Poetry appreciation of Death of a naturalist
This poem ‘Death of a Naturalist’ by Seamus Heaney is about the
lifecycle of frogs and a child’s interest in nature. As the child
grows up he looses interest in all aspects of nature. It is as if
‘Death of a Naturalist’ was referring to the loss of innocence of the
child and the love of nature he once had died inside him. Not only
that, he now has respect for nature but not necessarily disliking it;
nor loving it either.
The atmosphere of the first stanza is quite positive. A phrase such as
‘There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,’ suggests a happy mood
and refers to pleasant memories to Heaney as a child. Diction such as
the ‘warm thick slobber’ indicates to me the child-likeness theme of
this poem. Which proves that it is from an adult’s perspective looking
back at his childhood. Heaney has done this by using the ‘child-like’
vocabulary as well as a more complex and mature tone to the poem. He
has done this so that we as the reader can recognise the difference of
the fascination of a child and a simpler explanation of things from an
adult. For example as the first stanza draws to a close we learn that
by frogs we can tell the weather ‘For they were yellow in the sun and
brown/in rain.’ This is the typical child learning something new in
school, and then assuming they know it all. From that I get the image
of the child telling its mother ‘mum did you know…’ Where as an adult
would dismiss it as merely a fact.
By the second stanza the poem takes a rather dark turn. All the
positivity in the first stanza has been replaced with a sinister and
morbid tone. The beginning of the stanza ‘ Then one hot day…fields
were rank’ suggests the dramatic change in ...
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changed and I realised that the poem was not all about frogs. It was a
case of reading between the lines. Heaney’s overall message fascinated
me and urged me to delve more into the subject of ‘loss of innocence’.
Which set me on a train of thought. One thing in particular that made
the poem more enjoyable for myself was Heaney’s flair for style. The
way in which he concentrates on the onomatopoeia in the poem is very
effective. As I had not previously read any other of Heaney’s poems
this immediately drew my attention. Another thing I liked was the
images he created in my mind. One of those images were (in the second
stanza); a battlefield where the child is on one side and the frogs
are his opposition and the frogs are invading the land-similar to a
war scenario. Therefore I would highly recommend this poet simply for
Heaney’s unique style of writing.
Langston Hughes and Kate Chopin use nature in several dimensions to demonstrate the powerful struggles and burdens of human life. Throughout Kate Chopin's The Awakening and several of Langston Hughes' poems, the sweeping imagery of the beauty and power of nature demonstrates the struggles the characters confront, and their eventual freedom from those struggles. Nature and freedom coexist, and the characters eventually learn to find freedom from the confines of society, oneself, and finally freedom within one's soul. The use of nature for this purpose brings the characters and speakers in Chopin's and Hughes' works to life, and the reader feels the life and freedom of those characters.
Dafydd ap Gwilym has been acclaimed as the greatest poet of the Welsh language. As Rachel Bromwhich commented, Dafydd’s life "coincided miraculously in both time and place with an unprecedented opportunity to mate the new with the old" (Brom 112). Perhaps "mate" is a more appropriate choice of words here than Rachel intended. As his poetry depicts, Dafydd tried to mate a great many things in his time; the man is immortalized as a ball of raging hormones. A self-proclaimed "Ovid’s man," Dafydd took pleasure in identifying himself with the authoritative source of courtly love, a fresh trend in Wales during his life (Summer 29). Love, specifically courtly love, was among the new themes Dafydd merged with the traditional themes like nature. Even the ancient topic of nature, under Dafydd’s molding, took on new forms. Dafydd personified elements of nature to be his trusted messengers in poems such as "The Seagull." In the "Holly Grove," nature is subtly described as a fortress or protector of sorts. Variations of these elements of secret, protected, and secluded love mesh with images of nature throughout Dafydd’s poetry. However, nature seems to be much more than a confidant or mere factor in his search for love; Dafydd’s poems such as "Secret Love" suggest that nature is essential in this endeavor. Though Dafydd’s attempts at love are not limited to the natural realm, poems such as "Trouble in a Tavern" make it evident that only in the natural setting is Dafydd a successful lover.
