Free Essay

Bad Dreams-Poetry Analysis

In: English and Literature

Submitted By hollynmcginn
Words 487
Pages 2
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/Afghanistan_War_Poetry.html

Bad Dreams
When you send a lad away
To a foreign hot land
To fight in a war he doesn’t understand
When he comes back
He brings more than just a tan

He’s probably not ok
He’s probably not all right
He’s probably in a dark place
Whether it’s day or night

Governments and Media
With their pack of lies
Will never tell the truth
But try to convince you otherwise

It feels like my eyes
Have been stretched wide open
Now and then
I have trouble coping

Images of memories
Imprinted on my mind
The boy they knew before
Is what they’ll never find
Alex Cockerill,
2010

The central meaning behind this poem is that a soldier is trying to describe that what he’s seen and experienced in war has changed him, battered him. It explains in the poem with the third and forth stanza; “Governments and Media, With their pack of lies. Will never tell the truth, But try to convince you otherwise. It feels like my eyes, Have been stretched wide open. Now and then, I have trouble coping.” about how he’s having trouble dealing with what he’s had to do. He feels that what his beliefs were when he first began, were misguided and not wholly truthful. Mr. Cockerill used forms of irony and metaphors to explain his thoughts. He described being in the dark, whether it was day or night, an ironic statement showing how alone he feels. He explains that he feels that his eyes have been stretched open wide open; an example of a metaphor, showing how much he’s had to take in. The most powerful line in this poem is in the last stanza, “Images of memories, Imprinted in my mind. The boy they knew before, Is what they’ll never find.” It shows how truly broken war can make a soldier and how hard it is to live with the decisions they’ve been told to make.

A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via association, comparison or resemblance.

A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by employing the words "like", "as", or "than".[1] Even though both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison, similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities, whereas metaphors compare two things directly. For instance, a simile that compares a person with a bullet would go as follows: "Chris was a record-setting runner as fast as a speeding bullet." A metaphor might read something like, "When Chris ran, he was a speeding bullet racing along the track."

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Literature

...Poetry, prose, sonnets, drama, plays, short stories and novels are concepts that first came to my mind when I think in the question “What is literature?” The definition of literature has change over time. The only thing that is certain about the meaning of literature is that the definition will change. The concepts about what is literature about also change over time. In order to get a clear understanding of exactly what literature is, first we need to know its definition. According to the Merriam-Webster, literature is defined by “the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age; the body of writings on a particular subject: printed matter.”  Literature has to do with letters, but some people often think that literature is only one thing, not knowing that it is composed by several elements that we use every day. These important elements include poems, prose, sonnets, drama, plays, short stories and novels. Poetry is created from the soul. It comes from your emotions and it needs every piece of creativity inside you. It has been called the art of “saying the unsayable” because trough this you can express your feelings with no limit, and nobody can tell you that is wrong. If you make a poem and you think it is not good enough, well it is no good. You as the author or the reader, can only judge if it is good or but for you but maybe for some one else it is the opposite as it is for you. A good place to start when looking back at how poetry...

Words: 4267 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Broken Family

...name: Socrates Nationality: Greek Era: Ancient philosophy Region: Western philosophy School: Classical Greek Main interests: Epistemology, ethics Notable idea: SocraticMethod, Socratic irony Influenced: Most subsequent Western philosophy; more specifically, Plato, Aristotle, Aristippus, Antisthenes Spouse:Xanthippe Children:Menexenus, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus Aristotle Philosopher Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great “Personal background” Born: 384 BC Stagira, Chalcidice Died: 322 BC (aged 61 or 62) Euboea Nationality: Greek Era: Ancient philosophy Region: Western philosophy School: Peripatetic schoolAristotelianism Main interests: Physics, Metaphysics, Poetry, Theatre, Music, Rhetoric, Politics, Government, Ethics, Biology, and Zoology Notable ideas: Golden mean, Aristotelian logic, syllogism, hexis, homomorphism, Aristotle's theory of soul Plato Philosopher Plato was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.  “Personal background” Born: c. 428–427 BC Athens Died: c. 348–347 BC (aged c. 80)Athens Nationality: Greek Era: Ancient philosophy Region: Western philosophy School: Platonism Main interests: Rhetoric, art, literature, epistemology, justice, virtue, politics, education...

