suits, they caught not only the eye of Sammy but of many others in the store, including the manager, Lengel. Who, makes up the third social class in which he is representative of the upper class. However Lengel is just within the lower portion of this snooty upper class. Considering Lengel also is the one to instigate the actual verbal conflict, it is apparent his job is to adhere to and police the guidelines of the different social classes. He is to be aware of the attempts of others around him to try and cross those barriers, he “teaches Sunday school and the rest, but he doesn’t miss that much.” Since these social classes are not clearly divided within the short story they are described with the other in mind. They are related to in degrees of each other, in the

A Connoisseur of American Verse: An Explication of Poetry by Langston Hughes

2002-02-05T13:00:00-05:00

Hard Daddy, Midwinter Blues, Little Old Letter

Langston Hughes electrifies readers and launched a renaissance in black writing in America. The poems Hughes wrote celebrated the experience of black men and women, the poor, and the lovesick. Helping the African-American male gain praise in the poetic and musical world Hughes conveyed an experience that turned poetic lines into the phrases of lyrical blues. Leading the new century with greatness it can clearly be said that Langston Hughes was one of the great connoisseurs of American verse. To first understand Langston Hughes’ blues you must first know what blues is and what the common meter is for blues. Blues is basically a line pertaining to a time or event followed by another line that has something to do with the first line. A repetition of the first two lines is then done to create emphasis. A last line or two that has a rhyme scheme that is similar to the first four lines within the stanza. The meter usually contained within blues lyrics is iambic trochee. Iambic trochee is marked by an unstressed point followed by a stressed point proceeded by two unstressed points and ensuing that would be another stressed point. In the poem “Hard Daddy” it is clearly seen how Hughes used iambic trochee to perform his blues. “I went to ma daddy, Says Daddy I have got the blues.” If noticed in the first two lines of “Hard Daddy” the word “went” is a stress point while “I” is the unstressed point. “To ma” are two other unstressed points while “Daddy” is a stressed point. The first stanza is a common iambic trochee. After knowing what blues is and how it is to be read the poems by Hughes can be broken down. In poem one, “Hard Daddy”, it is quite literal. The tone is sad, the speaker is upset about her “man”. The speaker’s father is not the loving kind. He turns his shoulder on the occasion of his daughter needing help. Angered, the speaker wishes she “had wing to/ Fly like the eagle flies. / I’d fly on ma man an’/ I’d scratch out both his eyes.” Like the blues, this poem is quite literal. Hughes used the basic format of blues to convey a moment in time. Poem two, “Midwinter Blues”, is about a woman left by a man. The quote, “Left when the coal was low”, can

The Jaguar

2002-02-04T13:00:00-05:00

“The Jaguar”, by Ted Hughes is about a trip that Hughes made to the zoo. In the poem, he attempts to convey his views human behaviour by relating it to animals in the zoo and by using his diverse lexical choice he excellently depicts the scene. The first two verses begin with Hughes talking about the apathy, inactivity and harmlessness of the animals in the zoo he is visiting. He implies his disapproval of these things by using phrases such as; “The apes yawn, and adore their fleas in the sun” Hughes suggests that these apes he has encountered had become so bored that their grooming of each other was almost a religion. It was merely a way of giving the apes something to do. He continues this idea of disapproval by then going to describe the parrots as they: “shriek as if they were on fire, or strut Like cheap tarts to attract the stroller with the nut.” This furthermore suggests Hughes disapproval of these animals being brought to a level where they will show off just to get food and attention. In the second verse, Hughes goes on to comment on the many cages in the zoo, and how he walks past them all believing them to be empty, only to discover that the cages in fact harbour sleeping animals who have decided to just sleep during the day instead of impressing the zoo visitors. “The boa-constrictor’s coil Is a fossil. Cage after cage seems empty, or Stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw” Hughes’s appropriate and skilful use of metaphorical language becomes apparent as he compares the boa constrictor a fossil. In this way, he shows what he sees before him as the coiled up snake literally looks like a fossil. But, metaphorically, he is suggesting that the snake is almost dead, like a fossil. He feels cheated, and talks about how these animals could be painted on a nursery wall. In saying this, he is suggesting that these animals are so harmless that they remind him of the cartoon animals painted on a nursery wall: all softened up, and not ferocious looking. The final three verses of the poem show’s Hughes sudden change of heart towards the animals in captivity, and he begins to contrast what he has said previously to this newfound interest: the jaguar. To signal his change of tone, Hughes begins the third verse with a simple “But” going on to describe a passer by as

Mean Time - Memory

2002-01-13T13:00:00-05:00

Discuss ways in which memory is explored

“Mean time” is, in essence, a collection of poems concerned with history and memory throughout the anthology. Carol Ann Duffy uses many literary and thematic devices to explore the theme of memory such as the dramatic monologue which enables the socialisation of self who can then speak without the fear of censorship; objectivity of viewpoints. It provides disassociation for the poet from the persona in which they are speaking thus making the poetry more universal and accessible, especially due to the different personas that Carol Ann Duffy adopts. These enable her to her to incite different times of life from which memories are, for example, Captain of the 1964 team” for childhood to “Adultery” for the pinnacle of adulthood and as the anthology progresses, the poetry becomes darker and less idealistic. The language highlights this; “star spangled and burst like a red balloon” to language of death throughout the later poetry. The difference of gendered and ungendered voices seems to re-negotiate the boundaries more acutely in love poetry between the lover and the beloved. Carol Ann Duffy uses personal memory with interwoven references to texts such as DH Lawrence’s “Humming Bird” in “Captain” which contexualise her poetry and add weight to its meaning. A poem in which Duffy uses the device of evoking idealistic memory through childhood is in “Captain of the 1964 Team”. She underwrites personal memories with external textual references, for example in the progression of language from babyhood to adulthood, which encapsulates the meaning of the poem itself. “Humming bird is likened to the DH Lawrence’s work of the same name citing that it is “Primeval dumb, far back” which intensifies the theme of memory. Within the poems I am using to examine the question of memory in Mean Time, temporal progression is represented by the progression by stanza and word association in “Captain” and in “Moments of Grace” where they “look for the doing words” juxtaposed to “peeling an orange”. This temporal movement is important in the theme of memory and enhances the poems effectiveness in conveying memory through the sense of urgency or disappointment that it invokes. This is clearly illustrated in “Moments of Grace” where reflection is the force behind the poems effectiveness. Word association within it of “staggering” suggests disorientation further heightened by imbalanced lines and complex similes that Duffy uses to evoke remembrance. “Dusk” suggests an indistinct

Walt Whitman - The American Poet

2002-01-05T13:00:00-05:00

There’s no question to who the worlds greatest poet is, William Shakespeare, but theres also no question to who the worlds greatest 19th century poet is, Walt Whitman. Whitman was a great influence on many American and foreign poets. His style and concerns are like no others. Where would American literature be today without Walt Whitman? Whitman was born in Huntington, New York. He was the second born of nine children. His family moved when he was four and he grew up in Brooklyn. For many years Whitman was in and out of editing newspapers and writing for them, even teaching public school at one time in his carrer. In 1855 Whitman released “Leaves of Grass”, a kind of poetry, far different from his sappy rhymed verses earlier years. Many considered Whitman’s praising the human body vulgar. Whitman was forced to publish it himself. This book of poems published by Whitman was a new kind of peotry that the people of the 19th century had never seen before. His style was filled with rhymes and reasons, suffering and symbolism. Whitman republished “Leaves of Grass” nine times, by the third time the book had tripled in size. With each new addition “Leaves of Grass” saw more and more sales and eventually Whitman was able to survive comfortably on his poems success. Whitman was also very fond of operas. This influence drives the writing of two of Whitman’s poems, "Children of Adam" and "Calamus". The Civil War was hard on Walt Whitman. Through the war Whitman was often depressed about the war torn country, and would often write poems of angry and dislike for the war, of which he would never publish. During 1862, in the middle of the Civil War, Whitman left Brooklyn to search for his brother George who was listed as missing after the Battle of Fredericksburg. George had became a prisoner of the Confederates Army. Know one really knows if he found hs brother, but we do know that he there found him self working in a military hospital. It seems as though all great writers have some kind of war experience, whether it be fighting in the war or just helping in a hospital. The war gave Whitman some great and needed inspiration. Whitman published a small volume of poems entitled, “Drum Taps”. They were later included in the 1867 edition of “Leaves of Grass”. Finally, in 1881,

Wish You Were Here

2002-01-03T13:00:00-05:00

A poet is that which the Greeks called a maker: his Art an art of imitation, of faining: expressing the life of man in fit measure, numbers, and harmony, according to Aristotle… A poet…writes things like the Truth.1.

The metaphorical marvel that is Craig Raine’s ‘A Martian Sends a Postcard Home’ specific purpose is to compel us through the virginal eyes of another, to look at everyday, inanimate objects in a new perspective. Raine attempts this by disguising the dramatic monologue as a postcard. In this simile he can entrust the recipient to decipher the figurative fragments of verse. The poem is: “…addressed from one individual [a martian] to another in a way that [implies it] would be read in private by a single reader”.2. Thus, the poet’s own personal and obscure view can be expressed. Raine chooses an alien as an ‘intelligent eye’ to ponder and ridicule human qualities of impatience, frailty, proneness to haste, prosperity and weakness. Displaying his own impatience, frustration and despair at these unenviable attributes we possess. The sequences of events are displayed in a chronological order, developing coherently the alien’s view of his one-day visitors’ pass to Earth. The journey begins: “Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings”. Caxtons are the original printers, ‘mechanical’ denoting; of or using machinery; printing press. ‘Wings’ connote pages. Raine is illustrating a book. By using the word ‘mechanical’ Raine is defining books; as void or lacking of thought or emotion. In contradictory terms Raine completes the first stanza: “…and some are treasured for their markings”, insinuating their opposing wealth and riches. The first line ends with a one-syllable (masculine) ‘wings’, and concludes on the second line with a two-syllable (feminine), rhyming; ‘markings’. The non-metrical form continues its’ opposing theme in the second stanza…

they cause the eyes to melt or the body to shriek without pain.

Pain is linked to joy in this oxymoron to reflect awe and bewilderment. The thought or emotion that was lacking earlier in the books is now depicted in us as we read them. Laughing and crying are opposing contrasts, causing opposing feelings as we read. The words ‘shriek’ and ‘melting’ are qualifiers, ‘eyes melting’, ‘body shrieking’ impose more meaning than ‘crying’ and ‘laughing’…

the content of each individual line dictates its length, its own number of measures…This kind of poetry often uses some type of linguistic pattern, such as repetition, to replace the regular metrical pattern we usually

Richard Cory: The Moral

2001-12-21T13:00:00-05:00

In a society generally shaped by its commercialism, many people will fall into the unfortunate trap of trying to exceed someone else’s standards. The catalyst for this maddening condition exists all around us: in car commercials, on bumper stickers (“He who dies with the most toys wins!”), in stores peddling expensive passing fashions, and on billboards flaunting houses of ridiculous size and cost. Children are conditioned to covet a brass ring that is impossible to attain, and will either spend a lifetime sacrificing personal happiness to conquer a status, or will simply give up rather than face certain failure. No matter what amount of drive and desire one possess, it never fails that there is always someone who has achieved so much more. On the surface they seem to have it all, and in our admiration, we are often riddled with desperate jealousy. Edwin Arlington Robinson exemplified this condition masterfully in his poem Richard Cory. The speaker of the poem is someone in a low working class, but he is speaking for everyone in his community who seems to be of equal financial stature. They toil away at work that is both dirty and grueling, and at the end of the day there is very little to show for it. They are hungry- not only for food, but also for comfort. Robinson himself lived in poverty, and was almost certainly familiar with the feeling of envy that this character reveals in the poem. But are the poor in fact at the bottom of the emotional heap? Perhaps a closer look into each line of the text will demonstrate that things aren’t always as they seem. The first stanza of the poem gives the reader a glimpse into what Richard Cory is all about, or at least how he is perceived. In the first two lines we are introduced to the poem’s namesake, Richard Cory, and we know that he is someone that people take notice of. Line three states that “He was a gentleman from sole to crown,” which tells us that he was a man of good breeding, from top to bottom. Here Robinson uses the word ‘crown’ for his head, but perhaps this is also as a symbol of royalty; someone who is above the rest. In the fourth line Robinson uses the word “imperially” to

Robert Frost

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

"Do not follow where the path may lead... Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Robert Frost Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads to follow on the map of their continuous journey, life. There is never a straight path that leaves one with but a sole direction in which to head. Regardless of the original message that Robert Frost had intended to convey, his poem, "The Road Not Taken", has left its readers with many different interpretations. It is one's past, present and the attitude with which he looks upon his future that determines the shade of the light that he will see the poem in. In any case however, this poem clearly demonstrates Frost's belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him the man who he is. "And sorry I could not travel both..." It is always difficult to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity cost, what will be missed out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler "looks down one as far as I could". The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much he may strain his eyes to see as far the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the way that he chooses here that sets him off on his journey and decides where he is going. "Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim." What made it have the better claim is that "it was grassy and wanted wear." It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other path therefore he calls it "the road less travelled by". The fact that the traveler took this path over the more popular, secure one indicates the type of personality he has, one that does not want to necessarily follow the crowd but do more of what has never been done, what is new and different. "And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black." The leaves had covered

Walt Whitman

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

Walt Whitman wrote many poems that contained very strong political and economical aspects, which gave an insight into his own beliefs and values. Among some of the various other themes he wrote about, Whitman frequently used the Civil War as a foundation for his works. Another theme that was presented, which in some way is incorporated with the previous theme, was that of social unity and the importance of each individual. His ideas about the Civil war come about in many of his poems. In "Beat! Beat! Drums!" he tells how war disturbs the lives of everyone, with no remorse. The Civil Wwar was on the minds and hearts of every American at the time, and no one was left unaffected by its repercussions. Whitman relays this by using the drums as a symbol for the raging war. He says in the poem, "So strong you thump O terrible drums---so loud you bugles blow." This line gives us an understanding of his feelings of the war. I believe he thought it was a bad thing that we had to fight amongst our brothers, but that it was necessary in order to rid our country of the plague of slavery. Whitman, an abolitionist, had strong opposition to slavery and saw the Civil War as a last resort that was a long time coming. Continuing with this theme of the Civil War, Whitman wrote the short poem, "This Dust Was Once the Man." In this poem, Whitman pays homage to arguably one of the greatest leaders this country has ever seen, Abraham Lincoln. He credits Lincoln with the salvation of the Union. It seems as if this poem is Whitman reflecting back on Lincoln's life, writing it at the scene of his grave, and just remembering the greatness he possessed. This was not the last time he would pay tribute to the fallen leader. In "O Captain, My Captain," Whitman refers to Lincoln again, this time as a captain figure. He tells about how the brave captain had won the battle and brought the ship back home safely, but his life was taken and he lay dead on the ship. The ship in the poem represents the Confederacy, and how President Lincoln had worked so hard to bring them back to the Union, bringing America back together. Whitman puts himself in the place of a sailor, mourning the loss of his fearless leader. The

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud

2001-11-17T13:00:00-05:00

Wandering Through Wordsworth’s Poem William Wordsworth is a famous Romantic English poet known for his imagery. In his poem "I wandered lonely as a cloud," we can see his use of imagery and emotion at its best. This also happens to be one of my favorite poems. This poem's plot is simple. We the reader are being taken along for a magical trip that the author is recounting. The speaker says that while wandering like a cloud floating above hills and valleys he encounters a field of daffodils beside a lake. These dancing, fluttering flowers caught the heart of our speaker. We can obviously see that this moment in his life has meant a great deal to him. He says that a poet could not help but be happy in such a joyful company of flowers. He also says whenever he feels "vacant" or "pensive" the memory flashes upon "that inward eye / That is the bliss of solitude," and his heart fills with pleasure "and dances with the daffodils." The imagery Wordsworth uses is very powerful, making me feel like I too saw this wonderful sight of daffodils. He uses gentle words like the gentle flower that he is describing. He mentions that the daffodils are “fluttering” “dancing “ and “twinkling,” such terms make the lines flow with a musical eloquence. He is able to make the daffodils come to life in a joyous movement making me feel like I am also swaying along with the flowers. We can see that he holds daffodils and nature in high regard. This poem has a lot of nature images that you can practically see: the trees, the water, the stars, and the daffodils. His tone is merry and flows quickly and nicely. It's like he is creating a painting not a poem. The images around him all seem to be in harmony, and, like he says, "dance" together. The extent of his joy is when he is among the daffodils, but the greater experience he seems to gain is the recollection of that moment of tranquility while with that "jocund company." The cloud he mentions is used not to represent loneliness, but rather, aloneness. Like they say, "there is a difference between begin lonely and being alone." The poet thinks of himself as like the cloud in the sense of being free and being able to look at such beauty. He mentions the words

Resolution and Independence - Imagination and Mortality

2001-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, states that the secondary or poetic imagination is the power which, “Reveals itself in the balance or reconciliation of opposite or discordant qualities…of…idea with the image” (Coleridge 482). In, Resolution and Independence, Wordsworth attempts to create an image of the poetic imagination in a decrepit old man. In so doing, Wordsworth attaches his own fears of mortality and aging, and thus oversteps Coleridge’s idea of the imagination with the imagery of his own fears. Wordsworth’s description of the old man’s occupation gives the clearest image of the secondary imagination. “At length, himself unsettling, he the pond Stirred with his staff, and fixedly did look Upon the muddy water, which he conned…” (Wordsworth 283). The use of the words “stirred” and “conned” are important because they imply the coalescing and creative power of the poetic imagination. In the word “stirred” Wordsworth evokes the idea of disturbing the silt on the ponds bed to create a muddy mixture. “Conned” furthers the image by implying that the man is getting something out of this mixture much the way the poet uses his imagination to create something out of “Opposite or discordant qualities” (Coleridge 482). The man as representative of the poetic imagination is also seen in the fact that he is gathering leeches. “He told, that to these waters he had come To gather leeches,…” (Wordsworth 283). The leeches are what the man is conning out of the pond. Metaphorically, they are the poems of the old man. The leeches are the new thing created from the opposites, water and silt. Wordsworth falls short of making this man a complete image of the secondary imagination when he describes the man himself. “As a huge stone is sometimes seen to lie Couched on the bald top of an eminence…” (Wordsworth 282) Using the image of a stone implies that the secondary imagination is something timeless and placing it on top of a cliff or mountain represents the fortitude and solidarity of the poetic imagination. This comparison fits well with Coleridge’s idea that the secondary imagination is exclusive to poets (Coleridge 477), but it is contrary to Wordsworth’s image of a decrepit old man. “Such seemed this Man, not all alive nor dead, Nor all asleep--in his extreme old age: His body was bent double, feet and head Coming together in life’s pilgrimage; As if some dire constraint of pain, or rage Of sickness felt by him in times long past, A more than human weight upon his frame had

