An essay on the comparison of the two poems "Catrin" and the "Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience" and how they portray time and change.

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An Essay on the Comparison of the Two Poems “Catrin” and the “Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience” and How they Portray Time and Change

By Chantelle Wright 11S

The two poems “Catrin” by Gillan Clark and t he “Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience” both show how time and change affect physical and mental ways of life. However, both of these poems portray this in different ways, giving the reader different feelings towards the poems.

In a good poem I look for effectiveness and the use of unusual imagery. Also I like to be able to relate to a poem so it helps me get into it and more involved. I find it effective if a poem uses complex and deep-felt descriptions which have multi meanings as I think this is an effective way for the reader to portray the poem in there own interpretation as it lets them use the extent of their imagination.

Gillian Clarke's "Catrin", it is tackling one of the well-considered themes in feminist writing - the mother-daughter relationship. The aspect of the relationship that, even before birth. Clarke explores the bond, "rope", that ties them together and from which they try to free themselves from the very beginning remembering giving birth, the atmosphere and environment of the delivery room. She describes the “first fierce confrontation” of labor and the process coming apart from her daughter. This then brings us into the present day, the conflicts of growing up and letting go - the example used in the poem is Catrin wanting to “skate in the dark, for one more hour”.

The “Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience” also shows how time changes peoples perspective on the world. At the beginning we see the views of a naive young boy and at the end we see how time has changed him into an older, more arrogant man. It portraits the physical development of man and our surroundings.

Both poems use different tones to represent the writer’s feelings. In “Catrin” the writer gives us the sense of solemn and sadness. She achieves this by trying to create pity on the woman as she stands still watching the world move past outside; “I stood in a hot, white room at the window watching the people and cars taking turn at the traffic lights” However, we could see this as a way of showing her maturity. She could be mocking the drivers of the cars and sees them as naive as she knows that not all the cars are going to make it through the green light and some will have to stop. Nevertheless, all the cars try to drive as fast as possible to make it without stopping. This could be a metaphor for life. Almost everyone will have to unwillingly stop at some point in his or her life and feel pain, and sorrow as she does now. However, we also get a sense of calmness nearer the beginning of the poem. This could mean that the beginning of the poem was written about the past, and now, her attitude has changed and has created fear as she resents the effect of time and change that is happening to her and her daughter.

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In the “Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience” the tone is very different. At the beginning of the poem it is very lively and upbeat and has a steady rhythm because of its short and rhyming verses. This creates an immature and naive tone that the reader may find amusing. This produces a rather happy mood over the poem. Then, towards the middle, the tone switches to a more serious and depressed mood. The writer creates this by using dark and depressive descriptions such as when he describes the returning ship as “grey” and the morning as “steel”. This “grey ...

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