Poetry

There is a great similarity between the three elegiac poems, The Wanderer, The Wife of Lament, and The Seafarer. This similarity is the theme of exile. Exile means separation, or banishment from ones native country, region, or home. During the Anglo Saxon period, exile caused a great amount of pain and grief. The theme is shown to have put great sadness into literature of this time period. The majority of the world’s literature from the past contains the theme of exile.

The Wife of Lament is another perfect example of literature with exile, and was written by an unknown author. The most striking example of exile in this poem can be seen in the passage when she says, “A song I sing of sorrow unceasing, the tale of my trouble, the weight of my woe, woe of the present, and woe of the past, woe never-ending of exile, and grief, but never since girlhood greater then now. ” The woman’s husband left her in a life of exile, after he left. She is constantly looking for him, and finds a life that is quite similar to being locked away in prison.

She is locked up in a cave under a tree. Her joy comes from thinking that her husband is as miserable as her. In the first passage from the poem, The Wanderer, it speaks of exile by saying, “To the wanderer, weary of exile cometh Gods pity, compassionate love, though woefully toiling on wintry seas with churning oar in the icy wave, homeless and helpless he fled from fate. ” It can be easily seen, in this passage, how common exile was in the poem, but also what a great pain it must have been to deal with the trial.

The author continually describes how incredibly miserable he is living his life in exile, how awful it is to have to live without the guidance from a higher rank being a lord and king in this case, how there is no one to talk to and to share ones feelings with, and how there is no money or riches of any kind for a man who is living in exile. For the most part, the poem is sad and depressing and the reader easily sees what this man is going through and how terrible it must be for him to live without all the things many others take for granted everyday of their lives.

The author of this poem, who has obviously been exiled, does an exquisite job of showing, maybe even teaching, to the reader how important the things are that you lose in life when exiled, no matter how rich or poor you are. You take the greatest loss of all when you are exiled, you take the loss of losing everything that makes it seem purposeful for you to live out the day you just began. This is obviously the idea the author is trying to get across in this poem.

Throughout the poem The Seafarer, also composed by an unknown author, it is obvious that the man is not exiled directly in the ways people have been exiled in the other poems, however being stuck on a ship is in many ways quite similar to being exiled from your homeland. Numerous passages in this poem show this mans painful life at sea. The one that stands out most greatly to me is this passage; “No man sheltered on the quiet fairness of earth can feel how wretched I was, drifting through winter on an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, alone in a world blown clear of love, hung with icicles.

This man may not have been exiled in the same way that the others had been, however his life was full of misery and nothing seemed right for him, as shown in the quote. The things everyone takes for granted, when living on land, he missed because all he knew was the wretched sea and all the misery it was causing him. Among the things he desperately missed were mead, a drink made of fermented honey, his lord, and his friends voices.

To some these things might seem amazingly simplistic, however anyone stuck at sea would start to miss the simplest things that they never even thought twice about getting, and begin to miss them more incredibly with each passing day. Obviously this mans life was drifting at sea. The only time he ever got to see any land was when he stopped shortly at ports. He drifted the sea only to live a miserable life which he could have done something about, but didn’t. There was no reason for a man like this to start a family, and he knew that. He would never have the chance to see them because he would always be at sea.

Unknowingly this man lived a life of exile, exile from land and all it’s wonders. Although these poems tell different stories, they all contain the main themes exile and pain. After reading each of these poems, it is obvious that stories of misery were very popular during this period. Authors wrote about pain and exile possibly to lighten the spirits of those fortunate to have the things that had been taken away from the people in the stories, or maybe people of this period just enjoyed reading depressing stories. These three poems did a great job of showing how exile really causes pain amongst the people suffering from it.

Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah, is a poem mourning the passing of Judah by the Babylonians in 586 B. C. E. (Bailey, 82) through siege and battle. Prior to the destruction, Jeremiah had warned or rather prophesized that Judah must change its ways or suffer the consequence of the Lords wrath. Before the Babylonians destroy the city of Jerusalem, Jeremiah warns the people to live by the laws of Babylon and even wrote the warning down to be presented to the people and even to the King. The King, who was placed on the throne by Egypt, in anger, burns the paper and has Jeremiah thrown in jail.

While in Jail, Jeremiah continues to spread his warning to the people (Book of Jeremiah, Holy Bible Authorized King James Version (KJV)) in hopes that they will change their ways, to no avail. The Babylonians come in and lay siege to the city of Jerusalem and after a time the inhabitants of the city succumb. The survivors are either exiled or go into hiding and leave the area into Egypt where they continue to think about what they have lost and to live without losing their cultural or religious ways.

The book of Lamentations is written in five chapters in an acrostic style poem based off of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapters one, two, four and five are written one long verse per letter of the alphabet leaving us with 22 verses, and chapter three is written with three short verses for each letter of the alphabet leaving us with 66 verses. The chapters one, two, four and five are written in a form that paints a picture of the utter destruction of Jerusalem, and the desolation of its inhabitants.

The author uses colorful speech and many analogies to impart upon the reader the full scope of damage done to the city. For example Lamentations 1:6 tells us that the daughter of Zion’s beauty has departed and her princes are become like harts that find no pasture and are with out strength before the enemy. To paraphrase or in layman terms, that after the destruction the men pined with sorrow and had no courage against the enemy (Geneva Study Bible, 1599). Another verse, Lamentations 1:17, Jeremiah compares Jerusalem to a menstrual woman among them.

Jeremiah is making a reference to Leviticus 15:19 when a woman is separated from her husband due to her pollution and abhorred for a time, he is actually telling us that after the destruction there was none to comfort Jerusalem. Jeremiah is continually referring to Jerusalem as the daughter of Zion, a nearby mountain or hill, and when he explains that Zion spread out her hands, he means that Jerusalem tried to get aid from nearby cities or perhaps prior allies, yet found none. The friends that she, Zion, thought she had were no more, as they shunned her as the woman in the passage mentioned above.

The language used in these poems is Hebrew; much is lost in the translation of the works into any language therefore no way to capture the essence of the words and the thoughts behind them. The chapters mentioned above, even in its translation, come across as a beautiful and yet mournful poem. It has many thought provoking verses that transcend through time to impress upon our minds the struggles of the siege and the subsequent downfall of this once majestic city. In verse 20, Jeremiah says ” Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? KJV).

Women eating their fruit is akin to eating their own young in an attempt to stay alive and not just their newborn, but children with some age. It clearly depicts that during the siege famine ran rampant through the city. The priest and prophet could not find solace or protection in a place of worship, is to add to the total blindness in which God took when the city came under attack. Verse 1:19, Jeremiah states that priests and elders have all given up the ghost in search of food in the city (The Geneva Study Bible sums this passage up as them dying of hunger), however if read another way, it could go more like this.

Based on the analogies of the rest of the book that Jeremiah wasn’t conveying to us that his elders and priests died from hunger, but rather that they gave up on the Holy Ghost in search of something more real that they could survive on. In the book of Jeremiah, his people are warned to stay away from idolatry, and based on the rest of the bible that when things get hard they want to make something tangible that they can worship to stay the hand of the enemy.

Since this is a poem and a lot is left up to the reader to decipher, it could be suggested that during the siege the priest’s and the elders gave into the will of others to produce some sort of idol or perform some sort of ritual with an idol (this being the analogy of food, as it was tangible and before them) to worship so that they may find a way out of the situation that they were in. And in doing so, they turned their back on God (or gave up the Ghost). These chapters are an eloquent description of what happened during the siege and afterwards, mostly lamenting the total destruction of what was once grandiose.

Chapter three as mentioned before is in short verse and 66 verses at that, however this is not the most interesting part! Chapter three is done in a different style when compared to the others to the other chapters of Lamentations. Where the others described what had happened and making comparisons what was and what is now, chapter three seems to take a stance of someone that was personally affronted or attacked. It seems that in this chapter Jeremiah feels that he alone was attacked and outcast by God. This makes up the first 17 verses of chapter three then it turns to thankfulness to the mercy of God that he allowed them to survive at all.

Jeremiah then brings up the rest of the chapter talking about how the people had imprisoned him and then cast stones upon him. He even went to say that the words and warnings that he gave the people in the name of the Lord were a joke to the people to whom he went to warn (Verse 3:14). His words were then to offer up that the Lord will one day redeem him and smite his enemies as stated in verses 64 through 66. It has been suggested that this book may have been written after Jeremiah had time to think of the events and to ponder certain aspects of the invasion of the Babylonians (Henry, 1712).

When continuing into chapter four, the general style of the verse reverts back into the meter of the first two chapters. The verses, which sum up the theme and flavor of the book, are Lamentations 2:13, 14: What thing shall I take to witness for thee? What thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee. And they have not revealed thy iniquity, to turn away thy captivity, but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

Holy Bible, Concordance Dictionary) In verse 2:13, Jeremiah sums up the total destruction of Jerusalem, which is the vein in which the rest of the book travels. Jeremiah expresses a wonder in his questions to repair the city that leaves the reader in awe of what the damage must have been. In the same verse Jeremiah compares the wound suffered to the city to the size of the sea, and who could staunch the sea? The second verse gives insight to why this calamity struck, and why it happened, and also blames the people for their turning to false prophets to steer them astray!

In the verse he basically tells the people of Jerusalem that they sought prophets who would tell them that they were doing good, and to ignore the wrongs that they were committing. He tells them in a blunt manner as one who had the authority to, which leaves one to believe that this man was not above lecturing and berating his people when they did wrong. Instead he let them have it sort of like a father who doesn’t just punish but teaches by pointing out the mistakes made. In this verse I saw Jeremiah as a stern father figure as well as a prophet.

If you had a choice on how the world would end, what would you choose? Would your choice to be go painfully but fast? Perhaps you would rather it be so slow and painless you do not even realize it is happening? Thats what I believe Robert Frosts poem Fire and Ice is meant to express. Although the poem is short, it holds a very interesting question to think about. The question is which way would you rather the world come to an end. There are two choices. The first two lines in Fire and Ice express the choices, “Some say the world will end in fire, / Some say in ice.

