Poem Analysis: The Island Of Souls By Gordon Sumner
The Island of Souls
Composer, Gordon Sumner, in his ballad, “The Island of Souls,” analyzes the life of Billy, the son of a ship riveter who dreams of a better and brighter future. Sumner’s purpose is to depict an unsatisfied young man who yearns for life beyond being a simple riveter. Sumner utilizes imagery, somber diction, and a simile. He describes a bitter tone to arouse similar feelings and experiences in his audience. The songwriter begins his poem by using imagery to compare Billy’s upbringing and growing feeling of longing for something more. Sumner’s verse, “Trapped in the cage of the skeleton ship,” further exemplifies Billy’s feeling of being trapped and his wish to be free (20). His purpose here is to illustrate Billy’s feelings
…show more content…
Sumner emphasizes this point when he wrote, “And six days a week he would watch his poor father a working man live like a slave” (5-6). These impactful lines of the ballad demonstrate that the father is forced to work in demeaning conditions for little pay. It leaves Billy with an everlasting image of the man he respects, his only family mentioned being treated the same as a slave. Ultimately this left a substantial impact on Billy which pushed him further away from the path he was chosen to follow: the life of a riveter. The purpose here is to provide the audience with an idea of the life Billy’s father lives, and it explains why Billy wants a life as more than a riveter. It affects the listener by appealing towards those who have had a rough past where a parent or parents worked long hard hours at work. The use of this simile not only compares Billy’s father to a slave but is used to evoke feelings of compassion from the audience members who have lived through a rough past comparable to Billy’s
The Rhetorical Devices used in “The Island of Souls” leave the audience feeling empathy towards the boy Billy who will always want a life as more than a riveter. Margaret Mitchell said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it because what the world needs is people who come
Death Over Water Poem Analysis
355 Words | 2 PagesIn the poem “Death Over Water” by Elizabeth Rhett Woods, juxtaposition between the beauty and grace of ice dancing and the savage fighting between two enemy birds is shown as an eagle is compared to “the male of a pair of ice dancers” (line 9), a gull to the female ice dancer and “a clamour of crows” (line 1) to the crowd watching them. The eagle is the dominant force in the fight that is in control of the movements of the birds maintaining “every advantage of size and speed” (line 17), comparable to the lead dancer of a pair. In ice dancing, the male is often guiding the female through the moves remaining “above and behind” (line 8) the female dancer at all times. The gull is at the mercy of “the enemy” (line 16) eagle and is forced to move
Angel Island Poem
1176 Words | 5 PagesWhen I first started researching Angel Island as part of a personal project, I wasn’t expecting much. Very few primary sources have been left behind by those who passed through Angel Island. Most Chinese immigrants during the Exclusion era, when Angel Island was active, were illiterate. Those who were literate often had limited access to writing materials, didn’t preserve their writing, and produced work that remains untranslated. Yet, I found a wealth of knowledge about Asian-American history translated through one medium: poetry.
What Is The Connection Between After Jumping Some Kids And Taking Their Money
957 Words | 4 PagesTyner’s use of character, plot, and symbolism in his poem establishes a connection to his childhood and the narrator, illustrating the scenery of poverty through the lens of a child. The poem describes
Rhetorical Analysis Of My Dear Son
596 Words | 3 PagesIn life difficulties may arise, but an “instructive eye” of a “tender parent” is a push needed in everyone’s life. Abigail Adams believed, when she wrote a letter to her son, that difficulties are needed to succeed. She offers a motherly hand to her son to not repent his voyage to France and continue down the path he is going. She uses forms of rhetoric like pathos, metaphors, and allusions to give her son a much needed push in his quest to success.
The Poet By Tom Wayman Analysis
940 Words | 4 PagesThe Poem “The Poet” by Tom Wayman is a poem that takes the reader through the physical characteristics of your average poet. The entirety of the “The Poet” consists of a list of 14 descriptors that could be used to describe the typical poet. Each of the descriptive phrases seems to be negative towards the unknown poet that he is talking about. Although the poem seems quite literal, a figurative message is portrayed though text, tone, structure and the literary devices used in the poem. To start off, the specific word usage that Wayman chose to use gives off the impression that poets have their drawbacks.
Comparing The Boys In The Boat And Elie Wiesel's Night
1437 Words | 6 PagesThe troubled mother who was determined to live a normal life. The wise man who dedicated his life to building boats. The young boy who played his life on the violin. And the beloved father who carried on only for the sake of his family. They were all resilient, holding onto their faith, strength, and integrity.
At Mornington Poem Analysis
478 Words | 2 PagesThe poem, At Mornington was written by Australian poet, Gwen Harwood. It was published in 1975 under her own name. At Mornington is about a woman reminiscing about her past when she is with her friend. There are many themes explored in this poem including memory, death and time passing.
Nostalgia Billy Collins Analysis
691 Words | 3 PagesBorn in 1941 in New York, Billy Collins has grown to become an excellent writer. He currently appointed as the Poet Laureate of the United States. Billy Collins poems discuss human experiences with in life to relate to the reader. The experiences discussed or remembrance, questioning, and love.
Summary Of John Jeremiah Sullivan's Essay 'Feet In Smoke'
323 Words | 2 PagesJohn Jeremiah Sullivan’s essay, “Feet in Smoke” is a poignant glimpse at life, the human experience, and its frailty. “Feet in Smoke” focuses on an experience that John Jeremiah Sullivan’s brother, Worth, endured. Touching death. The essay utilizes imagery through vivid descriptions and “Feet in Smoke” has a particularly powerful paragraph that uses robotic imagery foremost. This paragraph, and the paragraphs that follow shortly afterwards are the crux of “Feet in Smoke”.
Straairway To Heaven Poem Analysis
1390 Words | 6 PagesI am writing to you as a sophomore at the Urban School of San Francisco which is located right in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood, famous for the Summer of Love which I’ve noticed you mentioned in some of your poems including “Staff SGT. Metz”. I have lived all my (short) life in San Francisco which has both been interesting and felt claustrophobic at times. Before I found your poems, I wasn’t so into poetry in generally didn’t enjoy writing poems.
Poem Analysis: The Feed By M. T Anderson
934 Words | 4 PagesHow would you feel if someone could control what you were thinking? In “The Feed” written by M.T Anderson, everyone living in the community had a feed in their brain that was controlled by one large organization. Violet, the main character, suffers through a malfunction in her feed that changes the way she sees her society. Most people’s opinions can be changed when they have experienced the benefits and the disadvantages of something. Since Violet is aware of how life is with and without the feed, she becomes hesitant to believing that her community is being run efficiently.
Believer Poem Analysis
374 Words | 2 PagesIn the song,” Believer” by Imagine Dragons they sing about the hardships they faced. He talks about taking the situation into his hands and making the best of it. He used the pain he experienced to help him move along in life. Its trying to express that your greatest strengths come from your greatest weakness. He realized he was in charge of his own life.
A Step Away From Them Poem Analysis
989 Words | 4 PagesThe poem A Step Away From Them by Frank O’Hara has five stanzas written in a free verse format with no distinguishable rhyme scheme or meter. The poem uses the following asymmetrical line structure “14-10-9-13-3” while using poetic devices such as enjambment, imagery, and allusion to create each stanza. A Step Away From Them occurs in one place, New York City. We know this because of the lines, “On/ to Times Square, / where the sign/blows smoke over my head” (13-14) and “the Manhattan Storage Warehouse.”
Literary Analysis Of Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'
715 Words | 3 PagesThis poem teaches readers that all humans have strength within them that can help to overcome any obstacles. “Out of the huts of history 's shame…/ I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide…/ Into a daybreak that 's wondrously clear…/I rise…” (29-43) generate a glorious ending and reflection of being the hope and the dream of slaves as reflected in the freedom and opportunity of the present day. The message drives a point that no matter what, the protagonist will be triumphant.
Home By Warsan Island Poem Analysis
1212 Words | 5 PagesExploring Themes of Displacement and Identity Usually, the word “home” represents safety, security, and belonging. Because that is how it is presented in reality. However, many authors tend to forget that, for some people, home is a cause of abuse and neglect. Two literary pieces cover how family affects the way the characters see their identities and sense of belonging.
More about Poem Analysis: The Island Of Souls By Gordon Sumner
Death Over Water Poem Analysis
355 Words | 2 PagesAngel Island Poem
1176 Words | 5 PagesWhat Is The Connection Between After Jumping Some Kids And Taking Their Money
957 Words | 4 PagesRhetorical Analysis Of My Dear Son
596 Words | 3 PagesThe Poet By Tom Wayman Analysis
940 Words | 4 PagesComparing The Boys In The Boat And Elie Wiesel's Night
1437 Words | 6 PagesAt Mornington Poem Analysis
478 Words | 2 PagesNostalgia Billy Collins Analysis
691 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of John Jeremiah Sullivan's Essay 'Feet In Smoke'
323 Words | 2 PagesStraairway To Heaven Poem Analysis
1390 Words | 6 PagesPoem Analysis: The Feed By M. T Anderson
934 Words | 4 PagesBeliever Poem Analysis
374 Words | 2 PagesA Step Away From Them Poem Analysis
989 Words | 4 PagesLiterary Analysis Of Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'
715 Words | 3 PagesHome By Warsan Island Poem Analysis
1212 Words | 5 Pages