In Philip Larkin’s Sad Steps, the poetic voice reflects upon the conflict between two different perspectives on the moon and its symbolic meaning. The poem centers around the moon and the divergence between the speaker’s own perspective on its meaning versus the established connotations given to the moon in the poetic realm. The poem focuses on a recurring theme of Philip Larkin’s poetry, youth and the cycle of life. Larkin, who is most possibly the poetic voice, compares his own human proportion and his inevitable death against the moon’s majesty and agelessness. Through the use of ironic metaphors, contrasting diction, and a conflicted and cynical tone, Larkin makes a poignant reflection on the moon as a symbol of romantic deception.
Through the use of contrasting diction, between light and dark, sharp and soft, colloquial and poetic, the clash between a myriad of emotion that the moon incites in the speaker is illustrated. The poem open in a very shocking and colloquial manner. The use of the phrase “Groping back to bed after a piss” (1) creates a gritty tone, that alludes to the youth. This explicitness and vulgarity is rare for a poem and thus, removes the reader from the usual poetic, romanticized mind set. However, as the poem advances, the total opposite of this vulgarity occurs, and highly lyrical and romantic language is used. Descriptions such as “preposterous” (10) and “lozange” (11) and “medallion” (11), all allude to poetic and over the top language mostly used by orthodox poets. This divergence in diction creates the conflicting tone, that mirrors the internal fight Larkin has between believing in eternal youth versus cynically accepting that life is meaningless and imminently tragic. Furthermore, other contradicto...
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In conclusion, Philip Larkin creates a conflict between his “Sad Steps” and “startled” (2) attitude. The poem bases itself in a myriad of conflicting emotions that parallel Larkin’s own internal realization that there is no magical connection between the moon and himself. He disregards the romantic viewpoint of the moon and gives it a gritty and cynical spin that represents his own perspective on youth and the life cycle. He has an epiphany that no matter what all the poets and artists say, the moon is ageless and majestic while the human species in cursed with the imminence of its death. Through the ironic metaphors, contrasting diction and the unusual tone, the poetic persona realizes that the beauty of youth is all and ephemeral deception, just like the illusionary connection between man and the moon that all artist love to fantasize about.
Imagery uses five senses such as visual, sound, olfactory, taste and tactile to create a sense of picture in the readers’ mind. In this poem, the speaker uses visual imagination when he wrote, “I took my time in old darkness,” making the reader visualize the past memory of the speaker in “old darkness.” The speaker tries to show the time period he chose to write the poem. The speaker is trying to illustrate one of the imagery tools, which can be used to write a poem and tries to suggest one time period which can be used to write a poem. Imagery becomes important for the reader to imagine the same picture the speaker is trying to convey. Imagery should be speculated too when writing a poem to express the big
The readers are apt to feel confused in the contrasting ways the woman in this poem has been depicted. The lady described in the poem leads to contrasting lives during the day and night. She is a normal girl in her Cadillac in the day while in her pink Mustang she is a prostitute driving on highways in the night. In the poem the imagery of body recurs frequently as “moving in the dust” and “every time she is touched”. The reference to woman’s body could possibly be the metaphor for the derogatory ways women’s labor, especially the physical labor is represented. The contrast between day and night possibly highlights the two contrasting ways the women are represented in society.
To help Year Twelve students that are studying poetry appreciate it's value, this pamphlet's aim is to discuss a classic poem and a modern song lyric to show that even poetry written many years ago can still be relevant to people and lyrics today. By reading this may you gain a greater knowledge and understanding of poetry in general, and not just the two discussed further on.
Throughout his poetry, Collins demonstrates, in a witty and satirical voice, his insightfulness towards the objects, using numerous poetic devices, especially allusions and metaphors to effectively convey his messages, most of which revolves around the theme of death. Humor and irony are unique combinations Collins displays in many of his poems, challenging the readers to interpret his work from different perspectives. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Collins offers a witty comparison between the definition of poetry and various other experiments. He asks the reader to “hold [the poem] up to the light/ like a color slide” (1-3), “press an ear against its hive” (4), “drop a mouse into a poem” (5), “walk inside the poem's room” (7), and “waterski across the surface of a poem” (9-10). Rather than stiffly explaining the definition of a poem, he finds creative and humorous approaches to explain his methods of enjoying the poems, and promote the readers’ interest towards discovering the true meaning of poetry.
Hart Crane’s poetry is a perfect example of an Apollonian art with Dionysian qualities. Hart Crane, the American poet and author of “Eternity”, “O Carib Isle!”, and “The Hurricane”, demonstrates elements of destruction and tragedy within his poems. The Apollonian dreamworld is “the father of all the imagistic arts […] [including the] good half of poetry”(Nietzsche, 29). Because poetry is an art form of the Apollonian world Crane’s poems become an Apollonian work. It is through the poems themselves, however, the Dionysian world comes into play. In all of Crane’s poems a major tone of Dionysian qualities are exemplified. Crane’s poem “Eternity” illustrates Dionysian tragedy. The poem describes the people of a town, and the town itself, after
Not only the words, but the figures of speech and other such elements are important to analyzing the poem. Alliteration is seen throughout the entire poem, as in lines one through four, and seven through eight. The alliteration in one through four (whisky, waltzing, was) flows nicely, contrasting to the negativity of the first stanza, while seven through eight (countenance, could) sound unpleasing to the ear, emphasizing the mother’s disapproval. The imagery of the father beating time on the child’s head with his palm sounds harmful, as well as the image of the father’s bruised hands holding the child’s wrists. It portrays the dad as having an ultimate power over the child, instead of holding his hands, he grabs his wrists.