Theme for English B - Different, but the Same

2001-11-15T13:00:00-05:00

In the poem, Theme for English B, Langston Hughes points out that we are often reluctant to admit that our similarities are often more common than our differences. Even though he is colored, he is still just like his white instructor in many ways. The colored man may appear to be different from the white man on the outside, but we are all the same on the inside. His skin color is different, and he comes from different a background, yet we have many things in common with each other. Hughes is only twenty-two, the only colored student in the class, and lives at the Y in Harlem. His instructor is older, white, and presumably lives in an upper class neighborhood. They are different in age, skin color, and are from different backgrounds. They are similar in that they both are engaged in the study of English literature at “the college on the hill” Hughes likes to “eat, sleep, drink, and be in love” and “work, read, learn, and understand life” (822) presumably just as the instructor or any other person, either colored or white, enjoys. He also likes “Bessie, bop, or Bach” (822). Typically, the Bessie and bop style of music is listened to mostly by the colored people. However, he also likes Bach, which is typically listened to mostly by the white people. So, even though he is colored, they are connected in that he likes things common to all races, even the music common to the white people. Hughes appears to regret his involvement in some portions of the instructor’s world. He does not want to be a part of the white man, and believes that his white instructor does not want to be a part of him either. Hughes admits that he can learn from his instructor, and hopes that his instructor can learn from him. They both recognize that they can learn from their involvement and their differences from each other. He does not want to be judged as a colored man, but wants to be accepted as the man that he is – an American. Although they are different in the color of their skin, they are connected in that they are both American. We may come from different backgrounds and have some different likes, but we are all connected and can learn from each other. We must be accepting of each other, and appreciate our

Bruce Daw - Consumerism

2001-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

What does Bruce daw's poetry say about consumerism and it's influence on modern day society? Consumerism is a significant

Robert Frost and Wilfred Owen - symbols and imagery

2001-10-22T14:00:00-04:00

Poetry is most commonly known as expressing oneself through the art of writing. There are many techniques poets use to make their poem a success. Two of these techniques are imagery and symbols. Comprehension of symbols when they are by themselves is not easy; when put with their poem they come alive. Symbols allow us, as readers, to expand the meaning of the poem much further than words can take us. Along with symbols, imagery creates a whole world that takes us on the journey the writer intended. Two poets who create this world wonderfully are Robert Frost and Wilfred Owen. Robert Frost’s poems are quite simple, dealing with everyday situations and emotions, yet taking them to another level of exploration. He looks at aspects of nature and then converts them into symbols to use in his poems, thus making them completely relevant to our everyday lives and easy to make sense of. If we look at “Tree at My Window”, the tree is symbolising a constant throughout the days. You can easily picture the leaves of the tree blowing gently just outside the window, offering some comfort at troubled times. The tree could represent a lover, friend or relative who will always be there for him and a barrier will never form between them, “But never let there be a curtain drawn Between you and me.” Frost looks at the similarities between himself and the tree and views fate as a person or god or Mother Nature. Another poet who comes to mind with similar emotional poems, is William Blake. A good example of his emotional exploration is, “A Poison Tree”, where he studies his anger towards his enemy, and views that anger as a poison tree. In “After Apple-Picking”, there is another symbol derived from nature. In the beginning of the poem, Frost tells of “a barrel that I didn’t fill Beside it, and there maybe two or three apples I didn’t pick upon some bough.”. This could be understood as a part of life that Frost missed out on, some experience that passed him by. Later he says, “Magnified apples appear and disappear”. perhaps telling us of opportunities that come and go, big or small. I find the image of a barrel not quite full fits perfectly. A life not quite complete, but not really missing anything either. “The Road Not Taken” writes, “two roads diverging in a yellow

Dulce Et Decorum Est - Critical Response

2001-08-25T14:00:00-04:00

A poem which I have recently read is: “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen. The main point Wilfred Owen tries to convey in this poem is the sheer horror of war. Owen uses many techniques to show his feelings, some of which I’ll be exploring. Wilfred Owen is a tired soldier on the front line during World War I. In the first stanza of Dulce Et Decorum Est he describes the men and the condition they are in and through his language shows that the soldiers deplore the conditions. Owen then moves on to tell us how even in their weak human state the soldiers march on, until the enemy fire gas shells at them. This sudden situation causes the soldiers to hurriedly put their gas masks on, but one soldier did not put it on in time. Owen tells us the condition the soldier is in, and how, even in the time to come he could not forget the images that it left him with. In the last stanza he tells the readers that if we had seen what he had seen then we would never encourage the next generation to fight in a war. Owen uses imagery constantly to convey the conditions and feelings experienced during this war. Firstly I will be exploring Metaphor as it is used so much in this poem. The first metaphor which I will examine is: “Haunting Flares” on line 3 of the first stanza. This quote has so many connotations, my first opinion on this was that the flares which the enemy are firing to light up the battle field are said to be representing the souls of the soldiers fallen comrades. This could also be said to represent the power the enemy has on their own mortality as the bright flares would light up the battle-field exposing everything to their view, this indicates that the enemy always seem to have power upon the soldiers, almost godly. The second metaphor which I will explore is: “An ecstasy of fumbling” on line one of the second stanza. This metaphor is significant as it describes the quick manner in which the soldiers will have been trying to put their masks on. The soldiers would have been trying to put their masks on in a hurry but due to their physical condition their minds would have been wanting them to go faster than their body would have

The Soldier - Critical Response

2001-08-25T14:00:00-04:00

A poem which I have read recently is “Soldier” by Rupert Brooke. The main point in question throughout this poem is appreciation for ones country. I will prove that this is the main point in question during the course of my essay. The poem “Soldier” is Brooke’s views on the possible occurrence of his own death in the field and what he feels that foreign country would gain from his death. When viewing his own death Brooke only looks at the thoughts and ways England has provided him with in the course of his life. Towards the end of the poem as if looking at the end of his life he mentions that he feels no anger or feelings of evil or hate toward the enemy or anything else but instead recollects all the wonderful things about his country. Three poetical techniques used in this poem were metaphor, simile and image groups, two of which I will explore. Firstly I’m going to look at image groups. There are several noticeable image groups in this poem one of which is “ Death & Mortality”. As the idea of the whole poem is based around this topic it was used regularly. The first obvious use of this image group was in the very first line of stanza one: “If I should die, think only this of me”. This sets the scene for the topic of discussion in the poem, the word die has many connotations as it is such a dark and vile word often associated with sadness. This leaves the reader with a feeling of seriousness, this is very important as the reader is captivated within the very first sentence of the poem. After the above quote was used the poet moves away from the initial seriousness and looks more deeply at his own mortality. The next significant mention on this subject is in line two of the second stanza were the sentence: “A pulse in the eternal mind ”. This shows that mortality is indeed an important issue, this however has greater connotations as it shows that he feels he has left an impression on the world which he later puts down to being English. The next poetic term is simile. The main point in the poem is again shown as the poet discusses all he has benefited from being English and says: “ dreams happy as her day” on line four of

Judith Wright's Poetry

2001-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

In what way is Judith Wright’s poetry a worthwhile study for Australian students? Judith Wright is a respected Australian poet is also known as a conservationist and protester. Her poetry has captured the most amazing imagery of Australian Culture. For Australian students to understand their own culture and history it is necessary to study the best poetry and Judith Wright’s poetry is definitely some of the best. Her achievement in translating the Australian experience into poetry led in her best work to a rich inheritance of lyricism and directness. Through stories told by older workers on the property she learnt of the pioneers' part in both the destruction of the land and the dispossession and murder of the aboriginal people. The sense of fear she felt at invasion enabled her to understand, at some level, how the Aborigines would have felt. Judith Wright wrote about many things in her poems, which are necessary for Australian students to be taught which apply to learning about Australia. Australian culture is something Judith wrote about very strongly and this shows through her poem Bora Ring. Bora Ring is about the Aborigine culture and how it has been lost by the invasion of Europeans. ‘The hunter is gone: the spear is splintered underground; the painted bodies a dream the world breathed sleeping and forgot. The nomad feet are still.' This is an incredible paragraph extracted from Bora Ring. This poem depicts perfectly of the European invasion of Australia. It shows how the traditions and stories are gone, how the hunting and rituals are gone and ‘lost in an alien tale’, the Europeans being the aliens. This poem also describes that it seemed as if the tradition of Aborigines was ‘breathed sleeping and forgot’. These are powerful words Judith Wright used to show how they Aborigines were quickly invaded and ‘forgotten’. This poem is an excellent example of why Australian students should study her poetry. Australian relationships are depicted perfectly by Judith in these poems, ‘Woman to Child’, ‘Woman to Man’, ‘Brother and sisters and then ‘Remembering an aunt’. All of these poems show Australian relationships through Judith Wright’s views. Brother and sisters is basically showing of how people get old. ‘..and now their orchards never would be planted’, ‘..John each night at ten wound the gilt clock that leaked the year away’. In the last paragraph this poem suddenly hits the reader because you are brought into

Edgar Allen Poe: His Life and His Work

2001-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

In human nature there exists a morbid desire to explore the darker realms of life. As sensitive beings we make every effort to deny our curiosity in the things that frighten us, and will calmly reassure our children that there aren’t any creatures under their beds each night, but deep down we secretly thrive on that cool rush of fear. Despite our efforts to maintain a balance of respectable emotions, we are a society of people who slow down to look at traffic accidents and find excitement in the macabre. We turn off the lights when watching scary movies, and when it’s time to go to bed, we secretly make sure the closet doors are shut. Fear keeps our hearts pumping and endorphins rushing, for it is an emotion that reminds us of our mortality. How ironic it is to experience more life in our fascination with death. Edgar Allen Poe was a master of his craft, gifted with the talent of introducing each reader to his or her own subconscious fears. As the first writer to initiate horror, death and mystery into literature and poetry, he is blessed- or perhaps cursed- with an imagination that set higher standards in the field of writing. However morbid or dark it may be, Poe’s writing continues to have an impact on the world of prose. A look into Poe’s childhood might shed some light on where his fascination with death stems from. Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to drifting actor parents. Denying his parental responsibilities, his father abandoned his wife and three children, leaving her to support the family as best she could. She traveled through various cities acting in stage engagements as she could get them, but the struggle eventually took a toll on her health. Towards the end of 1811 while in Richmond, Virginia, she became ill and died. Her children were promptly farmed into homes, Edgar being placed into the residence of a well-off, yet unsupportive merchant named John Allan. Allan was emotionally detached from Poe, refusing to even legally adopt the boy. This move would begin a chain of events, eventually triggering a drinking problem that would induce the majority of Poe’s psychological troubles later in life. He was raised in an affluent home, but lacked the emotional support needed to build fortitude and confidence in himself. In Poe’s youth he didn’t pursue a life toward

Kubla Khan

2001-08-12T14:00:00-04:00

In the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Coleridge, language is used to convey images from Coleridge’s imagination. This is done with the use of vocabulary, imagery, structure, use of contrasts, rhythm and sound devices such as alliteration and assonance. By conveying his imagination by using language, the vocabulary used by coleridge is of great importance. The five lines of the poem Kubla Khan sound like a chant or incantation, and help suggest mystery and supernatural themes of the poem. Another important theme of the poem is that of good versus evil. The vocabulary used throughout the poem helps convey these themes in images to the reader. In the first two lines, Coleridge describes the ‘pleasure dome’ in Xanadu. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree Kubla Khan did not merely order, but decree that a ‘stately pleasure dome’ be built. This dome is evidence of how unnatural the place of Xanadu is, it has a ruler who ignores the unpleasantness that can be found in life. The use of vocabulary challenges and teases the imagination into seeing what he, Coleridge saw in his dream. In Xanadu, there are not small streams, but ‘sinuous rills’ and wall and towers do not enclose the gardens but are ‘girdled round’. Coleridge’s use of language and vocabulary helps to convey the extent of his imagination. In the poem Kubla Khan, imagery is also important for Coleridge to convey his imagination to the reader. There are images of paradise throughout the poem that are combined with references to darker, more evil places. On example of this is the ‘demon lover’ that has bewitched the woman. Coleridge’s image of the ‘dome of pleasure’ is mystical, contradicting the restrictions of realism. Xanadu is also a savage and ancient place where pure good and pure evil are much more apparent than in the monotony of everyday living. By using images, Coleridge conveys the extent of his imagination to readers. The structure of Kubla Khan is really in two parts. The first, which contains three stanzas, describes Xanadu as if Coleridge is actually there, experiencing the place first hand. The second part of the poem is filled with longing to be in Xanadu, but Coleridge is unable to capture the experience again. The first stanza has a definite rhythm and beat and describes the beauty and sacredness of Xanadu with rich, sensual and exotic images. The second stanza depicts the savage and untamed

T.S. Eliot and Society

2001-08-12T14:00:00-04:00

Modernism was the time period between 1865 and 1950 that consisted of a change in the perspectives of how Americans examined themselves and their role in society. Many things occurred during these eighty five years that accounted for a great social change. Among these things were World War I, the Civil Rights Movement, prohibition, women suffrage, and the Great Depression. Particularly after World War I and during women’s suffrage, society’s standpoint on certain issues changed dramatically. After World War I, people’s attitudes swung with high expectations for themselves but were soon lowered after the economy’s fall. During women’s suffrage, society’s focus on simple traditions shifted to concentrate on more of urban culture. The Great Depression also caused major stress and hopelessness for the nation resulting in a time of despair for much of the world. Meanwhile, many writers emerged, such as Ezra Pound, e.e. cummings, Langston Hughes, and Wallace Stevens. These writers found themselves in a generation of consecutive movements. While having to sustain their creativity, they had to go forward with the seasons at the same time. Their works are characterized as “breaking away from patterned responses and predictable forms”(Reuben). Many of their pieces challenged tradition against new manners. The outlook of society changed from a moral perspective to fast times. Many people tended to look apart from average events that occurred in their daily lives to find greater reasoning. T.S. Eliot is considered to be one of the most prominent poets and playwrights of his time and his works are said to have promoted to “reshape modern literature” (World Book). He was born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri and studied at Harvard and Oxford. It was at Harvard where he met his guide and mentor Ezra Pound, a well-known modernist poet. Pound encouraged Eliot to expand his writing abilities and publish his work. Eliot became an England citizen in 1925 and received the Nobel Peace Prize for literature in 1948. Eliot connected most of his earlier works to French Symbolists, such as Mallarme, Baudelaire, and Rimbaud and first came into contact with these three in college while reading The Symbolist Movement in Literature by Arthur Symons (Pearce). He created a eminent style that was original and new. He gained their ability to write poetry filled with wisdom while adding his own passionate language. Eliot’s most famous works included The Waste Land (1922), “The Love Song of J. Alfred

Wordsworth: Tintern Abbey and Lyrical Ballads

2001-07-28T14:00:00-04:00

Born in 1770 at Cockermouth in the heart of the Lakes District in England. William Wordsworth grew up in a rustic society and his beautiful and ageless poetry often reflect this. Wordsworth’s mother died in 1778 and in 1779 he was sent to grammar school in Hawkshead. Wordsworth’s father died in 1783, leaving his uncles as guardians. They tried to guide him towards a career in law or in the church and he was accepted into Cambridge in 1787. Wordsworth was uninspired to work towards a career he had little interest in and subsequently his grades, which bordered on the average, reflected this. Before completing his final term of college Wordsworth went for a walking tour of Europe and finally received his degree in 1791 but had no direct plans for his future. He returned to France in 1791 and stayed a full year, during this time became an enthusiastic advocate of the French Revolution. Money concerns forced him to return to England and he was unable to return to France until 1802 due to war breaking out between the two countries. In 1795 two things happened that ultimately changed the course of Wordsworth’s life. In August of 1795 a young friend whom Wordsworth had been nursing died of tuberculosis and left him a grant of 900 pounds. His friend had hoped that with this money Wordsworth would be able to devote his life to poetry, and in August of 1795 Wordsworth met Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Over the next two years their friendship would grow and in 1797 William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy moved to Alfoxden House, which was only a few miles from Coleridge’s home. The creative partnership between these two young poets would eventuate in the first publishing of Lyrical Ballads. The publication of Lyrical Ballads represented a turning point for English poetry. It was released anonymously on October 4th, 1798 and the learned old guard of literary England was mostly unaware that a form of “literary revolution” had taken place. Previous ages had considered the aim of poetry to be used as a tool to change people’s behaviour or as a learning mechanism. Wordsworth launched the Romantic Era of poetry and paved the way for many of the romantic poets that came after him. John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley to name but two. Coleridge encouraged Wordsworth to write a preface to Lyrical Ballads. A preface that would

Healing Waiting

2001-07-22T14:00:00-04:00

Hark! Who are you that crashes my night? That rank and irksome

Quarrel de la Rose

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

Christine de Pisan in her Querrel de la

Emily Dickinson's poetry in relation to society

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

Q: Poetry texts are powerful indicators of society’s values. Discuss with reference to two or more poems. Emily Dickinson’s poetry powerfully indicates values of society of the time. It does this through its conciseness, its simplicity and its control. Indications of society’s values are seen in many of Dickinson's poems, but they are especially noticeable in ‘It was not Death’, and ‘Because I could not stop for Death’. In Dickinson’s poem ‘It was not Death’, she demonstrates how restricting and stereotyping society can be on an individual, and how society values the conformity of the whole community, even though they may not want to. In Dickinson’s poem ‘Because I could not stop for Death’, she is questioning society’s values on religion and everlasting life. Emily Dickinson’s poems analyse her perception of the world and society, which is different to that of the commonly accepted, objective perception. The reader sees this perception in her poem ‘It was not Death’, where Emily appears to perceive a world full of confusion and chaos. She also observes that society tries to place people into stereotypes, and feels that she herself is restricted to one. The Figures I have seen Set orderly, for Burial, Reminded me, of mine – Dickinson shows in these lines that her own life reflects that of a dead persons – it appears to be a living thing, but lacks something that makes it alive. It seems that life is a convential pattern, and she is conformed in society just like the people in the coffins. She resents the way that in her society people were heavily placed into stereotypes. As if my life were shaven, And fitted to a frame These lines express Dickinson’s thoughts about the restrictions of her life in her society. The fact that her life was ‘shaven’ seems to give the image of being cut down to size with a razor to fit her frame, and this is a very sharp image. It also seems to hold connotations to the times of torture and the methods they used, and she may be suggesting that the rest of society make her life torture. It is as if her whole life has been shaped and trapped, which is not by its own nature, and from which it can not escape. Emily Dickinson also gives the impression of confusion and chaos through the verse techniques employed in her poem ‘It was not Death’. There are a mixture of