Words: 3769 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Fiction Essay - Young Goodman Brown and the Lottery

...FICTION ESSAY WRITING STYLE USED: APA OUTLINE I. THESIS: A thorough analysis of Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” reveals that different literary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. II. INTRODUCTION III. SHIRLEY JACKSON’S “THE LOTTERY” A. Setting the tone: Peaceful and relaxing B. Irony: Even though the mood is relaxing, there is a premonition of something bad to come C. Ending: The ending is implied IV. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S “YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN” D. Setting the tone: feeling of something evil to come E. Symbolism i. Faith – the wife and commitment to Jesus ii. Venture in to the forest – Journey of life iii. Traveler’s staff – Satan in the Garden of Eden F. Ending: Was it real or was it a dream? V. CONCLUSION A thorough analysis of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” reveals that different literary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” are two short stories that use completely opposite ways to get to the same destination: a dark, sinister place. Both stories are very dark, and almost morbid, but one story keeps the reader oblivious to the tragic event that is being set up, while the other story lays it...

Words: 1051 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Dream Song 14

... English 1102-611 13 October 2015 Dream Song 14- John Berryman John Berryman lived a life full of demons. He is viewed as a very cynical, disturbed man who reflected his attitude into his writing. From the beginning of his life he faced emotional distress ranging from family issues, to marriage issues, to substance abuse. A traumatic beginning to his life not only negatively affected him; it also influenced his long and successful career in writing and teaching. Through his hardships, he created one of the most famous compilations of poems in history, The Dream Songs. These poems are littered with fresh and complex styles of writing, including his famous technique of using dialogue and personal revelation. Although he accomplished amazing things in the literary world, won awards and was a major arts figure in the world, he continued to struggle with himself. His never ending despair stemmed from the suicide of his father when he was young, which although very sad, shaped his life and his death to come. The Dream Song series is a modified and published version of his dream analysis treatment during rehab. By analyzing and annotating one of his most famous Dream Songs, Dream Song 14, and studying the major events of his life, it is frighteningly apparent how the effects of paternal suicide, emotional and sex abuse, and alcoholism shaped his life...

Words: 2068 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Candy Land: What Happens When Children Lack Subconscious Maps of the Real World as Seen in Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”

...You Been?’ has failed to make available to children like Connie maps of the unconscious such as fairy tales provide, because it has failed to recognize that in the unconscious, past and future coalesce, and that, psychologically, where the child is going is where he or she has already been” (1453). The point Schulz and Rockwood are making is that Connie’s generation and many following it, are neglecting to read fairy tales as bedtime stories and are consequently inhibiting the child’s ability to experience and work through problems he will encounter in adolescence. Whether we are aware of it or not, these stories have lessons that engrain themselves deeper than that on the superficial layer of a hero will save the day. For my short story analysis I will exemplify Oates’ fairy tale references and assert my compliance with the theory that fairy tales provide us, upon hearing them as children, with a subconscious ability to handle...

Words: 1306 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Graham Greene Biography

...this period of his life as "…something associated with violence, cruelty, evil across the way". Graham often skipped classes in order to avoid the constant bullying by his fellow classmates. At one point Greene even ran away from home. When Greene began suffering from mental and emotional problems, his parents sent him to London for psychotherapy by a student of the famous Sigmund Freud (1856–1939). Greene actually found the psychoanalysis to be very interesting and remained fascinated by dreams for the rest of his life. While he was living there, Greene developed his love for literature and began to write poetry. In 1922 Greene became a student of Balliol College, Oxford. At the age of twenty-two he became sub-editor on the staff of a newspaper The Nottingham Guardian. It was during this period that his first novel, “The Man Within", was written. As an undergraduate at Oxford College, Greene studied modern history. In 1925, he published his first book, a collection of sentimental poetry called "Babbling April". After graduating, Greene worked as a journalist in Nottingham and in 1926, he converted to Roman Catholicism. Greene married Vivien Dayrell-Browning in 1927 and they had two...

Words: 1573 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

American Drama

...Contemporary American Drama This is a term paper assignment for the class “Contemporary American Drama.” In this assignment, I will firstly give a clear definition of drama producing the historical background of contemporary American Drama briefly. Then I am going to introduce the genres we have covered with the characteristics of each such as absurdist, realist and feminist drama. After introducing the genres, I will give a brief analysis of the plays and the playwrights we have studied in class. Finally, I will make a few objective points about my personal performance, the instructor’s performance and the contribution of the course to my academic career. Drama is a literary work generally performed by actors in a kind of stage which involves conflicts and action crisis in it with a plot, characters and dialogues. Setting, costuming, props, blocking, movement, gestures, pacing, intonation are main elements of the spectacle. The distinct period in all arts with drama begins in 1960s. Until 1950s, the words American Drama and Broadway have almost same meanings. In the very beginning times of American Drama, plays were not originals; they were wholly borrowed from London. But after 50s, American Drama changed radically. Actors, directors, and others from Broadway came to America, because now they did not have any job there. After they came, they established their own Off-Broadway companies here. The most popular and affection dramatists of time in America were Eugene O’Neill...

