Compare and Contrast Horses by Edwin Muir and Pike by Ted Hughes
Harry YandleEnglishMr Evans Compare and Contrast “Horses” by Edwin Muir and “Pike” by Ted Hughes ________________ Both “Horses” by Edwin Muir and “Pike” have a title which is a clear statement of intent on what the poem is about. However both of these poems seem to symbolise something more complex, on top of the simple animal poem which it could be interpreted as. Both Ted Hughes and Edwin Muir, ‘animal poets’ have a pastoral lust for the countryside and were writing around the time when Darwin published his “Origin of Species”; This could explain why both poets seem to portray their respective animals rather negatively and yet in conclusion, the poets seem to relish nature despite being fearful of it; “I must pine // Again for that dread country crystalline”. Edwin Muir has a paradoxical wishing for the dreadful country side as it has been taken away from him and hast lost the magic and down-to-earth innocence he had as a child. Hughes’s poetry however dwells on the innate violence in the natural world and on instinctive predatory behaviour; yet he sees to view it as appropriate. He attempts to reconcile what at first appears to be a horrible violence in nature. Perhaps human beings are no different from a creature such as the pike, driven by impulse and appetite in a universe that follows no moral law but eat or be eaten. Hughes clearly views
Compare methods used to present danger in Storm on the Island and Patrolling Barnegat.
Compare methods used to present danger in Storm on the Island and Patrolling Barnegat. Seamus Heaney and Walt Whitman use different techniques to portray danger within their poems Storm on the Island, a poem which describes the effects of the storm on the inhabitants of the island and explains that although they are initially prepared they are actually still frightened of the danger, and Patrolling Barnegat, which depicts a violent storm blowing into an American bay. Both poems describe each storm and the effects it has on the land, skills used involve language devices and description, they portray a certain image in the readers mind about the danger that the storm poses. They both use language devices to convey the fright and distress the storm causes. Water is usually seen as a source of life and tranquillity, however that idyllic image is turned on its head in the simile 'spits like a tame cat,' which suggests the spray from the sea is frightening in Storm on the Island just like the alliteration used in 'combs careering' makes the waves sound like they are crashing down in Patrolling Barnegat. Each of the descriptions are suggesting that the water from the sea becomes threatening and dangerous during each of the storms. Words such as 'spit' and 'careering' are quite menacing words advocating that the water could cause damage. The descriptive war-like language in
Comparing Poems, The Soldier & Dulce et Decorum est.
Comparing Poems, The Soldier & Dulce et Decorum est. I will be comparing two poems in this essay, The Soldier, (1915) By Rupert Brooke, and Dulce et Decorum est (1917) By Wilfred Owen. I will be comparing the views of both writers and also the techniques/language they use to convey that view, both writers have distinct views on war. The poems are similar in the simple fact they are about war itself, but the views and messages within the poems are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Both writers portray their views in different ways, for example, Rupert Brooke has chosen to describe his dead body as a symbol for England. "If I should die, think only this of me" the poem then goes on to describe England in a very patriotic way, "In hearts at peace, under an English heaven." The words "peace" and "heaven" create a peaceful and heavenly feel within the poem, they are calming, soothing words, and they give the poem that edge or serenity. Then, on the other hand Wilfred Owen has chosen too depict a gruesome war story that he himself had witnessed. He use's words such as "Blood-shod" and phrases like "Obscene as cancer" to emphasize the horror's of war, also taking the reader to a level of understanding with the brutality in war, brutality that isn't usually flaunted. The language used in both poems is vastly different from each other, even though both poems were about war.
