A Comparison of ‘My Box’ by Gillian Clarke, And ‘Valentine’ by Carol Ann Duffy
A Comparison of 'My Box' by Gillian Clarke, And 'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy 'Valentine' and 'My Box' are two completely different poems. They are written differently, they are structured differently, but the one major thing they have in common is love. Both poems are about love. Each poem uses a metaphor to describe the author's feelings about love, and, although totally different, the comparison is clear. The use of imagery in each poem is also clear. The meaning of both of the poems is different. "My Box" has no moral but is rather a story about her life and memories. "Valentine" is intentionally unconventional to highlight her passion for him. Sub-consciously she still loves him, but bitterness and hatred seem to run through this poem. 'My Box' uses conventional, emotional imagery of an historic feeling of love. The feelings you get after you have read it are that the author, Gillian Clarke, has had a lifetime relationship, which she is content with. The imagery she uses is ripe and she talks about harvesting 'apples and words and days'; it promotes a feeling of satisfaction. 'Valentine' is bold and sharp. Its aim is to ridicule traditional valentine gifts, and out wit them. It does not flow like 'My Box' and it is staccato. The use of the onion makes the reader start to think about the feeling they get from chopping up an onion. Some of the language used is
I am going to compare three different poems: "My Box" by Gillian Clarke, "Valentine" by Carol Ann Duffy and "Shall I compare Thee...?" (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare.
A Comparison of Love Poems I am going to compare three different poems: "My Box" by Gillian Clarke, "Valentine" by Carol Ann Duffy and "Shall I compare Thee...?" (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare. In my essay I will discuss the language, images, style, rhythm and many other aspects used to construct each of the poems. The modern poem "My Box" written by Gillian Clarke, in essence, is about a gift of a box from a man to a woman. The first line 'my box is made of golden oak, my lover's gift to me´. Clarke introduces characters, the lover and the narrator. 'He fitted hinges and a lock of brass and a bright key. ´ This line has a sort of naivety about it because it is made up of monosyllables, also, when read it seems as if a word is missing between 'bright´ and 'key´. This may be deliberate to emphasise the youthfulness of the writer at this point in the poem. 'He made it out of winter nights, sanded and oiled and planed, engraved inside a heavy lid in brass, a golden tree.' Due to the emphasis of 'and' by its repetition four times within the first stanza, this shows that the man had obviously spent a lot of time on the box. In the second stanza, the poet goes on to describe what the woman has done with the box. 'In my box are twelve black books where I have written down how we have sanded, oiled and planed, planted a garden, built a wall, seen jays and gold crests,
Ovid portrays women as being of a similar type. Discuss with close reference to books seven and eight
Ovid portrays women as being of a similar type. Discuss with close reference to books seven and eight Ovid was born into a wealthy family in 43 B.C. in Italy. Metamorphoses which means change is an epic poem originally written in Latin involving a collection of stories, which revolve around the theme of metamorphoses. In seems in book 7 an 8 that the majority of the female characters are not entirely pleasant they create most of the mishaps and the tragedy that happens throughout the books. For instance in the story of Jason and Medea iat the beginning of book seven Medea falls hopelessly in love with Jason having only just met him. She betrays her father for Jason causing him and the rest of her family pain "received from her forthwith the herbs" Meaning Medea helped Jason by giving him magic herbs. Returning home with Medea Jason leaves Medea and marries the daughter of the King of Corinth. And in a brutal fit of rage Medea kills Jason's knew wife and her own sons. The brutality and jealousy of not only Medea but women as a whole is apparent throughout 'Metamorphoses.' We are later shown this in Althea who in avenging her brother's death murders her son in an equally brutal way. The story of Scylla and Minos is another one of female betrayal. The events of this story somewhat mirror those of Jason and Medea. On sight of Minos Scylla falls in love straight away, and again
"No, Thank You, John" by Christina Rossetti.
"No, Thank You, John" by Christina Rossetti The poem '"No, Thank You, John"' by Christina Rossetti, is about a conflicting love relationship. Throughout this poem she uses catharsis, consonance and a rhythm and rhyming device, to convey her theme. The poem expresses her true feelings towards a friend who wishes to have a deeper relationship with her although she does not have similar feelings towards him. '"No, Thank You, John"' is a poem about "John", who wishes to have a deeper love relationship with Christina. She does not have the same loving feelings towards John and hence causes a conflict. Christina expresses her feelings to John and tells him she is not interested in a relationship but he does not seem to understand. She explains to him "Let us strike our hands as hearty friends; No more, no less; and friendship's good: Only don't keep in view ulterior ends, and points understood". What she is expressing here is that she only wishes to be friends with him nothing more, nothing less. This is also an expression of catharsis, which is the expression of emotions through pity. She uses this literary device throughout the poem. A few examples being "I never said I loved you", "Pity upon you if you ask" and "Here's friendship for you if you like; but love,- No, thank you, John." She expresses her feelings this way because she does feel saddened by his deep
Compare the ways Tony Harrison and Elizabetyh Jennings write about their parents in their poems, 'Background Material' and 'On
Compare the ways Tony Harrison and Elizabeth Jennings write about their parents in their poems, 'Background Material' and 'One Flesh' The poems 'Background Material' and 'One Flesh' were written by Tony Harrison and Elizabeth Jennings, respectively. In the poems, the poets both describe the relationship between their parents, however they address them differently. Tony Harrison is very subtle in describing his parents' relationship, and 'Background Material' is ostensibly about photographs of his parents. It is only when one realizes that there is a deeper meaning that it becomes clear that he is relating his parents to one another. In contrast, in 'One Flesh', Elizabeth Jennings portrays her parents' relationship intimately: by describing them going to bed so vividly that one almost feels that one is in the room, spying on them. In 'Background Material', Harrison describes two photographs that he has on his desk - one of his mother and the other of his father. The photographs share the same photo frame, and this links his parents together. Harrison describes the photographs, explaining that his father's was taken "in our favourite pub" whereas his mother's photograph was taken in his garden. The different locations suggest that his parents had different interests and may not have had a very close relationship. Harrison does not directly mention this, although he does make
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I Know It's Over by [Steven Patrick] Morrissey (1985)
I Know It's Over by [Steven Patrick] Morrissey (1985) Notes by Mark Lampard (AS Eng Lit.) September 2002 Summary This is a bleak, perhaps morbid, but sensitive and intelligent song lyric, which most critics see as being about the end of fictional or fantasy relationship. But the interpretation can be much deeper, indeed, a bottomless pit for those who are inclined to wallow in helplessness and suicidal thoughts. There are four distinct sections that are not entirely connected and this leads to a variety of interpretations in linking them, enabling the audience to project their own feelings onto the words. And yet, the emotional intensity seems to produce elation1 not depression (perhaps more in the performance than the poetry). Speculation about the meaning of the lines (as long as it is not overdone) can lead to a satisfying enjoyment. Structure The first section describes our hero's immediate state of mind with the image of his empty bed as a grave: Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head and as I climb into an empty bed Oh, well. Enough said. As if being buried alive, the melancholy protagonist feels that his life may as well be over: I know it's over - still I cling/I don't know where else I can go. Perhaps an intense relationship has come to an end, leading to thoughts of despair and suicide, but it may be less obvious. He equates his imagined
Valentine v First Love Valentine is by Ann Duffy. The first thing that caught my attention was the title "Valentine".
