Emily Dickinson’s analysis of pain and it’s effects manifests themselves through her dramatization of pain through poetry. Additionally, Dickinson wrestles with the mystery surrounding the pain of human life. Dickinson’s poem, “After a great pain, a formal feeling comes”, shows the human reaction to pain. Undoubtedly, Dickinson’s own suffering allowed her to create a work that would examine the societal phenomenon of the various ways in which we, as humans are effected by pain of different kinds. By doing this, she was able to provide a template in which readers could further understand their own human predicament.
The first refrain, “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead”, both contrasts and shares parallel structure with the second line, “I lift my lids and all is born again” (1, 2). By purposefully creating a structural contradiction, Plath draws focus to both a theme in the poem and a view of her own: people see things not as they are, but as the people themselves are, the world is a reflection of the person observing it (Buckley). This obscurity in reality is what creates the conflict for the speaker. The second refrain, “I think I made you up inside my head”, brings instability and self-doubt into the poem as the speaker questions if the one she loved so much, the one who still gives her so much pain, ever existed to begin with. The fact that this line was chosen as the second refrain, reappearing at the end of many stanzas including the first, and is always surrounded by parentheses seems to indicate that it is meant as a second thought for the speaker, a doubt of sanity always present and something thought only to herself, not to the “you” she is addressing, who is likely the one she
[In the Psychoanalytic chapter of the book Critical Theory Today author Lois Tyson does a wondering job defining Fear of Intimacy.] Tyson states “ Fear of intimacy- the chronic and overpowering that emotional closeness will seriously hurt or destroy us and that we can remain emotionally safe only by remaining at an emotional distance from others at all times.” (16) the way to put this is that we need to pick and choose very carefully who to get close to. There are many people that we often get close to and end up getting hurt because we get to attached. [Next Tyson describes] “Fear of abandonment- the unshakeable belief that our friends and love ones are going to desert us (physical abandonment) or don’t really care about us (emotional abandonment)”. (16) In other worlds she means when you get abandon by friends and
Grief is significant in allowing a person to get through the loss as well as the negative feelings and emotions that are being experienced during grief. If health care workers do not allow their emotions to go through the grief process, then sad feelings within are repressed and therefore, grieving enables a person to come to terms with a loss and moving on. Kübler-Ross' Five Stages of Grief Kübler-Ross (1969) defines the grieving process as moving through the five stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. In the first stage, which is denial, the person denies that there is a loss. They disagree with the reality that a loved one is no longer with
There are three stanzas with six lines in each. There is a simile in line 7 and diction of imagery is displayed throughout the poem. It is illustrated in Elizabeth’s sonnet that she was struggling of loving someone and being denied that love. This confusion of hers causes her pain and disorientation. In the first stanza it describes her in denial, the second, exemplifying her sadness and regret of the whole situation and the third, where she faces her feelings and copes with them.
Psychological Reading Throughout The Girl Who Played with Fire, abuse and psychological dysfunction is used as a device of motivation. Although violence and abuse is prominent throughout the text, the psychological aspect, mainly associated with character Lisbeth Salander, is merely hinted at both visually and through dialogue. During the text, psychological damage is used an excuse for the way both the way that Salander looks and for her intentions. This is shown through costuming and dialogue. A stereotypical view point of a person who psychologically impaired is that they are socially awkward, destructive; they lack remorse and are private.
Theme of isolation and Alienation in The Scarlet Letter Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasizes the intricate themes of isolation and alienation. Using a variety of literary techniques and descriptions of emotions and nature, he is able to fully depict the inner feelings of hurt suffered by the central characters as a result of severe loneliness and seclusion. Hawthorne suggests that consequence of sin is alienation. The alienation may be physical, spiritual, or emotional. The theme is expressed in three characters: Hester Prynne, Reverand Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.
This gives me the image of Plath standing in front of the mirror and crying, rubbing her hands uncomfortably. I feel this reflects how the poet is truly feeling and how unhappy she is with her life, thus revealing a tormented and anguished persona. I believe we have all felt like this at one time or another when we have stood in front of a mirror. It may have been a physical defect or an internal unhappiness, which torments us and leads to anguish and despair. In the poem “The Times are Tidy” which is about the loss of imagination and excitement, Plath laments the loss of legendary heroism, medieval dragons and wicked witches.
Despite Sylvia Plath’s long, drawn out, detailed poetry, her poems revolve around a central message. Plath’s dark personality helped to shape her poetry. The use of figurative language, recurring images, and poetic elements of poetry allow active participation from the reader. The common theme throughout her poetry may not become evident until the poem is done being read. Plath is able to strongly convey a central theme of suicide by relief of pain, and the result of abandonment and inactivity.
Especially when she reminisces in the final stanza about the time she was young and beautiful, illustrating her complete lack of confidence. Nevertheless, she is still presented as a foul character who threatens the reader, with the line ‘Be terrified’. The poem also ends with the line ‘Look at me now’ which has a double entendre (double meaning). It could be read as a cry of despair or, as a threat – if you did look at Medusa you would die! This leaves the reader feeling conflicting emotions for the character, probably similar to how Medusa herself feels in the poem.