I feel that he uses the term fire not to hold the direct meaning of a burning flame, but to represent the punishment something can inflict upon an object. It presents the image of the intense pain in which a burn can inflict, along with the extraordinary speed in which it happens. Fire causes a tremendous amount of destruction to virtually anything within seconds. It could also represent just a violent ending. Either way, it would be nice to have things over with fast, but the intense pain might not make it worth it.

For the world to end in ice, seems to present the image of a slower, numbing effect. I feel he uses ice to represent a slow, almost unnoticeable change that eventually causes the destruction of mankind. Fire, instantaneous combustion of an object. Frost uses fire to represent an ending with incredible speed and unimaginable pain. The quote, “From what Ive tasted of desire” seems to represent the tendency of people to be impatient. The way many people of today are, they can not wait. They must have what they want, and they must have it now. That is one of the main purposes of a loan.

Someone wants a car, but does not want to take the time to save the money. They instead borrow the money and have to pay it back, of course at a higher cost with interest. I can honestly say that a huge majority of people are in debt. They could not wait. They had to have something now. I feel that the quote explains this by using the word “desire. ” It presents the fact that people are not willing to wait, if the world is going to end, let it happen. In my interpretation, the narrator agrees with this due to the line “I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,” shows that although the narrator would rather get it over fast, he believes there is another way that is not such a bad option. The alternative to fire, which is ice, also has its advantages. The line, “I think I know enough hate,” shows that the violence of fire is caused by hate and evil. “To say that for destruction ice / Is also great,” represents the fact that there is a calm, slow way to end things. For the world to end in ice, it would take a great deal of time.

Perhaps happening so slowly no person would even notice. It could be happening as you read this paper. Ice represents a numbing effect. Think of rubbing an ice cube across your arm for a few minutes. At first you can feel it, but as time goes on, you feel nothing. Soon, anything you do to that area of your arm is completely undetectable. You do not feel a thing. If people are exposed to the same thing for an extended period of time, a slight increase in intensity goes virtually unnoticed. Take language on television for example, or even in the movies.

When they first came out, many things were thought to be “unacceptable. ” If they were to air the cartoon “South Park” back in 1960, the station would probably lose their license. However, as time progressed, stations slowly introduced the “unacceptable” words, and people just adjusted. Since the change happened over such a long time, people barely even noticed the change. This is what I think Frost was trying to represent by the term ice. The last line in his poem, talking about the destruction of the world by way of ice is, “And would suffice.

I think this final comment expresses his view that although he favors a quick and painful ending, a slow, unnoticeable one would not be such a bad option. Robert Frosts poem Fire and Ice probably has many different interpretations. The one I have chosen I believe poses a very interesting and important question though. When something bad is going to happen, what is the better way? To have things happen fast but with intense pain or destruction. Or should things change slowly so the damage is not recognized? I would choose for the world to end in ice. How would you like the world to end?

A half century ago, American poetics redefined itself when it made some organic changes. Traditional verse, as its force-fed rhyme and meter schemes often restricts any accurate report, was subdued and chastised in favor of a more-realistic, a more human-excretory approach to writing verse. Both the Projectivist and the Beat poets, led by Charles Olson and Allen Ginsberg respectively, were instrumental leaders in this mapping of future poetics. They felt communication to be a fine-tuned relationship between the mind and its environment, and as such, a writing tool naturally and necessarily void of abstraction.

In fact, they considered the fruits of their labors as real, and as definite, as the material which it emerged. Lets take a closer look at the organic form desired by the Projectivist poet as described by Charles Olson. Primarily, the poet must compose his poem by field. In other words, instead of trying to fit the near-best word into a pre-ordained line, stanza, or form, the Projectivist poet uses an inherently-less-restrictive, open, free-style verse which relies solely on the poets digestion of his environment, or field. Using such verse could only prove to enhance true communication.

Essentially, there are two interrelated parts to Projectivist verse, the what? and the how?. The what? can be split three ways: kinetics, principle, and process. Kinetics refers to the energy transfer from the field through the poets mind to his pen. The path the energy takes from field to pen is fixed and thus, as mentioned above, void of abstraction. The second part, principle, is simply a corollary to kinetics. This part of the what? has been best described by Robert Creeley who wrote, form is never more than an extension of content.

Finally, the process of composing by field can be easily defined with an understanding of the domino effect. We all know that tapping thus toppling the first of a group of dominos stacked in alignment with each other will swiftly lead to a further tapped thus toppled domino. The same idea can be understood with regards to Projectivist theory of verse; as told to Olson by Edward Dahlberg, one perception must immediately and directly lead to a further perception. The second part of the theory of Projectivist verse, the how, is basically the life force the energy picks up as it travels through the poets body.

Olson very eloquently referred to this union of field and life as the dance of the intellect. According to Olson, born from this joyous celebration are the syllable and the line. By way of the senses as the uterine tube, the mind as the womb, and the breath of the poet as the birth canal, Projectivist poetry is created. And it has life, boy does it have life! In fact, it is life, as it is a natural extension of content. At the time Olson was drafting his theory of projective poetics, Allen Ginsberg was just getting started on his own journey through the beautiful sludge of organic communication.

Ginsberg felt down deep the true rhythm of the Beat. This life-style of writing Ginsberg utilized was also called Beat, a usually drug-induced, politically-seeded organic poetic form in which the author writes quickly and avoids revision. Like the Projectivist poets, the Beat denounced generalization and abstraction. In addition, Ginsberg and his Beat pears rejected logic and preconceived restrictive semiotics in favor of free association and reflex-like rhythmic impulses. It is within this fruitful unrestricted Beat form that rhetorical protest wizardry excels. Allen Ginsberg criticized a masochistic culture.

A mankind suffering from the grip of its own hand. He did so by tapping into the sources of his own internal pain and suffering. Ginsberg was an outstanding spokesperson for outcasts and other victims of a brutish society. Some of the causes he addressed in his works include free speech, gay liberation, legalization of marijuana, and world peace. His deep-seated messages found form in essay, interview, poetry, speech, song, chant, and other performance mediums. As mentioned above, Ginsberg was an unreserved spokesperson for many causes. He put the Americas misunderstood and misrepresented upon his shoulders when he internalized their plight.

The pressure from carrying such a tremendous load was not without consequence, however. Ginsberg suffered from periodic bouts of depression and other forms of mental illness and frequently attended regular counseling sessions with his psychoanalyst for most of his adult life. Nevertheless, as Ginsberg was internalizing the tribulations of America, he was externalizing its effect by disbursing energies in tact. In his poem America, published in 1956, Ginsberg provides his audience with an autobiographical profile, a vivid sketch, if you will, of his inner-sanctuary suffering from the comprehensive ills of society.

He does so following his theory of organic form poetry. He cast to the wind any hint of preconceived rhyme or rhythmic patterns in his aggressive criticism of society. His only measure for syllable or line was his breath, his natural breath, the natural breath of the American citizen, worn, beaten, outraged and vocal. He blasts the atom bomb. He accuses America for his rebellion, his obsessions, and his illnesses. And finally, reproached the insane demands laid upon him; yet excused their occurrences when he put his queer shoulder to the wheel.

I think that your production of a new book “Anthology for a Warred Youth”, the content it should include is of three sections. The three sections should consist of “Sending Men of to War,” “Horror within War” and “After effects of War”. The five poems you should include are “The Send-off,” “The Going of the Battery”, “Joining the Colours”, “Dulce Est Decorum Et” and “Disabled”. The first poem “The Send-off” is written by Wilfred Owen. The poem is about men going off to war. It expresses an intense and ominous atmosphere. It is described as being done furtively “down the close darkening lanes”.

The use of darkening by Owen suggests that it was done in the evening to obtain secrecy and privacy from any interference of a person. “And lined the train with faces grimly gay”, this third line and Owen has made use of the device oxymoron. The juxtaposition of the word ‘grimly’ against gay suggests that the men are happy to got to war. But one can assume that deep down inside the men are feeling miserable and are low in the level of confidence to proceed with going to the battle front. The usage of ‘gay’ has been applied to convey the device oxymoron, although the men are anxious about departure for war, they still try to show cheerfulness.

Owen progresses further ahead into the poem and introduces people watching the men departure. “A casual tramp, stood staring hard. “, the indication we get from this line is that other individuals who have not entered to fight in war are the ‘ones’ better off than the soldiers. The tramp is described “staring hard”, he must have been thinking at the back of his mind, I am lucky that I am not rising my life to go and fight for my country. The use of “hard” indicates that the tramp really focused, gazed, glared not taking his eyes off and foreseeing the large number of men one by one lining up.

Sorry to miss them,” feeling guilt inside himself. “I should be down there to offer my services on behalf of the entire Great Britain. Owen says “then, unmoved, signal nodded and a lamp winked to the guard. ” Here there is a usage of personification, meaning signals do not nod or wink, that is the action of a human being. As they went “so secretly, like wrongs hushed up,” Owen uses a simile here. The word “like” indicates this. There is a mention of mistakes “like wrongs ” when they departured. They were “stuck all white with wrath and spray” that could be assumed as preparation for death.

The sisters and mothers as the “women meant who gave them flowers. ” Assuming the young men would not return as they would result in being killed during war. The men will make their way “to the village wells,” many not to return alive and unable to identify their non-existent village due to war damage, travelling “up half known roads. ” The rhyming scheme is ABAAB which is regular as it repeated in all of the verses. The second poem “The Going of the battery” is written by Thomas Hardy. This is also a poem about war, it’s about the Boer War.

