At A Window Analysis

Loneliness is an emotion many people express in art in order to feel better. These works of art are often songs and poems. The song "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles and the poem "At a Window" by Carl Sandburg explore loneliness and how it affects those who experience it. Poetry and song have both been used to express emotion for decades. The two art forms are so comparable that practitioners of either try to convert those on the "other side" to express their art in the other way. As Adam Kirsch says, "... to the poet, turning a rapper into a poet is a cultural promotion; to the rapper, it looks more like a forfeiture of authenticity" (1). Both poets and song artists believe their form of expression is suitable, but in specific cases, song

The song "Eleanor Rigby"'s use of poetic devices has become commonplace for many musical genres and artists. In general, poetry and song have situated themselves side by side in our culture. There are good and bad poems and songs, but they often have the same messages and use the same devices to portray those messages. As Pete Astor writes in "Poetry of Rock", "As such, song lyrics now fulfilled a new set of functions for a new audience. A difference in the engagement with lyrics was signalled by Goldstein's collection; it was the beginning of the time when the rock a pop fan could situate their tastes alongside more 'high' cultural values"(144). Songs have risen to having just as much prestige as poems in our modern society. Both "At a Window" and "Eleanor Rigby" use alliteration to show their main message of the effects of loneliness. "Eleanor Rigby" uses alliteration in "Waits at the window, wearing the face" to bring attention to what is being said (The Beatles Line 6). In "At a Window", alliteration is used when Sandburg writes, "One little wandering, western star" (Line 14). The use of alliteration in both of these pieces contributes to their rhythm and style. Another poetic device that both "Eleanor Rigby" and "At a Window" use is repetition. In "Eleanor Rigby" repetition is used frequently, most often with the phrase, "All the lonely

By using these and other poetic devices, "Eleanor Rigby" is more convincing in its message. Song lyrics and poetry have again and again proven themselves to be comparable art forms, and "Eleanor Rigby" is more artistic than the poem "At a Window". Expressing our emotions through poetry and song is healing and relieving for many