Nine Horses Billy Collins Analysis
Nine Horses Reader’s Response
Nine horses, a collection of symbolic poems, by Billy Collins shows off a simple writing style that delivers impactful messages about today’s world. “Aimless Love”, one of the poems, made me see the tiny things in life that I should stop and appreciate. One of the most important lines “I fell for a seamstress still at her machine in the tailor’s window, and later for a bowl of broth,” The author compares the love for a human to love for an object, and this shows how little value was given to human relationships by the author. This is Ironic, seeing as the amount of thought and value given to a human relationship by most people, and how the author compared it to an object. This made me wonder if we, as humans,
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When I read “Absence” first I saw that the poem talked about a salt shaker being used instead of a white knight in a chess game. The quote that stood out to me was: “about the saltshaker that was taking his place”, and what stood out was the salt shaker symbolized the people that are not as true as they seem to be, the knights symbolized the people we want in society, and the chess board represented society. When all the pieces are there, society functions properly, but when a salt shaker takes one of the pieces place, society becomes dysfunctional. Further research on a forum showed me that the salt shakers represented the heroes who we have, but we don’t want or need. Essentially, the theme of “Absence” was the dysfunctionality of society without a proper leader. Upon analyzing “Royal Aristocrat”, I realized that the author was using Salt shakers in a similar way. The author talks of feeling more useful than the Salt shakers of the world in “Royal Aristocrat”, which was similar to how it was used in “Absence”. This affects me, because I hope to be a leader, and when I see the author pointing out how leaders claim to be heroes, and how they do not carry out the wishes of the people they lead, I am essentially given a set of do’s and do
Cormac Mccarthy All The Pretty Horses Analysis
876 Words | 4 PagesAll the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, takes place during the late 1940s. It is a story about a young man named John Grady Cole, a sixteen year old who is the last of a generation of the West Texas ranchers in his family. John Grady Cole takes a journey across the border to Mexico, after his grandfather's death, to retain his dream of living the cowboy life that he grew up with. As the story unfolds, John Gady Cole encounters a variety of obstacles that determines if his dreams are meant to be or if his fate will overpower his desires. McCarthy incorporates a variety of literary devices, internal conflict, and tone to achieve his theme of romanticism and reality.
A Comparison Of Two-Headed Calf And Golden Retrievals
814 Words | 4 PagesOne thing humans have an addiction to is stressing, worrying, overthinking, taking things for granted, and way more. Both poems Two-Headed Calf and Golden Retrievals show the reason why people should live in the moment instead of worrying about the future or thinking about the past because you don't know if you're gonna get tomorrow. First and foremost, the poem Two-Headed Calf by Laura Gilpin makes the reader sit back and think, but it also evokes the reader's sympathy for the two-headed calf. The first poetic device that affects the poem Two-Headed Calf is cacophony. Cacophony is shown when the poem states “freak of nature, they will wrap his body in newspaper and carry him to the museum.”
The Art Of Drowning Billy Collins Analysis
281 Words | 2 PagesIn “The Art of Drowning” by Billy Collins, he inquires the thought of life flashing before your eyes when you are reaching an imminent death. When the character leaps underneath the surface to his aqueous grave, a fast depiction of a long life is rotated through his mind. Mr. Collins explains how weird it is that time crushed into such a short film in the final seconds of life. Collins reverie of an ultimate instant when all corners of the existence resided come together for an impressive production, a sit down gathering where all moments are commended in great detail and discussion. Appalled by the moment, is as quick as the time it takes for the oxygen to exhaust in a moribund, drowning man.
Symbolism In Alice Walker's Essay 'My Mother Blue Bowl'
391 Words | 2 PagesWriters and poets often spread deep meaning in ordinary things: bowl can represent our parents’ heritage, food can represent our relationships with people and chocolate bar can be a symbol of childhood or green tea can be a symbol of love. Those simple things can be really meaningful, but mostly all authors understood the meaning of those objects and the value of the moments that they had lived only after several years. To take things for granted is a human nature, isn’t it? Children usually don’t listen to the voice of their parents, but when they grow up they understand how precious those lessons were.
Reflection Of John Adams 'On The Transmigration Of Souls'
1545 Words | 7 PagesThis time allows us to think of who is missing in our lives, be it a spouse, grandparent, child, sibling, friend or enemy. We can think about a literal state of being missing or a figurative state wherein someone is emotionally or socially out of our lives. Further, what does their state of missing mean to the listener? Does the listener need to go search for the missing person, pray for their physical or mental being or even write a letter to rekindle a lost relationship? Does a person’s state of missing mean that they will be missing forever or rather a short-term period?
Theme Of Hate Poem Analysis
1271 Words | 6 PagesOne example is, “The blue-green jewel of stock lint I’m digging from under my third toenail, left foot, hates you” (8). Imagery was created in these lines to show that hates are like lint which stock under her nail and hard to clean out. In another example, “The way I hold my pencil hates you” (4), her hates of him can be sees in every detail of her life. In this poem, imagery displays the visual images using words describing how everything links to him. In addition, “Look!
