Base Details is a war poem written by Siegfried Sassoon in 1918. The year of 1918 was a crucial one in the First World War, and Base Details seeks to explore some of the bitterness and cruelty
Base Details Base Details is a war poem written by Siegfried Sassoon in 1918. The year of 1918 was a crucial one in the First World War, and Base Details seeks to explore some of the bitterness and cruelty of the war era, expressed from the point of view of a common soldier. The poem consists of a single stanza, with ten lines. The rhyme scheme is pretty straight forward and consistent, utilising a standard "A,B,A,B" format throughout the poem. The stylistic devices used are, however, quite distinct. Unlike many poems, metaphors don't seem to play a vital part - in fact, the poem doesn't have a single metaphor. Instead, there's quite an excessive use of subjective adjectives, which greatly helps setting the tone and message of the poem. Most notable is perhaps how the author chooses to purposely understate serious issues, in order to suggest patriotic and sympathetic feelings for the reader. An example of such an understatement would be line 7 which says: "Yes we've lost heavily in this last scrap." "Scrap" in this context means "battle". However, we'd normally see "scrap" used in context with normal, unimportant fights, and even used as another term for "junk" or "garbage". This implies that the 'major' who articulates this line is obviously understating and fails to acknowledge the consequences, dramatic events, and horrors of the particular battle, thus making the
How does Abrahams develop his atitude toward the comet in 'To Halley's Comet'?
The poem begins with "Good evening, little visitor", in this first line two things are brought to our attention. First, "Good evening" is a very formal greeting, it implies a great deal of respect and shows us the poet's opinion of the comet as a thing that should be revered and appreciated. Second, the words "little visitor" present a slightly different opinion of the comet, one of smallness and insignificance, in fact, it's almost diminishing, but still retaining the same fondness we found in the first half of the line. These contrasting ideas of importance and insignificance are maintained throughout the remainder of the poem. Still very near the beginning of the poem another significant line can be found: "But who'd have thought you'd be so shy," the significance of this line lies partly in the beginning "But who'd have thought" this establishes the idea that the "shyness" is unexpected, the world was expecting a fantastic display but have yet to see it. Also with the introduction of contracted words "who'd" and "you'ld" which are the beginning of a far less formal and more relaxed style of writing. The informality is associated with the theme of insignificance, almost as if the comet, being nothing more than, "a dirty undense snowball" is not deserving of such respect. Also, the subject of shyness, also an important theme, is first brought to light in this line.
Praise Song for my Mother by Grace Nichols Analysis
Transfer-Encoding: chunked Praise Song for my Mother – Grace Nichols What are the poet’s feelings about family and how does she convey these ideas? Grace Nichols writes Praise Song for my mother as ode, or letter, as a celebration of her mother. Having moved from Guyana to the UK, the ‘ode’ is in a Caribbean style, praising her mother for all that she has done. Nichols writes about what family is, and what it means to her, and the poem seems to be positive, in adoration of her mother, but there are also other standpoints that say the poem could have a deeper, negative meaning. Nichols conveys the powerful, protective love that she receives from her mother in the poem in a variety of ways. She writes that she was ‘water to [her], deep and bold and fathoming’. As water is a necessity to live, she creates the image that her mother was a necessity to her life, and that she ‘couldn’t live without her’. She uses many of these metaphors, using the term ‘You were’ to convey the different roles her mother played in her life, that although she was just a woman, she was to her, the ‘moon’s eye’ and the ‘sunrise’. The use of the past tense in ‘you were’ shows that her mother may have passed away, and that this is not only a celebration of her mother, but also a celebration of her mother’s life, and that the poem is a sort of mourning of her
Write about the poem Basking Shark: Achill Island. You should describe what the poet writes about and how he uses language to convey the speakers thoughts and feelings.
