Abstract This paper explicates "Winter Landscape" line by line, examining the construction of the poem - how it moves through the story - and Berryman's use of imagery and repetition to explore themes of human history and ultimately death.
From the Paper "In addition to choices of form and meter, there are also decisions to be made as to the shape of a poem. Is there a linear progression through the piece as in Coleridge's Lime Tree Bower? Is the poem modular with each unit or strophe capable of standing alone as in Stevens' Blackbird? At first reading, John Berryman's "Winter Landscape," an ekphrastic work based on Breughel's painting "Hunters in the Snow," appears to be linear with three men returning to a village after a hunting expedition. However, through the repetition of images, Berryman turns the poem back on itself into a circle, a move which provides the reader with the clear progression afforded by a linear journey but also with a sense of satisfaction and completion through this final circular transit."
A comparison of wintry images of negativity and despair in three poems: ""Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, ""Absent place--An April Day" by Emily Dickinson, and "Blow, blow thou Winter Wind" by William Shakespeare.
Abstract This paper analyzes the poetic images of winter in the works of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and William Shakespeare. The paper explains that by understanding the often barren and silent image of winter in the poems by these authors, one can understand how they are written within the atmosphere of negativity and despair. The paper looks at how focusing on the specific symbolic and metaphoric use of winter as a negative and despairing environment, these authors create powerful images that are physical and mental in their descriptions of various human behaviors and life events. The paper further demonstrates that the overall scope of winter does not provide an overall positive image of coldness and despair, but illuminates the various problems that human beings must endure at different points in their lives.
From the Paper "This manner of behavior shows that Frost is yet again, seeking to portray a lone traveler that is unsure of his destination and is found wandering on another person's property. The man driving his horses clearly sees the grim silence of winter and the 'downy flakes', which represent his own sense of isolation and poor navigation off the main road. Also, this negativity is part of Frost's image of winter as a despairing haven for travelers that lose their way in life. This also occurs in a previous stanza that dictates the solace of the wintry wood as a poetic image of despair."
Abstract This paper discusses how Anne Stevenson's poem, "The Victory", is more than just a vivid depiction of childbirth, as one might interpret it from a surface level. The paper first gives the reader vital tools to interpret imagery and uses examples from the poem. The paper then dissects the poem and analyzes each word and verse, describing the meaning behind the imagery.
From the Paper "Anne Stevenson refers to the child as a 'tiny antagonist.' She is describing the baby as a rival who is fighting against her. When giving birth, you are not in control, no matter how much you try to control things. It seems as if the baby is working against you throughout the process. The phrase 'blue as a bruise' perhaps refers to the child being born, yet not breathing. Therefore, the baby is blue and struggling. 'The stains / of your cloud of glory / bled from my veins' are lines to give some thought to. Stains are something permanently affixed. 'Cloud of glory' could refer to the baby's entrance into the world. These four lines seem to state that when the baby entered the world, struggling for breath and feelings for this child were permanently ingrained into the mother's blood, regardless of how 'gory' the birth was or how much the baby fought against the process of birth."
Tags: childbirth baby, anne stevenson, poem symbolism
The paper describes the way William Carlos Williams' poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" uses a simple battery of devices and basic vocabulary to convey a multitude of thoughts and images.
825 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 29.95
Abstract This paper explains that William Carlos William, in his poem "The Red Wheelbarrow", utilizes imagery, symbolism, simplistic structures and a free form style to illustrate the meaning of the poem in both a literal and metaphorical sense. The author points out that the meaning behind the picture created by this poem is left up to the reader to discover by looking for patterns in a deceptively simple sentence. The author underscores that, through these patterns, the readers rediscover the beauty in a simple wheelbarrow, a simple sentence and a simple poem. The paper concludes that the plain red wheelbarrow glistens by the end of the poem, in the calm following a storm, like the reader's glow of excitement after unraveling the mystery of the scene.
From the Paper "The structure of the poem is perhaps the most interesting characteristic of it. The simple vernacular is underscored by the structure. Because the sentence is broken into four stanzas, the reader is forced to go line by line, scrutinizing each syllable, looking for meaning. Each word was carefully chosen and packs a punch, as was the author's intention. There are relatively few words, which causes the reader to notice the author's word choice more than if the poem were longer. Additionally, the pauses between each stanza allow the reader to reevaluate the mental image they are creating, as explained previously."
Abstract This paper discusses issues of race and the struggle for identity, which are at the heart of Trethewey's four poems. The author points out that, by employing skilfully techniques of imagery, symbolism and metaphor, and by utilizing concrete details, Trethewey is able to communicate effectively the difficulties she experiences as a so-called ?mixed breed". The paper relates that, in "Flounder", which is about a fish, the title also means to struggle awkwardly as one moves, again illustrating Trethewey's struggle with her own identity.
