The poems of Bryant may be classed, with regard to their subjects:--those expressing a universal interest, relative to the great conditions of humanity, types of nature symbolical of these, as the Winds; poems of a national and patriotic sentiment, or expressive of the heroic in character, as the Song of Marion's Men. Of these, probably the most enduring will be those which draw their vitality more immediately from the American soil. In these there is a purity of nature, and a certain rustic grace, which speak at once the nature of the poet and his subject. Symbolic images of nature abound in his verses. Here I¡¯d like to share some of my observation of some of the poem ¡°to a waterfowl¡±.
Whither, 'midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
Thy solitary way?
Whither¡ªto what place. We have to read the whole stanza to complete the question. The author delays the meaning so long by putting in the description of time and place to create a feeling of distance to the destination. And "thee, thou, thy"--these are all poetic ways of saying "you" in the singular form. In a sense, focusing on a single distinctive "you" with no possibility of it being the plural "you." So, maybe it is more than just poetic diction, but the emphasis of solitude.
Seek'st thou the plashy brink
Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink
On the chafed ocean side?
Rubbed away by friction, constant irritation. Here are three different possible destinations for the waterfowl. they have something in common.
There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,--
The desert and illimitable air,--
Lone wandering, but not lost
If he is speaking of God (what kind of god?), why does he call him a Power? Birds migrate because of natural instincts--what is the connection to a Power here? He might imply that Nature and God are identified Again, notice the emphasis on Lone.
In the fifth stanza, cold thin atmosphere, stoop, weary," and "welcome land" contrast sharply. which adds to the picture of the bird both concretely and symbolically. this bird's flight is beginning to represent the lonely and lifelong struggle of the writer himself in hope of finding his welcome land
. Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart
Bryant explicitly shows the reader his love for nature through the poem. Lines 15-22 demonstrate this love: “The thick roof of green and stirring branches is alive and musical with birds, that sing and sport in
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
This gives the effect that although there is mass devastation, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, in this case for the eagle, the leftover remains of a carcass. However, as seen throughout the poem this isn’t the case for everyone and everything as the dead or dying clearly outnumber those prospering from the drought. This further adds to the miserable and discouraging mood of the poem. Other poetic devices are also used during the course of the
This poem is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. It is blank verse. Although it doesn't rhyme, each line relates to the one before it. The tone of the poet changes throughout he poem. At first it is sad. Bryant uses words such as guilt, misery, sorrow, and crimes to explain the world. Than when he begins explaining how the woods are the answer to your problems, the tone becomes happy. In the middle of the poem, Bryant talks about birds singing, breezes, and happy, soft, nice things that can happen if one uses the woods as a playground, and finds comfort in them.
The ducks are the biggest part of waterfowl hunting because without them there would be nothing to hunt. There are many different kinds of ducks like Mallards, Teal, Wood Ducks, Pintail, Ringneck and a ton more. Also considered waterfowl are the geese, the common snipe and merganser families.
Moore begins the last stanza with an ambiguous “So”. Although one has a heightened awareness of mortality, one “behaves,” one keeps the ego disciplined. This is the same concept as that of the caged bird who, though held captive in a cruelly small space, continues to sing with all his heart. Despite the bird's lack of “satisfaction” because of his loss of flight and freedom, he knows “joy”.
One of the most significant details is the difference in imagery when referring to the airport and the bird. At the beginning of the story, “This place of utter anonymity, impersonality. This place of randomness. Emptiness” (517) is referred. Suddenly the focus switches from the airport to the “improbable and heartrending little musical trill” (517) coming from the bird. The airport represents a manifestation of the everyday monotonous routine of life. It is boring and
As a way to end his last stanza, the speaker creates an image that surpasses his experiences. When the flock rises, the speaker identifies it as a lady’s gray silk scarf, which the woman has at first chosen, then rejected. As the woman carelessly tosses the scarf toward the chair the casual billow fades from view, like the birds. The last image connects nature with a last object in the poet's
Initially, the poem appears to be about an observer forming a connection with a blackbird that he encounters many times. Then the reader realizes that the poem is by Stevens and something else must be going on- and they are correct. In order to see the entire picture, it is very important to look at the bits and pieces that create it. The meaning of each individual part, the setting, the usage of literary devices such as distinct symbolism, and versatile thematic messages are all very important in creating a clear understanding. The path has been laid out, now it is time to shred this work into pieces!
Annie Dillard portrays her thoughts differently in her passage, incorporating a poetic sense that is carried through out the entire passage. Dillard describes the birds she is viewing as “transparent” and that they seem to be “whirling like smoke”. Already one could identify that Dillard’s passage has more of poetic feel over a scientific feel. This poetic feeling carries through the entire passage, displaying Dillard’s total awe of these birds. She also incorporates word choices such as “unravel” and that he birds seem to be “lengthening in curves” like a “loosened skein”. Dillard’s word choice implies that he is incorporating a theme of sewing. As she describes these birds she seems to be in awe and by using a comparison of sewing she is reaching deeper inside herself to create her emotions at the time.
“There is a Power whose care/ Teaches thy way along a pathless coast-/ The desert and illimitable air-/ Lone wandering, but not lost.” This stanza from William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl” raises some questions. Who or what is the “Power” that leads me? Where do I think this path is going? Why do I trust this “Power” to lead me down this path? I believe that the “Power” that leads me is the God of the Bible and He leads me on the path he has laid out for me.
Bryant went through many hard times throughout his life; from losing family members to being socially isolated. He lost many family members and close friends. The one death that hurt him the most was his father’s. Bryant’s father was a very important part of his life; his father taught him many things throughout his lifetime. His father submitted five of his poems into the North American Review, one of those were the first version of “Thanatopsis”. It is said that Bryant mourned his father’s death and that his death is what gave him the emotional passion to write with.
William Cullen Bryant can very easily be linked to the Transcendentalists. Most of his themes in his writings are concerning the nature of life and the nature of nature. "The Yellow Violet" is an example of a poem about the nature of life. "The Prairies," on the other hand, is an example of the nature of nature. Though these two poems of Bryant's are both about the beautiful world of trees, flowers, and fields, they take on a different perspective of nature itself.
bird as the metaphor of the poem to get the message of the poem across
“A Bird came down the Walk,” was written in c. 1862 by Emily Dickinson, who was born in 1830 and died in 1886. This easy to understand and timeless poem provides readers with an understanding of the author’s appreciation for nature. Although the poem continues to be read over one hundred years after it was written, there is little sense of the time period within which it was composed. The title and first line, “A Bird came down the Walk,” describes a common familiar observation, but even more so, it demonstrates how its author’s creative ability and artistic use of words are able to transform this everyday event into a picture that results in an awareness of how the beauty in nature can be found in simple observations. In a step like narrative, the poet illustrates the direct relationship between nature and humans. The verse consists of five stanzas that can be broken up into two sections. In the first section, the bird is eating a worm, takes notice of a human in close proximity and essentially becomes frightened. These three stanzas can easily be swapped around because they, for all intents and purposes, describe three events that are able to occur in any order. Dickinson uses these first three stanzas to establish the tone; the tone is established from the poet’s literal description and her interpretive expression of the bird’s actions. The second section describes the narrator feeding the bird some crumbs, the bird’s response and its departure, which Dickinson uses to elaborately illustrate the bird’s immediate escape. The last two stanzas demonstrate the effect of human interaction on nature and more specifically, this little bird, so these stanzas must remain in the specific order they are presented. Whereas most ...