Common Themes in Poetry Essay - 4006 Words

Common Themes in Poetry After reading and analysing numerous poems, I have chosen two examples of the famous Irish Poet, Seamus Heaneys work: Follower and Mid-Term Break. Both poems relate to the poets past, and are certainly associated with a specific loss of a loved one - one a literal loss, and the other a subconscious loss. Mid-Term Break, which I found to be a very touching and poignant poem, describes the loss of the poets younger brother, Christopher when Heaney was a child, hence the poem is of a childhood tragedy as well as a loss. Its set in three places - the introduction is situated in the college sick bay; the main body of the poem is set in Heaneys brothers funeral, and the final setting is the†¦show more content†¦Also, we acknowledge that this isnt just any ordinary funeral - someone very dear has been lost, a small treasure; a small treasure whos absence has caused the strongest of rocks to crumble into an emotional state. A double meaning is presented in the final line of the second stanza: - Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow The hard blow may be referring to the actual blow that killed Christopher (as he was killed by a car), or the fact that its a hard blow to the family. Either way, one fact becomes apparent: the Heaney family have the support and love of everyone around them, but that doesnt counteract for the tragic loss of Christopher - it may help clean the wound, but the scar will forever be visible. We also attain the knowledge, due to his very personal identity, that Big Jim Evans is a family friend, and that he himself is shaken by the situation considering his very plain and yet meaningful comment. Again, the sadness and incredibility of the incident is underlined - not only family members are grieving. Another detection of change is seen in the third stanza, and this time its a very uncomfortable change: - I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand I findShow MoreRelated Modernist Poets E.E. Cummings, Wallace Stevens, and T.S. Eliot Change the Face of American Poetry1710 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Poetry Modernist poets such as E.E. Cummings, Wallace Stevens, and T.S. Eliot changed the face of American poetry by destroying the notion that American culture is far inferior to European culture. These and other American poets accomplished the feat of defining an American poetic style in the Modern Era by means of a truly American idea. That idea is the melting pot. Just as American culture exists as a mixture of races, beliefs, and ideas, the new American style of poetry exists asRead MoreTest1031 Words   |  5 Pagesvastly different but share some common traits and ability’s to gain a reader’s attention and embrace their attention until the point of the story is made and completed. When comparing the two different types of literature style, form, and content all come into play in having similarities and differences in the text. Poems typically are short and direct to the point, tending to have a rhythm of words, whereas short stories usually are direct based text giving you a theme, setting, and a tone allowingRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Poetry And Poetry1312 Words   |  6 Pagesdark, meditative and defiant toned poems about death, gender and poetry itself, often challenging social beliefs and traditions. Each poem sticks to these pre-modernist views and styles, but place the emphasis on different aspects of her common themes. Although the poems are similar in form and their uses of metaphors, the focus of these poems are different, â€Å"I dwell in Possibility† focuses on the limitless possibilities of poetry and the power associated with it, while â€Å"They shut me up in Prose†Read MoreEssay on The Sacred Words: Elements of Poetry1512 Words   |  7 PagesProgram #11 The Sacred Words: Elements of Poetry 1. Understand the importance of economy of language in poetry. It is important because it is the fewest words to fully get your idea across, not rambling on. Program #12: A Sense of Place 1. Show how clues and information in the poem about the setting affect a poems meaning for a reader It affects it changing the reader’s vision about what they are reading. 2. Discuss how a readers understanding of a poem is affected byRead MoreSylvia Plath: The Exemplary Confessional Poet1015 Words   |  5 PagesEmerging in the 1950s and 1960s, confessional poetry was essentially an autobiographical style of writing. 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A common theme present within two of his poems â€Å"Lighthead’s Guide to Galaxy† and â€Å"Antebellum House Party†Read MoreStudy on the Poetry of the World War One Era652 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿The poetry of the World War One era reflects the pain and suffering endured by soldiers, as well as the disillusionment of war. Some of the eras most prolific soldier-poets addressed war frankly and with graphic imagery. For example, Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum Est starts with the lines, Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, The prevailing poetic trends were not to shy away from vivid detail but rather, to paint pictures forRead MoreNature, Morality, Mortality, And Memory Of William Wordsworth s Poetry1592 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Wordsworth is known for his works of poetry. It is easy to gather that Wordsworth’s poetry was not simple to understand from first glance, but his poems have gathered attention because of the themes that are in the works themselves. In these works, themes such as nature, morality, mortality, and memory are revealed. In several of Wordsworth’s poems, the theme of nature is used abundantly. The topic of nature in Wordsworth’s poetry has been noticed by several critics throughout the years.Read MoreAnalysis Of Emily Dickinson s Poem, And The Person1569 Words   |  7 Pagesplace every Tuesday at six in the evening in Florida Discount Music. The bitter smell of coffee permeates the humid air and the clink of mugs and ceramic plates often accompany the snapping of fingers after a person finishes performing their piece of poetry. However once the next person begins, the place becomes as loud as a morgue at midnight with people anticipating the next reading. Some poems receive better responses than others, confirmed by the louder or more frequent snaps, but nonetheless, theRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson Compare and Contrast Essay1596 Words   |  7 Pagespoets in American Literature from the 1800s. They had many things in common from their writings about death and sadness, because of their unfortunate losses in life, to the fact that they were both born in Massachusetts. They were also different in many ways. They were different in the way they looked at life and wrote about their experiences from it. While it is obvious they had many differences, they also had many things in common from their lives to their styles of writing making them amazing writers