Gas glimmers drearily, blearily, eerily” is a section of this poem showing that this poem is highly rhythmic as it sounds like a song the whole of the poem. this speeds up the pace of the poem, when compared with Owen’s “The Send-off” it is more faster it is similar by having a regular rhyme scheme of ABCB while “the Send-off” ha a ABAAB rhyme scheme. This poem consists of seven quatrains while “Send-off” consists of a 3,2,5,3,2,5 line structure. It is also similar to the “Send-off” by showing these men as fully determined to go to war and fight on behalf of the entire United Kingdom.

The women are unfortunate “first to risk choosing, them leave alone losing them,” they are unable to convince their men not to go to war. They have been described as going “beyond the South Sea…,” the use of an eclipse here conveys that the distance travelled will be large. The soldiers can not expect to return safely as many would have battled as the “rain came down drenchingly:” has a symbol of a colon, in poetic terms this is called caesura, it is only made productive for a change in mood or expressionism.

It is similar by to Owen’s “Send-off” in aspects of women “choosing them”, their husbands and then as they proceed to prepare for war they are left to “leave alone losing them. ” Owen describes this as “women meant who gave them flowers,” they had affectionate and deep passionate feelings for their men and were concerned by how young the men were. Hardy’s view differs from Owen’s by “each woman prayed for them,” each individual needed as much positive thought and needed the help of god to succeed. nevermore will they come:,” who could die in agony, going unnoticed , piling upon existing rotting bodies, who “evermore are there now lost to us.

Not to return or maybe to develop physical and mental disabilities. In “The Send-off” Owen has used similar foundations upon the return of men but “may creep back, silent, to village wells,” they will feel mentally hanged and travel “up half known roads,” affected physically during war injury and also by the environmental surroundings not familiar with the men anymore. For weeks they have spent their lives in trenches, seeing so many lives lost. “The Going of the Battery” is more descriptive and goes more in-depth into the emotions of the soldiers hopes and how ‘each’ feel for one another.

The external rhyming scheme is similar to the “Send-off” but Thomas Hardy has gone one-step, further and added an internal rhyming scheme. The use of this is to reflect the atmosphere of the surroundings of the soldiers. The internal rhyming scheme gives it a jaunting beat, a livelier, regular beat to this poem “The Going of the Battery. Evidence of effective use of internal rhyming scheme is when described as “haunting us, daunting us, taunting us,” there is really powerful language and imagery used here there are many others like this in this poem.

Within the final lines of this production by Hardy, the soldiers are not frightened or afraid “gravier things” which could lead to an early death. A use of an eclipse here slow down the speed of the poem and also causes more anxiety and a pause. The soldiers have no fears of as they are true ‘British’ en, not wanting to surrender or be brought in to submission, “hold use to bravier things,” we are expected to win this battle. As the soldiers were ready to departure they “stood prest to ” their woman, “with a last request to them,” in fear of not being able see their woman again incase they die during battle.

It was a difficult task “hard their ways ,” but superstition and spiritualism “hand will guard their ways. The “hand” is being defines as the hand of god. Who is on their side, eventually guiding them safely to victory, which “time fulness shall show”. This poem has the reader interested all the way through it. There is always ‘tension’ in the background at all times,” but prophetic to sight. ” The internal rhyming scheme has a great effect on the mood of this poem. The highly descriptive rhyming words make it easier for the reader to understand.

The wide range of vocabulary Thomas hardy has used, along with caesuras does not bore the young reader or of my age. The third poem “Joining the Colours” has been written by an Irish female Katherine Tynan. The title given to this poem “Joining the Colours” is appealing as it can be referred to as the Union Jack flag. In 1914 Ireland was still part of the British Empire. This poem consists of optimistic and pessimistic descriptions. It mainly involves how much success and glory the young man will have in war.

They march in the streets singing and parading, completely focused and high in confidence with no fear on what is to come ahead. This poem also focuses on the soldiers not possibly returning from war. Just as “The Send-off” and “The Going of the Battery” whom both give descriptions on the feelings of the men. They are parading very happily “smooth cheeked and golden” which indicates that the men are positive, bright and full of happiness. When compared with “The-Send-off” there is a much livelier atmosphere and no so many intense emotions or tensions are rarely boldly existent.

The Going of the Battery” begins with an illustration of the sensibilities of the soldiers, “O it was sad enough, weak enough, mad enough”. There are two ideas being expressed within “food for shells and guns” There is imagery of two situations, the word ‘gun’ referring to food for guns almost bait. Then there is another impression we can get from “food for shells,” which is for the men to eat and survive on through war. As they parade the expressionism is “they go to a wedding day”. There is no mention of food in Hardy’s or Owen’s poems.

Tynan can be referred as ambiguous by “the mothers sons,” which connotes two ideas. One of them being that they are young “mothers” sons and the second that they may not return home as they might possibly be killed in war. As they march the “street stares to see them. ” forms the denotation of the device personification, Tynan is producing an image as though the street are ‘staring’ as a human being. These soldiers are producing carelessness optimism of the unexpected “too careless-gay for courage,” of the task which lies ahead of them.

In each of the four quatrains the fourth line is short and seeks one attention. As they proceed further there they go “into the dark,” diffusing as the preparation of progress one stage further. Stanza three corresponds very well with the with the structure of stanza one’s opening. In the opening lines of both of these stanza’s “pipe their way to glory” and “all in-step so gay” suggest realism. But after a happy start both stanza’s progress and begin to show the “foolish and young” whom will now not stand much of a chance as “love cannot save” them. Fate awaits them, not too far ahead in their paths.

It is different from “Send-off,” Owen focuses on the device of oxymoron. Thomas Hardy shows us the seriousness and the consequences faced in war such as when it rained “drenchingly but we unblenchingly turged on. ” This line shows the determination and how strong minded the soldiers are. Hardy does not really create any happiness. His poem “The Going of the Battery” consists of in-depth descriptions, as an example “glimmers dreamily, bearily, eerily. ” Hardy has focused on seeking the readers attention by using rhyming and highly descriptive language to really see and absorb the imagery faced by the soldiers.

The adrenaline of the men in “Joining the Colours” is expressed by the euphoria of these men. As they departured the “poor girls they kissed” was due to sensual pleasure and feeling terrified of not seeing their lovers for the last time incase they die. This case of kissing and sensual feelings for one another exists similarly in both “The Send-off” and by the “women meant who gave them flowers,” in this instance it is the essence and smell of the flowers which are affectionate towards the soldiers. Hardy, ha is on similar lines but rather straight forward, “our pale faces outstretched for one kiss.

He has described how much the men really need a physical passionate feeling for a memorable kiss as they may not return to see the wonders of deep passion after war. A possible reason for selecting this poem in your new book “Anthology for a Warred youth”, is that when war broke out in August 1914 many people thought the war would be battled and reached a successful conclusion. But many of them wrong to think that the matter would be finished before Christmas. The reason so many me so young wanted to join the military force was because it was an opportunity to go abroad.

Hardly anyone had travelled abroad in all the years they had lived for and it was a chance for a ‘break’. “Run with them:” a caesura has been put to use for a change in thought. It explains the sadness in as ” they shall kiss no more, alas! ,” the women will be forgotten whilst in war and not recognised when they return. Owen uses a similar term as they return, to “village wells,” it will be “up half known roads. ” The word golden is used twice, it forms the men as valuable, precious and perfect.

This exists in both stanza’s one, line two and stanza three, line three. It trying to value the qualities of the men as perfect, but it can be said no individual is perfect, each individual his or her strong abilities and also his or her weaknesses. In reality no one can be regarded as perfect. This will teach the audience an argumentative case to form a debate on. They faded “into the mist,” unable to be seen by the naked eye, due to the smoke of the train. The mist maybe fog, the unknown, the mist of the ‘garden’ of heaven and death.

Very slowly they fade away and almost disappeared “singing they pass,” from one life form to another ‘new’ life form. There is a regular rhyme scheme of AB AB through all of the poem. This regular rhyme scheme contributes to the marching of the men. All of these poems are similar when on the last line closing the poem. Owen used “Up half known roads. ” Suggesting the men will lose contact with relatives and family. Thomas hardy conveys this by “Time’s fulness shall show,” meaning only when war has ended we will receive the results and know who the successful survivors will be.

The fourth poem that you should consider on including is “Dulce Est Decorum Et” also written by Wilfred Owen. This poem shows the suffering and pain experienced in war. It declares in a way that it is sad and not honourable to die for your country. The poem consists of four stanza’s all different in length The poem is about a march, it is quiet, but suddenly it is interrupted by gas bombs. It shows us if you fail to wear a gas mask you will be in tortuous pain and eventually die. It also firmly conveys how death is not honourable or glorious using irony.

The imagery of dying of chlorine gas poisoning contributes to the realism, which produces it being more personal. “And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,” bring a sickly revolting image to mind. This poem is very saddening once fully explores and read carefully aloud. It is basically describing a painful, but slow agonising death. A mental picture of the horrible trench conditions is formed in stanza one. The men were “bent double, like old beggars under sacks,” due to the characteristics of the trenches, which were certain to be dug up again, several times to keep them in working order.

The soldiers used shovel, they would be bent over to remove the soil braking off and falling into the trench. The trench may have not have been deep enough for the soldiers to walk in with a straight back position. These conditions are presented as the soldiers “cursed through sludge” as the floor of the trenches turned to mud when heavy rain occurred. Still, “many had lost their boots but limped on, blood-shod. ” There was poor hygiene whilst in the trench. “Knock-kneed, coughing like hags” indicates the disease and sickness that the soldiers were forced to live n on a daily basis.

The bodies of the dead and wounded had started to pile up, they just got buried themselves in the trenches, there was not much time available to the soldiers to accomplish the task of properly handling the bodies. The soldiers fought not only the enemy, but also the natural urge to rest as the “men marched asleep” and were “drunk with fatigue. ” The men were suffering from exhaustion and stress so much that their brains were numbed as “all went lame, all blind. ” Owen’s very first few words in this stanza one portray the revolting surroundings of the trench but also to convey the deadliness of war.

