Every poem has a theme or general message that is conveyed by the poet to give a poem meaning. A theme is important to give the reader the importance of the poem and insight into the thought process behind the poem itself. If any work of literature did not have a theme it would literally fall apart even before the reader could finish reading. Theme is necessary to understanding works of literature and create a connection with the authors or poets themselves. “To My Dear and Loving Husband” a poem by Anne Bradstreet has many possible themes, but two that just literally jumps off, the pages are true love and how to cope with a loved ones passing. These two may not be apparent themes at first, but as the reader is pulled deeper into the poem it becomes more ostensible.
The poet’s word choices help the reader to come to a
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On the surface, it may not seem like there is anything written about death, but looking deeper inside the poem the reader can start to notice it. The poet’s word choice in this quote, “or all the riches that the East doth hold” the East refers to the rebirth and bringing the reader to believe the wife believes in an afterlife (6). The wife may believe in an afterlife to be with her husband again in another life. “The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray,” that when they are to pass their love will extend to heaven and they we be together in heaven (10). The wife and husband want to live on throughout their lives in a way, even if they die their love will still be there. The wife is writing this to her husband or about him giving the reader more of the assumption that either it could just be love letter or she is writing it for a purpose that is more upsetting and heartfelt the way she talks about their love and then about it living on beyond their
In the poem there are many devices that prove the theme of the poem. For example, in the line “I’m tired of eating just beans” proves that the poet was tired of always eating beans and he wanted to eat something different. Also in the line “So that’s is what I did…. Will somebody please pass the beans?” proves that the poet was not alone and that he changed his mind because instead of eating the sardines, he decided to eat beans. And finally in the
...rves the way for the plot, the theme is the central idea around which a literary piece revolves. Without the theme the plot would be meaningless and there would be nothing for the readers to derive from the literary piece. Without the plot, the theme would be meaningless as there would be nowhere to consign the message the writer intends to give the reader. It can be said that the plot and theme are the two most important literary elements of a literary piece and are inter-dependant.
Theme is the underlying power beneath a story; the “force” that makes the whole experience worthwhile. Theme is “an idea or message that the writer wishes to convey” (Holt 874). A theme can be either stated or implied. A stated theme is a theme “that the other expresses directly in his work (protic.net); an implied theme is a theme “that is not directly stated in the work” (protic.net). As mentioned before, both of these stories have an implied theme, which now is revealed to mean that the author of the story insinuated it. Themes exist in all stories (verbal or written) and can be long, short, true or false. “Earth people will beat out any other intelligent life-form in any and all competitions” is a theme, but “good always beats evil” is one too. “Once upon a time . . .” stories have themes too, except they are more one-dimensional. For example,...
Growing up in the early 1600's was a tough time for many people, especially women. Women were very much discriminated against and made to fulfill the duties that were in the household and nothing else beyond that. Anne Bradstreet was a woman that grew up during this time as a Puritan. Puritans believed that humans could only achieve goodness if they worked hard, were self-disciplined, and constantly examining themselves to make sure that they were living their lives for God. Due to this way of looking at life, Anne Bradstreet had little time for writing her poetry. Being a mother of eight children and a devoted wife one would think that Bradstreet wasn't carrying out her duties to her family and God if she was busy writing poetry. Therefore if people knew that she was writing this poetry she would not want them to think less of her so she would write it in a happy and family oriented sense showing how devoted she was to her family through her poetry. That is why Bradstreet writes how she does in the poem To My Dear and Loving Husband. She writes as if to portray that she has a great relationship with her husband and God. Although from her other poem, Prologue, one can see that underneath she truly feels betrayed by the men in her life and by men in general.
With so much affection and emotion in her writing, Bradstreet’s writing shows that she is very faithful, loving, and passionate. Therefore Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” expresses how much she loves her husband and how great their love is. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband” Bradstreet expresses this when she says:
Anne Bradstreet starts off her letter with a short poem that presents insight as to what to expect in “To My Dear Children” when she says “here you may find/ what was in your living mother’s mind” (Bradstreet 161). This is the first sign she gives that her letter contains not just a mere retelling of adolescent events, but an introspection of her own life. She writes this at a very turbulent point in history for a devout Puritan. She lived during the migration of Puritans to America to escape the persecution of the Catholic Church and also through the fragmentation of the Puritans into different sects when people began to question the Puritan faith.
