Understanding Place and Language in Olive Senior's "Gardening in the Tropics"
Understanding Place and Language in Olive Senior's "Gardening in the Tropics" "On a hilltop, at that, you find yourself drowning, a movement of ebbing and flowing. You recognize early (or too late) that you failed to detach From that mooring. Always, cruelty of choice. Here's the knife. Yourself: Executioner Midwife" - Olive Senior, "Leaving Home", Over the Roofs of the World Gardening in the Tropics exploded onto the literary scene from the pen of Jamaican novelist and poet Olive Senior in 1994. A collection of poems, paralleling the Tropical Garden and landscape with European tropes of an Edenic garden, Gardening in the Tropics covers a wide range of themes, inclusive of which are displacement, loss of personal, national and cultural identity, and a response to colonial and imperial oppression. Her exploration of these themes is however layered and multi-dimensional. In addition to being filled of threads of post-colonialism, her literature also surrounds a fixation on migration and the African diaspora- the historical movement of Africans and their descendants throughout the world. This is consequent of Senior's migration to Canada during the 1970's where much of her works were written. From this remote location, she was able to garner a different perspective on Caribbean life and society, and in essence reconcile a Caribbean past with a North American present
Journeying in Hardy's "At Castle Boterel"
After Emma's death Hardy embarked on a journey to some of their old haunts in Cornwall to rediscover their old love. Considering in detail one poem, discuss ways in which Hardy uses the symbol of journeying in his poetry. "At Castle Boterel", one of the greatest of Hardy's Poems of 1912-13, is an intensely personal poem, yet expresses universal truths on the subjects of loss, reclamation and time. An example of Hardy at his most emotionally evocative and philosophically profound, it chronicles his spiritual, intellectual and emotional journey following the death of his wife. The background to the composition of "At Castle Boterel" is that of a physical journey itself - Hardy's pilgrimage to Cornwall. In the poem this journey is juxtaposed with a past journey, separated by time but not space, taken in a parallel March many years before. The comparative weather conditions belie Hardy's nostalgia for the past: the bleakness of the present "drizzle" and "fading byway" draws a sharp contrast with the "dry March weather" of the former journey. The use of the vivid present in "We climb the road" emphasises the clarity of the memory, blurring, as in many of the Poems of 1912-13, the boundaries between past and present, memory and reality. Hardy's pilgrimage was not just a literal journey, for it was a quest to overcome the boundaries of Time and death through his poetry, an
Norman MacCaigs Assisi is an intriguing poem, in which a contrast is used to create an intense feeling of irony and sympathy. Discuss.
Assisi Norman MacCaig's "Assisi" is an intriguing poem, in which a contrast is used to create an intense feeling of irony and sympathy. From the outset MacCaig uses shocking images to create sympathy for the beggar. The first image occurs at the beginning of the first line, which induces a feeling of shock within the reader. The beggar is described as a "dwarf", and goes on to say his "hands [were] on backward", which is at the end of the same line. He is also said to have "tiny twisted legs". Perhaps the best description of the beggar is the simile on line two, in which MacCaig compares him to a "half filled sack". The word "slumped" implies the shape of the beggar's back is like the arch of the sack. The leaky bag of sawdust could resemble the energy and life draining from him, and could also indicate that he was physically damaged. The common letter "S" in the alliteration of this image is onomatopoeic, and suggests the running of the sawdust. This also portrays the beggar as worthless, as sawdust isn't valuable, and is just the leftovers of wood. These are particularly cold and cruel descriptions of someone who is in need of help. It makes the beggar seem almost un-human. MacCaig deliberately uses unfeeling descriptions to convey society's attitude, and forces us as readers and members of society to think about how we would view the beggar. We see that the beggar is
Critical Analysis- Praise Song for my Mother by Grace Nichols
