Sheenagh Pugh and Carol Ann Duffy are two poets that have written many poems on the topic of language using linguistic features to enhance meaning and depth. In this essay, I am going to discuss the similarities and differences in how they portray this theme on the reader and the effects it creates. I am going to create an in depth analysis of three poems with this theme, two written by Carol Ann Duffy and the other by Sheenagh Pugh. The first poem I am going to discuss is 'Poet for Our Times' written by Duffy; which expresses her views about prejudice and how society has changed along with 'the poems of the decade'. The headlines used throughout the poem indicate very prurient and derogatory language when describing other people such as 'eye tie waiter' and 'whinging frog' to describe people from different ethnicities. This portrays to the reader how vulgar the language used by today's press actually is because you 'do not have to be an educator' this illustrates that the language used in these headlines is not written by 'educators' but more so written by people that aren't very well educated and aren't aware of the adverse reactions and consequences this type of langue could incur. This is very similar to the techniques used by Pugh in her poem 'The Ballade of Sexy Rexy' as she uses language to demonstrate how meaningless language has become over time and words often mean little in today's society. This is highlighted by the significant differences between the older rose names contrasted with today's rose names. Such as in 'white wings’; Pugh has used alliteration which makes the rose sound more gentle and feminine. The colour ‘white’ could also suggest purity and innocence which is not evident in modern society rose names... ... middle of paper ... ...here isn't a lot to language and meaning anymore, it still could look and sound good which is again the wrong impression to give the youth in our society today. 'Poet for Our Times' also includes a metaphor and Duffy wrote; 'just bang the words down like they're screaming fire!' This includes onomatopoeic; the word 'bang' grabs the readers' attention and and is a bold shocking hyperbole, exaggerating the idea that these words are no good and society's effect on language is very negative. 'Fire!' is also written in italics and is graphology used to emphasis again on the downgrading change in language over the years. To conclude, both Duffy and Pugh express their views on how language has changed over the past few years and the transition wasn’t for the best. They use several linguistic features such as imagery to portray there views and have done so very effectivel
“Watch your tone young lady” a phrase known all too well to the American culture, whether it be from mom giving her children a lecture or on a television screen being spoken out by an actor. The tone of voice that one uses while speaking plays an extremely significant role in what the spoken words actually mean. Many times one can say one thing and mean another just from placing emphasis on a particular word. With tone of voice plays such a vital role in the meaning of a sentence it becomes clear that poetry, although often times found in books as written work, is meant to be read aloud; this was not all that clear to me until I attended my very first poetry reading. On November 10th Ramapo College welcomed the marvelous poet Mark Doty to its campus. Through Mark Doty’s reading of “House of Beauty” and “Theory of Marriage” it became clear that the use of emphasis and tone are vital characteristics that allows for the poet to challenge poetic traditions and conventions.
Next, consider the text trying to express her frustration with life: “She wants to live for once. But doesn’t quite know what that means. Wonders if she has ever done it. If she ever will.” (1130) You can sense her need and wanting to be independent of everything and everyone, to be truly a woman on her own free of any shackles of burden that this life has thrown upon her. Also, there is an impression that her family does not really care that she is leaving from her sisters to her disinterested father. “Roselily”, the name is quite perplexing considering a rose stands for passion, love, life; while the lily has associations with death, and purity. Still at the same time the name aptly applies to her because the reader knows she is ultimately doomed to wilt away in a loveless marriage in Chicago. Even though she is convincing herself that she loves things about him it is all just a ploy to trick herself into believing that this marriage could be the answer to all her problems. Now on to the men of Roselily’s past most of which are dead- beat dads that could not care about what happens to their children, or where they go.
Amy Tan talks of the English she grew up with. Tan describes an English her mother uses and an English she shares with her husband. Tan sprinkles in the emotional intricacies of a personalized language that is burdened by misconceptions and apprehensively describes this language as “broken,” but expression through the use of a “broken language doesn’t invalidate what is being said, it doesn’t devoid passion, intention or imagination it simply differs from a normality. Envisage expression as ubiquitous. The differences rest in the vessels used to express. Here, I am using the English language, a grandiose entangling of words and a structured system, to indite my thoughts.
In "A Complaint to Her Lord in Her Loneliness," the speaker uses red and white to embody passion and purity. The two extremes are never reconciled, and, by the end of the poem, juxtaposed in their meanings. As the poem begins, the speaker prays to God, saying, "There is a rosebud on your altar / Which waits unopened. / Who knows if it is red or white?" (ll. 1-3) Here, the speaker's sexual side, c...
Many times, when an author writes a story, he will use different techniques to influence the way that the reader absorbs the work. Writers use both paratactic style and syntactic style. These two styles contrast each other greatly, but on the same term, they greatly compliment one another. In the book The Things They Carried, O'Brien uses both of these styles. In this essay, syntactic and paratactic style will be examined in the story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". Examples in the story will be examined and described according to the two styles of writing. The syntactic style will be focused on more intensely however, because of the way that it effects the sections of the story that will be discussed. It will also show that the historical context of the story effects the styles of writing.
