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The cultural meaning of suicide: what does it mean? summary
Analysing poetry ENGL 102
An educatiive essay on mental health awareness
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In the poems, Suicide Note by Janice Mirikitani and Dreams of Suicide by William Meredith, the element of suicide is unmistakably the theme. Although both poems are tragic and melancholic, each poet focuses their attention on different aspects of suicide. Mirikitani dissects the inner thoughts of the speaker and focuses on suicidal ideation, while Meredith’s version brings attention to the suicides of three writers by dedicating and honoring them individually. In Dreams, “the speaker conveys his own empathy for those writers who could not survive the struggle to reconcile art and life” (Kirszner & Mandell). Suicide Note refers to a female Asian-American college student who leaps to her death and leaves a note to her parents apologizing for …show more content…
Line six indicates, “On all fours / I am imitating a totemic animal / but she is not my totem or the totem / of my people, this is not my magic oven.” Both poets utilize symbolism in these poems. Mirikitani uses a ledge as an “altar” for the student to sacrifice herself from. In line forty-two, “I make this ledge my altar / to offer penance.” Meredith compares Hemingway to a unicorn in line four, which is a representation of the “rare, unique talent of the artist” (Kirszner & Mandell), gas oven” (Kirszner & Mandell), is not symbolic of all writers. Line six indicates, “On all fours / I am imitating a totemic animal / but she is not my totem or the totem / of my people, this is not my magic oven.” Both poets utilize symbolism in these poems. Mirikitani uses a ledge as an “altar” for the student to sacrifice herself from. In line forty-two, “I make this ledge my altar / to offer penance.” Meredith compares Hemingway to a unicorn in line four, which is a representation of the “rare, unique talent of the artist” (Kirszner &
There are diseases in the world that we can touch and see and there are those which we cannot feel or see. Depression and suicide are one of the few that are not physical diseases but mental. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of deaths in America, and 20-25% of Americans eighteen and older have depression. The two poems ‘Summer Solstice, New York City’ by Sharon Olds, and ‘The Mill’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson are both discussing the different ways that suicide and depression can affect an individual. The first poem by Sharon Olds goes into details of suicide prevention whereas the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson goes into the details of how suicide and death affect the loved ones of the deceased.
“He uses similes to compare the curtains that danced in response to the breeze to pale flags gliding back and forth caught in the wind. The shadow from the curtains on the wine colored rug is related to the image of wind on the
In The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume II. Edited by Paul Lauter et al. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991: 1208-1209. Hemingway, Ernest. A.
In 1987, Janice Mirikitani wrote and published a poem titled Suicide Note. The speaker of the poem, a female, Asian American college student who commits suicide after receiving slightly-less-than-perfect grades, gives repeated apologies to her parents and tells them exactly how she feels in a suicide note - one most probably addressed to them. In the poem, Mirikitani conveys a sad and somber mood while implementing an extended metaphor to compare the speaker to a bird.
Poetry is the most compressed form of literature, which should be read slowly and savored attentively. Poets employ different poetic techniques to convey their ideas, opinions, and express their feelings. Some poems can be understood easily while others seam vague. But whatever they are, they all contain some common elements of poetry such as theme, figurative language, and tone, etc. ¡§Constantly risking absurdity and death¡¨ and ¡§betting on the muse¡¨ are two poems which are written by two different poets. By comparing and contrasting these two poems, the full beauty of the poems can be greatly appreciated and their theme can be deeply explored.