This poem is a lyrical ballad written with a simple rhyme scheme of a-b-c. ab-c. The poem, as the name suggests is a song where the poet is rejoicing her relationship with her mother by making use of simple but powerful imagery. It is important to note that unlike the commemorative poems that are usually written by Western writers, "Praise for My Mother" does not have a requiem like elegiac mood. The overall tone of the poem is pleasant. "Praise Song" is a panegyric on the writer's mother. in which she celebrates a woman who gave her both roots to grow from and wings to fly with. Writing about her own mother, Nichols once commented that she was a '... warm, intelligent, loving woman who was full of stories, anecdotes and songs from her own childhood. People loved being around her and I can't remember a single day when our home wasn't visited by some friend, neighbour or relative who had dropped in "just fuh [sic] minute" but ended up staying hours.' Starting with the vocabulary, it is vivid but hard-hitting. The writer uses the images of water, moon and sun- all powerful symbols of nature, to describe her mother's character which shows her strength of personality and the extent of her love and affection towards her. The red colour of the fish's gills is reminiscent of the maternal love; a break from the clichéd usage of the colour red in "standard" English literature
Aftermath Poem Analysis
Aftermath by Siegfried Sassoon Poems written by Siegfried Sassoon express the World War I experiences and the horrible memories attached with it. All his poems contain a deep meaning and an important message. His poetry has a passionate expression of outrage at the horrors of war and feels pity for the young soldiers who sacrificed their life. His diverse use of imagery and techniques is what makes him an exceptional war poet. His poetry evokes the reader about the hardships during the war. Sassoon's conveys his messages very proficiently. The poem, "Aftermath," is a perfect example of his work and conveys a very important message. In the first stanza he talks about the war, in the second stanza, he describes all the events and shows frustration in the third stanza. The first stanza talks briefly about the life after the war and the memories attached with it. Sassoon asks the reader a question, "HAVE you forgotten yet?..." (1) He wants people to remember the past events and uses ellipsis to create a pause in the poem and make the reader think. "HAVE," is capitalized because the poet wants the reader to pay extreme attention for past events and his words. He asks a question to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Sassoon compares our daily lives to "traffic checked while at the crossings of city-ways:" to portray people moving on and not remembering the past.
Exploration Of Poetic Technique In 'HuntIng Snake' By Judith Wright
Exploration Of Poetic Technique In 'HuntIng Snake' By Judith Wright Discuss 'Hunting Snake' in detail commenting on the ways in which the poet presents the hunting snake. Sun-warmed in this late seasons grace under the autumn's gentlest sky we walked on, and froze half-through a pace. The great black snake went reeling by. Head-down, tongue flickering on the trail he quested through the parting grass; sun glazed his curves of diamond scale, and we lost breath to watch him pass. What track he followed, what small food fled living from his fierce intent, we scarcely thought; still as we stood our eyes went with him as he went. Cold, dark and splendid he was gone into the grass that hid his prey. We took a deeper breath of day, looked at each other, and went on. Judith Wright presents "Hunting Snake" in a simple manner, one that corresponds to the content of the poem. The simplicity of style employed is similar to the simplicity of the moment narrated. The snake itself, despite being widely regarded as deadly and venomous, is portrayed simply in the poem- straight, of one soled colour and moving in one direction. Throughout the poem, a contrast is set up between the stillness of the onlookers and the movement of the snake. This contrast seems to be the reciprocal of most notions held today, for it is mankind that has the power to act, while nature stands
Childhood - Frances Cornford. Grown ups are old on purpose. Grown ups are grand on purpose. This is what the speaker first thinks in Cornfords Childhood. But as the poem goes on he reaches an epiphany; realising that grown ups are no more in con
Grown ups are old on purpose. Grown ups are grand on purpose. This is what the speaker first thinks in Cornford's "Childhood". But as the poem goes on he reaches an epiphany; realising that grown ups are no more in control of their destiny as he, a child is. The speaker's perception is limited by their understanding of the world and growing up. It is only after an encounter with an aunts friend does she come to a realisation. Cornford uses rhyming and varies the line length to help convey the childlike style of the poem. In the first part of the poem, Cornford uses descriptive language to paint a picture of adults. They are described as "choos[ing]" to have "Stiff backs and wrinkles" and "veins like small fat snakes". These simple descriptions help trigger reader memories and remind them of old aged people in their lives; while the verb "chose" shows the speakers inexperience with the world. Cornford then uses a short line "On purpose to be grand" I think Cornford only uses the adjective "grand" to keep the rhyming pattern, though it can also infer that the speaker views old age as a bit upper class. Cornfords uses rhyming and simple language to create a childlike feel to the opening, the rhyming patterns evoking memories of nursery rhymes. However, as soon as the speaker comes to his realisation, the rhyming stops and the diction also becomes more complex. This suggests the
