Harwood highlights the extreme contrast in ones perception of love, life and death when influenced by either philosophy or poetry. In ‘The Violets’ Harwood explores the inevitable nature of passing time, that this passing gives rise to change and loss. The inevitability of the approach of death in the poem is seen through the figurative language and simile of sunset images ‘the melting west stripped like ice-cream’ symbolic of the inevitable approach. The connecting image of the violets are used throughout the poem ‘frail melancholy flowers’, ‘spring violets’ and ‘gathered flowers’ these images act as a metaphor representative of the stages of life. Each image is representative of high and low phases of life and ‘gathered flowers’ is suggestive of the end of life.
Whitman’s influence on Ginsberg is prevalent in the first sentence of “Howl” in which Ginsberg begins his poem with the line “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.” In Whitman’s “Song of Myself” the author begins his poem in a similar fashion stating, “I celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume.” Both authors wish to connect with the readers and depict their personal thoughts. The use of the word “I” also emphasized ideas of individuality, drawing attention to the fact that society is made up entirely of individuals. Both poets used descriptive, non-rhyming poems written in streams of thought and broken down into long stanzas; otherwise known as free verse. In both Howl and Song of Myself, Ginsberg and Whitman give insight into the lives they lead by giving descriptions of themselves. Whitman describes himself as “Turbulent, fleshy, sensual, eating, drinking and breeding, No sentimentalist, no stander above men and women or apart them, No more modest than immodest.” Whereas Ginsberg describes himself as “starving hysterical naked… wandered around and around at midnight in the railroad yard wondering where to go… lounged hungry and lonesome
In Wild Oats It explains that a person, over the course of time, comes to realise that his greatest desires of love, are unattainable, and second best things will have to suffice. The central purpose of this poem is to show that love is one of these great desires and despite flashes of promise it contains scarcely anything that is more than fragmentary. Larkin reveals this through tone and diction. Both poets seem to focus a lot on the physical side of love where lust and desire are involved however Abse makes it sound more sensual and even spiritual when he speaks of Eros in his poem. Larkin portrays this sense of objectification in his poem with regards to woman as he describes a woman as a ‘bosomy English rose’ and then follows on to call her ‘beautiful’ throughout the poem portraying the sexual lust involved with love.
In the romantic poem Ozymandias, the author uses diction as one way of making his poem fit the category of romanticism. Antique land, trunkless legs, shattered visage, and boundless are just some of the words Shelley put into his writing in order to better show its romantic side. Also, when Ozymandias talks, he talks as if everything in the world is good and that no bad can come from anything. For example, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.”. In this line, Shelley is showing the carefree nature of the king, which is a key trait of the Romantic period of writing.
TO LOVE OR NOT TO LOVE? “The most interesting aspects of texts written in different times is seeing the difference in what people value.” Possibly one of the best known piece of American prose fiction of its time, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, develops an ironic but ultimately pessimistic point of view on the materialistic and superficial society presented in the 1920s which prevented the ideas of pure love. The form of a prose fiction does not have a structure which makes the novel unique. Sonnets from the Portuguese, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, presents a more idealistic and optimistic view about love and hope. She portrays her personal voice through the use of sonnets, specifically Petrarchan.
Poetry is one of the greatest forms of literature arts, it is a great and creative way of self expression, telling stories, and also a variety of ways to connect with the readers. Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poet, well known to be one of the first influential black poets in American literature. His most popular times were in the beginning of the 20th century. Not only is Paul Laurence Dunbar known for writing poems, but also for writing novels, short stories, and essays. Some of his famous work consists of Majors and Minors, Lyrics of Love and Laughter, and The Uncalled.
Alonzo Booth III IB English Due: November 8, 2013 Porphyria’s Lover Analysis Robert Browning was a famous English Poet who mastered the use of dramatic verse expecially dramtic monologues. One of his famous pieces was Porphyria’s Lover. Robert Browning use situational irony, personification, imagery, iambic tetrameter, juxtaposition, rhythm, and enjambment to complicate the notion of truth throughout the poem. Robert Browning uses situational irony to depict the love portrayed by Porphyria’s lover but it ends up going awry when he took, “ in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around and stranged her.” (lines 39- 41) It displays the irony of a person saying a whole lot of good things about that person that they love and cherish but they end up killing them. Browning uses that to throw the readers off from the suspecting romantic love poem or love story to a romantic tragedy that ends up leaving the reader wondering why did the man kill the woman he loved so dearly?
Each poem I have chosen reflects aspects of contemplation, sadness or regret. Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" examines feelings of regret and choices in time, Sir Walter Raleigh's "Life" is a poem of contemplation; of existence and time before its end. Finally, John Milton's "Of Time", a typically dramatic piece by the 16th century master of 'epic' poetry. "Of Time" is written of the bittersweet relationship between mortal lives and the aching shortness of said lives. The chosen image of an hourglass is a typical, although, undeniably apt choice of symbolism wherever time is involved.
Jack Benson Mrs. Phillips AP English Literature May 27th 2011 William Carlos Williams “No ideas but in things. (Williams 1).” This is a quote from William Carlos Williams, as well as his motto (Yang 2). In Williams’ works he incorporates his motto into almost every poem. “No ideas but in things” simply means that Williams strives to have his reader illicit ideas through is dictional and structural imagery. Throughout his works, this ideal is presented.
In the last stanza Poetry reaches the status of pure sainthood. Poetry is framed as the “fairest” of the “Visiters” , the most beautiful of divine apparitions (9). The very act of engaging in poetry, the “Occupation”, the speaker argues, is out-of-this-world and infinitely liberating. She celebrates this when she says “The spreading wide my narrow Hands(which is the longest[widest] line in the poem)/ To gather Paradise” (9-10) As for the rhyme, it is almost nonexistent save for the first stanza that has an “abbb” scheme. The last stanza offers similar ending sounds at the end of the lines but they're not as close a match as that of the first stanza.