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The Importance Of Figurative Language
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"Fern Hill" “Fern Hill” was written to show Dylan Thomas’s disappointment for the lack of appreciation he had for his carefree life as a child. Figurative language is used to create a deeper connection between the layers of the poem from the surface story to the underlying allegorical meaning. These layers, as well as the lilting pattern of the poem, add to the mood’s progression throughout the story. The overall point, involving the change through the narrator’s life and his nostalgia for the carefree life he no longer has, sums up the theme: that the changes of life over time are not always pleasant. At the beginning of the poem, Thomas uses figurative language to paint a beautiful picture of his childhood. An example of this can be found in the third stanza, where instead of saying “all night long”, he opts for "all the moon long" (Thomas line 24), giving a more romantic and nostalgic feeling. The romanticized scene shows how the narrator feels as he looks back on his childhood. Rather than blandly mentioning summer, Thomas describes “the sun born over and over” (39). These two phrases start the poem off with a happy, somewhat sentimental mood, giving a feeling of the attitude the …show more content…
The comparisons drawn between figurative and literal concepts give the poem many double meanings that lend to the theme of an unhappy progression of time. Added to these layers is the musical quality Thomas creates through the use of rhythm, meter, and other musical devices. This adds to the mood of the poem, which helps show what the narrator is missing from his childhood. Over the course of the story that is told, the mood progressively becomes darker as the narrator beings to mourn the simplicity of life that he lost to time. By the end of the poem, Dylan Thomas’s point is clear: the changes of life over time are not always pleasant, but will happen
In this poem called “Creatures” by the author Billy Collins there are three examples of figurative language helps convey the meaning that the author Billy Collins is conveying. The three examples of figurative language that the author Billy Collins uses are a metaphor, enjambment, and imagery. These three examples of figurative language help illustrate Billy Collins” theme in this poem called “Creatures” that he is writing because these three examples of figurative language help emphasize the theme of the poem. These three examples help emphasize this poem called “Creatures” meaning because it makes the theme of this poem have a deeper meaning. The theme of the author Billy Collins poem called “Creatures” is that the reader has to imagine
In the Poem Parsley, Rita Dove uses a legion of figurative language to make a point about the political state of the Dominican Republic and to draw attention to the socioeconomic issues in that society. She effectively utilizes a narrator who gives the reader insight into the lives of the migrant workers as well as the life of the wealthy dictator. We can see into both of their lives and gain an understanding of how they perceive their existence. Diction plays a key role in showing the violence that is going to and eventually does occur. The words chosen relate back to war or make the most ordinary, everyday tasks sound violent. Finally, the parrot in the poem is used to signify all of the major themes and provide insight into the two worlds.
Dylan Thomas wrote the poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” It is about a son’s plea to his father who is approaching death. Two lines are repeated in the poem and addressed directly to the father. These lines structure the first stanza and collaborate as a couplet in the last. They are repeated a lot but each time, they have different meanings: statements, pleas, commands, or petitions. Repetition and rhyme scheme are parts of prosody in poetry. The rhyme scheme is built on two rhymes and forms of a pattern. The two rhymes are night and day and the pattern is aba, and in the last stanza, abaa. Even though the poem seems to have too much repetition, the fascinating imagery is more important and readers pay more attention to that instead.
Allusion first helped describe the ironic aspects of the poem by focusing on the odd setting of the poem. Collins description of the speaker’s town shares many traits of a regular town, but also incorporates traits from a school environment. The following lines will help explain the setting and how it relates to a school environment. The first example of this is shown in lines four through six; “I can see it nestled in a paper landscape, chalk dust flurrying down in winter, nights dark as a blackboard” (Collins). In these lines Collins describes the physical setting outside. Paper landscape is being compared to actual grass landscape outside. Chalk dust is white and powdery, as is fresh snow falling from the sky. And black boards are dark and cold, as are dark nights when the sun goes down. Chalk, paper, and black boards are all found in a school environment, and each one of these aspects help bring the setting to life in the readers mind. The reader can relate to what they are picturing as they continue reading the poem. Th...
