The poem "Question" written by May Swenson is about a person questioning the way they'll live after their belongings and pets are no longer a part of their life. This poem is about a person’s belongings which they are extremely attached to. They state it in the last line oft he second stanza when they say, "bright dog is dead." They clearly do lots of activities with this dog like hunt, camp, and go out riding. The person is unsure of what they plan to do when the day comes that their friend passes away. Their description of their love for their dog could also describe the dog's loyalty in a way because dogs are known for being very loyal to their owners as well as loving them very much. The owner may feel as though they will feel bad once the dog dies because of how loyal and loving the dog was. Also the dog may have saved him from a dangerous situation. The clue to that is when they say "how will I know in thicket ahead is treasure or danger." In the last stanza, they ask how they will live without their dog. This only reinforces the fact that they are attached to this animal i...
My initial response to the poem was a deep sense of empathy. This indicated to me the way the man’s body was treated after he had passed. I felt sorry for him as the poet created the strong feeling that he had a lonely life. It told us how his body became a part of the land and how he added something to the land around him after he died.
The poem's situation is simple, a lone traveler driving along a desolate canyon road spots a felled deer; the traveler, desiring neither to hit the deer, nor by swerving to avoid it, hurtle his car over the canyon precipice, stops his vehicle and proceeds to push the fallen animal over the canyon face, into the river below. As the driver struggles to displace the cold, stiff deer corpse he senses warmth emanating from its abdomen, it's an unborn fawn. Realizing that life remains in the body he had assumed dead, the traveler hesitates. Finally, he pushes the deer, one dead and the other not yet alive, off the road and into the chasm.
This imagery is incredibly personal, as it discusses the loss of a person. This quote suggests that it is the loss of a loved one because of the added phrase “the joking voice, a gesture I love” (Bishop 556). This quote shows that the person that was lost was important and familiar to the narrator, while simultaneously a loss that was easy to accept. The imagery used in within this poem purposefully starts off with impersonal items and the simplicity of grieving for them, as it adds to the meanings of the final example of imagery displayed in the poem. Bishop writes that the grieving and acceptance come quickly, regardless of the fact the lost entity is a house key or a loved one. This tension effectively portrays the theme, as well as leave room for a second interpretation. The last line of the poem, Bishop says that writing poetry about loss is just as easy as “the art of losing” (556). The final stanza brings forth two meanings of One Art, suggesting most poetry has multiple
The opening poem brings up ideas of unfamiliarity and distance. Frank is confused with how his house has changed so much after he has come back from war, but in reality, he was only denying his past, deceiving himself. The lock and the key represent how even though Frank wants to get rid of his bad memories, they’ll always stay with him, just like how his past can never be erased. In contrast, at the end of the novel, the poem positively finishes the story, using words such as “strong,” “beautiful,” “alive and well.” It completely contrasts the beginning where darkness looms with the “shadow” of the house. Cee in the end, says the words “Let’s go home,” again emphasizing her pride for her home, Lotus. Also, the novel’s last word, “home” resolves the internal battle that has recurred throughout Cee’s and Frank’s
“Golden Retrievals” also can be seen as golden retriever, which is most likely the breed of the speaker; asks the reader to live life in the moment. Doty describes through images, slant rhymes, rhythm, and organization to enforce the tension of the poem between the speaker and the human. The tension of the poem lies in the merry tone of the personified dog, which lightens the morbid context, but it’s also seriously discusses grief through the humans sentimental
The immensity of the bond of a dog and it’s owner goes beyond life itself. Loyalty and love are two things included and displayed in Lob and Sandy’s bond throughout the story, “Lob’s Girl”. The story itself is about a girl and a dog’s heartwarming bond that goes unbroken until the end. One piece of evidence that supports this is the fact that the moment that Lob met Sandy he fell in love with her, Another piece of evidence is that Lob was Sandy’s dog. The final piece of evidence is that Lob and Sandy’s bond is so strong and mature that they can tell that one of them are there by what they sound like.
...s the theme of family. For example, when you truly love someone in your family, you make sure that you show them you truly love them by not only giving them a hug but also telling them that you love them. I can relate to this situation because whenever I notice that my mom is feeling down, I make sure that I tell her that I love her and she is the best mom in the world. Another theme that is present in this poem that I can relate with my life is the theme of mortality. For example, the man is obsessed with not only how but also why Annabel died. I can relate to the man in this situation because after my mom’s dog passed away about nine or ten years ago I was wondering for the longest time why she had to pass away. She wasn’t always the nicest dog, but I still loved her anyways. This poem celebrates the child-like emotions with the ideals of the Romantic era.
