Reaching For Dreams This essay describes the inspiring poem “I, Icarus” by Alden Nowlan, which requires very close reading. Throughout the poem, it seems there is one dominant idea; reaching for dreams. Many stanzas and lines within this poem work together to depict this theme. Not only do the lines in the poem depict the theme, but different poetic devices correlate to the theme as well (freedom and reaching for dreams). Distinct phrases like “willed myself to fly” illustrate the person’s goal of escaping his present condition and reaching for higher goals.
A drive in the country A drive in the country is poem written by Peter Skrzynecki. This poem relates to inner journey but significantly relates to physical journey as it is a poem that involves different types of obstacles and movement to new places. The poet has used descriptive language, visual imagery and many more techniques to make his poem more effective. This poem is about the poet’s experiences and they affected him. The poet is suggesting that the natural world has so much more to offer than the one he is currently enduring.
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.
He compares her to nature and describes her as soft. He believes that she is the most beautiful thing on Earth. Structure: How is the poem organized (lines, stanzas, etc.)? What is unique or interesting about the structure of the poem? Does the poem rhyme?
For the Romantics nature was ‘a stimulus for the poet engage in the most characteristic of human activity, that of thinking’. While part of the tangible world, nature is elevated through the transforming faculties of imagination so that the bird’s song becomes an experience both temporal and transcendent. The ode opens with a sense of
Poets through the ages have been esteemed as possessing the ability to perceive the ordinary in extraordinary and innovative ways. Poetry captures the essences of human emotion and experience and imbues them with further significance by the literary techniques that typify poetry as the language of art. In her poetry, Gwen Harwood explores many thematic concerns that resonate with her readers regardless of their contexts. The universality of concepts such as memory, inspiration, childhood education and the cyclical, yet final nature of death are transformed by Harwood’s poetry to create fresh perceptions of the continuity of experience and provide permanence to these transient elements of humanity through language. The poetic techniques employed by Harwood effectively communicate distinctive aspects of her themes while allowing them to remain universal.
A typical Romantic poem often starts with a description of nature, and then slowly moves on to a human emotional problem which is a result of the observation of nature. Another kind of Romantic nature-poem personifies nature, so that it ends up expressing human life and passions. The Romantic poet saw himself as “a genius” and placed himself outside society and the rest of humanity. The poet was able to look under the surface of everyday things into what they called the essence. The poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud deals with the speaker’s state of mind.
Most poems are unhealthily obsessed with the theme of nature. The poem, ‘Aurora Leigh’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, is a perfect example of a poem that shows this unhealthy obsession with the theme of nature. It is an epic poem with a passionate tone. It speaks of romance, beauty and nature. Perhaps Browning tried to capture the whole essence and beauty of nature in her poem.
‘Burke is a conservative thinker and therefore opposed to change.’ DISCUSS ‘We must not attempt to fly, when we can scarcely pretend to creep.’ The words of Burke himself seem almost apt for describing the caution with which one must to approach this essay title. At first glance Burkes championing of the prejudices of his forefathers combined with he’s fierce criticism of the French Revolution, seem damming evidence to support the view that he was a strong opponent of change. However, this conclusion seems to be unjust. Robert Peel suggests conservatism can be described as ‘changing what you have to in order to preserve what you can’. If we accept this premise we can disregard the conclusion that Burke was of not of the opinion that change must be avoided altogether.
It also owed to foreign influences. The transcendentalists rejected the theory that all knowledge comes to the mind through the senses. Truth, rather, transcends the senses and can't be found just by observation. Associated traits included self-reliance, self-culture, and self-discipline. ﻌRalph Waldo Emerson- transcendentalist poet and philosopher; urged American writers to forget European traditions and write about American interests.