Transfer-Encoding: chunked Write about the poem Basking Shark: Achill Island. You should describe what the poet writes about and how he uses language to convey the speaker’s thoughts and feelings. In the poem ‘Basking Shark: Achill Island’ John Deane, who grew up on the island, appears to be relating his childhood experiences through the poem. He uses language to convey both his conscious thoughts and impulsive feelings. The title of the poem is straight to the point and does not use any more words than are necessary. Deane uses vivid imagery throughout that provokes feelings of both shock and repulsion from the reader. He starts off by describing his location, “Where bogland hillocks hid a lake.” The use of the verb, “hid,” suggests that the speaker knows what he was doing was wrong and that he was trying to hide it from the world. The alliteration of, “hillocks hid,” further emphasises this point. The speaker proceeds to write about shooting a cat with a pellet gun until it drowned. They are described to have, “clawed,” the pellets into its flesh. Clawed would normally be used to describe a cat attacking something, but the tables are turned and it is the predators doing the clawing. Before the cat drowns it is said to feel, “ancient jungle fear.” This could allude back to the big cats of the jungle and the fear they would have of human
Analysis of "First Date She and First Date He" by Wendy Cope.
Transfer-Encoding: chunked 1st Date She and He The poem is written by Wendy Cope. She is a contemporary poet and her poems are mostly light hearted and involve a lot of humour. First Date She and First Date He is a classic comparison between a male and female perspective on their first date. It is effectively two poems that are connected. In the monologue of ‘She’, the female narrator talks about why she said she liked classical music. It is clear that she is trying to impress her date, to make him think that she is cultured and classy. She has insecurities which He did not even notice ‘my brow is acceptably high’. She doesn’t like to lie and she admits this in the line ‘it wasn’t exactly a lie’. She tries to defend herself but there is a little lie associated with her comment. The allusion to classical musicians ‘Vivaldi and Bach’ shows that she wants to come out as interesting. ‘half dark’ is a metaphorical comparison to their relationship since both of them are not entirely honest with each other. The superlative ‘hardest’ further implies that she is interested in him and tries to impress him. In the monologue of ‘He’, a pattern can be seen as if he is responding to the girl without talking. The first stanza of the second poem almost completely mirrors the sentiments from the first two lines of the first poem. It therefore becomes
How does Copley express ideas about loneliness in "At Sea"?
e In ‘At Sea’ how does the poet present how it feels to be left alone? The poet who wrote “At Sea” visibly intends to accentuate the daunting boredom faced by those who are lonely and dejected. In fact, the entire poem has that of a slow and sombre mood with insinuations that the woman, who the poem is centred on, desires comfort and reassurance in this alienated world she currently resides in. Copley’s impressive utilisation of near-identical stanza lengths, with all of them being five or four lines long, is a potential emulation of the monotony of the life of a lonely woman – as there is little variation in daily life. This concept is further accentuated through her employment of the hyperbolic phrase, “nothing to do”. As readers, we are aware that she does physically carry out actions but the poet’s exaggeration epitomises her gloom and lack of enthusiasm to do anything that removes her from this monotonous, cyclical routine. Moreover, the poet insinuates her yearning to have someone there for her through this lonely atmosphere. This is exemplified when the woman “dreams the loathed ocean is coming for her”. The noun “dreams”, though it could literally signify that she dreamt the ocean approaching her in her sleep, it could also figuratively mean that she wishes for something or perhaps someone to be there for her. The fact that Copley
"Life doesn't frighten me", a poem by Maya Angelou, conveys a message of fearlessness by addressing all of the topics that most people are afraid to confront
Life doesn't frighten me, a poem by Maya Angelou, conveys a message of fearlessness by addressing all of the topics that most people are afraid to confront. Maya displays fortitude when confronted with life's challenges, and she could be an inspiration to others. Life is like an obstacle course; it presents us with issues, and we must overcome them as humans (facing problems in life and fears). What comes to mind is: how can one go about overcoming such issues and concerns? Courage as well as other attributes. When she says things like "shadows on the wall noises down the hall life doesn't worry me at all Bad dogs barking loud," I get a little scared. When she writes about "Big Ghost in a Cloud," she really captures how it feels to be terrified of all of these things. I also appreciate the rhythm she incorporates into it. I believe she rhymes to enhance the poem's fearful tone by adding extra words. Anxiety and worry pervade the atmosphere. Fear because "don't show me frogs and snakes and listen for my scream,If I'm terrified at all, it's only in my dreams." and she says she's not scared at all. She describes how frightening these items are to individuals in real life, and how difficult it must be for them to see, touch, feel, and test them on a daily basis. What surprised me was that the language she uses its really strong that she shows about bravery that to not to be
How does Robert Lowell portray anguish and frustration with struggling to write in his poem Night Sweat?
