Rough Draft We have all had those memorable moments that send us back in time; a song on the radio, the smell of cookies baking, driving in the car. They make you think of good times passed. But Billy Collins’s poem, “The Lanyard”, is not only a recollection of the past, but a personal insight to about the things his mother has done for him and what he has done in return. The poem starts off with the speaker recounting an event that occurred the other day. We see him moving about a blue-walled room “ricocheting slowly” from one thing to the next (1). He seems to be in search of something, perhaps inspiration for his next poem, as he moves from items like the typewriter to the piano, from the piano to the bookshelf, then to an envelope on the floor, and finally to the L section of the dictionary. His actions are described as “moving as if underwater” and are coupled with the blue walls, giving the sense of fluid movement to not only the way he moves about, but to the poem as well. (3). Now it is here in the dictionary, that the word “lanyard” that sends him back into the past. The...
The past dictates who we are in a current moment, and affects who we might become in the future. Every decision people make in lives has an influence on future, regardless of how minimal or large it is. Some decisions people decide to make can have dire consequences that will follow them for the rest of the life. Moreover, even though if someone would want to leave any memories from past behind, however it will always be by his side. Specific memories will urge emotional responses that bring mind back to the past and person have no choose but to relieve those emotions and memories again. Nonetheless, certain events change people and make them who they are, but at the same time, some wrong choices made past haunts us. This essay will discuss the role of the past in novel Maestro, that was written by Australian author Peter Goldsworthy in 1989 and also in Tan Shaun's story Stick Figures which was included in book called "Tales from outer suburbia" and published in 2008.
Where are the memories of our pasts held? In scrapbooks full of photographs, or perhaps written on the pages of a locked diary? Picture though, something as simple and ordinary as a closet full of clothes. Think about its contents, where they have been worn, what they have been through, the stories attached to each item. The nameless protagonist of Diane Schoemperlen’s short story Red Plaid Shirt does this as she recalls a snippet of her past life with each article of clothing she picks up. Red plaid shirt, blue sweatshirt, brown cashmere sweater, yellow evening gown, black leather jacket…each item has a tale of its very own, and when combined they reveal the full story of the main character’s life.
In the poem “Self-Pity’s Closet” by Michelle Boisseu, the speaker’s main conflict is self pity, and the author used diction and imagery to show the effects that the conflict has on the speaker. Phrases like “secret open wounds,” (3) show the effects with the word “secret” meaning pain that others are not noticing, which leads up to the speaker getting hurt, but no one indicating to notice it. Another effect is the speaker becoming more self concerning and thinking more about her negatives. This effect portrays through “night raining spears of stars,” (19) because night tends to be the time when people have the most thoughts about themselves and also the word “spears” make up an image of pain piercing through the speaker. “Tangy molasses of
The poem is gentle and nostalgic. It seeks not only to recreate the scene for the reader, but
The past often contains many things that we desire, be it something as simple as a peaceful life to something strong such as a relationship with someone who has been lost. We all attempt to return to these feelings or times in many ways, from simple memories or tastes to ways as ridiculous and outlandish as Gatsby’s parties. Whether this feelings are ever truly experienced again or not varies from attempt to attempt, in the case of “The Great Gatsby” it was for only a brief moment before it was ripped from Gatsby with Tom’s
Sylvia Plath was known as an American Poet, Novelist and Shorty story writer. However, Plath lived a melancholic life. After Plath graduated from Smith College, Plath moved to Cambridge, England on a full scholarship. While Plath was Studying in England, she married Ted Hughes, an English poet. Shortly after, Plath returned to Massachusetts and began her first collection of poems, “Colossus”, which was published first in England and later the United States. Due to depression built up inside, Plath committed suicide leaving her family behind. Sylvia Plath was a gifted and troubled poet, known for the confessional style of her work, which is how “Mirror” came to be. Although this poem may seem like the reader is reading from first person point of view, there is a much deeper meaning behind Plath’s message throughout the poem. Plath uses several elements of terror and darkness to show change to the minds of the readers.
