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The nature ,purpose and function of literary Criticism
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he two poems, “Travelling through the Dark” by William E. Stafford and “Woodchucks” by Maxine Kumin, both share similar thought involving the relationship between humans and nature. Although the poems have different plots, settings, and characters, they both develop a common theme of a huge conflict in the way people interact with their surroundings. In both poems, the protagonist is forced to make a decision involving the life or death In “Woodchucks”, the author describes a scenario in which her pacifist self comes face to face with a family of woodchucks and kills them all. In “Travelling through the Dark”, the narrator comes across a pregnant deer that was hit by a car, lying in the middle of the road, and wonders about the unfair
These two poems may seem like very similar poems at first glance, but when they are picked apart line for line to find the true meaning, they are much different. The underlying themes of these poems aren’t even close to one another. One poem describes a moment that changed a teenager’s life, causing him to mature in the process. The other poem describes how nature, man, and technology can hurt and better each other. By saying these poems are the same simply because they are about animals dying would be merely scratching the surface of what these poems are about.
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
“Traveling Through the Dark” ,by William Stafford, is a poem about a moral dilemma about the nature of death and the sadness that comes of it. The situation intensifies when a man, the driver of this truck, is driving late at night and sees this deer on the side of the road. Pulling over he seeing that’s this deer has recently been hit. Noticing that the doe is pregnant and that her body is getting very stiff but that her belly remains warm with the baby deer waiting to be born. That is when the intensity of the situation changes vastly for the mortally of the driver. Does he push the deer down the side of the road and forget about it and drive away or does he try and save this baby deer residing within its mother’s womb. Poetry can have different meanings to people, but no matter what time period poetry can seem to always be relevant in one way or another. My own interpretation of “Traveling Through the Dark”, has changed since the first time I read it. When reading this poem and comparing my meaning of it to another person we both seem to hit on some ...
These two poems are similar because of the two pasts the main character share. Both characters grew up in a town that was centered around the ability to play sports. Each town praised their athlete for the accomplishments
The poetry by these two poets creates several different images, both overall, each with a different goal, have achieved their purposes. Though from slightly different times, they can both be recognized and appreciated as poets who did not fear the outside, and were willing to put themselves out there to create both truth and beauty.
Maxine Kumin’s poem Woodchucks is not simply a farmer’s irritation over a couple of pesky woodchucks. The subject does have to do with humans having the tendency to become violent when provoked. However the theme of the poem takes a much darker path showing how it only takes something small to turn any normal humane person into a heartless murderer. The theme evolves by using dark references to the holocaust and basic Darwinist principles. These references are made through connotation, tone, allusions and metaphors.
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
One way in which the poems differ is in their use of imagery. A good
Though the point of views are different, there is one important similar factor that comes back in both poems, and that is the difference between black and white. Though these two poems are written from two totally different perspectives, it is fair to say that (even if the first poem covers it up by being written from a positive approach) both poems are quite sinister when fully understanding what they are about.
There are similarities in these two poems, such as the theme and the observance of the narrator. Both of the poems themes involve death. In?I heard a fly buzz when I died?, the poet writes,? And then the Windows failed? and then I could not see to see- ", which means that the narrator?s eyes would not open no more; they had died.
“Suddenly the young hunter saw the woman, with her dress above her waist, her bare legs sprayed wide apart. He had never seen a woman like that before. He ran quickly to her side and stared down at her belly, quite frightened to touch. There, lying beneath the woman's legs, was the body of a small, damp, pink animal, attached only by something that looked like a rope......”
Therefore, although both poems are written on similar topics, the poems are quite different, mainly only agreeing on the fact that war is wrong.
In the poem “Traveling through the Dark”, I picture a man traveling at night on a narrow road. He approaches a dead deer and gets out of his car to investigate further. His first instinct is “to roll them into the canyon” (Stafford, 1998). He knows that the road is too narrow for both the dead deer and a passing car. The deer is already dead and he wants to prevent any further deaths. He notices that the deer was pregnant, so he thinks deep on his next course of action. He knows the baby is alive, but he does not know when it was expected to be born or if it was injured. He realized that there was nothing that he could about the
Although the poetry was produced in different years and each has different authors, the similarities undeniably outweigh the differences. Thus, attempting to contrast the two pieces is simple because of the common ties each poem posseses. Due to the similarity in topic, the additional differences that exist between writers appear to weaken leaving the unifying focus certain.
It is no secret that the mind is broadened by experience, and reading poetry is no exception. By reading these two poems together, one is able to get a more complete understanding of nature and its relationship to mankind, as both poems address such a theme but do so from slightly different perspectives. Through reading different but connected works, readers themselves grow intellectually as they are forced to contend with different ideas and have understand both perspectives. Indeed, to limit oneself to reading one poem is like keeping oneself on an island - one will only be exposed to a limited, incomplete