Lines nine and ten exemplify a killer’s power as an “ecstasy of fumbling, which can only be avoided by “fitting the clumsy helmets just in time. The gas mask was the lungs only line of defence from the deadly gas. Without it , death would capture a victim who would be “yelling out and stumbling and floundering like a man in fire or lime. The simile is fire, that perfectly corresponds to the reader by telling them the unknown pain of breathing poisonous gas with the known pain of burning. Owen extends this describing the death as dreadful.

He outlines the setting, “through the misty panes and thick green light as under a green sea, I saw him drowning. The gas mask’s window must have made visibility unclear and blurry, once one had seen the green fumes it would be just a matter of time before he died. Owen develops this event further by making use of the metaphor of drowning . The poor scoundrel is obliviously not in over his head, but whether it be drowning in water or gas the feeling of impotence is the same. The reader ids made to think more evil when Owen continues with “in all my dreams, before my helpless sight, he plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

These lines make the reader imagine that he or she is at the battle front in the trench, infront of a dying man , helpless. He is helpless in that nothing can be done for him except to let him die. Owen uses these dreams to really make the audience ‘absorb’ his imagination. Owen referrers to the reader, as if he is directly speaking to him by saying, “if I am smothering dreams youth could pace behind that wagon that we flung him in. ” it can be assumed that he is telling us the audience that the dying man is no longer human, but a piece of meat.

Owen uses the senses to describe the agony of walking behind a man barely alive lying on a death cart to “his tangling face, like a devil’s sick of sin,” and to “hear at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs. ” The use of the words writhing, hanging and gargling make the reader aware of the senses of the sight and hearing. You should use this poem as it is essential. It is this relationship that will cause the reader to be silenced and made more respectful of anguish of war. This portrait is meant to be the view to, the reader towards the glory of war.

Owen alter describes that if a member of the audience had witnessed this event that he “would not tell with such high zest to the children ardent for some desperate glory. ” The line Dulce Est Decorum Et means it is sweet to die for one’s country. All of these lines are aimed towards who would glorify war. In this poem you can sense Owen’s argument that serving and dying for you country is not honourable and glory, but it is painful and horrifying. His main point of writing this poem must have been that war should be taken seriously and not passed off as a child’s play.

Prima ab origine mundi, ad mea perpetuum tempora carmen, from the very beginning of the world, in an unbroken poem, to my own time (Metamorphoses 1. 3-4). Publius Ovidius Naso also known as Ovid wrote Metamorphoses, which combines hundreds of stories from Greek mythology and Roman traditions. He stitched many of them together in a very peculiar epic poem in fifteen books. The central theme of the book is transformation from the earliest beginnings of the world, down to my own times. Ovid sweeps down from the creation to the Augustan era.

Metamorphoses or Transformations refers to the change of shape and form of the characters of the poem. The theme is presented in the opening lines of the poem, where the poet invokes the gods who are responsible for the changes to look favorably on his efforts to compose. The main agent of transformation is love, represented by Venus and her youthful and mischievous son, Cupid. The changes are of many kinds: from human to animal, animal to human, thing to human, human to thing. Some changes are reversed: human to animal to human.

Sometimes the transformations are partial, and physical features and personal qualities of the earlier being are preserved in mutated form. All of Ovids tales involve metamorphoses, but some stories (Phaethon (Book 2), Pentheus (Book3), and Heracles (Book 9)) only have metamorphosis tacked on as a casual element, almost as an afterthought. Ovid seems to be more interested in metamorphosis as a universal principal which explains the nature of the world: Troy falls, Rome rises. Nothing is permanent. The chronological progression of the poem is also disorganized.

Ovid begins his poem with the story of creation and the flood, and ends in his own day with Augustus on the throne. However, chronology becomes unimportant in he middle section of the work, as seen by the many anachronisms throughout (Callisto (Book 2), Atlas (Book 4), and Cygnus (Book 11). The transitions of the books are very surprising. The reader never knows where the stories are going. Sometimes the reader follows the same character through different adventures (Perseus (Book 4), Hercules (Book10)). Then there are stories within a story. Ovid uses certain characters to act as an internal narrator (Mercury (Book1)).

The stories alternate from the story of one character to that of a relative or friend (Epahus and Phaethon (Book 1)). There are also variations in theme. For example in Books one and two there are five obvious variations of the virgin pursued by god. Thus, throughout the work Ovid creates a complex chain of interconnecting themes. Ovid also weaves a complex web of interrelationships throughout the entire book. There seems to be four major divisions in the book. The first is, gods in love, then gods taking revenge on humans, then the desolation of love, and finally, the history of Rome and the deification of Caesar.

There is a common transition from gods acting like humans, to humans suffering at the hands of gods, to humans suffering at the hands of humans, to humans becoming gods. It seems that each section prepares the reader for future sections. `The characters and the places are too numerous to list. But all of Ovids characters are so alive and have so much personalities. The settings, which have no names only descriptions) are poetic. For example in Book three he describes the stream so clear that its pebbles can be counted or the still pool hidden among the shady trees and, the beach where the sand is of just the right texture for walking.

These give the stories a very poetic appeal. The purpose of this poem is to take the reader through a long and winding journey, which starts with the universe and ends with the emperor Augustus. In between the reader experiences many short but exciting adventures with lively characters. Ovid demonstrates the importance of religion in the Roman culture. By giving all the gods and goddesses humanistic emotions and temperaments, he tells the readers that humans are the reflections of gods. This poem would be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in mythology, love, warfare, nature, animals, monsters, murder, rape, greed, lust, and everything else.

Ovid obviously knew what he was doing when he decided to gear this book towards everyone, not just the scholars. Children would enjoy these exciting tales at bedtime, adults can read it to gain knowledge about different cultural beliefs, or ancient widely held beliefs. Some modern scholars are even comparing some parts of the poem to the Bible and site many examples that make it within the realm of possibility. For example, in Book 1 when the floods came and destroyed the whole earth because the world was full of monsters and giants, but Deucalion and Pyrrha lived on to create a new race of man.

This story parallels the story of Noah and the ark, where his three sons and their wives reproduce the human race after a great flood destroys the earth. Others find it blasphemous to compare a fictional work to the Bible. But nonetheless this is a very entertaining and enjoyable book, fit for the whole family. After careful research one will discover that the reason Ovids Metamorphoses was popular for so many centuries after the ancient world, is his creative ability. The Romans taught children (boys) in the schools to find the most fitting examples to illustrate the points they wanted to make in their speeches.

This skill was known in Latin as inventio meaning discovery. This meant using existing tools to find the best examples. Ovid must have been an over achiever in this skill. At the end of the poem the reader is filled with a sense of awe. It is amazing how beautifully and masterfully Ovid weaves this tale together with so many elements connected by a single and simple themechange. He manages not only to captivate the audience at the beginning but also to keep them on their toes throughout the entire epic.

The strange twists and turns only add to the ever-present element of surprise. Ovid not only wins the favor of the readers, but writing the story of Caesar becoming a star at the end of the work, had won him the favor of the emperor Augustus. His work also provided a source from which the entire western European literatures have derived inspiration, among them, Shakespeare. The story ends with two very confident statements about the work and about Ovid himself. He writes, If there be any truth in poets prophecies, I shall live to all eternity, immortalized by fame.

Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was born into an abolitionist family. As the grandson of James Mercer Langston, the first Black American to be elected to public office in 1855, Hughes attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, but began writing poetry in the eighth grade, and was selected as Class Poet. His father didn’t think he would be able to make a living at writing, and encouraged him to pursue a more practical career. His father paid his tuition to Columbia University on the grounds he study engineering.

After a short time, Langston dropped out of the program with a B+ average, all the while he continued writing poetry. (Hughes) The poetry of Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of Harlem, is an effective commentary on the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900s. In much of Hughes’ poetry, a theme that runs throughout is that of a “dream deferred.

The recurrence of a “dream deferred” in several Hughes poems, especially this one, paint a clear picture of the disappointment and dismay that blacks in America faced in Harlem. Furthermore, as the poem develops, so does the feeling behind “A Dream Deferred,” growing more serious and angrier with each new line. To understand Hughes’ idea of the “dream deferred,” one must have an understanding of the history of Harlem, for each and every line in this poem has a figurative, not literal, meaning and relates precisely to his experience in New York.

First intended to be an upper class white community, Harlem was the home of many fancy brownstones that attracted wealthy whites. Between 1906 and 1910, when whites were forcing blacks out of their neighborhoods in uptown Manhattan, the blacks began to move into Harlem. Due to racial fears, the whites in the area moved out. Between 1910 and the early 1940’s, more blacks began flooding into the area from all over the world, fleeing from the racial intolerance of the South and the economic problems of the Caribbean and Latin America. Eventually Harlem became an entirely black area.

However, this town once filled with much potential soon became riddled with overpopulation, exploitation, and poverty. Thus, what awaited new arrivals was not a dream; rather, it was a “dream deferred” (Harlem Today). Hughes’ poem, “A Dream Deferred” in “a,b,c,d,c,e,e,g,g,g” rhyme scheme, clearly outlines his disappointment in the conditions of Harlem. The first line of this poem is, “What happens to a dream deferred? ” In the case of this poem, the dream is of the promise of Harlem, and what blacks hoped to find there: opportunity, better living conditions, and freedom from racial intolerance.

When blacks arrived in Harlem, though, their dream was deferred; instead of the opportunities they had envisioned, they were faced with overcrowding, exploitation, and poverty. At the beginning of this poem the mood that accompanies “a dream deferred” is a questioning one that begins a search for definition. This mood, which will develop as the poem progresses, induces the reader to reflect upon the meaning of “a dream deferred,” preparing them for its development.

The poem continues, listing the possible fates of a dream that never becomes reality. It suggests that maybe the dream will “Dry up like a raisin in the sun,” withering up and disappearing. Maybe it will “Stink like rotten meat,” becoming a sickening reminder of what will never be. Perhaps the dream will “Crust and sugar over. ” Hughes seems to be saying here that the dream deferred might be covered up by society with a veil of normalcy.

