...Looking closely at a poem and taking it all that it has to offer can make reading an enjoyable experience. Being patient with the text will help readers learn from it. If someone is not patient with poetry, they will not find it as a pleasurable time, and will think it is just a waste, which is untrue. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins uses metaphors and similes to educate readers that by absorbing the poem and being patient, readers will not abuse the text and rather use it as education and an enjoyable experience. Collins uses metaphors to teach the audience that with patience, readers will find poetry as a source of entertainment, and not something that is being forced upon them. For instance, Collins tells readers to “drop...
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...is a great example of the use of metaphor in poetry. The poem utilizes the theme of escape in describing how a book can carry a person away from reality. In using these metaphors, Dickinson is able to describe in only eight lines the power of literature and poetry on a person’s life. Outline 1. Introduction a. Thesis Statement 2. Theme a. Theme of the poem b. Poem’s setting c. Significance of the title to the poem’s content or meaning d. Mood of the poem e. Narrator of the poem 3. Conclusion Emily Dickinson’s poem “There is no Frigate like a Book” is a great example of the use of metaphor in poetry. The poem utilizes the theme of escape in describing how a book can carry a person away from reality. In using these metaphors, Dickinson is able to describe in only eight lines the power of literature and poetry on a person’s life. The main theme of the poem seems to be that of escape. Escape from reality may be what the author is trying to demonstrate. Books do have a way of transporting the human mind to other places and realities. As such, it makes sense that a book, poem, or other form of literature would be an escape from a person’s present reality. The poem could be literal, but it is situational in style. It is showing the situation of escape through books. “There is no Frigate like a Book / To take us Lands away” is the opening line in Dickinson’s poem. A frigate is a type of boat or vessel. She uses this metaphor as a way to express the transporting...
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...and her daughter, ten. Within her poem, she speaks about this mother- daughter relationship both politely and negatively. She uses literary tool such as imagery and metaphors to help the reader understand and picture her words. When I was reading this poem, her placement of these literary tools helped me picture an entire scene. According to our text, Sound and Sense, imagery will consist of seeing, hearing, smelling or feeling anything that the author is describing (Arp & Perrine 24). The first use of imagery within 35/10 can be seen in the first line, “Brushing out our daughter’s brown silken hair before the mirror I see the grey gleaming on my head.” Immediately I picture a mother and daughter in a room before a vanity mirror. I see a young, brown haired girl sitting down as her mother brushes her daughter’s hair. As she does this she sees her own reflection in the mirror and realizes that she has grey hair and it getting older. Olds’ uses imagery again towards the end of the poem where she says “I brush her tangled fragrant hair at bedtime.” I know picture them both in their night dresses, and the mother attempts to perfect her hair. Another literary tool that Olds’ uses within her poem are metaphors. Arp and Perrine describe a metaphor as comparing things that are essentially unlike (Arp & Perrine 28). We can see the usage of metaphors in 35/10 on lines 9-10. “…she opens like a moist precise flower on the tip of a cactus;” Olds’ is comparing the child to the flower...
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...English essay Poetry is a way of giving others an insight into our hearts and minds . This is proven in many of John Foulchers poems showing his compassion to the world. He shows this though a range of techniques in his poetry such as similes, personification, metaphors and setting the scene in a very visual way. The poems Loch and Gorge, Summer rain and Lands end all explore how poetry is a way of showing others into hearts and mind. In addition, Poetry is a way of giving others an insight into our hearts and mind. Poet, John shows this in his poem “The Loch and Gorge” with his choose of words showing his care and compassion for the people who died. The lock and Gorge poem is about a tragic accident that happened in 1878, 52 people died and 2 people were sweeper to shore and were the only ones to survive. Therefore the poem that John describes is about a shipwreck. In the first two lines of the poem he sets a visual image of a steep cliff. He uses the words “ weathering cream precipice “, the audience are forced to imagine a damaged gorge possibly from wind or rain over the thousands of years that the gorge has been there. “Precipice” gives the reader a image of a sheer faced cliff (very steep). On the third line he uses the dark interior of earth; it is a unusual way of describing a cave although it is very effect in this situation. John shows uses a simile to describe huge surf, “with a sound like fire controlled” this makes the audience believe the waves are loud...
