What is the relationship between the self, death, and nature? In his poem, “Hymn,” A.R. Ammons explores the speaker’s position in the world in relation to the other forces that surround him/her daily. S/he seems to be in search of the larger force that controls the smaller natural operations around him. It is unclear as to whether or not the speaker believes that this larger force is a traditional “God” figure, but the title of the poem connotes a praise for a larger being. In addition, Ammons takes on a transcendentalist style in this poem—the belief that a divine spirit composes everything around the speaker. This spirit is “partial and entire” (Ammons 19), “inside of everything and on the outside” (20). There is a significant tension …show more content…
in this poem: the speaker is unsure of when he will meet this larger force (perhaps at death which is alluded to throughout the poem), yet it is all-encompassing. ‘Hymn” not only aims to explore this tension, but also delves deeper into the infiniteness of a Godlike presence, and explores how the “ant-soul” (24) of the self fits into a larger framework created by this divine presence in waking life, and perhaps once the self has passed on. The first stanza of the poem opens with the phrase “[...] if I find you,” which is repeated four times throughout the body of the poem. The repetition of this phrase not only emphasizes the importance of finding this larger spiritual force, but the conditional phrase “if” suggests that accessing this force is not necessarily an immediate possibility. Moreover, this phrase suggests that the speaker believes that if this divine force is found, s/he will have to leave everything behind and travel to a seasonless, bare place (which is described later on). The phrase “if I find you” creates a tension in the poem due to the fact that as the poem continues, the reader learns that this larger force is found in everything, yet there is something unreachable about it—it must be pursued by the speaker. As the stanza progresses, the speaker believes that in order to find this larger force, s/he “will have to leave the earth/and go on out” (1-2). This force seems to transcend the scope of the earth, although the reader learns that this force is present on earth towards the end of the poem. After the speaker insists on finding this force beyond the scope of the earth, the phrase “over the…” is repeated three times in the subsequent lines. In addition, the word “and” is repeated eight times in this stanza. Three of the times this word is repeated, it is in the context of travelling further and further away from the earth. The speaker discusses how in order to find this divine force, s/he will have to go out over natural landscapes, such as “the sea marshes and the brant in bays” (3), and eventually builds up “into the unseasonal undifferentiated empty stark” (11). The repetition of the phrase “and over” helps to create this buildup. This phrase also gives the poem a certain rhythm, which sticks with the reader and creates an emphasis on the images being portrayed. These images are presented in a way that is reminiscent of a spacecraft leaving earth and passing through the atmosphere—passing above “hills of tall hickory” (4), “crater lakes and canyon” (5), “past the [...] clouds” (7), and eventually into “the unseasonal undifferentiated empty stark” (11). The speaker believes that once s/he leaves behind all of these beautiful natural surroundings, and is able to reach “the unseasonal undifferentiated empty stark” (11), s/he might be able to find this larger being. This image gives the connotation of outer space, or even a heaven-like place. This place is not affected by time, and is desolate, which could be associated with the concept of death. This idea is further explored in the second stanza. The second stanza opens with the line “And I know if I find you I will have to stay with the earth” (12), which may suggest that once the speaker finds this larger life force, s/he will be a part of the earth—a way that many describe death.