From the Paper "For instance, in the poem ?White Lies,? her play on words is extremely effective, as she lies about being white. These lies, Trethewey tell us, are told "in a black place", which illustrate what her mother has told her about her race. Clearly, Trethewey's mother told her daughter she was black, even though she did not look it. The poet is able to express her confusion over the matter when she can tell others she is white and get away with it--not to mention when others automatically assume she is white, as the classmate does when she holds her hand in an act of unity."
Abstract This paper explains that John Donne utilizes the techniques of imagery and metaphor to express feelings beyond comprehension in his love poems. The author points out that Donne is often referred to as a metaphysical poet, which means that his poetry, often a blend of passion and thought, was more intellectual than most poets of his time. The paper relates that the poet uses images such as a single teardrop or a compass to reinforce the theme that love is not only physical, but also spiritual.
From the Paper "The poet employs the use of a metaphor in the first stanza of this poem when he compares his lover's face to a stamping mill, which produces coins, which are tears that bear her image. He tells her, "By this mintage they are something worth" (Donne A Valediction: Of Weeping 4). This line indicates that because his tears are like coins, they are valuable aside from their obvious worth. The poet also tells his lover that the coins are "Pregnant of thee" (6). This image suggests that the poet's tears and perhaps his entire being are filled with images of his lover. As a result of this fullness, they are "Fruits of much grief" (7). Because they are full of her being, they cannot help but bring pain when associated with separation. In addition, when a tear falls and becomes separated from the eye, it represents another level of separation. This is an excellent example of how Donne utilizes fantastic ideas to make his point."
Tags: metaphor, imagery, metaphysical, passion, thought
Abstract This paper explains that Charles Bukowski's poem, "My Old Man" portrays a conflict between a father and son. The complete opposite of this poem is Nancy Willard's poem, "Questions My Son Asked Me, Answers I Never Gave Him", which conveys affection between a parent and child. The author points out that the themes of these poems are different: Charles Bukowski gives the father and son a strong sense of disconnection and refusal of one another; whereas, in Willard's poem, the theme exposes involvement and acceptance between a parent and child. The paper relates that Charles Bukowski creates a sense of misery with the son having a feeling of unimportance; Nancy Willard's poem expresses a deeper meaning of time through life.
From the Paper "The imagery created through the questions and answers in Willard's poem, produces an outlook on life relating time. In the course of the parent and son's intimate relationship, it allows them to involve time on the view of life within the questions and answers. Through time the son will find out if butterflies make noise, if he can eat a star, and if the years ever run out. Even the answers given to him are through time. For example the last question asks, "Do the years ever run out?" This question inquires the time in living every day to a year to find his answer. Even though his parent answers, "God said, I will break time's heart", the son must live and learn so he can eventually interpret the answers to his questions."
Abstract This paper discusses the differences between Samuel Taylor Coleridge's two poems: "Frost at Midnight", and "Pains of Sleep". These two poems are of different themes and forms and yet exhibit the creativeness found in Coleridge's works. The author also explains how Coleridge was also a literary critic who defined the category of conversation and imagination poems.
From the Paper ""Pains of Sleep" is another literary work from Coleridge, and it was written in 1803. Contrary to the melancholy tone yet positive outlook of the poet's behavior in "Frost at Midnight", "Pains of Sleep" shows the agony experienced by the poet in his struggle to overcome his opium addiction and its after-effect. The poem discusses Coleridge's fear of sleep, and of dreaming. It is evident in the poem's anguished tone that it Coleridge describes his agony in descriptive detail. "Pains of Sleep" is categorized as an example of an imagination poem, a poem that contains brilliant imagery and supernatural elements, and is "far-off" from the ordinary world of people. Imagery during the Romantic period is a powerful tool to express a message in creative and descriptive detail, and is often referred to as "the sensations that language creates in the mind" "
Abstract The paper provides an analysis of Rosalia de Castro's poem "A Glowworm Scatters Flashes." The paper deals with effects created by the poet's technique, such as the poet's use of powerful and vivid imagery. The paper focuses on the theme of the relationship between the persona in the poem and his Deity.
From the Paper "In her poem "A Glowworm Scatters Flashes" Rosalia de Castro utilizes powerful and vivid imagery to depict the intensity of the private relationship between the persona and his Deity. Throughout the poem concrete images from architecture or building materials shattered in a thousand bits, lofty marble riches and Adam's clay are juxtaposed with the incorporeal nature of God, the chasms that the persona cannot see and the solitary vast vacuity."
Abstract The author of this paper contends that imagery in Shakespeare's work is important. It is in and through the images and the verbal pictures in the speech and thought of his characters that Shakespeare illuminates the structure of meaning in his plays. The paper examines Shakespeare's use of trees in the comedy "As You Like It" to reveal the balance between nature and art.
