In reference to the subtlety of language, Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” When Robert Frost said this statement, he was referring to the fact that it is seemingly impossible to carry over from one language into another the special qualities of a poem, such as its meter, syntax, rhythm, sound, connotations, etc. In many of the poems written by the Canadian poet and feminist Margaret Atwood, there are inherent “deeper meanings” that are hidden within the text, open to the reader to interpret as they wish. In fact, it is the poet’s use of literary techniques that create these layers of meanings. The two poems that I choose to analyze from Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II are “Night Poem” and “Postcard.” …show more content…
Having a protective figure look over you and provide you with physical contact when you are scared is most comforting to many people, especially young children. These are some of the ways in which
Margaret Atwood uses literary techniques to present a “deeper meaning” to her poem “Night
Poem.”
The second that I choose to analyze from Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II is
“Postcard.” From a literal standpoint, the poem is about someone’s thoughts relating to a beach- like setting. As the poem progresses, the speaker then describes specific items he/she carries with them when traveling. From a figurative sense, it seems as though “Postcard” is about the differences between actual reality and the images printed on postcards, which is implemented by a variety of literary techniques used by Atwood. She starts the poem with a line that shows up on most postcards (“I’m thinking about you. What else can I say?”), and then proceeds to break apart the concept of an ideal vacation as a misconception. Through her use of vivid imagery that not only appeals to the sense of sight, but also to the sense of smell (“…and the smell of
…show more content…
Ultimately, life is much more colorful and complicated than it actually seems. These are some of the ways in which Margaret Atwood uses literary techniques to present a “deeper meaning” to her poem “Postcard.”
In reference to the subtlety of language, Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” When Robert Frost said this statement, he was referring to the fact that it is seemingly impossible to carry over from one language into another the special qualities of a poem, such as its meter, syntax, rhythm, sound, connotations, etc. In many of the poems written by the Canadian poet and feminist Margaret Atwood, there are inherent “deeper meanings” that are hidden within the text, open to the reader to interpret as they wish. In fact, it is the poet’s use of literary techniques that create these layers of meanings. From analyzing two poems from
Margaret Atwood’s Selected Poems II (“Night Poem” and “Postcard”), the theory presented by
Robert Frost is correct. This is due, in large part, to the fact that every reader has their own interpretation of what poems are actually about. Ultimately, readers must acknowledge the real virtue of the work that they are reading, and interpret the poems as they see
C. Connotations:The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme or rhythm to be
Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities; it is solely used to evoke emotive feelings in the reader in which to convey a message or story. This form of literature has a long history dating back thousands of years and is considered a literacy art form as it uses forms and conventions to evoke differentiating interpretations of words, though the use of poetic devices. Devices such as assonance, figurative language, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve a musical and memorable aspect to the poem. Poems are usually written based on the past experiences of the poet and are greatly influenced by the writer’s morals values and beliefs. Poetry regularly demonstrates and emphasises on the
Poetry is a form of art in which an exclusive arrangement and choice of words help bring about a desired emotional effect. Robert Frost said that a poem is formed when “an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” His popular poem, "The Road Not Taken," like any other poem, has as many interpretations as it has readers. Using rhetorical analysis, one can break down the meaning(s) of this seemingly simple poem.
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.”
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words,” Robert Frost once said. As is made fairly obvious by this quote, Frost was an adroit thinker. It seems like he spent much of his life thinking about the little things. He often pondered the meaning and symbolism of things he found in nature. Many readers find Robert Frost’s poems to be straightforward, yet his work contains deeper layers of complexity beneath the surface. His poems are not what they seem to be at first glance. These deeper layers of complexity can be clearly seen in his poems “The Road Not Taken”, “Fire and Ice”, and “Birches”.
Robert Frost wrote poetry about nature and it is that nature that he used as symbols for life lessons. Many critics have been fascinated by the way that Frost could get so many meanings of life out of nature itself. Frost‘s poetry appeals to almost everyone because of his uncanny ability to tie in with many things that one is too familiar with and for many, that is life in itself. “Perhaps that is what keeps Robert Frost so alive today, even people who have never set foot in Vermont, in writing about New England, Frost is writing about everywhere” (294).
The first literary device that can be found throughout the poem is couplet, which is when two lines in a stanza rhyme successfully. For instance, lines 1-2 state, “At midnight, in the month of June / I stand beneath the mystic moon.” This is evidence that couplet is being used as both June and moon rhyme, which can suggest that these details are important, thus leading the reader to become aware of the speaker’s thoughts and actions. Another example of this device can be found in lines 16-17, “All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies / (Her casement open to the skies).” These lines not only successfully rhyme, but they also describe a woman who
Stern, Fred. “Robert Frost: One Acquainted with the Night.” World & I, vol. 28, no.3, Mar 2013, p. 2 EBSCO/host, proxy.campbell.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pw&AN=87555602&site=pov-live.
"Characteristics of Modern Poetry - Poetry - Questions & Answers." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. .
...the unclear philosophy of the poem must also be looked at from an open-minded point of view. Applying the explanation of the poem, sentence by sentence to the semi-uncovered descriptions of the phases of life, a whole new story comes into perspective. Once studied and looked at carefully, the uncovering of each statement comes out and everything unclear and metaphorical that Frost writes is a lot easier to understand and see.
"Frost, Robert." Magill's Survey of American Literature. Volume 2. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1998. p.713-729.
...ngs their interior lives into such vivid relief that it suggests inadequate or meaningless external existences.
How are different types of relationships portrayed in the poems through language, structure and form?
The three poets convey the feelings of seriousness, happiness, and failure. In the poem “Simile”, Scott Momaday explains how people and the actions we do are similar to animals in which the comparison was towards deer. In “Moon Rondeau” by Carl Sandburg he illustrates that working together in a relationship, you may be able to accomplish a task and generate a strong bond. In the final poem “Woman” by Nikki Giovanni she displays how one may want to grow and be someone special to your significant other but they may not care of what their other may want. The three poets are illustrating the theme of humans being similar to animals in which case they either work together or they just ignore each other within the literary similarities and differences of the three poems.
sense of closeness to the topic of his poem. In the very beginning of the poem we