The stanza continues with the speaker “inspecting with thin tools and ground eyes” (13). It is unclear what exactly “ground eyes” are, but the phrase appears to be a significant metaphor in the poem. “Ground eyes” compares the eyes to the ground by showing that the speaker's body may be becoming a part of the ground—part of the natural processes behind death. This idea is echoed in the last line of the stanza: “and going right on down where the eye sees only traces” (18). The speaker takes this a step further by “trusting the microvilli sporangia and simplest/coelenterates” (14-15). These three things are not directly related, but all of them are made up of a complex system of cells and are not directly visible to the human eye. The speaker is able to acknowledge that this life force resides in things that humans cannot always see, and the idea of “trusting” further plays into the speaker’s faith that this divine presence is around him/her even when s/he is unable to actively notice this divine presence’s role. On the other hand, the speaker not only acknowledges that this larger force is present in all of these things, but is “trusting” them because the larger force that may be guiding him/her to death is a part of all of these …show more content…
unseeable things. Once the speaker has passed, s/he will no longer be seen and s/he counts on the “microvilli sporangia and.../coelenterates” (14-15) as a comforting thought. Though the speaker will no longer be visible to others, his/her body will be contributing to other natural processes below the ground. The idea of death is further amplified in the lines “and praying for a nerve cell/with all the soul of my chemical reactions/” (16-17). Messages from our brains are communicated down strings of nerve cells through a series of chemical reactions that occur in these nerve cells. The functioning of these cells and their reactions are what keep us alive. The speaker is “praying” for these nerve cells because the impulses of these nerve cells will keep him/her alive. After two stanzas with varying line lengths, indented lines, and heavy enjambment, there is a couplet that reads: “You are everywhere partial and entire/You are on the inside of everything and on the outside” (19-20). These two lines not only disrupt the deconstructed nature of the poem, but call a great deal of attention because they are so organized and definite—which supplements the unquestioning faith the speaker has in this larger spiritual presence. In addition, there are significant paradoxes within these two lines. While these paradoxes are inconclusive, they point to what the speaker considers a fact—that this divine being is in everything. The turn of the poem takes place within this couplet by not only disrupting the structure (or lack thereof) of the poem, but the self of the speaker is removed from this portion of the poem. The preceding stanzas and subsequent stanza discuss a relationship between the self and the Divine, while the couplet focuses only on the Divine. There is no enjambment of the statements within these lines, which shows how unwavering the speaker’s faith is. This couplet is a definition of what this divine energy is, yet this definition contradicts itself, which is significant given the speaker’s firm belief in this force. There may be a bit of frailty in this belief based on the lack of punctuation in the poem. Perhaps this is just Ammons’ writing style, but the lack of punctuation has the ability to take away the power and definiteness of each of the speaker’s statements. Overall, the speaker has a strong belief in an all-powerful force, yet there may be occasional doubts, which are highlighted by enjambment and absence of punctuation. The placement of this couplet is also interesting due to the fact that couplets tend to appear at the end of a poem. The fact that Ammons placed this couple at the heart of the poem further emphasizes the volta. The final stanza of the poem returns to its heavily enjambed and varied-lined form.
This stanza highlights the turn created by the previous couplet by beginning with “I walk down the path down the hill where the sweetgum” (21), which strays from the anaphoric “If I find you” that is found through the beginnings and lengths of the previous stanzas. The speaker observes the sweetgum trees and notices the “spring sap” (22) coming from the tree. Spring typically symbolizes life or rebirth. The speaker not only observes the natural beauty of springtime around him, but the life that comes with it as well. The speaker then notices the bark on the tree with great details, and how its cracks are “chasmal to my ant-soul” (24). The “ant-soul” is a beautiful metaphor here in which the speaker compares him/herself to an ant running through the chasms of the cracks in tree bark. Though the speaker is clearly human, s/he seems to feel small compared to the depth of the nature around him/her. The speaker is overwhelmed by the life and complexity held by the environment surrounding him/her. Moreover, the poem finishes “and if I find you I must go out deep into your/far resolutions/and if I find you I must stay here with the separate leaves” (25-27). In these final lines, the speaker returns to his/her quest or possible death entailed with finding this larger force. The concept of going “into you/far resolutions” is quite abstract. It is difficult to dissect this because it is not
entirely clear what this phrase means. Perhaps it means that if the speaker finds this force, it will be in a place in which all problems are resolved. This place is described as being “far” as well. This could be another allusion to death or reaching a place that is similar to heaven. The final line points to the present moment in which the speaker is observing the sweetgum tree. If s/he finds the life force, it will also be residing in the leaves of the tree. These last two lines help resolve the meaning of the phrase “If I find you” by showing that this force is both present in waking life and death. The final line returns the reader to the present moment and shows that the speaker is not actively dying, but contemplating his position in the natural framework created by this larger force, and how his death will ultimately play into his relationship with this force. A.R. Ammons’ poem, “Hymn,” explores the definition and placement of the Divine in relation to the speaker of the poem. The poem also touches upon allusions to death and how the Divine and nature are involved in the processes of both life and death. The speaker defines the Divine in terms of its role in nature, and how it encompasses everything around him/her. There are some moments in the poem in which this divine presence is introduced in terms of paradoxical statements, which emphasizes the potential doubts the speaker may have in this presence’s existence. These doubts are amplified by the poem’s structure and lack of punctuation, though overall the speaker seems to have a firmly established belief in this presence. The beauty of this poem lies in the tensions that it creates—the tensions between life and death, the self and the Divine, the self and nature, faith and doubt. What is most gripping about the poem is that these tensions are never fully resolved, which speaks to the poem’s way of being both unapologetically humble and human, yet complex and moving.