Dylan Thomas and his poetry

2001-06-09T14:00:00-04:00

Dylan Thomas was born on October 14, 1914, in Upland, Swansea. His father, David John Thomas, received a degree at University College Aberystwyth and was valedictorian in English, he taught English at Swansea Grammar School. His father, quick tempered and intimidating had a beautiful, sonorous voice for reading aloud (which Dylan inherited). Florence Hannah Williams, Thomas’s mother, was a tailor before she was married. Thomas was a troublesome child. He stole money from his mother’s purse, and lied about it. While his mother was in denial about this, his sister Nancy was becoming very irritated. From 1925-1931,he attended Swansea grammar school, where his father taught. He was a small, pretty boy, and was bullied at school, until he became aggressive and rebellious. (Merric, 1) In 1931 seventeen year old Dylan Thomas left school and became a reporter on the South Wales Evening Post, although he was not successful. He reported a lacrosse game once, except that he was in a pub and the game had been cancelled! He was later fired. (Merric, 1) He began drinking around the age of fifteen. He would sneak into pubs with a friend. He later entered amateur dramatics, and appeared with his sister in Hay Fever. In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Thomas was in a pub again, and missed his cue. (Merric, 1) In 1933, Thomas began publishing some of his poetry. He submitted a poem to a BBC competition, and it was read on the air. During 1934, he moved to London, where alcohol took over his life. While he was in London Thomas published his first volume of 18 Poems. This was his first taste of success. Three years after living in London he met his future wife, Caitlin Macnamara. (Merric, 1) Thomas’s first broadcast was in 1937 for the BBC. His job was to read other poets’ works on the air. He began to read his own works with the company of well-known poets like Auden and Spencer. (Merric, 1) When WWII began, Thomas was worried that he would be drafted, fortunate for him he was judged medically unfit. Some of his neighbors thought that he was a “conchie” (“concienting” objector) and was often attacked. For a while he thought that he would have to work in a Mauritius factory. Thomas said, “deary me, I’d rather be a poet any day and live on guile and beer.” Instead, he worked in a documentary

The Ups and Downs of Love

2001-05-30T14:00:00-04:00

The Ups And Downs of Love Love is a constant. Although it comes in many forms and many different ways love cannot be changed and has existed since the dawn of time. No matter where you are in the world, love is still the same thing, it is universal and is experienced by everyone in their lifetime. Poetry has been used for centuries to express feelings and emotions and is the most effective way to express love. Poets have been able to show all aspects of love, the ups and the downs throughout time. “Lucy Poems” by William Wordsworth, portray both sides of love in his “Lucy Poems”. He describes the contrasting feelings that come with love both the, brilliant ups of being in love when the poet describes his love for Lucy, and the deep depressing loss of losing a loved one. Wordsworth is was one of the first romantic poets, having a new, modern approach towards poetry which in his time was unheard of, he felt poetry should be about emotions and feelings, it shouldn’t be inhibited or stifled by politics or city social life and this is reflected in all of his poems. “She Dwelt Among Untrodden Ways” is the last in the “Lucy Poems Series” in which Lucy dies. The poet describes Lucy as A Maid whom there were none to praise ; And very few to love” and that “She lived unknown” however, despite the fact that she was not renowned, he still felt great loss and grief over her death, which is a sign of true love. Wordsworth says “But she is in her grave, and oh, The difference to me!” and his life would never be the same after this one single event. Robert Browning with “Porphyria’s Lover” shows another side of love, desire and how quickly this desire can lead to madness. The poem is written in a more methodical, less emotional manner, being a characteristic of the Victorian Era in which Browning was writing. It tells the story of Porphyria who returns home to her love. Browning has portrayed a very different mindset in this poem, with the subject of the poem not being in a secure frame of mind, but on the edge of insanity. Porphyria worshipped him and he thought of he obviously felt the same emotions towards her “Porphyria worshiped me: surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew” However, his actions

Comparison of Whitman and Dickenson poems

2001-05-04T14:00:00-04:00

America experienced profound changes during the mid 1800’s. New technologies and ideas helped the nation grow, while the Civil War ripped the nation apart. During this tumultuous period, two great American writers captured their ideas in poetry. Their poems give us insight into the time period, as well as universal insight about life. Although polar opposites in personality, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created similar poetry. Dickinson’s “Hope is a Thing with Feathers” and Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” share many qualities. "Hope is a Thing with Feathers” and “O Captain! My Captain!” contain a similar scansion. Both have a predominantly iambic meter. The unaccented beat followed by the accented beat creates a rising meter. Each poem also contains notable exceptions to the iambic meter. In "Hope is a Thing with Feathers,” the first line ‘Hope is the thing’ contains a trochee followed by an iamb. “O Captain! My Captain!” contains even more exceptions to the iambic meter. Line 5, ‘But O heart! heart! heart!’ consists of an imperfect root followed by two spondees, or feet with two equally accented syllables. Both Line 6 ‘O the bleeding drops of red’ and line 8 ‘Fallen cold and dead’ have trochaic meters with an imperfect root at the end. The remainder of the poem has an iambic meter until the last two lines: ‘Walk the deck my Captain lies, /Fallen cold and dead.’ The iambic meter makes the poem rise until the end where the switch to trochaic meter helps emphasize the conclusion of the poem. Along with the irregularities in meter, neither poem has a regular line length or rhyming pattern. Dickinson’s poem contains alternating tetrameters and trimeters, with the exception of the first line, which contains 7 syllables. The poem contains some irregular rhyme; ‘heard’ in line 5 rhymes with ‘bird’ in line 7, and ‘Sea’ in line 10 rhymes with ‘Me’ in line 12. Whitman’s poem contains even more irregular line lengths. The first 4 lines of each stanza vary from 12 to 15 syllables, but the last 4 lines of each stanza vary from 5 to 8 syllables. Unlike in Dickinson’s poem, the rhyming scheme carries throughout the whole poem, although the AABBCDED rhyme pattern contains a few cases of near rhyme. Dickinson and Whitman also use similar poetic devices in "Hope is a Thing with Feathers” and “O Captain! My Captain!” Each poem contains an extended metaphor. In

Daddy

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

Sylvia Plath’s poetry is well known for its deeply personal and emotional subject matter. Much of Plath’s poetry is confessional and divulges the most intimate parts of her psyche whether through metaphor or openly, without creating a persona through which to project her feelings, and through the use of intense imagery. Plath’s attempt to purge herself of the oppressive male figures in her life is one such deeply personal and fundamental theme in her poetry. In her poem, “Daddy”, which declares her hatred for her father and husband, this attempt is expressed through language, structure, and tone. (Perkins, 591) Sylvia’s father, Otto Plath, was a German immigrant and an entomologist who specialized in bumblebees. Plath described him to a college roommate as “an autocrat . . . I adored and despised him, and I probably wished many times that he were dead. When he obliged me and died, I imagined that I had killed him.” (Perkins, 590) Plath’s father was a tyrant and ruled over her with an iron fist. Plath felt that her father, to suit his particular needs and whims, molded her. Plath’s relationship with her husband, poet Ted Hughes, was not much healthier. In 1962, after only seven years of marriage, Plath learned that her husband was having an affair. Two months later and five months before Plath committed suicide, Hughes left her for Assia Gutman. Plath had been subservient and coy towards Hughes, deeply loving and admiring him. Hughes took Plath for granted and left her when he was no longer interested. She was devastated. It is through such poems as “Daddy” that Plath expresses her feelings of malice toward her father and husband for the way that they treated her. Plath felt dominated by both her father and husband. “Daddy” describes these feelings of oppression and her battle to overcome the power imbalance. The intensity of this conflict is made extremely apparent as she uses examples that cannot be ignored. The atrocities of Nazi Germany are used as symbols of the horror of male domination. The constant and crippling manipulation of men, as they introduced oppression and hopelessness into her life, is equated with the twentieth century's worst period. Plath’s father is transformed into a “Panzer-man,” a “Fascist,” and a “bastard.” Words such as Luftwaffe, the aircraft known as the “Angels of Death” used by Adolf Hitler during WWII, and Meinkampf, Hitler’s political manifesto, are used to

A Divine Image: Rhyme and Rythm

2001-04-25T14:00:00-04:00

In "A Divine Image", Blake uses several techniques and literary devices, to transmit his thoughts about social injustice, cruelty and human nature, Rhyme and rhythm are two of the main features in this poem this poem is the rhythm affect the whole mood, tone and meaning of the poem. The poet has chosen different methods to give the poem specific sounds that affect the pace and structure of the rhythm. The structure of the first stanza helps us understand the relationships between the four aspects of human nature presented, cruelty, jealousy, terror and secrecy. The first and third lines start with the main word, while in the second and fourth ones the words come preceded by the word "And". This makes the reader connect cruelty with terror and jealousy with secrecy automatically. We can notice that the stress of the lines in this first stanza falls onto the main word, giving an emphasizing effect. Unlike many other Blake poems, such as "The Tyger" or "The Lamb" we cannot find rhyming couplets in this stanza, but the rhyming and stressing effect is enough for the reader to tie the ideas together. This effect is strengthened by the repetition of the word "human" in every line and the repetition of the "y" ending sounds in lines one, two and four. The structure of the second stanza differs from the structure of the first one. We notice that each of the lines provide an "answer" in a "symmetrical" way to each one in the first stanza. This structure can also be found in "The Lamb". This gives the impression to the reader that the poem is a closed circle, ending were it started. On a deeper level, this way of structuring can represent the inflexibility and stiffness of these negative human aspects, like immovable objects buried deep inside human nature. We can see that the most outstanding rhythmical feature of this stanza is foregrounding. In fact, every line of the poem has the word "human" in it. This excessive repetitiveness, together with the characteristics described, leads the reader to render them exclusively human, the result of our intellectual superiority over nature. The stress of the lines fall in the word "human" in every case in the second stanza, achieved by the foregrounding device. The repetition of the consonant sounds plays a very important part in the rhythm of the second stanza. We notice that the

Poetry as a Way Out

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

People who write poetry do so for various reasons. They write to express such things as anger, fear, happiness, and the unknown. Whether it is to have a hobby, do something for leisure time, or to express one’s feelings, everyone has their own motive. The later years of Dickinson’s life were primarily spent in mourning because of several deaths within the time frame of a few years. Emily’s father died in 1874, her nephew Gilbert died in 1883, and both Charles Wadsworth (Emily’s lover) and Emily’s mother died in 1882. Over those years, many of the most influential and precious friendships of Emily’s passed away, and that gave way to the more concentrated obsession with death in her poetry. As a result of Emily Dickinson’s life of solitude, she was able to focus on her world more sharply than other authors of her time —contemporary authors who had no effect on her writing. Emily was original and innovative in her poetry. Many of her poems were completed and written on scraps of paper, such as old grocery lists. Eventually when her poetry was published, they were grouped into classes— friends, nature, love, and death. (Black) Many of Emily Dickinson’s poems that were written about death reflect on how she felt about it and how it was an influence in her life. Because death was occurring so often in the life of Emily Dickinson, I have chosen to write about the influence of it in her poetry. Two poems in which have been found, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “The Bustle in a House”, can be associated with each other by one of the aforementioned categories: death. In the poem, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Dickinson personifies death as a kind person that takes care of people: Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me- …………………………………… ………………… We slowly drove- He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure took For His Civility- (Dickinson 5-8). She also describes several scenes on her voyage throughout death: We passed the School, where Children Strove At Recess- in the Ring- We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- We passed the Setting Sun- (9-12). These scenes reveal that Emily Dickinson’s attitude towards death is not scary; it is a slow and peaceful process that can be compared to that of passing a group

Gwen Harwood: Changing of the Self

2001-04-18T14:00:00-04:00

In Gwen Harwood’s poetry, the changes in an individual’s perspective and attitudes towards situations, surroundings and, therefore transformations in themselves, are brought on by external influences, usually in the form of a person or an event. These changes are either results of a dramatic realisation, as seen with shattering of a child’s hopes in The Glass Jar, or a melancholy and gradual process, where a series of not so obvious discoveries produces similar reformation. An example of the later case would be Nightfall, the second section of Father and Child, where the persona refers to her forty years of life causing "maturation". For the most part these changes are not narrated directly but are represented by using dynamic language techniques to illustrate constant change in the universe of the poem. One of the significant aspects of "changing self" covered in Harwood’s poems is the process in which, a child’s innocent mind, like a blank page, is inked and tainted by some experience. Their hopes, dreams, beliefs, founded on their naive perspective of life, and the way the young restyle themselves consciously or subconsciously as they make new discoveries are all explored. In the poem The Glass Jar we witness the heart-wrenching episode in a little boy’s life, where he is made to discover a distressing reality. Putting his faith first in a monstrance and then in his own mother, he finds himself being betrayed by both. With the many allusions to nature \(for example the personification of the sun and references to animals and woods and so on\) Gwen Harwood constructs a dynamic backdrop which allow the responder to dwell on the subtle shifts in the child’s personality. The setting is the terrain of nightmares and dreams, where conscious will is suppressed and the reigns are handed to the subconscious mind. By making subtle changes in the ways dreams are portrayed, she shows us that the boy has been changed by his experiences. Before "the betrayals" the dreams are quite indefinite, relying on incomplete images of pincers, claws and fangs to represent the horror. The lines, "His sidelong violence summoned/ fiends whose mosaic vision saw/ his heart entire" are literal indications of his incapability to comprehend what is happening to him. Then he wakes and attempts to seek comfort from the monstrance. His hopes for a miracle, brought on by his innocence, "fell headlong from its eagle height." Then he

Andrea del Sarto- How Browning’s poetry can be linked to when it was written

2001-03-26T14:00:00-04:00

Robert Browning’s poem, ‘Andrea del Sarto’ presents the reader with his views on the painter’s life, an artist who has lost faith in the Parnassian ideal of living for art, and now has to use art as a living. The poem looks at the darker side of the painter when he was older, and expresses a lot about Browning as well, and how he thought his work was perceived, and the context of his life and times. The poem covers many ideas and themes, which not only create a powerful poem, but also create commentary from Browning’s prerogative of his own situation. The poem epitomizes Browning’s work, looking at a real figure in history, from Browning’s own perspective, in a real state of affairs. Although ‘Del Sarto’ might have been regarded as ‘The Faultless painter’ in his time, on the inside he had to repress a struggle. As historian Vasari pointed out, a ‘certain timidity of spirit’ that stopped him from gaining true recognition as one of the greats alongside ‘Leonard, Rafael, Agnolo’. This could be said to express Browning’s view of audience, since his wife was much more successful than him. In this essay I will be looking at the poem, and how it relates to Browning and the time it was written in. The poem has a very melancholy tone throughout, expressing the feelings of Browning’s ‘Del Sarto’, and to an extent Browning himself. It deals with the artists demise, or recline, that he thinks is slowly starting to destroy his life, and the freedom he once had as an artist. He makes references to the ‘autumn in everything’ that he now sees, and the sin of him being ‘tempted’ by ‘Francis’ coin’, which he ‘took’. It is clear from the beginning of the poem that ‘Del Sarto’ that he has to live with his resolve, and although he tries to outline his plight, he doesn’t change it, as he says to Lucrezia ‘do not let us quarrel any more’. He is succumbing to what he has to now do. He has to work now for the money he will gain, which destroys the ethos of art. Hi reference to the recipient of the piece as a ‘friends friend’ emphasizes how distant he has got from his art, and his audience. It is not a particular audience, and neither does the picture convey much, as it is just

Wilfred Owen - Comparing Poetry

2001-03-23T13:00:00-04:00

Read and Compare and Contrast the Following Poems by Wilfred Owen: [It Was a Navy Boy], Anthem for Doomed Youth and Dulce et Decorum Est. Wilfred Owen was a poet who was widely regarded as one of the best poets of the World War one period. Wilfred Owen was born on the 18th of March 1893, at Plas Wilmot, Oswestry, on the English Welsh border; he was the son of Tom and Susan Owen. During the winter of 1897-8 Tom Owen, Wilfred’s father was reappointed to Birkenhead, and with that the whole family moved there. Wilfred started school at the Birkenhead Institute on the 11th June 1900, during the middle of a term. During the winter of 1906-7 Tom Owen was appointed Assistant Superintendent, GW & LNER, Western Region, this again led to another family move to Shrewsbury, where Wilfred started school at Shrewsbury Technical School. In the summer of 1910 Wilfred Owen met Christoble Coleridge, daughter of the poet. This triggered his interest in poetry. In 1911 Wilfred worked as a pupil-teacher at the Wyle Cop School, Shrewsbury whilst preparing for his Matriculation exam. Later that year Wilfred took the exam for London University, which he found out that he had matriculated, but not with honours. In 1913 Wilfred returned to Shrewsbury due to illness, he took a reading exam and failed. He later went to Bordeaux in France where he taught English at Berlitz School. In 1914 he gave this job up and went to the Pyrenees on the Spanish French border to teach a former pupil. On the 4th August war was declared and later he returned to Bordeaux to tutor once more. In 1915 he considered joining various regiments and eventually enlisted with the Artists Rifles as Cadet Owen. On the 5th March 1915 Wilfred went to Officers School and was commissioned into the Manchester Regiment. Four days after Christmas at the start of 1916 he was sent to Base camp, in Etaples, France. 1917 was a very busy year for Wilfred; on the very first day of the year he assumed command of Platoon Three, with the Manchester’s near the Somme. On the 6th January they were sent to the front line, and from the 9th to the 16th of January they dug holes out in no-mans land. And on returning to the front line on the 20th, the weather took a turn for the worst when

The Tell-Tale Heart - Mind Games: The Narrator’s Madness

2001-03-22T13:00:00-04:00

Through the first person narrator, Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates how man’s imagination is capable of being so vivid that it profoundly affects people’s lives. The manifestation of the narrator’s imagination unconsciously plants seeds in his mind, and those seeds grow into an unmanageable situation for which there is no room for reason and which culminates in murder. The narrator takes care of an old man with whom the relationship is unclear, although the narrator’s comment of "For his gold I had no desire" (Poe 34) lends itself to the fact that the old man may be a family member whose death would monetarily benefit the narrator. Moreover, the narrator also intimates a caring relationship when he says, "I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult" (34). The narrator’s obsession with the old man’s eye culminates in his own undoing as he is engulfed with internal conflict and his own transformation from confidence to guilt. The fixation on the old man’s vulture-like eye forces the narrator to concoct a plan to eliminate the old man. The narrator confesses the sole reason for killing the old man is his eye: "Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to rid myself of the eye for ever" (34). The narrator begins his tale of betrayal by trying to convince the reader he is not insane, but the reader quickly surmises the narrator indeed is out of control. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is so mentally unstable that he must search for justification to kill. In his mind, he rationalizes murder with his own unreasonable fear of the eye. The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man’s "Evil Eye" (34). Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man. The narrator shows his contrariety when he confesses he loves the old man, but he is still too overwhelmed by the pale blue eye to restrain himself from the all-consuming desire to eliminate the

Inherit the Wind

2001-03-18T13:00:00-04:00

In the play “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the defense faces numerous societal injustices, which is why they never had a chance to win the case. One example of the town’s bias is presented through the town’s love for Matthew Harrison Brady. A second example is the extreme conformist and pious attitude of the town’s people. The last instance is the narrow-mindedness of the judge and the jury, which resulted in an unfair trial. In conclusion, the defense suffered through many unfair circumstances throughout the drama “Inherit the Wind.” The first instance of the town’s prejudice is the overall affection for Brady, the prosecuting attorney. This is demonstrated when Brady first comes to the town and is greeted by a barrage of food and the citizens of Hillsboro singing “Gimme That Old-Time Religion,” the lyrics of which quickly change to “It is good enough for Brady, and it’s good enough for me!” The second example of adoration for Matt is when, upon being in the town no more then ten minutes, the mayor pronounces, “The Governor of our state has vested in me the authority to confer upon you a commission as Honorary Colonel in the State Militia,” this announcement is applauded by the towns people. The last example is in the last scene of the play when Brady falls when giving a speech and a woman in the courtroom screams, “O Lord, work us a miracle and save our Holy Prophet!” which shows the citizen’s devotion towards Brady. Over all, the defense never had a chance in winning the case due to the town’s loyalty toward Brady. The religious views of town on a whole are second example why Cates, the defendant, would without doubt be found guilty. The first instance of the religious zealots in Hillsboro was when news came that Henry Drummond, the agnostic, was to be the defense attorney; this news brought reactions such as “Henry Drummond is an agent of darkness. We won’t let him in the town!” from Reverend Brown, and Drummond probably wouldn’t have been admitted had it not been for Brady’s encouragement to do so. Additionally, the second occasion of religiousness was throughout the trial the city was scattered with signs such as, “Darwin is wrong!” and, “Save our schools from sin,” and a gigantic banner that hung over the entrance of the courthouse that read, “Read your Bible!”

