In what way could 'The Trees' be considered the key to the entire collection?
In what way could 'The Trees' be considered the key to the entire collection? 'The Trees' is about nature and its cyclical structure, in the first stanza Larkin is a detached observer, simply watching the cycle of a trees life as he also does for a fine sunny day in 'Cut Grass.' Initially Larkin appears to be admiring the nature of a trees lifespan, yet as the poem progress' it appears that the poem is riddled with personification of leaves and buds. The trees are brought to life, onomatopoeias such as 'afresh' and 'thresh' cause sound effects of the wind rushing through the trees, except to Larkin this is the wind of change. This wind brings to mind the passage of change, life and death, a key issue in which shows in Larkin's poems again and again. Larkin's greatest fear haunts him and this a shown greatly in all his poems, this theme particularly comes to light in 'The tree's' as he shows himself to be highly envious of the seemingly undying trees, this is also shown in 'solar' where he praises and appears to worship the sun that 'gives for ever' 'coined there amongst lonely horizontals'. Yet Larkin soon ironically states that 'they die too' and here begins to personify the trees, comparing them to change in a humans life. Unusually in the second stanza he is not a detached observer and instead includes 'we' only seen occasionally in poems such as 'to the sea'. In both
Comparing the poems 'London' and 'A London Fete' by Blake and Patmore.
Compare & contrast the two poems A London Fete and London Both of the poems being discussed are expressing dislike of some of mankind's most basic characteristics, namely, thirst for violence and selfishness. While they have similar intentions they achieve them in strikingly different ways. The first poem, A London Fete, is the scene of a hanging. It provides interesting comparisons between the writer's feelings on the event and the crowd's reaction to it While the poem is centred around a hanging, very little attention is actually given to the man being hanged. He is introduced simply in the line: "They brought the man out". This anonymity is used to avoid any sort of sympathy with the culprit because this could interfere with the Patmore's real purpose for writing the poem: to express his anger and disgust at human nature and our thirst for violence and death. The hanging is just a context for this kind of behaviour. At the very moment of the hanging the rhyme changes from alternating rhyme to a triple rhyme, this is the only point in the poem in which this happens. This triple rhyme draws attention to the moment of his death but there is still very little focus on the man, the only reference to him is "The rope flew tight", and still, the focus isn't actually on the man himself but on the rope. While this is very symbolic, it seems odd not to have any description of
The poem "Miniver Cheevy" by Edwin A. Robinson paints an interesting picture of a man so completely obsessed with celebrated historical accounts that he despises the present day
Miniver Cheevy The poem "Miniver Cheevy" by Edwin A. Robinson paints an interesting picture of a man so completely obsessed with celebrated historical accounts that he despises the present day. It seems as though Miniver Cheevy's romantic idealism ends up becoming his downfall when stating, "Miniver coughed, and called it fate,/ And kept on drinking." "Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn, Grew lean while he assailed the seasons; He wept that he was ever born, And he had his reasons" This first stanza of the poem provides an idea of the poem's theme, but we learn this is not a happy story. The verse tells the reader about a child treated with disrespect, or not worthy of anything but disdain in his life. During the second line the reader finds out that, the protagonist either became very thin, or more likely, wound up beaten and worn while going through life. Miniver is a sad and disgruntled character, and the author prepares the reader to find out why in the third and fourth lines. The second stanza describes one of "his reasons" to the reader. Robinson talks about what Miniver likes, which happens to be history. He doesn't like the age that he lives in. Miniver longs for heroic battles, and times past when men used swords not guns and horses, not motorized vehicles. Though the story begins with total negativity, by the end of the second stanza visions of
comparisons of Dickinson and Whitman
Joe Shannon Katie Noel Jack O'Brien Success through Different Scopes Throughout the history of literature, each individual writer has their own unique style that is distinguishes them from the rest. A writer's style is the kind of writing, the tools of language, and the manner in which their work is organized. It is shaped through the particular events they have and the mistakes the have made along the way that have helped them to grow as individuals. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson each have a distinctive style that has grown, developed, and changed as a result of their different experiences. The contrast in style between "Success" and "Song of Myself" reflect the differences in their personal experiences: Dickinson's style, which consisted of extensive use of dashes and unconventional capitalism, and effective metaphors emphasizes the magnitude of emotion which resulted from tragic events late in her life; whereas, Whitman's free verse, bold diction, and detailed imagery reflected the transcendental ideals resulted from his strong drive and belief in individualism. For two people living in the same period of time, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson were polar opposites. Emily Dickinson was born into a privileged society. She never had to fend for herself and was sent to private schooling. She was a very reclusive persona nd put herself into a self-imposed "social
Walt Whitman: Patrolling Barnegat.