Post 19th century poetry relating to nature
English Coursework: Post 19th century poetry relating to nature During this piece of coursework there are six poems which I am going to analyse. All of these poems are written during the 20th century and all of them have some relation to nature, however as we will see nature is a very broad topic and can be interpreted very differently depending on the poet. Some poets view nature in a very romantic and lovely way, others think of nature as disturbing and sickly. People such as Ted Hughes manage to put a sinister spin on even the most innocent of situations. Whereas poets such as Seamus Heany portray nature in a more realistic, reminiscent light. Poetry is an art form and allows individuals to express their opinions and feelings to a large audience. That used to be the case anyway, today Poetry is still an art form, but one only kept alive by the study of it, however poetry and poems are still interesting to study and provide an insight not only into the period in which they were written but also into the poet's life and feelings. I am going to closely examine three poets and, for each analyse two of their poems closely. The three are, Seamus Heaney who was born in 1939 and is still alive today. He was raised in Northern Ireland and his work is set against the background of the 'Troubles'. He is the national poet of Ireland. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995. Ted
"Don't be a twit Clive". "Minimum of Two" presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories.
"Don't be a twit Clive". "Minimum of Two" presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories. "Minimum of Two" demonstrates a bleak view of human relationships, however there are a few hopeful ones. The boy and the boy's friend show negative and pessimistic relationships. Jerra and Rachel show a plain relationship at first, however it turns more optimistic during the end. The girl and the mother have a negative damaging relationship, which does not change. All these characters demonstrate a desolate view of relationships at some stage in the novel. The boy and the boy's friend show a plain, windswept relationship. The boy's friend and his girlfriend travel up the coast together to his mother's holiday house. The boy is quiet and doesn't want to lose his friend. He follows them wherever they go and doesn't want to accept that things are different, "he swears things are the same", No Memory Comes". The boy has been friends with him nearly his whole life, and doesn't realise that his friend his moving on. The boy knows that his relationship with his friend is becoming distant. The boy is trapped in the past and terrified that things are changing. He is going to have to let go of the past, but he does not want to be separated from it. The boy and the boy's friend showed a very ordinary relationship, that was not going to last. In the start of
How do 'Telephone Conversation', 'Not My Best Side' and 'You Will be Hearing From Us Shortly' each portray prejudice, racism and stereotypes?
How do 'Telephone Conversation', 'Not My Best Side' and 'You Will be Hearing From Us Shortly' each portray prejudice, racism and stereotypes? 'Telephone Conversation' by Wole Soyinka, 'Not My Best Side' by U A Fanthorpe and 'You Will be Hearing From Us Shortly' by U A Fanthorpe all have prejudiced elements in them, each in different ways giving each poem different effects upon the reader. They each use different styles, forms, structures, tones and language features to illustrate these points. 'Telephone Conversation' is a poem about a 1960s black man applying for a room from a white English landlady. The landlady is racist; she is portrayed as a stereotypical 1960s woman who believed that the white race was far superior to the black. We learn of her views by her feelings on he black man's application, when the man mentions 'I am African', her immediate response is 'How Dark?' showing to the man and the reader that she is prejudiced against dark Africans. Her racism is repeated throughout the poem, due mainly to direct speech, quotations from the actual telephone conversation between the man and the landlady, e.g. 'Are you dark? Or very light?' Her racist remarks stand out from the poem as they are in direct speech. The fact that most of her comments are questions makes the conversation seem more like an inquisition, as if the black man has done something wrong.