For Eleanor Boylan Talking With God - Retreating into a Cold Night

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

The end our road that is life, is death and the second we begin to live, we begin to die. A rendition of death and the loss of a loved one is expressed in two different lights in Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that Good Night” and Anne Sexton’s “for Eleanor Boylan talking with God”. Both express the fear and vulnerability of losing someone you thought should live forever Thomas’ message is an imperative one a dark and tangible energy whereas Sexton’s tone is more passive and quiet and more driven by sorrow than anger. But as there is an underlying sense of sorrow in Thomas’ villanelle, there is also a sense of quiet anger. In “For Eleanor Boylan Talking With God”, Sexton expresses the pain of losing a loved one. There is a surreal quality to the poem, Sexton seems to write as she thinks with a thought inciting a memory; she communicates her feelings in a very literal concrete way but the poem is still very abstract because there is so little linking these images, adding on to the feeling that you are looking into Sexton’s very mind and heart. She talks about Eleanor, a friend who is more beautiful than her mother; this intimate compliment can be interpreted as more dear than even her mother. An aspect of Eleanor that Sexton respects is her closeness with God, there is a child-like trust depicted when the author writes about Eleanor in the kitchen “motioning to God”. Possibly because Eleanor is wearing a lemon-colored sundress, the reader imagines her with a smile and she feels the acceptance at her own death that Sexton cannot find. Eleanor has more faith than the author in God and who has maintained this faith even when she is dying. Sexton wrote that God “had a face when she was six and a half” meaning he was a tangible figure. The six-year-old Sexton had a familiarity with God, she knew what he looked like; he was her friend, as is the feeling in most children about God. But this image of god has become a huge jellyfish that covers the sky. There is no comfort in a slimy jellyfish and Sexton does not find any comfort in God. Eleanor’s oncoming death is a small death inside of Sexton. She smokes her “cigarettes like poison” in an almost conscious attempt to join Eleanor. Dylan

Overhead in County Slogi and Woman Work - Comparison

2001-03-08T13:00:00-05:00

In this essay where I am going to discuss the similaritys and differences between two poems. "Woman Work" written by Maya Angelou, which is about a woman who works all the time and just wants to rest. The second poem is called "overheard in County Sigo" written by Gillian Clarke which is about a married woman having a conversation with her friend about her life and looking back at what her ambitions were. "Woman Work" is a regular 5 stanza, rhyming poem, It is set in southern USA. We know this because of the way she talkes "The cane to be cut" Cane is grown in southern USA, "I gotta clean up this hut" Hut is what she calles her house "And the cotton to Pick" cotton also grows in USA. It's about this womanwho's either single or doesn't get any help from her partener/husband. She's always doing something, looking after the children - "I've got the children to tend", housework - "I gotta clean up this hut", shopping - "The food to shop" or farmwork, - "The cane to be cut", "And the cotton to pick". "Overheard in County Sligo" is another regular 5 stanza, rhyming poem. It is set in Ireland. It is about a married woman who "married a man from county Roscommon" and she's talking about what her ambitions were - "I had thaught to work on the Abbey Stage" "or have my name in a book". It doesn't sound like she's happy but she won't leave - "the freedom's there for the taking" but she never went. There are several themes in "Woman work", one of them being Work. We can see this in the first stanza . She lists all the things she's got to do. Another theme being lonleiness. We can see this by the fact that she only mentions her children there, she may want someone to talk to her or help her with all her work. Mainly she just wants a rest. The theme in "Overheard in county Sligo" is basically life, it's all about a woman having a conversation with a friend or someone she knows and someone else just happend to be listening. The housewife is telling her friend about herself, and the fact that she wanted to leave her life but she never did - "the freedoms there for the taking" In "Woman Work" the poet Maya Angelou has made it so the

War poems Comparison - The Send-Off and Ducle et decorum est

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

All Wilfred Owens’s poems seem to rhyme. The ends of the alternate lines rhyme in most all of his poems for example in “The send off” The 1st line ends in way and the 3rd in gay. This is repeated with other rhyming words all through the poem. On the 7th and 9th lines the rhyme is tramp and camp. In “Ducle et decorum est” we can see the same format of rhyming. The end of each alternate line rhymes i.e. the ends of the 1st and 3rd lines in this case sacks and backs, and the end of the 9th and 10th lines fumbling and stumbling. Both these poems were written in the 1st world war and are by the author Wilfred Owen who died seven days before the end of the first world war. Both suggest that the out come of the war was grim for the vast majority of solders who if they came home at all would ether return home dead or injured. Death seems to be mentioned a lot in Wilfred Owen’s poems for example the title of “Ducle et decorum est” in an English translation means It is sweet and fitting to die for ones country. Throughout the poem more pictures are painted of death and funerals e.g. “As under a green sea I saw him drowning.” “He plunges at me guttering, choking, drowning” From the next quotes we can see that Wilfred Owen must have suffered from nightmares about the war and the trenches. He says “In all my dreams before my helpless sight” “He plunges at me guttering, choking, drowning” “If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in” Pictures of death are also painted in the poem “The send-off” and I think that Wilfred Owen is trying to put forward the idea that when you are “sent off” you never come back. “A few, a few too few for drums and yells, may creep back silent to village wells” The quote below shows us that Wilfred Owen saw “The send-off” as a funeral. The quote leads you to get the impression that death is mocking the flowers and spray and turning them into flowers and spray for funerals. “Nor there if they yet mock what women meant Who gave them flowers” The quote “Shall they return to beating bells” on line 16 is almost asking a question. Will they return? I think this shows us that Wilfred Owens’s

The Goal

2001-02-07T13:00:00-05:00

Emily Dickinson's "The Goal" discusses her theory that each human being lives each day striving to obtain one specific goal. She theorizes that each individual longs to fulfill one specific achievement whether "expressed" to others or is "still" (l. 2) and locked into the individual's heart. Dickinson says that it is an inevitable part of human nature to live this way, whether we believe so or not, and have not been able to recognize the specific theme of our life as it is "admitted scarcely to itself" (l. 5). She speculates that we attempt to cover our ambitions from others because we lack "credibility's temerity" (l. 7) and are scared that we are less accomplished than we should be to even imagine so great of expectations. She also brings out that not only are we wary of sharing our dream to others, but we ourselves approach it "adored with caution" (l. 9). Even though we ourselves doubt our ability to achieve the extent of our dream, Dickinson says that the further away and the less attainable, the more desirable of an objective it becomes. She says that we chase after our goal like someone chasing after "the rainbow's raiment" (l. 11) which we continue to pursue for its beauty and the pot of gold, even though we know that it is only an appealing myth and the end of the rainbow does not truly exist at all. She compares our faith in achieving our goal as someone reaching "a brittle heaven" (l. 9) and living their lives in blind faith that they will ultimately achieve that goal. We all live our lives in part expecting to achieve utopia and to see the face of God at our death, but occasional we question the rationale of this heart's desire. We do however have to believe on the basis that without that belief, living a moral life and having a supernatural relationship would be ludicrous without that end reward of sitting at the feet of our maker. Likewise, we should live our lives with a mortal goal and faith that we will achieve it. If we approach our earthly desires in this manner, we will be more disciplined, and will seek to achieve this goal with all costs. Dickinson says that we should be inspired by "the saints' slow diligence" (l. 15) who have gone before us all working towards their goal of

The Tiger and The Lamb - Comparison

2001-02-06T13:00:00-05:00

“The Tiger” and “The Lamb” were both poems by William Blake. In this essay I am going to compare the two poems. Blake as a child was an outcast, and didn’t have many friends. He was educated from home by his parents and fond sociability difficult. His family believed very strongly in God but did not agree with the teachings of the church. During his lonely hours Blake often read the Bible. He had a lot of free time to think about ideas reflect on life, and to strengthen his imagination. You could find a lot of biblical discourse in his poems. By the time he was an adult his active imagination allowed him to create vivid poetry and paintings, finally sent him mad! Blake published twp very famous books of poems of “Songs of Experience” and “Songs of Innocence”. Poems from the “Songs of Experience” are all about the God who brought all the evil and suffering into the world. The poems from the “Songs of Innocence” are about the redemptive God of the New Testament, like Jesus. “The Lamb is from the “songs of Innocence”, and “Tiger” from the “Songs of Innocence”. “The Lamb” is the contrasting poem to “The Tiger”. The main question that I feel that Blake is asking in the two poems is that how can the same God make such a vicious animal and also make such an innocent animal. In “The Tiger” the God in it is strong, dark and sinister. He is described as a dark blacksmith. The next quotation shows this. “What hammer? What chain…dare its deadly terrors clasp”? This comes from the end of verse four. The mention of tools and the dark line at the end gives me the image of a God working in a hot and fiery hell. This image would have reminded readers of the factories of the industrial revolution. Blake in verse four is all questions, to show that there is a lot of confusion in the verse. In “The Lamb” the poem is very well structured. In the first verse it has the questions and in the second verse it has all the answers. If you were only to look at the poem briefly you would believe it was a children’s poem. You would think this because of the simple vocabulary, and also if you notice, the poem uses soft alliteration “little lamb” this would give

Ode on a Grecian Urn - Critical Analysis

2001-01-29T13:00:00-05:00

“More happy love! more happy, happy love!” (Keats, line 25). When one reads lines such as this, one cannot help but think that the poet must have been very, very happy, and that, in fact, the tone of the poem is light and filled with joy. However, this is not the case in John Keats’s poem, Ode on a Grecian Urn. At first glance, the tone of the poem seems light and flowery. However, when one looks deeper into the poem to find its underlying meanings, one discovers that the tone of the poem is very morbid. This is because the poem has two separate levels. Keats’s Ode on a Grecian Urn has a superficial level of happiness and joy, which acts as a façade for a deeper level of morbidity and death, most likely because of the fact that Keats was dying as he wrote this poem. First of all, when one starts to read this poem, one cannot help but think that the tone is one of happiness. In fact, in the third stanza, Keats uses the word happy five times. The language of the poem is very flowery and beautiful, and it has the effect of lightening the deeper mood of the poem. For example, in the line “A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:” (Keats, line 4), Keats is talking about the tale told by the urn. He is disguising it as sweet and flowery when, in reality, it is dark. The urn is symbolic of death. Another example is the lines “Forever warm and still to be enjoyed. Forever panting, and forever young:” (Keats, lines 26-27). In these two lines Keats is talking about the immortality established on this urn. However, he realizes that true immortality does not exist. In this poem there are many references to death and sorrow. These are more difficult to find than the flowery images and ideas, and that is why they are said to be at a deeper level. One example is the lines, What little town by river or seashore, Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel, Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn? And, little town, thy streets forevermore Will silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e’er return. Keats (lines 35-40). When one first reads these lines, one gets a sense of peace and tranquility. However, these lines are really rather bleak. They

The Road not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - Analysis

2001-01-20T13:00:00-05:00

Robert Lee Frost (born in San Francisco, March 26, 1874 and died in Boston, January 29, 1963) was one of America's leading 20th-century poets and a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Although his verse forms are traditional, he was a pioneer in the interplay of rhythm and meter and in the poetic use of the vocabulary and inflections of everyday speech. His poetry is thus both traditional and experimental. After Frost’s father died in 1885, the family left California and settled in Massachusetts. From 1897 to 1899 he attended Harvard College as a special student, but left without a degree. Over the next ten years he wrote (but rarely published) poems, operated a farm in Derry, New Hampshire (purchased for him by his grandfather), and supplemented his income by teaching. In 1912 he sold the farm and used the proceeds to take his family to England, where he could devote himself entirely to writing. His efforts to establish himself and his work were almost immediately successful. A Boy's Will was accepted by a London publisher and brought out in 1913, followed a year later by North of Boston. In 1924 he received a Pulitzer Prize in poetry for New Hampshire (1923). He received it again for Collected Poems (1930), A Further Range (1936), and A Witness Tree (1942). Over the years he received an unprecedented number and range of literary, academic, and public honors. 1 The Road Not Taken Although I must admit that I am not a poetry fan, many of the poems of Robert Frost appeal to me, and this would have to be the one that appeals the most, in other words, it is my favorite poem. When I first read this poem, I liked it because of its free verse style (which I like) and its apparent simplicity, but, after much study, its true meaning became apparent. The obvious basic meaning is that the poem is about a person’s choices in life. The narrator describes coming to a problem with the fork in the road. He must go down one but feels he will not be able to take back his decision. He looks to see the pros and cons of each choice, and then takes the one that he says the least had traveled. He leaves the outcome up to the reader and the sigh at the end can be taken as good or bad. This

Bacause I could not stop for death

2001-01-02T13:00:00-05:00

In Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death “ (448), the speaker of the poem is a woman who relates about a situation after her death. The speaker personifies death as a polite and considerate gentleman who takes her in a carriage for a romantic journey; however, at the end of this poem, she finishes her expedition realizing that she has died many years ago. The poem contains six quatrains, and does not follow any consistent rhyme scheme. Every line starts with a strong beat and ends up with a weak beat. The first and third lines in each stanza have iambic tetrameter, but the second and fourth lines do not contain any consistent meter. The feet generate a rhythm the following way. Bevcause/ Iv | could/ notV | stop/ | forv Death/ Hev kind/lyv | stopped/ | forv me/ This rhythm mimics the sound of horses’ hooves on the ground. Emily Dickinson correlates the speaker’s expression of her journey “toward Eternity-“(l. 24) with horses’ hoofed feet in her allegory (Class note). In the first stanza, she begins her journey with a refined gentleman named Death who takes her in the carriage. Even though in the first line “Because I could not stop for Death” (l. 1), the poet gives us a hint of the speaker's disappearance in the world, the speaker thinks that she is still alive. The poet chooses a special term “Immortality” (l. 4) to show that at the beginning of her journey the speaker is young and enthusiastic to tell about her existence of life in the world and that she cannot think of dying. In the second stanza, Death drives her so smoothly and gently that the ride makes her very happy. She is so naïve and adolescent that she leaves her worldly activities and gets ready to go out and spend time with her boyfriend. She gives him her possessions: her “labor” and “leisure” too (l. 7) for his politeness. Figuratively, in stanza three, the poem symbolizes the three stages of life: childhood represented by “Children strove” (l. 9), youth represented by “the Fields of Gazing Grains” (l. 11) and the end of the life represented by “the Setting Sun” (l. 12). On the way of her journey, the speaker views children struggling to win in the race in School. She also sees cereal grasses collectively in the field, and at last the speaker

Arrival of the Beebox

2000-12-31T13:00:00-05:00

In a number of her poems, Sylvia Plath expresses a concern with the need to be in control. The speaker is often invested with power and is placed beside the underlying fear of being over ridden by the 'other'. In order to maintain an authorative position, she confronts with the 'enemy' and ponders on the unknown, leaving readers inexplicably drawn by the experiences described. Yet Plath's other preoccupations are contrary to the investiture of power in the poetic voice, where the main subject is placed at the victimization by the opposition - whether it be a male figure, a baby, an insect or mushroom. It is also apparent in some of Plath's poetry to begin with a lack of hope which then invert to a simple, affirming statement. Such progressive features appear in the third extract, 'The Arrival of the Beebox'. Upon establishing a description of the 'clean wood box' which appears to be 'square as a chair' and almost 'too heavy to lift', we are immediately presented with a visual that remains consistent throughout the five-line stanzas of the poem. Already there is a sense of struggle or uncertainty with the speaker thinking ironically that 'the box is locked' but is 'dangerous' because she 'can't see what's in there' although she 'ordered' the box of bees. This supports Plath's notion of individual power, but also considers the responsibility that accompanies. As the 'owner' of the box, the speaker 'can't keep away from it'. It is as if she is expected 'to live with it overnight'. Plath also examines society's expectations of responsibility in 'The Applicant', however, in a different context. The male subject is directly confronted by the company voice, 'Are you our sort of person?' as the starting question of several to befit the role as husband. The repetitive line, 'Will you marry it' and the same words in the last line emphasizes Plath's value in society's attitudes towards wholeness in life, where marriage creates an equilibrium, therefore is the 'last resort'. But in contrast, the speaker in 'The Arrival of the Beebox' has more than one way to overcome her duty to the bees as she does not out rule 'they can die, I need feed them nothing…'. Consequently, the speaker restores her power and in personifying 'sweet God', she decides she 'will set them free'. Readers are left to wonder if one can control the world. While the

