In "The Lonely Land," Arthur James Marshall Smith captures the aggressive character of the country, Canada.

English A30 Essay Sumeet Choksi Mr. Armstrong English 30A November 17, 2002. The Lonely Land In "The Lonely Land," Arthur James Marshall Smith captures the aggressive character of the country, Canada. He portrays the desolate and austere beauty of the country in which he spent the most impressionable years of his youth, by using few techniques to illustrate imagery. In the first Canto, Smith creates an environment that depicts the nature of this land and shows what an external form of beauty does to it. For example, "Cedar and jagged fir uplift barbs against the gray and cloud-piled sky." These lines tell the reader that Smith has set the scene where there are firs, fish and a gray cloudy sky that is heavy with rain. The next few lines "and in the bay blown spume and windrift and thin, bitter spray snap at the whirling sky; and the pine trees lean one way." These lines reveal that it is about to rain and there is froth forming at bay with strong winds blowing sprigs of flowers at bay and causing the pine trees to sway from one side to the other. Smith uses techniques such as diction, repetition and personification to describe what he has written about and gives us a clear picture of the scene. Repetition is used with the word "and" as it is used five times in this stanza and personification for example, is used in the line "thin, bitter spray." The words thin and

  • Word count: 634
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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R.S Thomas and William Wordsworth. Compare and Contrast the works of two poets who write on the theme of people and the landscape.

Compare and Contrast the works of two poets who write on the theme of people and the landscape Two poets who wrote about similar subjects were R.S Thomas and William Wordsworth. Their poems were often based on scenic areas and human beings. The difference between the two poets was they had an entirely different view of the certain topics. This enabled them to have different styles of writing. R.S Thomas was a welsh vicar born in Cardiff in 1913. He studied theology at the University College of north Wales. He then followed on to study at St. Michaels College, llandaff. After ordination in the church of Wales in 1827, he worked in rural parishes. Most of his work was set in Wales. William Wordsworth was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge University. He had a love of nature as a youth. He often visited places known for their scenic beauty. He was one of the first romantic British poets. R.S Thomas showed life in a sorrowful manner. He hardly used admirable language to explain life. He preferred using realistic poetry to show the meaning of life. His writing reflects his child hood. This relates to the imagery he gained from the farmers on the farm. His work was also emphasised based on the harsh life in Wales. Some think he fails to recognise the good in things. He wrote realistically rather than passionately. Thomas wrote in the 20th century. Wordsworth's

  • Word count: 2883
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The extract from "The Prelude" is written mainly in the first person singular and in the past tense, reminiscing about a happy winters day when Wordsworth was a child.

The extract from "The Prelude" is written mainly in the first person singular and in the past tense, reminiscing about a happy winters day when Wordsworth was a child. Wordsworth wrote this poem in 1798, when he was 28 years old, looking back on his childhood which was spent largely among mountains at Hawkshead where he was educated. The sonnet "Composed upon Westminster Bridge" is written mainly in the third person in the present tense and describes the skyline of London from above the Thames and is set early in the morning. Wordsworth never lived in London and was not familiar with the bustling city that he was passing through. The sonnet describes the tranquillity of the city before everyone wakes up and goes about their usual daily routine. This poem is probably the more accurate of the two poems because Wordsworth could see the view whilst he was composing the sonnet, whereas "The Prelude" was written looking back, so some memories could have been forgotten, exaggerated or distorted in some way. The sonnet is fourteen lines long and all of the lines share the same approximate length of about ten syllables, forming a square shape on the page. The extract from "The Prelude" is twenty four lines long and all the lines are also approximately the same length as each other. The extract is part of a longer piece, therefore it is incomplete, whereas the sonnet is complete,

  • Word count: 1177
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Winter Poetry - Skating at Night William Wordsworth.