The most powerful line in “A Dream Deferred,” though, is the last line: “Or does it explode? This line, in italics for emphasis, makes obvious the severity of a postponed dream, especially the dream of the blacks in Harlem. For a people who have been oppressed for centuries, the denial of yet another dream is not taken lightly. With the final line, Hughes seems to be hinting at a revolution, alluding to the idea that blacks in Harlem are like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Here, the mood of “A Dream Deferred” has increased in intensity. The possible fates listed previously are unpleasant, but the last one is somewhat ominous and almost threatening.

Langston Hughes’ poem, as depicted above, properly, but aggressively, transmits his thoughts of disappointment to his readers with each of his lines full of figurative language as described in the previous paragraph. Hughes communicates the dejection of blacks in Harlem with great clarity and precision. The feelings that accompany the theme range from foreboding to anger to gloom, creating a sense of each in the reader. Hughes’ poems are an effective commentary on the experiences of blacks in Harlem and the dream that they share: a dream that, though deferred, still exists.

There is a noticeable comparison between the poem “The Mirror” By Sylvia Plath & the article “Barbie” that appeared in the Newsday Tuesday November 18, 1997. The comparison is about how people look, and how society could reflect how you may feel about your looks. In the poem “The Mirror” it tells about a lady who dislikes the way she looks. She thinks of herself as being ugly. In the article it tells how Mattel (the makers of Barbie) want to change the looks & features of Barbie. The reason for wanting to change the looks is because the makers of Barbie made Barbie to pretty.

Compared to normal people. Now being pretty is not a bad thing. But for little girls growing up they may feel like they want to look like Barbie. Barbie is very skinny and has a great face. So little girls may stop eating or doing other things, so they could look like Barbie. But it wont happen, Barbie is a doll. People are real not Barbie dolls. In the poem it shows how the lady wants to be pretty. So the lady takes short cuts to make her self look better to her self. Such as being in a candle lit rooms.

But when the lady is in a regular lit room she becomes ugly to her self again. The reason Mattel is changing the appearance of Barbie is because little girls impact on the way society looks upon them. And this could hurt somones self esteem, and could damage the way someone looks upon ones self. In the poem the girl tries to make her self prettier, by creating artificial pretty ness. But in the end the mirror never lies. The poem & the article compare about how the way people look ad feel, and how society has a role on their lives.

Unlike the one in Songs of Innocence, “The Chimney Sweeper”, in Songs of Experience is very dark and pessimistic. This poem also seems to be very judgmental and gives motives for everything, but unlike Song of Innocence, the sweeper in this poem does not free himself from his misery. In the first two lines, Blake gives us an image of an anguished child in a state of agony or even in a state of corruption. The color black seems to be very important because it is used to represent sin against innocence, the color of the white snow.

Blake also shows the same child weeping, when he really means to say sweeping, because that is what has that child in such grief. This stanza ends by someone asking him about his parents, which later end up being responsible for this childs state. In the second stanza, the child is pictured in a very more happier and playful mood. This soon changes when he decides to tell the stranger more about his parents. They are showed to be punishing their child for being so happy by “clothing in clothes of death and teaching him to sing notes of woe.

It is very obvious the sweepers feels hate towards his parents for putting him in such sadness, but instead he chooses to hide it by making himself look happy and satisfied. It is clear in the last Stanza that Blakes criticizing the Church , especially, and the state for letting a lot of these things happen. During this time many children were dying from being, either, worked to death or from malnutrition. Neither the state or the church did anything to stop this and is obviously why Blake feels so much anger towards them. The sweepers parents are really no help towards their own child.

This makes the reader wonder, if they are worshipping god, the source of good doings, why do they chose to ignore their own child. They would rather turn their heads the other way and instead findlove at church. I think this is a very striking poem. It clearly shows Blakes anger towards society at this time. I also think that he used many of his poems to make people aware of the suffering of people at this time. I also think That he wrote two separate books to give a fuller effect. Songs of Innocence, I think was how people thought that everything was okay. Songs of Experience, in my opinion was to open every ones eyes.

Throughout the years and to all different walks on the face of the earth, heroes exist with various meanings to each individual. It is extremely hard to put one definition to this word. What one may see as a hero, another may not. Some definitions include, a brave man, a superman, a champion, a conqueror, a victor, and a winner. This definition though varies through diverse people’s eyes. A serial killer may view Charles Manson as his/her hero, while others may view someone who has favorable traits as their hero (in a good sense). It is all relevant to who people are, their identities, and whom they relate to.

The topic of this essay deals with Pre-Islamic poetry (qasida’s), which were recited orally and had a strong social purpose. That purpose being the reinforcement of the poets identities and values. This Bedouin, nomadic society was dominated by poetry, for entertainment and social purposes, especially the latter. Therefore, the statement, “Poetry is the speech of heroes” is proven valid through several examples from various Qasida’s (whether literary or literal truth) portraying favorable traits or attributes from within the societies, reinforcing their identities, making poets regarded as heroes by their people.

Numerous themes that appear throughout all qasida’s in different forms and tones, include: the Nasib(memory of his lost beloved), the Rahil (the theme of survival in the desert), sections such as the wine section, the hikma section, proverbs, and the Gharad (where the performative purpose of the qasida is being told). Four qasida’s in which Poet’s came through as heroes were: Is What You Knew Kept Secret, The Mu ‘allaqa Labib, Bid Hurayra Farewell, and Shanfara-The Arabian Ode in L. Each qasida pretty much has the same format, with different and sometimes overlapping meanings.

A poet was the pride and ornament of his people, for he alone would perpetuate the fame of their noble deeds, dignify the memory of their dead, and trap their enemies in songs of mockery,” making him a hero (337text,68). The purpose here is to see how in each qasida, the poet is a hero. The first qasida, Is What You Knew Kept Secret, the poet in bayt 13 expresses at the end of the nasib the only image concerning the loss of his beloved, uttering the image of her clinging to him. This is quite ironic because this is the only reference he chooses to give her while he constantly talks of her loss.

It is of course a given that the audience at that time knew that in the nasib a loss of a beloved is remembered, so they become sympathetic with the poet because he expresses things that his audience feel but do not have the skill or courage to express. Then comes the description of the ostrich in the rahil (personification to stand for the poet),who quickly rushes home to protect his eggs (his babies). This is meant to portray the picture of love and security. One might ask, why an ostrich?

The ostrich in this specific qasida because it is not only a survivor of the desert, but also makes sure his family are attended to and protected, he is their hero. Here the personification is meant to mean that the poet is going to his kinship group and to be a protector. The poet then shifts from the rememberance of his beloved to his tribe (the ostrich eating the colocynth), symbolizing his return to his family. The hikma section comes next, (not mandatory) where the poet declares what should matter to a man, which is his respect, reputation(name),and his honor, saying that everything material can come to an end at any given time.

Therefore exclaiming that one should sacrafice all material things. He further expresses, that the only thing that lives is your name and what you are remembered for since all is immortal. He mentions that generousity is an important virtue, and reminds the audience of their societies values, reinforcing what they already know, it reminds the audience of what should be of importance to them. In the wine section of this qasida, the poet is just having a good time, living to enjoy live (cheerful passage). Similar to the hikma, he is stressing to the audience that enjoying life by drinking is good, internal enjoyment, not external (material).

Finally, we come to the gharad where the poet praises himself and his tribe. He says he is a warrior, protecting and serving the tribe, reinforcing their tribal identity and thus their hero. The second qasida, Labid, the poet expresses in the atlal the loss of his beloved and compares the site of departure and the wild. Once again, the poet is being brave by sharing his experience of loss with the audience which is a hard thing to do. Then he leaps into the Rahil, the journey desert undertaken by 2 camels, one male and one female.

One camel personifies himself, and the other (the female) what he is protecting. He is the heroic one here through the difficult desert journey, and overcomes it. A lot of personification and hidden meaning are present in this qasida. While in the desert, he gets into a fight, almost getting killed but heroically surivives, thus surviving the loss of his beloved. The female camel survives the loss of her fawns symbolizing the poet loosing his beloved (same intensity). His love experience was a traumatic one, portrayed in the nasib (directly) and in the rahil (indirectly).

To the poet, surviving the desert journey is nothing less than surviving the loss of his beloved, it is equal is great courage. Then comes the wine section, where the poet has fully recovered the loss of is beloved and has completely gotten over her and this is evident in the wine section as he drinks. Here I think that the poet is trying to send a message to the audience that loss of a beloved is tragic but to be overcome heroically. In the gharad of this qasida, it is centered around himself, then moves to gracefully boast of his tribe, bringing their spirits up surely.

This example is a strong one because the poet really does overcome the tragic loss of his beloved and moves on with his life, sending a powerful message to his kinship and also at the same time boosting their identities and values. Bid Hurayra Farewell, starts off with the nasib and the departure of the beloved saying that the loss of the beloved is a big deal and that it is a test of manhood. He describes the beloved with great detail and worth. The whole nabib revolves around her, which is not present in the above qasida’s and is ideal for him and his audience.

It is a very tragic love triangle, where he loves her, she loves another, whom loves another. In the Rahil a storm takes place which symobizes the water washing away his pain, cleansing him. He waits for the rainstorm and it washes and floods everything. Here he cannot drink and forgets his beloved but at the same time needs the storm to cleanse himself and his broken heart. Then comes the Fakhr section where he boasts of himself and his pride, says that if someone kills one of ours, we don’t have to kill that specific person, any uncle or relative of that person would do.

In the wine section, he says if you can’t drink, then don’t, but only tough people do (himself being tough). He is the ideal, tough guy who is waiting to get his wine first and drinks it. In the gharad, he is addressing another tribe, a trouble maker tribe (Abu Thubayt) provoking other people against his tribe. He is overly full of his tribe, which they presumably enjoy. The purpose here is to praise his tribe while at the same time lampoon another, at the end of the recital it is sure that he ( the poet) is their superman, and makes them feel powerful.

