Analysis of Fable by Nina Cassian
Whereas the extent of my poetic appreciation lies in a decided distaste for Dante and a zest for limericks concerning Nantucket - it behooves me to discuss a poem that my limited capacities can grasp. Fable by Nina Cassian is just such a poem. I view this piece as Ms. Cassian's perspective on life (a "sentence" or an obligation), death, and sadly, the fact that most people do not appreciate the beautific nature of existence.
I understand the first stanza as a depiction of man's earthly plane as a sort of testing ground for "angels" - a place where beings are concerned with the development of spirit, "to master imbalance."
The second and third stanzas I interpret as the transformation of the ethereal spirit to a corporeal state. The "angel plummeted" and thus left spiritual beauty in a quest for purity.
The angel,s descent is clearly painful: "...feathers carbonized, his sole wing impotent, dangling." Though the cost of corporeal existence is dear, I believe Ms. Cassian sees this as an obligation which must be met, a "sentence."
The final sentence is the saddest. The nature of this newly formed being is mundanely categorized. The "people" fail to see its purpose and its intrinsic beauty; by extension, they have lost their own missions, their own true value. They have forgotten God.
The second poem was written by an astonishingly brillant N.Y.U. student hoping to receive an "A" in an introductory literature course taught by a fascinating (and underpaid) professsor.
12/2/97 is the date that this author spent approximately six minutes dead.
He had minored in theology and had developed a healthy scepticism concerning all religions. The author had laughed at so called "near-death experiences -" believing them either fantasy or resultant of a chemical secretion of the frontal lobe in times of catastrophic distress.
This erstwhile pillager of the business world, this glorified "strett hustler" discovered upon his demise that as the "people" of Fable he had lost his way, his appreciation, his God.
The book talks about how there was segregation just about everywhere you looked. In the 1930's the white people had their own restrooms along with their own water fountains and the lacks had their own school and blacks usually did not go to school. They were too busy working on the farm to go to school. The schools only had one room for all of the grades. The children usually walked to school in those days,because they didn't have school buses. They also had to bring their own lunch to school in lunch pails. Today children ride school buses to school. It would kill us if we had to walk to school.We are not use to that much exercise. Also today they serve us lunch in the cafeterias. Although it it is not that good at least they try. They have to work with the limited stuff the school board allows them to buy. Speaking of buses, the blacks would have to sit in the back of the bus and the whites sat in the front. Although,thanks to Rosa Parks, who on day refused to sit in the back of the bus, now blacks can sit wherever they want to sit. Today whites use the same restrooms and water fountains as blacks do. Blacks and whites also attend the same schools. Today schools have different classrooms for every grade.
Remember when children could walk down the street without having their parents with them? Maybe, you remember your dad sitting around the house on his off day in a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie? No? Neither do I, the reason we don’t remember this is because this took place back in the 1950’s, well before we were thought of. A time when siblings got along with one another, the mothers and fathers both had their own roles within the household, and neither of them shared tasks for the most part. People always seemed to use their manners, always dressed their best, and always seemed to want to be kind toward one another, within their households at least. As time has changed through the years, the changes through or within society has been the
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
Mary Cassatt, an American printmaker, and painter was born in 1844 in Pennsylvania. Cassatt’s family perceived traveling as an essential part of the learning process thus she had the advantage of visiting various capitals such as Paris, London, and Berlin. Cassatt studied to become a professional artist and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She later went to study in France under Thomas, Couture, Jean-Leon Gerome, and others. She spent a significant part of her adult life in France. When in France, she initially befriended Edgar Degas, a famous French artist, and later her works were exhibited among other impressionists. Afterward, Cassatt admired artists that had the ability to independently unveil their artwork and did not
For more information about all elements of APA formatting, please consult the APA Style Manual, 6th Edition.
"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" sets up, in the first stanza, the feeling that something otherworldly is going to be in the picture. "The morning air is all awash with angels" brings in the image (or concept) of heaven, which Wilbur refers to again later in the poem. In the 2nd stanza, again the concept of not-of-this-world is brought into play with the mention of the halcyon, which is a mythical bird. One literary device that Wilbur seems to draw upon heavily in this poem is the use of oxymorons, contradictory terms together. The angels are rising together in "calm swells." When I think of swells, calm is not necessarily the word that comes to mind. He also states that the angels are "flying in place...moving/ And staying like white water." Flying implies movement, so "flying in place" is not a phrase that is commonly heard. Later in the poem he uses the term bitter love, and while I understand that this concept does in fact exist, it is still two words which are somewhat contradictory. In the last stanza he mentions the "heaviest nuns" trying hard to keep their "difficult balance." This reminded me of that concept of funambilism that we discussed in class. This work seems to utilize the idea of balance (indirectly) in many aspects. The use of the contradictory terms that I discussed earlier could be thought of as balancing each other out. This poem overall was very well put together, with sentences that caught your attention, and my favorite sentence was "The soul shrinks/ From all that it is about to remember."