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...What is Poetry? Poetry can be defined as 'literature in a metrical form' or 'a composition forming rhythmic lines'. In short, a poem is something that follows a particular flow of rhythm and meter. Compared to prose, where there is no such restriction, and the content of the piece flows according to story, a poem may or may not have a story, but definitely has a structured method of writing. Elements of Poetry There are several elements which make up a good poem. Although it is not mandatory for a poet to use all these elements or devices, they form an important aspect of poetry. So what are the elements of a poem? In brief, they are described below. Rhythm: This is the music made by the statements of the poem, which includes the syllables in the lines. The best method of understanding this is to read the poem aloud, and understand the stressed and unstressed syllables. Listen for the sounds and the music made when we hear the lines spoken aloud. How do the words resonate with each other? How do the words flow when they are linked with one another? Does sound right? Do the words fit with each other? These are the things you consider while studying the rhythm of the poem. Meter: This is the basic structural make-up of the poem. Do the syllables match with each other? Every line in the poem must adhere to this structure. A poem is made up of blocks of lines, which convey a single strand of thought. Within those blocks, a structure of syllables which follow the rhythm...
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...In Billy Collins’ poem “Introduction to Poetry” he is trying to get you the reader to stop analyzing poetry and immerse yourself within a poem, enjoying it as well as discovering what the deeper meaning is. He does this by using many different metaphors to help the reader to approach poetry with less reluctance and be able to enjoy the many pleasures of poetry. Don’t try to find a concrete meaning in it. Experience the beauty of the poem, developing your own interpretation. In the first stanza he tells the readers to “take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide”. He is wants the readers to think of a poem as a color slide and by holding it up to light it allows you to see it more clearly, seeing the true beauty. He goes on to use a metaphor comparing the body of a poem to a buzzing bee hive. Stating “press an ear against its hive”. He is saying that the poem is a hive of a bee, which to most is unknown, scary and something you want nothing to do with. Collins is suggesting that you explore the unknown and see the beauty that might lie within. Like the sweet honey in the bee hive. The metaphor of “dropping a mouse into a poem and watch him probe its way out” is the one I like the most in the poem. That metaphor is implying that you put a mouse in a poem like you would an experimental maze. As the mouse wonders through the maze he discovers different areas of the maze and finally finds a reward. In poetry you might not understand it but if you wonder around...
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...“We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained”, Nikki Giovanni’s poetry uses figurative language to express her feelings and the tone of the poem. This essay explains how Nikki Giovanni uses figurative language like personification, metaphors, and alliteration to convey the tone. She also uses it to convey events in her lifetime. This paragraph will explain how the author uses personification to convey the tone in her poem “The World is Not a Pleasant Place to Be” she says, “An ocean would never laugh if the clouds weren’t there to kiss her tears.” This evidence shows that the clouds are there for the ocean like people would be there for each other. This paragraph will explain how Nikki Giovanni uses...
