I feel intrigued by the poem Digging because of how relatable it is, daydreaming happens to all of us as well as breaking family tradition. When he says “Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” I can see this directly talking about myself writing this paper. I chose this poem because I feel like sometimes in life people just need to sit back and reminisce on the past and that’s something I love to do; I love talking about old memories around close friends and family. I also think it is fine to break a family tradition as long as you are following your dreams.
In this poem, the author uses a mix of enjamed and end-stopped line breaks. There are two major parts in this poem where line breaks and emotions are affected.
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When I read examples of alliteration like spade sinks, gravelly ground, tall tops, buried the bright, squelch and slap of soggy and curt cuts I almost find myself, at times, reading quicker. The amount of imagery in this poem is immense. “When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down” I can almost see myself watching the spade dig into the ground while the speaker is digging into his writing. While reading this poem multiple times, I notice different types of rhymes. The first two stanzas consist of slant rhyming; thumb/gun, sound/ground/down. I think having the first five lines rhyme creates a rhythm. It is very noticeable; one could not read the opening lines with noticing the rhymes. This grabs the reader’s attention right away. The other type of rhyme’s Seamus uses is internal rhymes. Rhymes like knee/firmly; men/them. These, in my opinion, are like “sneaky” rhymes. They don’t slap you in the face and aren’t completely obvious, but It is a repetition of sound. I like how the author uses all these types of rhymes, it makes me stick along with the story. These sound effects seem to emphasize the detail the speaker is using to describe what he is daydreaming. It takes us through what he is seeing and what he is feeling, it’s an emotional …show more content…
In the second line it says, “The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” Using the word gun makes me think he is using it to display some kind of power or authority. I almost think the speaker is saying that the pen is a weapon and that he fuels it into his writing. At the same time, he goes on throughout the poem to say how hard farming really is but it just isn’t his cup of tea. I also noticed in the first line he says “my finger, my thumb” which is directly telling us this poem Is about person experience. The speaker refers to Toner’s bog which must be a town. I feel like the speaker is telling us his grandfather was the best farmer or digger in Toner’s bog. Sometimes he didn’t even drink. I can see many fighting words being used, which makes me think the speaker might be in a dilemma. Why isn’t the speaker digging like his ancestors? The speaker seems conflicted; he compares his pen to a farmer’s spade which makes me think that the speaker might be breaking a family tradition. In the end, the speaker seems to get back into his writing and out of his day dream when he says “The squat pen rests. I’ll dig with
The most noticeable aspect of the structure of the entire poem is the lack of capital letters and periods. There is only one part in the entire forty lines, which is at the very end, and this intentional punctuation brings readers to question the speaker’s literacy. In fact, the speaker is very young, and the use of punctuation and hyphens brings to attention the speaker’s innocence, and because of that innocence, the
He keeps the lighthearted, joking tone throughout the poem. He explains how he could snore as loud as a bullhorn and Fergus would only sink deeper into his sleep, (Fergus is their son). The speaker explains how his son sleeps through loud noises, but as soon as he hears heavy breathing he comes running into their room. This continues to show us the playful tone the speaker uses in the poem. The conflicts that are dramatized in this poem is every time the couple tries to make love their son comes in to interrupt. The poet wrote this poem in free form or free verse. “For I can snore like a bullhorn/ or play loud music/ or sit up talking to any reasonably sober Irishman/ and Fergus will only sink deeper into his dreamless sleep/ which goes by all in one flash” (Kinnell 668 Lines 1-5) this line shows that there is no rhyme or rhythm in the poem and also the humorous tone of the speaker. “But let there be that heavy/ or stifled come-cry anywhere in the house/ and he will wrench himself awake/ and make for it on the run- as now, we lie together” (Kinnell 668 Lines 6-9) this line explains to the reader how the child seems to sleep through almost anything but, once he hears heavy breathing he is awake and
Beowulf is a poem translated by Seamus Heaney that tells the story of the protagonist named Beowulf. Beowulf was warrior who had the strength of many men. He had grown up and molded himself to fulfill the role of a hero, throughout many occasions. Everytime he had finished a remarkable feat, it was subjected as evidence which was always there showcasing his accomplishments, godsend strength, and loyalty as a leader. Even in the most difficult situations, Beowulf had the courageousness to be side by side with God, letting him be victorious than anyone had ever
To start off explaining the structure, take the rhyming words for example. There is internal rhyme in the first and third lines with “dreary and weary” and “napping and tapping”. The second, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines all end in the -ore sound (this reoccurs throughout the entire poem). This structure is consistent throughout the entirety of the piece. Many do believe this to be one of the best example of rhythm in American literature.