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
The poem is a combination of beauty and poignancy. It is a discovery in a trajectory path of rise and fall of human values and modernity. She is a sole traveler, a traveler apart in a literary romp afresh, tracing the thinning line of time and action.
This essay is anchored on the goal of looking closer and scrutinizing the said poem. It is divided into subheadings for the discussion of the analysis of each of the poem’s stanzas.
The poem uses many literary devices to enhance the meaning the words provide. The poem starts at the beginning of the story as the moon comes to visit the forge. The moon is said to be wearing “her skirt of white, fragrant flowers” (Lorca 2) as its bright light penetrates the scene. The poem states “the young boy watches her, watches. / The young boy is watching her” (3-4). The repetition of the phrase emphasizes the young boy’s infatuation with the moon. The scene is set with intensity by the phrase “electrified air” (5) and a tense feeling is brought into the poem. As “the moon moves her arms” (6), she is given traits of being alive and having her own human qualities. Personification of the moon into a woman exemplifies the desire that the child would have for the woman, and creates a more appealing form for the moon to appear as. The child cries, “flee, moon, moon, moon” (9) with urgency, showing his concern for her. He warns her “they would make with your heart / white necklaces and rings” (11-12). This refers back to the metaphor that the moon is made of hard tin, but still personifies her by giving her a heart. The moon is additionally personified when she says “ young boy, leave me to dance”(13). She has now taken the form of a sensual and erotic gypsy dancer furthering the desire of the young boy. This brings Spanish culture to the poem because gypsies are known to travel throughout Spain. The mo...
“In this poem, the night represents his destination — the poet’s own inner life, possibly self-knowledge. The poet, then, feels at least partially alienated from himself in much the same way that the night promotes a feeling of alienation from other people” (Kidd 2). Therefore, the reader can assume this rest of the poem is going to be about the narrator getting to know his place in this world while he is on a night stroll. The second line of stanza one states “I have walked out in rain –and back in rain” (Frost 157). His repetition of going in the rain twice emphasizes his miserable condition on this dark, rainy night. Nonetheless, he embraces nature and continues on with his walk past “the furthest city light” which tells the reader that he is now in complete darkness. Stanza two focuses primarily on his relationship with society. The narrator is casually walking in the city at night and sees the “saddest city lane” and
Billy Collins has used a specific metaphor, simile, rhyme and personification in his poem ‘Introduction to poetry’ in order to show how one should better understand a poem. This poem focused on what the poem actually mean and how a poem should be clearly understood. Throughout the poem, Billy Collins has presented a clear way of understanding the poem by using a very interesting imagery, symbolism, metaphor and a very sensitive sound. The words used in this poem are so powerful that the readers are convinced to think about the issue presented in the poem.
"A Study of Reading Habits," is Philip Larkin’s poetic warning that escapism and ignoring reality only makes real life less fulfilling. Larkin develops this idea via a narrator who prefers to escape from life rather than deal with it, as well as through changing use of language and subtle irony. Larkin’s most direct expression of his warning comes through the narrator’s experience with escapism through books. The narrator reveals his changing attitudes toward books in three stanzas, representing three stages in his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. As a child, reading as an escape enabled the narrator to feel better about "most things short of school" (line 2). As an adolescent, books continued to be a form of escape for him, this time for his unfulfilled sexual desires. However, as an adult "now," the narrator embodies Larkin's warning. He is bitter and resentful that life is less glamorous than books, now only able to relate to the secondary, less important characters. The method he once used to escape now makes reality painfully obvious.
The relationship of the speaker to his surroundings is introduced into the main narrative in the opening of the poem, and is specific to when this occurrence is taking place, “At midnight, in the month of June”. June is the month in which the summer solstice takes place, in the Pagan culture of this time “Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. The pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers.” (chiff.com) Today this concoction is used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer. Midnight is also known as the witching hour when ghosts are considered to have their most power. Black magic is also thought to be infallible at this hour as well. The speaker of the poem describes himself as standing beneath the moon, this sublunary expulsion is pertinent to the narrative of the poem, and he is admitting his mortality in this line. The moon is personified in the fourth line “Exhales from her out her golden rim”, which is ...
The reader learns that Mikage has yet to cry over the death of her grandmother and has not yet dealt with the overwhelming emotion regarding the situation. In this scene, the moon represents the notion that light shines even in the darkest moments of our lives, “my eye came to rest on the still-new moon making its gentle way across the sky.” The adjective ‘gentle’ softens the atmosphere and creates a peaceful feeling. This is contrasted to the following breakdown as she gets off the bus, “tears were flooding out.” Connotations of ‘flooding’ emphasizes the uncontrollable nature of it as floods are typically nature’s doing, a force to be reckoned with; this implication emphasizes how overwhelmed Mikage is. A ‘new moon’ symbolizes new beginnings, relating to Mikage’s recovery from her sudden breakdown. In addition, Mikage is now in a refreshed state as a result of dealing with the death of grandmother in a very emotional way, “unburdened after my good cry, I slept like a baby.” By linking Mikage to a baby, Yoshimoto is able to emphasize the idea of peace and acceptance. The moon’s symbolic meaning emphasizes the impact this pivotal point has on Mikage’s future as it is as if she has been reborn. This scene is strangely uplifting for the reader as by releasing her grief, Mikage is left feeling so much happier and more content. The moon is then seen as a symbol of both despair and acceptance.