Bored - Father

2000-12-12T13:00:00-05:00

There is a phrase that people here time and time again, but don’t truly understand the meaning of it until the phrase can be applied to their own lives. “You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.” Atwood’s poem is a direct reflection of this quote. Her poem “Bored” talks about how she hated the repetitiveness of her daily events with her father. But it was only until he had passed on was it that she truly did realize how much she missed those daily events. Sometimes people don’t understand how important others mean to them until it is too late. I found the poem “Bored” to be very well written and very touching. Atwood did a good job of describing how easy it is to overlook some of the better things in life. This poem revolved around repetition. And it was the repetition that makes the reader aware of the love that Margaret has for her father. Her poem starts with “All those times I was bored out of my mind. Holding the log while he sawed it. Holding the string while he measured, boards, distances between things, or pounded stakes into the ground for rows and rows of lettuces and beets, which I then (bored) weeded”(588). Atwood is obviously conveying to the reader that the time she spent with her father wasn’t what she considered of much importance and actually disliked it. This is because she only saw it as work and as a constant hardship of recurrence on herself. She never comprehended that these days with her father were the better days of her life, and she only wishes she could have them back. “Why do I remember it as sunnier all the time then, although it more often rained, and more birdsong”(589)? Another aspect that can be derived from this poem is Atwood’s father’s obvious intentions to give her an awareness of the many adversities life can obtain. He has made sure she leads a life that doesn’t result from a spoiled childhood. He made her attentive of a hard days work, which is probably one of the best things a father can teach his child. It is absolutely essential that parents in general teach their children the many hardships life may behold. This gives the child a better direction in means of future obligations. Atwood describes her father’s ambition to show her some of the

The Author of Her book

2000-12-04T13:00:00-05:00

In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet is awash in indecision and internal conflicts over the merits and shortfalls of her creative abilities and the book that she produced. This elaborate internal struggle between pride and shame is manifested through a painstaking conceit in which she likens her book to her own child. An essential step in analyzing a poem is to provide a structural outline of the poem. Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “The Author to Her Book,” can be divided into seven sections. First, line one provides the general description of how she views her creation. She repeatedly speaks directly to her work in apostrophe, as if it were her own child. Second, lines two through five depict how she feels embarrassed that her private works were published without her consent and before she was finished editing and correcting them. Then in lines six through nine, Bradstreet equates the embarrassment she feels due to her as-yet-unperfected work to the shame a parent feels due to an ill-tempered child. She continues in line 10 through 14 to tell her desire to erase any error in the poem, but in lines 15 through 17 she realizes that this cannot be done because it is already in print. Finally in lines 19 and 20, a mother’s unconditional love shows as she sends her child away with admonitions. In the end, Bradstreet leaves her child with the thought, be known for your own value. A second step in analyzing a poem is to identify the main idea or point of the poem. In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet uses an extended metaphor to emphasize her dissatisfaction with the publishing of her poems (ll 3, 7, 9, 10), but tells how she cannot turn her back on her own creation (ll 12, 16, 19-24). Thus, Bradstreet conveys the embarrassment she feels due to her imperfect work. The main idea shows throughout the poem as Bradstreet struggles with the idea of her work being published when not fully perfected. Another useful tool in analyzing a poem is to identify poetic devices, meter, and a rhyme scheme. Through her deft use of extended metaphor, Bradstreet weaves an intricate web of parallels between parent and author and between child and book--both relationships of creator to creation. This use of metaphor allows the reader to relate emotionally to Bradstreet’s situation. In line seven, we see the uses of

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

2000-11-28T13:00:00-05:00

The circumstances surrounding the composition of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" explain his use of "The darkest evening of the year" (L.8) which is closely related it to the greater theme of perseverance in the face of hardship. Frost wrote this poem, in November(Frost Chronology) 1923; on the same late night he finished his book New Hampshire (Jackson sec. 1). Being "a little excited from getting over-tired"(qtd. in Jackson sec. 3), he decided to venture out into the wilderness, probably to calm down. Frost hitched his horse to a sleigh and left on his journey to eventually find the "Woods" in this poem. Being in an "autointoxicated"(qtd. in Jackson sec. 3) state, Frost was mesmerized by the scene of the woods beside the frozen lake. He eventually broke out of his trance, possibly with the aid of his horse, by thoughts of prior commitments. The former statement is shown in the text by: "He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake"(L.L. 9-10) and the latter by: "But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep"(L.L. 13-14). According to Frost, upon his return home, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" "was written in a few minutes without any strain"(qtd. in Jackson sec. 1). Therefore, Frost wrote this poem about himself and his journey. Literally, "The darkest evening of the year"(L.8), refers to the winter equinox on December 21st. But, if thought of symbolically, this line could be the culmination of difficult work, by the author, to finish his book New Hampshire. Furthermore the equinox aspect of "The darkest evening of the year"(L.13) symbolizes the transition, from the writing of a new book to its realization. Therefore, the meaning "The darkest evening of the year"(L.8) is dual even if the poem was not written in December 21st. In and of itself, the poem is an extended metaphor for perseverance. The reader only realizes this after having finished reading the poem because the information about the narrator's prior commitments and fatigue is provided at the end. In retrospect, the first stanza can be analyzed as the narrator's difficult journey. The middle and last parts of the text, like the woods, can be seen as the temptation, as is evident in the lines "The woods are lovely dark and deep"(L. 13). But the narrator overcomes his temptation shown by: "But I

The Unknown Citizen

2000-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

The Unknown Citizen Is Me “The Unknown Citizen”, a poem written by W.H. Auden, reflects a period of vast change in America’s history, making “The Unknown Citizen” an example of the government’s view of the perfect modern man in an overrated, unrealistic society. During the time period that this poem was written, in the late 1930’s, The United States was going through tremendous social, political and economic change. Following the passing of Black Monday and at the onset of The Great Depression, many Americans held negative opinions of their government and the many positive aspects that once drew citizens to the United States were becoming increasingly negative. The Great Depression fundamentally changed the relationship between the government and it’s people. Citizens began to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. During this time period, Americans were issued cards with a personalized federal numbers, better known as Social Security cards, which in turn depersonalized the political system of the United States. We the people, see our government as a coalition between our leaders and ourselves, leaders that we elect to represent and enforce our values. They merely see us a number. This issue emerges currently with regard to the election of the next president of the United States. The entire issue deals not with the citizens’ wants and needs, but with the “numbers”. We are no longer individuals, but merely a vast pool of insignificant numbers. Numbers that only become imperative when the disparity between them is diminutive. “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden).” This question is still being asked today, the only difference now is that there is no doubt whether or not the opinions of the masses are being heard. The question remaining is whether or not the government is actually listening to the people. This poem also expresses that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the “right thing”, so you must follow in their footsteps and if you do so your reward is a happy and fulfilled life with all the comforts of the modern man. The standards are constantly changing so that you will never reach the optimum point, therefore you must always strive to improve. This can be seen in the 2000 Presidential Race. We the people have followed the same uniform procedures in determining our

Old New England

2000-11-13T13:00:00-05:00

Derek Walcott’s “Old New England” is a poem concentrated upon the history of the beginning of New England colonies in America, but instead of presenting our past as a triumph, he manages to illustrate our most prideful moments as a dishonorable time period.

Wilfred Owen

2000-10-22T14:00:00-04:00

Does Owens poetry do more than offer the reader an insight into the horrors of war? Discuss with reference to at least two poems. Wilfred Owen is arguable the greatest of the world war one poets. This is a man who through personal experience offers us not only insight into the astrocities of war but also illustrates the struggle of nature and the mental state these men cross into on the battle field. In ‘Spring Offensive’, Owen mixes the ideas of war and nature in a conversational tone unlike ‘Futility’ in which Owen questions the pointlessness of war and religion in this compact poem. Owen shows us the physical horrors of war very effectively yet his poems stretch beyond that and delve into the unspoken shames where life itself is questioned. Owen’s poem the Spring Offensive explores the unnatural offensive of war against spring or nature. Opening with ‘Halted against the shade of a last hill’ Owen suggests both the calmness of the ‘shade’ and the deadly implication of ‘last’. The horror of war is not only the ‘hot blast and fury of Hells upsurge’ of stanza 6 but also ‘the sun, like a friend with whom their love is done’ of stanza 4. Written in a conversational tone, Spring Offensive illustrates the physical horrors of the men experienced in war as they ‘leapt to swift unseen bullets…….or plunged and fell away past the world verge.’ The oxymoron in stanza 7 ‘superhuman inhumanities’ , the fantastic acts of horror, implies in war that hero and the devil are one and the same. Yet although Owen gives us insight into such horrors he does much more in his questioning of god and his imagery of nature in projecting the feelings of men at war. As it is said ‘nothing concentrates a mans mind more than his own execution’ ‘to face the stark blank sky beyond the ridge’ suggests the questionable future namely the heavens and god. This imagery is continued in stanza 5 with the double meaning of ‘earth set sudden cups in thousands for their blood which implies not only the literal meaning of the craters but the cup of Christ or religion. Owen suggests that god and nature had set a trap, for just as the soldiers had turned their back on nature and religion so too had god and nature rejected the soldiers. Owen’s imagery of nature is particually

The Author of Her book

2000-10-10T14:00:00-04:00

Song of Myself: Individuality and Free Verse

2000-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

Forged in the fire of revolution and defined by manifest destiny, America has always been the land of the individual. Although the American dream has not always been consistent, (married with 2.5 kids, 2 cars, a dog and a satisfying job), the spirit of innovation, individuality and progress remains unchanged. The father of free verse, and perhaps the American perspective of poetry, Walt Whitman embodies these values in his life and work. First published in 1855 in Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself" is a vision of a symbolic "I" enraptured by the senses, vicariously embracing all people and places from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. Sections 1 and 2, like the entirety of the piece, seek to reconcile the individual and the natural world in an attempt to uncover the individual's humanity. Born near Huntington, New York, Whitman was the second of a family of nine children. His father was a carpenter. The poet had a particularly close relationship with his mother. When Whitman was four years old, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he attended public school for six years before being apprenticed to a printer. Two years later he went to New York City to work in printing shops. He returned to Long Island in 1835 and taught in country schools. In 1838 and 1839 Whitman edited a newspaper, the Long-Islander, in Huntington. When he became bored with the job, he went back to New York City to work as a printer and journalist. There he enjoyed the theater, the opera, and the libraries. Whitman wrote poems and stories for popular magazines and made political speeches, for which Tammany Hall Democrats rewarded him with the editorship of various short-lived newspapers. For two years Whitman edited the influential Brooklyn Eagle, but he lost his position for supporting the Free-Soil party. After a brief sojourn in New Orleans, Louisiana, he returned to Brooklyn, where he tried to start a Free-Soil newspaper (Academy of American Poets). During the Civil War Whitman served as a nurse and his contact with the atrocities of battle later proved to be a driving force in his desire to bring people together in harmony (Ott 1774). After the war, he held various jobs, including government clerk and homebuilder. But it was the decade before the war in which Whitman made the switch between rhymed verse and the radically new, free verse he has

Indian Boarding School

2000-07-05T14:00:00-04:00

"Compressed emotions," that is the explanation a teacher once gave to the ongoing question, "What is poetry?" He said it was someone's deepest emotions, as if you were reading them right out of that person's mind, which in that case would not consist of any words at all. If someone tells you a story, it is usually like a shell. Rarely are all of the deepest and most personal emotions revealed effectively. A poem of that story would be like the inside of the shell. It personifies situations, and symbolizes and compares emotions with other things in life. Louise Erdrich's poem Indian Boarding School puts the emotions of a person or group of people in a setting around a railroad track. The feelings experienced are compared to things from the setting, which takes on human characteristics. Louise Erdrich was born part German, part American Indian. Since the title and other references in the poem refer to Indian people, it is most likely that this poem was very personal to her. The boarding school may have been a real place she went to, or where mistreatment of her people was not uncommon, or it could simply be a tool she used to express racism towards them in general. With that fact, the reader must remember that although the words are from the runaways' point of view, there are not necessarily any real runaways. From the point of view at which this is told, the runaways are eager to find their way home. They do not necessarily really try to runaway, it may just be in their fantasies, "Home's the place we head for in our sleep." (line 1). The first use of personification is in the line, "The rails, old lacerations that we love,"(line 4). It is not yet quite clear why Erdrich would compare the train tracks with old lacerations until the lines, "shoot parallel across the face and break just under the Turtle Mountains." (lines 5-6). Mountains are definite things that are physical in nature. Train tracks on a face are hard to imagine, so it leads us to believe it has some deeper meaning. This reveals that the children want to run away from the boarding school for more serious matters than just good old home-sickness. The "old lacerations" may represent wounds on their own faces, internal or external. Visually, train tracks look like wounds that were stitched and

Ode to the West Wind

2000-05-28T14:00:00-04:00

" Ode to the West Wind" was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley shortly before his death in 1822. Shelley spent the majority of his life in England where he was born to an upper class family. He attended Eton for his primary education and Oxford University until he was expelled for the publication of The Necessity of Atheism. Shortly after being expelled, Shelley married a commoner named Harriet Westbrook , which upset his family because of his wife’s low social standing. The marriage was short lived and Shelley quickly fell in love with Mary Godwin. Shelley continued writing throughout his life and his most notable works include "Ozamandias", "Laon and Cythna", and "Rosalind and Helen". Mary Shelley, Shelley’s wife who was also involved in literature, wrote Frankenstein. In 1822 Shelley drowned in a boating accident in the Gulf of Spieza. Shelly is mainly noted as the most passionate of the Romantic writers and for his usage of experimental styles in poetry. "Ode to the West Wind" was written by Shelley on a day when the weather was unpredictable and windy, the poem reflects the mood of the weather and expresses Shelley’s desire for creativeness and intellect. The first section of the poem focuses on the description of the colorful autumn leaves being stirred by the wind. The line " Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere; Destroyer and preserver.." shows the relationship between Shelley’s desire to create and nature’s force. The second section of the poem tells about the clouds in the sky that are forewarning " the locks of the approaching storm". The fierce storm clouds represent Shelley’s frustration in his lack of original ideas. The third section relates the winds effect on the waves in the sea, which Shelley describes as ".. Grey with fear and tremble and despoil themselves…". In the fourth section of the poem Shelley shows his desire to be the autumn leaves, tempest clouds, and turbulent waves so that he to can be effected by the wind and nature the way the objects are. The fifth section presents the resolution to Shelley’s desire to be effected by the wind by Shelley letting go of his self-control and allowing himself to be an instrument of the wind. He shows this by saying, " Make me thy Lyre". Shelley views his newfound relationship with the wind as being a rebirth of creativity and intellect and ultimately gains

My Other Self

2000-05-03T14:00:00-04:00

In "My Other Self" the essayist takes the reader on a journey through a girl’s torturous emotional problems during a short period of time. The essayist believes that to each person, there is an "other self". This other self is a side of us that no else knows exists. I think it is created by the repression of

My Last Duchess

2000-04-28T14:00:00-04:00

A dramatic monologue is a poem in which a single speaker who is not the poet recites the entire poem at a critical moment. The speaker has a listener within the poem, but the reader of the poem is also one of the speakers listeners. In a dramatic monologue, the reader learns about the speaker's character from what the speaker says. Robert Browning is said to have perfected this form of writing. One of his most famous dramatic monologues is "My Last Duchess." The speaker in the poem is an Italian duke who ordered the murder of his wife and is at the offset of the poem showing off the portrait to his future son-in-law. Browning lets the reader know in a roundabout way that the duke only shows the portrait of his late wife to select strangers. In doing this, the speaker is able to show off his wealth to the stranger and he seems to enjoy telling these people the story of how he ordered her to death. The speaker tries to convey to the people that he shows the portrait to that he is in control of everything that takes place in his household. In lines 8-9, the speaker interjects "since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you…" In this line, the speaker is saying that he doesn’t draw the curtain for just anyone. He has drawn the curtain particularly for his future son-in-law and he should feel privileged because the portrait can only be seen under the speaker’s complete control. The Duke believes that he should be shown complete respect and be the center of attention while in his home. The Duke thought his wife should be for him and his pleasures only. He did not like it when Fra Pandolf, the artist who painted the portrait said: "Fra Pandolf chanced to say ‘Her mantle laps Over my lady’s wrist too much,’ or, ‘Paint Must never hope to reproduce the faint Half-flush that dies along her throat." to the duchess in lines 16-18. And then again in lines 27-28, the duke tells about how some "officious fool" brought her cherries from the orchard. The duke also could not stand the fact that the duchess treated everyone and every gift equally; "all and each / Would draw from her alike the approving speech, / Or blush, at least" (lines 29-31). The duke thought of his

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Symbolic Setting

2000-04-10T14:00:00-04:00

Robert Frost’s love of nature is expressed in the setting of his poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening." His elaborate description of the woody setting brings vivid images to the reader’s mind. Frost explains the setting so descriptively that the reader feels he is in the woods also The setting is a very important tool Frost uses in writing this poem. The setting is obviously in the woods, but these are not just any old woods. Something caught the speaker’s eyes in these woods making them a special place for the speaker. It seems as if the speaker has associated these woods with an aspect of his "personal paradise". The peacefulness, tranquillity, darkness, and silence are all important parts of this "paradise". These aspects help the speaker escape from reality. The snow symbolizes the purity and peacefulness the speaker feels while stopping in the woods. (4) The darkness can symbolize many different things. Some times darkness would be considered evil or dangerous, but I do not think this is the case in this poem. I believe the darkness symbolizes the undisturbed atmosphere of the woods. Darkness may also symbolize the mystery of the yet to be discovered secrets deep within the woods. (8) The silence makes the speaker feel secluded from all other aspects of reality. (11-12) Stopping by the woods provides the speaker with a temporary escape from reality. Frost does not ever tell what business the speaker is on, but you can assume it may be very stressful. This escape from reality is very important even in today’s world. This poem was written in 1923 and still has aspects of 20th century society. The speaker knows he can not stay in this "paradise".(14) The speaker does not want to leave this spot, but he has made other promises that he has to keep. (14) I believe Frost uses repetition of the last two lines of this poem (and miles to go before I sleep) to emphasize the importance of this promise he has made, and to support the speakers reasons for having to leave. (15-16) I am not a big fan of poetry, but this poem caught my eye because I am a fan of nature. Frost and I would have had a lot in common, his poetry reflects many of my own personal views of nature. I too find myself relaxing in the woods to get

A Comparison of two Poems about Soldiers Leaving Britain to Fight in The First World War

