INTRO: Theme is an essential part of every literary work and is developed by the employment of many poetic elements (n.a., Theme). Imagery is one of them, as sensory appeal and figurative language works with background experience to obtain a message. In the poem “In Spite of War,” poet Angela Morgan presents a theme that is demonstrated through nature imagery and personification. TS: As stated, Morgan uses nature imagery, specifically symbolism as its dominant facet, to establish the theme of the poem. The underlying message of the story as it connects to human experience is that hope will live through despair, happiness through war. CD: One of the symbols the poet conceals is found on lines 6 and 7 in stanza 1: “Lilacs are blooming at my gate, Tulips are tripping down the path (Ambrose, In).” CM: One can examine the main colors of these flowers and view them as symbolic. The purple in lilacs represents peace and tranquility; tulip red represents love, while pink personifies youth and good health (n.a., Symbolism). All of these colors connote positive things, connecting to the “happiness” part of the theme. CM: Also, the blooming of the lilacs symbolizes hope and growth. The fact that these two flowers are appearing at the speaker’s surroundings suggests that hope is making itself known. These two lines directly juxtapose line 5 in stanza 1, saying that these flowers will appear even in destruction, that hope will be there through the perils of war. CD: Another instance in which Morgan combines symbolism and imagery to expound the theme is in lines 18 and 19 in stanza 2: “Though guns may roar and cannon boom, Roses are born and gardens bloom (Ambrose, In).” CM: Guns and cannons are part of war, and thus serve as metonymies (Ambro... ... middle of paper ... ...allow for an unbroken sound, and evoke a bright, harmonious mood in the audience. CS: Personification appears all throughout the poem, and it is not by mistake. The poet personifies flowers and nature in order to send messages to or remind man that even amidst the chaotic ruin that instigates his neglecting of nature, he still has that sense of happiness and delight in him. CONCLUSION: In her lyrical poem “In Spite of War,” poet Angela Morgan utilizes nature imagery and personification to deliver its main message. The motif of blossoming flowers makes them symbols of hope that foil the allegory of war. Interaction between man and nature is also touched upon, hinting to avert from constant misery and live optimistically. These techniques and devices eventually point one way and craft the theme that is so essential to today’s dystopia: hope lives even through despair.
7. The personification in the second stanza is that she gives poems the ability to hide and are waiting to be found. The author states that poems are hiding in the bottom of your shoes, and they are the shadows drifting across your ceiling before you wake up. This is personification because she gives the poems traits that only a living organism can possess.
Despite nature’s capacity to exist without humanity, ‘orchards would never be planted’. The high modality of the metaphor of an orchard and its fruit unable to be formed reflects the absence of human drive for a set goal nor its deliberately planned path of growth– bearing no ‘fruits’ or rewards in the long run. In comparison, when humanity’s rapacious attempts strip the landscape of its resources (Flame Tree in a Quarry), nature ‘springs up this scarlet breath’ where the sibilance and personification of the earth emphasises the sharp pain and loss. Furthermore, the symbolism of ‘scarlet’ as blood from a wound also exemplifies humanity’s self endangerment upon damaging the land, in spite of their temporary materialistic gain. Therefore, although both the land and humans may, at least momentarily, survive with the absence of the other, both have their progress capped. Accordingly, the River of Dreams illustrates humanity and nature’s reliance on one another in the ship on the luminescent blue ocean in the background’s centre of the River of Dreams. The ocean symbolises nature’s patience and gentle nurturing power being the medium of support for the ship that represents humanity. This conveys humanity’s striving intention for an advance to a pinpointed destination, sanctioned by nature’s serenity and stability to prevent society’s total submergence in greed
War and its ramifications for those who are unfortunately entangled in it, is an issue that has fueled both political discussion and literary exploration throughout the previous century. Underived, authentic accounts of the experience and effects of war, from those who have served in it, can be especially enlightening for the majority of society who have had the fortune of not being intimately familiar with war. Through the examination of poems and stories written by soldiers, who were inspired by their involvement in conflict, one can obtain a greater understanding of this gruesome aspect of life, without having to directly experience it. Similarly, soldier turned poet, Bruce Weigl, has contributed his perspective on war through his literary
The elements in the poem work very well together to help set the theme of this poem. The tone set the overall mood of the poem, so show that it was rushed but not in a chaotic way. The imagery helps to show us little details of the setting, which are very helpful. And finally, the figures of speech, help the reader to compare the scene to things they have experienced in their lifetime to fully understand the poem.
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
A:Nature symbolizes life and beauty because flowers from the story are beautiful and bring happiness to Doodle and his brother.
