Summer Abdallah Mr. Weeg AP English Literature 1 December 2010 A Barred Owl and History Teacher In the poem “A Barred Owl” by Richard Wilbur uses symbolism and soothing diction to portray how the innocence of a child can be protected by the lies we tell; while in the “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins uses deceiving imagery and realistic juxtaposition to acknowledge the fact that although their innocence is shielded by our lies, it is inevitable to guard them from the world. As the child was awakened by the freighting owl voice, Wilbur uses soothing diction in “we tell the wakened child that all she heard/ odd question from a forest bird,” to create a lie of comfort for the little girl. “Words, which can make our terrors bravely clear/can also domesticate a fear,” also demonstrates Wilbur’s soothing diction as he explains how the reassurance of a lie could secure the Childs innocence. The symbolism also utilized by Wilbur creates a sense of ease only told through a protective falsity. As Wilbur describes “the warping night air have brought the boom/of a owls voice into her darkened room,” exposes the reality of the world entering the Childs mind.
In both poems ‘Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster’ and ‘Summer Farm by Norman MacCaig’, the author makes a dominant connection between the natural world and mankind by addressing the importance of digging down to your roots, finding your own identity through it and also focusing on how nature alters to fit with your emotional state. In ‘Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster’, it concentrates on idea that wherever you come from, you carry a sense of that place in your mind. By trying to convey this message and create the effect of a nostalgic poem, the author had used many techniques such as sibilance, similes, alliteration and metaphors. On the other hand, in ‘Summer Farm by Norman MacCaig’, the author’s central idea is to get across the message that the natural world is created according to the emotions of man. The author tries to put across his thoughts through using techniques such as juxtaposition, introspective perception, recursion, rhyme, assonance and alliteration.
War Poems Q1, 2. Why do you think that the poem is full of descriptions of Nature? Julian Grenfell uses descriptive imagery of the surrounding world to glorify War. He creates colour and life in his poem to suggest the beauty in battle and death. By describing the ‘green grass and bursting trees’, Grenfell creates a bright and triumphant image in the reader’s mind, illustrating a positive outlook on War.
He claims that it “bullets by or stands in space to take aim”, distinct images of war. “There are battle-shouts and death-cries everywhere”, writes Hughes in describing the implications of warfare as the dragonflies chase and capture their prey. Hughes sets up a concrete image of violence and fierceness among the dragonflies, but he contrasts this with the human perspective of the scene. Because the cries are “inaudible”, the human eyes “see the colours of these flies”. The human mind and eye is blind to nature’s true turbulence, so instead of killers we see elegant, gentle creatures with rainbow wings.
The authors Bradley John Monsma and William L. Fox share many intensions when it comes to human’s expression of nature. In each of their essays there is a main concept of human expansion into nature to seek a new perspective to gain appreciation for the beauty of our surroundings, and to comprehend whether we have a responsibility to step in, but both Monsma and Fox use different tools to provide the reader with this idea. While Monsma uses imagination to get a new perspective on nature Fox goes beyond that and uses a true physical connection with nature. In each essay gaining a new perspective on our surroundings helps us build a better relationship with the environment and each author portrays that using the same idea, but have a different way of proving their point. While in my own experience I found it extremely difficult to just use my imagination to try and find a new perspective on things.
To fully understand a character, it is essential that the reader be aware of their backstory and life experiences. The author has to be able to portray the characters’ development because, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions,” therefore the character has permanently changed, (Holmes, Jr., BrainyQuote). Only when the reader understands these changes are they able to become emotionally invested in the character. Throughout Three Day Road, Joseph Boyden uses the image of invisibility to portray all of the characters in a new light. Using the image of birds, he is able to describe Xavier and Elijah’s pasts and home.
The unrestrained and expressive brushwork combined with the radiant colors conveyed the individuality, strong emotions and passions in the portrayals of nature and human subjects alike (MindEdge, Inc., 2014). Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (Friedrich, 1818) highlighted the awe inspiring beauty and mystery of nature while implying the insignificance of man against nature. Acts of nature that could not be controlled were common landscape portrayals. J.M.W. Turner use of vivid colors through watercolor techniques with oil paint brought both mystery and emotion to his work as he was able to show nature as a beautiful and awesome force to be dealt with in his paintings Slave Ship (1840) and Dutch Boats in a Gale (1801).
In addition, layering mystical qualities in the image of the wind contributes to the fantastical feel of the story. To further the impression that the reader will be taken to a dreamy world, Nabokov then introduces a series of unusual characters and images inhabiting the deep court yard – “the melancholy ragmen”, “an obese blond woman with a lovely voice”, “the wail of a crippled violin”. In this almost hallucinatory world the main character falls asleep. This is the departing point from reality into fantasy. Nabokov interweaves the imagery from the myth of Elijah and his chariot as a main cause for thunderstorms with the main character’s strong emotional reaction to the raging element to create an atmosphere.
In the prelude, Lear is speaking of the life that he and Cordelia will have in prison, and how peaceful it will be when he says ‘No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison…We two alone will sing like birds i’th cage.’ Here, Shakespeare is trying to show the contrast between this scene and the other in which Cordelia has died. Shakespeare questions Lear’s state of mind here. It’s as if he’s in a hurry to spend time with Cordelia. Shakespeare usually uses negative animal imagery, but this is the most pleasant imagery using animals in the entire play, compared to ‘pelican daughters (referring to Goneril and Regan) and ‘Howl, howl, howl!’ (Act VI Scene 3, L-256) when Cordelia dies, this is what Lear shouts.
Samantha Gill Short Paper Circle of Life: Nature Style Romantic Literature idolizes the natural elements of the world, otherwise known as nature. Most “Romantic” authors turn to nature for inspiration. In most works, the overall mood/tone can suddenly change because of such “beauty” nature displays. William Blake and William Wordsworth are authors whose poems have admired nature. In Songs of Innocence and Ode: Intimations of Immortality nature is used to add a double meaning to the story.