Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Distinctive features of language
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Distinctive features of language
In Cold Mountain and "A Poem for the Blue Heron", tone is established in a multitude of ways. These two pieces of literature describe the characteristics and actions of a blue heron, both aiming for the same goal. However, Charles Frazier and Mary Oliver approach their slightly differing tones employing organization, metaphoric language, and diction. Organization is a key element in Frazier's and Oliver's work, as it works directly to set the tone, as well as acting as a symbol of nature. Charles Frazier writes in long, descriptive sentences and paragraphs. These, along with the carefully chosen words in the smooth sentences, create a relaxing, peaceful tone and feel to the story. This tone reflects on the symbolic part of structure; that nature works in smooth, careful ways; everything is planned. On the other hand, Oliver writes in broken, choppy sentences, often breaking in the middle and resuming the next line down. This makes for a mysterious, erratic tone towards nature, as well as the blue heron. The blue heron, in this poem, acts rigidly and harshly in movement (as reflected by the short, fragmented sentences), while in Cold Mountain, the heron is smooth and graceful. Punctuation also adds to tone with respect to the blue heron. In Cold Mountain, the paragraphs often end in ways such as "after a deep reflection..." and "coming up short...." These rounds out the passages, allowing them to come to a gradual close instead of short, abrupt finishes to the sentences. This affects the tone of the passage as well as relates to the author's attitude towards the heron. In this passage, the heron moves slowly and steadily, with no abrupt motions, leading to a smooth and constant tone. However, the poem ends all sentences with a... ... middle of paper ... ...e the heron both literally and figuratively add to the sense of wonder in the tone of the passage. In the poem by Mary Oliver, the diction used to describe the heron is completely different. The words "gray", "hunched", "clutching", and "scant" give the poem a desperate, unpredictable view of nature. The tone is dreary, begrudging, and almost helpless. Diction truly can take hold of the tone of a work and steer it in whatever direction it wishes. The two tones between Cold Mountain and "A Poem for the Blue Heron" differ greatly as demonstrated by the language used in these works. The tone is so essential to convey the author's thoughts, and Frazier and Oliver have a strong grasp on this concept. Without literary language and devices, the tone would not be distinguishable and the difference between these two works would surely not be analytically recognizable.
There are many writers that write poems and books with the same styles. This essay will compare the styles of Greasy Lake by T. Coraghessan Boyle and the fictional Pet Fly by Walter Mosley.
In John Updike’s poem “The Great Scarf of Birds”, he uses diction and figurative speech to depict the beautiful autumn season to show how inspiring and uplifting nature is to man. Updike chooses autumn as the season to set his story in because generally, it is the season that has the most vivid vibrant colors in nature such as the ripe apples which are described as “red fish in the nets (limbs)”. (Line 3) Updike paints the picture of the beauty of nature with the simile about the apples to show the reader what a powerful effect nature has on man. Updike goes on to discuss the elm trees that were “swaying in the sky” (Line 7) and the “dramatic straggling v’s” of geese. Updike uses these descriptive portrayals of na...
In this poem called “Creatures” by the author Billy Collins there are three examples of figurative language helps convey the meaning that the author Billy Collins is conveying. The three examples of figurative language that the author Billy Collins uses are a metaphor, enjambment, and imagery. These three examples of figurative language help illustrate Billy Collins” theme in this poem called “Creatures” that he is writing because these three examples of figurative language help emphasize the theme of the poem. These three examples help emphasize this poem called “Creatures” meaning because it makes the theme of this poem have a deeper meaning. The theme of the author Billy Collins poem called “Creatures” is that the reader has to imagine
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
Jewett, Sarah Orne. "A White Heron." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 131-139.
‘‘A White Heron’’ begins on a June evening near the Maine coast. As the sun sets, nine-year-old Sylvia drives home a cow. This girl has no other friends and really likes these walks with the cow. However, this certain night it has taken her an unusually long time to find the cow and she hopes Mrs. Tilley, her grandmother, will not worry about her. But her grandmother knows that she likes to wander about in the woods so she will not worry. The little girl comes across a stranger in the woods this night and asked her for directions because he was lost. She invites him back to the house for the night and he is happy to learn Sylvia is interested in birds and confesses that he is searching for a certain white heron. He offers Sylvia ten dollars if she will show the hunter where the heron is. The next day they go out looking for the bird but do not find it. They call it a night and go back home. Sylvia leaves early the next morning and climbs a big pine tree where she observes the white herons nest. When she returns home she tells the hunter she is not sure where the nest is and the hunter leaves disappointed.
