Poppies were also associated with sleep (opium being a poppy derivate) and McCrae, being a doctor, would have been conscious of this: the idea of sleeping under the poppies is revived in the last lines. * “We are the dead.”: the poem turns, surprisingly, to the dead, who are given voice by the poet. This is a powerful and emotive turn, a direct address of the living by the fallen. * “In the sky, the larks”: these birds, traditional poetic symbols of natural beauty and freedom, contrast strongly with the world below. As often, nature provides an idealized backdrop to the war that provides a contrast with man’s immoral
The main topic of the poem is about virgins and how they shouldn’t wait to become sexually involved with a lover, but I feel that this poem can be used at anytime in a person’s life. In the first stanza, a rose is used to symbolize life and beauty. The life of a rose is used as a metaphor for time. When a rose first blooms it is beautiful and strong, but a rose loses its beauty and becomes frail quickly, just like time passes a person before they know it. Not only do lines 1-4 compare the beauty of the youth to roses, but it also describes the uncertainties of a person’s life.
The Scarlet Ibis" James Hurst effectively uses symbolism in the first paragraphs of his short stories to create a mood filled with despair, gloominess, life, and death. To create a gloomy feeling, James Hurst used the changing of seasons. In "The Scarlet Ibis," he wrote that summer was now dead, but autumn had not yet been born. Also, in "The Summer of Two Figs," James Hurst created the statement: a summer born of fulsome promise faded into falling leaves unfulfilled. A feeling of desolation was presented here when Hurst implied that summer was born with great promise that eventually evanesced without being fulfilled.
The same blackberries become stinky and disgusting which reflects to the story of Death of a Naturalist. 2. Imagery: In the first stanza the persona vividly describes the scenery to place the reader in the exact place of the persona. The reader is therefore able to start to “feel” the text after which the berries are introduced. The berries are described with sensuous imagery so that the reader can imagine the taste, smell, touch and sight of the blackberries.
We know that the story is being told through first person narrative from the second line ‘in my path’. The narrator presents his view on the subject of his decreased popularity in such a strong way, that the audience don’t question his reliability at first. Although there seems to be another voice in stanza two, it is actually the narrator’s interpretation of what happened so this may be unreliable. The poem is written in retrospect, and shows the narrator looking back over his life and how it used to be compared to now. The narrator seems amazed ‘a year ago on this very day’ at how quickly people’s opinions can change towards someone.
The descriptive language used in the second stanza assumes a certain brilliance when the poem reflects a positive tone when he says “the wide wide heavens!” He uses a sense of heightened colour when describing the nature surrounding him, e.g. “purple heath flowers!” Coleridge realises toward the end of the imaginative journey that nature is all around us for those who have the desire, passion and determination to search for it. Conversational tone is also conveyed in ‘Frost at Midnight’. Frost at Midnight is in an secluded cottage during the stillness of night. “The frost performs its secret ministry” at the start of the first stanza implies personification used to establish the stunning silence of nature and the frost falling outside.
Since the prison is a place of darkness and sin, the beauty of a wild rose bush growing in such an unexpected place symbolizes God's grace. By starting off with a prison door and beautiful rosebush, Hawthorne is letting us know that the issues punishment versus forgiveness and judgment versus grace are going to be super important. Like I said earlier even though Hester went through many hardships she was able to overcome and bloom just like a rosebush would. The Scarlet Letter is a dark book at the beginning because the setting of the prison makes me think of sadness. When the prison is being described Hawthorne names everything that makes it such a sad place.
“The Lottery” teaches the reader the danger of blindly following tradition. “The Lottery” takes place on a beautiful mid summer’s day, which usually represents the height of life. Since this story is about a tradition and the dangers that come with following tradition, it is ironic that the setting is during the summer. Readers are under the assumption that this story will be sunshine and rainbows, however, as they progress, the story takes an unexpected twist that readers do not expect. Perhaps one of the most powerful elements about tradition is the capacity to encourage stubbornness among those who practice it.
Eliot immediately starts the poem with an assertive tone, which straight away sets a dark, elegiac atmosphere that persists throughout the poem. The actual word “April” comes from the Latin word “aperire” that means to open, and therefore is a good way to open the poem. “April” is the start of spring and is the month of regrowth and birth, yet he still refers to it as the “cruellest month”. Birth eventually leads to death so life itself obviously loses value – this is Eliot showing the bleakness through even the most beautiful of things, in this case a new life. The word “cruellest” indicates that all of the other months are cruel to a certain extent, but April is apparently the worst.
Writing English: Poetry “Blackberry-Picking” by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots. Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes.