I feel intrigued by the poem Digging because of how relatable it is, daydreaming happens to all of us as well as breaking family tradition. When he says “Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” I can see this directly talking about myself writing this paper. I chose this poem because I feel like sometimes in life people just need to sit back and reminisce on the past and that’s something I love to do; I love talking about old memories around close friends and family. I also think it is fine to break a family tradition as long as you are following your dreams.
In this poem, the author uses a mix of enjamed and end-stopped line breaks. There are two major parts in this poem where line breaks and emotions are affected.
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When I read examples of alliteration like spade sinks, gravelly ground, tall tops, buried the bright, squelch and slap of soggy and curt cuts I almost find myself, at times, reading quicker. The amount of imagery in this poem is immense. “When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down” I can almost see myself watching the spade dig into the ground while the speaker is digging into his writing. While reading this poem multiple times, I notice different types of rhymes. The first two stanzas consist of slant rhyming; thumb/gun, sound/ground/down. I think having the first five lines rhyme creates a rhythm. It is very noticeable; one could not read the opening lines with noticing the rhymes. This grabs the reader’s attention right away. The other type of rhyme’s Seamus uses is internal rhymes. Rhymes like knee/firmly; men/them. These, in my opinion, are like “sneaky” rhymes. They don’t slap you in the face and aren’t completely obvious, but It is a repetition of sound. I like how the author uses all these types of rhymes, it makes me stick along with the story. These sound effects seem to emphasize the detail the speaker is using to describe what he is daydreaming. It takes us through what he is seeing and what he is feeling, it’s an emotional …show more content…
In the second line it says, “The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” Using the word gun makes me think he is using it to display some kind of power or authority. I almost think the speaker is saying that the pen is a weapon and that he fuels it into his writing. At the same time, he goes on throughout the poem to say how hard farming really is but it just isn’t his cup of tea. I also noticed in the first line he says “my finger, my thumb” which is directly telling us this poem Is about person experience. The speaker refers to Toner’s bog which must be a town. I feel like the speaker is telling us his grandfather was the best farmer or digger in Toner’s bog. Sometimes he didn’t even drink. I can see many fighting words being used, which makes me think the speaker might be in a dilemma. Why isn’t the speaker digging like his ancestors? The speaker seems conflicted; he compares his pen to a farmer’s spade which makes me think that the speaker might be breaking a family tradition. In the end, the speaker seems to get back into his writing and out of his day dream when he says “The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with
The alliteration used is to emphasize rhythm in the poem. On the other hand, the poet also depicts a certain rhyme scheme across each stanza. For example, the first stanza has a rhyme scheme of this manner a, b, c, d, e, a. With this, the rhyme scheme depicted is an irregular manner. Hence, the poem does not have a regular rhythm. Moreover, the poet uses a specific deign of consonance, which is present in the poem (Ahmed & Ayesha, p. 11). The poet also uses the assonance style depicted in the seventh stanza, “Seven whole days I have not seen my beloved.” The letter ‘o’ has been repeated to create rhythm and to show despair in the poem. On the second last line of the seventh stanza, the poet uses the style of consonance, “If I hug her, she’ll drive illness from me. By this, the letter ‘l’ is repeated across the line. The poet’s aim of using this style of Consonance is to establish rhythm in the poem and add aural
Poems are unique in that there are no set rules for how they are formatted (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). Poems may rhyme, or not. They can be presented in a narrative or lyrical format. The use of proper punctuation can be omitted such as periods, commas, or question marks (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). The use of punctuation or lack there of, brings into play the use of enjambment, which is another term for what is commonly known in poetry as run-on lines (Kirszner & Mandell, 2012). If a poem is considered more proper and the author wants the reader to clearly understand how a line in the poem is read, the use of punctuation such as commas and periods are used to stress this point. This style is commonly known as end-stopped lines. (Kirszner
Rhyme-The last words of line one and line three of each stanza rhyme. The last words of line two and line four of each stanza also rhyme. The rhyming words contribute to the rhythm and flow of the poem.
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.