Arabian Ode in “L”, in my opinion shows a different hero than the above qasida’s. He was a su ‘luk- an outcast, the relationships within the qasida are different than the above seeing he has no tribe. The nasib starts off with the departure of his tribe, replacing the most common-departure or loss of the beloved theme of the nasib. Shanfara has a very bitter tone in his expressions, and feels betrayed by his tribe and kicked out. He constantly compares himself to animals, the camel and the wolf, saying that outcasts are like animals with no one or no where to turn to.

Shanfara sees himself as the camel being sacrificed in meysir, saying his tribe sacrificed him. In the gharad he becomes a wolf, saying that he raids alone without a tribe, how come it’s okay for groups of people to raid, but not one man alone? At the end Shanfara returns to his tribes the wolves. Although he may have been laughed at and mocked by his audience, he is a hero in my eyes reading this qasida, now. He was a form of entertainment and probably was rewarded by food for the recital of his poem, not because he was a hero to his audience.

The presumed heroism of the poet’s of the qasida’s above are all valid and looked upon differently in different people’s eyes. One thing is for sure though, that the first three discussed were most definitely viewed as heroes of their times, and the latter perceived as a hero by modern day man. Given a background on their lifestyle, environment, values, and society, it is for sure that the poets were seen as distinct from the others of their societies. They were able to express and share their feelings in a way that related to the audiences in such a manner that they were the heroes of their times.

The Anglo-Saxon society was a combination of the Jutes, the Anglos, and the Saxons. It was through this combination that the values of this one culture evolved. Anglo-Saxons lived their lives according to values such as masculine orientation, transience of life, and love for glory. Contradictory to the belief that the Anglo-Saxons’ values are outdated, one will find when taking a closer look that most of the values are, in fact, still present in today’s society.

Most of the literature from that time period, lasting from 449-1066, is by unknown authors. The oral tradition practiced by the Anglo-Saxons made it possible for the pieces to be passed down and still be in existence today. When many of the pieces were finally written down the took on a poetic style. Through the examination of these poems, both universal and cultural themes become present.

In “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer,” both being poems from the Anglo-Saxon time period, the anonymous authors portray the universal theme of the harshness of life through imagery patterns of the sea and winter, and in the conclusion of both poems it becomes evident to the subjects of the poems that the only way they will find contentment in life is if they accept the fact that the things that happen to them are all a part of God’s plan. In both poems the unknown authors use the imagery of the sea to represent the trials of life.

In both, the reader must understand that the theme presented, the harshness of life, has had a specific impact on the character in the poem. They have had a personal experience that has lead them to the conclusion that this theme is relevant in everyone’s life. The opening of “The Seafarer” proves this to be true as the very first line states “This tale is true and mine. ” This brings to the reader’s awareness that the “tale” of the poem is an experience of the poem’s character. Immediately after that, the writer uses the imagery of the sea to illustrate the theme of the harshness of life.

It tells/ How the sea took me swept me back/ And forth in sorrows and fear and pain. ” In reading this poem it becomes obvious that life is represented by the sea. In this line the person is saying that that he has been swept away by the trials of life. The author continues with the imagery of the sea throughout the entire piece. “Showed me suffering in a hundred ships,/ In a thousand ports and in me. It tells/ Of the smashing surf when I sweated in the cold/ Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow/ As it dashed under cliffs My feet were cast.

Through the next few lines the author shows the reader that man is scared of life and what it has in store for him in the same way that he is scared on a ship out at sea. The author uses the feeling of this person out at sea, “when I sweated in the cold/ Of anxious watch” as a parallel to the anxiousness and fear of what life will bring. In describing the man’s soul as being “sea weary,” the author is demonstrating man’s lack of control over his life. The waves of the sea, and the sea itself, are uncontrollable and this is how the person in the poem feels about his life and his soul.

The only sound was the roaring sea. ” This suggests that the hardships of life overpower other aspects of the person’s life. Roaring implies something being extremely loud and unavoidable, indicating that the harshness of life is always staring one in the face and cannot be escaped. The reference that the author to “the freezing waves” also represents the unavoidable difficult times in life. Here the word “freezing” brings to mind extreme coldness, being trapped, and even death. The next referral to the sea reinforces this theory, “To a soul left drowning in desolation.

The person in the lyric feels as though he is drowning, being pulled under because he can’t cope with the harshness of life. The hardships of his life diminish any of the good times he may experience. The word “desolation,” implies that the person in the poem feels like he will drown in his sorrows all alone in the same way that he has been left alone to deal with life itself. Continuing to express the theme, the writer uses the lines “And how my heart/ Would begin to beat, knowing once more/ The salt waves tossing and towering sea.

These lines create the image of this person being tossed about by the waves; being thrown from one difficulty to the next. He is unable to escape them. In “The Wanderer,” like “The Seafarer,” it is also necessary for the reader to understand the personal connection that the person in the poem has with the theme. In “The Wanderer,” the subject of the poem is seeing the harshness of life through the experience of losing someone, a comrade, who was close to him.

The narrator expresses how the subject feels in the following lines that state, “Though woefully toiling on wintry seas/ With the churning of the oar in the icy wave,/ Homeless and helpless he fled from fate. ” The subject is trying to escape a painful situation but is “rowing on an icy sea” making the escape slow and difficult. One cannot escape life’s pain and it is futile to try. “And I sailed away with sorrowful heart,/ Over wintry seas, seeking a gold lord. ” once again portrays a desperate and difficult attempt to flee from his sorrow.

The seeking of a gold lord implies that he wants to know what purpose his loss has served and what good, if any, can come from it. “The Wanderer” also exemplifies the theme by illustrating the fact that hard times have not only short term effects, but long term effects as well. “Beholding gray stretches of tossing sea,” illustrates that this person still feels the pain caused by the death of his friend, even after the passing of time. It becomes evident to the reader that one cannot control the things that happen in one’s life, and that life is seen as unfair and harsh.

The last sea imagery used by this writer portrays one fighting against being tossed about the sea, “Once more to the toil of the tossing sea. ” This tells the reader that life is full of difficult times and regardless of how one may try to avoid them, he cannot. Through the use of the imagery pattern of the sea, both of these writers are able to convey how harsh life can be. Both writers use the reference of winter to further illuminate the theme for their readers. It is the combination of the two images, winter and sea, that brings clarity to the theme.

Winter is a cold, dreary, and often depressing time. It is the time of the year when things of nature die and become dormant. Snow, ice, and frost can be damaging and often bring things to a halt causing one to become trapped. The winter of “The Seafarer” utilizes words like icy, frost, frozen, icicles, hailstorms, and snow to give the illusion of being trapped or coming to one’s ending. He is implying that the harshness of life is much like the harshness of winter, one feels trapped and depressed, wondering if good times will ever follow.

Specifically with such lines as, “In icy bands, bound with frost/ With the frozen chains, hardships groaned,” the writer illustrates one being held captive by his difficulties, unable to escape. These images imply once again that one cannot avoid the hardships of life and that they can make it impossible to enjoy life. The author of “The Wanderer” also effectively uses the imagery of winter in lines such as, “When friends are no more. His fortune is exile,/ Not gifts of fine gold; a heart that is frozen” to produce the feeling of being desolate.

The subject is alone and caught in his sorrow, his heart is cold and hard and he is incapable of experiencing joy. The line that states, “While hailstorms darken, and driving snow” represents the continuing feelings of despair that the subject feels will never end. “Hailstorms darken” could also be symbolic of man’s emotions and how they are so easily darkened when challenged in life. “Old comrades remembered. But they melt into air/ With no word of greeting to gladden his heart” indicates that one can try to overcome his feelings of loss, but it is often ineffectual.

When first examining this line, one might conceive the word “melt” to mean that in the same way snow melts in the winter, one’s pain and sorrow will melt away. Contradicting this, one will find that they have perceived the word incorrectly and that in actuality it represents something quite different. Melting is referring to the idea that this person tried to overcome his feelings of loss for his friend, but that it did not work or bring him the comfort he desired.

This line illustrates that while they may think he is strong enough to handle whatever life brings, in reality he often is left feeling alone and helpless. There will be “no words of greeting to gladden” their hearts. Both writers found it to be extremely effective to use imagery patterns of the sea and winter together in order to illuminate their themes to their readers. The fact that the imagery patterns were adequate in helping these writers express their theme is true.

However, these specific imagery patterns slowly dwindle and no longer exist by the end of both poems. Instead there is a major transition, and the idea of putting one’s faith and trust in God comes into play. “But there isn’t a man on earth so proud,/ So born to greatness, so bold with his youth,/ Grown brave, or so graced by God,/ That he feels no fear as the sails unfurl” is a line from “The Seafarer” illustrating this. At this point in the poem, the narrator in it realizes that everyone faces trying times in life.

No one can avoid the trials of life and the feelings of fear and despair that accompany them. Another line that shows the narrator realizing and accepting the fact that there will always be hard times in life is this line: “The days are gone/ When the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory,/ Now there are no rulers, no emperors,/ No givers of gold, as once there were. ” While at one time on earth there might not have been pain and suffering, there is now, and it is unavoidable, so mankind must learn how to cope with it.

The weakest survives and the world continues” is letting the readers know that it is acceptable to fear the harshness of life, however, they can survive and go on from there. “Under his lord. Fate is stronger/ And God mightier than any man’s mind. ” The use of the word “fate” in this line means that all men will experience trials and hardships in life and that they cannot control life, it is in God’s hands. “And God mightier than any man’s mind” reveals the fact that man will not be able to explain why things happen; man can’t comprehend the reason he must suffer.

