Abstract This paper examines James Dickey's "Eagles" and in particular, how Dickey's narrator specifically expresses needs for belonging and freedom. It looks at how his desire for flight is born much more out of a desire to escape rather than to simply delight in the flying or to see the face of God and how unlike the eagles, his muscles aren't designed for escape. It discusses the theme of rejection that runs through the poem and how the narrator is not so afraid of rejection nor so prideful, that once he is shook off, he gives up the chase, nor is he put off by his conflicting desires for belonging and freedom.
From the Paper "Despite the noble and brave way, the narrator starts out the poem -- pondering, actually claiming the possibility that he might know the "circular truth of the void" -- he gets caught up battling to satisfy his more personal needs. The narrator's desire for flight is born much more out of a desire to escape rather than to simply delight in the flying or to see the face of god. He doesn't even speculate what the heavens contain; no mystery is speculated upon, except to say that the eagle "moves through /Clouds that will open to nothing." Rather than pursuing in this poem a more sublime quest, such as the qualities of the void, the narrator of the poem is much more preoccupied with the mundane matter of his escape."
Abstract The paper focuses on each of the four different types of characters James Dickey presents in his work "Deliverance". The paper describes Lewis Medlock, Drew, Bobby and Ed Gentry and highlights Dickey's message that a true survivor can only depend on himself.
From the Paper "Austrian-English psychoanalyst and daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud once quoted, "Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training." Even though today's society is veering away from the Darwinian Naturalist Theory of Survival of the Fittest by advancing further in the food chain, the concept of survival is still present but in a different form. The competition for survival is mostly in terms of welfare. James Dickey's Deliverance especially illustrates this fact by presenting characters with different views on life that most people can relate to. This paper will illustrate the different views presented in the novel using outside sources as a guide."
Abstract Kudzu is a plant that was introduced into the South with hopes it would prevent erosion. It spread very rapidly and has become a pest. It explains how James Dickey personified this plant in his poem, "Kudzu". He uses several different themes to describe this pesky plant.
From the Paper "James Dickey's "Kudzu" offers a quite untraditional view of a local southern pest. Generally speaking, Dickey describes the plant in its true form, a quick-growing plant that spreads so fast it is almost impossible for farmers to sleep for fear of it. Overall, Dickey uses several themes, including military, supernatural, and communication themes, to personify this very humanlike plant. Dickey develops these individual themes using personification, similes, and metaphors."
Tags: personification, personify, plant, poem, poetry, south
Abstract This paper explains how, through clever juxtaposition and contrast, Dickey emphasizes the youth and energy of the two main characters. The junkyard setting not only contributes to the other-worldly aura of the poem by setting it far apart from day-to-day life, but also shows the pain of aging when juxtaposed so roughly with the youth of the two main characters.
From the Paper ""Cherrylog Road" by James Dickey is a poem that delivers more than just its combination of components. Just like entering a room that gives off a certain aura or vibe so does the poem "Cherrylog Road" creates its own unique world that stretches farther than its blend of ingredients.
These ingredients are simple. The setting: a Southern junkyard full of overgrown, deteriorating cars. The characters and era: a young boy and girl trysting in a junkyard, sometime in the 1930's or 40?s. So the setting, the characters, and the time are relatively unambiguous. But the world created in "Cherrylog Road" is not."
Abstract This paper explores the concept that love as portrayed in literature may affect one's personal expectations of romance. The paper analyzes an article by Robert J. Sternberg, who suggests that individuals can write their own love stories. Additionally, he cites the impact of childhood stories of love on adults' expectations. Sternber's article cites three literary works--a poem by James Dickey entitled "Cherrylog Road," a short story by Susan Glaspell entitled, "A Jury of Her Peers", and the famous play by Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest." In each of these works an important message about love is conveyed.
From the Paper "Within literature there are countless replayed stories of romantic or sometimes not so romantic love. The stories we see in our heads, as children that dictate our expectations of the future are according to Sternberg reflective of how our lives, and more specifically our love lives will eventually be played out. Literature is a reflection of the stories we know of love, the good the bad and the indifferent, through the eyes of the writer and through the memories of the reader. "At some level, lay people recognize what many psychologists don't: that the love between two people follows a story. If we want to understand love, we have to understand the stories that dictate our beliefs and expectations of love." (Sternberg 52)"
Tags: James, Dickey, Cherrylog, Road, Susan, Glaspell, A, Jury, of, Her, Peers, Oscar, Wilde, The, Importance, of, Being