The poem begins by explaining the sluggishness of time and sets the mood for the rest of the piece. The repetition of the word “slow” was employed by the author in order to emphasize that changes in life occur very slowly and may even pass unnoticed. However, it is still important to recognize that time is progressing, but it takes so long that it’s hard to realize so. The last sentence expands on this idea by introducing “palsied apples”, comparing time’s speed of movement with that of a paralyzed being. It is also important to highlight the relevance of the syntax present in the first lines of the poem, as its analysis will lead to an interesting contrast with the last stanza. Nevertheless, in the first stanza, the author describes a “copper-coated hill”, and in fact, the author continues to describe the setting of his poem by employing a variety of warm colors to capture the true essence of autumn.
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
Zora Neale Hurston uses figurative language to show that dreams can only be attained by being strong enough to overcome tragic reality. For instance, while Janie reflects on her life she says to Phoebe that she has “been tuh the horizon and back” (Hurston 191), signifying her accomplishment of her dreams as well as the pitfalls she has passed by along the way. Throughout the novel, the horizon has been symbolic of Janie’s hopes and dreams, by stating that she has been to the horizon Janie is essentially saying that she has successfully attained her dreams. Whereas, being back is the opposite side of the spectrum highlighting all the awful things she has had to encounter in pursuit of her dreams. An example would be either the constant oppression
The relationship of the speaker to his surroundings is introduced into the main narrative in the opening of the poem, and is specific to when this occurrence is taking place, “At midnight, in the month of June”. June is the month in which the summer solstice takes place, in the Pagan culture of this time “Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. The pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers.” (chiff.com) Today this concoction is used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer. Midnight is also known as the witching hour when ghosts are considered to have their most power. Black magic is also thought to be infallible at this hour as well. The speaker of the poem describes himself as standing beneath the moon, this sublunary expulsion is pertinent to the narrative of the poem, and he is admitting his mortality in this line. The moon is personified in the fourth line “Exhales from her out her golden rim”, which is ...
The Author presents the poem in a narrative argumentative point view from a son to his dying father upon his final moments. The imagery and symbolism of the Thomas’s reflections on his feelings of childhood and death become evident the approach the poem through psychological analysis. Thomas is addressing his father from the perspective of why he should fight death, giving valid reasons that the father cannot refuse. The imagery and symbolism show the connection between nature and the soul, whereas psychological aspects of Dylan Thomas’s life must be evaluated from his relationship with his father.
Dylan Thomas believes that life should be lived to its fullest extent right until ones very last breath, and you should not be given up gently. One should try to exit this world still strong and passionate. This poem is Dylan Thomas’s appeal to his father to fight death and hang on to life for as long as possible.
Thomas presents death to us using a metaphor, he describes death as being “that good night” and thus makes death seem as something unknown, unseen, and unfamiliar. The portrayal of death as “that good night” suggests that death is like night time, dark and with a sense of unfamiliarity. This causes us to begin seeing death as something that we should fear and avoid or be cautious of. The first of line of the poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night” is an ironic contradiction, as it seems strange that we should not go gentle into something that is good. However, the next line of the poem which says “Old age should burn and rave at close of day”, makes it apparent that the previous line should be taken connotatively and that phrases like “go gentle and “good night” are symbolic of the dying process. When old age is mentioned in the poem in that line it makes us aware that death is imminent. References about day and night are also symbolic of life and death. Dickinson makes strong contradictions between old age and raging against death, as it is typically accepted that after a long and fruitful life, old age would prefer a gentle slip into a peaceful welcomed death. However, Thomas says otherwise, he advocates that old age should not give into the ease and comfort of death, and should instead
Dylan Thomas' poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" is about a son’s bereavement and the acceptance of his father dying. Thomas knows death is inevitable, therefore, he uses persuasion to get his father to "rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Line 3). Villanelle poems require two repeating rhyme schemes. Thomas helps the reader visualize dark and light. : “Wise men… know dark is right” (4). “Wild men… sang the sun in flight/do not go gentle into that good night” (10,12). “Eyes…blaze like meteors” (14).
