The poem, “The Eagle” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, gives the reader a sense of confidence and courage that is needed to succeed in life. The message that is delivered in the poem may lead the reader to believe that if you want something in life don’t be afraid to stand alone. The world is open all around you and if the opportunity presents itself: grasp whatever those dreams or goals may be before they disappear.
In the poem, “He clasps the crag with crooked hands” (lines 1). The poem seems to suggest that the eagle holds on to the "crag" as one would hold on to his or her hopes and dreams, with crooked hands, referencing the eagle’s talons. "Close to the sun in lonely lands/ringed with the azure world; he stands" (lines 2-3). The eagle sitting high on the "crag" sits by himself in a large world with confidence that he can accomplish anything no matter how small he is against the strong power and spirit of the sun in the azure world, endless blue skies around him.
Tennyson further writes, "The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls" (line 4). Like the eagle, what is seen before him from high above is the unpredictable ways of everyday life. The water keeps to be moving as everyday life does, at a creep, as if to be alive, slowly moving with its ups and downs. The poem goes on to say, "He watches from his mountain walls" (line 5). The eagle watches from a distance as if the mountain was his safe haven, to protect him from the dangers and allow him to assess his opportunities with more of an advantage of having the higher ground.
Alfred, in the last line of the poem, "And like a thunderbolt he falls" (line 6), maybe telling the reader that at that moment the eagle has spotted his prey/opportunity and like a thunderbolt falls from his safe haven to strike with lightening speed, confidence and power, like a person seizing life’s opportunity as if it is a once in a lifetime chance, never to get that one moment back if the eagle/person misses his mark.
“…but the raven winging/ darkly over the doomed will have news, / tidings for the eagle of how
Edgar Poe uses these rhetorical devices not only to contribute to the theme, but also to make it possible for the reader to experience the same hopelessness and isolation the narrator feeling. “On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before” (line 10). In this simile the narrator is comparing his hopes to the bird’s ability to fly. He is saying that the bird will eventually fly away as did all his hope when his mistress died. Another example is when Poe writes, “Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping” (lines 3-4). The narrator is comparing the tapping of the raven with that of a human tapping, which reveals that the character is hoping at a chance that it is Lenore. As the poem goes on Edgar Allen Poe describes, ”All his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming” (line 105). This line is comparing the raven’s eyes to a demon’s. Here, he is no longer seeing the raven as an angel but as a demon only there to deliver confirmation of his worst nightmare. Metaphors are also used several times throughout this poem to personify the raven. “But, with mien of lord or lady” (line 40). The author includes this metaphor to allow the reader to recognize that there is something unique about the raven. “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil prophet still, if bird or devil (line 85). The narrator is comparing the raven to either a prophet or the devil. At
Image a family. Now imagine the parents divorcing and never see the father again. Then imagine the mother dying and leaving three kids behind. All of which get taken in by someone. The two year old is given to a family, with a loving mother and caring father. Edgar Alan Poe did not have to imagine this, this was his childhood. Poe’s difficult youth was a heavy contributor to his perspective that pain is beautiful. Poe illustrates many things in “The Raven”, one of his most well-known pieces. “The Raven” is about a depressed man who lost his lover Lenore. The speaker states “’Tis the wind and nothing more!” (Line 36) in his delusional state to help himself cope with his loss. In “The Raven” Poe uses irony and complex diction. This helps Poe create his theme of the human tendency to lie to one self to feel better.
The raven symbolizes how lonely and devastated the character is from losing his beloved Lenore. The narrator repeatedly speaks of the raven as an “ominous bird of yore,” as if it has some connection to the past. He is hopeful that this bird can bring news of Lenore. Jake Fling wrote an analysis on “The Raven” which points out that the narrator sees the bird as some “higher power coming to speak to him” (Fling). He goes to the extremities of hallucinating this bird to be there either as a prophet sent from God, or to end him. Both conveying a message being, “Nevermore.” In the poem the narrator calls the bird both “Prophet” and a messenger of “the Night’s Plutonian Shore.” These two, in different cultures, are symbols of ancient gods. Now, the question that haunts him is nevermore shall he live, or neverm...