When a writer picks up their pen and paper, begins one of the most personal and cathartic experiences in their lives, and forms this creation, this seemingly incoherent sets of words and phrases that, read without any critical thinking, any form of analysis or reflexion, can be easily misconstrued as worthless or empty. When one reads an author’s work, in any shape or form, what floats off of the ink of the paper and implants itself in our minds is the author’s personality, their style. Reading any of the greats, many would be able to spot the minute details that separates each author from another; whether it be their use of dialogue, their complex descriptions, their syntax, or their tone. When reading an excerpt of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast one could easily dissect the work, pick apart each significant moment from Hemingway’s life and analyze it in order to form their own idea of the author’s voice, of his identity. Ernest Hemingway’s writing immediately comes across as rather familiar in one sense. His vocabulary is not all that complicated, his layout is rather straightforward, and it is presented in a simplistic form. While he may meander into seemingly unnecessary detail, his work can be easily read. It is when one looks deeper into the work, examines the techniques Hemingway uses to create this comfortable aura surrounding his body of work, that one begins to lift much more complex thoughts and ideas. Hemingway’s tone is stark, unsympathetic, his details are precise and explored in depth, and he organizes his thoughts with clarity and focus. All of this is presented in A Moveable Feast with expertise every writer dreams to achieve. While Hemingway’s style may seem simplistic on the surface, what lies below is a layered...
Teenage suicide has become a big issue in our community, it is the lack of prevention to help reduce the rate of teen suicide that the community deficient in, which is why more students and schools are coming together to help spread awareness.
Gale. Weeks, Lewis E., Jr. "Hemingway Hills: Symbolism in 'Hills like White'" Elephants. Studies in Short Fiction. 17.1 (Winter 1980): 75-77.
There are many subtle symbols presented such as the train station, the felt pads, the train tracks and the time but the definitive symbols are the hills, the absinthe and the beaded bamboo curtains. These symbols give readers a clearer picture of Hemingway’s vision. Studying these symbols allow readers to view this story with a different lens and find a different conclusion. In fact, the symbols presented by Hemingway are more effective then the main dialogue at revealing the outcome of the American and Jig’s argument.
Ernest Hemingway is an incredible writer, known for what he leaves out of stories not for what he tells. His main emphasis in Hills Like White Elephants seems to be symbolism. Symbolism is the art or practice of using symbols, especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations (merriam-webster.com). He uses this technique to emphasize the importance of ideas, once again suggesting that he leaves out the important details of the story by symbolizing their meaning.
In E.E. Cummings poem “dying is fine) but Death”, the poet talks about the the ever discussed topic about dying and Death itself. Cummings talks about how dying is something to look forward to and how it is inevitable, from the moment we are born, to the fateful day it occurs. I agree with this analysis and the author’s analysis of the poem. Cummings uses his legendary shape style to form “dying is fine) but Death” to show how life begins. He may have wanted to symbolize the start of life with “o baby” which if you look at the paper version of the book, “o baby” is split up and very small compared to other sentences in the poem, signifying the start of someone’s life. When the middle of the poem starts to appear, the word “why?” pops up. This could signify the middle of someone’s life, or the “why” that many of us began to ask ourselves this question when we realize that not
...be able to understand that the idea that “nothing” leads to “despair” because he isn’t lonely and old he is young and has a wife. Hemingway also seems to focus on the feeling of nothingness, not nothingness itself. The Old man found refuge in the clean well-lighted cafe, as an escape from his thoughts and knowledge that there is nothing more than human life, and the thoughts of there being no God and no Heaven. Unlike the Older waiter who found himself late at night, in the dirty uncleaned bar without the dignity that the Old man had. He depicts the idea that he will not be able to sleep to his audience by stating he has insomnia however, in reality we know that it is because he is afraid of nothingness, of darkness and of being alone, unlike the Old man who found refuge from these feelings in the …”shadow of the leaves of the tree made against the electric light.”
Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings
The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, “Home Burial,” and Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” and “I died for Beauty,” are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death.
Often times when I heard the word "suicidal" I was curiously caused the person to do it. Growing up, I heard that people decided to commit suicide was because they "wanted attention, they wanted the easy way out, they were weak, they couldn't handle life, etc." Personally, I have significant people in my life that have felt like they wanted to commit suicide. So, this topic honestly is a difficult, yet, emotional one to discuss.