Millay uses romantic language. That is evident in the first line, "Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink". The romantic aspect of love is shown in the language of this poem. The poem is not directly about two lovers. It is more indirect, this is what two lovers may face. Her language is picturesque. "Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink / And rise and sink and rise and sink again;" It is as if the poem was showing a picture of a man in the sea that is struggling to survive and throughout the course of bobbing up and down he continues to see a pole or paddle, but he just can't reach it. There are more ideas that can be pictured easily throughout the poem, because of the language that Millay uses. "Love can no fill the thickened lung with breath, / Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;" These lines create an interesting picture in your mind.
Theme is a central message in a literary work, that can usually be expressed as a generalization about people or life. In the story, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, the theme is most definitely good versus evil. The text tells how when you’re doing things for the greater cause you’re more likely to succeed. This piece of text show how the characters were showing the act of doing something positive and negative. The author shows this through dialogue and the actions of the characters. As you read, you learn about the power of good versus evil and how it affects everyone. Although I am positively correct, I can understand where people could maybe say that the theme is bravery and loyalty pay off, but I strongly believe that it’s not.
Theme is a subject or topic of the story. It can also be the lesson or moral that the creator wants to get across to the reader. In Mr. Kipling's short story, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” I know for a fact that the theme for this story is evil is punished and good is rewarded. I know this because the antagonists do bad things throughout the story and soon die. Another example was when Darzee’s wife distracted the female cobra so that the protagonist in the story could get the eggs. However, I can see why people would think the lesson of the story is to never give up, but I know for a fact that it is wrong and I can prove it.
In "Battle Royal" By Ralph Ellison, the themes in this story are very complex. There are a couple themes that are very prominent in the story. Theme is an "exploration of an idea- an idea in movement that persists through out the story" (Roberts and Zweig, 67). In an essay, the theme is a short composition developing an interpretation or advancing and argument.Themes are also usually the main point or idea that a writer of an essay asserts and illustrates. Themes tend to give life to fictional stories and novels. In a play, the theme is depicted by the dramatic trivial. Mystery and suspense stories develop from the idea that problems have solutions, although the solutions at first may seem remote or impossible. The writers do not always state their theme or idea in words. It is with their power with words and sentence structure that allows the author to write a story that shows the "characters confronting difficult and sometimes agonizing moral choices" (Roberts and Zweig, 68). You extract the theme from the characters, action, and the setting that make up the story.
Bradstreet’s version of love is one familiar to many people as able to bear the test of time. She has no doubt that they will love one another forever. This theme is stated within each and every line. Bradstreet even describes her husband’s love for her as “such that she can no way repay” (9), but that the heavens will one day repay him for. This gives their love an added aspect of being blessed and faithful to God. She believes God reward him for the love he showed her, after
The theme in a story is the message or big idea that the author is trying to reveal in his or her narrative. If there was no underlining theme in Sherman Alexie’s short story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” then readers would have no interest in reading the fictional story. Understanding the message that Alexie is trying to display to his readers can vary in many ways and depends on the reader 's understanding of the story. Strong themes that are presented in the fictional tale are man versus self conflict, family, and tribal identity. Victor is a tribal member that has had a rough life and has to deal with his father passing away. Not only does he have to come to terms with his father 's death, but he also has to face his
In poetry, it is critical t bring out a theme. This makes the reader learn something and realize what the poet is attempting to say. A good theme can really impact the reader. Most poets use elements of poetry to do this. In Harlem, Langston Hughes uses elements of poetry to show his theme, which is when you give up on your dream, many consequences will arise. In the poem Harlem, Langston Hughes uses many elements of poetry to prove his theme, including similes, diction and personification.
After almost four decades ago Anne Bradstreet wrote her two now famous poems “To My Dear Loving Husband” and “Upon the Burning of Our House”. Today, we recognize these poems as one of the first women’s writing to be published. Although today we admire Anne Bradstreet’s poems four decades ago people did not have the same opinion. With the Puritans strongly disapproving of women writers think that at one point the Puritan community found Anne Bradstreet’s poems praise worthy because in her poems and writing she shows over and over how she loves her husband and how she loves God even after he was responsible for burning down her house and all of her possessions. Puritans would give Anne Bradstreet’s poems praise for example, “I prize thy love
God; whereas Taylor wrote solely on his love for God. Bradstreet was a pioneer in the idea of writing about loving your husband and self. This was one of her greatest achievements and also greatest gifts to the world, even though it was not appropriate to write about such subjects she did anyway. The combination of Bradstreet and Taylors poetry about love prove to the world that love can exist in any part of life and should be appreciated and