What similarities do Dylan Thomas, the alcoholic poet who drank himself to death in 1953, who was (and is) the pride of the Welsh, and Franz Ferdinand, the Scottish rock band (not the Archduke!) formed in 2002 share? Nothing, one may say with a shrug of the shoulders, but closer investigation reveals that these two artists have a surprising lot in common with each other. Of course, some may be quick to say that Franz Ferdinand’s lyrics are nowhere near as good as Dylan Thomas’ poetry, but that seems to be a case of music snobbery more than anything else; there are people who seem to believe that just because an artist is recent, their work must be substandard, and cannot compare to the classics. That just illustrates the viewpoint which this …show more content…
The poem is in Thomas’ typical style; it rolls off the tongue easily, but the words are phrased in a harder-to-understand manner than typical, straightforward poems. “Now their love lies a loss,” Thomas writes, “and Love and his patients roar on a chain / From every tune or crater / Carrying cloud, Death strikes their house” (132). At the end of the poem, the couple realizes—too late—that they still love each other. Ironically, the poem seems to mirror Thomas’ own married life; his relationship with Caitlin Macnamara was tumultuous and punctuated by arguments, lack of money, affairs on both sides, and lots and lots of drinking. Thomas also died young, at the age of 39, after consuming eighteen straight whiskies (Sinclair 102). In the end, according to Sinclair, Caitlin realized she still loved Dylan, despite all the problems in their relationship, and she rushed to his bedside, but it was too late, and death had already taken him away …show more content…
The song sounds like a generic breakup song on the surface, but it makes several references to historical figures and events: “as you walk away, the Kremlin’s falling / as you walk away, Radio Four is static / the stab of a stiletto on a silent night / Stalin smiles and Hitler laughs / Churchill claps Mao Zedong on the back” (Franz Ferdinand, “Walk Away”). Personally, this inspired me to research the history of the Kremlin (and by extension, St. Basil’s Cathedral), and I found out the phrase “Radio Four is static” refers to commands given to British nuclear-armed submarine commanders. If they couldn’t hear BBC Radio Four on their radio for a given number of days, they were to assume that Britain had been the target of a nuclear bomb, and were to follow secret instructions given by England’s prime minister—which may include launching a nuclear attack in retaliation, thus (presumably) starting a nuclear apocalypse (“Radio Silence”). Franz Ferdinand can hardly be accused of writing “generic breakup songs” when one truly looks at their
... Thomas repeatedly blends his life into his work, however, his style, figurative language, and other techniques are altered for each poem. Thomas does this so that the poem's idea or message compliment the poem's language. He used vivid and energetic imagery to bring his poems alive. He uses words not only for their literal meaning, but also for the sound the word and the meaning that sound creates. It is said that the key to Thomas' poetry is reading it aloud, slowly, and hitting every vowel and consonant, then go back to try to understand it. Thomas continually writes about very particular points in his life. However, he writes in a different way each time. He chooses a style for each poem so it has the most effect on the reader. Thomas stresses on sounds and double meanings with words and was greatly influenced the American society where he died in New York 1953.
Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the great unrecognized literary works of the first half of the twentieth century. It has been through three editions after its first printing in 1939 and at least fifty-three printings in over ninety countries (xxii). The wide popularity and circulation of the book certainly affirms this claim. An examination of the contents of the book will show that it also deserves this title. It is a rich work because it conveys a basic human condition, though ugly, until that time not often spoken of in public. If it simply did this and nothing more it would merely be a good book. But it does more than speak to an ugly condition; it gives a blueprint for change.
Michael Gray’s analysis of Dylan’s lyrics being a contrast between hackneyed expressions and “beautifully done” are exemplified in the song “Just Like a Woman.” Dylan’s lyrics “she aches just like a woman but she breaks just like a little girl” is given the harsh description of “maudlin platitude” and deemed to be a “non-statement.” If Dylan’s lyrics cannot uphold against meaningful music of the same category, how can they be expected to stand against literature written for a different field. John Lennon had his own critiques of Dylan’s works, calling out how the abstract nature of his lyrics, having loose definition, never achieved an actual point. Lennon’s definition of “poetry” referred to “stick[ing] a few images together” and “thread[ing] them” in order to create something meaningful. It once again boils down to the fact that Dylan’s music that was written and intended to be received as a live performance. The acknowledgement that “…you have to hear Dylan doing it” is a recognition of his composition’s failure to come across as a normal literary work. It’s all part of a “good game.” This in itself should disqualify Dylan as a possible candidate for the Nobel Prize.
One of the distinct similarities between the two is that both are themed heavily on the topic of death. Bearing this in mind, the atmosphere, mood and tone of each poem will be discussed with both comparisons and differences made. In addition, the different sets of structures used will be analysed and the effects resulting from the employment of these structures. Dylan Thomas' poem is in the form of a villanelle. This can be inferred from the rigid structure of nineteen lines and the rhyming scheme, which utilises only two rhymes throughout the entirety of the poem.
"Drunk with melody, and what the words were, he cared not." This was a very common view among early commentators about Dylan Thomas (Cox 1). Thomas was a poet who was either loved or hated. It depended on the individual, and how they viewed his poetry. He was very famous for his poetry because it contained visions of life, aspects of birth and death, fear, grief, joy, and beauty. At a younger age, Thomas was a very violent poet. As he grew older, he spoke for all men greatly when he wrote. He wrote his poems referring to the qualities and sensations of life. The strength of feelings, which were expressed in his writings, gave many different impressions about Thomas’ attitudes toward religion and spirituality, relationships, and the passion in his poetry.
