Critical Appreciation of the Darkling Thrush with Particular Emphasis on Time and Change.
Critical Appreciation of the Darkling Thrush with Particular Emphasis on Time and Change "The Darkling Thrush" was written by Thomas Hardy on the last day of the nineteenth century. The subject of the poem is about the transition of one century to the next in time and change. The atmosphere is set in the first stanza because we see that it is set in a cold winters day; "When Frost was spectre-gray/And Winter's dregs made desolate". Hardy deliberately personifies the season and frost because it makes the weather more powerful and it also gives it human qualities. Further more, the use of winter gives the idea of depression and death which is what Hardy is trying to tell the reader. This stanza is obviously setting the atmosphere of the poem; it shows Hardy is not looking forward to the future and the only thing he knows will happen is death. A good example of this is in the quotation "The tangled bine-stems scored the sky/ Like strings of broken lyres". This demonstrates a vivid image of brambles cutting through the sky; showing an idea of death coming from the writer's imagination. Hardy is trying to show the reader that the turn of the century offers no hope. In the first stanza he only thinks of cold, gloomy, and death as what happens in the rest of his life. A reason for this attitude might be because he is alone. We know this because in the poem it has the lines "And
How far is 'Haymaking' typical of Thomas' poetry?
James Williams How far is 'Haymaking' typical of Thomas' January '03 poetry? 'Haymaking' is very typical of a poem by Edward Thomas. This is shown through many common devices that are present in 'Haymaking' as well as many of his other poems. I shall outline and elaborate these on these devices in this essay. 'Haymaking' is a description of a snapshot in time. There was a thunderstorm the night before and the reader is initially led to believe that the storm is the reason that everything is so still in the poem, but half way through the poem, Thomas begins to describe the activities of the Haymakers who are having a break in silence as they "leaned on their rakes". So the stillness of the poem can work on many levels. There is the idea of the 'calm after the storm' and the Haymakers having a rest. Also, however, there is the fact that the poet, Edward Thomas, is writing his poem from a snapshot in time where if he was describing a photograph, everything would be still in the picture. One of the most recognisable devices that Edward Thomas uses in his poetry is referring to England as "old". This could imply many things. Thomas could use the term "old" in the literal sense that it is 'ancient', 'unchanging' and with a 'sense of permanence' in the world even though it has been threatened by war. It could also mean that England has grown wise due
In the poem The White Horse, Gwendolyn MacEwen uses imagery, contrast, and symbolism to bring out the ideas of her work
Path to Peace In the poem The White Horse, Gwendolyn MacEwen uses imagery, symbolism, contrast, and some punctuation to bring out the ideas and style of her work. Throughout the poem, MacEwen also utilizes religious ideas from the Bible in order to provide insight and depth. These techniques and ideas are used to help to imply the search for everlasting peace in a corrupt world of war and conflict. The first stanza introduces the style of the author's writing and how her use of symbolism and imagery are used to present the basis of the poem. The first line mentions of a "[white] horse [coming] into the world". This can relate to an event in the Bible, where in the book of Revelation, Jesus rides a white horse down towards the earth. Jesus and the colour white can be symbols of divinity, peace, and purity. The imagery created from the phrase "field of dizzy sunlight" is confusion and unstableness in the world; an unclear vision of peace and tranquility. The statement the horse's eyes "huge with joy and wisdom" may exemplify the all-knowing and just character of Jesus. The purpose of Jesus coming to earth may be the proclamation of a path to eternal peace and paradise - affiliated to the stories in the Bible. The part where it says, "wondering why you are wondering" may suggest thought of the horse, referred to as Jesus: Why are you, the people, surprised that I am here? This
The Darkling Thrush
The Darkling Thrush The poem entitled "The Darkling Thrush," written by Thomas Hardy, has a very appealing connotation. The work can be separated into two parts; the dismal part pertaining to the beginning of winter and the second part focusing on one small aspect of good in all of the dismal surrounding it. The general idea of the poem is that the dismal winter is approaching, but there are some incidences of goodness in this depressing time. The first part can be sectioned into the first and second stanzas. The poem opens with "I leant upon a coppice gate." This is the moment when the author enters the small wood and begins to narrate his thoughts and feelings. The next line, lines two and three, talk about "The frost was specter-gray and winters dregs made desolate." This describes that the author feels that during this season, the idea of frost and no greenery, makes the winter a very desolate season. The fourth line is very interesting. It states "The weakening eye of day." This displays that during the winter, the time of day shortens. The author relates this shortening of daylight to the weakening of the eye. Lines seven and eight also help to describe the desolates of the winter months. It states "And all mankind...sought their household fires." This line suggests that the narrator views the summer months as a time of friendliness and togetherness. During the winter
In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas.
