Diction shapes poetry in an artistic way by requiring the use of imagination for the reader’s comprehension. Due to a writer’s word choice contributing to the interpretation of the reader, the meaning behind each word hints at attributes of the poem like revelation of character, tone and theme. In poetic pieces like Bly’s “Driving to Town to Mail a Letter,” the skimpy length challenges the reader to use imagery to understand the meaning, while Olds’ “Sex Without Love” directly details the contrast between being involved in the act of sex but not including sensitive emotion. Further, the literal implication “Driving to Town to Mail a Letter” suggests that a man finds an abundance of peace doing what appears to be an activity as simple as driving on a snowy day to ship some mail out. Specifically, the five line poetic work opens with “It is a cold and snowy night. …show more content…
Driving around, I will waste more time” romanticizes the incomparable feeling that this cold night has on the speaker. Bly’s diction in the poem underscores the effects of appreciating landscape and the beauty of stillness in one’s desire, whether it be an ordinary task or an intricate one. On the contrary, “Sex Without Love” uses literal interpretation to convey the uncanny art of making love to someone without love. Sharon Olds’ appeals to religious by including “How do they come to God..and not love the one who came with them” which honors the moral importance of spiritually aligning with one’s partner when doing the act, but since it is normalized to be casual with one another the bewildered tone arises. Olds’ use of questions drives the reader to establish their own view of the matter, which aids in the overall confusion of the lack of admiration some have when partaking in a sensual
“Watch your tone young lady” a phrase known all too well to the American culture, whether it be from mom giving her children a lecture or on a television screen being spoken out by an actor. The tone of voice that one uses while speaking plays an extremely significant role in what the spoken words actually mean. Many times one can say one thing and mean another just from placing emphasis on a particular word. With tone of voice plays such a vital role in the meaning of a sentence it becomes clear that poetry, although often times found in books as written work, is meant to be read aloud; this was not all that clear to me until I attended my very first poetry reading. On November 10th Ramapo College welcomed the marvelous poet Mark Doty to its campus. Through Mark Doty’s reading of “House of Beauty” and “Theory of Marriage” it became clear that the use of emphasis and tone are vital characteristics that allows for the poet to challenge poetic traditions and conventions.
Poetry is a very subjective art it is up to the authors to determine how they want to convey their message to the readers. Both Ezra Pound’s poem “In the Station Metro” and Emma LaRocque’s poem “The Red in Winter” use imagery, that is very subjective to interpretation, to convey their message in an economic manner. Pound’s artistic imagist poem shows that art isn’t just visual but it can also be portrayed through words alone; and that imagery is a powerful aspect of poetry. LaRaque’s however is focused on how images can portray political issues among differing cultures.
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.
In poems, imagery is used to help get the writers’ message across in a language that is extremely visual. The poet wants
Sex is more than just a physical act. It's a beautiful way to express love. When people have sex just to fulfill a physical need, as the poet believes sex outside of love-based relationship only harms and cheapens sex. In the beginning of the poem, Olds brilliantly describe the beauty of sex, and then in the second half of the poem, she continues reference to the cold and aloneness which clearly shows her opinions about causal sex. Through this poem, Sharon Olds, has expressed her complete disrespect for those who would participate in casual sex.
Poetry frequently contains elements of the natural world, such as light, water, and darkness, because of the near universality of these elements. In Emily Dickinson’s Poem 419 and in Robert Frost’s “Acquainted with the Night”, the dominant images present are of darkness and night. In both poems, darkness and night are metaphors for human problems; however, Poem 419 is optimistic whereas “Acquainted with the Night” is pessimistic.
Just as the surroundings would seem different through color slides, he asks the readers to see the world from diverse viewpoints while reading and writing poems. Moreover, by listening to the poem’s hive, dropping a mouse, and walking inside its room, Collins encourages readers to discover the concealed depth of poetry. He comments that the readers should enjoy the poem in a way they would like to water ski.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Quite often, tHere are two sides to every story. Similarly, there are often several different viewpoints on any given topic. The idea of the importance of poetry is such a topic. While some may find poetry pointless and hard to follow, others stand behind such writing wholeheartedly. Naomi Shihab Nye stated, “Anyone who feels poetry is an alien or an ominous force should consider the style in which human beings think. ‘How do you think?’ I ask my students. ‘Do you think in complete, elaborate sentences?... Or in flashes and bursts of images, snatches of lines leaping one to the next?’ We think in poetry. But some people pretend poetry is far away.” Nye is correct when she compares the way humans think of the way poetry is written. It is clear that Naomi Shihab Nye is correct in her statement through the study of poems such as Streets by Naomi Shihab Nye, Halley’s Comet by Stanley Kunitz, and Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper by Martín Espada.
