On the surface, "life" is a late 19th century poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The poem illustrates the amount of comfort and somber there is in life. Unfortunately, according to Paul Laurence Dunbar, there is more soberness in life than the joyous moments in our existence. In more detail, Paul Laurence Dunbar demonstrates how without companionship our existence is a series of joys and sorrows in the poem, "Life" through concrete and abstract diction. In the poem the author slowly attempts to explain to the audience that our existence can get better with companionship, but when alone, life can be very sorrow by using the method of concrete diction. In the text Dunbar states, "A pint of joy to a peck of trouble." The author briefly demonstrates the main idea by using measurements and weights which is something well- known and visual for the audience to imagine. Since a peck is more than a pint the author therefore shows that life is mostly remembered as sorrow than joy. Dunbar creates a pessimistic, yet well- informed tone. This therefore creates a …show more content…
Dunbar states," And joy seems sweeter when care comes after". The abstract diction creates a loving and warm feeling due to "sweeter". The author wants the audience to feel love and affection when being cared for "after". Therefore, the author creates a pleasant, yet loving tone overall. Another piece of evidence stated is," With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us". By stating this, the author means that smiles and tears are the joyous parts of life that the people enjoy when accompanied by the significant or loved ones. The tone of Dunbar, again, is very passionate. The method used in passage is very effective because the words "warm" and "refresh" are comforting words that expand the feeling of the audience. Therefore, the mood of the audience comforting and
The theme of the past is a key aspect of 'Beloved' and the 'Selected Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar' as the narrators, in both texts, have a nostalgic perception of the many years that have passed, whether the memories are pleasant or grim they are reflected upon with – at the very least – a hint of admiration alongside a deep longing to return to the past. Similarly, in Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman', the tragic hero, Willy Loman, is also constantly drifting back into the past to when his sons were ambitious young men and he was a successful businessman. 'Beloved' was set after the American Civil War in 1873, where many black people were heavily mistreated and suffered long and gruelling years of slavery. The novel was written in 1987, but the author was able to capture the hopes and dreams of most Black Americans whilst simultaneously criticising the treatment they received at the hands of a racist society. Paul Laurence Dunbar also uses the same context in his work, again depicting the longing to be freed from a past life of slavery, which is particularly conveyed in his 'Invitation to Love'. Contrastingly, in 'Death of a Salesman' Willy also yearns for the people of his past, such as Ben Loman, his older brother, who was his role model of success for himself and his sons. In 1945, World War 2 had ended and left American citizens financially very well off and by 1949, agriculture became a difficult job as the Government was more interested in co-operate farms, thus providing a new American Dream; working in high-end businesses to gain a large salary and a respected status. This was Willy Loman's dream, however Arthur Miller used his protagonist to portray how competitive and cut-throat the business world was and how emplo...
Lucinda says at the end of the poem?Life is too strong for you?It takes life to love Life?. Lucinda has a very satisfied tone, which means that she is very happy with her life. By saying that, she is relating that she was very satisfied and happy with her life. Although these poems do not say much about the era that they are in or the social class that these people come from, a person could tell a lot just by the poem.
Intro: It has been said many times that "You can't judge a book by its cover" and "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes". A person may appear one way on the outside but may be feeling the total opposite on the inside. They may be masking their true emotions with a false appearance. In "We Wear the Mask" it seems that Paul Laurence Dunbar is conveying this message to his audience. Looking at the picture of the girl holding the mask, seems similar to the emotions expressed throughout the poem.
to be a sense of regret. Unlike Dickey's poem, this poem is much more sad and more
...is presented in a way that “blacks or whites can draw admonition from the subject” (1) . Another perspective from Revell is that the poem presents itself in terms of passionate personal regret. Revell believes that Dunbar felt guilty because he allowed himself to be bound to the “ plantation lifestyle” (1). The plantation life style internal anguish and agony the blacks went through as slaves. Some blacks have moved on from it, but some continue to use slavery as an excuse to not progress in life. It should be noted that Revell draws the most attention to the middle of the poem. The poem itself is masked because it never specifically says who its linked too, even though most would infer that it is linked to the black race. Revell concludes that Dunbar left aside the preconceived image of what it meant to be black in America, and spoke “only from his heart” (1) .
The effect that the literary device makes on the poem is that it makes it seem as if the narrator is mad talking to a bird and also it uses pathos when he says “leave my loneliness unbroken!” he doesn’t want help from anyone he divested because of the girl he loved died. The rhyme scheme and repetition are to affect the reader by making it more interesting and so they would understand what he what’s when he repeats the words over and over again.