From the Paper "Yet a final scene under a tree takes place that summarizes the essence of As You Like It. "Under an old oak, whose boughs were mossed with age," Orlando rescues his brother Oliver from a snake (4.3.105). Toward the final act of the play, sudden changes occur. The presentation of balance between art and nature is met with the tone of suddenness. The story jumps from one scene to the next and characters changing unexpectedly beginning with this scene under the oak tree. Out of nowhere an act of bravery and unselfishness is displayed by Orlando as he rescues his brother, Oliver, whom he is envious of in the beginning of the story. This then obviously changes Oliver's initial intention of killing Orlando. The play picks up its pace from this scene and characters are quickly changing, transforming into something they aren't necessarily from the beginning of the play. In this scene under the tree which somehow triggers the sudden changes that takes place in the play, Shakespeare reveals that real transformation is still based on human ability and this is where the balance happens. Humans should not let itself be fully controlled by its nature. Art does not fully control human nature either. Balance is achieved in the human being's ability to have nature and art working hand in hand within itself."
Tags: forest adam prynne puritan, love poems, orlando jaques touchstone oliver paradox speeches scenes comedy bravery unselfishness
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the poem, "The Sick Rose", by William Blake. Specifically, the paper discusses the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other units that make up a poem.
From the Paper "First, Blake addresses the rose as if it were a living person with feelings, rather than simply a flower, he gives it human qualities, or anthromorphises the flower to make it more real. He writes, "O Rose thou art sick" (Blake). He may have actually written the poem for a sick friend or loved one, because it certainly illustrates grief at death. Then again, the poem could have been written over the loss, or "death" of love, for the foreboding tone and reference to the "dark secret love" (Blake) of the worm could mean that the rose has found another love, and the speaker is grieving over the loss of love, rather than the loss of life. It clearly portrays the pain of dying on the person, but also on the loved ones who surround the "rose." It is important to note that the author uses this rose, which is a universal symbol of love, both as a flower, and a symbolic sign of love and relationships."
Abstract This paper explains that Allen Ginsberg's poem, 'Kaddish', was written as a tribute to his mother, who had gone through many severe psychotic episodes, after she had passed away. The author points out that Ginsberg, who missed the funeral of his mother, learned that the Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead, had not been said because there had not been enough men present as required by Jewish law; subsequently, two years after his mother's death, Ginsberg performed the ceremony and started writing his 'Kaddish'. The paper explains that, in this poem, Ginsberg's style of writing is almost disjointed, yet not difficult to follow, as the poet goes through many different feelings as he remembers his mother in her illness.
From the Paper "Unfortunately, Naomi Ginsberg remained very unhappy and equally unstable throughout the teenage years of her son, and she often returned to Greystone, where she sometimes remained for more than a year at a time. Allen Ginsberg, his father Louis, and his brother Eugene managed to keep the house and the family together through all of the hard times that they faced, and they were very close to one another, which helped fight off some of the despair and the helplessness that they felt regarding their mother's condition. However, Allen had special feelings toward his mother, and he saw her condition and her insanity as being a spiritual problem instead of a mental condition."
Abstract This is an analysis of the film "The Lion In Winter". The paper considers the elements of distance/proximity, camera angles, framing, lighting, color and costume, panning and dolly work, music, staging/directionality, grain, and point of view. It discusses mainly the theatric feel of the film as conveyed by the above elements of the production.
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the book "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler" by Italo Calvino. The paper outlines the three ways that Calvino tries to emancipate and liberate the slaves of reading. Calvino starts off by challenging the reader's expectations about a book so in the future readers will begin other books without any prejudices, especially in regards to the author or the genre. Secondly, he attempts to show the readers how reading too deeply into a story as well as reading books superficially, is not the way of approaching any book. Lastly, Calvino informs the readers about how different perspectives to the same book are legitimate, and that they can also add to the experience of a book.
From the Paper "Calvino is trying to liberate the slaves of reading by defying their expectations. Calvino first does this when he lets the reader be a character in the story, consistently throughout the story referring to the reader in the second person. It is quite unusual that the author is talking to the reader as if they are right next to each other: "Well, what are you waiting for" Stretch your legs, go ahead, put your feet on a cushion??(pp.3). The narrative is set up in a way that sounds as if a mother is reading a fairy-tale to her child. In this way, the author is making the reader feel comfortable when reading and hence trying to emancipate the reader. This fairy-tale motif is used throughout the book, especially in terms of structure. Calvino echoes the structure of the Arabian Nights story of Shahrazad, who, in order to save her life, told one story after another, linking the climax of the story to another story, which once reaching the climax, was linked once again to a brand new story. However, Calvino appropriates the story with a postmodern twist, than defies the expectation of the reader."
Tags: postmodern, winter, reading, reader, literature
Abstract This paper compare Polixenes' relationship with his son at the beginning of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" with the role played by Perdita at the end. It looks at the theme of redemption and reconciliation.