In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas. Both Angelou and Thomas expLore and present their ideas in very different and contrasting ways. Through out the two poems it is easy to gain knowledge into the poet's backgrounds and beliefs. The two poems are connected by the obvious theme of work, which both poems are clearly passionate about. However the way in which they do work or view it is very different. Primarily culture defines a person's origin, beliefs, actions and reactions to certain situations. I will begin by looking at Maya Angelou's background. She was born in st Louis on April 4 1928 as Marguerite Johnson. She lived in a black segregated community in Arkansas with her grandmother and brother until the age of eight. Her grandmother was a hard worker. She ran a general store and the home, brought up the children and looked after her crippled son. Members of the white community however often spoke down to her grandmother. At 8 Maya moved to live with her mother in St Louis, Illinois. Her mother was also a hard worker in clubs and enjoyed the high life. At 8 Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend She became mute until she was 13. Maya herself worked hard in her teens as a cook, waitress and brought up her son,
Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'Do not go gentle into that good night' by Dylan Thomas and 'The Fall' by Gillian Clarke. Which do you prefer and why?
Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'Do not go gentle into that good night' by Dylan Thomas and 'The Fall' by Gillian Clarke. Which do you prefer and why? Dylan Thomas's 'Do not go gentle into that good night' is a poem written to his father, who at the time was dying. Thomas instead of telling his father to accept death with gracefulness and acceptance, urges him desperately to cling on to his life. Each stanza of the poem shows different views of death from different people, 'wise men', 'good men', 'wild men' and 'grave men'. They all differ in every way except from one, which is that they have to struggle to hold onto life. The poem opens with a real sense of grief and anger. The words 'Do not go gentle into that good night' are an order to his father, which strongly encourages his father not to accept death without a fight. In 'Do not go gentle' it is a moving plea to his dying father; death takes on a new and immensely personal meaning for Thomas. It publicly supports the policy of affirming life up until the last breath, rather than learning to accept death quietly. 'Old age should burn and rave at close of day' meaning that Thomas is telling his father that people who have spent their life and grown old should see what a gift life is; he says that dying people- more than others- should fight against death and scream out their final words, not passively pass on. At
A vision of the future?
