A common, as well as incorrect, belief, is that works of literature that are confusing or are not completely straightforward are not quality works; however, this is often not the case. Sometimes, pieces cannot be fully understood, nor properly appreciated, without being read alongside another piece with similar characteristics or recurring themes, as is the case with William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Another clear example of this is the poem “Snake,” which is much more than just a poem about a man who encounters a snake at a watering hole. Grappling with D. H. Lawrence’s “Snake” is much more easily accomplished when the poem is read alongside and connected to “The New Dress” by Virginia Woolf, “The Doll’s House” …show more content…
Much of the conflicting inner voices that the narrators of each of the pieces have, while not always clearly stated, are in fact their personal voice fighting against the controlling voice of society. In several ways, this creates symbols of insecurity, such as the clothing in “The New Dress,” as well as within “The Doll’s House”. All four of these pieces work to symbolize the nearly constant struggle that every single person struggles with between choosing to do what one feels is right and what one has been told by society to be correct. This is notably seen in “Shooting an Elephant” as the crowd watching the officer during his pursuit of the elephant symbolizes the peer pressure and societal expectations that often follow one everywhere. Then interestingly in “The New Dress,” the main symbol is actually a changing symbol that alters in symbolic value from the beginning to the end of the story. Initially Mabel’s dress symbolizes hope and individuality; however, it later shifts to representing her insecurities due to the judgment of those around her. Through the use of symbols, these authors skillfully convey the central conflict against society and societal expectations. Once the struggle is more thoroughly understood, the reader is better suited to comprehend and appreciate the struggle that the narrator of “Snake” is facing in ultimately determining whether or not to kill the snake before
Poetry is something that is to be read delicately and cautiously if one wanted to find meaning through the words. Readers have to be gentle and patiently ponder about what they are reading in order to find any significance in the poem. If someone is not patient with reading, they will not feel impacted by poetry and will not want to read it. In Billy Collins’, “Introduction to Poetry,” he uses figurative language to help readers see that the way to enjoy and understand poetry is by reading between the lines and being patient with how each individual relates to the readings.
The fear of reading literature and not being able to comprehend the ideas presented forces readers to create a deeper meaning through annotations, as expressed through Billy Collins’ use of comparative imagery and aggressive diction in “Marginalia” and “Introduction to Poetry.” Collins’ choice to
A work of literature can mean many things to each new reader who journeys into it. Details derived from the text can incite diverse reactions from readers based on their own understanding, age, gender, and experience relating to the piece. This holds true for John Updike's short story "A & P" when looked at through the eyes of myself, my mother, and my sister.
During the nineteenth century, a time of rapid growth and development, a profound and accelerated changes took place, which allows women, men, and color people to be treated a little differently; However, injustice, inequality, segregations, and discrimination where still common. Women were still not given equal opportunities (right to vote, borrow money in their names, or working outside of their homes) like men, and also black people especially men, were still being treated unfairly in terms of jobs opportunities, and other activities such as baseball. The stories, “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen and “Fences” by August Wilson took place during that time of the century. The two stories revolve around how these social injustices affect and influence the behavior of the characters during that time. Although the two stories have some similarities in common, however, they also have some major differences that make each story unique.
Humor and Irony are a unique combinations Collins displays in many of his poems, challenging the readers to interpret his work in different perspectives. In “Introduction to Poetry,” Collins offers a witty comparison between the definition of poetry and various other experiments. He asks the reader to “hold [the poem] up to the light/ like a color slide” (1-3), “press an ear against its hive” (4), “drop a mouse into a poem” (5), “walk inside the poem's room” (7), and “waterski across the surface of a poem” (9-10). Rather than stiffly explaining the definition of a poem, he finds creative and humorous approaches to explain his methods of enjoying the poems, and promote the readers’ interest towards discovering the true meaning of poetry. Just as the surrounding would seem different through color slides, he asks the readers to see the world in diverse viewpoints while reading and writing poems. Moreover, by listening to poem’s hive, dropping a mouse, and walking inside its room, Collins encourages readers to discover the concealed depth of poetry. He comments ...
In the story "A Rose for Emily," the author, William Faulkner, recounts the life of a woman from an elite family in the Deep South. Emily Grierson is an eccentric spinster who goes through her life searching for love and security. Due to her relationship with her father, and the intrusiveness of the townspeople in her life, she is unable to get away from her past. Arising from a young woman's search for love, the use of symbolism profoundly develops the theme, therefore, bringing to light the issues of morality.
Meyer compares poems to songs. He says that we have to listen several times a song before we hear it all and before we understand it. The title of a poem provides a sense of what the poem is about. It can tell you about the poem’s subject, tone, and genre. While reading poetry we need to pay attention to elements such as speaker, image, metaphor, symbol, rhyme, and rhythm. Also, Meyer defines doggerel as a “derogatory term used to describe poetry whose subject is trite and whose rhythm and sounds are monotonously heavy-handed”. It is characteristic of children’s game rhymes. In addition, by characterizing poetry as “undefinable” and “unmistakable”, Robinson says that it can have different purposes, subjects, emotions, styles, and forms.
Cummings' peculiar method of using syntax to convey hidden meaning is extremely effective. The reader does not simply read and forget Cummings' ideas; instead, he must figure out the hidden meaning himself. In doing this, he feels contentment, and thus retains the poem's idea for a more extended period of time. Cummings' ideogram poems are puzzles waiting to be solved.
In conclusion, it is hard to grasp the true meaning of the story unless the story is read a second time because of the author's style of writing.
The lions also show the anger of the children. The lions were big, scary and predators in the story. The nursery and the house itself are a big part of the story as well. They symbolise that technology can take over our lives and make them worth nothing. The purpose of using symbolism and repetition in the story is to show that our minds can be one of the most evil places on earth.
The metaphors and symbols these authors use through their imagery help us better understand the emotional state of the characters. Though Udall’s story “The Wig” ends with better lives for the characters involved, Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily,” is a more grim and macabre testament to the necessity of communication after loss. And, well, who knows what more strange habits the son might adopt in “The Wig,” had the father not embraced
Through vivid yet subtle symbols, the author weaves a complex web with which to showcase the narrator's oppressive upbringing. Two literary
Throughout this year, I have read many different works of early English literature. From reading these works and following the rules of Vladimir Nabokov, I have grown tremendously as a reader since the beginning of this year. From reading Alice in Wonderland to now, I have grown to appreciate literature much more. I have developed a better sense of the English language through the use of a dictionary and the difficult sentence structure of works such as the Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Le Morte D’Arthur, and the Fairie Queene. Because of the difficult sentence structures, the different word usages, and the deeper meanings wrapped in each of these works, I have learned to reread to better my understanding of the text and to see if I missed anything the first or second time through. I have also learned to not only read a novel or poem just for its story but to look deeper into it while considering its context and purpose. By following Nabokov’s simple rules, I have become a better reader and re-reader.
In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,” symbols are used to fulfill the quest of happiness and love. This love story has many symbols, which show hidden meaning. One can fully understand a story, if one can point out certain symbols. Symbols create ideas and images for the reader to better understand the story. (Symbol)Mabel, one of the two main characters in this story, is depressed and suicidal. After her mother died, she feels like there is nothing to live for. Her mother was the love and joy in her life; without her, she is lost. All she has left is her house, which she is extremely proud of, and her brother, which she seems not to care for. She decides to release herself from her troubles by drowning herself in a pond. The other main character, Dr. Fergusson, sees her and tries to save her life. This pond is a strong symbol with many meanings. It is a start of a new experience, and a change of two people’s lives.
The play “ A Doll’s House” has a very symbolic title. The title relates right in with the the...