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Mary oliver the black snake poem analysis
Mary oliver singapore poem analysis
Mary oliver singapore poem analysis
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Author Background: Born on September 10th 1935, Mary Oliver, as a teenager, briefly lived in the home of Edna St. Vincent Millay where helped the family with the passing of the poet. Oliver attended two college’s yet did not receive a degree. Her first collection of poems was published in 1963 and since then has published numerous books and received many awards. Many of Oliver’s poems feature an in depth relationship with nature, exploring the abstractions and complexities found within it. She also draws inspiration from her childhood memories, which allows for a more intimate look into the relationship between humans and nature. Paraphrase: With our elbows on our textbooks, we dreamed beyond the classroom, beyond Miss Willow Bangs--past …show more content…
the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of the greenery outside, with its mysterious, secretive allure. In our minds and hearts was not book-learning, but the vigor of the outdoors, awakening us from the boredom experienced indoors. Spring was blooming outside the classroom, and it pained us so to be kept inside. We muddled through lessons, and carved our names into the desks in sheer boredom. We grew desperately, unreasonably angry at Miss Willow Bangs for confining us to the classroom. She was a more full-bodied woman, with glasses and a passion for the small joys in teaching. And so we wasted away, losing one gorgeous spring day after another, sitting like prisoners and breathing in the chalky, dusty air of the classroom. The plants flourished and birds sang from a paradise that now seemed so out of reach--day by day, it became easier to hate our teacher, to plot a mutiny, or even murder! We wanted her in chains, even dead, in our desperate desire to fulfill our longing to be outside in the beautiful spring weather. But one day, as school ended at three, we saw you, Miss Willow Bangs. Escaping the classroom and running past the abandoned swings, we spied you: all soft and flushed, leaning against the brick wall, there you were in the art teacher’s arms. Imagery: The first line begins with visual imagery, which is the type that is frequent throughout the poem, with "elbows on dry books". The author sets the scene and environment of the poem vividly by using frequent visual descriptors. The imagery contrasts between simple adjectives such as "thick legs" and long abstract sentences such as "her eyes two stones behind glass". Oliver intended for the poem to be vivid and similar to spring with the descriptions she used. If she had not used such evocative words the poem would barely have her own voice and have been similar to any other poem about spring. Structure: This poem is 26 lines in total, divided into 15 lines in the first stanza and 11 lines in the second stanza. There is no particular format this poem falls under since it is free verse and has no rhyme scheme. The first stanza features a more passive tone with whimsical daydreaming in the beginning, and while it still elicits a longing emotion, it is not nearly as emotional and fervent as the second stanza. While there is no particular structure to the poem, its organization allows for Oliver to describe a noticeable shift in attitude in the students of the class.
Their passivity in the first paragraph serves as an introduction to convey a duller environment, which is frustratingly boring to the children. The inanimacy of the classroom is demonstrated through stoic diction in words such as “droned” and “stones behind glass” when describing the teacher. The first 8 lines describe a longing for the outside, “past Miss Willow Bangs, and lessons, and windows”, and while it is resentful of the classroom, it is more optimistic for the outside. In order to further reveal the students’ true emotions, lines 9-15 shifts the focus back to the inside of the classroom with growing resentment towards the teacher, as the diction becomes increasingly accusatory with words and phrases such as “suffered” and “angry to be held so”. Thus, the tone shift between stanzas 1 and 2 transitions into a more suffocating environment, as “leaves thickened” and “birds called”. Their imagination in the first stanza describes daydreaming for the outside, while the second stanza dreams of “murder” and “mutiny” with a more angry than resentful attitude. Oliver’s diction is used to draw parallels between jail and the classroom, as they were “captives” looking towards their “three o’clock
escape”. Language: This poem incorporates several different language techniques. The alliteration "Glimpses and guesses" in the beginning of the first stanza emphasizes the curiosity the children have about spring outside of their classroom. The comparison of the excitement of the outdoors to blooming flowers is a simile that shows how the enthusiasm for spring built up inside the children and blossomed within them. Personification is also used throughout. The children's "pulsing initials" and the teacher's "heart in love with pencils and arithmetic" contrasts the different goals of both; the children are wishing repeatedly to be outside while the teacher is seemingly only passionate about learning. Both situations involve hearts and the personification pinpoints what goals are interpreted within two parties. The love for spring the children have is so intense that it basically comes alive. The author uses personification to make the poem more whimsical and imaginative in addition to using it for emphasis. Everyday aspects of life that are considered unnoticeable, like "the greening woodlot" are described eccentrically and given human characteristics to show the imagination within the children. Overall, the author uses language intending to portray the appreciation for and connection with nature the children have. Implications: The author highlights our culture that is preventing children from enjoying what nature has to offer them. She also depicts the problem with seeing things from a single perspective. The students resent and are furious at their teacher who stands between them and the outside. They see the teacher as a lifeless and heartless woman who has no feelings or care. But the author gives insight into the teacher’s life by revealing her relationship with the art teacher. She shows that the teacher wasn’t as lifeless as her students had made her out to be and that her heart was not occupied by only pencils and arithmetic. Title: The title “Spring in the Classroom” immediately indicates to the main content of the poem; which is displaying how the classroom atmosphere changes with the arrival of the spring season. After first glance it’s more obvious that spring is lost in the time spent in the classroom.
In her poem “The School Children”, Louise Gluck uses imagery by applying an extended metaphor to show how going to school is similar to going to battle and by describing the mothers’ actions through the use of vivid verbs to portray the disconnection between children and their guardians, despite the sacrifices that mothers make.
Humankind has been facing and conquering problems, droughts, famines, and wars for instance, since the beginning of its existence. Throughout an individual’s life, obstacles arise and challenges present themselves in an attempt to inhibit the individual from moving forward. In her poem Crossing the Swamp, Mary Oliver utilizes a variety of techniques to expand on this idea, establishing a relationship between the speaker and the swamp as one of determination and realized appreciation.
Mary Oliver was a famous poet and nature-lover, she used nature as center of her poetries. She was observant and thoughtful, which endowed her poetry a unique charm and depth. In her poem “The Black Snake” also manifests everything in the natural world is equal. This poem narrated that the speaker found a black snake was killed by a truck and thus to start thinking death and life. Meanwhile, Mary’s poetic language also has strong power. This poetry is a simplicity and short but she used many elements of poetry to make this poetry more profound and meaningful, and the symbolism and figures of speech are the two main element in “The Black Snake”. Figures of speech brings value
With the use of irony and a free rhyme scheme, Collins’ poem vocalizes his opinion on how lying to children about significant facts can only serve to make them ignorant. The way he communicates this to us is by ironically emphasizing events by understating them. He shows how important an event is by mocking the teacher’s portrayal of the event. One example of how he does this is how the teacher tells his students that the ice age was just the “chilly age, a period of a million years when everyone had to wear sweaters.”(3-4). Collins does this several times with other important events in history, such as the Spanish Inquisition, where “[It] was nothing more than an outbreak of questions.”(7-8). The teacher’s interpretation of events, when compared to the actual events themselves creates a sense of unease, as the lies stray far away from what actually happened, and brings up the question of whether or not these lies should be told. Collins uses events that involve death and destruction to accentuate how big the contrast between the teacher’s explanation and reality is. After the class ends, the children leave the classroom to “torment the weak and the smart” (15-16), while the teacher is oblivious to it all. Note that Collins puts “and the smart” (16) on a separate line from “torment the weak” (15). The children in the class aren’t smart because they did not learn about the true events in history. This distinction emphasized the ignorance of the children. This contrasts with Wilbur’s poem, as the lie told there served to soothe a child’s fear, rather than breed ignorance. The rhyme scheme is different as well. Collins’ free rhyme scheme is used to create a sense of unease, whereas Wilbur’s rhyme scheme creates a child-like feeling to his poem. Unlike the parents in “A Barred Owl”, the teacher is portrayed as an ignorant man, unaware of what happens around
Allusion first helped describe the ironic aspects of the poem by focusing on the odd setting of the poem. Collins description of the speaker’s town shares many traits of a regular town, but also incorporates traits from a school environment. The following lines will help explain the setting and how it relates to a school environment. The first example of this is shown in lines four through six; “I can see it nestled in a paper landscape, chalk dust flurrying down in winter, nights dark as a blackboard” (Collins). In these lines Collins describes the physical setting outside. Paper landscape is being compared to actual grass landscape outside. Chalk dust is white and powdery, as is fresh snow falling from the sky. And black boards are dark and cold, as are dark nights when the sun goes down. Chalk, paper, and black boards are all found in a school environment, and each one of these aspects help bring the setting to life in the readers mind. The reader can relate to what they are picturing as they continue reading the poem. Th...
The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly. His outside actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names are causing him to react internally. He is remembering the past and is attempting to suppress the emotions that are rising within him.
Mary Oliver in her poem “First Snow” explores the appearance of nature during winter. Although the poem has no stanza break, it is clearly divided into two parts. First is presented the image of snow falling during the day and second part described the image of night when the snow stopped falling. Snow is compared to “such an oracular fever” which means it has ability to teach the reader to recognize the opposite truth.
Brooks’ selection of single syllable words helps set the rhythm of a jazz mood. The monosyllable words provide a rhythmical tool for generating a snappy beat to her tale. Her repetition of rhyming words close together adds unity to the poem. By placing the one syllable words close together: “cool / school” (1-2) and “sin / gin” (5-6), it emphases each word. The feelings and imagery are clear in this poem. The rhyming lines in her verse contain only three words, and it keeps the poem’s rhythm moving. The short verse makes it easy to remember. The short lines speed it up, but the sound on each stop really stands out. Only the subtitle is longer, which Brooks utilizes to encompass the setting. Her careful use of short words keeps the beat and describes what the boys are doing, like leaving school, or staying out late. These simple
We’ve all wondered and wracked our brains over the questions and nature of humankind, to which we have no true and final answers: how every moment lived and this moment you live right now, will simply be a memory, the daunting inevitability of death, life’s transience, the irreversibility of time, the loss of innocence with ages…it is in the human condition to question such things; and this mutual similarity in wonder, to me, is beautiful. I intertwine these universal topics into my poetry, particularly Father & Child and the Violets, to transcend time and provide meaning to a range of different contexts, whilst reflecting my own context and values.
Riley, Jeannette E. "Mary Oliver." Twentieth-Century American Nature Poets. Ed. J. Scott Bryson and Roger Thompson. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 342. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.
Hayden, Robert. "Mary Oliver : The Poetry Foundation : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry." The Poetry Foundation: Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. .
Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. 3rd ed. Ed. Helen Vendler. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
Not only the words, but the figures of speech and other such elements are important to analyzing the poem. Alliteration is seen throughout the entire poem, as in lines one through four, and seven through eight. The alliteration in one through four (whisky, waltzing, was) flows nicely, contrasting to the negativity of the first stanza, while seven through eight (countenance, could) sound unpleasing to the ear, emphasizing the mother’s disapproval. The imagery of the father beating time on the child’s head with his palm sounds harmful, as well as the image of the father’s bruised hands holding the child’s wrists. It portrays the dad as having an ultimate power over the child, instead of holding his hands, he grabs his wrists.
In the beginning of the poem Cullen uses the literary device of imagery to help his readers understand the vast difference between the classes in society. Cullen describes the children
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and