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
Suicide in the Trenches
SUICIDE IN THE TRENCHES By Siegfried Sassoon In the poem "SUICIDE IN THE TRENCHES" Siegfried Sassoon uses figurative language, descriptive detail, tone, structure and sound to create a powerful impression of the horror and wastage of war. War is viewed as a product of ignorance and it is equated with intense suffering and the destruction of all that is beautiful and innocent. The first stanza of the poem depicts a boy who is too "simple" or naive to understand the true horrific nature of war. The boy is described as carefree with no worries and sees nothing bad in life; he was a normal boy. He is able to sleep with no worries in a "lonesome" place with no light or hope unaware that his life is to change dramatically. The tone in this stanza is quiet upbeat for a poem that is about war and death. The boy symbolizes all the guys that went to war for us and lost their lives in many different horrific situations. Stanza two presents imagery, which provides a stark contrast to the descriptive detail in stanza one. We notice the effects of war on this once innocent and simple boy. Sassoon describes the trenches as being a cold and depressing place with below average living standards. In the third line the boy "puts a bullet through his brain" a quick and deliberate end to his life. The pressure of war got to him and with a pull of the trigger he was forgotten about, as many
Compare "Mental Cases" and "Disabled"
Mental Cases Both "Mental Cases" and "Disabled" are anti-war poems evoking vivid and sometimes shocking emotions. Owen shows a less pleasant side to "The Great War" in his typical fashion. "Disabled" paints a vivid picture of a young man's misfortune and shows the contrast between his old life - full of hope - and his new life, in which he has no hope. "Mental Cases", on the other hand, outlines the mental effects of the war, with strikingly vivid images. ~ "Disabled" begins with a description of a man in a wheel-chair. He is described as wearing a "ghastly suit of grey" which is "Legless, sewn short at the elbow". This bluntly makes apparent the fact that this man has lost his legs and parts of his arms. He hears the "Voices of play and pleasure" but he is far removed from them. He has no pleasure, now. On lines 11 and 12 Owen describes how the man used to experience girls - "how slim // Girl's waists are or how warm their subtle hands". That was, however, "before he threw away his knees." This is another blunt remark - a little detached and objective but straight to the point. Now, girls "touch him like some queer disease." He is now no longer an attractive young man but he seems almost like a repulsive old man. While last year he appeared "younger than his youth", "Now he is old". The irony in him now being the disgust of girls now is that he actually went to war to
Duffy's message in the 'Worlds Wife,' seems to be that ultimately the 'World's Wife,' wants a divorce. How far do I agree with this assessment of the anthology?
Duffy's message in the 'Worlds Wife,' seems to be that ultimately the 'World 's Wife,' wants a divorce. How far do I agree with this assessment of the anthology? Duffy explores dislocated or dissonant relationships in her anthology 'The World's Wife.' She mostly writes about the relationships between famous or mythical men and their wives. In her dramatic monologues she shows how behind every man is a strong woman. Duffy shows her dissatisfaction with the world of men, through the use of her negative sexual imagery and tone, which she uses in the majority of her poems throughout the anthology. This quote is an example of how Duffy uses sexual imagery to make fun of males, 'Ladies, dear ladies, the average penis - not pretty...,' This is a blunt quote from 'Frau Freud.' It makes fun of the male anatomy, and the quote sounds very much like it comes from Duffy's point of view. This negative attitude to men is also shown in 'Mrs Aesop.' Phrases like 'he could bore for purgatory,' clearly shows Duffy's negative attitude towards men, but the phrase 'slow as marriage,' also gives us an insight into Duffy's opinion of marriage, and as this poem comes very early on in the anthology it gives the reader a taste of what is to come Duffy explores many issues through the anthology, for example, infidelity in 'Medusa,' selfishness in 'Mrs Midas', and wanting a change for something new
'Who for the Game' By Jesse Pope, 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' By Wilfred Owen, and 'Disabled' by Wilfred Owen.
GCSE Coursework English Literature - War Poetry During the First World War many poets published their poems to encourage people to enlist in the army. Special spaces were left in newspapers for recruiting poems, for writers such as Jessie Pope. However, there were also some individuals such as Wilfred Owen who were against the idea of glorifying war. In this coursework I have firstly decided to analyse two poems by the war poet Wilfred Owen, taken from his writings on the First World War. Both 'Dulce et Decorum est' and 'Disabled' show the true reality, horror and vivid imagery of war. Then I will analyse a very different poem 'Who's for the Game?' written by Jessie Pope, and finally contrast this with the poems by Owen. The First poem I am going to analyse is "Dulce et Decorum est" written by Wilfred Owen. Dulce et Decorum est Pro patri moria translated in to English means It Is Sweet And Fitting To Die For Ones Country. Owen wrote "Dulce et Decorum est" in order to inform people about the terror, torment and realism which was experienced during the war. It was written through his own eyes and based on his own experiences and views of the war. The recruiting poems make the war seem like a game and that you would be missing out on a big opportunity if you don't go, when really you would be better off safe at home! Verse one tells us a lot about the condition, both
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
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
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.
Critical appreciation of the poem "Old Ladies' Home" by Sylvia Plath with reference to the presentation of old age
Dealing with old age and loneliness can be both complicated and perplexing. Sylvia Plath shows us this through her poem "Old Ladies' Home, where she shares her views on the harsh reality of growing into old age and awaiting death alone. In this poem, the omniscient speaker employs a detached tone to describe the old ladies in the home as fragile, lifeless and neglected. The poem takes place in a home for aged women, as can be inferred from the title of the poem and contains several images and metaphors that bring out the poem's main theme of death. Several symbols are used to represent death in this poem. A few such examples would be "black fabric", "ghosts" and "coffins". These symbols present death as dull and eerie, rather than as the celebration of a life well lived, hence building a sombre and gloomy atmosphere in the poem. This in turn reflects the old ladies' melancholic state as they await their death in the home. Death, for these old women, is also presented as being unpredictable and as an issue that lingers in their mind every night. For example, the last stanza of the poem says, "And Death, that bald-head buzzard, / Stalls in halls where the lamp wick/ Shortens with each breath drawn." Metaphor is used here to compare death to the buzzard which is a scavenging bird, similar to the vulture. Death is described as something that lurks within the home, waiting for
By close examination of "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death" and one other appropriately selected poem, discuss the effectiveness of the poetic methods used by Yeats in his presentation of heroic figures from his own lifetime.
By close examination of "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death" and one other appropriately selected poem, discuss the effectiveness of the poetic methods used by Yeats in his presentation of heroic figures from his own lifetime. Consider * Why Yeats chose to write about these figures * The ways in which the form and structure of the poems contribute to Yeats' presentation of heroic figures * Yeats' language - including imagery - and tone in presenting heroic figures. The poet W.B Yeats lived and was writing during a period of Irish history which is infamous for its rebellious historical characters and figures of public admiration. Yeats expresses his feelings with regard to a personal heroic figure in "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death". Yeats then similarly tackles this subject in poems such as "Easter 1916" where he addresses his attitude more broadly towards the heroic, but public figures involved in the rising of 1916. Yeats reveals his explicit admiration for the men whom he writes about in these poems through his dignified and respectful tone. Through his effective use of poetic methods - imagery, language, form and structure Yeats allows the reader a clear insight into his personal reaction to these heroic figures. "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death" expresses Yeats' glowing admiration for his recently deceased friend Robert Gregory, son of Lady Gregory of Coole
