Introduction
What generally defines poetry connects a number of poems in terms of thematic concerns, stylistic devices employed, mood and the language. According to one of the earliest definition of poetry, William Wordsworth says that poetry is an unprompted flow of feeling recollected in stillness. Themes are connected to the mood of the poem and different authors may fall victims of such impulsive composition environment and themes speak louder that decorative styles like alliterations, assonance, rhymes. In this paper I will discuss the connection between three poems; Noh’s Raven, dog dreaming and the drunken in the furnace by W.S. Merwin.
Stylistic Connection
In the poem Drunk in the furnace, the author does not explicitly give a clue as to what sent the “creek” to his “bad home”. Was it his own will or compelled by societal issues?
The use of personification as in the case of the raven, the dog and the furnace, gives helps the author in achieving his ultimate goal. The use of this style scraps the limitation of the word and lets the audience decide if they are rejected, unloved or misunderstood (main subject in the Drunk in the Furnace is human and not personified)
Thematic connections
The three poems are consistent in their themes- the perception of the society or other people towards us may be untrue. They are all about our social affairs and engagements. The Raven was chosen by Noh because of a reason- it was somewhat expendable despite being the only male in its species. He is considered unclean and he never came back because he was not appreciated. Others opinion of him is different from what he is different from how he understands himself “My knowledge would not fit into theirs.”
In the case of Dreaming dog, the wild personality of itself is not those who take him and keep him in their hoses. He is presumed gentle but the relaxed sleeping dog itself better. “So little is tamed, yet so much you would find deeply familiar there” some people in the society enjoy undue appreciation as other are scorned baselessly
The Drunk In The furnace is a different approach of Merwin’s poetry. It quite aggressive, self conscious, defiant and has a sense of humor “–derelict decided to make it his home” it is not clear even at end of the poem whose fault was it that derelict had to isolate himself- society or his. He never came out himself and the smoke is the only indicator the abandoned furnace was someone’s home. He might have chosen solitude or compelled by societal matters.
Conclusion
Human are gregarious animals but the concerns of the three poems are drawn to the separation of men from their social and spiritual environment.
Despite much connection between these three poems, there are considerable differences in the use of language and the narration. The use of the first person narration in the Noah’s Raven, the second person narration in the Dreaming dog and the third person in the drunken furnace shows that Merwin switches his persona to fit his themes. His big reputation and acclamation, Merwin’s style is not unique to specific works. He uses his freedom fearlessly and lets the sentiments flow in a simple convincing and unpunctuated language. His attention is clearly toward human social behaviors and circumstances that make such behaviors. He justifies the condemned and rebukes the loved. His keenness also brings out another group of these who get what they dissever like in the case of the drunk in the furnace.
