Internal conflict is the battle that transpires within one’s mind. The speakers in Newlove’s “The Double-Headed Snake”, and Lawrence’s “Snake”, exemplify their self-struggles through imagery, symbolism, and the use of similar and dissimilar connotations. While both address their fear, and illustrate internal conflict, Newlove’s poem adheres closely to a conflict with the astounding power of nature, whereas Lawrence’s pertains to complications that arise when social instruction conflicts with natural instincts. Although both poems use the snakes as symbols to portray the speaker’s internal conflict, they also demonstrate differences in their symbolism. The Double-Headed Snake serves as a symbol of the speaker’s internal battle between the mountains …show more content…
Both poems display similarities and differences in their use of connotations. Lawrence’s poem says, “if you were a man you would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off” (25-26), which connotates the speaker is weak because he contemplates letting the snake live, despite his education, which tells him he should kill the snake. Similarly, Newlove repeatedly writes “remembrance is a foolish act” (35-36), which also connotates weakness. This weakness is shown through the speaker’s longing for both the prairies and the mountains simultaneously, as well as, his conflicting feelings around which place to be. When considering the differences in the connotations in both poems, the mountains in “The Double-Headed Snake” connotate an obstacle. The speaker’s obstacle is his desire to be in both places and he is fearful with having to make a choice between being in the mountains or the prairies. Additionally, the word shiver connotates fear, clearly representing the fear the speaker feels for potentially losing one of the places he enjoys. However, in “Snake” the connotations do not connect to the speaker’s fear, but instead connect to speaker’s perception of the snake as non-threatening, which results in his dilemma. He uses words such as “guest” (28) or “hospitality” (39) which are connotations for being friendly and inviting. Both
Because the artist constantly created a relationship between text and image, each incorporation has a slightly different relationship. The first is that the sheathe without the text inscribed would just be seen as a sharp, brutal, farming object, but with the text it creates a new meaning. In this case, the text can be deemed as prioritized because the there is a reliability the sheathe has with the words. The second is the incorporation of words in within the corrupted snake garden. In this case it tells viewers that not only are there people and institutions in the government whose actions can be deemed slithery and comparable to a snake, but also combined with the inscribed words such as falsehood, malice, venom, and hatred. If it wasn’t already explicit enough, the artist is trying to convey not only is the government is infiltrated with snakes, but they also represent extremely negative behaviors. In case, I think the text is reliant on the image because without the words viewers could get still get the point it’s trying to
When I was little, I used to stay up late at night, watching old movies with my father. He worked at night, so on his nights off, he often could not sleep. Our dad-daughter bond was, no doubt, forged by our love of old black and white and even cheesy films. It was on one of those late nights that I first saw a huge snake coiled next to a tree, draped in a glittery sheep’s fur. I am sure that my eyes were big in awe the whole time, for to this day, when I watch or even read mythological stories, I feel the same childhood awe.
In “Marginalia” and “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins uses comparative imagery and aggressive diction to illustrate a reader’s need to protect themselves from enjoying literature they cannot understand through annotations.
The effect the reader perceives in the passage of Rattler is attained from the usage of the author¡¯s imagery. The author describes the pre-action of the battle between the man and the snake as a ¡°furious signal, quite sportingly warning [the man] that [he] had made an unprovoked attack, attempted to take [the snake¡¯s] life... ¡± The warning signal is portrayed in order to reveal the significance of both the man¡¯s and the snake¡¯s value of life. The author sets an image of how one of their lives must end in order to keep the world in peace. In addition, the author describes how ¡°there was blood in [snake¡¯s] mouth and poison dripping from his fangs; it was all a nasty sight, pitiful now that it was done.¡± This bloody image of snake¡¯s impending death shows the significance of the man¡¯s acceptance toward the snake. In a sense, the reader can interpret the man¡¯s sympathy toward the snake because of the possibility that he should have let him go instead of killing him.
