How Does the Poet Convey the Beauty and Mystery of Nature in Summer Farm?

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Norman MacCaig makes the poem very vivid and clear with his feelings. The speaker is observing details of the world in a lazy calm way.The first two stanzas concentrate on the ‘Beauty’ of the stillness and the simplicity of the surroundings by a “hen staring at nothing with one eye”. The description of the hen can be used to show the insane part of the poet or the slightly crazy thoughts that the poet has in the back of his head. “Nothing” may show that the hen is staring into something unseen to the human eye. The number “one” makes its seem like a nursery poem which is easy reading for small kids. It reminds the reader of their childhood which is usually innocent and pure. The simple structure like a nursery rhyme makes it easy flowing like nothing important is crossing his mind. The line “Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines also has numbers in it,and describes the way the ducks walk, in straight lines.”This displays strict behavior that the poet may often possess in times of stress or when the poet is preparing to do something nerve raking. The fact that they wobble makes a positive feeling in the reader becasue wobbling usually is cute and creates an image of the ducks being adorable. Furthermore the movement has a pattern, making it very similar to skipping, which is often done by young innocent children when they are happy. MacCaig touches on the stillness of this poem, when he uses sibilance of the sound “S”. It creates a vivd imagery of the place and it creates a sound that makes it seem like all the creatures and the everything thats happening is real. It draws the readers to think that they are at the farm with him. The “tame lightnings” are oxymorons and smilies that make the reader slightly wonder what he is talking about and it makes the poem more enjoyable. The alliteration of “lightning lie” emphasize the strangeness of this comparison and

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