Night Sweat By Robert Lowell How does Robert Lowell portray anguish and frustration with struggling to write in his poem ‘Night Sweat’? ‘Night Sweat’ by Robert Lowell is an emotional poem in which the poet focuses on the anguish and frustration he feels whilst struggling to write. The poet uses imagery, enjambment, imagery and monologue style writing, to explain his self-doubt and anxiety when he has writer’s block. Firstly, the poet uses imagery to illustrate his anguish caused by his writer’s block. This is evident in line 4 and 5, when he says, “Sweet salt embalms me and my head is wet, everything streams and tells me this is right”. The use of the word “embalms” is quite disturbing, as it suggests that the reader feels dead or in need of preserving as the sweat encloses him in his bed. This will therefore create an image of a dead body in the reader’s mind, which brings about the emotion of frightfulness in the reader. Moreover, in this same line, the poet uses hyperbole to express his frustration towards his writer’s block. This is apparent when he says, “everything streams”. This may mean that his sweating is so profuse, it creates the sense of waterflow. It is obvious that Lowell had so much pressure on his writing and perhaps numerous deadlines to meet in a short span of time, that he was so overwhelmed by all of it. This will make
How does Anne Stevenson use literary devices to explore the theme of life and creation in "The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument"?
The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument By Anne Stevenson How does the poet use literary devices to explore the theme of life and creation? ‘The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument’ by Anne Stevenson is a fascinating poem, in which the speaker describes the beautiful intricacies of the development of a baby and how we are incapable of such an extraordinary act. She explores the themes of life and creation through imagery, enjambment, and emotive language. Firstly, the poet uses powerful imagery to emphasize the beautiful complexity of the creation of a baby. This is evident in the line, “Observe the distinct eyelashes and sharp crescent fingernails.” The imagery in this line is astounding. To begin, the technique in which she describes the eyelashes; something so miniature yet exact, is an excellent way of explaining to the reader how extraordinary the creation of a baby is. The use of the word ‘observe’ further advocates this as she is demanding the reader to look at this gorgeous and prominent feature of a baby. Secondly, describing the fingernails as ‘sharp crescents’ is another way the poet uses imagery to demonstrate the theme of creation, as the reader continues to picture the beauty of the baby. This brings about the emotion of admiration in the reader as they realize the complexity of the body and how beautiful the creation is. Moreover, Stevenson
In Revelation, Liz Lochhead was inspired by her everyday life and also by a childhood experience. The poem is symbolic of the dangers some men pose as they threaten women,
"Revelation" by Liz Lochhead In 'Revelation', Liz Lochhead was inspired by her everyday life and also by a childhood experience. The poem is symbolic of the dangers some men pose as they threaten women, however, the poem is physically about her childhood experience of being shown a bull at the farm. The title of the poem "Revelation" indicates that something will become clear or be revealed in the poem like an epiphany. Firstly, I will analyse the opening lines of the poem and discuss Lochhead's use of symbolism and syntax: "I remember...when a child" "I remember" refers to the adult persona "when a child" refers to the child persona. She still remembers what happened when she was very little. This gives the effect that this event changed her life or had a big effect on her. Lochhead uses syntax by putting "black bull" at the end of a line. The connotations of the colour black conveys darkness or evil, for example a sinister figure at night. Also there is clear alliteration on the positive letter "B" and this emphasises even more how big the creature really is. In contrast "eggs and milk" shows how fragile some women are and it also symbolises women's fertility. Later in verse one, Lochhead describes the persona's impression of the bull at the time of the incident and the effect it has on her: "At first only black and hot reek of him" This line gives the reader a
