Literature Studies
- The theme of Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” is a parent’s love. Hayden wishes to express that often we do not realize the importance of our parent’s love until later in life.
- The subject of Robert Frost’s “Out and Out” is a boy who has a fatal accident. The theme of the poem is existential contingency. Because of the mundane nature of how the boy was injured it is meant to engage the readers in thought about the suddenness of death. Since he was also young, the author wants to express that one never truly know when they will die. This is expressed through the lines,As he swung toward them holding up the hand”The life from spilling, the boy saw all.” This expresses the fragility of life and the innocence of the boy who had probably not had the opportunity to understand death making it that much more shocking to the reader.
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
As he swung toward them holding up the hand
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
As he swung toward them holding up the hand
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
- The last four lines of the poem suggest that life will continue on without him. The doctors returned back to their busy jobs and the boy is all but forgotten. Just like the nature of the chores done by the boy, they all have a job to do and can’t mourn long for the lost boy, just as even though the job was dangerous the boy had to do it anyway even though it was a task meant for a man. The theme being that sometimes those must do what they must without fearing death.
- In Walt Whitman’s “Locomotive in the Winter” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “I Like to see it Lap the Miles” both have similar subject matters despite vastly different tones. Whitman’s tone is one of excitement and happiness. He seems thrilled to learn more about the new technology that is taking place during his life. He also speaks a bit over enthusiastically and nervously. He expresses his excitement in the lines,
In contrast Dickinson’s tone is much more light hearted, he respects the train yet is more interested in the idea of the “journey” the train takes than its technological wonders. She instead compares the train to other living things throughout the course of her poem. For example when she states, “And neigh like Boanerges; Then, punctual as a star,Stop--docile and omnipotent--At its own stable door.”
- In Weldon Kee’s “For my Daughter”. Kees takes on a resentful and bitter attitude. He seems to distrust women. He also feels that caring for children is akin to suffering. He speaks of the daughter as being foul, syphilitic, and a fool. These are not words one would usually associate with parenthood. He also speaks of fearing death and seeing that she does not angers him.
- In W.H. Auden’s poem “The Unknown Citizen”, the speaker has a pompous self-important attitude. He feels that conformity is what is most important in society. The poet’s attitude is that the speaker is overly critical and has flaws of his own such as materialism. At the end of the poem he sums up this idea by adding, “Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.”
- Several different instances of iron persist in Thomas Hardy’s “The Workbox.” One way that Hardy does this is by allowing the reader to understand more about the situation than the speaker. It is also ironic that he builds the box out of the scraps from his wife’s lover’s coffin.
- In John Donn’s “The Flea”, the argument is that since two people were bitten by a single flea, then it is then ok to have sex with one another.
- The unique thing about this poem is Donn’s use of analogy. The idea of equating a flea with sex is not something a person would ordinarily think of.
- In Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of Twain” the rhythm of the poem helps express the sense of impending doom and an unyielding nature.
- The poem suggests that tragedy is an act of fate. It states that the Titanic was one such case and that its demise was a predetermined act.
- In Theodore Roethke’s “The Root Cellar” the nature of the cellar changes over the course of the work. First Roethke describes the cellar as “foul and loathsome”, however as the work progresses his view of the cellar changes. By picking out minute details such as the dirt or cobwebs he picks out tiny moments of beauty or interest in an otherwise dark place. By picking apart his environment he is able to find things about it that he likes and thinks is worthy of respect.
Part II:
- In Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish”, the speaker’s attitude is mainly describing the beauty of the fish’s physical attributes. She goes into detail about each scale and even the hooks in its mouth. It is clear that Bishop is in awe of the fish’s appearance. She also seems to revere the fish for its ability to survive and the hard fight it put up to avoid being caught.
- The decaying elements of the fishing boat also present a picture of a craft that has persevered over time and still remains alive in a sense. The boat, while old, is still sea worth and continues to carry on despite its poor condition. While it is not beautiful like the fish it is equally as valuable. I do not feel that the author intends for us to feel sorry for the poor state of the boat, but instead respect it for what it has endured.
- In the line, “rainbow, rainbow” I feel that the author wishes to understand the beauty of life through the imagery of a rainbow. It is almost a plea to release the fish and let its beauty live on.
- In Wallace Stevens’s “Thirteen Ways at Looking at a Blackbird” there is a certain level of unity between man and nature. The author connects a blackbird to a human counterpart, these comparisons are meant to remind the reader that humans are also a part of nature and if one looks closely enough they will recognize similarities to other elements of nature.
- The use of the season of winter for this work helps provide contrast. The imagery presented by a black bird upon white snow is a striking one. The bleakness of the snow against the liveliness of the bird are also in stark contrast.
- In Robert Frost’s “Desert Places”, desert doesn’t exactly stand for a particular place but instead a feeling of bleakness or of being barren. The emptiness of one’s soul may very well be the desert that Frost speaks of.
- In Ezra Pounds “The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” expresses the deep pain felt by the speaker. To the speaker everything around then seems to scream of sadness and despair. Everything from butterflies to monkeys seem lonely and unhappy in this work.
- The speaker expresses concern for her husband in several different ways. One way she does this is by using the seasons as a sign of her concern. With each passing season the knowledge that her husband may never return become apparent and her desperation grows.
- In Philip Larkin’s “Home is so Sad”, the poet expresses a feeling of sadness by examining inanimate objects. To him each object within his house holds a certain memory either good or bad. He states, “And turn again to what it started as, A joyous shot at how things ought to be “expressing the idea that his dreams for his future were not fulfilled because of the loss of his family.
- Part of why the speaker feels that the house is so sad is because it has been untouched since his wife and children left. He remembers the good times but with longing since they no longer exist. To him everything is equated with the family he lost.
- The rhythm of the poem is very fixed. Like the house it remains unchanged throughout the poem.