2000-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

The two poems I am comparing are "Joining The Colours" by Katherine Tynan and "The Send Off" by Wilfred Owen. " Joining The Colours" is about a regiment of soldiers leaving Dublin in August 1914 to go to France to fight. This was at the beginning of the First World War and all the soldiers were happy because it was an opportunity for them to show their girlfriends and their families that they were brave. "The Send Off" is about a regiment of young soldiers who are departing later in the war. This poem was written a few years after "Joining The Colours". The mood of each occasion is different because "Joining The Colours" was written when the soldiers and their relative's thought that the war would be over by Christmas but instead it finished much later on and millions of soldiers got killed. The mood in "The Send Off" is totally different because the soldiers were already afraid. They knew how dangerous the war was because of what so many people had experienced since "Joining The Colours" was written in 1914. There was no celebration for them because most of the people knew what was going to happen. The structure and the style of each poem varies in different ways. "Joining The Colours" is more positive. The structure of this poem is simple. Even though there are some words which convey an image that war is bad, most of the style of writing is positive and even happy. "The Send Off" is a more serious and frightening poem. The style of writing throughout the poem is sad and conveys an image that war is completely bad. The structure of this poem is more complicated than "Joining The Colours". This is because the poet is trying to convince the reader that war is the most terrible thing that ever happened. In "Joining The Colours" the soldiers seem happy as they march to war. In stanza 1 for example "There they go marching all in step so gay". This quotation shows how they enjoy marching, all together. Their attitude towards war is very carefree. They look almost as though they are "going to a wedding day". In stanza 2 the soldiers "are singing like the lark". In stanza 3 they make noises with "whistles, mouth-organs". The soldiers are carefree because they are brave. They don't understand how dangerous war is because they

The Hollow Men

2000-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

This is a paper I wrote on the Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot for an english class of mine a few months ago. I am currently enrolled at The Uni. of So. Cal. Hope you enjoy: Eliot starts his poem "The Hollow Men" with a quote from Joseph Conrad’s novel the Heart of Darkness. The line "Mistah Kurtz-he dead" refers to a Mr. Kurtz who was a European trader who had gone in the "the heart of darkness" by traveling into the central African jungle, with European standards of life and conduct. Because he has no moral or spiritual strength to sustain him, he was soon turned into a barbarian. He differs, however, from Eliot’s "hollow men" as he is not paralyzed as they are , but on his death catches a glimpse of the nature of his actions when he claims "The horror! the Horror!" Kurtz is thus one of the "lost /Violent souls" mentioned in lines 15-16. Eliot next continues with "A penny for the Old Guy". This is a reference to the cry of English children soliciting money for fireworks to commemorate Guy Fawkes day, November 5; which commemorates the "gunpowder plot" of 1605 in which Guy Fawkes and other conspirators planned to blow up both houses of Parliament. On this day, which commemorates the failure of the explosion, the likes of Fawkes are burned in effigy and mock explosions using fireworks are produced. The relation of this custom to the poem suggests another inference: as the children make a game of make believe out of Guy Fawkes , so do we make a game out of religion. The first lines bring the title and theme into a critical relationship. We are like the "Old Guy", effigies stuffed with straw. It may also be noticed that the first and last part of the poem indicate a church service, and the ritual service throughout. This is indicated in the passages "Leaning together...whisper together", and the voices "quiet and meaningless" as the service drones on. The erstwhile worshippers disappear in a blur of shape, shade gesture, to which normality is attached. Then the crucial orientation is developed, towards "death’s other Kingdom." We know that we are in the Kingdom of death, not as "violent souls" but as empty effigies, "filled with straw", of this religious service. Part two defines the hollow men in relation to the reality with those

Imagery Depicted Through T.S. Elliot's

2000-03-05T13:00:00-05:00

The imagery depicted in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men" evokes a sense of desolate hopelessness and lends to Eliot's generally cynical view of civilization during this period in history. A reaction of deep and profound disappointment in mankind around him is made evident in this stark work, first published in 1925. In this short piece, Eliot enumerates several deep faults he finds in his fellowman, including hypocrisy, apathy and indifference, and leaves the reader with a feeling of overwhelming emptiness. An important feature of this poem is the fact that the narration of the poem is in first person. This establishes Eliot's and the readers relationship to the images and ideas presented. When the poem begins "We are the hollow men" rather than "They are ..." or "You are..." the reader is immediately included somehow in this description, along with Eliot himself. This type of narration creates a sense of common "hollowness" and by the end of the poem, therefore, a sense of common responsibility and guilt. Early in the poem, Eliot creates a world of desolation. The idea of dryness is emphasized by the repetition of the word "dry" in the first stanza, where we read of "dried voices," "dry grass" and "dry cellar." When he mentions the sound of "rats feet over broken glass" he succinctly and subtly prods at our anxieties about urban disease and decay, showing us a sort of fleeting snapshot, almost subliminally planted, and raising in us an instantaneous reaction of revulsion. Eliot then mentions the dead, calling them "Those who have crossed...to death's other kingdom." These people are made real by Eliot's repeated mention of their eyes. He refers to them first as making their crossing into death with "direct eyes," meaning that they faced and succumbed to death, unable to turn away. Also he states they have "eyes I dare not meet in dreams," indicating that this narrator fears addressing death, either his own or those who have "crossed." Later in the poem, in part IV, Eliot returns to the eyes imagery with "The eyes are not here/There are no eyes here." The absence of eyes, here, indicates Eliot's condemnation of indifference among those still living to the fate of the dead. Further into section IV he presents "The hope only/Of empty men" as being when and if "The eyes reappear/ As the perpetual star." Here Eliot calls for an opening

The Sloth - breif ananlysis

2000-02-27T13:00:00-05:00

Title: The Sloth by Theodore Roethke Paraphrase: A lazy sloth is in a tree. Someone asks him something and he acts as if he does not hear, but he is thinking about it. He acts like you heard what his answer was, even though he didn't say anything. Lazily, he goes back to sleep knowing the answer to what you asked him and assuming that you know it too. Connotation:

1st,

Poem #640: interpretation

2000-01-03T13:00:00-05:00

I cannot live with You— It would be Life— And Life is over there__ Behind the Shelf The Sexton keeps the Key to— Putting up Our life—His Porcelain— Like a Cup— Discarded of the Housewife— Quaint—or Broke— A newer Sevres pleases— Old Ones crack— I could not die—with You— For One must wait To shut the Other’s Gaze down— You—could not— And I—Could I stand by And see You—freeze— Without my Right of Frost— Death’s privilege? Nor could I rise—with You— Because Your Face Would put out Jesus’— That New Grace Glow plain—and foreign On my homesick Eye— Except that You than He Shone closer by— They’d judge Us—How— For You—served Heaven—You know, Or sought to— I could not— Because You saturated Sight— And I had no more Eyes For sordid excellence As Paradise And were You lost, I would be— Though My Name Rang loudest On the Heavenly fame— And were You—saved— And I—condemned to be Where You were not— That self—were Hell to Me— So We must meet apart— You there—I—here— With just the Door ajar That Oceans are—and Prayer— And that White Sustenance— Despair— "I cannot live with You", by Emily Dickinson, is an emotional poem in which she shares her experiences and thoughts on death and love. Some critics believe that she has written about her struggle with death and her desire to have a relationship with a man whose vocation was ministerial, Reverend Charles Wadsworth. She considers suicide as an option for relieving the pain she endures, but decides against it. The narrator, more than likely Emily herself, realizes that death will leave her even further away from the one that she loves. There is a possibility that they will never be together again. "Arguing with herself, Dickinson considers three major resolutions for the frustrations she is seeking to define and to resolve. Each of these resolutions is expressed in negative form: living wither her lover, dying with him, and discovering a world beyond nature. Building on this series of negations, Dickinson advances a catalogue of reasons for her covenant with despair, which are both final and insufficient. Throughout, she excoriates the social and religious authorities that impede her union, but she remains emotionally unconvinced that she has correctly identified her antagonists." (Pollack, 182) Dickinson begins her poem by saying that she cannot live with her lover because their life together is an object that can only be opened with a key. The Sexton, or church officer in charge of the maintenance of church property, keeps the key. The reverend’s involvement with God and with a woman at the same time is like a porcelain cup that is easily broken. This is an example of

It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up

1999-12-21T13:00:00-05:00

In the poem by Emily Dickinson "It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up," the main character has just lost a loved one and feels such devastation that cannot be put into words, but could only be described as "not" something. She feels such loss at her loved one's burial, that his "burial reminded [her] of [hers]". He has been a huge part of her life, so when he dies, that part of her dies also, and is buried with him. She cannot put the feeling of devastation into words, for if pain can be described, it has a mortal limit and is bearable. The pain of the character in this poem is beyond that. In philosophy, one cannot describe chaos or God using affirmative words; one has to say "chaos is not, God is not." Likewise in the poem, Emily Dickinson uses negations rather than affirmative statements to describe her anguish as an intangible entity. She does not even use a word such as "agony", or "grief" anywhere in the poem in order to emphasize that her feeling cannot be condensed into a simple word. Instead, she describes the chaos she feels by using negations of opposing forces, "it was not fire it was not heat", and then saying that she feels them all at once. Emily Dickinson uses imagery to make the shock she feels more vivid to the reader. Her life "was fitted on a frame and [she] could not breathe without a key." This metaphor reminds the reader of the stifling feeling in the throat and gasping for air, when one sobs violently but tears don't come. She does not have the "key". She cannot help herself because she has lost everything, the "key" must come from somewhere else. "And 'twas like midnight some when everything that ticked has stopped and space stares all around." This is like the first feeling of shock, when the conception of time and space is completely different. The feeling of shock is like hanging in the middle of space, outside of measured time. What the character feels can be best described as "utter nothing", or "Chaos without chance or spar." It always makes one feel better when he can change something or turn the feeling of nothing into something else. But here she cannot even feel anger because in death there is no one to feel the anger against. She

A Bird Came Down the Walk

1999-12-21T13:00:00-05:00

The poem "A Bird Came Down

Wordsworth's Style

1999-12-18T13:00:00-05:00

Wordsworth did not write by using lofty, eloquent language, and great issues and personalities as subjects. Unlike his contemporaries, he recognized that good poetry is "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," and therefore nothing along the lines of strait-laced, stoic little old women, or grandiose dining rooms. He wrote of bucolic life: not much was said, but never were the important things left out. Life’s most elementary feelings were revealed in the most permanent ways: ever-present in the surroundings. Wordsworth’s aesthetic appreciation was not destroyed by his poetic vanity: he finds no need to embellish his phrases for sophistication. Common language served Wordsworth’s purpose well, for the simple words were direct in their purpose. They expressed feelings that had been

Elizabethan Sonnets

1999-12-05T13:00:00-05:00

In Elizabethan Age, the sonnets had advanced into a form with new metric and rhyme scheme that was departing from Petrarchan sonnets. Yet, Elizabethan sonnets still carried the tradition of Petrarchan conceit. Petrarchan conceit was a figure used in love poems consisting detailed yet exaggerated comparisons to the lover's mistress that often emphasized the use of blazon. The application of blazon would emphasize more on the metaphorical perfection of the mistresses due to the natural objects were created by God, hence when the mistresses were better than nature, then there would be nothing better than the mistresses. Sonnet 130 written by William Shakespeare developed into an anti-Petrarchan position by denying the image of Petrarchan poet's mistresses who always were ideal and idolized. Any lover's mistress in Petrachan poet's sonnet would expect to have eyes that vying the sun, lips that are redder than coral, breasts as white as snow, and hair that shines. Nevertheless, the speaker created his mistress to a contradictory image of an ideal lover. The speaker insisted that his "mistress' eyes" were "noting like the sun. Coral" was "far more red than her lips' red" and "if snow be white," then "her breasts" were "dun." He also commented that "if hairs be wires, black wires" grew "on her head." Furthermore, her skin was dark and not smooth; her breath was unpleasant too. These descriptions summed up to an objectionable image of her, which suggested that the speaker was trying to portray his beloved to a person who was uglier than the rest of the mistresses. In addition, he described that his "mistress, when she" walked, she treaded "on the ground" which indicated his mistress was a real woman but not like the ideal goddess-like or fictional lovers that other poets created. Petrarchan sonnets consisted of an octave and a sestet with a rhyme scheme of abbaabba cdecde where at the end of the octave, there would usually be a turn in the sonnet. On the other hand, Elizabethan sonnets consisted of three quatrains with a couplet with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg. The couplet often served as a turn in the sonnet. In sonnet 130, its couplet served as a classical twist. The couplet was contrasting to the quatrains where he implied that his mistress was not truly ugly because she was compared with the other mistresses who were artificially created by their lovers. It was only

Robert Frost

1999-11-29T13:00:00-05:00

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874. He moved to New England at the age of eleven and became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was enrolled at Dartmouth College in 1892, and later at Harvard, but never earned a formal degree. Frost drifted through a string of occupations after leaving school, working as a teacher, cobbler, and editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His first professional poem, "The Butterfly," was published on November 8, 1894, in the New York newspaper The Independent. In 1895, Frost married Elinor Miriam White, who became a major inspiration in his poetry until her death in 1938. The couple moved to England in 1912, after their New Hampshire farm failed, and it was abroad that Frost met and was influenced by such contemporary British poets as Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, and Robert Graves. There are probably three things that account for Robert Frost's poetry. In his poems, he uses familiar subjects, like nature, people doing everyday things and simple language to express his thought. His poems may be easy to read, but not necessarily easy to understand. Almost all of Frost's poems are hiding a secret message. He easily can say two things at the same time. For example, in "The Road Not Taken", Frost talks about being a traveler, but the hidden message is about decisions in life. In lines 19 and 20, he expresses that he did the right thing, by choosing to go down the path that made the difference. Also, "in Birches", lines 48-59, it shows that the poem is about being carefree. Frost wishes he could be like the boy swinging from the birch trees. The poem sets the picture of a boy swinging from the tree branches, but he really is talking about being carefree. He says that earth is the right place for love. He says that he doesn't know where he would like to go better, but he would like to go swinging from the birches. Another example of symbolic description comes from the poem "Desert Places" he talks about how he will not be scared of the desert places, but of the loneliness. He is scared of his own loneliness, his own desert places. Most of Frost's poems are about nature. All three of the mentioned poems are about nature. In "The Road Not Taken" he talks of the

More Than Just a Shirt

1999-11-27T13:00:00-05:00

Before reading this poem one doesn't completely realize the details and stories behind an object as basic as a shirt. I had no idea that so much detail could be found in such a simple object, much less an entire poem. This poem presents a very good example of how we can easily overlook terrible things which happen, but choose to ignore. Even though we know bad working conditions exist in small countries which produce products we need, we choose to buy these products and support the inhumane working conditions. The poem does a good job of making us more aware of the world around us, and that there are more to things then meets the eye. The poem Shirt by Robert Pinsky is written in a free verse form. The poem tells the story behind a shirt. It starts by describing the shirt and its physical characteristics, but then goes into the story of the workers which produce it. The shirt is not one particular shirt, but all shirts in general. The first story which is described in the poem tells us about a factory which has poor working conditions. These conditions led to a fire which kills one hundred and forty-six people. A specific example of a man who tosses three girls out the window and then plunges to his own death serves to show us the horror of the situation. the poem then continues on to tell us of in humane conditions in Scotland. It ends by telling us about the slaves who picked and planted the cotton. The speaker seems to be telling us a story in order to inform us of what's going on in the shirt industry. Robert Pinsky doesn't have many obvious examples of diction in his work, although hints of it can be found. There is a simile in the first line of the tenth stanza. The line goes "corners of both pockets, like a strict rhyme"(line 28). When reading the poem many images present themselves. One of the first images I see continues to present its self through out the poem. This image is one of the shirt with its " invisible stitches along the collar "(2), " twin bar-tacked corners "(27), and " Buttons of simulated stone ".(45) The strongest image in the poem which really stuck with me was one of the man dropping girls out of the window, and then

Faust

1999-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

In Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe builds a dramatic poem around the strengths and weaknesses of a man who under a personalized definition of a hero fails miserably. A hero is someone that humanity models themselves and their actions after, someone who can be revered by the masses as an individual of great morality and strength, a man or woman that never sacrifices his beliefs under adversity. Therefore, through his immoral actions and his unwillingness to respect others rights and privileges, Faust is determined to be a man of un heroic proportions. It is seen early in the poem, that Faust has very strong beliefs and a tight moral code that is deeply rooted in his quest for knowledge. Sitting in his den, Faust describes his areas of instruction, "I have, alas, studied philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine, too, and, worst of all, theology with keen endeavor, through and through..." It is obvious that through his studies he has valued deep and critical thinking, however with the help of Mephisto, he would disregard his values and pursue the pleasures of the flesh. Faust's impending downward spiral reveals the greed that both Mephisto and Faust share. Mephisto's greed is evident in the hope that he will overcome Faust's morality and thus be victorious in his wager with God; also because he is the devil and that is what he does. For Faust, greed emerges because of his desire to attain physical pleasures and therefore become whole in mind, body and spirit. Faust's goal to become the Überminche is an understandable desire, however, the means at which he strives for those ends are irresponsible and unjust. It is through this greed that Faust with the help of Mephisto exploit others in the pursuit of Faust's earthly desires. Enter innocent Gretchen, a poor lower class young woman who experiences the impossible, love. Under Mephisto's magical potion, Faust becomes intoxicated with passion and controlled by his hormones. It is under this spell that he approaches the "beautiful" Gretchen, however, the feeling of passion is not mutual between the two. Faust realizes then, that his simple looks and personality will not attract Gretchen, rather Faust must deceive and manipulate this woman in order to possess her. Thus, Faust turns to Mephisto for help in his quest for Gretchen, "Get me that girl, and don't ask why?"(257) Mephisto replies with a quote that establishes the nature at which