The use of diction and structure are the base of any literary work. Without the use of diction and structure how the author would get his message to the reader since this is not a conversation. Not being able to hear the tone of your voice or facial expressions. It is important that your foundation is strong and connects with the theme. Throughout the poem there is not structured rhyme scheme, though two lines do rhyme. In lines two and three, “And the insurance man is gone and the lights is back on” (Clifton). Here Clifton rhymes the words “gone” and “on” but there is a purpose for this. These two words are an opposite, that’s exactly why she made only these two rhymes. Emphasizing “gone” and “on” shows that good times come a...
The alliteration used is to emphasize rhythm in the poem. On the other hand, the poet also depicts a certain rhyme scheme across each stanza. For example, the first stanza has a rhyme scheme of this manner a, b, c, d, e, a. With this, the rhyme scheme depicted is an irregular manner. Hence, the poem does not have a regular rhythm. Moreover, the poet uses a specific deign of consonance, which is present in the poem (Ahmed & Ayesha, p. 11). The poet also uses the assonance style depicted in the seventh stanza, “Seven whole days I have not seen my beloved.” The letter ‘o’ has been repeated to create rhythm and to show despair in the poem. On the second last line of the seventh stanza, the poet uses the style of consonance, “If I hug her, she’ll drive illness from me. By this, the letter ‘l’ is repeated across the line. The poet’s aim of using this style of Consonance is to establish rhythm in the poem and add aural
“I wanted to grow up and plough, /To close one eye, stiffen my arm.” (“Follower” 17-18). Seamus Heaney is writing about a son; interested in following his father’s footsteps to become a farmer. The poem depicts the son’s past memories of his father. Fascinated in his father’s work, influenced by his mastery at farming, the son strives to become the same at a young age. “The Writer” on the other hand, portrays a father’s observation of his daughter, struggling to write a story as an author. Both pieces, share a common interaction between parent and child, but the parent-child relationships themselves are fundamentally different. These poems represent a reflection of how the parents respectively tackle the task of raising their child.
The ironic use of rhyme and meter, or the lack thereof, is one of the devices Larkin uses to emphasize his need to break out of industrial society. The typical rhyme scheme is not followed, but instead an ironic rhyme scheme is used in the sonnet in the form of abab cdcd efg efg. Larkin writes this poem as a sonnet but at the same time diverges from what a typical sonnet is supposed to be. He is commenting on society’s inclination to form restrictions on those within it. By writing out of the accepted form of a sonnet, his writing becomes more natural because of a lack of constraints due to following certain rules and fitting a certain form. He breaks free and writes as he pleases and does not conform to society. Just as with the rhyme, ...
The author of the poem relies a multiple combination of uses of figurative language including using alliteration, assonance, and usage of parallel structure. Alliteration was presented multiple times through the poem, with the usage of musical rhythm and the flow of the overall writing. The usage of alliteration made every stanza stand out to create a flow with reading the poem. The first type of alliteration that is present in the poem is the repeated sounds in the beginning
Alliteration is a key aspect to how the reader experiences the poem; it especially gives interest toward alliteration of the letter T. This alliteration begins in the very first line “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-” (1.1). The alliteration on the T is used three times within the first line; however, it does not stop there. Dickinson uses the “T” sound to continually draw back to the theme of truth. Dickinson, through the use of two stanzas, four lines each, uses quite a distinct rhyme scheme to organize her poem. The second and fourth lines of each stanza are clearly examples of end rhyme, by using words such as “lies” (1.2) and “surprise” (1.4). However, every single line is not an example of end rhyme. The first and third lines rhyme words such as “slant” (1.1) and “delight” (1.3); which can be described as near rhymes for they give a small sensation of rhyming. This rhyming pattern continues for the second stanza as well. The sequence of rhyming is not arbitrarily put into practice, rather, it also adds on to the truth theme. The near rhymes Dickinson stresses to not tell the truth in its entirety, but rather, convey a little bit of truth. This is being directly compared to the almost rhyming sensatio...
There is a rhythm throughout the poem with strong rhyme, this pattern is like heavy breathing you have when you try to go to sleep it could also represent the rhythmical counting of sheep.
Not only the words, but the figures of speech and other such elements are important to analyzing the poem. Alliteration is seen throughout the entire poem, as in lines one through four, and seven through eight. The alliteration in one through four (whisky, waltzing, was) flows nicely, contrasting to the negativity of the first stanza, while seven through eight (countenance, could) sound unpleasing to the ear, emphasizing the mother’s disapproval. The imagery of the father beating time on the child’s head with his palm sounds harmful, as well as the image of the father’s bruised hands holding the child’s wrists. It portrays the dad as having an ultimate power over the child, instead of holding his hands, he grabs his wrists.
Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow?, leads me to believe that Big
Throughout the poem and particularly in the first stanza, Heaney uses a wide range of literary devices such as intense imagery or sensory imagery, exceptionally meaningful metaphors and alliteration.
The repetition of the “s” sound in line 4 and of the “m” sound in line 5 illustrate alliteration, and this occurs throughout the poem, providing to the listener what the rhyme of modern-day poetry provides – an aesthetic sense of rightness or pleasure.