The speaker begins the poem an ethereal tone masking the violent nature of her subject matter. The poem is set in the Elysian Fields, a paradise where the souls of the heroic and virtuous were sent (cite). Through her use of the words “dreamed”, “sweet women”, “blossoms” and
I find this poem to be exceptional in its meaning, in fact the verse that comes to mind when thinking of this poem is Psalm 51:17 “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Holy Bible, New Testament) I believe that the speaker has meaning behind his words he knows that a complete peace and joy come from the awareness of one’s sin, he also believes in the submission of himself to God and the humility of heart.
... place in the house after the death. The line, “Is solemnest of industries” uses the word industry, which conjures an image of an assembly line and a ritual of going through the motions with little thought going into it. The turn before the second stanza shifts the focus from the mourning process to the recovery process. Through the metaphor of “Sweeping up the Heart” like with a broom, the living are urged to clear the pain and sadness out of their hearts. The final lines leave the message that you should not waste your love or emotions about the deceased for when they are dead but to save them until you join them in death. The last line, “Until Eternity-” implies some sort of afterlife where you could share these sentiments with them and see them again, which is enhanced by the use of the dash at the end to lend mystery and uncertainty to what eternity will hold.
The title of the poem is an indication that the reader should prepare himself or herself for some sort of spiritual experience. Whittier uses the word "worship" to title his poem because by the end of the poem the reader will learn that there is much more to the natural world than water, land, and sky. The poem starts with the birth or creation of nature. Whittier explains to his readers that the natural world has existed since God created it. He compares the creation of nature to music. This stanza is very appealing to the senses because nature is musical. The insects, winds, and birds are all a part of this "song" that "has never died away". The poet reminds readers of this very important idea because we as humans have a tendency to forget the value and importance of nature. The second stanza takes readers beyond the initial creation and introduces readers to the many purposes that nature serves. Whittier explains that "prayer is made and praise is given." Personification is an important tool used in this poem. Obviously nature cannot really pray or give praise, but the various functions of nature in this world give the illusion that it does pay homage to a higher being. For instance the lines in the second stanza, "The ocean looketh up to heaven, /And mirrors every star" says that the ocean is a mirror for heaven. If we look into the deep sea, we are in essence looking into a reflected image of heaven. Other instances when Whittier uses personification in this way are the first and second lines in the third stanza, "Its waves are kneeling on the strand/As kneels the human knee". Whittier tells his readers that just as man bends his knee to show respect to God so the ocean waves bend when they reach the shore as a sign of respect.
show Dickens’ view on the evil of the educational system. Among the “vessels” are Bitzter and
Schlicke, Paul, ed. Oxford Reader’s Companion to Dickens. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. “101-3+281-86+315”. Print.
Charles Dickens is well known for his distinctive writing style. Few authors before or since are as adept at bringing a character to life for the reader as he was. His novels are populated with characters who seem real to his readers, perhaps even reminding them of someone they know. What readers may not know, however, is that Dickens often based some of his most famous characters, those both beloved or reviled, on people in his own life. It is possible to see the important people, places, and events of Dickens' life thinly disguised in his fiction. Stylistically, evidence of this can be seen in Great Expectations. For instance, semblances of his mother, father, past loves, and even Dickens himself are visible in the novel. However, Dickens' past influenced not only character and plot devices in Great Expectations, but also the very syntax he used to create his fiction. Parallels can be seen between his musings on his personal life and his portrayal of people and places in Great Expectations.
The first three verses are about other people and the repition is to give it atmosphere.
Just before he started to toddle, he stepped into the glare of footlights. He never stepped out of it until he died. He was a good man, as men go in the bewildering world of ours, brave, transparent, tender-hearted, and honorable. Dickens was always a little too irritable because he was a little too happy. Like the over-wrought child in society, he was splendidly sociable, and in and yet sometimes quarrelsome. In all the practical relations of his life he was what the child is at a party, genuinely delighted, delightful, affectionate and happy, and in some strange way fundamentally sad and dangerously close to tears. 2