Comparison Of Letters To A Young Poet And Black Swan Green

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Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell introduce a central idea about beauty; Rilke’s being beauty within, and Mitchell’s being beauty is. Rilke develops it through his own narration, yet Mitchell develops it through a character’s experience (Madame Crommelynck). Individual identity is also a central idea pertaining to both Rilke and Mitchell. Rilke explains individual identity to someone else while Mitchell makes it so the main character (Jason) is to struggle with individual identity. The authors both take a similar approach to develop and refine their central ideas, beauty and individual identity, beauty and individual identity. in “Letter One” of Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke develops his idea …show more content…

Mitchell does this by giving us the first time his problem began, in which his problem is stammering. Hangman is the name Jason gives his stammer, that is because he developed his problem over the game, hangman. Jason, being embarrassed by his stammer, sets out to become a poet as poetry is the only time and place for him to be able to speak his mind without the torture of his stammer. Madame Crommelynck teaches Jason about what beauty really is. How being truthful is beautiful, “True poetry is truth”(Mitchell, 155) and that “Hangman” is his best poem since it is the truth of his speech impediment. She says beauty cannot be created, just that beauty is; beauty is in everything. “the master knows his words is just the vehicle in who beauty sits in”(Mitchell, 147) proving her belief in how beauty is unavailable to description. Jason did not only deal with the concept of beauty but also himself in society, individual identity. Jason feels it is gay to be writing poetry which is his reasoning for using a pseudonym. He is conflicted with having to hide under such because he feels the need to “fit in” with his fellow peers. The expectations of his family also come into play because if “your dad works at Greenland Supermarkets and if you go to a comprehensive school” (Mitchell, 154) then much different would have been expected out of

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