Jazzonia Poem Analysis
948 Words | 4 PagesFurthermore, the superficial simplicity of Hughes’ poems is not meant to deceive, but to encourage readers to engage in poetry from different perspectives because there is more to the poem than meets the eye. Additional questions remain, however. Does Hughes’ experimentation with form threaten to mischaracterize or further objectify the subjects of his poetry? Does Hughes ascribe too much value to these ordinary objects and places? Are there limitations to Hughes’ experimentation?
Nostalgia Billy Collins Analysis
691 Words | 3 PagesCollins opens up with this to show how important his lover is to him, by doing this he sets the tone of the poem. People tend to do this as well, often people tell each other how important or valuable they are to them to create a sense of love. Collins refers to Shakespeare when he compares a woman to his favorite season (1). As humans, love is a natural thing, and Collins makes that very prominent in the way he flatters his lover so easily. This is relatable because when people love each other they often say sweet complements.
A Jury Of Her Peers Symbolism
1333 Words | 6 PagesThe Canary and The Heart A story contains much more than just the words presented on the page. There are deeper meanings, hidden facts and underlying messages. At the heart of this idea is symbolism. Symbolism, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of giving a symbolic character to objects.
Character Analysis: All The Pretty Horses
715 Words | 3 PagesThroughout “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy, the main character John Grady Cole is submitted to many evils as he tries to find his own place in the world. In his own personal quest for a happy ending, John represents the idealized cowboy of the Old Wild West uncovering the truth of the violent and deadly landscape he encounters. John Grady attempts to mesh together his romanticised cowboy honor code into a land that concedes nothing to nobility and the only winner is the one who survives. Only through his many trials and beatings does John Grady begin to accept the world for what it is, a place that does not contain only pretty horses; however, he still manages to remain true to himself and what he believes in. From the beginning of “All the Pretty Horses,” John Grady Cole faces threats from the modern world towards the cowboy life he admires so much.
How Does Ray Bradbury Use Symbolism In The Pedestrian
764 Words | 4 PagesBut most of the story is a form of symbolism. This story gives the reader a look at what it feels like to be lonely. In this world it’s seems hard, cold, and alone. The world seems dead. But many people in our world would say it’s not that different then the one Ray Bradbury wrote about.
Naomi Shihab Nye's Kindness
757 Words | 4 PagesThese four lines are important because as the image of salt in a weakened broth suggests utter dissolution and disorder, it makes the case that in order for the light of freedom and identity to seep through, we have to go through that period of darkness. Nye even uses the metaphor of a bus riding without stop [later in the stanza] to compare it to the presence of loss without kindness (Hong). In the second stanza, Nye emphasizes that realizing one’s ultimate mortality is a prerequisite to kindness when she says, “Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness/you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho/lies dead by the side of the road” (lines 14-16). This lines suggests that in order for humanity to put aside traits that make us different, we have to find solidarity in the fact that is our impending mortality. Nye uses the transcendent image of a dead Indian in a white poncho lying in the road to imply that the idea of mortality connects us all (Hong), even if different people of different backgrounds lead different lives.
Eating Alone Li Young Lee Analysis
437 Words | 2 PagesIn Li-Young Lee’s poem, Eating Alone, Lee uses many literary techniques such as imagery and tone to develop the speaker’s grief towards his father’s death. The poem is about a son who is mourning the loss of his father in which the fall brings back the memories of his father. When first reading this poem, it is very confusing and does not make much sense. Once the poem is analyzed, the reader can determine the distinction between life and death in the poem, where the speaker is missing the presence of their father. Imagery is a big factor in the poem for the speaker to communicate his themes of memory and loneliness.
Hard Rock Returns To Prison Analysis
808 Words | 4 PagesThe surgical operation he had gone in his forehead makes him lose his status as a hero in the emotional reaction of despair as other prisoners watch. In analyzing this poem, the main point of focus is that the poet achieves a contemplative mood by listing surface events that are emotional in nature. Looking at the structure of the poem first, the poem has 42 lines or sentences. Most of the sentences are complicated with the poem employing the use of verb-nouns in a normal way. The poet also includes some enjambment, some end-stopped lines and a title that precisely explains what is going on in the poem.
The Symbolism Of Absence In Ann Beattie's Snow
542 Words | 3 PagesBeing away from a person or place for a period of time causes differing underlining emotions in a person, whether the feelings are good or bad. Absence, sometimes, creates a sense of loneliness, regretfulness, or longing for the past. Ann Beattie’s short story, “Snow” reveals the emotions of the narrator as she reminisces on her past life. A central theme of absence is prevalent throughout the short story, which is conveyed to the readers through the use of symbolism.
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