Blackberry-Picking The poem, “Blackberry-Picking”, by Seamus Heaney is a non-judgmental and nostalgic look at the past. The clear differences and vivid sensory imagery enclosed between the first two stanzas, create an allusion of youthfulness, lust, and hope through metaphors and similes of his memories as a child growing up on a farm in the Irish countryside, but then end in the reality and disillusion of the rotting blackberries. This leads to the theme that events in life that are driven by desire, are only kept alive in the moment, but fade over time leaving only memories and dissatisfaction. The first stanza is an expression of his youth through the symbol of blackberry picking representing inner hope and desire. The joy that Heaney had as a child came to light as he “ate the first one and its flesh was sweet like thickened wine,” emphasizing the desire that came with picking and eating blackberries, which compares to the great taste of drinking wine.
Melinda having to draw a tree is good foreshadow for the rest of the story. At this time Melinda tells the teacher that she already knows how to draw a tree. This is good symbolism that shows how Melinda thinks that everything in her life is already great. She must learn and progress to both be able to draw a tree, and be able to sort out her life. Second of all, trees can relate to Melinda very well and represent her in a way.
Then we are taken on a journey of spontaneous exploration through the woods surrounding her family’s cabin through Myop’s eyes as she gathers “various common but pretty ferns and leaves, an armful of strange blue flowers with velvety ridges and a sweetsuds bush full of the brown, fragrant buds.” (82) Here we see that not only the title “The Flowers” (82), but also the use of flowers in the storyline symbolizes the very essence of innocence and the fragility of life. Walker’s opening sentence reads, “It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly … that the days had even been as beautiful as these,” (82) epitomizing the innocence of youth. The character of
Heaney compares the taste of the first ripe berry to the sweetness of ng of anger; therefore alliteration is used to emphasize that child’s body on a spade doing a man’s job, but later on realises a man’s job is made easier when a woman he loves comes into his life. ‘Four walls and a ring’ In personal Helicon and Poem Heaney uses four stanzas each consisting of equal quatrains this helps emphasize the regularity he rhymes about In perfecting things. Heaney’s used Iambic pentameter in most of this poem to complement the depth and reverence of the feeling of love. The four walls referenced in the last stanza perhaps represent the sods he built over and over again as a child. In blackberry picking however Heaney uses two irregular stanzas in the form of rhyming couplets to show how things start out beautiful and therefore have to be treasured although the it’s inevitable that all beautiful things will one day die and “the sweet flesh would turn sour”.
Truth is most teens aren’t thankful for what they have. A desk and a chair to do your school work, food and shelter, these things are all around us, yet we don’t notice. This book can teach us to be a bit more thankful and teach us things like being independent, making the best of the situation and most importantly getting in the habit of being thankful for what you have, rather than complaining about the things that you don’t have. When eating a fruit, consider the man who planted the tree and say thanks for all he’s done.
An Explanation of the Contrasts of Language used in “Silent Spring” Rachel Carson, presents a story of life in the country in her book “Silent Spring” (see Ref. 1). Where the world was once a comfortable place to live in, and nature all around us was pleasing to the human eye, this was all about to change and not for the better. It was the spring a wonderful time of the year, a season full of beauty a radiance of colours, birds sang in chorus, on the trees where they perched and ate the healthy berries that had ripened on the trees. The grass in the fields, where of different shades, some with tints of yellow where the sun had beamed down and scorched the grass, this was the glorious and beautiful countryside.
It's almost like singing, "If you're happy and you know it, think again!" What was a carefree bliss for the speaker turns out to be a fleeting joy that he ever can't recapture. What a bummer. Stanza 1 Summary Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 1-2 Now I was young and easy under the apple boughs About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green * Welcome to Fern Hill, where the speaker was once young and carefree.
A SUGGESTED MODEL FOR THE CONTEXT SAC: THE EXPOSITORY ESSAY: Landscapes play an important role in our lives FOCUS: FLY AWAY PETER |Even the most humble of backyards can have a compelling story. There’s nothing I love more than sitting and |Begin with a personal experience to hook in the reader. It| |watching this space that has been shaped, constructed, tended and loved over the years. A row of gnarled pine|must be appropriate to the topic and must try to show off | |trees line the back fence of my backyard in Donvale, a reminder of windbreaks which were planted to protect |some of your skills in descriptive writing | |the apple orchards that were typical of my suburb in the past. Some of the old apple trees, still
Seamus Heaney's poem 'Blackberry Picking' is a poem which uses contrast to illustrate the key idea of coming to accept the difficult truths of the human life. The poet uses two diffrent contrasting stanzas to represent his joyousness and his enthusiasm as a child and the second stanza shows the poet reflecting on death. Imagery is used throughout the poem to represent the diffrences between life and death. Heaney compares the diffrences between the ripe and unripe berries. He describes the ripe berries as 'glossy purple clot.'
This invokes the question; Why announce your love to the world if it is already known by both partners?”. If you are out of a casual walk with your partner then just enjoy the walk and enjoy the time spent together. Observing the spirited couple on the alternate path continues. The poet embeds a noticeable but unspoken sadness in the lines “You notice how in their weather misery hangs.” (lines 9-10). Further along the poet describes how the environment around the couple is mocking them “As if having recently unlearned the habit of empathy, the sky over their forest seems to laugh