Imagery plays an important role in relaying the message of the poem. The poem opens with describing the “warping night air.” While in “her darkened room,” the girl hears the owl. These images create an eerie feeling and help the reader relate to the fear of the child. The girl’s parents then calm their daughter using soothing words. Afterwards, the girl is then able to go back to sleep without
The poem that I chose is Ghost Dance by Sara Littlecrow-Russell. The title is something that sounded familiar to me, but the reason I chose to read this poem originally was that it told a story rather than describing something, someone, or a feeling, which had been a common theme among the poems that I had been browsing. I also knew that I wanted to recite a poem that used a more low tone rather than an upbeat one, which is something that the majority of this poem had. Subtle and major tone changes and pauses were more easily visualized for me while reading this the first few times more than some of the previous poems I had read. Finally, I had realized that the poem is something that I already had some knowledge on from another class that I had been taking during the year. Realizing this allowed for me to analyze in much more detail what historical events and ideas some of the lines and the entire poem were referencing which made the poem more powerful to me. Being able to connect the different lines of the poem to things that I had previously learned was interesting to me. All of these factors were what made this poem interesting enough for me to choose this poem over some of the other poems that I had been considering.
The first stanza, “With two white roses on her breasts, White candles at head and feet, Dark Madonna of the grave she rests; Lord Death has found her sweet”(1-4), the poem briefly states that a young girl has passed away. It is not known how her death has occurred. These lines of the poem give evidence that the young girl is getting buried or having a funeral due to the images of “white roses” and “white candles”. Also with the line three, “Dark Madonna of the grave she rests”(3), is a dead giveaway that a young black girl has died because the “Dark Madonna” represents a dark Virgin Mary who, in this poem, happens to be resting which represents death. The first two lines of the second stanza states, “Her mother pawned her wedding ring to lay her out in white”(5-6). These lines show the struggles of being black during the times of the 1920s. These lines also show how black people had to give up what they love in order to gain more. In this case, the mother had to pawn her ring in order to give her daughter the most beautiful white dress. The last two lines say, “She 'd be so proud she 'd dance and sing to see herself tonight”(7-8). This line shows the emotion that the little girl would have if she were to see herself to see herself in this beautiful wedding
There are many ways for individuals to interpret this song, but one way is that it expresses the
In the beginning of the poem Roethke describes what a child thinks about their father’s life. “The whiskey on your breath / could make a small boy dizzy; / But I hung on like death:/ Such waltzing was not easy”. The first stanza shows the way the child describes this father’s life. The first two lines talk about, “whiskey” and, “make a small boy dizzy” this shows that people like the child 's father cannot take such a difficult life like the child 's father does. The next two lines say, “hung on like death” and “ waltzing was not easy” this shows that the child stands by their father and it wasn’t that easy.
Every so often, we take for granted those who are important in our lives. Sometimes, we can ignore those who we think will always be there. The fact it, one day, they won’t. The poem “Abuelito Who” by Sandra Cisneros and the folktale “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” retold by Leo Tolstoy are two examples of this important lesson. However their different genres, change in characters, and mood give a contrasting interpretation of their essential message.
Billie Holiday’s biggest influences in music were Bessie Smith and Louis “Pops” Armstrong; she admired the power that Smith had to interpret a song, and Armstrong’s music style. “Lady Day” became famous in 1939 when she recorded “Strange Fruit”, which is song that protests against the lynching of African Americans in the United States (The Biography.com website). A year later, in 1940 she recorded a new version of “All of Me”. This song which was written in 1931 by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks, is one of the most popular songs from the 1930s. When we listen to Holiday’s version of the song, we are able to hear her ability to tell her own story through the lyrics of the song. Billie Holiday’s interpretation of the song demonstrates how
Many people have goals and dreams they want to achieve, but most of them either fall short or give up on achieving that goal they have. “If Only We Have Taller Been” by Ray Bradbury, is a poem that talks about how the success was usually out of reach, but at the end, the success was reached. In “All Summer in a Day” also by Ray Bradbury, the characters, who are children, try to get more of something they don’t have, which was the sun. Both of these stories suggest a theme throughout imagery to send the message of reaching for something you don’t have.
“The Odyssey”, by Homer is a story of adventures, obstacles, mythical creatures and the conflicts of the main character Odysseus. Homer’s writing is unique compared to other Authors writing. Many people write their own version of a piece of the Odyssey, like Margaret Atwood when she wrote the poem “Siren Song”, These two pieces are talking about the same topic but, they have different themes, rhythms, tones and meanings.
This essential message and theme of Owl CIty’s song “Fireflies” is revealed through literary devices such as metaphors, imagery, repetition, and rhyme scheme. It is however very important to recognize the emphasis on the strength these lyrics bare to listeners. Although many people are blind to the message behind the lyrics Owl City portrayals of nostalgia of the past or childhood. Some key lyrics that include metaphor is the chorus of the lyrical masterpiece, “I’d like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly/ It’s hard to say I’d rather stay awake when i'm asleep/ ‘Cause everything is never as it seems/ ‘When I fall asleep.” When it states, “I’d like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly”, it is describing how
The relationship between father and son is one that is both sacred, yet complex as each side of the relationship faces hardships. This relationship between a son and his role model, a father and his child, is one, has its ups, but one must also know it has downs. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke’s use of ambiguity through diction allows room for the audience to interpret the text in a positive or a negative way, representing the relationship between a father and a son, which on the outside can be interpreted in an either positive or a negative way.
Myths are used to verify the way society lives, myth is also a good way about thinking about the past. The poem basically specify a siren singing a song to men. The poem gives us readers an open mind when it comes to myths and the human experience and try to use that to compare with our lives. Both Margaret Atwood and John Williams Waterhouse demonstrates this very well throughout the poem and by observing the
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is a timeless song about heartbreak, anguish, sorrow, and loneliness. Written and performed in 1949 by Hank Williams Sr., this song tells the story of his troubled relationship with his first wife, Audrey Williams, and his struggle with alcoholism. Through the use of many rhetorical devices, this song resonates with audiences throughout the ages and causes them to empathize with Williams. His use of many rhetorical devices, combined with the poetic lyrics and the mournful melody, paints a picture of lost love and crippling loneliness. But two rhetorical devices in particular that convey his message of heartbreak and sorrow. Through the use of imagery and personification, Hank Williams appeals to the pathos of his audience in the song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
metaphors. This song 's mood is very pensive. The tone of this song is very allegorical. While
In this essay I have been asked to choose one of the twelve sections from ‘Staying Alive ‘and discuss why I believe it to be the most effective. It is clear that section 9 ‘War and Peace’ is the most effective. War poetry is harsh and to the point. It is filled with gruesome images and vivid descriptions of war time. The poems in this section will resonate with you for a lifetime. .Most poetry of this genre is based around the topic of World War One and World War Two. But also around other famous wars in history such as the American Civil War and Troubles in Northern Ireland. This poetry contains messages of hatred towards war and towards the idea of war. This section includes poetry of very famous poets who not only were alive during the war but some of whom also