How important is landscape in some of the literature you have studied on the Great War?
How important is landscape in some of the literature you have studied on the Great War? In 1914 world war one had only just begun. The style of poetry was changing and more poets were beginning to establish themselves. These poets contributed to a new anthology called 'Georgian poetry'. These poems contained a lot about the physical aspects of England and especially the green, pastoral ideal of England. These poems became not just descriptions of England but the very reason soldiers were so willing to fight. The earth and landscape embodied all that the soldiers were fighting for. Because of this the landscape of England became a symbol that was predominant in many war poems. Ivor Gurney used a lot of important imagery in his poems. 'To his Love' and 'Near Vermand' are two poems I will look at of his. In the poem 'To his Love' the speaker talks about the Cotswolds, this giving the pastoral, idyllic image of England. 'Where the sheep feed quietly and take no head', this line gives a very peaceful and tranquil image and creates a large contrast of the war. This theme continues with a very calm and natural image as it goes on, 'on Severn river under the blue'. The colloquial language used also emphasises the fact of the unspoiled image of the landscape around them. The 'violets of pride, purple from Severn side' are used very effectively contrasting with the harshness of the
Dylan Thomas and his poetry.
Dylan Thomas and his poetry Dylan Thomas was born on October 14, 1914, in Upland, Swansea. His father, David John Thomas, received a degree at University College Aberystwyth and was valedictorian in English, he taught English at Swansea Grammar School. His father, quick tempered and intimidating had a beautiful, sonorous voice for reading aloud (which Dylan inherited). Florence Hannah Williams, Thomas?s mother, was a tailor before she was married. Thomas was a troublesome child. He stole money from his mother?s purse, and lied about it. While his mother was in denial about this, his sister Nancy was becoming very irritated. From 1925-1931,he attended Swansea grammar school, where his father taught. He was a small, pretty boy, and was bullied at school, until he became aggressive and rebellious. (Merric, 1) In 1931 seventeen year old Dylan Thomas left school and became a reporter on the South Wales Evening Post, although he was not successful. He reported a lacrosse game once, except that he was in a pub and the game had been cancelled! He was later fired. (Merric, 1) He began drinking around the age of fifteen. He would sneak into pubs with a friend. He later entered amateur dramatics, and appeared with his sister in Hay Fever. In Shakespeare?s The Merchant of Venice, Thomas was in a pub again, and missed his cue. (Merric, 1) In 1933, Thomas began publishing some of his
'The Darkling Thrush' and 'Neutral Tones.'
'The Darkling Thrush' and 'Neutral Tones.' 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 'Neutral Tones' is about the end of a relationship. 'The Darkling Thrush' begins with the introduction of Thomas Hardy 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 a vivid image to gain the depth of Thomas Hardy's feeling towards the landscape 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 theme 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,' Thomas Hardy is clearly in a very pessimistic mood, this is made obvious in the first line of the last stanza where he reprehends the Thrush's' actions; 'So
Poetry Analysis- Thomas Hardy - "On An Invitation To The United States"
Poetry Analysis - Thomas Hardy - "On An Invitation To The United States" It can be said that the origins of "An invitation to the United States" are not conclusive, yet, various theories dictate that the event that fueled this work revolved around an invitation to America in order to celebrate the Centennial of Edgar Allen Poes death. Therefore one must consider the context in relation to the content and understand the myriad of emotions within Hardy's mind. The poem juxtaposes two geographical regions and presents the reader with Hardy's perspective towards the omnipresent contrast between the United States and England. In effect he is in a contemplative mood and reminiscing about past experiences of sorrow and loss, hence distorting his perception and renders him seeking new, more prosperous times. This concept of "rebirth" and new opportunities is combined with the consideration of past poetic masters, conveying a distinctive origin for both and emphasising the magic and freedom throughout Americas vast land. The poem is presented in two stanzas, each containing 8 lines. In addition to this, the poem has a continuous rhythm and works around a rhyme scheme of (A,B,A,B,B,C,B,C). This regular rhyme scheme helps the poem to flow with more continuity and this fluidity helps to represent Hardy's frame of mind and his excitement of the invitation he has received. The continuous
How does Plath convey her alienation and increasing paranoia in the bee poems, focusing on "The Arrival of the Bee Box"?
How does Plath convey her alienation and increasing paranoia in the bee poems, focusing on "The Arrival of the Bee Box"? "The Arrival of the Bee Box", "Stings" and "The Bee Meeting" all convey Plath's increasing paranoia, and alienation through the use of literature terms, structure of the poem and tone of the poem. The time in which she wrote these poems her and her husband Ted Hughes had recently separated leaving her and her two children, in Devon surrounded by the countryside, isolated form family, and friends. The "Bee Box" personifies Plath's afflictions of women, with her voice being fundamentally feministic. Plath herself has suffered as a mother and as a wife that has been confined to the house being her "box" of alienation. Plath however is conscious of her imprisonment and expresses her optimism that this is only a "temporary" phase that will pass she will wins her emancipation from not only her stereotypical role as a wife and mother given to her by Ted Hughes, but society as a whole. This feminist voice is continued in "Stings", as Plath's embodies a "bee" and conveys that although she may have been a drudge before, she will not be one any more. She refuses to submit to the hard working drudge of a society, and believes she is more than that, perhaps even a "queen" as she is independent and resentful towards her adulterous husband Ted Hughes, as he is "the
From your Reading of this selection of Thomas Hardy poetry comment on what you see as his major themes and how he expresses them.