The last lines of this poem, “That life born in the love of God/ And the hope of Heaven. Praise the Holy/ Grace of Him who honored us,/ Eternal, unchanging creator of earth,” are indicating that every man must remember he was born out of God’s love. He must remember that God did not put him here, on earth, merely to suffer. The very last word of “The Seafarer” is “Amen,” suggesting that the entire poem was a prayer, asking God for courage and strength to face this difficult time and for an understanding of why it happened.

Overall, by the end of the poem it is apparent to the reader that he must face the trials that life brings as best he can and that things will be better when he dies and ascends into Heaven. “The Wanderer” also comes to the same conclusion, that man must make amends with God and accept His plan. However, “The Wanderer” presents it in a somewhat different way. “No man may know wisdom till many a winter. ” This indicates that a man cannot be truly wise until he has experienced life and all of its hardships.

The line, “Wretchedness fills the realm of earth” tells the reader that the earth is full of evil. The conclusion that “fate’s decree transform the world” indicates that it is the fate of man to suffer so that he may see evil and harshness in life and attempt to put an end to it. The final lines of the poem, “Good man is he who guardeth his faith,/ He must never too quickly unburden his breast/ Of its sorrow, but eagerly strive for redress” suggests that man should place his faith in God, trust that God knows best, and that he strive to learn the lesson that his difficulties might teach him.

The last line of the poem, “And happy the man who seeketh for mercy/ From his heavenly Father, our fortress and strength” indicates that God does not desert one during hardships, but that He offers him shelter and protection and will see him through his difficulties. Like “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer” has a broad message that is made evident to the readers by the end of the poem. The overall message presented through “The Wanderer” is that in order for man to overcome his difficulties, he must go through the hard times, mourn for his past, fear what the future may hold, and finally trust that God is and always will take care of him.

The anonymous writers of these two poems use imagery to express a universal theme, concerning all mankind, however, neither of them leave man without hope. They both conclude with the fact that life holds much harshness and then show the reader that it is acceptable to be frightened and confused by life as long as he puts his faith and trust in God. If he does this, God will take care of him forever.

The poetry of Sylvia Plath and Bruce Dawe differ considerably in style, context and language, yet offer unique perceptions of the issues surrounding society and themselves. Born two years apart in different countries, both poets demonstrated great promise and talent at a very young age, especially Plath who regarded herself as, dangerously brainy. ‘

Their talent has been recognised with many awards and scholarships, yet both poet’s received international fame from their late poetry. Dawe’s reputation as an acclaimed Australian poet arrived 37 years after his was born, when he won the Ampol Arts Award for creative literature.

As with Dawe’s poetry, Plath found her true voice later in life when she decided to write at a much faster pace and more controlled rhythm. Although her writing was at its peak at his time, Plath’s marriage to British poet Ted Hughes was experiencing complications. Ted’s relationships with fashion models drove the marriage apart, and later made a depressed Plath to take her own life. The anger and betrayal that she felt at the hand of Hughes, were very strong and are apparent in Plath’s late poetry. Images of death and pain appear throughout many of these poems (Ostriker, p348).

Sylvia Plath explores the emotions and feelings of her own life experiences in her poetry. Like her marriage breakup affecting her late poetry, Plath’s work reflects the pivotal moments in her life where she releases the joy and anger that has build inside of her. In the poem, “The Arrival of the Beebox,” Plath expresses her feelings of betrayal towards her father’s death, by exercising power over him as a beekeeper. On the other hand, Bruce Dawe is a completely different poet, he writes about the matters of social, political and cultural interest that concern the typical Australian.

Dawe writes about all people who are vulnerable and easily hurt, and has an instinctive sympathy with them. The thirty years leading to his poetry’s success, Dawe had experienced nearly everything life had to offer, he had worked through over 20 jobs ranging from a salesman to a dairy farmer. In terms of the people he met, and colourful language her heard, it was a formative period, training his ear to the miances and cadences of the speech of ordinary Australians.

Through the point of view of a bystander, Dawe records the issues and tragedies concerning society and reveals there nature to others, without overstating or sentimentalising it. Dawe’s poem “Homecoming” looks at the casualties of the Vietnam War, a critical political issue surfacing at the time, with great debate and criticism. Dawe and Plath employ a range of poetic devices in their poems “Homecoming” and “The Arrival of the Beebox” respectively, that distinguish Dawe as the poet of people and Plath as an enigma to the reader.

Poetry is one of the most ancient and widespread of the arts. Originally fused with music in song, poetry gained independent existence in ancient times-in the Western world, as early as the classical era (6th century to 4th century BC). Where poetry exists apart from music, it has substituted the lost musical rhythms with its own purely linguistic ones. It is this rhythmic use of language that most easily distinguishes poetry from imaginative prose, the other great division of literature, and that causes poetry to be referred to as metrical writings.

This interpretation does not, however, include cadenced poetry (as in the Bible) or free verse; both of these types of verse are rhythmic but not strictly metrical. Nor does it take into account the strictly oral songs of many past and present cultures. It is, however, a useful starting point for considering what is commonly meant by the word poetry. Poetry generally projects emotionally and sensuously charged human experience in metrical language.

Meter, the highly regular component of verse rhythm, depends basically on the relative strength and weakness of the stresses of adjacent syllables and monosyllabic words. Not all languages have marked differences in syllabic emphasis, however; nor do all poets choose to exploit these differences to create rhythmic patterns. In many languages, poetic rhythm depends more on line length than on differences between syllables.

The line length is traditionally determined by the total number of syllables in a line (syllabic verse), as in French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Welsh poetry; or by the number of stressed syllables in a line (accentual verse), as in Old English alliterative poetry; or by some combination of number and stress, as in the foot verse that became widely used in English poetry beginning in the time of medieval poet

poem tells a story within its words, even if it is not directly stated. Nearly every word and phrase in a poem, and even its punctuation has a meaning and a message that the author is trying to send across to the reading or listening audience. Not always is it easy to immediately understand what the poet is trying to say, but within the words and punctuation, over time and with analysis, interpretation is possible. Poetry is a group of so many words that a poet carefully chooses to show certain meaning.

The song ” Every Grain of Sand” that is written by Bob Dylan deserves to be called poetry because of his careful use of tone, symbolism, allusion, simile and enjambments. Tone is an important part of poetry. It sets the mood of the piece and gives the audience a sense of what is going on and how the narrator feels. In ” Every Grain of Sand” the tone is one of sadness and depression. There is a certain desperate tone in the poem, as the narrator looks for help in “the hour of [their] deepest need.

This is evident in the first and second lines of the first stanza when it is written “In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need / When pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed. ” The “time of confession” sets a solemn tone, for when a person is confessing it is usually a quiet, personal, and regretful time. This sad emotion that the tone sets is further emphasized when the author uses words and phrases like “sorrow of Night,” “violence”, “chill”, “bitter”, “loneliness” and “broken mirror of innocence.

These all set a mood of sadness, anger, bitterness, hatred and darkness that the narrator feels in his hour of need, as they carry the burden, or the “chains,” of their past mistakes. Although most of the poem keeps with a sad tone, the tone shifts slightly. Line fifteen says ” Then onward on my journey I come to understand… ” This line shows that he is slowly on his way, realizing things he perhaps did not at first. Symbolism is another important poetic device that is used throughout this poem. One’s entire understanding of the poem relies upon their understanding of the symbols applied.

Bob Dylan uses symbolism on numerous occasions throughout his song ” Every Grain of Sand”. In the line ” When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed,”(1. 2) Dylan uses the flooding of the newborn seed to represent how the tears and sadness are drowning out the hope of a new start or of finding peace. The “dyin’ voice within me ” (1. 3) represents this drowning hope that this person still has for a better life, even though there remains a feeling of despair, as it is said in line four.

Dylan continues using nature in his symbolism in stanza 3, lines 9 and 10, ” Oh the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, / Like Criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. ” The flowers of indulgence represent the temptations in life – drawing people to their beauty, while the weeds of yesteryear choking the breath of conscience and good cheer represent the numbing effects of over indulgence. Things that once seemed to make life great have been used so much that, after a while, they are no longer fulfilling, leaving emptiness in a person.

Even as the narrator realizes this, temptation still draws them in. “I gaze into the doorway of temptation’s angry flame. / And every time I pass that way I always hear my name” (4. 13-14) shows this. The doorway represents an opportunity or a choice to follow a path that leads to an “angry flame,” which can represent evil and hell. The voices calling are the inner temptation that we all have for things that give us immediate satisfaction. Throughout the poem, Dylan uses symbols to represent God or a higher power.

He refers to the sun as it “beat down upon the steps of time to light the way to ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay” (3. 11-12), representing a force that guides us through our pain and tries to make life more bearable. In the last stanza of the poem the narrator goes on to say, ” I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea. ” This once again is a representation of a higher force. It is evident from reading the poem, therefore, that Dylan uses symbolism in almost every line.

The symbolism is one reason why the song “Every Grain of Sand” can be considered poetry. Allusion is another important element of poetry that is evident in this song. Bob Dylan uses allusion is when he mentions Cain in line 6 of stanza 2. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel. Another part that is an allusion is the mention of footsteps. The speaker says in the last stanza ” I hear the ancient footsteps/ Sometimes I turn, there’s someone there other times it’s only me.

These two lines can be considered allusions to the prayer “Footsteps in the Sand,” where when one is walking and there are only one set of foot steps this is when God is carrying the one in need, and when there are two sets of foot steps on is walking along side God. Without having the knowledge of the Bible or of this prayer, it would be difficult for one to understand the full meaning the narrator is trying to get across. Allusion in this song gives it the merit to be called a poem. Similes are other important aspects of poetry that give poems fuller meaning.

Throughout “Every Grain of Sand” there are several similes that give the song merit to be called poetry. For instance the simile in the lines “weeds of yesteryear / Like criminals.. “(3. 9-10) the weeds being compared to the criminals makes the reader think of them as something bad. The simile in the 21st line ” footsteps like the motion of the sea” this describes the footsteps to be in constant motion, coming closer and then getting further away, like tides on the shore of the sea. The last two lines of the song,” I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man / Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand,” (6. -24) uses a simile that compares man to a falling sparrow.