Winter Poetry Skating at Night William Wordsworth Wordsworth shows a positive fond memory of winter that is personal to him. He gives a feeling of excitement by using 'and'. Also he shows how noisy it is by using 'bellowing' and 'not a voice was idle'. Even though it was cold Wordsworth would rather be outside with his friends then inside: 'I heeded not the summons. Wordsworth also wants excitement and freedom: 'Proud and exulting'. He likes to play games with his friends, like a native foxhunt: 'Games confederate of the chase' He uses similes and metaphors to show he is exhilarated and has loads of energy: 'Untired horse' and 'the resounding horn'. Wordsworth has used onomatopoeia and alliteration to show the effect of speed: 'We hissed along' and 'The pack loud bellowing' speed is also shown by using the word 'flew', the simile 'Tinkled like iron' shows the brittle side of winter. Wordsworth uses the word 'melancholy' to show that the beautiful scene, he once knew, is fading with old age a shows a slight sadness to the poem. Winter Percy Bysshe Shelley Shelley uses alliteration to show that winter is harsh 'the wind was his whip' this also shows that it is a negative and destructive time. He writes: 'One choppy finger' to make you wonder what winter will do next. Shelley portrays winter as an evil character using personification such as: 'whip' 'lip' to make it

  • Word count: 806
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Choose 3 poems by William Wordsworth where the poet expresses great happiness and admiration and seems to be in the grip of a powerful emotion .Refer closely to the language used in the poems , Consider the emotion, language and the situation in each poem

Choose 3 poems by William Wordsworth where the poet expresses great happiness and admiration and seems to be in the grip of a powerful emotion .Refer closely to the language used in the poems , Consider the emotion, language and the situation in each poem During his life William Wordsworth wrote some brilliant poetry which is now famous throughout the civilised world. In some of his poems he was clearly in a state of amazement when he wrote them. I have decided to focus on three of his poems. The first poem that I have decided to focus is on is a poem that Wordsworth wrote on Westminster bridge, whilst looking over the city. In the poem is early morning so the poem has a tranquil theme to it. The poem is also a sonnet which means it has a length and therefore will affect the poem. The poem starts off by describing London in the line "Earth has not anything to show more fair" Wordsworth is in high praise of the tranquillity and the peacefulness of London in the morning as he had previously been involved in the Napoleonic War. Wordsworth then says "This city now doth, like a garment wear", he does this to personify London as if it is an animal which is sleeping. Wordsworth then brings contrast into the by first mentioning the "ships, towers, domes and theatres" and then mentioning the fields. This contrast reminds Wordsworth of his country up bringing. Through out the poem

  • Word count: 787
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast the two poems 'Slough' and 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge'.

Slough And Composed Upon Westminster Bridge The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the two poems 'Slough' and 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge'. I shall be focusing on the structure, language, cultural contexts and the historical and social influences on the poems. William Wordsworth wrote 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' on September 3rd 1802. Wordsworth expresses his inspiration about London where people were free from tyranny and oppression, and Wordsworth reflects upon this with enthusiasm and admiration. He was a romantic poet and looking at London restored in the goodness of mankind, which he witnessed and translated his faith into this beautiful poem. I found an extract of Dorothy Wordsworth's (William Wordsworth's Wife) journal, which she had written on July 31st 1802. Dorothy described the scene as she and her brother left London and headed for Calais early that morning. Dorothy wrote, "It was a beautiful morning. The city St Paul's with the river and a multitude of little boats made a most beautiful sight as we crossed Westminster Bridge. The houses were not overhung by their cloud of smoke, and they were spread out endlessly, yet the sun shone so brightly, with such a fierce light; that there was something like the purity of one of nature's own grand spectacles". This poem is partly what inspired Wordsworth John Betjeman wrote Slough in

  • Word count: 1170
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and Contrast the Images of London Presented in Wordsworth's 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' and Ian McMillan's 'Wordsworth's Return to Westminster Bridge.'