After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes--

1999-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

Elements of despair evident from the inner workings of Emily Dickinson are present in her poem, “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes--.” Emily Dickinson led a difficult life which left her alone. These feelings of sorrow and isolation have produced works by Dickinson which question human existence and thought. Such works include the theme of despair which is inextricably related to spiritual strivings and misgivings. They lead inevitably to her thematic concern with man’s knowledge of death and his dream of immortality, directly relevant to “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes--.” In this poem, Emily Dickinson renders the extinction of consciousness by pain in terms of a funeral. By paraphrasing the first stanza, After great pain, a formal feeling comes-- The Nerves sits ceremonious, like Tombs-- The stiff Heart, questions was it He, that bore, And Yesterday, or Centuries before? The reader perceives the first of three stages of a funeral ceremony, the formal service. After the onset of suffering through death, the presence of finality through a funeral rises. The second stanza brings with it the second stage of the ceremony, carrying off the casket by pallbearers. The Feet, mechanical, go round-- A wooden way Of Ground, or Air, or Ought-- Regardless grown, A Quartz contentment, like a stone-- The feet of the pallbearers work rhythmically and mechanically, performing their duty. The final stanza includes the final stage of a funeral,the burial. This is the Hour of Lead-- Remembered, if outlived, As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow-- First--Chill--then Stupor--then the letting go-- The reader notes that this is the time of finality, and of parting with the deceased. It is also a time of final recollections, and of healing. In an interpretation of this poem, Dickinson is neither speaking of the persona, or the funeral ritual, but instead of the state of mind at death. This perception includes the premise of one who has lost all sense of identity. The various parts of the anatomy noted in the poem, such as the nerves, heart, and feet, are no longer part of one central being, but now moving through the acts of a meaningless ceremony. In essence, they are lifeless forms enacted in a trance. As the idea of a funeral ceremony subsides, the once living body’s form emerges. The “formal feeling” that comes after a great pain is actually no pain at all, but instead the loss of form, time, and space. Throughout “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes--”, Dickinson uses many forms of

Emily Dickinson's Poetry

1999-11-21T13:00:00-05:00

Emily Dickinson was raised in a traditional New England home in the mid 1800's. Her father along with the rest of the family had become Christians and she alone decided to rebel against that and reject the Church. She like many of her contemporaries had rejected the traditional views in life and adopted the new transcendental outlook. Massachusetts, the state where Emily was born and raised in, before the transcendental period was the epicenter of religious practice. Founded by the puritans, the feeling of the avenging had never left the people. After all of the "Great Awakenings" and religious revivals the people of New England began to question the old ways. What used to be the focal point of all lives was now under speculation and often doubted. People began to search for new meanings in life. People like Emerson and Thoreau believed that answers lie in the individual. Emerson set the tone for the era when he said, "Whoso would be a [hu]man, must be a non-conformist." Emily Dickinson believed and practiced this philosophy. When she was young she was brought up by a stern and austere father. In her childhood she was shy and already different from the others. Like all the Dickinson children, male or female, Emily was sent for formal education in Amherst Academy. After attending Amherst Academy with conscientious thinkers such as Helen Hunt Jackson, and after reading many of Emerson's essays, she began to develop into a free willed person. Many of her friends had converted to Christianity, her family was also putting enormous amount of pressure for her to convert. No longer the submissive youngster she would not bend her will on such issues as religion, literature and personal associations. She maintained a correspondence with Rev. Charles Wadsworth over a substantial period of time. Even though she rejected the Church as a entity she never did reject or accept God. Wadsworth appealed to her because he had an incredibly powerful mind and deep emotions. When he left the East in 1861 Emily was scarred and expressed her deep sorrow in three successive poems in the following years. They were never romantically involved but their relationship was apparently so profound that Emily's feelings for him she sealed herself from the outside world. Her life became filled with gloom and despair until she met Judge Otis P. Lord late in her life. Realizing that they were well

Exile and Pain In Three Elegiac Poems

1999-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

There is a great similarity between the three elegiac poems, The Wanderer, The Wife of Lament, and The Seafarer. This similarity is the theme of exile. Exile means separation, or banishment from ones native country, region, or home. During the Anglo Saxon period, exile caused a great amount of pain and grief. The theme is shown to have put great sadness into literature of this time period. The majority of the world's literature from the past contains the theme of exile. The Wife of Lament is another perfect example of literature with exile, and was written by an unknown author. The most striking example of exile in this poem can be seen in the passage when she says, "A song I sing of sorrow unceasing, the tale of my trouble, the weight of my woe, woe of the present, and woe of the past, woe never-ending of exile, and grief, but never since girlhood greater then now." The woman's husband left her in a life of exile, after he left. She is constantly looking for him, and finds a life that is quite similar to being locked away in prison. She is locked up in a cave under a tree. Her joy comes from thinking that her husband is as miserable as her. In the first passage from the poem, The Wanderer, it speaks of exile by saying, "To the wanderer, weary of exile cometh Gods pity, compassionate love, though woefully toiling on wintry seas with churning oar in the icy wave, homeless and helpless he fled from fate." It can be easily seen, in this passage, how common exile was in the poem, but also what a great pain it must have been to deal with the trial. The author continually describes how incredibly miserable he is living his life in exile, how awful it is to have to live without the guidance from a higher rank being a lord and king in this case, how there is no one to talk to and to share ones feelings with, and how there is no money or riches of any kind‚ for a man who is living in exile. For the most part, the poem is sad and depressing and the reader easily sees what this man is going through and how terrible it must be for him to live without all the things many others take for granted everyday of

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

1999-11-10T13:00:00-05:00

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the author uses the story of a

Modern Man - The Unknown Citizen (Auden)

1999-09-20T14:00:00-04:00

The English-born American writer Wystan Hugh Auden was one of the most important poets of the 20th century. Educated at Oxford, he attracted attention as a prominent member of a group of young leftist writers who generally expressed a socialist viewpoint. The poem I have chosen for this essay is "The Unknown Citizen". I felt the time period reflected W.H. Auden's views, making the unknown citizen an example of the government's view of the perfect modern man in an overrated unrealistic society. In the time period that he wrote this poem in the late 1930's America was going through tremendous changes. This is the period in history in which The Great Depression was in effect. Most people living in the United States values, morals, and ethics were rapidly diminishing. The Great Depression fundamentally changed the relationship between the government and the people, who came to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. Throughout this time period Social Security was created. Back then this poem must have had a different meaning than today, it shows the value government has on issuing Social Security numbers. They make people believe it's for your own benefit when in reality they have the best use of it to track and retrieve information about your personal life. We see government as people we elected to represent our views they see us as a number. "Was he free? Was he happy? The question was absurd: Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden 212)". I also felt he was expressing the fact that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the "right thing" so you must follow him or her, and if you do so living a quality life will reward you. Their standards are so high that you will never reach the optimum point, so you work hard your whole life trying to improve. "His poems and essays present the idea of the good society as, at best, a possibility, never actually achieved, but which one must always work (Mendalson 112)". "Auden's poems speak instead in a voice almost unknown to English poetry science the eighteenth century: the voice of a citizen who knows the obligations of his citizenship (Mendalson 113)." This poem made me see things in a totally different perspective. Now I understand that the modern man isn't always the best choice of living. People today move so

Bruce Dawe's Poetry

1999-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

Discuss 2 of Dawe's poems which illustrates his belief that ordinary things in life are a good subject for poetry. Bruce Dawe poems illustrate his version of "ordinary". The poems I have studied of his work have been about life and how people deal with everyday living. Such poems as Drifters and Homosuburbiensis are good examples of how Dawe captures the meaning of "ordinary". Drifters is about a family who move from place to place, as the father needs to move by the demand of his job. The young children are growing up to learn no other way of life, as they are all waiting for the day they shall move again. The children get very excited about this, as it is something different and is of course an adventurous, in ordinary life. The eldest, she is seeing what she is missing out on and is becoming aware that there nomadic lives may never change. She who once was one of those excited children, realises she can not lead a normal teenage life as she is not stationed long enough, to become friends with people her own age. She is becoming frustrated with her life. She becomes upset but knows she has to accept the inevitable. From the above Dawe shows compassion for the eldest as she has to go through this more than once. Also the young children are going to grow up to realise they will too go through the same thing. Dawe also shows a serious side in the poem, as the mother just wants to settle down and have the bright future she has always dreamed of. Dawe has a sympathetic outlook towards the mother, by outlining her hopes and dreams, also asking her husband Tom to make a wish in the last line of the poem. Thus hoping he will choose the same path in life that would be concrete and will bring them closer together. Because this is a continuous event the mother is getting frustrated as at the time of packing once again she finds that she has not unpacked from there last move. This poem is not everyone's ordinary life but a life the have to lead in order to stay functional. The family have to make sacrifices because it is more of a necessity. This life they lead is ordinary to the young children but frustrating towards the eldest and the mother. Although they

Frost's "Mending Wall" vs. Floyd's "The Wall"

1999-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

From Robert Frost's Mending Wall to Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, humankind erects and maintains real and symbolic barriers to protect and defend opposing stances, beliefs and territories. Although each "wall" is different they serve the same purpose and both Frost and Floyd oppose them. Robert Frost's Mending Wall is a very popular poem. This poem consists of two characters: the narrator and his neighbor. In this poem the two neighbors are mending a stone wall that separates their property. The wall mending has been a pastime of the neighbors for many years and occurs every spring. Over the winter the wall has fallen victim to both hunters and the frozen ground and, therefore, contains gaps that must be filled. In the poem the narrator questions the sense of even mending the wall . He concludes that neither of the farms contain animals, only trees, which would be enough of a boundary. There is no physical need for the wall, so why go through the trouble of fixing it every year for no apparent reason. Although the narrator is right the ignorant neighbor insists that they mend the wall by saying "Good fences make good neighbors."(Frost) The neighbor repeats this saying although he doesn't know why the wall is necessary nor does he know why it will make them better neighbors . Frost is criticizing the ignorance of the neighbor here. Mending Wall, although it doesn't appear it on the surface, almost parallels to a popular Pink Floyd song, Another Brick in the Wall. The speakers of the song are students and the poem is directed towards teachers. In this song, as in Mending Wall, a barrier is discussed, but this time it is a phsycological barrier instead of a physical one. This barrier has been put up by society and is being built up by the teachers. The students are calling out against this building up of the wall. As it is stated in the song: "All in all you're(teachers) just another brick in the wall."(Floyd) This barrier being put up is restraining the students' freedom of thought, a process that has gone on and become reinforced over a long period of time. Floyd has realized this barrier and is calling out against it as he says: "We don't need no thought control."(Floyd) The barrier put up by education is just as unnecessary to Floyd as the stone wall is

Milton to Pope

1999-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

In this essay I will attempt to contrast the type of society that would create a Milton to a society that would create a Pope. Although you may be able to understand what I'm saying from my essay, the depth of what I want to say can not be put into words, and therefore I suggest that you read and compare the same information that I have. I will now explain a bit about Milton and Pope to help you get an understanding. Milton was born into the middle class and grew up in a highly cultured environment. Milton created relatively few poems. Milton was greatly influenced by the puritan cause and Oliver Cromwell with a strong parliament government. Pope was born shortly after Milton's death and was a Roman Catholic. Many restrictions against Catholics. Pope had to struggle for position. Some of the restrictions made Pope move outside London and he could not legally vote, hold office, or attend university. Pope not allowed to attend university would be one of the most significant contrasts between Milton and Pope. Where Milton stayed at University for a long, long time, Pope never went to University. For Milton the society gave him everything he wanted. He had life fairly easy and had the government and the stronger religion backing Milton that Pope did not have. Pope had to fight for everything whereas Milton did not. The society that helped Milton did not help Pope. The society that created Milton was a strong Puritan Parliament Government. Also at the time Milton's society spoke highly of child prodigies like Mozart and Mill. Milton at the age of 23 thought that he had basically done nothing with his life up to that point. Pope was a great poet at a very young age and if he did look back and try to assess his life at age of 23 he would have seen that he had already accomplished a lot. Also Pope was writing just before the Pre-romantic and the romantic poetry there for his poetry would tend to reflect a changing to that style of poetry. The society and what the people want caused the style of writing to go this way. The majority of the writing during 1670 - 1700 at the start of Pope's writing career and right after Milton's has been described as grotesque slanderous writing. This writing reflects the society and

London - Poetry Analysis

1999-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

In this poem, Blake is trying to dispel the myth of grandeur

Theme for English B

1999-07-02T14:00:00-04:00

In the poem "Theme for English B", by Langston Hughes, Hughes talks about the African American struggle for equality. This is a common subject for Hughes. In many of his poems he speaks about blacks and the injustices that they face. Another common subject for Hughes is the town, Harlem, which is also mentioned in "Theme for English B." The poem starts off with an instructor giving his students a paper to write, the instructor says to the student, "let that page come out of you-Then, it will be true." The poem is continued as the paper that Hughes is writing. In

Ethics

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

In Linda Pastan's poem "Ethics," the speaker recounts a moral dilemma that her teacher would ask every fall, which has been haunting her for a long time. The question was "if there were a fire in a museum / which would you save, a Rembrandt painting / or an old woman who hadn't many / years left anyhow?" and the speaker tells us through the theme that ethics and moral values can be only learned from the reflection which comes through experience and maturity. In this poem, imagery, diction, and figures of speech contribute to the development of the theme. The speaker in the poem uses images to help to support the theme. For example the statement that "sometimes the woman borrowed my grandmother's face" displays the inability of the children to relate the dilemma to themselves, something that the speaker has learned later on with time and experience. In this poem, the speaker is an old woman, and she places a high emphasis on the burden of years from which she speaks by saying "old woman, / or nearly so, myself." "I know now that woman / and painting and season are almost one / and all beyond saving by children." clearly states that the poem is not written for the amusement of children but somebody that has reached the speaker's age, thus supporting the idea of the theme that children cannot help or understand her or anybody of her age. In addition, when the speakers describes the kids in the classroom as "restless on hard chairs" and "caring little for picture or old age" we can picture them in our minds sitting, ready to leave the class as soon as possible, unwilling and unable to understand the ethics dilemma or what the speaker is feeling. The choice of words of the author also contributes to the development of the theme. For example, the use of words like "drafty," "half-heartedly," and "half-imagined" give the reader the idea of how faintly the dilemma was perceived and understood by the children, thus adding to the idea that the children cannot understand the burden the speaker has upon herself. In addition, referring to a Rembrandt as just a "picture" and to the woman as "old age," we can see that these two symbols, which are very important to the speaker and to the poem, are considered trivial by the children, thus contributing to the

A Dream Deferred

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? While Langhston Hughes authors this poem, A Dream Deferred, it can easily be interpreted as Toni Morrison's description of Nel and her life of sorrow and dissatisfaction. Sula and Nel, the protagonists in Toni Morrison's Sula, are each the only daughters of mothers whose distance leaves the young girls with dreams to erase this solitude and loneliness. There is no question that Sula alleviates this aloneness with a lascivious and experimental life, "I'm going down like one of those redwoods. I sure did live in this world"(143). Nel, however, for the most part, fails terribly at realizing her dreams and experiencing a happy existence. Compromising her individuality, her emotional stability, and her dreams mark Nel's banal and unfulfilling life. Early in Nel's life during a trip to New Orleans, she watches as her mother is humiliated by a train's white, racist conductor; she watches the indignity of her mother's having to squat in an open field to urinate while white train passengers gaze; and she watches her mother's shame at her own Creole mother's libidinous lifestyle. Her mother's submissiveness and humiliation evokes a fear, an anger, and an energy in Nel. Her emotions intensify as she makes a declaration to never be her mother, to never compromise her individuality, "I'm me. I'm not their daughter. I'm not Nel. I'm me. Me"(28). Figuring that her "me-ness" will take her far, she exclaims "I want...I want to be... wonderful"(29). However, that trip to Louisiana "was the last as well as the first time she was ever to leave Medallion"(29). Initially, Nel's self-declaration empowers her to pursue that dream of independence. She gathers power and joy, and "the strength to cultivate a friend in spite of mother"(29). Nel achieves a degree of her self-described "me-ness," her dream, a separation from her subservient and disgraceful mother, resulting in a new found complacency, "Nel, who regarded the oppressive neatness of her home with dread, felt comfortable in it with Sula"(29). This happiness was present in both girls, "Their meeting was fortunate for it let them use each other to grow on"(49). Unfortunately, as she left Medallion only one time, Nel would discover and enjoy this "me-ness"

A Dream Deferred

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

The poetry of Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of Harlem, is an effective commentary on the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900ís. In much of Hughes' poetry, a theme that runs throughout is that of a "dream deferred." The recurrence of a"dream deferred" in several Hughes poems paints a clear picture of the disappointment and dismay that blacks in America faced in Harlem. Furthermore, as each poem develops, so does the feeling behind a"dream deferred," growing more serious and even angry with each new stanza. To understand Hughes' idea of the"dream deferred," one must have an understanding of the history of Harlem. First intended to be an upper class white community, Harlem was the home of many fancy brownstones that attracted wealthy whites. Between 1906 and 1910, when whites were forcing blacks out of their neighborhoods in uptown Manhattan, the blacks began to move into Harlem. Due to racial fears, the whites in the area moved out. Between 1910 and the early 1940's, more blacks began flooding into the area from all over the world, fleeing from the racial intolerance of the South and the economic problems of the Caribbean and Latin America. Eventually Harlem became an entirely black area. However, this town once filled with much potential soon became riddled with overpopulation, exploitation, and poverty. Thus, what awaited new arrivals was not a dream; rather, it was a"dream deferred" (Harlem Today). Hughes' first poem"Harlem" clearly outlines the"dream deferred" theme, setting the pace for the poems to follow. The first line of this poem is"What happens to a dream deferred?" In the case of this poem, the dream is of the promise of Harlem, and what blacks hoped to find there: opportunity, better living conditions, and freedom from racial intolerance. When blacks arrived in Harlem, though, their dream was deferred; instead of the opportunities they had envisioned, they were faced with overcrowding, exploitation, and poverty. At the beginning of"Harlem," the mood that accompanies "a dream deferred" is a questioning one that begins a search for definition. This mood, which will develop as each poem progresses, induces the reader to reflect upon the meaning of "a dream deferred," preparing them for its development. The poem continues, listing the possible fates of a dream

Daddy, Vampires, Black Hearts

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

In the poem "Daddy", Sylvia Plath says that there are women who, due to early conditioning, find themselves without the tools to deal with oppressive and controlling men. They are left feeling helpless and hopeless. For some women, the struggle is never resolved, others take most of a lifetime. For a lucky few, they are granted a reprieve. The speaker in this poem is Sylvia Plath. The poem describes her feelings of oppression and her battle to come to grips with the issues of this power imbalance. The poem also conjures the struggle many women face in a male dominated society. The conflict of this poem is male authority and control versus the right of a female to be herself, to make choices, and be free of male domination. Plath's conflicts begin in her relationship with her father and continues with her husband. The intensity of this conflict is extremely apparent as she uses examples that cannot be ignored. The atrocities of NAZI' Germany are used as symbols of the horror of male domination. The constant and crippling manipulation of the male, as he introduces oppression and hopelessness into the lives of his women, is equated with the twentieth century's worst period. Words such as Luftwaffe, panzerman, and Meinkampf look are used to descibe her father and husband as well as all male domination. The frequent use of the word black throughout the poem conveys a feeling of gloom and suffocation. Like many women in society, we know that Plath felt oppressed and stifled throughout her life by her use of the simile "I have lived like a shoe for thirty years poor and white, barely able to breath or Achoo." The use of similes and metaphors such as "Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belson." and "I think I may well be a Jew" clearly shows the feelings of anguished hopelessness and the ripping agony she must have felt. The agelessness of this poem is guaranteed as there will always be women who feel the same torture that is described. . Strong images are conveyed throughout the poem. The words "marble-heavy, a.bag full of God" conveys the omniscience of her father's authority and the heaviness it weighed on her throughout her life. "The vampire who said he was you, and drank my blood for a year, seven years if you want to know" describe her husband and