A sparrow is a bird that swoops and flies up and down almost hitting the ground, but then continues to fly forward. Like the sparrow, a person who almost hits the ground when times are tough, with guidance they stand right up and keep moving forward. The grains of sand are the millions of people out there needing guidance. The simile’s in ” Every Grain of Sand” are another indication as to why this song should be considered poetry. The enjambments in “Every Grain of Sand” create a feeling of searching for something, especially at the beginning.

The first enjambment is in the first three lines of the poem, where the speaker is just trying to explain how he feels, and continues talking, without taking any breaths. The second stanza also includes enjambment, showing that there was a little bit of a realization that is some one to help in times of need, or a thought going on. In the fifth stanza there are not any enjambments. This shows that the speaker is thinking about each thing that he has experienced, the punctuation shows him pausing after each thought.

Having enjambments in a poem gives a new feeling and possibly a new meaning. Bob Dylan’s use of effective tone, symbolism, allusion, similes, and enjambments in his song “Every Grain of Sand” is reason enough for it to be considered poetic. Although it is rhythmic, the piece flows for the many other reasons we’ve explored. It has deep and hidden meanings that are left to the audience’s interpretation, and it uses expressive language to tell its story. Songs, therefore, can be poetic if they include all the right elements.

One of the most influential writers of the Harlem Renaissance was Jamaican born Claude McKay, who was a political activist, a novelist, an essayist and a poet. Claude McKay was aware of how to keep his name consistently in mainstream culture by writing for that audience. Although in McKay’s arsenal he possessed powerful poems. The book that included such revolutionary poetry is Harlem Shadows. His 1922 book of poems, Harlem Shadows, Barros acknowledged that this poem was said by many to have inaugurated the Harlem Renaissance.

Throughout McKay’s writing career he used a lot of dialect and African American vernacular in his writing, which was rather controversial at the time. Writing in dialect wasn’t considered proper for writing formal literature. For this paper I chose the poem “If We Must Die”, one of his strongest political poem included in Harlem Shadows. The subject matter that McKay writes about is confrontational. Even if McKay used classical poetry techniques to write “If We Must Die”. McKay used the poetry technique of the sonnet by using the 13 lines and 1 last line in the end.

In “If We Must Die” McKay uses rhymes, and metaphors to associate and personify the poem. Using these techniques the audience can identify with the writer and the poem itself. The poem at first seems to have been written for a black audience but then it grew tremendously for a wider universal audience. This poem spoke to anyone and everyone who was being oppressed or in a situation that they weren’t in control of. This poem was for anyone who is or was put to death. This poem showed that everyone deserves a noble death, a death of honor and respect not to be beaten and treated like an animal but like a human being.

If We Must Die” was first published in the Liberator in 1919. Then in his compilation of poetry Harlem Shadows in 1922. Where already the world war had ended. It was one of the very first poems that initiated the tone, subject and matter of the Harlem Renaissance. The poem is revolutionary, it’s the type of poem that makes people think and take action. He made the reader feel important and recognized the value of a human life. McKay believed part of the poets job is to politically inform the minds of people. Leading to the influence of such people as Amiri Baraka, starting the Black Arts Movement.

The poem itself is a validation, recognition of the value of a human life. In the first line of the sonnet “If we must die, let it not be like hogs”. If we as humans die in whatever situation arises, let it not be like an animal, inhumane, without a name and unjust. “If we must die, O let us nobly die”, and eventhough the person might be by far outnumbered, beaten and maimed not to sit there and take the punishment. That there last breaths is one of victory because the person never stopped fighting back. Erasing the idea of passive resistance which made such people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. own for.

Although the poem had a universal appeal, McKay published this poem through one of the fiercest times for African Americans. There were severe racial problems with Blacks and Whites through out sparking violence. In 1919 they’re where countless race riots in Harlem and all over the United States. This poem could have even fanned the flame that the race riots started. This poem itself moved people to stand up for themselves and I don’t doubt that it did. This poem can easily be read today and appeal to today’s society.

It seems that there will always be an oppressed group, that is something we can’t escape from. If the poem “If We Must Die” were read today, I feel it would move countless people into action. Especially now where there are a lot of problems with the New York City police department. The Police department’s using tactics of racial profiling, countless shootings, and deaths of young African American and Latino men. No matter what decade we live in, same rules seem to apply. Their will always be senseless killings, and the job of the poet is to use what is going on in their environment and speak out against it.

I feel a poet is a revolutionary, just like McKay stated that “part of the poets job is to politically inform the minds of people. ” To make people think and even influence their actions. Both to motivate and change what is in society. To revolutionize their minds, and help people not be afraid to speak out. If We Must Die was also “popularized as a battle cry by Winston Churchill in the European fight against fascism. ”(Barros) Ironically, “If We Must Die” had been written as a militant response to a Harlem race riot some twenty years earlier.

During a period when “McKay himself wouldn’t have been caught dead supporting a war between capitalist, nationalist states. ” (Barros) “It was during those days that the sonnet, “If We Must Die”, exploded out of me. And for it the Negro people unanimously hailed me as a poet. Indeed, that one grand outburst is their sole standard of appraising my poetry. It was the only poem I ever read to the members of my crew. –Even the fourth waiter – who was the giddiest and most irresponsible of the lot, with all his motives and gestures colored by a strangely acute form of satyriasis – even he actually cried.

Eventhough Pearson’s Magazine had its offices in the same building as the Liberator. Frank Harris the editor of Pearson’s Magazine wanted to publish “If We Must Die” in his magazine but McKay had already shown it to the Liberator and was accepted, it was being included in the Liberator first. Although Frank Harris and Claude McKay were friends it seems McKay went to the Liberator first because the Liberator has an African American appeal and a wide reading audience.

Which seemed to be McKay’s first intention and target audience with “If We Must Die”. Claude McKay is one of my favorite poets and any reader could understand why. His poetry speaks to a multitude, and this poem “If We Must Die” made the reader, a human being feel important. Instead of seeing yourself as lower than dirt, adapting the mind of the oppressed and not fighting back. We must not sit around while horrendous things happen in our society. If we want a change we have to do it ourselves. “Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back. ”

William Shakespeare, in his Sonnet 73 and Sonnet 116, sets forth his vision of the unchanging, persistent and immovable nature of true love. According to Shakespeare, love is truly “till death do us part,” and possibly beyond. Physical infirmity, the ravages of age, or even one’s partner’s inconstancy have no effect upon the affections of one who sincerely loves. His notion of love is not a romantic one in which an idealized vision of a lover is embraced. Instead he recognizes the weaknesses to which we, as humans, are subject, but still asserts that love conquers all.

Shakespeare uses an array of figurative language to convey his message, including metaphor and personification. Thus, in sonnet 73, he compares himself to a grove of trees in early winter, “When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,… ” These lines seem to refer to an aged, balding man, bundled unsuccessfully against the weather. Perhaps, in a larger sense, they refer to that time in our lives when our faculties are diminished and we can no longer easily withstand the normal blows of life.

He regards his body as a temple- a “Bare ruined choir[s]”- where sweet irds used to sing, but it is a body now going to ruin. In Sonnet 116, love is seen as the North Star, the fixed point of guidance to ships lost upon the endless sea of the world. It is the point of reference and repose in this stormy, troubled world, “an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken;… ” He personifies the coming of the end of his life as night, which is described as “Death’s second self” in sonnet 73.

However, in Sonnet 116 death appears in the guise of the grim reaper, Father Time, who mows down all of our youth, but still cannot conquer love- “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips nd cheeks within his bending sickle’s compass come;… ” While both poems make use of figurative language, sonnet 73 uses far more imagery than sonnet 116. Sonnet 73 uses the image of the close of man’s life as a wintry grove with the few remaining leaves shivering in the cold. A person’s later years are the twilight of life, to which the night of death inevitably follows.

Further, the end of life is compared to the embers of a dying fire, “In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,…. ” All of these images express the fading light of a life in decline. The short, dark days of winter, the last rays at sunset and the glowing remnants beneath the ashes all evoke the beauty of a once vibrant life which is coming to a close. In contrast, sonnet 116 presents two images. The first is that of the exploring seafarer, out on stormy, uncertain seas with the North star of love as his only guide through them.

Even though the seafarer attempts to scientifically measure the worth of this love to him, it is immeasurable- “It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken. ” The second image in sonnet 116 is that of Time mowing down our rosy- heeked youth. Even so, however, love is not ended by our brief time on this earth, but lasts until Judgment Day- “Love alters not with his [Time’s] brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. ” Finally, the tone of the two poems offers the greatest contrast between them.

Sonnet 73 has a narrator who is somewhat detached and accepting of his infirmities. The entire main body of the sonnet, lines one through twelve, is a physical description of the narrator’s decline, which is related in a soft and melancholy voice. It is only the concluding couplet which brings home the essage that the strength of true love is shown when it exists in the face of the narrator’s inevitable decline. On the other hand, sonnet 116 has a passionate, didactic narrator. He orders and exhorts the reader.

He does not address the object of his affections, as does the narrator of sonnet 73, but directly addresses his audience. – “Let no man to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. ” This narrator uses his concluding couplet almost as an ironic aside. You can almost see him speaking to his audience from behind the back of his hand- “If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ , nor no man ever loved. There seems little likelihood that Shakespeare thought that he had to worry about losing that bet.

In conclusion, while the two sonnets differ greatly in tone, differ somewhat in imagery, and have some similarity and some difference in their use of figurative language, both express the universal desire for unconditional, never ending love. Sonnet 73 seems to say that even such a love ends at the grave, though. – “To love that well which thou must leave ere long. ” Sonnet 116 bears it out even to the end of the world. Either poem offers a vision of love to which we can aspire.