Subconscious and Reality in Illusion by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poem, "Illusion," extensively poses philosophical and metaphysical uncertainties pertaining to the perception and distinction between reality and actuality. Wilcox takes a very original and abstract approach in utilizing hypothetical dialogue with a superior spiritual figure. This unique element vastly broadens the reader's perspective and opinions of its literary value. Wilcox's style also greatly opens a door for a wide variety of personal interpretations and metaphorical intentions. This creative approach is appropriately complimented and enhanced by the visual and concrete description used in the opening line of the first stanza. The line, "God and I in space alone," does not necessarily paint a portrait of one specific location, rather allows the reader to envision and create a setting of their desire. This opening line succeeds immediately at closely drawing the reader's mind and attention into the poem, as if being a truism.
When reading Wilcox's poem, metaphorical reference and philosophical contemplation occur multiple times. For instance, in the opening stanza of the poem, there is an instant establishment of spiritual content and philosophical questioning. Wilcox writes:
God and I alone in space,
And nobody else in view.
And "Where are the people, O Lord," I said,
"The earth below and the sky o'erhead
And the dead whom once I knew?"
Wilcox is definitely discussing a metaphorical meaning in this stanza when she comments to God and illustrates their solitude. This could possibly be insinuating that her personal gained knowledge of life is all that she has ever known to be true. However, it appears t...
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...than one large continues dream of a God. That is, we are nothing but actors in a constant play or dream of one superior being. That said, a sense of nothingness is relayed in that everything is an act of illusion and not reality. The second interpretation being that the conversation is between the narrator and her subconscious thoughts. Possibly implying that each individual's thoughts and physical being are the God. If that were the case then the narrator comes to a realization that self worth and self based principles, free of societal tutelage, are the only aspects that we should take notice. Meaning that everyone and everything around us should not influence our thoughts and beliefs. Implying in a sense that we as individuals should only exist to be existent in ourselves, as well as the outside distractions of society remain invisible amongst the self.
Over the past weeks we have learned a lot of new things. I learned about different races, ethnicities, and cultures. The world would not be the same if everyone was the same race and it is a great thing to learn about everyone and where they are from, and where they have come from. Everyone is different in their own way and it is our duty to accept everyone as a whole. I am going to talk about the social construct of race today, some of our readings, and a lot of our discussions that are always fun.
“The Illusionist” is a short story by Steven Millhauser, which was adapted into a movie directed by Neil Burger in 2008 which both take place in Vienna. The short story’s plot revolves around Eisenheim and his relationship between himself and the state, which is still featured in the movie. Eisenheim’s illusions also cause him a bit of trouble; in the short story the cause of trouble is an illusion, which produces two spirits by the name of Rosa, Elis, and a boy who appears to be no older than eight. In the movie adaptation, the final straw that causes the Crown Prince to finally pursue persecution of Eisenheim is the illusion that again, produces a spirit, which turns out to be his dead fiancée. Because of Inspector Uhl’s growing obsession of Eisenheim, throughout the movie and the short story, it further ignites the blur between what is the reality and what is his illusion. Uhl’s obsession over Eisenheim and his illusions helps blur the reality around him.
The narrator begins developing the thesis by using a figurative language, imagery, found in the second stanza: “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
Ferguson, Margaret W., Salter, Mary J., and Stallworthy, Jon. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. fifth ed. N.p.: W.W. Norton, 2005. 2120-2121. 2 Print.
He uses powerful imagery and onomatopoeia to achieve the desired effects that make the poem more realistic. All this combined together produces effective thought provoking ideas and with each read, I gradually get an improved understanding and appreciation of the poem.
...eart would split, but because she is able to see nature through her imagination she is safe from those effects, shown when she says, “So safer-guess-with just my soul” (18) While Emerson uses only sight to form a connection with nature, Dickinson uses both sight and imagination to connect people’s souls to nature when she says, “…with just my soul open the window pane”(19); the eyes are said to be the windows that lead to one’s soul, so through this statement Dickinson shows that there is a correlation between imagination, sight, and soul because through all of them one is able to become one with nature. Through the very act of writing this poem Dickinson reveals that poetic writing is another form of reaching oneness with nature.
...oices that approach in life for his extended metaphor throughout his poem. The lives’ of the speakers are evident in each poem whether there are faults or decidable opportunities for that speaker. Along with the continued use of the metaphors to create the extended metaphors, there were also several uses of personification and imagery. The speakers and authors had different yet comparable themes. As extended metaphors they shared slightly similar themes of life from Anne Bradstreet’s idea of flaws in writing during one's life and Robert Frost’s theme of deciding which path to take in life.
of the difficulty in acceptance. In the first few stanzas the poet creates the impression that she
On the surface the poem seems to be a meditation on past events and actions, a contemplative reflection about what has gone on before. Research into the poem informs us that the poem is written with a sense of irony
In the first stanza, Emily Dickinson describes emotional turmoil as a precedent to physical numbness. Dickinson implies how someone can feel that all days are the same when they are overwhelmed with emotions, especially dismal and grueling ones. This imagery can best be seen when she relates the feeling of loneliness and isolation to being concealed “like Tombs”. The speaker 's emotional numbness slowly infects the heart and causes it to become distant and hardened toward
... soul then replies that there is no "golden underground" or any heavenly things to dream of that are not right here on Earth. And just as "April's green endures" so will everything else in nature. The woman in the poem is no different than so many people. The fear that we will not always have the comforts from our Earthly pleasures is common. However, the woman's doubts seem to diminish when she says "But in contentment I still feel the need of some imperishable bliss" and her soul replies "Death is the mother of beauty."
“In what ways does the poet draw you into the world of poetry? Detailed reference to 2 poems”
“I sometimes speak from the last thing that happened to me. I got asked today if I think up poems. Do I think them up? How do I get the right one? Well, it is the hardest thing in the world to tell. But I don’t think up poems. I pick up a lot of things I thought of to make a poem; that is a lot of scattered thoughts through the days that are handy for the poem-that’s about all. That’s where the thinking comes in.”
Along with the imagery we get from the title, there is a lot of imagery within this poem. Let us start with the first three lines:
There are many examples of figurative language associated with this poem, metaphors being one of them. For, example Hughes says "life is a barren field frozen with snow tone (Hughes 7).” In this stanza the speaker is comparing life itself to a frozen barren field. Another element of this poem is the theme. This poem teaches us we should hold onto our dreams forever.