The powerful poem ‘Weapons Training’ showcases a sergeant, through malicious words, guiding his troops. However it is through ‘Homecoming’, where Dawe exposes the brutal hopelessness brought forth by the futility of war. Therefore it can be seen that war has an emotional toll on both families and the soldiers. Both poems have a recurring message that all war does is bring loss, death and mourning, showcasing Dawes strong opinions about a futile
In this poem, imagery shapes what we think and what we will further believe about war based on how vividly we see it. If there were horrible pictures taken during this battle we would have been given a visual representation of it. If we were given a helmet to touch and try on we could easily understand what the soldiers physically felt during this war. Unfortunately, we cannot fully understand this war though because we cannot smell, hear, or taste this war like the soldiers did. Although in this poem all five of our senses are fed by words that help us go back in time and visit the place that is written about. Without imagery this war scene would be short, boring, and uneventful. With the overpowering description given in each line we see a more accurate depiction of war and are given an opportunity to live it as if we were there.
In conclusion, Owen only loosely bases the structure of this free-verse poem on the iambic pentameter. The comparison of the past and the present emphasizes on what the soldier has lost in war. There are several recurring themes shown throughout the poem, such as reminiscence and sexual frustration. Reminiscence is shown through the references to his life before the war, while sexual frustration is depicted through the unlikeliness of a girl ever loving him due to his disability. The message that Owen is trying to get across to his readers is the falseness of war propaganda and pacifism – what war can do to one - and he conveys his ideas using various themes, language and through the free-verse structure of this poem.
Emily Dickinson, in the poems “Dear March-Come In-” and “The Winds Visit” uses personification in order to create a picture in the reader’s mind. “Dear March- Come In” has personification which connects the reader to the feeling of loving March/springtime. “Dear march- come in-”, this personification is important because they use it throughout the poem. The poet used personification to make the reader think about how it feels to have spring come and go. Dickinson not only used personification in “Dear March- Come In”, but also in “The Winds Visit”, in order to establish a picture in the reader’s mind. “The wind tapped…”, this is personification
The theme is portrayed through very unique imagery with the extremely exhilarating word choice this poet carefully chose to make this whole poem flow like a brook in mid-summer with an unbelievable number of trout in the glistening blue water. When he introduces us to this Clod of Clay that is living a horrible, but in it all he finds a silver lining through it all. This little Clod of Clay lives under cattle’s feet and gets stomped on all the time and although he is getting trampled on ninety percent of his life he finds what the silver lining through it all is. He says, “
As a poet, Wilfred Owens wants to show the effects of warfare from the viewpoint of a soldier during a War. Owens uses his own experience as a fighter to capture the reader’s attention and get across his point. He often uses graphic imagery and words to depict his thoughts about war. Wilfred Owens, poems, “Dulce et Decorum est” and “Anthem for doomed youth” talk blatantly about the effects of warfare on the soldiers, their loved ones, and those who make an ultimate sacrifice by making a statement about the efficacy of war.
Wilfred Owen can be considered as one of the finest war poets of all times. His war poems, a collection of works composed between January 1917, when he was first sent to the Western Front, and November 1918, when he was killed in action, use a variety of poetic techniques to allow the reader to empathise with his world, situation, emotions and thoughts. The sonnet form, para-rhymes, ironic titles, voice, and various imagery used by Owen grasp the prominent central idea of the complete futility of war as well as explore underlying themes such as the massive waste of young lives, the horrors of war, the hopelessness of war and the loss of religion. These can be seen in the three poems, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ and ‘The Last Laugh’, in which this essay will look into.
War consumes the youth of young men and completely alters a person. From numerous poems, it is made clear that war exhausts the youth of young men, and has left their lives with no meaning. These poems are “Dulce Et Decorum Est” and “Mental Cases” written by Wilfred Owen. Similarly, they both employ the same techniques, such as similes and metaphors. However, a somewhat different perspective is projected through the poem “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae, which dissimilitudes yet intensifies the main message. Whether from a more emotional perspective or from a physical view, war has devastated the prime time of many young men in multitudinous ways.
Figurative language is used by William Wordsworth to show the exchange between man and nature. The poet uses various examples of personification throughout the poem. When the poet says:”I wandered lonely as a cloud” (line 1),”when all at once I saw a crowd” (line 3), and “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” (line 6) shows the exchange between the poet and nature since the poet compares himself to a cloud, and compares the daffodils to humans. Moreover, humans connect with God through nature, so the exchange between the speaker and nature led to the connection with God. The pleasant moment of remembering the daffodils does not happen to the poet all time, but he visualizes them only in his “vacant or pensive mode”(line 20). However, the whole poem is full of metaphors describing the isolation of the speaker from society, and experiences the beauty of nature that comforts him. The meta...