the convict- coleridge
Essay question - Miss west The convict by William Wordsworth * Show how poem reflects wordsworth beliefs about prisons * Explore how poem reflects conditions in prisons/treatment of convicts in late eighteenth century * Analysis techniques and how it encourages the reader to empathise with convict. * Use technical vocabulary Plan -Oppression of conflict is described in description -Injustice of oppression - comparison with monarch the convict feels much guilt that "his bones are consumed" - cannot forget past and is paying for it. -> Contrasted with monarch -Concept of freedom is present - to juxtapose with conditions of convicts life. Prisons during late eighteenth century - violent disorder was common - convicts treated with cheap lives Main body. In William Wordsworth preface to his lyrical ballads he draws upon the fact that his poems are going to reflect "ordinary things". He suggests "ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual way" (357). This claim is no different than what is presented in his poem "the convict". It can be argued that in his poem Wordsworth reveals his true feelings about prison reform at the time of writing and the empathy that he illuminates towards the convict is effective in engaging the reader's sympathy. The fact that the poem is called the "the convict" allows the reader to fully understand that although we do
Many of the more famous Blake poems present us with a inner message, displaying his political, social or religious thoughts. Poems such as The Chimney Sweeper may also be interpreted as providing moral lessons,
Jasmin Hayward "Rather than simply delighting us with the beauty of Nature, some poems seem primarily designed to teach us a moral lesson." Discuss this view with close reference to your set text and one of the poetry extracts which follow. Many of the more famous Blake poems present us with a inner message, displaying his political, social or religious thoughts. Poems such as "The Chimney Sweeper" may also be interpreted as providing "moral lessons," where the Blake criticises the actions of others. This was common for poets to do during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in particular as "guidelines" for children. Nonetheless it could be argued that this does not necessarily make a successful poem. Other Blake poems such as "The Lamb" are evident on this. A Blake poem that provides us with a "moral lesson" is the songs of experience poem "A Poison Tree." In this poem uses the metaphor of a growing fruit to symbolise the growing anger for a foe. The lesson that is presented here is one against Christian Forbearance, the action of suppressing feelings rather than acting upon them. This is due to the fact that at the end of the poem it is detailed "my foe [was] outstretched beneath the tree." The use of of the fruit metaphor of the "wrath" is an interesting one. Blake uses a mixture of human actions with the atypical actions of growth, such as "I watered it in
Which Narrative Techniques Does Coleridge Use To Make The Poem Vivid And Compelling?
Which Narrative Techniques Does Coleridge Use To Make The Poem Vivid And Compelling. Coleridge utilizes a vast range of narrative techniques within 'The rime of the ancient mariner' which as a result make the poem incredibly vivid and compelling. The sensuous language used within the poem adds great effect. The intensive imagery leaves a lasting effect on the reader. "And every tongue thro' utter drouth Was wither'd at the root". The insistent rhyming alludes to the irresistible supernatural powers that take over the ship; this inserts an urgency to the mariners situation. The audience can associate with the realism. Other poetic devices add a vivid contrast to the poem. As the crew is suffering from the heat and thirst, he introduces images such as "the copper sky" "the bloody sun". He describes the becalmed boat "as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean" and the water as "like witches oils". Both comparisons are examples of similes. Alliteration heightens the poems imagery whilst creating a sense of time. In this case it serves to slow time to represent the suffering the mariner has to endure. As a result of the alliteration and similes, the poem becomes memorable. Coleridge uses effective pacing to suggest the slow passing of time. "For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky", This alerts the reader to the extreme torture the mariner has endured.
Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair How does Milton use the character of Satan in Paradise Lost Book One
‘Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair’ How does Milton use the character of Satan in Paradise Lost Book One Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ is not only an exploration of classical events detailed in the Bible, but also a development of them. A dangerous feat, considering the dominant hold that religion had on 17th century England, Milton’s epic poem dares to stray away from the literally believed stories of the Bible and delves into the unexplained and unknown. This is most apparent with his focus on Hell and its sovereign Satan, as these two focal points of Book One are, for the most part, unreferenced in the Bible. However, without any previous scriptural guidelines or knowledge to follow, Milton was granted free reign to develop the character of Satan as he wished, and this lead to him being used in a number of ways. As an epic poem, Paradise Lost requires the presence of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character of noble stature or greatness who experiences a downfall as a result of their own mistakes or flaws. This interpretation of the dramatic role demonstrates Milton’s inability to place God in this position as it would be seen as heresy, and as a result, he could not feature as the focal character of the poem. Therefore Milton required the use of a fallible character to act as the protagonist, so he cast Satan in this
For a modern reader, Paradise Lost is alienating, coming as it does from a different era politically & psychologically. how far do you agree?
"FOR A MODERN READER, PARADISE LOST IS ALIENATING, COMING AS IT DOES FROM A DIFFERENT ERA POLITICALLY & PSYCHOLOGICALLY." HOW FAR DO YOU AGREE? In addressing the view propounded in the title, the term "alienating" must be addressed. In this case, it means that the modern reader would find 'Paradise Lost' either simply inaccessible, or perhaps a work with which they might not identify with to a degree that a contemporary audience would have done. The term 'modern reader' also, needs clarification, and in this case it is assumed that the 'modern reader' is anyone who enjoys reading modern novels of what is widely considered to be a fairly high literary standard living in 2010, with no extensive knowledge regarding Milton, Classical Civilisation and Literature or the events of the English Civil War. There is much to commend the view that this modern reader would find 'Paradise Lost' "alienating". In the former interpretation of the word "alienating", regarding a stylistic inaccessibility, the syntax and classical references which Milton employ would do much to push the modern reader away. Milton often arranges his sentences in a fashion which would be unfamiliar to the modern reader: the first line of the poem is a case in point ("Of Man's first disobedience... Sing heavenly Muse..."). As written here, the modern reader would have little trouble understanding that Milton is
Paradise Lost. The epic features of the writing get in the way of Milton's story. Discuss.
Sofia Thuru The epic features of the writing get in the way of Milton's vivid and dramatic story. Milton wrote his epic poem "Paradise Lost" taking deliberately inspiration from the epic poems of Virgyl and Homer. As such, it has distingushable features of the epic genre, such as epic similes, an encyclopaedic scope and the characteristic use of blank verse as opposed to rhyming. These may lead critics to consider Milton's work as having too many digressions from the main plot (a common fault of its Greek counterparts) and as being not very innovative. On the contrary, this essay will argue that Milton's decision to approach such an old literary tradition by renewing it according to his contemporary religious and political ideas was extremely bold and, indeed, innovative. Milton's subject-matter and poetic style are also extremely universal, and yet, they take nothing away from the dramatic story within the poem. As any respectable epic poem, 'Paradise Lost' follows certain conventions, such as having a wealthy amount of information about subjects as varied as religion, politics, astronomy and human psychology. The way this is usually done is through extensive lists and catalogs. Another, much more creative and engaging, way of doing it is through the use of epic similes. For instance, Milton compares the surface of hell to a volcanic landscape, with "liquid fire" and
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock opens Selected Poems. Remind yourself of the passage from the beginning of the poem as far as and should I then presume/and how should I begin? How effective do you find this passage as an
'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' opens Selected Poems. Remind yourself of the passage from the beginning of the poem as far as 'and should I then presume/and how should I begin?' How effective do you find this passage as an introduction to Eliot's methods and concerns? 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' is in many ways a comical poem, a mockery of a man lacking confidence and the ability to progress. It seems that Eliot is portraying the desperation felt by this character and how it seems to hinder so many aspects of his life. An element of self-portrayal can be detected throughout the poem. For example, the name 'J. Alfred Prufrock' follows the early form of Eliot's signature 'T. Stearns Eliot'. This is simply a small suggestion that Eliot sees a part of himself in Prufrock. Although the signs are subtle, it is possible that having experienced the issues raised in the poem Eliot is putting forth many of his own fears and worries. The name 'Prufrock' in itself is rather comical. It can be related to a touchstone (proof rock). This was normally used to assess the purity of precious metals. Therefore it can be assumed that Eliot is implying that the character of Prufrock is always assessing others, who perhaps he sees as better than himself, or of more value. This lack of self-confidence again emphasises weakness and desperation. The 'restless nights' spent in 'one
To what extent is Paradise Lost a gothic text?