Walt Whitman: Patrolling Barnegat About the poet Walt Whitman lived from 1819 to 1892. He was one of ten children and was born on New York's Long Island. He worked as a printer, teacher and property speculator. In 1855 he published 13 poems in a collection entitled Leaves of Grass. Over the years, Whitman published fresh editions of this collection, the last one in 1892, each time adding many more poems - eventually it would contain hundreds of poems and some 10,500 lines, making Leaves of Grass the length of a good sized novel. Whitman set out in Leaves of Grass to write about himself, giving his purpose as: "a feeling or ambition to articulate and faithfully express in literary or poetic form and uncompromisingly, my own physical, emotional, moral, intellectual and aesthetic Personality, in the midst of, and tallying, the momentous spirit and facts of its immediate days, and of current America" During the American Civil War (1861-1865) Whitman served as a nurse in a military hospital, where he caught an infection that weakened him. In 1873, Whitman moved to Camden in New Jersey (inland from Barnegat), where he stayed until his death. Whitman published other books, but his reputation rests almost wholly on Leaves of Grass. About the poem The date in the AQA Anthology is mistaken - this poem (according to the Cambridge History of English and American Literature,
Comparison of A child said, What is the grass by Walt Whitman and We who were Executed by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Comparison of "A child said, What is the grass" by Walt Whitman and "We who were Executed" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz The poems, "A child said, What is the grass" by Walt Whitman and "We who were Executed" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, magnetically pull together on basis of their inspiring themes and motivating ideals. Both poets share a common purpose, that is, to make their nations aware of the socio-political facts and requirements of the environment in which they write. The overarching theme of both poems is to seek hope out of hopelessness. In Whitman's poem, "A child said, What is the grass", the poet employs the symbol of "grass" inorder to represent growth and multiplicity. This growth further connotes to the growth and expansion of America as a united state. Grass is an inanimate entity as compared to human beings yet, its beauty relates to human stature. According to Whitman, all human beings are flakes of grass, therefore, this metaphor signifies an important feature of his poetry, i.e., tolerance and justice. The grass is a sign of hope and its green color projects the idea of freedom of mind and body which will eventually evolve a sense of democracy. This showcases the fact that the poet had no other theme other than democracy in all its human and universal applications. American democracy in its numerous manifestations through streets and cities must be vitalized by regular
Comparing Larkin and Abse
Larkin essay In this essay I will compare and contrast three poems by Philip Arthur Larkin, the three poems are: 'Dockery and Son', 'Mr Bleaney', and 'Self's the Man', all poems from Larkin's The Whitsun Weddings. 'Self's the Man' deals with Larkin's preoccupation with self by taking on the persona of the poem. However the persona does not interact with the character of Arnold but wonders whether he has a better life, by not being married. Whereas 'Mr. Bleaney' is about a man who carries out a very monotonous life all alone without being married like Arnold. 'Dockery and Son' describes the different paths that people take in life or the choices they make. "He married a woman to stop her getting away Now she's there all day," This is from 'Self's the Man' and displays Larkin's feelings towards marriage, he is cynical about marriage. The simple and predictable rhyming scheme displays Arnold's predictable life now that he is married. Irony is also an almost constant presence in Larkin's poetry and this is no exception as Arnold's hopes for a happy life are disappointed. All three poems suggest loneliness in our existence and treats it in a meditative way. In 'Mr. Bleaney' life is described as meager, disappointing and depleted and is brought to the reader by precise and exacting descriptions of the bare and cramped room Bleaney left behind, 'Flowered curtains, thin and
The Windhover, by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a poem about the essence of natural things.