The speaker mreflects on a lanyard , a simple woven bracelet, he made for his mother at summer camp. He stumbled upon the word "lanyard" while going thourgh a dictionary. He was "ricocheting" off the "blue walls," showed that the speaker was happy of what he found. Thinking about the lanyard, the speaker seems upset for not ever being able to truly repay his mother for the sacrifices she makes for the speaker. He lists a litany of maternal gestures from being milked from the breast to being fully fed, clothed, and educated all at her expense. "And I gave her a lanyard," the narrator notes, indicating that nothing he can do could ever repay his mother for her work. Yet any guilt the narrator feels over giving his mother such a simple gift as a lanyard is quickly mitigated by the wisdom that a mother's love is pure and unconditional.
There exists, in each and every individual, a desire to belong to something greater than one’s self. While there is much in life that one must discover on their own, the security ensured through the bonds of acceptance provides many with a means of identification. Such classification is exemplified in the poem “The Century Quilt” by Marilyn Nelson Wenick, where familial bonds are examined through the means of a family coverlet. Through the utilization of literary techniques, the author effectively develops the complex meaning of the century quilt.
Romanticism is a major concept used in the 18th-19th centuries in revolt against Enlightened thinkers of prior centuries. The writer, Wordsword, is a poet that uses romantic ideas in his writings. Wordsword wrote the poem, “Daffodils”, using the characteristics of romanticism to develop the theme of nature’s connection to humanity. Wordsword uses appropriate setting, imagery, speaker, literary techniques, and other writing tools. These tools help his readers grasp the beauty and personality of daffodils.
... on foot and that alone is hard as it is. Eudora Welty shows her theme that with an adequate amount of determination and confidence we can tackle any problem or obstacle that is thrown our way and go the extra mile to reach our objective that we had set. Of course being restrained by time and age, Phoenix still fights and steps forward to a goal which is very significant to her heart; she doesn’t allow any barrier get in her way. Phoenix Jackson being the main character of “A Worn Path” is clear
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
poem.” (pg 454) . The unique type of poems Collins produces is welcoming to any reader. In the poem The Lanyard, Collins discusses the impossibility of fully repaying mother figure for all of their sacrifices by writing, “She nursed me in many a sick room/lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips/set cold facecloths on my forehead/then led me out into the airy light/and taught me to walk and swim and I in turn presented her with a lanyard./"Here are thousands of meals" she said,/"and here is clothing and a good education."/"And here is your lanyard," I replied,/"which I made with a little help from a counselor." Nearly everyone has a mother and can resonate this poem without trouble.
Helen of Troy, known as the most beautiful woman of ancient Greek culture, is the catalyst for the Trojan War. As such, she is the subject of both Edgar Allen Poe’s “To Helen” and H.D.’s “Helen”; however, their perceptions of Helen are opposites. Many poets and authors have written about Helen in regards to her beauty and her treacherous actions. There is a tremendous contrast between the views of Helen in both poems by Poe and Doolittle. The reader may ascertain the contrast in the speakers’ views of Helen through their incorporation of diction, imagery, and tone that help convey the meaning of the work.
Outline The Kidnap 1. Bert confronts Law (the head of a local gang) in a room full of gangsters. Law asks for the ransom, but Bert demands to see his son Troy before handing over the money. Law agreed, and we see Troy struggle with his mouth taped. 2.
Sound imagery is another writing technique put to use by Levertov in the poem. When reading the poem out loud, the reader notices the 'S'; sound. The misleading 'S'; or hissing sound could be interpreted, by some readers, to be the sound of a snake. It is instead the sound of money. When gambling, it is often necessary when betting on something to count money quickly. Paper money when rubbing together makes a hissing sound very much like the sound you get when reading the poem. The hissing could also be attributed to the sound of machines or people in a casino.