Paradise lost-Gothic definitions. If taken at face value, John Milton's poem seems have the purpose of showing religious enlightenment. Milton states in the opening lines, his poem is inspired by a muse and that it attempts to soar above the Aeonian Mount. The references to aeonian mount, that the poem will spiritually "soars beyond" that of the Greek mythology and thus he will show that Christianity is the true religion; The notion that, Milton is a devout Christian trying to give a religious account is emphasised through references to religious places such as "on the secret top of Oreb and Sinai didst inspire the Shepard". This is not only because it seems to imitate the bible but also could be interpreted as Milton suggesting he is being inspired like the Shepard. Milton ends the first verse by stating he will "justify the ways of god to men", again implying the poem will be giving almost a religious insight. On the other hand, the text could be interpreted as being a gothic text and in fact, whilst Milton states he is justifying the ways of god to men, could be said to be concerned with justifying the ways of men, and to a degree Satan. If this is the case, then the poem becomes could be called gothic as becomes interested in characters who have been outcast, and their emotions and motivations. This meets two definitions of the gothic which are "the gothic is
'Explore the Nature of Love in The Extasie': John Donne Poetry Analysis
Explore the Nature of Love in The Extasie: John Donne Poetry Analysis In his poem, The Extasie, John Donne describes his own attainment of a state of ecstasy (literally meaning, to stand outside of oneself), through his physical and spiritual proximity to his lover. In his earliest work (for example Elegie: To his Mistris Going to Bed, and The Flea) - which could be loosely termed his 'lust poetry' - Donne's focus tends to be on (or at least around) the sexual act and the beauty of the human (and more particularly the feminine) form, whilst in his later work (such as his Holy Sonnets) he explores religion and death, this poem falls into the transitory phase of what could be termed Donne's 'love poetry' (for example, The Good Morrow). Characteristically then, the main focus of The Extasie is his love for a specific woman (as opposed to women in general, or rather, any random woman - as is the case in his lust poems), and how this love is so transcendent that it leads to a platonic extasie. In the first stanza, the tranquillity of the setting is established, with the imagery of 'a pillow on a bed', a 'reclining head', suggesting relaxation, and the line 'Sat we two, one anothers best', suggesting serenity and the intimacy of the lovers. This continues into the subsequent stanza with the elegant, and yet deeply intense image of 'Our eye-beames twisted, and did thred Our eyes,
In Miltons Paradise Lost, God is portrayed as having limited influence and contact with our world. This is perhaps a result of his respect for free will/conscience.
Hayden Kallas Mr. Becker Honors English Lit. 9/26/11 God's Influence In Milton's Paradise Lost, God is portrayed as having limited influence and contact with our world. This is perhaps a result of his respect for free will/conscience. This lack of contact is supported by one; God's passiveness, there are several situations in the book in which God seems like he should be able to influence events but he simply doesn't act. When he does act, he acts indirectly. God seems to execute his plans through either his angels or his son. Finally, perhaps the best indication of God's limited connections is in the cases where God uses complicated, elaborate plans to do things that if he really had 100% power he would perform simply and immaculately. In the book Paradise Lost, God plays a relatively passive role considering that he is by far the most significant character in this book. He seems to sit up on his heavenly throne and observes rather than interact with his creations. A good case of this is in Book three lines 80-90, when God watches Satan ascending from hell. It would seem that when he was alerted by Uriel, the archangel would have been a good time to intervene and smite down Satan. It almost seems like Milton's God wants the events of Paradise Lost to transpire because he yields so many times at so many opportunities to stop Satan. Satan should have been stopped