There are only a few universal truths in this world, and one of them is that everyone dies. Dylan Thomas knows this, and uses it to create a common ground. No matter what choices one has made in their life, death will come for them. That doesn’t mean you should go quietly; actually, it means you should fight as hard as you can against it. People from all walks of life should abide by this. The dreams that one has are reason enough to keep on living and fighting. The two repeating rhymes in this play a large part in why this poem is great. The second rhyme uses the word, “rage”, which is a very strong word. Instead of saying be angry at your death, Thomas says you should, “rage” and fight against it. Rage, compared to anger, is much deeper and fiery. It is something that is intrinsically instilled into you. Rage is something that comes from the deepest part of you. Dylan Thomas also says that wise men, even if, “their words forked no lightning” (2.2.1242) need to keep living, so they can make a difference. When lightning forks, it strikes the ground with impact. This word choice is powerful considering the context; which is making an impact on the way people think and live. Wise men wish to impart their wisdom onto others, or create a fracture or division in the way people usually think. Visually, lightning also looks fractured and forked. Thomas also writes, “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay” (3.2-3.1243). The last wave by is referring to two different things. It could be the last goodbye before death, but it could also be comparing their lives to the crashing of waves. Good men also wish to see their efforts come to fruition. One can think of their actions as seeds. The seeds could grow, flourish, and “dance” in a “green bay”. The color green represents lushness and fertility. Dylan Thomas also makes excellent use of allegories to inspire his readers. One such
One of the most repeated symbols in this poem is the image of the hill. It is repeated in four stanzas. In the first stanza of the poem, the hill is mentioned as “the ideal of Virginia brochured with goldenrod and loblolly” (2-3). This hill is specifically in Virginia and is the image looks like something that is on a brochure with beautiful nature. The hill is mentioned again in the second stanza: “It is a certain hill the one I imagine when I hear the word “hill”...and this hill would be still beautiful” (1-2, 5-7). There is an obvious image of a hill that the persona is depicting. Hills in general have a top and a bottom. I believe that the hill in this poem represents the ups and downs of the persona’s life and how the persona depicts the hill as beautiful lends to him being optimistic about life. Berman writes about the hill again in the fifth part of the poem: “The hill out my window is still looking beautiful suffused in a kind of gold national park light” (300-301). The last mention of the hill is in the twenty third stanza the first two lines read: “I walked out of the hill behind our house which looks positively Alaskan today”. The hill is now mostly covered with snow due to the Alaskan mention. You cannot tell what the hill looks like with the snow covering it, which represents how the persona feels about his life. Another symbol is the persona’s dogs. Dogs are normally symbolized as being kind and loving animals, a man’s best friend. The second stanza of part five is: “I’m watching my dog have nightmares, twitching and whining on the office floor and I try to imagine what beast has cornered him in the meadow where his dreams are set”. This stanza represents that the persona as a young person. The persona feels that he has not lived out his dreams yet, but he cannot achieve them because he is not happy. The dog is again mentioned: “but I was with our young dog and he was running through the tall grass like running
... feared time. At times he seemed as if he was angry at the fact that time went by too quick and not enough time allowed him to spend summer with his beloved. Other times he spent glorifying how beautiful his beloved one was and how the beauty can’t ever be taken away. It makes it difficult for the audience to take his reason serious at times because at one point in the poem he seems to have contradicted himself. I found out that this poem had a portion of metaphors, similes, and imagery and personification throughout the entire poem. He begins the poem with a simile and ends it with a personification on the poem.