So what is beauty? As far as cliches go, beauty ought to be in the eye of the beholder, right? We should recognize it when we see it. Ancient philosophers, such as Plato, examined beauty more as a moral equation, believing that what is beautiful is good. Poets equated it with something “more profound than truth itself” as stated by Anatole France.
The poems “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley and “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning are very different. However they do have something in common – both poems are representations of ones power. “Ozymandias” represents power as poem shows that human life is insignificant compared to the passing of time, even for egotistical kings such as Ozymandias, time is very powerful. “My Last Duchess” represents power through the narrative technique, which makes it seem as if the Duke is speaking directly to an audience, powerful as it captures the reader. Shelley's poem "Ozymandias" is about a ruined statue of a powerful ruler who once controlled an ancient kingdom.
Some rhetorical devices Jefferson uses are so subtle that the average reader does not recognize them as obvious forms of rhetoric. The audience is only left with the powerful message that he intended to convey. Alliteration, one of the simplest devices he uses is fairly subtle yet effective in creating mood or tone through out the Declaration. In breaking down the phrase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” the words “Life” and “Liberty” sort of roll off the tongue together. This could be applied to make a point that life and liberty are one in the same; that with life comes a given freedom, and the right to pursue ones own happiness is branched under that freedom.
In any case, Steinbeck creates an exceptional story in The Grapes of Wrath by use of prose, symbolism, and true events. Many critics agree that the main literary device used is Christian Symbolism, which is used countless times by Steinbeck in the plot. It has been considered strange to run a parallel between Jesus Christ and Jim Casy but Steinbeck pulls it off well. Critics see the connection between Casy and Jesus Christ by looking at each of their introductions into the world as changed men. In The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casy is introduced after his mission to find the true meaning of life and himself (Steinbeck 24).
"Join the conversation," page 294. Question #1 Do you find this poem beautiful? Would you be inclined to use a different term to characterize it? Is there a special element in this poem that leads you to believe that this is a beautiful poem? Can one argue about beauty?
People thought that Brown’s irony was sharp, his ideas were exciting, and he was not only and protestor of his time but one of the first times. Brown’s Work protested the classical folklore in the way it was written. “He infused his poetry with genuine characteristic flavor by adopting his medium geniality and optimism” was James Johnson reaction to his
Beowulf is a warrior, but at the same time, he is a Christian. His entire belief system as a warrior completely contradicts his Christian values. For example, the Bible instructs people to love thy neighbor and forgive those who transgress against us, but the heroic code endorses revenge and retaliation. This ongoing conflict between doing the right thing as a warrior and doing the right thing as a Christian is present throughout the text. In the epic, the speaker tells Beowulf to choose “The better part, eternal rewards” (lines 1759-1760).
Although the poem identifies “myself” as Walt Whitman, the identity of the speaker is also mythic. Instead of trying to say how unique his feelings and thoughts are, Whitman emphasizes his own self. His ordinary self is so comprehensive that he absorbs each American, past, present, and future. This comprehensive awareness makes the speaker of the poem greater than himself, but it is greatness that he emphasizes to us as readers. Whitman's poem is really long it has a lot of symbolism, imagery, descriptions and whatever else you can name.
Protestants and Catholics alike referred to Darwinism as “an attempt to dethrone God,” agreeing with nearly every denomination that Darwin was actively trying to bring down the idea of creationism (Appleman 363). People were so caught up in Darwin’s theory that its reception became less focused on its scientific findings than it’s perceived malicious objectives. When Dr. Constantin James published his On Darwin, or the Man-Ape, a direct refutation
Anthems for Doomed Youth The title immediately sets the tone for this poem. The use of the word “anthems” which brings in mind the feeling of triumph and glory, and the word “youth” which is usually associated with happiness and excitement. These two words in a sentence would usually be used to illustrate a pleasant image in the readers head as these two words tend to have pleasant connotations; however Owen also uses the word “Doomed” in title, which completely eliminates the pleasant feeling and in its place gives the reader a feeling of sorrow, sympathy and hardship. This is a great use of oxymoron by Wilfred Owen as it has a stronger impact and takes the reader closer to the emotions he was feeling as he wrote the poem. Owen could also be trying to convey a message about society’s voluntary ignorance during the war because the public sang anthems for the youths as they were heading to war knowing what fate intended to do with them.