Words: 3167 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Menagerie

...Rhetorical Analysis of Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is a play about the narrator turned hero named Tom. Tom works at a shoe warehouse and writes poetry in his free time; while also taking on the responsibilities of his family after his father left. The mother Amanda lives in her memories of gentleman callers and parties, while avoiding the reality of her crippled daughter Laura who is in a dream world of little glass animals. Her mother seeing no future for her, she gets Tom to find a bachelor for Laura and invite him to dinner. Instead Tom brings home Jim his employee and also unknown secret idol of Laura’s from high school. Jim gets her from out this dream world, but when he breaks off bad news of him being engaged Laura withdraws for good. Angering the mother and eventually leading to Tom leaving as his father did. In this play Tennessee Williams uses a multitude of symbols. From these symbols, there comes deeper understanding of the relationship between the play’s four characters. The most obvious symbol in this play is Laura’s glass menagerie, representing the world she lives in. Being that this glass menagerie is a representation of Laura’s world. I understood that when Jim bumped into the table and knocked the menagerie over causing it shatter; Laura picking up the pieces then handing it to Jim, showed then that she wanted Jim to be her world/her happiness. Another recurring symbol is that of the fire escape. Each symbol is a concrete...

Words: 875 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Ted Hughes

...Analysis of ted hughes poetry, and his life work. Along with sylvia plath's The Issues that Happened behind Poetries in Contemporary Era In this scientific work, I want to analyze four poems in the contemporary era. The works are: The seven sorrows condensed from Ted Hughes, at grass by Philip Larkin, September 1913 and the stolen child by William Butler Yeats. The four poetries that appeared in the 20th Century, From the beginning of 20th Century like William Butler Yeats till the middle of 20th Century like Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin. As we know that William Butler Yeats’s poetries existed in the First World War at that time, poets did a lot of experiments in writing their literary works. They concentrated more on technique in writing their literary works. Meanwhile, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes created poem the World War II, whereas nowadays, poets, do not focus on confusing technique but more at content and meaning that is easier to be understood by the readers. Now, I want to analyze symbol in the poem related with the issue that happens to the real fact or the real situation at that time. Now, I want to analyze a poem titled “The Seven Sorrows” written by Ted Hughes. We can see from the first stanza namely, the word “autumn”, this word symbolizes sadness, probably sadness that is felt by the writer. In that stanza, I found a phrase “a brown poppy head”. This phrase symbolizes something that long drawn out that has not disappointed from...

Words: 6251 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

Literary Studies

...Unit A Assignment 1: Poetry The two poems that I have chosen that I feel deserve a detailed analysis are 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and 'The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke. Robert Lee Frost was quite simply, one of America's leading 20th century poets. It could be because he wrote poems about rural life, drawing a distinct contrast between its innocence and peacefulness , and the depression and corruption of city life. It could also be because he used traditional verse forms that were understood by one and all. It might even be that people sensed his step forward in the direction of modernizing the interplay of rhythm and meter while writing exactly how people spoke. His poetry has been called traditional, experimental, regional, universal and even pastoral. And on the other hand Robert Chawner Brooke was an English poet know for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War. He was also known for boyish good looks. He was an established and rising poet with a strong academic reputation, important literary friends and potentially career changing political links. The reason why I have chosen 'The Road Not Taken' is because this poem deals with the choices we must make in life and the consequences of those choices. Frost is making an allegorical statement that basically says "there is no need to follow the steps of others". Often in life we are asked repeatedly to choose from a series of decisions that are based on the decisions that others...

Words: 2270 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Critique-I Have a Dream

...I Have a Dream: Critique ‘I Have a Dream’ is a 17 minute speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on 28 August, 1963 in Washington D.C. during the ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom’. Addressing more than 200,000 both, Black and White American civil rights supporters, from the steps of Lincoln Memorial along with the thousands of Americans viewing the live national broadcast, King effectively got his stance as a leading civil rights activist in the American Civil Rights Movement across: an end to the prevalent racial discrimination in the country; an end to the inequality, inferiority, oppression and injustice; a ray of hope for a free, prosperous and bright future for the Black Americans. Even though King relies too heavily on emotional reasoning rather than logic and does not provide the audience with any practical ways of achieving his goal of eliminating racial discrimination, he still succeeds in persuading them through a well structured and researched speech, the use of the Aristotelian appeals of ethos and pathos, visual metaphors, repetition of phrases and words and identification with the audience using a ‘we’ oriented approach. His entire speech is so well structured that it could be broken down into two visible chunks; presenting a wonderful transition from ‘what is’ to ‘what ought to be’. Initially he brings to light the harsh reality being lived by Black Americans from the past to present; their poor, deplorable plight, the grave oppression and...