Comparison of 'Once upon a time' by Gabriel Okara and
Comparison of 'Once upon a time' by Gabriel Okara and 'A Martian sends a postcard home' by Craig Raine Gabriel Okara was born in 1921 in Ijaw country in the Niger Delta, in Nigeria. He was educated at Government College, Umuahia, and then slowly rose from a humble bookbinder to international success. He began to write plays and features for broadcasting and his poetry appeared regularly in 'Black Orpheus', a newspaper, starting with the first number. He became an Information Officer in Enugu, then Head of the Newspaper Division, Ministry of Information, Port Harcourt and is now currently Writer-in-Residence of the Rivers State Council on Arts and Culture. However, his poems strike a chord with many of the population, namely "Once upon a time". Craig Raine was born in Shildon, County Durham in 1944. He was briefly educated at Exeter College, moved on to Oxford, and finally became a man of many qualities that led to his wide range of jobs - editor, essayist, journalist, librettist, literary critic, playwright, publisher, scholar and translator. Like Okara, he is also famous for being a critically acclaimed poet famous for his figurative language and concrete details. It begs the question somewhat, how did these two men from very different backgrounds manage to write two separate poems that, however differently the style of writing was, conveyed a similar message that brought
Compare and Contrast the loss of childood innocence "Death of a Naturalist" and "The Early Purges" by Seamus Heaney
Compare and contrast the way Heaney presents the loss of childhood innocence in "Death of a Naturalist" and "The Early Purges" By Emily Ashford In the course of this essay I want to contrast and compare two poems by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney. His anthology "Death of a Naturalist" was written in reflection of childhood and the loss of innocence possibly based on his own experiences. This anthology has received much praise and recognition over the past few decades. Seamus was brought up in the deep hearted countryside of Ireland. He grew up alongside nature and alongside 8 other children, although he was the oldest and maybe understood some things before the other children; such as death and the "facts of life." In the poems "Death of a Naturalist" he learns the true realities of nature, and how the frogspawn and frogs come to be there. In "The Early Purges" he learns not to be sympathetic toward cute and fluffy but ultimately resource draining animals. Both settings are rural rather than urban however, the each poem focuses on different areas of the countryside; "Death of a Naturalist" is based around where "all the year flax-dam" grows. Flax - dam it a stagnant pond where harvested flax is left to decompose to prepare for manufacture into linen and other materials. The poem is narrated by a young boy, he is recalling events in which he explored nature where the "flax -
Compare and contrast the soldier and futility
'The Soldier' and 'Futility' are two poems which discuss war. Both poems were written during the war by Englishmen. Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke died in different stages of the war as a result of it. Both poems discuss death and hate in several ways. The two say that there is a lot of hate in war but they each see death for your country from a different perspective. In 'Futility' Wilfred Owen says that war is a terrible thing because there are so many casualties. He also says that the cause of war is usually petty and that people dying for their country is awful. As well as this he says that it is better to live than die doing your duty. Wilfred Owen has a different view towards war because he lived through most of it. He was killed during the final year of the war, in 1918. Rupert Brooke, on the other hand, didn't live through much of the war. He died in the early stages of it, in 1915. He was twenty-eight years old. In his opinion war is necessary and one had a duty to fight for King/Queen and country. Rupert Brooke also thinks that people should be proud to fight for their country as we see in the words 'Dulce et decorum est', which is Latin for 'wonderful thing to die for your country'. These words are found in another of Wilfred Owens poems though but it is used sarcastically. It is as if Wilfred Owen is laughing at the people getting gassed and dying like in his other
The Endless Steppe - review
The Endless Steppe The book is a war-time autobiography about Esther Hautzig's exile to Russia during World War 1. At the beginning of the account it is set in Poland and then transfers with the movement of the refugees she is with to Russia. Esther Hautzig wrote the book looking back on her past life in 1968. The First World War affected Esther's life from 1939 when Hitler's armies marched on Poland until when she was released from exile in 1946. In 1940 the Russians who were allies of Germany occupied Vilna the place where Esther and her family lived. Ether and her family embark upon their adventure when they are accused of being capitalists and are arrested by some Russian soldiers. Esther grows up a lot during her experiences in exile. She evolves from a rich girl living in a well-off family and takes everything for granted into a responsible, independent young woman. She learns to be grateful over the smallest of things and also learns how important family is when half of it is taken away from her. There are various different incidents which show what Esther learns from her exile and, show her growth into a responsible young woman. The first incident that I have chosen shows Esther's immaturity at the start of the story. It is the part of the story where all of the other children at school have silk panties and Esther really wants some to be like all the others. Her