A vision of the future? The year was 2150. The whole world was in turmoil as a result of World War III. As far as the eye can see it was a barren wasteland. This is largely the fault of the man we only know as "the General", the cruel, power-obsessed dictator responsible for the war. The General is now in control of the world's supply of nuclear weapons and therefore, the world. But there is still a small glimmer of hope. Unknown to the General, an ever-growing number of individuals had formed the Rebellion, who were preparing for one last stand against him, and one of those individuals just happened to be me. I'm Jake Smith, a tall 17 year old dressed in a pair of ragged, torn pair of jeans and a t-shirt to match. Quite a sight, but here everyone was clothed in something similar. Hard to believe but I was actually one of the better dressed! I lived in a small room underground, like everyone in the Rebellion, and shared my room with my best friend, Thomas Richards. Some people say he's weird, but for someone who saw his parents were killed in front of him Thomas is as normal as can be expected. As for me, I don't know what happened to my parents; all I know is that the Rebellion took care of me and I consider every member to be family. An alarm bell sounded. A wave of panic swept over me. "Thomas, get up!" I cried. I'm not sure if he heard me over the noise of the
Analysis of "Holiday Memory" by Dylan Thomas
Analysis of "Holiday Memory" by Dylan Thomas Some of Dylan Thomas' best-loved works are those pieces which evoke memories of his childhood. This is probably because every adult shares the common bond of experiencing childhood and owning personal memories which, although infinitely variable between us in their intensity and nature, help to form who we are as mature people. We all have our own sanitised nostalgia, wistful perhaps, sentimental certainly, so that when Thomas chronicles his own rose-coloured background, his work instantly strikes a chord within us all. Dylan Thomas mines this rich seam of his schoolboy and adolescent memories in many of his short stories and poetic works. Some of the most evocative of these recall his childhood holidays with relatives in Carmarthenshire. This is the case with "Holiday Memory", a joyous short story, also broadcast as a radio play, in which Thomas recalls an idyllic and raucous August Bank Holiday spent by the seaside. The story can be divided into two contrasting but complementary parts: the bright, riotous day spent on the beach, eating cockles, going for donkey rides and watching Punch and Judy shows, and the noisy, boisterous evening spent at the funfair. We will be concentrating on the second part of the story, and more specifically, we will be focusing on Thomas' extraordinary use of language and startling imagery, as well
Comparisons made between two of Thomas Hardys’ 20th Century poems.‘The Darkling Thrush’ and ‘Snow in the Suburbs.’
Furqan Younes. Comparisons made between two of Thomas Hardys' 20th Century poems. 'The Darkling Thrush' and 'Snow in the Suburbs.' Both poems deal with the presence or lack of hope. Though hope may not be mentioned many times throughout the poem, it is clear 'The Darkling Thrush' optimises hope, whereas 'Snow in the Suburbs' does quite the opposite. 'The Darkling Thrush' begins with the introduction of an unknown character describing all that he sees and feels around him in negatively superficial detail. This is done by continuously using exaggerated personifications, 'The wind his death-lament.' These help give the poem depth and so when reading through the poem, it is very clear when the poem takes on a positive tone: 'At once a voice arose among The bleak twigs overhead' The introduction of hope can be seen as anything good or positive taking place when there is nothing but negativity around. In this part of the poem it comes suddenly, as emphasized by the 'At once' in the first line of the second stanza. It brings Warmth to a poem which in the previous two stanzas expressed nothing but cold and negative emotions, which were further enhanced by alliterations, such as: 'The Century's corpse out leant His crypt the cloudy canopy,' The character in the poem is clearly in a very pessimistic mood, this is made obvious in the first line of the last stanza
Of the short stories you have read by Thomas Hardy, which do you prefer and why?
Sam Royal, 04 July 2003 Of the short stories you have read by Thomas Hardy, which do you prefer and why? Thomas Hardy was born at Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, on June 2, 1840. His father worked as a master mason and builder. From his father he gained an appreciation of music, and from his mother an appetite for learning and the delights of the countryside about his rural home. Hardy was a frail child, and did not start at his village school until he was eight years old. One year later he transferred to a new school in the county town of Dorchester. When he was sixteen Hardy helped his father with the architectural drawings for the restoration of Woodsford Castle. The owner, an architect named James Hicks, was impressed by the younger Hardy's work, and took him on as an apprentice. Hardy later moved to London to work for a prominent architect named Arthur Blomfield. He began writing, but his poems were rejected by a number of publishers. Although he enjoyed life in London, Hardy's health was poor, and he was forced to return to Dorset. In 1870 Hardy was sent to plan a church restoration at St. Juliot in Cornwall. When he was there he met Emma Gifford who was the sister-in-law of the vicar of St.Juliot. She encouraged him in his writing, and they were married in 1874. Hardy published his first novel, 'Desperate Remedies' in 1871. The following year 'Under the Greenwood