Poetry Intertextual The anthology “Lines to Time” includes a wide range of poems written by a selection of poets. What makes “Line to Time” interesting and enjoyable to read is the variety of topics and treatments the poets use to make their poetry effective. The range of poets featured in “Lines to Time” use a variety of poetic devices and writer’s techniques such as symbolism, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, tone, metaphors and humour, to effectively construct an evocative poem. Symbolism and imagery plays a large role in Gwen Harwood’s poems “Suburban Sonnet”, “Suburban Sonnet: Boxing Day” and “Father and Child”.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
...s to express their poetry. These poets use different elements of poetry in make their own poems unique. Using specific forms of poetry will make the poem more rhythmic highlighting key aspects of the poem. Snodgrass' decision to use first person narrative brought out the closeness he had with his significant other. In contrast, Olds' choice of third person allows the reader to interpret the poem differently as if it was first person. These perspectives of narration are required to portray different aspects of love in poetry. However, these two poems connect well with one another. Since Olds' writes her poem about how individuals have sex without love. Snodgrass' poem does not see the problem with one-night stands and seems to partake in one of his own. These two poems share a great deal of differences; however, they both express their views on the same theme: love.
During the 18th century, two great companion; William Wordsworth collaborated together to create Lyrical Ballad; one of the greatest works of the Romantic period. The two major poems of Lyrical Ballad are Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” and Coleridge’s “Frost at Midnight.” Even though these two poems contain different experiences of the two speakers, upon close reading of these poems, the similarities are found in their use of language, the tone, the use of illustrative imagery to fascinate the reader’s visual sense and the message to their loved ones.
Equally as important, Owen attempted to refine his language mechanics to enhance the aesthetic quality of his work. Finally, there is evidence of a concerted effort to universalize the poem for readers of diverse experience. In contrast to prose writing, diction must be sparing and more powerfully effective in poetry. Each word must serve a specific purpose beyond the creation of a basic meaning. Word connotation must remain foremost in the poet's mind.
Imagery is a primary literary technique a poet uses to capture the readers or listeners senses. We gain comprehension of the world through the use of our sense. Therefore, how the reader perceives a poem is always the most important aspect every poet considers whilst writhing. The images of a poem have the ability to appeal of each of our senses, taste, smell, touch, hearing and sight can all be heightened by certain aspects of poetry. The imagery of a poem has the ability to transport us into a different place or time, allowing the reader to experience new observations. When used correctly, imagery has the ability to form an understanding of different emotions the poet tries to address through their poetry. The sounds and diction incorporated into a piece also plays a role of major importance. The use of similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification and countless other forms of literary techniques, all add a sensual feeling and experience to poetry in an assortment of ways. In the Odes of John Keats we are witness to an extensive use of literary techniques. Keats uses a variety of approaches in order to evoke the world of senses throughout his poetry. His Odes ‘on Indolence’ and ‘to Psyche’, ’a Nightingale’, ‘To Autumn’ and ‘Ode on Melancholy’ all demonstrate Keats amazing ability to arouse the senses of his readers with his diverse and vast use of literary and poetic techniques.
In the latter part of the romantic period, Wordsworth, as a part of his lyrical ballads, wrote “A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal.” Although not initially intended, the poem eventually became part of a series labeled as the “Lucy Poems.” The five poems, in some way or another, address loss, separation, and their connection to nature. Recent analyses have yielded interesting results in interpreting the poem. Because of the ambiguity present within the lines, varying interpretations have emerged. As it turns out, “A slumber did my spirit seal” is not just a poem, as most people would have it, of a male speaker lamenting the loss of his love Lucy. WHAT IS MY THESIS!