From your Reading of this selection of Thomas Hardy poetry comment on what you see as his major themes and how he expresses them. You should focus on 2 or 3 of the poems Thomas Hardy lived in the Victorian Age, when people consider themselves victims of the times. The passage of time is the central theme in his poetry; he believed that it was the source of all the unhappininess in the world. Hardy thought that the forces of the universe dwarfed humanity and like many others in the latter years of the nineteenth century he felt a great sense of personal insignificance. This is shown in the poem 'Convergence Of The Twain' where the theme is the nature of fate and destiny. In the first five stanzas Hardy talks of the ship lying at the bottom of the ocean. He portrays a feeling of calm by using alliterations. The use of sibilance in the first line, "solitude...sea", sets softness in the opening tone. When he wants to talk of the rough nature of the ocean he uses the letter "c" in the words "Cold currents", which gives it a very harsh feel, and emphasises the artic sea and cold conditions. The poem then continues to describe that whilst the ship was being built, its destiny and fate had already been decided. The iceberg, which was being growing in the Artic Ocean was doing so at the exact same time and would eventually destroy it. This illustrates the themes of fate and destiny.
How is context shown in T.S. Eliot's Preludes
How is context displayed in the T.S. Eliot's Preludes? Thomas Stearns Eliot was a Modernist literary figure, part of a cultural movement which involved innovation and experimentation with art and literature as a reaction against industrialisation, war and the formality and optimism of the Victorian period. Eliot's Preludes was written in England early in his poetic career - sometime around 1911. It encompasses many of the techniques and styles of modernist poetry by concerning the degradation of society, spirit (religion) and quality of life due to the thirst for status and urban expansion caused by the industrial revolution. Eliot's Preludes conveys the mundane and repetitive nature of our lives in the modern, urban world. It uses a variety of poetic techniques including imagery, sound patterning, form of the poem and the use of personae, to render these themes. The poem itself consists of four descriptions of urban life at different times of the day. Within this day the monotony and futility of human existence is highlighted. The first prelude describes the evening - 'evening settles down.' The Prelude depicts a rainy, windswept evening that seems to have that dreary feel of the day's end, especially with the imagery of strewn newspapers as leftover, unwanted rubbish. The monotonous rain beating down works together with the rhymes 'passageways - days', 'wraps - scraps'
An analysis of the relationship between Karl Thomas and the rest of society in Hoppla, wir leben!
An analysis of the relationship between Karl Thomas and the rest of society in Hoppla, wir leben! In this essay I shall investigate the relationship between the main character in Hoppla, wir leben!, Karl Thomas, and the rest of society in the play. I shall consider the different ways aspects of the play show that he is out of date when compared to his friends. I shall look at how his friends consider their previous beliefs and therefore his current ones childish and how he is seen as unrealistic and a dreamer. In contrast I shall then look at how the children are portrayed and go on to consider how his beliefs are different from his friends but how both approaches are shown as having their good and bad sides. I shall then bring these together to show how the fact that Thomas is behind the times and how the audience relate to him is used to discuss the different possible approaches of achieving and ends and brings the audience to thing about the main question of the play. Throughout the play we see Karl Thomas in various situations, all of which he deals with from his point of view, which due to him being in a lunatic asylum for eight years, is behind the times. As will be discussed this combines with a stubborn refusal to accept and learn from the changes that have happened in the passing years, to conclude with Thomas' suicide at the end of the play. Which may not
A Poetic Approach to the Holocaust: As presented by Andrew Hudgins
Cassie Weigel Mr. David Olsen, Instructor ENGA 202-07 Intro to Literary Studies 28 April, 2005 A Poetic Approach to the Holocaust: As presented by Andrew Hudgins The Holocaust was a time of inexplicable devastation whose effects transcend both time and history. As a result of the impact that its events had on both those directly and indirectly affected, numerous Holocaust literatures have been produced in commemoration to the lives lost in an attempt to show how the devastation continues to affect all who experienced it or have knowledge of it. This literature has taken many forms in various books, movies, short stories, and poems, where each medium of remembrance gives a different perspective that illuminates a unique aspect of the genocide. Holocaust poetry, for example, ambiguously describes the genocide in terms of imagery and representative explanation - it gives the writer a chance to pay tribute to the horrors of the Holocaust without overwhelming the reader with harsh description (Friedman 553). One such poem is Andrew Hudgins' "Air View of an Industrial Scene" in which he, as a non-affiliated person to the Holocaust, describes the last moments of those soon to be burned alive. It is intriguing how Hudgins had the insight to describe the moments that he did not experience firsthand. Since Hudgins was not directly affected by the Holocaust, he was in need
"The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me" by Eavan Boland.
IB Language A 0/7/03 Commentary "The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me" Eavan Boland Poetry can be used as a means of expression for some poets. However, Eavan Boland states that she has "never turned to poetry as a method of expression". Boland describes poetry as being "a very demanding art form" that does not lend itself to the mere expression or description of an experience. Instead, she claims that she writes "not to express the experience, but to experience it further". This justification of her writing is depicted in the poem "The Black Lace Fan My Mother Gave Me". Throughout the poem, Boland transports the reader back to the moment when a woman, her mother, received a very special gift from her lover. She emphasizes specific details about the weather, the characters' actions, and the fan itself in order to re-live her mother's experience. Boland utilizes symbolism, metaphors, and similes to illustrate the reoccurring theme of the fan and the steamy romance of the relationship. The first aspect of the poem identified is the setting. Boland portrays the moment in prewar France, in a café on the Boulevard de Capucines. It was a dry summer's night with a storm brewing in the distance. This description allows the reader to bond with the emotion of the characters: the anticipation, the adrenaline of a scandalous romance, and passionate aura of Paris. The