From the combination of enjambed and end-stopped lines, the reader almost physically feels the emphasis on certain lines, but also feels confusion where a line does not end. Although the poem lacks a rhyme scheme, lines like “…not long after the disaster / as our train was passing Astor” and “…my eyes and ears…I couldn't think or hear,” display internal rhyme. The tone of the narrator changes multiple times throughout the poem. It begins with a seemingly sad train ride, but quickly escalates when “a girl came flying down the aisle.” During the grand entrance, imagery helps show the importance of the girl and how her visit took place in a short period of time. After the girl’s entrance, the narrator describes the girl as a “spector,” or ghost-like figure in a calm, but confused tone. The turning point of the poem occurs when the girl “stopped for me [the narrator]” and then “we [the girl and the narrator] dove under the river.” The narrator speaks in a fast, hectic tone because the girl “squeez[ed] till the birds began to stir” and causes her to not “think or hear / or breathe or see.” Then, the tone dramatically changes, and becomes calm when the narrator says, “so silently I thanked her,” showing the moment of
Follower is a poem written by Seamus Heaney that uses vivid and powerful imagery to describe the bond between a father and son. In this poem the son respects and revers his father and wants to be just like him and grow up and plough in the fields just like. He tries his best to do this however, he isn’t that skilled at this and falls into issues because he keeps tripping and falling. Ext. What makes this poem unique is because Heaney hasn’t written in one perspective throughout but by two. Each character from the poem expressed their own side to show us a more in depth understanding to both sides.
The second and third stanzas of Funeral Rites are highly descriptive, as Heaney describes ‘their puffed knuckles’. This close, sensory description of the body is present in many of his bog poems, but specifically in The Grauballe Man, as, similar to Funeral Rites, Heaney dedicates multiple stanzas to the direct, det...
The ironic use of rhyme and meter, or the lack thereof, is one of the devices Larkin uses to emphasize his need to break out of industrial society. The typical rhyme scheme is not followed, but instead an ironic rhyme scheme is used in the sonnet in the form of abab cdcd efg efg. Larkin writes this poem as a sonnet but at the same time diverges from what a typical sonnet is supposed to be. He is commenting on society’s inclination to form restrictions on those within it. By writing out of the accepted form of a sonnet, his writing becomes more natural because of a lack of constraints due to following certain rules and fitting a certain form. He breaks free and writes as he pleases and does not conform to society. Just as with the rhyme, ...
Beowulf is a poem translated by Seamus Heaney that tells the story of the protagonist named Beowulf. Beowulf was warrior who had the strength of many men. He had grown up and molded himself to fulfill the role of a hero, throughout many occasions. Everytime he had finished a remarkable feat, it was subjected as evidence which was always there showcasing his accomplishments, godsend strength, and loyalty as a leader. Even in the most difficult situations, Beowulf had the courageousness to be side by side with God, letting him be victorious than anyone had ever
Edgar Allen Poe’s alliteration and repetition of words support the poem’s flow and musicality. Poe begins with the alliteration of the m sound in “merriment” and “melody” (3). The soft m sound, also known as a liquid consonant, helps to keep a quick and continuous pace for the poem. Similarly, the alliteration of the s sounds in sledges, silver, stars, and seem, emphasize the calming sounds of the bells (1-2, 6-7). The s sound helps express the soothing and comforting effects of the bells, essentially contributing to the merry tone of the poem. Furthermore, the alliteration of t...
Everything that the speaker is trying to express is tied together by the poem's form. The uneven rhyme is a perfect method of pronouncing the confusion that the speaker is feeling about the world. & nbsp;
The consistent pattern of metrical stresses in this stanza, along with the orderly rhyme scheme, and standard verse structure, reflect the mood of serenity, of humankind in harmony with Nature. It is a fine, hot day, `clear as fire', when the speaker comes to drink at the creek. Birdsong punctuates the still air, like the tinkling of broken glass. However, the term `frail' also suggests vulnerability in the presence of danger, and there are other intimations in this stanza of the drama that is about to unfold. Slithery sibilants, as in the words `glass', `grass' and `moss', hint at the existence of a Serpent in the Garden of Eden. As in a Greek tragedy, the intensity of expression in the poem invokes a proleptic tenseness, as yet unexplained.
At the end of lines 20, 22, 25 and 26 there are exclamation marks which shown strength and a fight, the transition from the first part of the poem to the second is defined by the introduction of a theme of desire, passion and fear all of which are interlinked in religious teachings but the poem is using the good parts of religion and then quickly switches to the...
The repetition of the “s” sound in line 4 and of the “m” sound in line 5 illustrate alliteration, and this occurs throughout the poem, providing to the listener what the rhyme of modern-day poetry provides – an aesthetic sense of rightness or pleasure.
Through alliteration and imagery, Coleridge turns the words of the poem into a system of symbols that become unfixed to the reader. Coleridge uses alliteration throughout the poem, in which the reader “hovers” between imagination and reality. As the reader moves through the poem, they feel as if they are traveling along a river, “five miles meandering with a mazy motion” (25). The words become a symbol of a slow moving river and as the reader travels along the river, they are also traveling through each stanza. This creates a scene that the viewer can turn words into symbols while in reality they are just reading text. Coleridge is also able to illustrate a suspension of the mind through imagery; done so by producing images that are unfixed to the r...