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...The word poetry is an ancient Greek word ποιεω (poieo), which means “I create”. In other words poetry is the sound and meaning of words combined to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Poetry is usually written in lines. There are many elements of poetry, these includes: Rhythm, Sound, Imagery, Form. RHYTHM Rhythm is the flow of the beat in a poem. Gives poetry a musical feel. Can be fast or slow, depending on mood and subject of poem. You can measure rhythm in meter, by counting the beats in each line. SOUND Writers love to use interesting sounds in their poems. After all, poems are meant to be heard. These sound devices include: Rhyme Repetition Alliteration Onomatopoeia “In a poem the words should be as pleasing to the ear as the meaning is to the mind.” -- Marianne Moore RHYME Rhymes are words that end with the same sound. (Hat, cat and bat rhyme.) Rhyming sounds don’t have to be spelled the same way. (Cloud and allowed rhyme.) Rhyme is the most common sound device in poetry. RHYMING PATTERNS Poets can choose from a variety of different rhyming patterns: AABB – lines 1 & 2 rhyme and lines 3 & 4 rhyme ABAB – lines 1 & 3 rhyme and lines 2 & 4 rhyme ABBA – lines 1 & 4 rhyme and lines 2 & 3 rhyme ABCB – lines 2 & 4 rhyme and lines 1 & 3 do not rhyme REPETETION Repetition occurs when poets repeat words, phrases, or lines in a poem. Creates a pattern. Increases rhythm. Strengthens feelings...
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...hidden in many metaphors. In this poem, the theme is not explicit and is intertwined with several other minor ideas. I. The figurative language is strongly present in the “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” poem, and it represents the strongest particularity. A. The poem is filled with metaphor, as most of the descriptions or nouns are this figurative language. 1. The theme of this work, which is snow, is only represented by metaphors, and is never mentioned directly. 2. The metaphors are present throughout the body of the poem, and can be found in every stanza. B. The metaphors point to some other topics related to the supposed narrator’s point of view in a very indirect way. 1. The poem can have multiple meanings for the reader depending on what the audience is looking for. 2. The double meanings of the metaphors work as a riddle. II. The theme of “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” is the snow, but it also is ambiguous and can lead to different theme interpretations. A. The stanzas by themselves do not picture snow, but when they are put together in one poem they describe snow accurately. 1. The audience may not realize the theme is snow after reading the first time. 2. The snow is described by its effects or by comparison of its similarities with other things by the use of metaphor. B. The theme can be interpreted as a housewife or as nature being prepared to marriage by putting a white veil. 1. Several parts of the poem contain metaphors, and those metaphors are purposely...
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...that do not end the same. i.e. “asleep under a tree” * Consonance – a common type of near rhyme that consists of identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds. * Cliché – an idea or expression that has become tired and trite from overuse * Cacophony – Language that is discordant and difficult to pronounce * Caesura – a pause within a line of poetry that contributes to the rhythm of the line * Couplet – Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter. * Heroic Couplet – A couplet written in rhymed iambic pentameter * Euphony – refers to language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the ear. * Elegy – a mournful, contemplative lyric poem written to commemorate someone who is dead. * Enjambment – In poetry, when one line ends without a pause and continues into the next line for its meaning. * Foot – the metrical unit by which a line of poetry is measured * Spondee – a foot consisting of two stressed syllables but is not sustained metrical foot and is used mainly for variety or emphasis. * Haiku – a style of lyric poetry borrowed from the Japanese that typically presents an intense emotion or vivid image of nature, chich,...
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...Allusions in translating Chinese PoetryBased on Tu Fu’s Poems Shih-ying Liaw Prof. Wang Linguistics and Translation June 18 2012 Shih ying Liaw1 Shih-ying Liaw Prof. Wang Linguistics and Translation June 18 2012 The Interaction between Imagery and Allusions in translating Chinese PoetryBased on Tu Fu’s Poems Though Chinese poetry has been translating for almost a hundred years, there are still many questions about the translation strategies and situations worth discussing. In this paper, the interaction between imagery and allusions when translating are discussed and the practical situation used when translating are presented. To discuss the interaction between imagery and allusions, the first thing is to identify and define each term. First is imagery. Imagery is thought to be the most important factor to the poetry. I use Ezra Pound’s word as definition because he is not only a pioneering translator in Chinese poetry and also a great poet. He says that “an image' is that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” Further explanation is given by Professor Liu in “The Art of Chinese Poetry” by putting imagery into two categories. The first is “simple imagery,” which is defined as “a verbal expression that evokes a mental picture, which not merely picture in words but also arouses emotional associations and enriches the poetic context”. The Shih ying Liaw2 second category is “compound imagery”, which involves “a...