Poetry The Windhover, by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a poem about the essence of natural things. This poem describes the relationship of human beings to the natural world as the poet is addressing God through the bird. It is praising him for all the marvellous things He has created and that humans can enjoy. The poem consists in three verses. In the first verse, the poet describes the power of the bird as it is portrayed as the master of heavens. This verse captures the movement of the bird in the sky. It starts with "I caught this morning mornings minion" that gives the feeling that the bird is a servant of the sky and it is the morning because it is a good time for hunting. Hopkins puts words together like "dapple dawn-drawn" to portray multi-images as here where the bird is drawn in the sky. Also, the alliteration here produces the effect of the bird's movement in the air and the intensity of the poem's feeling. The author writes that the bird is "striding high there" and this produces the image that the bird is taking huge steps in the air. The bird also "rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing" showing his power and control with "ecstasy". The bird has control over the wind. The rhythm in this verse is very slow, yet steady. This verse consists in very long sentences that convey the effect that the bird is circling the air; with long movements it also reflects the poets
The Effects of Divorce
Micheal Gammon ENG 4U3- 03 Mrs. Moffatt Monday, March 3rd, 2008 The Effects of Divorce When we think of divorce, most of us begin to feel sympathy and sorrow for the family that is going through it. Divorce seems to be generalized as a negative experience in life. However, after reading the poems The Victims by Sharon Olds, and Beyond Pastel by Katherine Lawrence, it can be seen that there are different effects on different families. Some are bad, but on the other hand, some are good. By comparing the tone, imagery, similes and metaphors of these two poems we will see these different effects. We will see the positive effect divorce has on some families, and we will also see the negative effect it has on others. In both The Victims and Beyond Pastel there is a very serious tone coming from the narrator. After the divorce in The Victims, the children "grinned inside, the way people grinned when Nixon's helicopter lifted off the South Lawn for the last time." (Lines 5, 6 & 7) It can be seen that this quotation displays a serious tone as it refers to a very serious time in history. There is an analogy here between the "father" of the country and the "father" of the family. They both had to leave due to infidelity - one being unfaithful to millions, the other being unfaithful to a wife and kids. However, this quotation shows much more than just a serious tone. It also shows
Compare 'Mr Bleaney' (by Philip Larkin) & 'In Memory of My Grandfather' (by Edward Storey).
The two poems that will be conveyed and compared will be 'Mr Bleaney' (by Philip Larkin) & 'In Memory of My Grandfather' (by Edward Storey). Both verses describe the character of the poem. The character in the poem on the Grandfather has admiration, but Mr Bleaney is disturbed. In this essay I will compare the character, poets feelings and attitude to each man. Furthermore, the similarities and differences in structure, language and image between the two poems will be compared and lastly my preference and emotional responses. To begin with what each poem is about. Mr Bleaney is a descriptive and narrative verse. There are two voices the landlady's and the poets, Mr Bleaney is given in the view of the depressed lyricist. Mr Bleaney is given the life of the writer through his lonely years. It is about a man named Mr Bleaney who lives through a lacklustre yet ordinary life, but the place he lives in is shown through a kitsch light. On the other hand the Grandfather is compared to a tree and the whole poem has the description of his appearance through the grandson's observation. Now I shall move on to the characters. Mr Bleaney has a sad life because he lives in a place called 'The Bodies.' The word body is used when someone is departed. So this means who ever lives in this house is nobody. They are metaphorically deceased. The poet describes Mr Bleaney using