One Flesh
"One Flesh" Elizabeth Jennings has produced this poem with an extraordinarily deep meaning that has seldom been seen in other poems of this genre. The poem in itself is pessimistic while the message is the exact opposite. The first thing that I wish to discuss is the sole title of this poem. It is of great significance because it can be related to several times within the poem. One Flesh is biblical and it is meant to say that when a man (or woman) marries, he or she becomes one with the other. In actual fact this poem can be compared to William Shakespeare's 116th sonnet. Before we actually commence with the poem there are a few facts about Elizabeth that we should include as they may be useful later on when interpreting this poem. Elizabeth was a well-educated woman who was born in 1926 and died just three years ago. She worked in publishing and as a librarian. Most of her poems were based on spiritual and emotional topics and they were often quite person as is "One Flesh". Her poems included suffering, relationships, loneliness and religious faith. This is highly peculiar because "One Flesh" has every single one of those characteristics. Our first concern before explaining the actual meaning of the poem is the diction used. We can clearly observe that it is simple. This could be linked to the way in which Elizabeth has decided to demonstrate a very boring lifestyle. This
How does Coleridge open his story in Part I of The Ancient Mariner?
How does Coleridge open his story in Part I of 'The Ancient Mariner'? (Comment on language, form and structure). If 'The Ancient Mariner' is indeed an allegory - that is, the representation of abstract principles by characters or figures - it would have to incorporate this concept into the introduction, which it does. The piece is written irregularly and in a ballad form, with some stanzas containing rhyming couple, inline rhymes and, oddly, some stanzas are longer than each other. Three young men who are arriving in the area to attend to a wedding are mentioned immediately; could these characters be representative of the three wise men from early Biblical teachings? It could be held that they compose the forum for which the Ancient Mariner can release the guilt of his impending, ominous telling, and are thus the integral part for which the poem can be understood. The work as a whole seems to have religious connotations and it is not too far-fetched to suggest that Coleridge had that in mind when writing; given the context of the era the piece was composed in. However, the implications cease there for now. As the wedding guest seeks to be freed from the grip of the "grey-beard loon", he seems perplexed ("now wherefore stopp'st thou me?") as if to infer that the soon-to-be-told ramblings of the Mariner are confusing, incorrect or, perhaps, more indicative of the state of
Analysis of poem "Praise song for my mother" by Grace Nichols.
Critical analysis of praise song for my mother I believe praise song for my mother by Grace Nichols is a poem honoring the attributes of a mother. Thus the title praise song for my mother. She was born and brought up in the town of Guyana then moved to London where she still lives up till today. The mixture in her race is as a result of her Caribbean heritage where most people tend to be of mixed race. This then influences her use of English and Creole (a language resulting from the contact of many languages) in her poetry. Her Caribbean heritage also influences the images of the poem immensely. Praise song for my mother is a metaphoric poem using imagery to describe the intense emotional relationship she had with her mother. The poet is thankful and rejoices her mothers' presence using the term 'praise' in her poem title. The poet describes the importance of her mother in her life. the poem is one of short and simple stanzas. She uses natural imagery perhaps as a memory of her childhood days. She says that her mother was 'water' to her. This is a symbol of bringing forth life. She continues to describe her mother as 'deep and bold and fathoming' and this only emphasizes on how intense, emotional and true their relationship was. How confident, courageous and brave she was and at the same time she was a able to portray the quality of understanding making her easy to talk to.
