...Read the following poems by Thomas Hardy (‘The Oxen’) and Seamus Heaney (‘Cow in Calf’) in The Faber Book of Beasts (pp.195 and 62). In no more than 600 words, compare the ways in which the two poets represent cattle. New forms of poetry, however radical they appear, almost always show traces of tradition. (Danson Brown, 2008, p.63) ‘The Oxen’ written by Thomas Hardy and ‘Cow in Calf’ by Seamus Heaney show significant differences but also share some common traditional qualities. ‘The Oxen’ is a narrative poem telling the reader a story about Christmas, and about the oxen, that according to folk tradition would kneel at midnight in Christmas Eve. It also follows the speaker’s, Hardy’s, belief of the tradition. ‘Cow in Calf’ is an Imagery poem which illustrates an image rather than telling a story. The poem represents a cow that is heavily pregnant, and the natural cycle of life. Traditional Styles of poetry, that include quatrains and rhyming lines can be seen in ‘The Oxen’, which follows an ABAB rhyming scheme. The rhyming words at the end of each alternating line create an almost song-like rhythm. Rhyming poems are easier to remember and allow the reader to connect to the poem through memory rather than just reading the words alone. The consistent rhythm of the poem can also represent the way cattle move at a slow steady pace. The absence of a rhyming pattern from Heaney’s poem not only avoids the traditional poetic forms, but enables him to use words freely to portray his...
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...Narration The person telling the story is the narrator the narrator helps t shape the story for the reader. Point of view The point of view is the perspective from which the narrator tells the story. The point of view can be indentified in five ways. 1 First person It will use the Pronoun “I” and will place the narrator in the story. 2 Third person this will use the pronouns “he” or “she but will typically limit it to one characters Point of view Third Person Omniscient Will use the pronouns “he” “she” and “they however, the narrator will move in and out of the mind of several characters. Third person objective point of view will limit the intervention of the narrator. The setting and action will be described and we will listen in audience. The narrarator will not interpret for the reader. Shifting point of view The shifting point of view will shift the focus from a narrow to a broader perspective of the omniscient narrator Setting the location and the atmosphere of the story Conflict this is the struggle of opposing external or internal forces Plot This is the structure of the story. It’s the twists & turns. It you the story un folds. Plot structure Crisis / Climax The moment of truth rising action conflict builds, exposition, We learn about the various characters, the falling action crisis is over resolution the story ends. what happens at the end. Allteration This is the use of similar consant sounds. Using woods that begin with the same on similar...
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