As the first poem in the book it sums up the primary focus of the works in its exploration of loss, grieving, and recovery. The questions posed about the nature of God become recurring themes in the following sections, especially One and Four. The symbolism includes the image of earthly possessions sprawled out like gangly dolls, a reference possibly meant to bring about a sense of nostalgia which this poem does quite well. The final lines cement the message that this is about loss and life, the idea that once something is lost, it can no longer belong to anyone anymore brings a sense...
These pieces stress the importance of all lives, even animals. For example, “Packing the Car” shows the value of a dog’s life in “And when he died in Minnesota…we smelled those marvelous paws”(5 “Packing”). This quote clearly illustrates that it doesn’t matter that the dog was just a dog; the pet owners’ had built a serious bond with the animal. The bond that was created is much like a brother or sister, representing that the relationship between animals and humans is just as important as humans with humans. The importance of relationships is also stressed in “Packing the Car” during the lines of “We tried to take the dog, packed around him, making a cozy spot at the back of the Subaru” (3-6 “Packing”.). This quote illustrates the importance of the family’s dog in connection with their entire family. It is evident this family sees the dog as another part of the family, like a brother or sister. The family sees no reason why they can’t take him, since he is a valued member of their family. This scene illustrates that all relationships are important, not just the human
He sees how much an animal means to an individual, whether it be a cow to a farmer or a little poodle to an old lady. Each and every case is a brand new one. He feels for each and every animal, whether it is a bird or a horse.
to describe the funeral of a woman that no one seems very attached to. The three
... they didn’t go. And lastly, she hears more noises until a hole is dug and it’s her old dog. She is happy to see her dog, but even the dog has forgotten her because he merely digs the whole to bury his bone as a hiding place. So, the main themes of loss interpreted in this poem are loss of love, loss of hope, loss of memory, loss of remembrance, and loss of importance.
Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden is a short poem that illustrates the emotions that he is dealing with after the love of his life passes away. The tone of this piece evokes feelings that will differ depending on the reader; therefore, the meaning of this poem is not in any way one-dimensional, resulting in inevitable ambiguity . In order to evoke emotion from his audience, Auden uses a series of different poetic devices to express the sadness and despair of losing a loved one. This poem isn’t necessarily about finding meaning or coming to some overwhelming realization, but rather about feeling emotions and understanding the pain that the speaker is experiencing. Through the use of poetic devices such as an elegy, hyperboles, imagery, metaphors, and alliterations as well as end-rhyme, Auden has created a powerful poem that accurately depicts the emotions a person will often feel when the love of their live has passed away.
The interactions with the family shows common struggles and the description of how the dog reacts gives off a sense of hope and safety. Often during times of distress people use religion as a way of coping with problems. The dog in the story is “. . . turned over upon his back, and held his paws in a peculiar manner. At the same time with his ears and his eyes he offered a small prayer to the child”(Crane, "A Dark Brown Dog") this happens several times in the story which usually brings the little boy happiness. The dog also allowed the child to occasionally take out anger on it even when no reason was given. The dog played a safe haven that allowed the boy to believe things will get better shown here: “When misfortune came upon the child, and his troubles overwhelmed him, he would often crawl under the table and lay his small distressed head on the dog 's back. The dog was ever sympathetic”(Crane, "A Dark Brown Dog"). The story eventually ends with the dog 's death by the hands of the child 's father here: “The father of the family paid no attention to these calls of the child, but advanced with glee upon the dog...He rolled over on his back and held his paws in a peculiar manner. At the same time with his eyes and his ears he offered up a small prayer...the father was in a mood for having fun, and it occurred to him that it would be a fine thing to throw the dog out of the window”(Crane, "A Dark Brown Dog"). Even before the dog 's last moments he uses religion as hope that the father will stop his violence but instead the father tossed that hope away once he grabbed the dog to toss it out the
“Talking to Grief,” by Denise Levertov approaches the topic of grief by using a homeless dog as the primary symbol in which we see the dog make the transition from acceptance to becoming a permanent household member. The theme of the poem is the welcoming and acceptance of grief and viewing it as a friend rather than an enemy. The narrator gets the point across that grief is a misunderstood companion and sometimes needs to be present for the sake of healing.