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Essays on W.H. Auden poems
Essays on W.H. Auden poems
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Comparing Twelve Songs by W.H.Auden and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas The two poems I am comparing are 'Twelve Songs' by W.H.Auden and 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' by Dylan Thomas. Two themes run through both of these poems, those themes are grief and death. Although the subjects are the same, the poets each have a very different approach to the subjects. This is shown in many different ways, But although their approach to the subjects are very different, their overall views on grief and death are quiet similar. That being that neither grieving nor death is good, and no one wants it to happen. Someone who has lost a loved one, and feels nothing is important now that they have gone is narrating 'Twelve Songs'. A son is narrating 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'. The son is telling his father not to die. 'Twelve Songs' is not talking to anyone he is talking about someone. Whereas 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good night' the son is talking to his father rather than talking about him. The tone of each poem is quite similar. They both use orders and commands but they use them very differently. 'Twelve Songs' uses a list of instruction or commands throughout the whole poem. 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' uses two instructions: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and "Rage rage against the dying of the light". Dylan Thomas uses these two lines throughout the whole poem but only uses those two instructions either at the beginning or the end of each stanza. W.H.Auden uses a lot of Instructions, in fact the whole poem is just instructions:" Stop all the clocks''pack up the moon and dismantle the sun" But none of the instructions are repeated at any other poi... ... middle of paper ... ...ave out that message to the reader. Dylan Thomas did not really give out a message to the reader apart from to put up a fight against death. His aim of begging his father not to die and to create an impact worked. He did use instructions but not in the same way as W.H.Auden, however his instructions did work as he used them to beg his father to 'not go gentle into that good night'. The main difference between these poems is that 'Twelve Songs' is about after death and 'Do Not Go Gentle In to That Good Night' is about before death. The main similarity is that they both use instructions and even though they use them very differently they are still very effective in both poems and are used well. Also both poems talk about personal feelings but only at the end. "I pray do not go gentle into that good night", and "I thought love would last forever I was wrong."
The poems “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “Do not go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas are very similar, yet have their differences. The poem “Invictus” was written to self motivate himself after he was in the hospital with tubercular arthritis. It was important to the poet to stay self motivated to get through the hard times. As the poet is having troubles with his physical health he is keeping and lifting his mental health by staying positive. In the poem “Do not go Gentle into that Good Night” the poet is telling a story about how a father is on his deathbed but his son won’t let him accept death and gives him motivation to stay alive for him.
Decisions are made every day, and greater the number of choices, the harder it becomes to evaluate the opportunity cost of a particular option, especially when the outcomes are unknown. Everyone experience a dilemma at some point in life, maybe, critical enough to alter their fates; some regret while others rejoice. Such is the case for the narrator, of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, who is required to choose his fate. There is deep regret because he “could not travel both” only to settle for the “one less traveled by” (19). Blanche Farley, however, tries to cheat out of regret through her lead character of “The Lover Not Taken;” a companion poem of “The Road Not Taken,” only with a parodistic spin. Although the poems share common features of structure, style and a common theme, there is a distinct difference in the imagery and perspectives in the respective poems.
Alan Bradley’s novel, entitled Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and Edward Estlin Cumming’s poem, somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond, both underscore the thematic concepts of mystery, adventure, and love, but are shaped from different standpoints. The novel is an old-fashioned whodunit set in a 1950s English countryside filled with odds and ends. Taking inspiration from the illustrious Sherlock Holmes, Bradley features Flavia, an eleven year old aspiring chemist who singlehandedly solves a murder case. The poem, written in 1931, details the intense affection that the poet feels for his beloved by using simple prose to express the abstract complexities of love through imagery and symbolism. The three underlying themes are essentially presented physically in the novel, and mentally in the poem. When the inquisitive prodigy stumbles upon a mysterious dead man in her garden, her unique advantage of age propels her on a thrilling journey through various people and places, and while her love remains fixed on chemistry, her interpersonal relationships fall short. On the contrary, the poem portrays the speaker marvelling over the mysterious power his beloved has over him, as he contemplates the inner adventures he will take with her through an exclusively interpersonal love journey. While holding one’s true passion and love close to heart, a wild adventure that stems from the wonders of the unknown offers insightful reality and meaning into both brilliant pieces of literature.
Margaret Wise Brown is an exceptional author that has written many children’s picture books. She has created a style of writing that children can relate to on each of their own level. Each book has a simple and easy structure of writing accompanied with defining illustrations.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
The take home message would have to be no matter how hard anyone tries to escape, hinder, or alter their fate, it catches up and overthrows them in the end.
As Edgar Allan Poe once stated, “I would define, in brief the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty.” The two poems, “Birthday,” and “The Secret Life of Books” use different diction, theme, and perspective to give them a unique identity. Each author uses different literary devices to portray a different meaning.
Lisa Parker’s “Snapping Beans”, Regina Barreca’s “Nighttime Fires”, John Frederick Nims’ “Love Poem”, and John Donne’s “Song” all demonstrate excellent use of imagery in their writing. All of the authors did a very good job at illustrating how the use of imagery helps the reader understand what the author’s message is. However, some of the poems use different poetic devices and different tones. In Lisa Parker’s “Snapping Beans” and Regina Barreca’s “Nighttime Fires”, both poems display a good use of personification. However in John Donne’s “Song” and John Frederick Nims’ “Love Poem, they differ in the fact that the tone used in each poem contrasts from each other.
Not many people would mind having the title of a poet, except maybe one of the most influential artists of all time. (Kennedy and Gioia, 599) Bob Dylan was a remarkable protest singer and songwriter during the Vietnam Era with many well-remembered songs about war and many other significant topics concerning the era. He has influenced many modern day songwriters and many other famous bands such as the Beatles. (Marinucci, Steve)
In "I, Too," Langston Hughes is obviously in conversation with the earlier poem, Walt Whitman 's "I Hear America Singing." Both poems explore the idea of American identity -- who and what is an American? What characterizes the people of this nation? The two poets, however, reach somewhat different conclusions in response to these questions.
In his preface of the Kokinshū poet Ki no Tsurayaki wrote that poetry conveyed the “true heart” of people. And because poetry declares the true heart of people, poetry in the minds of the poets of the past believed that it also moved the hearts of the gods. It can be seen that in the ancient past that poetry had a great importance to the people of the time or at least to the poets of the past. In this paper I will describe two of some of the most important works in Japanese poetry the anthologies of the Man’yōshū and the Kokinshū. Both equally important as said by some scholars of Japanese literature, and both works contributing greatly to the culture of those who live in the land of the rising sun.
Death in Do not go gentle into that good night and Death Be Not Proud
Comparing Blake's London, Wordsworth's Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3rd 1802 and Johnson's Inglan is a Bitch
When discussing the different aspects of New Criticism in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night”, the impression that comes to mind is death. The use of imagery was a necessity for Dylan Thomas to express the different techniques of writing which involved a mixture of surrealistic and metaphysical tones. His ability to change a words meaning to incorporate symbolism is noticeable in circle of unity from life to death and renewed life.
Death is a concept that every human being must accept eventually. Some fight against death while others embrace it. There are even instances in which one may be living but already feel dead. Death is a common topic used in the writing world. Being that it is so universal it gives the reader a real life connection to the characters in a story. Beliefs of death are different amongst human beings. Some people see death as an ending where others see it more as a beginning. The story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and the poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas both express similar and different feelings towards death. “A Rose for Emily” is a story about an elder woman who was not living when she died. Certain life events cause this woman to refuse and ignore change. Death is an ultimate form of change so it was only natural for Miss Emily to ignore it.