"It can stay like that apparently, no beating heart or brain activity or anything, until you decide to thaw it," New York-based science writer Mariana Gosnell said Monday on a broadcast of the Pulse of the Planet radio program. “When temperatures warm and the ice melts, the frogs thaw. Water slowly flows back into the cells, blood starts flowing again, and the frog revives” (National Geographic).
after death is what is very dissimilar. In the poem when she says "We passed
" Here, there was at least the promise of green. The toad at once had begun to burow into the welcome mud." (Findley, 155)
Death is one of the only true constants in the universe and is the only guarantee in life. Everyone knows of death and everyone will experience it, but to the living death is still one of life's greatest mysteries. In some cultures death is celebrated and embraced, while in others it is feared. However it is perceived, death holds different meanings for different people. Through the art of poetry a writer can give a reader many different outlooks and maybe a better understanding of life and death.
In ‘All the Pretty Horses’ Luis states ‘among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all was probably an illusion’, by this he means the relationship man has with nature is totally unique, it is sacred; the relationship between men is a misapprehension. In some respects the reader may agree with the statement because it is true, man’s relationship with animals and nature is fairly simple compared to man’s relationship amongst each other which is far more complex due to conflict of opinion and other complications. John Grady Cole’s relationship with Alejandra faced much turmoil and complication, one of the biggest issues they faced was the fact Alejandra’s family condemned their relationship and forbid her to be with him. To a certain extent John’s romance with Alejandra mirrors Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in respects to their forbidden love, however their story does not end in tragedy. Wordsworth shows nature to be more of a companion for man in ‘The Solitary Reaper’. The woman reaps the crops alone in the field singing with a voice so ‘thrilling’ it resonates ‘Long after it was heard no more’. Although she is lonely, she is wholly reliant upon the sustenance she receives and the relationship she has with nature. The poet proceeds to compare her to the Cuckoo and the Nightingale stating ‘No Nightingale did ever chaunt more welcome notes to weary bands’ being compared to birds with such beautiful song surely displays her oneness with nature. Unlike the ‘maiden’ Victor tries to control and dominate nature, this resentment could stem from the fact his mother died of the fever, making him go to extreme lengths in constructing this figure from different body parts to create a cre...
“A Story about the Body”, a prose poem by Robert Hass, is literally about a man who supposedly loves a woman but then finds out about her health conditions and then changes his mind. This poem, when I read it, was more like a short story than a poem. The poem uses imagery and a variety of adjectives which allow the reader to put themselves in the story as if they were watching it happen.
sit by the wells and how he cant do that anymore as it is 'Undignified
The process of mourning will be different for ever individual, the emotions that are felt during this time can range from hate to love. W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” describes the day of someone who is mourning a loved one and experiences feelings such as denial and depression. Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could Not Stop for Death” on the other hand describes the events someone feels as they being to accept death. There are many similarities between these pieces of writings such as the poet’s use of metaphors, imagery, tone and structure. Although these two poems express death in opposite ways they have a common theme which states that death is a part of life. Both of these poems express the different ways that people deal with death; Auden’s poem depicts dark emotions while Dickinson’s tone suggests understanding and acceptance of death.
Frogs are needed for everyday life. They are part of pond life. Each animal is important because even in the pond, there is a food chain. Frogs are amphibians, animals that spend half of their lives under water, and remainder on land. The first frog appeared in the early Jurassic period about 200 million years ago.
Internal conflict erupts between staying and leaving home, leading to indecision. In the poem “Poetry of Departures” author Philip Larkin details the struggle between breaking out of familiarity and making the leap to enter the unknown. Weary of persistent perfection, inspires a yearn to leave and adventure into uncertainty
Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings
Since animals, usually pets, are sometimes an essential part of one’s life, it is not surprising that we find frequent references to its role in works of social realism, such as Wislawa Szymborska’s Poems New and Collected and Milan Kundera’s Unbearable Lightness of Being. Animals in literature could be used to symbolize all sorts of things, but in particular, animals may represent the personality of a character. This is because as humans and animals co-exist in the same atmosphere, certain aspects of a character reveal themselves in the compassion or even hatred towards the animal. Since animals are often known to trigger the interests of humans, the attitude of the humans towards the animals contributes much to character revelation. Both Szymborska and Kundera use animals to symbolize character personality in their works. Therefore, through looking at animals, although it does seem to be a very commonplace topic, we may gain insight to what the writers are trying to convey about the character. This paper will compare the ways the writers use animals to determine a character’s personality or characteristics.
Death is a prevalent theme in the poetry of both Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson. They both examine death from varied angles. There are many similarities as well as differences in the representation of this theme in their poetry. Plath views death as a sinister and intimidating end, while Dickinson depicts death with the endearment of romantic attraction. In the poetry of Plath death is depicted traditionally, while Dickinson attributes some mysticism to the end of life.