...travagance of Sarah Orne Jewett: Voices of Authority in ‘A White Heron.’” Studies in Short Fiction 19.1 (Winter 1982): 71-74. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Justin Karr. Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
poem. The tone used by each poet is critical because it indicates to the reader their
As characters in the poem are literally snow bound, they find that the natural occurrence actually serves a relaxing and warming purpose, one that brings together family. This effect is further achieved through the use of meter throughout the work as a whole. In its simplistic yet conversational tone, the author uses meter to depict the result that nature has forced upon these humans, who are but a small sample size that actually is representative of society that that time. Due to nature, the characters can talk, represented by the conversational meter, and thus, they can bond within the family. A larger representation of this more specific example can be applied to a more general perspective of human’s relationship with the natural world. Although “Snowbound” captures what humans do as a result of nature, it can also represent a larger picture, where nature appears at the most opportune times to enhance relationships from human to human. In “snowbound,” this is symbolized by the fire, “Our warm hearth seemed blazing free” (Whittier 135). This image relays a spirited, warm, mood full of security, which is expertly used by the author to show how fire, a natural phenomena, can provide such beneficial effects on humans. This very occurrence exemplifies how such a miniscule aspect of nature can have such a profound effect on a family, leaving the reader wondering what nature and its entirety could accomplish if used as a
For each seasonal section, there is a progression from beginning to end within the season. Each season is compiled in a progressive nature with poetry describing the beginning of a season coming before poetry for the end of the season. This is clear for spring, which starts with, “fallen snow [that] lingers on” and concludes with a poet lamenting that “spring should take its leave” (McCullough 14, 39). The imagery progresses from the end of winter, with snow still lingering around to when the signs of spring are disappearing. Although each poem alone does not show much in terms of the time of the year, when put into the context of other poems a timeline emerges from one season to the next. Each poem is linked to another poem when it comes to the entire anthology. By having each poem put into the context of another, a sense of organization emerges within each section. Every poem contributes to the meaning of a group of poems. The images used are meant to evoke a specific point in each season from the snow to the blossoms to the falling of the blossoms. Since each poem stands alone and has no true plot they lack the significance than if they were put into th...
This poem is filled with imagery, appealing to the sight. It gives you a mental picture of the message that he is conveying. "Look high at the gulls,"
...t is arguable that the birds fight is also a metaphor, implying the fight exists not only between birds but also in the father’s mind. Finally, the last part confirms the transformation of the parents, from a life-weary attitude to a “moving on” one by contrasting the gloomy and harmonious letter. In addition, readers should consider this changed attitude as a preference of the poet. Within the poem, we would be able to the repetitions of word with same notion. Take the first part of the poem as example, words like death, illness
“The Mountain” is a poem that has many metaphors and life lessons. Frost’s uses of dialogue and analogies makes the poem relatable for readers. Also his use of analogies allows the reader to interpret the poem from numerous perspectives. There is no proper path in life. “Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail.”
After explaining the rut of life and the sickening of school, Oliver goes on to reminisce about the narrator's joyous summer by personifying nature to help connect the reader to her feelings about it and create a metaphor to encompass her view on life. Earlier in the passage “machines and oils and plastics and money” are used to illustrate the repetition and inevitable rut that the narrator feels school leads to. By personifying “the way the river kept rolling its pebbles” Oliver connects the rut of machines to a constant eroding that the river ensures. Oliver uses the personification of the river “rolling its pebbles” to help suggest the consistent beating of a life of conformity. The persistent flow of the river and operating of machines is idealized by the personification of the river connecting the two. Personification is also used to connect the happiness of singing with the wild wrens. By saying “the wild wrens sang though they hadn’t a penny in the bank” conveys that the birds are satisfied even though they do not have any possessions and have no connections with materialistic objects such as money. This personification shows that even though the birds have no possessions they are able to participate in joyous acts such as singing, which expresses the narrator's feelings when immersed in nature. In the final line personification is used to create a metaphor for the flowers well being in their natural state. “Dressed in nothing but light” Oliver shows how the flowers can remain elegant while untouched by variables among society. In the wild they are able to remain as pure and beautiful as may be even though they have nothing but the sun to dress them. This shows that the narrator thinks it is possible to appear beautiful when remaining as simple as possible. In the last stanza
One of the most prevalent of the literary tools used in this poem is the simile. Repeatedly throughout the poem Bishop uses the simile to give the reader a clearer picture of the situation at hand. The simile is an ideal literary tool to use when the author is trying to convey a sensory description of an object or idea. When describing the fish?s physical appearance in lines 9-15 she compares the fish?s skin to ?ancient wallpaper?; this immediately gives the reader an impression of the age and outward appearance of the fish. Later in the poem when in lines 61-62 she describes the pieces of broken fishing line hanging from the fish?s mouth as ?medals with their ribbons / frayed and wavering? she is using a simile to give the impression of pride and honor. This comes at a point when ...