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...Emily Dickinson seemed to think so as it is well known that she spent much of her life in isolation from society. In her poem “I dwell in Possibility” a comparison is made between the house of poetry and the house of prose with favor towards the house of poetry. However, this comparison goes much deeper. The house of poetry actually represents Emily Dickinson’s way of life in isolation, and the house of prose represents a life in mainstream society. Dickinson uses a unique metaphor,...
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...The Yorùbá Animal Metaphors: Analysis and Interpretation ADÉSOLÁ OLÁTÉJÚ University of Ibadan, Nigeria ABSTRACT The paper undertakes a study of animal metaphors in the Yorùbá language with a view to highlighting the stylistic and communicative potentials of these metaphors. To achieve the set objective, the animals – domestic and wild – involved in metaphors and their individual distinctive characteristic features that motivate their metaphorical interpretations are highlighted. The paper also discusses the sources of animal metaphors, which are said to be located in three areas, namely: the Yorùbá naming culture, animal characteristic habits and behaviour, and the Yorùbá poetry. In discussing the metaphorical processes involved in the interpretation of animal-related metaphors, a two-dimensional approach is adopted: stylistic and cultural. In the first, the semantic features of animals involved in metaphors are decomposed into semantic markers that are of two types. The first is the High Priority Semantic Markers (HPSM), which determine the cognitive/conceptual meaning of the metaphors, and the second is the Low Priority Semantic Markers (LPSM), which determine the secondary metaphorical interpretation. Animal metaphors involve transference of meanings, and whatever meanings or interpretations are assigned to a particular animal metaphor, are culture and context dependent. The paper concludes with stylistic and communicative functions of animal metaphors, with the submission...
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...Professor Lyndsey Lefebvre November 18, 2013 A Reflection in Sylvia Plath’s Mirror Sylvia Plath’s poem Mirror (1963) is evocative, provocative, and expressive. According to Clugston (2010) these are important components of poetry. Sylvia Plath’s first line is a projection of the mirror providing its introduction saying, “I am silver and exact”(Plath, 1963, line 1). The mirror is the protagonist who performs a dramatic monologue about the reflections it observes throughout the days and years of its life. The mirror’s identity awakens the reader to the identity of the woman which it sees, but the mirror not only sees the woman, it becomes her. William Freedman (1993) writes, in The Monster in Plath’s “Mirror”: The woman becomes a narrating reflector of herself as mirror and of whatever passes before it. She becomes the writer who writes of the mirror in which she perceives herself and of the mirror she is (pg 156). Plath develops the character of the mirror, and the woman this mirror observes, through the personification of the mirror. Plath’s Mirror, maneuvers through figurative language, free verse form, personification, and metaphor. The primary language of Mirror is figurative. Figurative language is defined by Clugston (2010) as “the use of words in ways they are not normally used in order to create a distinct imaginative effect or impression” (10.3). “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” (Plath, 1963). Generally, it is not logically accepted that...
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...almost all lullabies are, they are generally about something sad like “Ring Around the Rosy”. The seems to start as parents singing a lullaby to their baby, by the end of the poem you can tell that the baby is not alive and that he or she is now buried in the ground. This might not mean an infant or toddler, this poem could even relate to a 50 year old dying and the parents singing lullabies to them as well. Just because they may be older does not mean that they are still not their ‘babies’. Everyone deals with sadness and upset in a different way and the parents in this poem are able to cope with the loose of their baby by singing lullabies. “Daffodils” seems to me like it could be a children’s book. It could be read as a book or kids to use their imaginations and minds to create whatever they want. Even though it seems like this poem was written to show that someone is able to ‘escape’ the daily grind or depressed state by thinking or remembering something happy from the past. It can still sweep you off of your feet and bring you to a happy state even when you were not 30 minutes before. This poem could...
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