Words: 2170 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

A Streetcar Named Desire

...------------------------------------------------- Analysis of Major Characters Blanche DuBois When the play begins, Blanche is already a fallen woman in society’s eyes. Her family fortune and estate are gone, she lost her young husband to suicide years earlier, and she is a social pariah due to her indiscrete sexual behavior. She also has a bad drinking problem, which she covers up poorly. Behind her veneer of social snobbery and sexual propriety, Blanche is an insecure, dislocated individual. She is an aging Southern belle who lives in a state of perpetual panic about her fading beauty. Her manner is dainty and frail, and she sports a wardrobe of showy but cheap evening clothes. Stanley quickly sees through Blanche’s act and seeks out information about her past. In the Kowalski household, Blanche pretends to be a woman who has never known indignity. Her false propriety is not simply snobbery, however; it constitutes a calculated attempt to make herself appear attractive to new male suitors. Blanche depends on male sexual admiration for her sense of self-esteem, which means that she has often succumbed to passion. By marrying, Blanche hopes to escape poverty and the bad reputation that haunts her. But because the chivalric Southern gentleman savior and caretaker (represented by Shep Huntleigh) she hopes will rescue her is extinct, Blanche is left with no realistic possibility of future happiness. As Blanche sees it, Mitch is her only chance for contentment, even though he...

Words: 1018 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Life Sketch

...W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming" W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" was written in 1919, just one year after WWI ended. The beginning of this poem reflects on how evil has taken over the minds of good Christians, and the world has turned into chaos. It is apparent that Yeats believes that a Second Coming is at hand, and he spends the last half of the poem discussing what that Second Coming could look like. Turning and turning in the widening gyre (line 1) Yeats imagines the world in a cyclical sphere known a gyre (shape of a cone). In Yeats' note on the text, he states that "the end of an age, which always receives the revelation of the character of the next age, is represented by the coming of one gyre to its place of greatest expansion and of the other to that of its greatest contraction" (2036). Yeats believes that the two thousand years of Christianity will be coming to an end, and after a violent reversal a new age will take its place. The widening part of the gyre is supposed to connote anarchy, evil, and the loss of innocence. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; (2) The falconer in this analogy is most likely God (or Jesus), and the falcon is the follower (or devotee). Humanity can no longer hear the word of God, because it is drowned out by all of chaos of the widening gyre. A wild falcon can symbolize an unconverted Gentile; someone who has sinful thoughts, and does sinful things. A tame falcon (one who listens to the word of God) is a Christian convert. In the...

Words: 23171 - Pages: 93

Free Essay

Compilation of Nursery Rhymes

...Poetry Nursery Rhymes Most children love being told nursery rhymes. Many of the nursery rhymes that we have read to our children have their origins in British history. Rhymes were written for many different reasons. Some rhymes were written to honor a particular local event that has since been forgotten, while others were written to express feelings of love. Rhymes were also used to hide real meanings, such as when someone wanted to express displeasure toward the government or the sovereign without being executed. Another reason for rhymes is that they’re easy to remember, and therefore could be spread by word-of-mouth—an essential feature for a large population of people who could not read or write. So here are some of many nursery rhymes that have been written: Jack be Nimble (aka Jack b Nimble) Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack jump over The candlestick. Little Tommy Tucker Little Tommy Tucker sings for his supper, What shall we give him? Brown bread and butter. How shall he cut it without a knife? How shall he marry without a wife? The Grand old Duke of York The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again. When they were up, they were up And when they were down, they were down And when they were only halfway up They were neither up nor down. Diddle Diddle Dumpling Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John, Went to bed with his trousers on; One shoe off, and one shoe...

Words: 14522 - Pages: 59

Free Essay

The Necklace vs. the Story of an Hour

...The Necklace vs. The Story of an Hour Pamela Richard ENG 125 Lesa Hadley May 11, 2012 The Necklace vs. The Story of an Hour A short story, “The Necklace” (“La parure”) written by Guy de Maupassant in 1884 and a poem, ‘The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin in 1894 are literary works that are very comparable yet are different. The two women, Madame Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard, portrayed in these literary works are protagonists who have trouble because of conflicting expectations imposed on them by society. Both Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard want something more than what their lifestyle offers them. During the time when the authors wrote these pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. This essay will compare and contrast elements of content, form, and style between two different literary works. Both authors chose the theme of gender roles in marriage. During the time when the authors wrote theses pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. The nineteenth century was impacted by the industrial revolution which caused a gap in gender roles, especially in the upper and middle classes (Radek, 2001). Men and women were thought to have completely different natures. Men were considered to be powerful, brave, rational and independent. Women were considered weak, timid, emotional, and dependent. Those differences separated their functions in society. "Men were thought to have natures suited to the public...

Words: 3460 - Pages: 14