Whitman's poem is really long it has a lot of symbolism, imagery, descriptions and whatever else you can name. It’s easy to become distracted by the many details of the poem, but with reasonable attention you can infer the underlying message he is trying to get across. This has to do of course, with his whole philosophy of the "self". Although his poem is told from his point of view and uses and some references to his own life, this "self' is not referring to only Whitman. It is a general reference to humanity as a whole.
The word minstrel means a medieval singer or musician, especially one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poetry. The persona, who is the minstrel talks about himself in the poem and tends to show what he has to grow through everyday and the circumstances under which he is living. The poem opens up with the first person and a metaphor “the road unravels as I go/ walking into the sun, the anaemic”. The use of first person at the beginning of the poem tends to incorporate and appeal to the reader to understand what the minstrel is trying to say and explain. It creates an image as if he is directly talking to the reader.
The poems which I am going to analyze are “Mending Wall” and “The Road Not Taken”. Firstly, imagery is one of the poetic devices which Frost present frequently in his poetry. According to Soanes (2007), imagery is the use of “language to produce images in the mind.” This means that, imagery engages the reader to visualize or create those pictures clearly in the mind, even though they are not actually drawn in the poem, but the poet present them by the use of language. Imagery is a literary device through which the poet gives sensory experiences. The poet makes use of images or pictures to achieve what he intend to do.
Different poet has different skills and abilities to show their poems or sonnets. Poets write short sonnets and poem to prove their point in shorter way. It is always depends on reader how to visualized or formulate the poem in their own way. In addition, great poetry often tries to “see the Universe in a grain of sand.” That is, the poet tries to show how there may be wonders contained within small or ordinary things. Also, how a simple event or object can say something to us about the biggest questions in the Universe like the meaning of life or of love.
What did it fulfill? How did it go about that? Those are all questions that involve the beginning of this discussion, the purpose of poetry. Jane Hirshfield, a known poet talked about the purpose in her journal “Poetry and Uncertainty”. Hirshfield says, “Poetry often enacts a recovering of wholeness of emotional and metaphysical balance, weather in an individual or a culture.” (63) So poetry has in innate emotional attachment to us, evoking all manner of thoughts, feelings and a balance for not only the individual but the culture as well.
Year 9 English – Writing Task – Week 7 Many poets use figurative language throughout their poems, thus giving their texts an illusion of different meaning and ideas, creating a poem that is more complex than it seems. The poems “Ione, Dead The Long Year” and “Astigmatism” both include hidden messages and illusions, which can be interpreted accordingly by the reader, showing that the simplest of actions can become the starting point for the most complex of poems. The poem, “Ione, Dead The Long Year” is about a spiritual journey of a man who is mourning the loss of someone who was close to him, thus revealing the subject of the poem. A deeper insight into Passage 1 (Ione, Dead The Long Year) shows the character to be going through a phase of melancholia – compared to the phase of blinding anger that the character of Passage 2 (Astigmatism) is going through on his spiritual journey. 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.
“Unless you are educated in metaphor, you are not safe to be let loose in the world.” This is a well-known quote by the famous poet Robert Frost and certainly hints at an extensive usage of metaphor in his poetry. Frost did indeed use metaphor extensively and it is an absolutely essential aspect of his poetry, for most of his poems are extended metaphors with vastly deep meanings. His poems almost always involve his fondness for nature and the outdoors, and they also include lots of imagery and symbolism. The usage of metaphors in Robert Frost's poetry is profound to say the least, and he uses them to more accurately portray his poems’ themes, which often include valuable life lessons. First let’s take a look at “The Road Not Taken”, which is one of Frost’s most famous poems if not the most famous.
This results in an emphasis on dramatic action that traces the symbolic patterns of life from sin, through guilt, to redemption. Intriguing poetry often creates an alternative reality and puts a unique spin on the commonplace occurrences of everyday existence. It appeals to the reader’s senses in a manner that can be duplicated by nothing else. A poem’s form influences its interpretation and establishes its overall impact. A poet is not restricted to a set of guidelines when composing, but the use of a specific form gives the reader certain expectations that add to the meaning of a poem when they are (or are not) met.
I had to read this poem a couple of times to get an understanding in what he was actually saying. That is a strong reason why I was drawn to this poem due to its hidden meaning. I like a challenge and seek deeper understanding as I analyze an author’s work. Some of Langston poems can leave you with different ambiguity in his writings but on the other hand it will make you think and process your feelings. In this poem the beat that the author is talking about is not a happy beat as the author is using a metaphor of what people were feelings about the situation they are in at that time.
A poet relies on his feeling to convey the current situations that they are in. Poets usually allow their emotions to drive their words and it allows their thoughts to flow. Poetry is like a playground where poets can explore their inner thought and question everything. Its their view of the world that allows them to paint us a picture of their dreams, aspirations and nightmares that they have encountered. What makes it so effective is that they allow the raw emotion to drive the delivery of their words.