Compare and Contrast the Images of London Presented in Wordsworth's 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' and Ian McMillan's 'Wordsworth's Return to Westminster Bridge.' 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' was a poem written by the famous poet, William Wordsworth in 1802. Poets traditionally studied pastoral images because cities had not evolved into the important place which they have now. Wordsworth realized that more people where beginning to live in cities and that they were becoming more important and more significant in peoples' lives. Ian McMillan created a 21st Century version of Wordsworth's poem, which shows how much places can dramatically change over a period of time. I shall compare and contrast the way in which each poet uses their language to convey their different images of past and present day London. William Wordsworth was born and raised in the Lake District, in England. He had a great appreciation for nature, which is apparent in many of his poems. He also had strong beliefs in pantheism. He was a crucial figure in the English Romantic Movement. He wrote the poem 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' in the early hours of the morning on the third of September 1802. He composed it as he travelled across Westminster Bridge in a carriage and looked over London city, while most people were still sleeping in bed and when London was at its most dormant. The message of

  • Word count: 1649
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the works of two people who write on the theme of people and lendscape

Discuss the works of two poets who write on the theme of people & the landscape The two poets I will be comparing are William Wordsworth and R.S. Thomas. Both of these poets wrote in the theme of scenic areas, people and landscape but had very different views. William Wandsworth was a romanticist meaning that he saw beauty in everything. R.S. Thomas was a realist meaning that he wrote more realistically including both positive and negative points in his work. I will first compare "On Westminster Bridge" by Wordsworth and "A day in autumn" by R.S Thomas. William Wordsworth's poem "On Westminster Bridge" is a detailed description of the view of London in the Morning from Westminster Bridge. The theme of the poem is therefore landscape and scenic areas. R.S. Thomas's poem is also a description; it describes the scenery of a day in autumn probably set in a woodland also based on the theme of landscape. Comparing the poems with one another I first picked up that they are equally written from first person perspectives which help to express that these are the writer's real thoughts and feelings. R.S Thomas concentrate's on the general scene, especially the atmosphere and natural landscape. William Wordsworth also focuses on the general scene; but he goes into more detail with everything. There is a lot of attention put on the environment around, buildings, rivers etc. William

  • Word count: 1525
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Listeners - Atmosphere

The Listeners - Atmosphere This is a piece of work simply telling how the author embellishes and creates atmosphere. I have given some examples taken from the poem 'The Listeners' by Walter De La Mere. In this poem, repetition is used; on the reader's mind this creates an effect that the author wants to keep the statement in the readers mind, for example, the question 'Is there anybody there?' is repeated: this sounds like the poet is trying to give the message that the traveller speaking was very straight to the point and precise about what he said. This is all part of creating the character. Atmosphere is also created by use of well demonstrated description mainly through verbs and adjectives. For example the phrases 'the moonlit door' and 'stood thronging the faint moon beams on the dark stair' both contain 'moon'. This could also come under repetition, but it is the meaning of creating gloominess in one's image of the scene formed in the reader's mind. Such words along with other words like 'shadowiness' and 'cropping the dark turf'' create a certain murky image. The description used in this poem is set in the night and is ghostly. The word silence is used quite a lot. It has an overcoming theme also creating a sense of eeriness. For example 'and his horse in the silence champed the grasses.' This constructs an image in the mind, giving the feel of what the

  • Word count: 377
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparison between ‘The Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth, and ‘Miracle on St.David’s Day’ by Gillian Clarke.

Comparison between 'The Daffodils' by William Wordsworth, and 'Miracle on St.David's Day' by Gillian Clarke. The Daffodils by William Wordsworth was written in the eighteenth century. Gillian Clarke wrote miracle on St.David's day in the twentieth century, 1980, making her a contemporary poet. The obvious comparison between the two poems is their involvement with daffodils, but there are many others. For instance they are both based on real, spectacular events, and vivid memories. They were both also written several years after the event took place. This is perhaps the first instance that the poet realised the incredible, lasting effect that the moment had inflicted on them, and that they could clearly recall the event such a long period of time after. However, as always when comparing two poems, there are clear differences, more in the structure of the poem than the content. There are still differences in the subject and setting, for instance, Miracle is set in an enclosed, cold setting, with the beauty on the outside rather than inside, whereas The Daffodils is something beautiful happening in setting surroundings. The structure of the poems has obvious differences, the most noticeable being length and rhyme. Miracle is more like a piece of prose than a poem, but is written in poem form. It is also a great deal longer and some stanzas are linked together to try and keep

  • Word count: 1965
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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