19 May 2011 Explication of Theodore Roethke’s “Root Cellar” A popular theme of a variety of art and media, life and death are often focused on individually. In the poem “Root Cellar,” Theodore Roethke creates a vivid depiction of life fighting for survival. To give a sense of the struggle life is facing, the poet uses a vocabulary that conveys a sense of unease and degradation. Perhaps drawing on his upbringing, Roethke shows a contrast of existence amidst backdrop of downtrodden cellar in the throes of decay, giving readers an insight into the intrinsic power of life’s resilient capabilities. The poem opens with heavy imagery to show the difficulty that one would expect life to have surviving in a root cellar.
We are old folk. Relevance: It is relevant to the story because they are saying that the war that they are in has made them older, and wiser, not so childish and immature. Personal Repsonse: The quote means to me that they have grown up from war. They might not have wanted to or chose to but they had to grow up to be more productive and helpful in the war. Chapter 2: Quote: All the older men are linked up with their previous lives.
In the end, all that studying can be turned on its head and see entire careers washed away with it. While Mr. Crichton (at this point) has lived most of his life, the fact remains that he has lived MOST of his life. He isn’t as excitable as he used to be, nor is he inclined to live in such a manner. Experience and old age tell him to slow down and not care so much about what WILL happen as he knows death is creeping up on him. Most young people today are just that; young.
The theory of disengagement was widely accepted, for example Bromley in 1974 argued that although some individual fight the process all the way, disengagement to some degree is bound to happen because old people have neither the physical nor mental resources they had when they was young. The theory of disengagement fits with the ‘springboard’ view of life. It suggests that losing contact with other people is inevitable consequence of
Cabrera, 1 Hannah Cabrera Block 4 Awp 9/21/11 Life Death is only the beginning. In “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, translated by Stephen Mitchell, the meaning of life is mainly death. Gilgamesh goes searching for eternal life and discovers something better the meaning of life, in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” the book portrays the meaning of life to be that death is inevitable. The thought that life can be restored after death leads Gilgamesh into the quest for everlasting life. For an example, when Gilgamesh’s friend Enkidu dies he is left broken hearted and thinks, “If my grief is violent enough perhaps he will come back to life” (Mitchell, 445).
Act One Reading Questions: Answers 1. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” 2. In the line "A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life", Shakespeare informs his audience that the death of these young lovers was from fate. 3. The death of the Romeo and Juliet helps end the feud between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s.
“Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague! See what a surge(?) is laid upon your hate That heaven finds means to kills yours joys with love” (V, iii, 291-293) “For there never was a story of more woe, then this of Juliet and her Romeo” (V, iii, 309-310) Tragedy- Reinforced by the death of Mercutio as it is seen by Levin as quite an ironic end, as he has been the satirist- “represents the play moving from Romantic comedy to Romantic tragedy.” Comparing Comedy & Tragedy- Tragedy tends to isolate where comedy bring together, to reveal the uniqueness of individuals rather than what they have in common with others.
In Byzantium, death becomes something that can be thought about realistically (which is a big improvement over our speaker’s old home). In fact, once he starts reflecting about death, he actually begins to figure out ways to commemorate life. According to the speaker, the best way to commemorate life is art. (You had to know that one was coming. After all, this is a poem.)
The speaker shows the brutality of death. He shows that death eventually happens to every person and there is no escaping it. Through the use of metaphors, Frost communicates that all beauty eventually dies, and nothing with meaning will last. Frost further emphasizes the undesirable reality of death through the use of metaphors, and allusions. First, he compares the perfection of Eden to the reality of death.
It is then described that those who make rumours about them are plainly “old men” and all of these rumours deducted to one coin, making it seem insignificant. The sun, with its falling and returning, is juxtaposed with their relationship as when the “essence” of their relationship has fallen, they will live together forever, and come back again. The oxymoron of the innumerable amount of kisses explains the passionate, yet almost over exaggerated, affair they share with one another. Fluent