Duffy expresses her detailed language and vivid structure presentation in a deliberate and poetic form. Her powerful techniques such as metaphors and a range of repetition convey the striking love that she is expressing. “Answer” is a metaphorical poem that expresses feelings and thoughts in an element address.
In all poems the theme of Disappointment in love is seen throughout. Duffy focuses on the pain, despair and acrimony that love can bring, whereas Larkin focuses on the dissatisfaction before, during, and after a romantic relationship. Both Duffy and Larkin differ in tone. Duffy takes a more aggressive and dark stance to portray what love can do to a person after a disappointing love life. Duffy also uses this sinister and aggressive stance to try and convey sympathy for the persona from the audience in ‘Never Go Back’ and ‘Havisham’ Whereas Larkin conveys his discontent in love through his nonchalant and dismissive tone, but still concealing the pain that has been brought by love in ‘Wild Oats’ and ‘Talking in bed’.
The popular American Poet, Billy Collins, is playing a significant role in the evolution of poetry. His writing style evokes an array of emotions for the reader. Every stanza in his poetry passes the satirical standard that he generated for himself over his career. Collins swiftly captivates his readers through his diverse use of figurative language. More specifically, his use of vivid imagery paired with humorous personification and extended metaphors create his unique style of satirical poetry. This developed form of writing appeals to a large crowd of people because the generally accessible topics that he discusses are fairly easy to resonate for the common man. However, his poetry offers an interesting perspective on what otherwise would be simplistic ideas. The main themes and concepts that are being presented in each of his writings are revered and coveted by the general population. An appealing aspect of his writing is his ability to directly convey the main idea within the poem. As a result, the reader can understand the meaning of his work with ease. The typical beginning of his work gives the reader a slight taste of what is to come. Billy Collins’ unique writing style and various trademarks directly influenced by his ability to propagate an array of emotions for the reader, his humorous tone, and the accessibility of the topics he describes within his poetry.
The modern poem, “Of Modern Poetry”, and the two postmodern poems, “Words” and “Losing a Language” all embody the central theme of the usage and style of a particular type of language. They all show how poetry can successfully personify the feelings that one feels and how poetry should be written. What sets apart the poetic style of both modernism and postmodernism is that both attempted to diverge from the traditional proses of 19th century, specifically, from realism. Both also tend to form around the philosophy of subjectivity as both explore the inner emotions of characters and thus use it to develop ideas and conceptions in the reader’s mind. A sense of order and generalized opinions are left behind in both modern and postmodern works. Both modernism and postmodernism deviate from the classical guidelines for writing good poetry and take an approach that advocates for a more personalized style in which writers write about their lives and stray away from imitating the standards or rules of classical good or worthy writing. Personal styled language is emphasized among many modern and postmodern works and thus allow the reader to reflect upon his or her own identity and beliefs. Even though the shift from modernism to postmodernism brought changes in the works of many authors, there were still common shared features left in both philosophical movements such as the use of a particular type of language and it’s impact on the readers perspective and the author’s ideology. This system of writing embodied in both modern and postmodern writing illustrates language as a fundamental element that embodies one’s individuality, uniqueness, and the underlying apparatus that allows for the expression of one’s values, belief...
The reading was held at Flyleaf Books. The room used for the reading was the used books room. Chairs had been placed out in two-thirds of the room, and they faced a wooden podium with a microphone. The reader’s backdrop was a bookcase holding children’s books, which was oddly fitting considering the subject matter of most of the poems read. Most of the audience was middle aged and, honestly, predominantly white. The few younger attendants looked to be graduate students. The host for the evening was kind and gave lengthy yet dazzling introductions for the poets.
In reading poetry, from many different genres, its seems that politically motivated verse seems to dominate, next to love that is. It also seems that poets have a desire to live in a different time, a different place. No one ever seems to be content with the condition of their world, yet, I suppose that is in the nature of humans. We all want something better or something from the past that we can't have. Wither it be the simplicity, the passion, the technology that we don't have, the peace that once was or the greatness that has long been gone, poets that are political in nature suggest a very personal, yet pervading utopia. Two poets who, political in nature, that were born in the same year, lived in the same part of the world, and who attending the same college prove to be an interesting contrast to one another. Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin are both natives of England and are considered 'Modernists', but what they suggest isn't a "better place" or a different time. Their work represents a change in attitude, from looking at what isn't to looking at reality and what is.
It is the goal of this essay to challenge the belief that one never transcends language — that all one knows, indeed all one can meaningfully experience, is defined within language. My challenge lies not in words, but in the use of words to evoke what is beyond language and to invite a lived experience of it. If one accepts this use of language as not only possible, but primary, we ultimately see meaning not within language, but through it. Under the 'rule of evocation' language need not in any way within itself express, reproduce, re-present, or capture what it evokes. It need simply evoke it, and such an evocation is not a re-presentation in language of what is evoked. It is a presentation of the thing itself.
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