Jon Stallworthy’s poem is about the narrator comparing the nature of his hands to his father’s hands and more importantly, how it reflects their difference in personal abilities. The narrator says “hands so alike- spade palms, blunt fingers, short in the join - would have no more in common”, translating to even though their hands may be identical in terms of the physical appearance however, they are poles apart when it comes to their skills and functions. This quote directly links to the choice of the author’s title because “Two Hands” not only sets the theme of the poem but it is also built upon the idea of how two hands can look so similar and yet have such variance in their roles. In this poem, the narrator compares his hands to his father’s, which seems to be portrayed to be the hands of a surgeon. For example, words which hold surgical connotation were used to describe the father’s hands, such as “stitch”, “scalpel” and the “Lancet”. Through using these words, it has set an image of the father as a surgeon and also the type of personality which a typical surgeon may possess...
The New York Times Poetry Pairing “Sestina: Like” dives into whether or not “like” is a hindrance on conversation and social media or an innovation linguistically. A.E. Stallings’s poem “Sestina: Like” takes the stance that “like” creates a barrier against communication and discussion. While “They’re, Like, Way Ahead of the Linguistic Currrrve” by Douglas Quenqua takes a different view by explaining the nature of language to change, therefore using “like” for emphasis is simply an alteration, not an issue.
In comparing and contrasting the poems, "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke and "Piano" by D. H. Lawrence, the reader could also compare and contrast the childhood lives of the poets themselves. Roethke's father, Otto Roethke, was a drunk and a figure of terror to his son (Seager 26). His mother was an angry woman and Theodore was a desperate child consistently in the middle of his parent's opposition (Seager 28). D.H. Lawrence's father was a drunk, almost illiterate miner (Squires and Talbot 34). His mother; however, was educated, refined, and pious, ruling the lives of her sons (Squires and Talbot 42). Reviewing the form, tone, and imagery of both poems, the attitude of the boy towards his father in Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" allows the reader to observe the poet's ironic tone contrasting with the attitude of the boy towards his childhood in Lawrence's "Piano", allowing us to sense a more melancholy tone.
Submission is a set of dominant behaviors involving the obedience of one person to another, which can be considered nowadays as an immoral intolerance. Submissiveness, generally directed towards women, has always existed throughout history. Even Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette’s short story “The Hand” brings out this oppressive notion at her times. Through the use of literary devices such as symbolism and characterization (which might also involve imagery), the author portrays this idea of women’s submissiveness to their husband’s dominance in a marriage.
The back slave waits for his freedom. He knows he is created in the image of his God but his fairer fellows fail to see it. Phillys Wheatley and George Moses Horton give voice to the agony of the enslaved male and female. This essay presents an analysis of the poems On Being Brought from Africa to America and George Moses Horton: Myself by Wheatley and Horton respectively. The analysis discovers the message of resistance to the oppression of slavery, its effects and the hypocrisy of the “white Christian” found in these poems.
“The Whipping” and “My Papa’s Waltz” both deal with critical and serious issues that lie within the human mind. The issues being compared can be viewed as abusive, emotional or confusion. The reader can possibly be drawn by the poet to experience their own memories, emotions, and experiences in similar situations. These childhood memories can easily be revisited as adults and their life experiences can be viewed differently as they enter into adulthood. Both pleasant and unpleasant memories stay with a person throughout his or her lifetime. In each of these poems the poet expresses similar situations in his own journey through his eyes as a child.
The speakers and audience in poem are crucial elements of the poem and is also the case in these poems. In the poem Untitled, it can be argued that the poem is being written by Peter based on what his father might say to him...