The snake was not aware of the man’s intentions was cautious but not yet preparing for an attack. The rattlesnake “lay ridged” through its mistrust of the man did not feel threatened so his “body was undulant” not preparing for an attack. Because of its natural instincts the snake was wary of the man’s presence but did not feel provoked enough to set up a defense. The usual instincts would have been to give a strong attack but choose not to do so. Still attentive to the man’s possible actions, the snake presents him with a warning for both their sake. Therefore as the man raised his weapon the snake set up its rattling and “shook his fair but furious signal” warning the man he “made an unprovoked attack”. The snake had not planned on attacking the man so instead of reacting swiftly the snake had given the man a warning. By doing so the snake shows its value of life because he left the man chance in avoiding an outcome with death for either side. Consequently having misjudged the man’s intent it is left with little time to protect itself from an unexpected attack. With the man suddenly attacking the snake with a hoe it “struck passionately” until it “was soon dead”. As a result of not being able to assemble an attack the snake is left with it’s only chance of winning by striking hard but with ineffective moves. Thus readers feel sympathy for the snake because it had not called for an attack that would have taken either
An example of this internal conflict that the brother faces is when the brother must find a way to deal with the embarrassment he feels because of Doodle’s disabilities not allowing him to fit into society. One example of the brother’s internal conflict is when, the brother wants to change Doodle so that he will not ashamed when he goes to school, “ Do you want to be different from everyone else when you go to school?” (Hurst). This reveals the author’s message because it shows that he had conflict internally and that his cruelty is fueled by love because he does not want his brother to face
Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
The opening to this section is the lyrics to a popular song by Silvio Rodiguez called “Sueño Con Serpientes” which connects very well to the concept that snakes have a soft a frail side (Anzaldúa 2007, 47). Anzaldúa connects women to snakes by bringing up both Aztec mythology and even
A snake that guards the tree.” Many things can be symbolized by this dream, but most importantly it is a metaphor for the murders he has just committed and his poor actions in the past. The tree of diamonds stands for the money he aims to steal from the Clutter family, while the snake is Dick and the police, who hold him back. The smell of the tree is a warning that there is consequences in life and is very deterring, although not enough to stop him. Perry doesn’t seem to care about the repercussions of his actions as he is more focused on what he has set his mind to: “What it comes down to is I want the diamonds more than I’m afraid of the snake.” Perry isn’t fazed by the threats he sees or the ramifications that come with decisions. Yet again, another metaphor is presented by the mentioning of a bird that continuously rescues Perry from his misfortunes. Capote states, “the parrot appeared, arrived while he slept, a bird ‘taller than Jesus, yellow like a sunflower,’ a warrior-angel who blinded the nuns with its beak, fed upon their eyes, slaughtered them as
“The Rattler” is a story that is written by Donald Beattie that expresses a survival and protective tone to persuade readers to side with the man that killed the snake in order to protect a larger community of animals and humans. Beattie is presenting the story to a large group of people in attempt to persuade them. Beattie uses imagery, simile, and pathos to develop a root of persuasion and convince the audience to reanalyze the man’s actions.
Both authors use figurative language to help develop sensory details. In the poem It states, “And I sunned it with my smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.” As the author explains how the character is feeling, the reader can create a specific image in there head based on the details that is given throughout the poem. Specifically this piece of evidence shows the narrator growing more angry and having more rage. In the short story ” it states, “We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among bones.” From this piece of text evidence the reader can sense the cold dark emotion that is trying to be formed. Also this excerpt shows the conflict that is about to become and the revenge that is about to take place. By the story and the poem using sensory details, they both share many comparisons.
This idea is expressed prominently in John Foulcher’s For the Fire and Loch Ard Gorge. For the Fire entails a journey of someone collecting kindling as they witness a kookaburra kill a lizard, Foulcher represents his idea through the use of metaphor, “a kookaburra hacks with its axe-blade beak.” This metaphor represents the beak in weaponised form, as it is compared with a violent axe. This evokes a sense of threat and intimidation towards the kookaburra, which contrasts to societies general interpretation of the ‘laughing kookaburra,’ thereby challenging the reader's perceptions of beauty in the natural world. Also, this comparison of the kookaburra offers a second understanding for the readers to interpret of the kookaburra. Similarly, in Loch Ard Gorge, Foulcher uses strong visual imagery, “savage dark fish are tearing their prey apart, blood phrasing the water decked with light,” to communicate the violence of the ‘savage’ fish to readers in a visual, gruesome manner. Thereby evoking a feeling of disgust towards the situation, as a visual description of blood is shown and Foulcher uses provoking, gruesome adjectives to communicate the fish's brutality. Foulcher expresses these ideas to communicate the abilities of nature, and provide a necessary ‘reality check’ for the readers, to review the beauty they see nature and understand the barbarity at the heart of everything. Although ruthlessness and brutality that nature can show are unintentional and immoral, this harm is a large part of the cycle nature needs to survive and thrive, and these factors can counteract assumed beauty and
Lawrence uses figurative language in order to present his ideas of societies expectations of a man. Lawrence changes the structure and style of “Snake” in order to highlight the struggles of the narrator. Specifically, when writing about the snake he uses repetitive and flowing words. He also uses traditional devices like alliteration, for example “and flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips.” The use of these technics gives the snake an almost human like feel that the reader can connect to. At the same time, Lawrence writes about the log used to hurt the snake in a different style creating such a contrast between the snake’s description and the log. The words describing the log are much different, “and threw it at the water trough with a clatter.” The changing styles helps emphasize the internal struggle the narrator is experiencing as he tries to figure out if he should do as society dictates and kill the snake like a man or do as he wishes and leave the snake in peace as his guest at the water
In One Hundred Years of Solitude, the train is presented as concrete and real, but terrifying and with a malevolent, living connection: the snake. There is no mystical imagery and sleekness surrounding it. Instead, it's plain and simple, just "the flower-bedecked train."(2) The first Macondian to see it describes it as "something frightful, like a kitchen dragging a village behind it."(3) The train has "a whistle with a fearful echo and a loud, panting toom-toom"(4) The train is very much like a snake, a symbol of evil.
... Nature, including human beings, is `red in tooth and claw'; we are all `killers' in one way or another. Also, the fear which inhabits both human and snake (allowing us, generally, to avoid each other), and which acts as the catalyst for this poem, also precipitates retaliation. Instinct, it seems, won't be gainsaid by morality; as in war, our confrontation with Nature has its origins in some irrational `logic' of the soul. The intangibility of fear, as expressed in the imagery of the poem, is seen by the poet to spring from the same source as the snake, namely the earth - or, rather, what the earth symbolizes, our primitive past embedded in our subconsciouness. By revealing the kinship of feelings that permeates all Nature, Judith Wright universalises the experience of this poem.