Valentine v First Love Valentine is by Ann Duffy. The first thing that caught my attention was the title "Valentine". Usually when you would hear that word your head would be thinking hearts, love, romance, and choclates etc but not in this case. In this poem it describes love as an onion and this is the constant imagery. The poets aim was to use the onion as a symbol of love rather than the everyday, typical gifts. I think the poem might have been written by a male but adapted by a female poet. My reason for saying this is mainly because when you read the poem it sounds as though it's a male word because it talks about giving gifts which is normally from the man. Never the less it has more deep and emotional feelings in it which makes it sound like a female words. However we will never know for sure. The language that the poet uses whether it's a male or a female is very powerful and strong because even if don't enjoy the poem you would still remember parts of it because its so blunt and straight to the point .The poem also uses at some point simile and metaphors which also makes it very affective. In this poem it also constantly compares love to an onion. It uses the same words that can describe love as well as an onion , doesn't really use sweet and fragile words or phrases that you would normally expect in a love poem but in my opinion having a bit of a change is
To begin with, Angie is my best friend, and Kelvin is my boyfriend
Seawell-1 Amy Seawell Dr. Carolyn Schnieder Eng 111-22 February 15, 2005 Vital Differences From the time that we are very small children, we begin to build our foundations for friendships. Clearly, friendships are an important part of life, whether it exists in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. However, many people travel through life without the benefit of a true friend. Fortunately, I own the privilege of having two best friends, Angie and Kelvin. Despite the fact that they are complete opposites, Angie and Kelvin are of equally vital importance in my life. To begin with, Angie is my best friend, and Kelvin is my boyfriend. I first met Angie about four years ago. We quickly became good friends, and it wasn't long before we were inseparable. I met Kelvin through her boyfriend (now husband). They were best friends too, so it was very convenient for Kelvin and I to become close. Before we knew it we were falling in love. Thus, he became a best friend, too. The most obvious contrast between the two is their physical appearance. Angie is a 29 year-old, white female that stands about five foot -five inches and weighs around 250 lbs. She keeps her short brown hair styled to perfection, and her clothes must fit just right. On the other hand, Kelvin is a 31 year old, black male. He weighs approximately 190 lbs., and is almost five foot- seven inches tall. He keeps his
"The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien.
In his story "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien describes a group of soldiers marching through Vietnam. He does this by describing the items that each of them carries with him during the march. The things that the soldiers carry with them are both tangible and intangible items and what these things are depends upon the individual soldier. They carry the basic necessities for survival and the bare minimum to make life as livable as possible. But they also carry memories, and fears, and it is intangible items like these that are the prime focus of the story. The weight of these abstract items is as real as that of any physical ones, and unlike those physical objects, they are not so easily cast away. Throughout the story, O'Brien alternates between narrative passages and simple descriptions of the items that the soldiers are carrying. This fragmentation brings focus to the things the men are carrying, both tangible and intangible, without downplaying the narration. In the descriptive segments of the story, O'Brien is very exact in his descriptions and seems to be merely cataloging what is being carried: "As a first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carried a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45(c)caliber pistol that weighed 2.9 pounds full loaded"1 (O'Brien p.5). O'Brien gives only straight forward descriptions in these segments and the writing is void
Write a comparative essay exploring the poet's attitude to love and how it is conveyed.
Chose two love poems from a selection Write a comparative essay exploring the poet's attitude to love and how it is conveyed. 31/01/03 I am going to explore the many similarity's and differences between the two poems 'imitations' by Dannie Abse and 'from long distance' by Tony Harrison. In 'First love' the structure and form is similar to 'A red, red rose,' this is due to the rhyme. Each poem contains cross rhyme but use it in two different patterns. 'First love' contains a much more flowing sound, every line rhymes with another, this different to the more simple sound of 'A red, red rose.' In 'A red, red rose.' the 2nd and the 4th lines rhyme adding rhythm and creating a different and much tailored sound. Not only does each poem contain cross rhyme but both have only quatrains. Neither poem contains a couplet, this again shows the simplicity of each writer. The form of each poem is the same they are both story-like love poems - ballad, each about people poets. Each poet tries to create atmosphere in different ways, in 'First love' the author gives us the impression that we are outside. He does this by using sentences such as 'the trees and bushes around the place' he then tells us the effect that love causes, 'seemed midnight at noonday' the author does this throughout the poem; 'stole my heart away complete,' and 'then blood rushed to my face and took my sight quite