The poet feels old now, as though he had "lived many lives." He knows its his fault for craving solemn time. The love he never knew, because the mystery of what's beyond the blue. Maybe, one day they will find each other again, then he can find out if that is what his "karma demands."
In this poem Larkin uses a nonchalant tone to talk about his disappointing love life. Firstly the way he describes the women shows he only focuses on approaches rather than the person themselves- “a bosomy English rose/and her friend in specs I could talk to”. The fact that the persona used a separate line after the latter line to describe “her friend in specs” shows that the persona sees the friend in specs as inferior based on her appearance. This is because the noun “specs” has connotations of someone less attractive, especially when compared to a “bosomy English rose”. However this nonchalant tone changes later on in the poem. The persona shows emotion in the fact that he “gave a ten Guinea ring” to the “friend in specs”who left him. The fact that the persona only focuses on the material aspects of love shows how love has disappointed him. This also shows that his love life has been an annoyance to him, in the fact that he had to give something up (in this case a “ten Guinea ring”) to get something in return that he was displeased with. Consequently, the persona has actually revealed his feeling towards a disappointing love life, even though the persona did not really want to unveil the idea that love has affected him in any
..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.
It has been said many time that "You can't judge a book by its cover" and "Don't judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes"? A person may appear one way on the outside but may be feeling the total opposite on the inside. He may be masking his true emotions with a false appearance. In "We Wear the Mask" it seems that Paul Laurence Dunbar is conveying this message to his audience.
Leonard Cohen illustrates some incredibly deep and powerful perspectives on life in this poem. He makes clear connections between his metaphors and the overall theme of the poem. Each tenor represents another metaphor that is open to scrutinizing interpretation. The theme of life and living is a powerful one. Cohen has provided effective examples of tenors within the text of a profound poem.
The phrasing of this poem can be analyzed on many levels. Holistically, the poem moves the father through three types of emotions. More specifically, the first lines of the poem depict the father s deep sadness toward the death of his son. The line Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy creates a mental picture in my mind (Line 1). I see the father standing over the coffin in his blackest of outfits with sunglasses shading his eyes from the sun because even the sun is too bright for his day of mourning. The most beautiful scarlet rose from his garden is gripped tightly in his right hand as tears cascade down his face and strike the earth with a splash that echoes like a scream in a cave, piercing the ears of those gathered there to mourn the death of his son.
...is a romantic poem that teaches a lesson about life. Its use of figurative language makes the poem appealing to the readers. It talks about life being fun
"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Dunbar was published in the late 1800’s, a time when African-Americans, like Paul Dunbar, were treated very poorly and had access to very few rights. Many changes were occurring during this time, and individuals were having a difficult time coming to terms with them. African Americans in particular found themselves caught in a culture that was not suitable for them. Dunbar expresses these feelings in the tone, which is shown by misery, anger and unhappiness. He uses the metaphor of wearing a mask to express the overall oppression of African Americans in this time period. Dunbar uses a lot of figurative language throughout this poem. He uses the word "we" to speak for the entire African American population as well as his self. He does this because he is painfully aware of the status his own race is living in. Throughout this poem, Paul Dunbar illustrates the horrific injustices they had to undergo while "wearing the mask" to hide their true emotions behind a smile. I have chosen a few lines in the poem “We Wear the Mask” to break down and show what each line really means through this figurative language Dunbar uses. I chose to examine lines 1 through 11, and 14 and 15.
When analyzing the poem, “Life is Fine” by Langston Hughes, at first glance, it may seem like a short and simple poem about life. The poem is much more complex. The poem is about the obstacles that some people face in life and how to find the strength to persevere. This poem helps the reader appreciate life and encourages us to triumph over the most emotionally challenging obstacles rather than considering death as a solution. The character in the poem, although weak and confused at first, finds the strength to deal with the issues he is struggling with and comes to appreciate life, rather than turning to a tragic way out. The character makes a half-hearted attempt to take his life twice during the short poem because of the emotional pain of lost love, but fortunately, finds reasons why he shouldn’t. The character, although very confused, sees that there is good in his life and realizes that his lost love is not worth giving his life up for. Hughes had a tough childhood, being raised mostly by his grandmother. His poem “Life is Fine” very possibly was close to his heart considering he may have faced some of the same struggles he wrote of in his poems. Hughes has written other works such as biographies and short stories about life and its experiences and his works are valuable to readers in their lives as well (Norris). Throughout this poem, the character continuously tries to take their life but cannot do so because there are clearly more reasons to live than to die. This poem echoes the thoughts that people have about death when things get difficult and how they consider turning to death as the answer. Learning to deal with obstacles and appreciate every moment is a valuable skill in life. This poem is an inspiration...