The novels Ethan Frome and Catcher in the Rye by Edith Wharton and J.D.Salinger, respectively, are two great works that depict two characters’ struggles in life. Three themes that both novels share are the need for companionship, regret over lost potential and immersion in a fantasy world. Ethan Frome and Holden Caulfield are both very lonely characters in desperate need for companionship and compassion. They both search for human contact of sorts to prevent the onset of loneliness. Frome marries Zenobia Pierce prematurely, only to obviate “the mortal silence of…long imprisonment.” (Wharton, page 61) He wanted “the sound of a …voice” to fill the void on his farm.
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.
Through a comparison of how the authors depict this theme the responder gains an insight into the different human experiences of each time and the composers. In both texts the two protagonists search for the platonic form of the universal desire of love; however love is undoubtable transformed by their respective contexts which are why the texts offer an insight into two different human experiences. The persona in the sonnet sequence figuratively speaking wishes to be loved ‘for loves sake only’. Similarly Jay Gatsby metaphorically seeks a love that ‘went beyond her artificial world’. Although the two protagonists both idealised and sought a platonic love, because of the historical context of 1850’s England and 1920’s America experienced by the composers, it was only possible for the persona in the sonnets to achieve this while Gatsby couldn’t realise his ideal; this is reflective of the composers themselves.
Keats uses dialogue to tell the story, by using dialogue it allows the reader to connect more with the characters and give the story more realism. Also the voices used in the story can help establish character traits, and so are a part of characterisation, but they also enable Keats to give the readers information. The phrases “My Madeline! Sweet dreamer! Lovely bride!” bring the story into the present tense and the use of short sentences make the words more powerful.
In your view, how have poetic techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in Harwood’s poetry? Harwood’s widespread encapsulations of human experiences are recognised through her distinctive poetry, “The Violets” and “father and child”. Harwood explores the intrinsic forces of memories and mortality as its essence immensely influences our shaping an individual’s perspective and understanding, highlighted by the structured format. Through the nostalgic and melancholic atmospheres of her poems, Harwood journeys unto the universal themes of childhood and the penetration of time through memories, accumulated in the course of human experiences. Harwood identifies memory as a key component of human experiences through the use of ‘The Violets’ as an extended metaphor to trigger the composer’s personal recollections.
How has your study of the poetry and film enhanced your understanding of shared ideas across different contexts? Through the study of different contexts, poetry and film can enhance one’s knowledge and understanding of shared ideas and themes. Phillip Larkin’s poems reflect the hardship of adversity experienced by the Midlands in England in the 1950’s. Sarah Watt’s film Look Both Ways, explored the alienating world of a postmodern Australian city. Sarah Watt’s Australian drama Look Both Ways parallels the ideas and themes from Phillip Larkin’s poems, and in particular ‘Here’ and ‘Nothing To Be Said’.
Basically talking about his lost love, self-torture and about being consumed by his past. To me I think writing was Poe’s way of coping with his wife death ,because it provided him with his own insane characters with similar pain for him to deal with, as opposed to detraction from his own pain so that he could come with these much the same with his on life. The poem setting seems like it’s midnight in a dark room where the protagonist wife has past away and he is in a terrible sate of grief and misery and all he wants is to bring her back, but he can’t, and he knows this. Then with doubt and fear he locks himself up inside this dark room, filled with darkness and hopelessness in the middle of the night and while he’s alone by himself, he hears the raven who I thinks is his subconscious also death. He wants the raven to deliver Lenore to him or show him to her, but the raven only mocks him seems like and shows’ him how no one waits for you after death, you are all by yourself.
By analysing the two poems and their complex structures, the reader discovers a similarity on the subject, of spiritual journeys, however a difference in the context of the journey. The difference of representation in each subject is conveyed in different styles and voices, leading to differences and similarities within the style of each poem. The first poem, (Ione, Dead The Long Year), written by Ezra Pound, is composed in a way where the poem portrays the thoughts of the character – the reader receives a ‘head-on’ perspective of the character, thus evoking deep emotion within. Pound’s use of patterns of imagery are used to create a tone and to suggest rather than state, the poet’s theme; his use of personification in describing the flowers, portray his feeling of loss and how that seems to also be reflecting on his surroundings, “And the flowers, Bend over with heavy heads. They bend in vain”.
Edgar Allan Poe uses motifs in “Annabel Lee” to show how lost love leads to severe depression. In “Annabel Lee” the speaker says, “So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me.” Now the speaker is alone in the sea without Annabel Lee. This shows isolation, which is a motif used in
Graham’s Night Journey tells of Jocasta’s destiny, the triumphal entry of Oedipus, their meeting, new love and intimacy and then their devastating discovery that their relationship is not of husband and wife, but actually of mother and son. Movement and non-movement components, motifs and symbols will be analysed in order to outline the emotions of devastation, love and hope of Jocasta’s inner core. Motif 1: Devolope In the beginning of the piece, Graham has used certain movement techniques in ways to communicate Jocasta’s lost and desperate need of help and guidance after the loss of her beloved husband. In particular, she performs very sharp, rigid and strong movements to suit and connect with the powerful music. A way to show that she feels lost and heartbroken is through rigid isolations of the chest and wrapping her hands tightly around her body and then releasing them with intense power.