The tragic romantic love story is a general reflection and or a comparison to Poe’s wife who died at the age of twenty-four. In stanza 2, line 9, the speaker in the poem praises their love saying “But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me.” In stanza 4, line 21-26, gives the tragic death of annabel lee saying “The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.” And near the end of the poem, the speaker describes the bond between him and annabel lee will never be severed in stanza 6. This poem is in some a a metaphor comparing the characters in the poem to Poe and Virginia and the special bond he have with
Taking a look back into our history, it is very hard to graze over the fact that music has reigned as one of the most influential components of artistic expression in our time. It has been a part of numerous peoples' lives across the globe since the beginning of time. Music has been able to not only define the people that craft it, but encompass and define a whole time period and culture in its own, leaving a very bold mark upon history. Two pieces of music that have played integral roles during their time are “In Paradisum” (by an anonymous individual) during the middle ages (600-1450), and “Same Love,” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, featuring Mary Lambert during the 21st century (2001-2100, specifically released in 2012). These musical pieces, although from two very different spectrums in history, share a few notable similarities, as well as some remarkable differences that embody the ever so changing sound of art in time.
Most of Edgar allan Poe’s stories are written in first person and not everyone comes to conclusion that his wild, yet atrocious stories could have linked to his intemperance with alcohol. He does not directly specify that his writings are related to him yet in a way, with his background on susbtance abuse it can be put in theory that it does. In some ways it is reasonable that an author who writes so convincingly about illusion, fantasy, and horror should be suspected for this kind of act. Some argue that it was his fears and anxieties that led Poe to commit to such horrific stories and poems that seem strangely inhuman and in way uncomfortable but what led to these anxiteis and fears? In the text there are qoutes that can link alcohol to
After all, anybody is as their land and air is.... If that is so, it is no wonder that Bob Dylan became such a luminous amalgam of showmanship and aloofness, spirituality and desolation, eloquence and exaggeration, individuality and schizophrenia. These seesawing extremes, among others, are indigenous to the historical landscape of northern Minnesota. (Spitz 9) For others this might have been a setback but for Dylan it was the perfect environment to nurture his interests, in music specifically. At the age of ten he was writing poems and by thirteen was setting them to music with self-taught piano and guitar skills.
When discussing the different aspects of New Criticism in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night”, the impression that comes to mind is death. The use of imagery was a necessity for Dylan Thomas to express the different techniques of writing which involved a mixture of surrealistic and metaphysical tones. His ability to change a words meaning to incorporate symbolism is noticeable in circle of unity from life to death and renewed life.
Herrick’s examination of death and decay is without gore or sadness rather he uses positive and beautiful imagery of writing and sun and “raine” (63). The optimistic, excited tone of the poem keeps it from sounding like a lesson rather than a love charm. In lines 65-66, the speaker is romanticizing death by using the infinity of writing to preserve their love in “a fable, song” for everyone to experience (65-66). He wants his love to realize that even though they can be immortalized in words, before that time comes they need to “goe a Maying” to make their story more significant when they are older and when they are gone (70).
Not many people would mind having the title of a poet, except maybe one of the most influential artists of all time. (Kennedy and Gioia, 599) Bob Dylan was a remarkable protest singer and songwriter during the Vietnam Era with many well-remembered songs about war and many other significant topics concerning the era. He has influenced many modern day songwriters and many other famous bands such as the Beatles. (Marinucci, Steve)
Moderate alcohol consumption can provide health benefits as well as a temporary sense of bliss. During Baudelaire’s time, wine was the drink for workers, who would drink collectively; in other words, drinking was a social activity. On the contrary, alcohol consumption to the point of drunkenness is a different story. Alcohol and alcoholism are popular subjects in art and writing, mainly because throughout history and to this day there have been myriad artists, who have used and abused alcohol, claiming that drinking releases their creative spirits, or conjures a muse of some sort. Consequently, while medically worrisome, alcohol is still favorably looked upon in the artistic world. Supporting this conjecture is French poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire, who has an entire section dedicated to wine, or alcohol in general, within his poetry
The structure of the poem is a villanelle. The villanelle comes from the French middle ages and is composed of nineteen lines. It has five tercets and a concluding quatrain: ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABAA. Two different lines are repeated. Lines one, six, twelve, and eighteen are all the same. Line three reappears in line nine fifteen and nineteen. Each tercet will conclude with an exact or very close duplication of line one or three. The final quatrain repeats line one and three. The villanelle is one of the most difficult forms of poetry to follow. Perhaps Thomas wanted to use this form to show how special his father meant to him. Dylan Thomas speaks of death throughout this poem. Death is the major theme of the vil...
Walt Whitman was arguable one of the most influential poets during the Civil War era. Though never directly involved in war, Whitman was able to talk about the war in a more insightful way than many poets at the time could. Whitman was most active in writing during the times before and after the war, choosing to dedicate himself to helping wounded soldiers during the war instead. Walt Whitman’s poetry reflects the progression of his philosophy of America: his initial view of America was uplifting, represented in his Pre-Civil war poems and while the Civil War poetry presents the degradation of American society, Whitman’s final poetry returns to a realistic, optimistic view for America.