It is really a hard part of the poem as he realizes that father was giving all his services without making him realize anything but how could he remain so unaware of the harshness faced by the father, this is dreadful and he even goes on to curse himself for this as he writes “What did I know, what did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?” (3) In the last stanza is clear description of the regret and anguish for not expressing the love and appreciation to his father. This is not it but he has used his anguish and desperation at the start of the poem as “No one ever thanked him” (4). It is very agonizing for the poet no matter whether his father felt that anytime but writer is really cursing himself for not taking any care of his father
In “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke uses imagery to portray the relationship between the father and his son. As Roethke describes the dance shared between a father and his son, the narrator creates a scene full of affectionate memories. The narrator provides a child-like glimpse back into a time shared between a father and his son as they danced across the kitchen floor. Throughout the poem, images of a hard-working father are created as Roethke writes of the roughness of the father’s hand that are “battered on one knuckle” (10) and “a palm caked hard by dirt” (14). As the father and son “romped” (5) in the middle of the kitchen despite the mother’s “countenance” (7), the vision of the father’s affectionate, carefree and fun relationship with his son is a cherished memory to the ...
In the short story Hands the main character, Wing Biddlebaum, is forced into isolation due to a traumatic event earlier in his life.1 William L. Phillips states, “The story was one called “Hands.” It was about a poor little man, beaten, pounded,...
Sitting intently on the dining room chair, I traced my uncle’s scar with my eyes. Recently, he had been to the doctor to get full knee replacement surgery. One stormy night, my uncle ventured down to the garage to grab a few drinks. My aunt came running when his screaming ensued. He’d slipped on a worm and ripped his newly stitched knee open. My uncle began to speak of the pus and blood that spilled out of his knee. As I looked around the Easter table, everybody entertained a look of disgust. However, I sat there in awe, wanting to know more as the rest of my family begged him to stop indulging on the details. I realized what I found intriguing, others found grody. Last Easter, I realized I wanted to be a doctor.
The connection of “Eating Walnuts” and “The Third Eye” relate with the author's use of language to carry out the overall theme. A new view of the shell in “Eating Walnuts” and the use of the thrid eye in Guitangs’s poem, disclosed what is real. Although the poems contained different uses of language, Keith and Guitang shared the central theme of
The two prominent images evoked throughout the poem are the dance itself and the violence associated with the dance. Roethke first uses olfactory imagery as he explains the father’s breath after drinking. He states, “The whiskey on your breath / could make a small boy dizzy;” (1-2). It is now evident to the reader that the father is drunk and that the situation could lead to violence. The title of the poem sets the scene of a happy, upbeat dance between a father and son; however, the reader quickly uncovers the truth. In the second stanza, Roethke utilizes auditory imagery as he describes, “We romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf;” (5-6). These lines create the image of a rough dance in the kitchen, which forces the boy to hold on tight to his father. Although the dance entails violence, the reader still understands that the boy loves his father. In addition, Roethke uses visual imagery as he depicts the father’s hand in the third stanza. He describes, “The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle;” (9-10). These lines imply violence as “battered” is an intense word to describe a knuckle. The poem continues, “At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle” (11-12). Although the father is not intentionally being violent, he is still accidentally harming his son. Additionally, the image of a
The family Rochat has lived in and around since it’s inception. I come from Lourd Rochat, my father, who has lived in this community all his life and was a prominent figure in the politics of this city. He was the most well known physician in all of Geneva and people came from very long ways away to be treated by him. He wasn’t the only physician, but he was among the best. I, Léger Rochat am one of the city’s foremost doctors. Me, my wife and three children all live in a squat, small stone building. We have very little in the way of possessions, but we make due with what we do have. My day starts early, when I get up at sunrise to go see the first patient of the day. A vast majority of my patients are the wealthy nobles, due to the high cost of treating people. Sometimes, a peasant will have enough saved money to tell them
Poetic devices are used in a variety of ways. In the poem. Thou Blind Man's Mark, the devices are used to help convey the author's attitude towards desire. Desire is a feeling of a strong want or need. Sir Phillip Sydney's attitude towards desire conflicts with his wants. There are three different types of poetic devices that are used in the poem. The poetic devices, rhyme, alliteration, and repetition, help to convey the speaker's attitude because they portray a pattern of how his conscious differs reality, insert a shift in the speaker's words, and provide a reaction of the author's feelings toward desire.
...ues. The body of symbolism indicates Thomas’s changing view between the writer and his environment and outward look of the relationship with his own children. The use of surrealism provides a vivid image of his life’s despair. Though the poem can be analyze and evaluated from all of the different methods of criticism. The text within the verses indicates that the evaluation of the author is indicative to the psychological critical approach.