When human life becomes an option, that is when morality kicks in and the debates start. Human life is optional when abortion is in the scene, which is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. In 1973, abortion became legal in the United States, with each state having their specific guidelines to go along with it. Most states have restrictions on the time frame in which the termination can take place, normally between the first 6-28 weeks, while some have no time restrictions (Abortion Restrictions in States). Although this procedure is legalized, it is by no means close to being socially acceptable. Abortion is one of the most sensitive and controversial issues in today’s world because all lives are meant to be valued; when a
John Updike’s poem “The Great Scarf of Birds” expresses the varying emotions the narrator experiences as he witnesses certain events from nature. His narration of the birds throughout the poem acts as numerous forms of imagery and symbolism concerning him and his life, and this becomes a recollection of the varying emotional stances he comes to terms with that he has experienced in his life. These changes are so gradually and powerfully expressed because of a fluent use of diction and figurative language, specifically symbolism and simile, and aided by organization.
Every ethical theory suggests certain action that someone ought to do. Whether it be the interest in other or in the interest of one's self. It’s the case that people never do something that they don’t want to do, but is that really bad? What can make an act selfish is not that you’d like do the act, what act you want to do. For example, if I want to help a homeless person buy food, my act is not selfish, even though I do something that I wanted to do out of my own desire. Although if I trick my younger siblings into giving the biggest cookie in the jar, then my act is selfish, not because it’s something I wanted to do but because it’s an act that serves meself at another's
With the development of modern society, many people say that the society has become miserable, and people only care their own profit. The self-interest is becoming the object of attacking. Thereupon, when we mention self- interest, people always mix up the concept of self-interest with selfishness. As we all known, the idea of selfishness is, “Abusing others, exploiting others, using others for their own advantage – doing something to others.” (Hospers, 59) Selfish people have no ethics, morals and standards when they do anything. At the same time, what is self – interest? Self- interest can be defined as egoism, which means a person is, “looking out for your own welfare.” (Hospers, 39) The welfare people talk about is nothing more than
In The article “Brainology” “Carol S Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, differentiates between having a fixed and growth mindset in addition how these mindsets have a deep effect on a student’s desire to learn. Individuals who have a fixed mindset believe they are smart without putting in effort and are afraid of obstacles, lack motivation, and their focus is to appear smart.. In contrast, students with a growth mindset learn by facing obstacles and are motivated to learn. Dwecks argues that students should develop a growth mindset.
Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage "…when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149). The novel explores the how this real courage can be shown in different ways through the lives of many characters in Maycomb, particularly, Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Their courage is evident through their lifestyle, actions, and beliefs.
Selfishness is a term fairly notorious for its meaning. A lot of people accept that being selfish is wrong, but no one knows how this came about and why it matters. Who has the right to decide whether someone gets to be selfish or not? In his article “The unselfishness Trap”, Harry Browne says that the best way for people to be happy is when if everyone sacrifices but me. Thomas Nagel, on the other hand, argues in his article “The Objective Basis of Morality” that being concerned about others is more important. Being selfish, for many people, is evil. By definition, selfishness is to be more concerned about yourself than others, but that would essentially make every living human being a “selfish” being.
One’s desire is egoistic if and only if it concerns the benefit of oneself and not anyone else. On the other hand ones desires are altruistic if and only if it concerns the benefit of at least someone other than oneself. The pros of altruism state that people will begin to take advantage of you, it is impossible to only make others happy, and you would be neglecting your own needs. The pros of egoism include establishing a greater sense personal identity in a community, promoting a sustainable household, it also promotes that all basic personal needs will always be met. The other half of this argument, the con sides of egoism, state that it will ruin relationships, it completely eliminates objectivity, you are neglecting the needs of others, you would be isolated and independent, and it requires that everyone practice its philosophy. The issue with that is that most people are not comfortable with the concept of always putting themselves
Tennyson brings out the agony felt by Ulysses at his old age, The influence of the Industrial age can be seen in Tennyson's usage of the word 'profits' in the very first line . The character calls himself 'idle' showing his disillusionment at this ripe stage of life .The "still hearth" and "the barren crags" symbolize death. He continues complaining about his hapless state and the reader begins to detect the shallowness of character of this otherwise larger than life legend. He is so self-centered and full of self pity that he shows scant respect for those close to him and those that he rules as seen in lines 4-5. His pride keeps him from calling himself old, in that many words ; He has to allude to his wife's age to let the reader in on his own advanced years.
Many theories bombarded in an attempt to set a moral code by which people are ought to live by. Plenty of controversies and arguments are raised against each one. One of the controversial moral doctrines is egoism, or simply preferring one's self interest over other's interests and desires. The doctrine seems to be reasonable to a certain extent at first, yet it fails drastically when having a second thought about it. Throughout my essay, I will explain the different types of egoism, and argue for each one of them. Finally, I will provide counter arguments for each type along with my personal opinion and analysis.
The poem is based on Lord Tennyson describing of a huge sea monster that is