In many poems, elements of human nature are displayed. Perseverance to find contentment is an idea developed in “Chicago”, by Carl Sandberg, “Lucinda Matlock”, by Edward Lee Masters, and “Mrs. George Reece, also by Masters. It is suggested that it is human nature to persevere through hard times in order to be content in life through the tones, figurative language, and imagery used in these poems. The tones that Masters and Sandburg develop in their poems display that the speaker or group of people the poem represents are happy with their lives despite the obstacles they have faced.
“Their Beauty Has More Meaning,” written by Robinson Jeffers is seventeen lines that all flow with admiration for nature. Jeffers introduced the poem solemnly with the title referring to a their, leaving the audience wondering to whom Jeffers is referring to. Throughout the poem, Jeffers focuses on five forces: storms, the moon, the ocean, dawn, and the birds. There are certain words that are structured differently to show emphasis and the importance of these words to the author. After carefully analyzing the poem, it is evident that Jeffers is trying to convey that nature is a sacred treasure that truly represents the ultimate deity.
When the speaker and her grandmother finally have full access to the beach; it was a revolutionary change, a change that brought hope to them, a hope that things will not only change but improve over time. Time serves an important factor here, since it accommodates for the possibilities of change and improvement. Trethewey's message of the poem is clear, she believes that the future always carries hope and one should never cease to hope for a better life. In addition, the title of the poem “History Lesson” carries a significant weight, it is a “History” that Trethewey wants to show the readers and it is a “Lesson” because she wants people to learn from it and most importantly, not make the same mistake that will permanently leave wounds in people's
Connecting from one to Another (A critique of William Blake’s archetypes) “Archetypes provide foundations to build on and allow endless variety” (Gibson). William Blake in his Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience has a few main archetypes in these poem. Blake’s poems have a tendency to move from the simple to the complex. In The Lamb by William Blake this poem is about lambs, where the speaker asks the lamb who made him, then informs the little lamb in the last stanza who made him. This poem has a lot of repetition and uses childlike language, which places it in Songs of Innocence.
“Their Beauty Has More Meaning,” written by Robinson Jeffers is seventeen lines that all flow with admiration for nature. Jeffers introduces the poem solemnly with the title referring to a their, leaving the audience wondering to whom Jeffers is referring to. Throughout the poem, Jeffers focuses on five forces if nature: storms, the moon, the ocean, dawn, and the birds. Certain words are structured differently to showcase emphasis and importance towards the author. After carefully analyzing the poem, it is evident that Jeffers is trying to convey that nature is a sacred treasure that truly represents the ultimate deity.
In both Blake’s poem To Tirzah, found in his Songs of Experience, and Baudelaire’s poem Obsession, found in The Flowers of Evil, there is a recurring theme of redemption portrayed through religious imagery. In To Tirzah, the speaker addresses a woman, most probably named Tirzah, talking about sin and relating this to the contrast between his mortality and religiosity. In Obsession, the speaker addresses nature, speaking to the woods, the ocean, and the night, comparing them to the divine. Therefore, both Blake’s and Baudelaire’s poems juxtapose the mortal and spiritual through alluding to religious imagery and texts. Despite this, they reach vastly different conclusions concerning redemption.
I found it interesting how his use of metaphysical conceit and elaborate metaphorical connections could produce a poem easy to analyze by any reader. Not to mention, it does well in teaching modern audiences the level of intimacy puritans had towards god and how important it was to receive God's grace. Additionally, Taylor does a good job of showing his desperation for God's guidance, and his willingness to give God control of his life to produce a closer relationship with
This juxtaposition is much like how, through the most tumultuous times of his life, the moments where he was closest to death were the moments he was the most calm. This, again, can be seen in “I have a Rendezvous with Death” as Seeger continually repeats that Death and him have a predetermined meeting. Also in “Sonnet 10: I have Sought Happiness and it has Been”, Seeger uses words such as “Pleasure” and “Desire” to refer to his life in New York City where he felt he was more materialistic. The only abstract idea that Seeger does not capitalize in this poem is peace at the very end, because with this use of understatement he expresses how he found peace when he wasn’t searching for it and he wasn’t materialistic. Again this theme of war solving all of his issues is seen in his poetry.
The Tyger By using literary devices and an empowering tone, “The Tyger” by William Blake reveals that people must have the determination to fight back against an almighty force. The poem is attempting to empower the people to fight back. Devices such as diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery add to the tone. Diction and syntax are used to set the tone immediately and add description. Diction is the word choice the author uses.
Religion played a very huge role throughout the readings however, religion was represented differently in all the readings. In the poem The Dream of the Rood religion plays a significant role through the characters. The poem tells and shows readers before, during, and after the crucifixion of Christ through deep descriptions. The characters throughout are the dreamer, the rood, and Christ. These characters are all very significant throughout because the dreamer is represented as a believer/worshipper, the rood represents the cross, and Christ who died for all our sins.