Auto Wreck

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Philosophers have pondered the meaning of life and death since the beginning of time. There are many hypotheses. From reincarnation to Valhalla-then on to heaven. There have been many proposed solutions. Yet no one fully understands dea th. In Shapiro's poem "Auto Wreck," he illustrates the irrationality of life for it can be taken away at any given time for no rational reason. Shapiro uses metaphors to emphasize the fantasy-like and wild setting of the auto wreck. The following is an excerpt taken from "Auto Wreck": "And down the dark one ruby flare Pulsing out red light like an artery." This statement contrasts the red light emitted from an ambulance to the blood of an artery. The idea that a light is spurted out like blood is abstract and bizarre. In addition to that metaphor, Shapiro writes: "One hangs lanterns on the wrecks that cling Emptying husks of locusts, to iron poles." This rhythmical sentence paints a picture of locusts, grassÄ hopper like creatures, clinging to a luscious green jungle of grass. Yet symbolically this jungle is the twisted, black, and crisp auto wreck. This depiction of the auto wreck is extravag ant and almost unreal. Using metaphors, Shapiro portrays the fantasy-like auto wreck in which wildness is indispensable. In addition to Shapiro's use of metaphorical phrases, he emphasizes the lack of comprehension of the on-lookers as a result of death's inconsistency with logic. Shapiro directly tells the reader, "We are deranged." The word "we" symbolizes u s, as a whole institution or better yet-society. He goes on further to say, "Our throats were tight as tourniquets." By this he means that the on-lookers were stopped, almost speechless, as they gazed upon the wreckage contemplating the reason b ehind death. Finally, Shapiro writes: "We speak through sickly smiles and warn With the stubborn saw of common sense." What the writer is getting through is that the on-lookers attempted to rationalize the accident with their common sense. But their "common sense," or their logical reasoning ability, was being sawed upon as they continued to puzzle over death. Once again, the old age question of "What is the meaning of death?" was tackled at the scene of the auto wreck. Finally, Shapiro asks rhetorical questions which could never be answered by logical means. One question which Shapiro asks is "Who shall die [next]?" This question could never be answered for death strikes without cause but randomness. The second question Shapiro asks

Among School Children

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

"Among School Children" is a poem used by Yeats to determine an upcoming generation with the underlying concept that no possible life can be fulfilled. The philosophy controlling this work suggests that perhaps life 'prepares us for what never happens'. Consistent with Yeatsean philosophy, it follows the dogma which states that wistlessness brings about innocence, whereas knowledge brings us ballyhoo. Within the realms of acquired wisdom, consciousness produces an anarchic state within the individual, causing conflict to be the degradation of the soul and mind. Understanding these forms of consciousness, inscape and instress, as Tenyson has termed them, causes a heightened awareness towards understanding the human spirit and the universe. According to Yeats, this understanding creates confusion and consciousness becomes conflict. Consciousness is limited to the realms of experience. Within this experience we may understand individualities of love, death, beauty and spiritual essence. Consciousness is the awareness of one's surroundings and identity; the awareness of universal concepts and the relation this plays upon the individual. Yeats believed that throughout an individuals life there were certain icons and memories which remained constant, turning in what he classified as a gyre, an ever increasing spiral of life veering towards a state of anarchy. This form of consciousness is classified within Western cosmologies as knowledge or wisdom. If one chooses to neglect this knowledge, one has not been enlightened and therefor remains much like the school children Yeats views in the poem. If one grasps these memories within the eternal wheel one is considered a knowledgeable man. He has an understanding of his own relativity within the realms of spirituality held between himself and others, as if his subconscious has been awakened and now lies within his own consciousness. He has reached a new plateau of consciousness and therefor becomes susceptible to both his own and the relativity of other individuals relativity. This may be considered as a form of enlightenment. The question which is aroused by this topic is whether this awareness of consciousness and enlightenment is beneficial. Yeats believed that within the enlightened individual there remains an anarchic state; confusion, which leads to conflict. It is apparent that among the school children there is an air of beauty which surrounds them. This beauty which Yeats views is derived from their innocence. It would seem that innocence is freedom to follow the divine will. It is the natural order and within the child's

London

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

In London, William Blake portrays a very dark and abysmal picture of London. Throughout the whole poem, Blake never mentions a positive scene. The poem seems to deal with the lower class part of society, the part which lives in the poor neighborhoods. The first stanza begins with the speaker wandering around London. Throughout the poem, Blake repeats a word which he used in one line, in the next line. An example of this can be seen in the first two lines. He uses the word chartered in the first line without any deep meaning to it, but the use of the word charted in the next line shows that the Thames was set up so that somehow people control where it flows. In the next few lines, the speaker talks about all the negative emotions which he sees in the people on the street, "In every cry of every man,/ In every infant's cry of fear,/ In every voice, In every ban,/ The mind-forged manacles I hear." In the final line of the first stanza, the speaker says that he hears the mind-forged manacles. The mind-forged manacles are not real. By this I mean that they are created in the mind of those people whom the speaker sees on the streets. Those hopeless and depressing thoughts, in turn imprison the people whom the speaker sees on the street. When the speaker says that he can hear the "mind-forged manacles" he doesn't mean that he can literally hear the mind forged manacles but that he can hear the cries of the people which show their mind-forged manacles. In the second stanza, the speaker focuses on two specific occupations, the chimney sweeper and the soldier. The word blackening in the second line of the 3rd stanza is used in an interesting context. Why would a church be blackening? Blackening can mean getting dirty, but I don't think that the speaker is using the word blackening in that sense. I think it means that the church doesn't want to dirty it's hands on the chimney sweeper's problems. In the next sentence, there is a similar relationship between the soldier and the palace. The word palace is capitalized, which probably means that Blake is referring to Buckingham Palace. Hapless means unfortunate. So the unfortunate soldier is probably the one's who's blood is running down the palace walls. His sigh, might mean the air

Tenets of Wordsworth in Resolution and Independence

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Romanticism officially began in 1798, when William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge anonymously published Lyrical Ballads. This work marked the official beginning of a literary period which had already begun many years before 1798. A work is defined to be of a certain period by its characteristics, therefore to be considered a Romantic work, the work must contain aspects which are termed "Romantic." A few typical "Romantic" aspects are: love of the past; sympathy to the child's mind; faith in the inner goodness of man; aspects of nature having religious, mystic, and symbolic significance; and reconciliation of contrasting ideas to make a point. Wordsworth flourished in these ideas in a poem called Independence and Resolution. In this poem Wordsworth shows the reader what he thinks his life is like and what he wants it to be like. In its essence, Resolution and Independence is an open book to what Wordsworth feels his life is like. It is about the past, present, and future Wordsworth. Wordsworth feels that his life is like a "traveler" on the moors (15). He feels that in the past he has always been like a small "boy," who never "heard" or "saw" the beauties of nature (18). As a child, Wordsworth never understood life, because he never looked to nature for inspiration or guidance. Presently, Wordsworth feels he that he is "a happy Child of earth," because he walks "far from the world. . . far from all care" (31, 33). He begins a search to find a way to live in harmony with himself, God, and nature. During his search, he finds an old man, the leech-gatherer, who is one with himself, God, and nature. Upon seeing this man, Wordsworth is immediately amazed by the mien of this old man. Wordsworth admires this man's insight on life, that Wordsworth decides that he wants to become the same way. Thus, in Wordsworth's search for his place in eternity in nature, he finds an example that he wants to duplicate. Resolution and Independence includes many tenets of Romanticism including a love of the past. Wordsworth loves the storm of the previous night and the "rain-drops" on the moors that it leaves behind (10). Wordsworth loves the old man, because the old man has so much knowledge from his past experiences. The poet enjoys reminiscing on past experiences: I was a Traveler then upon the moor I saw the hare that

Tithonus

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

"Tithonus" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem's setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus fell in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, only eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonus's situation worse is that "the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts" (49). This dramatic monologue is characteristic of Tennyson. Tithonus is an excellent example of a dramatic monologue. There is a speaker, Tithonus, who is not the poet. There is an audience-the gods. Another characteristic of a dramatic monologue found in Tithonus is an exchange between the speaker and the audience: "I asked thee, 'Give me immortality?'" (15). A character study is when the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective: Tithonus is looking back on his decision, a decision which the reader will never be able to make but can only dream of making. His portrayal of his decision causes the common response to be rejected: most people would want eternal life, but Tithonus proves this short-sighted. Tithonus proves the wish for immortality vain by stating that: Why should a man desire in any way To vary from the kindly race of men, Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? (29-31). Another trait of the dramatic monologue is the dramatic, or critical, moment. In Tithonus this moment is when Tithonus decides that he does not want immortality: "take back thy gift" (27). "Tithonus" has all of the basic traits of a dramatic monologue: a speaker who is not the poet, an identifiable audience, an exchange between the two, a critical moment, and a character study of the speaker. One other trait of a dramatic monologue is a dramatic tension. This tension is between harsh judgment and sympathy. This tension makes the audience see objectively rather than subjectively. The audience has sympathy for Tithonus, because he suffers: "strong hours indignant worked their wills, and beat me down and marred and wasted me" (50) His telling the story also bring sympathy from the audience. The audience must judge Tithonus negatively, because he has made an error. His error was his will "to vary from the kindly race of men" (29). The dramatic tension in "Tithonus" is caused by the clash of the audience's

Pain has an element of blank

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Although cryptic in language and structure, Dickinson gives her work an instinctually vivid sense of emotion. Her examination of the feeling of pain focuses in on only a few of the subtler nuances of pain that are integral parts of the experience. She draws in on an "Element of Blank" that she introduces in her opening line. In exploring pain, she proposes that this "blankness" is a self-propagating force that is subject to the dynamic forces of time, history and perception, but only to an extent. Her first mention of "Pain" in the first line does not distinguish this particular emotion as being of a particular brand of pain. She substitutes no other words for "pain." By suggesting no other words for "pain," she chooses the most semantically encompassing term for the emotion. She thus gives her work the responsibility of examining the collective, general breadth of "pain." Her alternatives offer connotations that color her usage of "Pain": the sense of loss in "grief" and "mourning" or the sense of pity in "anguish" and "suffering." She chooses the lexical vagueness of "Pain" to embrace all these facets of the emotion. In introducing the "Element of Blank," it becomes the context that she thus examines pain. The exact context of "Blank" possesses a vagueness that suggests its own inadequacy of solid definition. Perhaps this sense of indefinition is the impression that this usage of "Blank" is meant to inspire. In this context, this "blankness" is suggestive of a quality of empty unknowingness that is supported by the next few lines: "It cannot recollect When it begun." This inability to remember raises a major problem with respect to the nature of "Pain;" namely whether Dickinson is choosing to personify "Pain" by giving it a human quality like memory, or is in fact negating the humanity of making it unable to remember. Several lines below, she suggests that "Pain" does in fact possess some sort of limited sentient ability in recognizing "Its Past - enlightened to perceive." It is very possible that it is the "Pain" that is being enlightened or perceiving. These conscious acts of giving "Pain" some sort of capacity of awareness personify "Pain" to some extent. In continuation of "Pain's" inability to remember, She proceeds, "It cannot recollect When it begun - or if there were A time when it was not." "Pain's" inability to recollect further personifies it by also making

Song of Myself

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Divinity, Sexuality and the Self Through his poetry, Whitman's "Song of Myself" makes the soul sensual and makes divine the flesh. In Whitman's time, the dichotomy between the soul and the body had been clearly defined by centuries of Western philosophy and theology. Today, the goodness of the soul and the badness of the flesh still remain a significant notion in contemporary thought. Even Whitman's literary predecessor, Emerson, chose to distinctly differentiate the soul from all nature. Whitman, however, chooses to reevaluate that relationship. His exploration of human sensuality, particularly human sexuality, is the tool with which he integrates the spirit with the flesh. Key to this integration is Whitman's notion of the ability of the sexual self to define itself. This self-definition is derived from the strongly independent autonomy with which his sexuality speaks in the poem. Much of the "Song of Myself" consists of a cacophony of Whitman's different selves vying for attention. It follows that Whitman's sexual self would likewise find itself a voice. A number of passages strongly resonate with Whitman's sexuality in their strongly pleasurable sensualities. The thoroughly intimate encounter with another individual in section five particularly expresses Whitman as a being of desire and libido. Whitman begins his synthesis of the soul and body through sexuality by establishing a relative equality between the two. He pronounces in previous stanzas, "You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself," and, "Not an inch nor a particle of an inch is vile, and none shall be less familiar than the rest." Here, he lays foundation for the basic egalitarianism with which he treats all aspects of his being for the rest of the poem. This equality includes not only his sexuality, but in broader terms, his soul and body. In the opening to section five, Whitman explicitly articulates that equality in the context of the body and soul: "I believe in you my soul, the other I am must not abase itself to you, And you must not be abased to the other." He refutes the moral superiority of the soul over the flesh historically prevalent throughout Western thought. With that level groundwork established, he is free to pursue the relationship between the soul and the body on equal footing. The mechanism of this integration may be one of a number of possibilities included in Whitman's work. Whitman's notion that "All truths wait in all things" very broadly

The Road Not Taken - an analyis

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

"Do not follow where the path may lead... Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Robert Frost Everyone is a traveler, choosing the roads to follow on the map of their continuous journey, life. There is never a straight path that leaves one with but a sole direction in which to head. Regardless of the original message that Robert Frost had intended to convey, his poem, "The Road Not Taken", has left its readers with many different interpretations. It is one's past, present and the attitude with which he looks upon his future that determines the shade of the light that he will see the poem in. In any case however, this poem clearly demonstrates Frost's belief that it is the road that one chooses that makes him the man who he is. "And sorry I could not travel both..." It is always difficult to make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the opportunity cost, what will be missed out on. There is a strong sense of regret before the choice is even made and it lies in the knowledge that in one lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path. In an attempt to make a decision, the traveler "looks down one as far as I could". The road that will be chosen leads to the unknown, as does any choice in life. As much he may strain his eyes to see as far the road stretches, eventually it surpasses his vision and he can never see where it is going to lead. It is the way that he chooses here that sets him off on his journey and decides where he is going. "Then took the other, just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim." What made it have the better claim is that "it was grassy and wanted wear." It was something that was obviously not for everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other path therefore he calls it "the road less travelled by". The fact that the traveler took this path over the more popular, secure one indicates the type of personality he has, one that does not want to necessarily follow the crowd but do more of what has never been done, what is new and different. "And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black." The leaves had

'Sea Fever' - Analysis

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

John Masefield's poem "Sea Fever" is a work of art that brings beauty to the English language through its use of rhythm, imagery and many complex figures of speech. The meter in "Sea Fever" follows the movement of the tall ship in rough water through its use of iambs and hard hitting spondees. Although written primarily in iambic meter, the meter in "Sea Fever" varies throughout the poem. The imagery in "Sea Fever" suggests an adventurous ocean that appeals to all five senses. Along with an adventurous ocean, "Sea Fever" also sets a mood of freedom through imagery of traveling gypsies. Perhaps, the most complex part of this poem is the use of personification and metaphor. These figures of speech go beyond the meter and imagery to compare life to a sea voyage and portray a strong longing for the sea. The two main themes of "Sea Fever" bring the reader closer to the sea and help the reader understand why the speaker must return to the sea. "Sea Fever" not only depicts a strong longing for the sea through its theme, but also through use of complex figures of speech, imagery, and meter. "Sea Fever" is an excellent example of varied meter which follows the actions of a tall ship through high seas and strong wind. Lines one and two contain the common iambic meter found throughout the poem. "Sea Fever" may be categorized as a sea chantey due to its iambic meter and natural rhythm which gives it a song like quality. This song like quality is created through the use of iambic meter and alliteration. For example, lines three and ten contain the repeated consonant sound of the letter "w". In line three, the meter becomes spondaic through the use of strongly stressed syllables. These spondees suggest the repeated slapping of waves against the bow of the ship. As a result, John Masefield creates an image of powerful ocean swells. In addition to the meter suggesting the repeated slap of the waves, "the wheel's kick" is a reference to the ship's steering wheel spinning out of control. To further support the theory of the waves slapping against the bow, "The wheels kick" suggests that the tall ship is traversing very storm seas. Through the combining of iambic and spondaic meter, "Sea Fever" not only gains a magnificent rhythm, but gives clues into the location and movement of the

The way Technology has changed Man: Hopkins and Wordsworth

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

"Where do you want to go today?". We all know this slogan of the most advanced software company in the world, Microsoft. The question we will soon have to answer is were we can't go today. William Wordsworth, a quaint man from the late 18th century and early 19th century, understood the need for change in this world and expressed a pre-mature concern for the future that still applies to this very day in "The world is too much with us". Gerald Hopkins, a poet from the later 19th century, expressed many of same ideas and philosophies as Wordsworth in "God's Grandeur". Their main points were that man's continuous journey towards the future has led us to forget our roots. Though how could two poets from two different lifestyles, Wordsworth the revolutionary and Hopkins the Jesuit, come up with the same basic ideas? They both showed that our continuous journey towards the future has led us to forget our roots as shown by our destruction of nature, by the way the Industrial Revolution has torn us away from our harmony with nature and by the ways we can return back to mother earth. Man continues to destroy nature in an attempt to strengthen himself. Wordsworth and Hopkins talk about man's primal instinct to destroy what is around him. Ironically our destruction of nature leads to the advancements in our personal technologies. This is made evident when Wordsworth says "getting and spending we lay waste our powers." While it is obvious is that Wordsworth thinks we have become to attached to material goods, what does he mean by "lay waste our powers"? Perhaps the only explanation we can give is that Wordsworth believes that Man has, somewhere deep down in him, the ability to be a creator, an architect who can use nature and not abuse it. He also believes that Man keeps destroying nature without realizing the effects this adds to our lives. Hopkins shows this same type of idea but with a higher connection, the power of God. He uses God as a way of showing us the wrong we are doing. He shows Man's disobedience of God as a way to show that we have forgotten nature. Wordsworth thinks our own ambitions have led us to this point and we can't say that Hopkins completely disagrees with that. Hopkins shows how nature accumulates our pollution. They both must have