Currently in the United States, many of us are afraid of the future. There have been many recent events that have stirred up fear in this country, especially tensions regarding human rights. In Carolyn Forché’s “The Colonel,” the speaker tells us her story of when she had to deal with the mistreatment of others. The speaker is telling us her story of meeting the colonel to show us the horrible things that have happened in the fight for justice and to encourage us to speak up. She tells us this story because she does not want others to end up the way that the ears did. The speaker wants us to stay strong and fight for justice when we begin to live in a state of constant fear.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker starts by telling the reader the place, time and activity he is doing, stating that he saw something that he will always remember. His description of his view is explained through simile for example “Ripe apples were caught like red fish in the nets of their branches” (Updike), captivating the reader’s attention
Kim Addonizio’s “First Poem for You” portrays a speaker who contemplates the state of their romantic relationship though reflections of their partner’s tattoos. Addressing their partner, the speaker ambivalence towards the merits of the relationship, the speaker unhappily remains with their partner. Through the usage of contrasting visual and kinesthetic imagery, the speaker revels the reasons of their inability to embrace the relationship and showcases the extent of their paralysis. Exploring this theme, the poem discusses how inner conflicts can be powerful paralyzers.
Death has feelings as much as any human, imagining, getting bored, distracted, and especially wondering (350, 243, 1, 375 respectively). Odd, one could say for an eternal metaphysical being. But then again, not that queer once having considered how Death spends his time. He is there at the dying of every light, that moment that the soul departs its physical shell, and sees the beauty or horror of that moment. Where to a human witnessing a death first hand (even on a much more detached level than our narrator) can easily be a life changing event, Death is forced to witness these passings for nearly every moment of his eternal life. Emotional overload or philosophical catalyst? Death gains his unique perspective on life through his many experiences with the slowly closing eyelids and muttered last words. Yet in this...
The first stanza incorporates a lot of imagery and syntax. “A toad the power mower caught,”(line1). The use of syntax in the very first sentence is to catch the reader’s attention and to paint an image for them. The stanza goes on to talk about how the toad hobbles with it’s wounded leg to the edge of the garden, “Under the cineraria leaves”(line4). The speaker uses the word cineraria, which is similar to a cinerarium, a place where the ashes of the deceased are kept. By using this, the speaker further illustrates the death of the toad. “Low and final glade.”(Line6) this line is like a metaphor for the dying toad, the final rest for the toad could be the final glade. In the first stanza it seems as if the speaker is making fun of the dying toad saying the garden sanctuaries him as if he were a person. The opening line even seems a bit humorous to the reader. The following stanzas also have a tone of sarcasm.
Helen of Troy, known as the most beautiful woman of ancient Greek culture, is the catalyst for the Trojan War. As such, she is the subject of both Edgar Allen Poe’s “To Helen” and H.D.’s “Helen”; however, their perceptions of Helen are opposites. Many poets and authors have written about Helen in regards to her beauty and her treacherous actions. There is a tremendous contrast between the views of Helen in both poems by Poe and Doolittle. The reader may ascertain the contrast in the speakers’ views of Helen through their incorporation of diction, imagery, and tone that help convey the meaning of the work.
In the second stanza he says “By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing; she had stiffened already, almost cold. I dragged her off” (5-8). In this stanza he is giving great details of what he is doing and what’s happing to the deer. When reading this stanza is like watching a movie, you can see the tail lights and you can see the deer and you can see him pulling the deer out of the road. Also in the second stanza he says “she was large in the belly” (8). This must have meant that the dead dear was
Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of no longer living and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it by the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem casts a different hue of light on the topic of death giving readers a unique way to look at death.
This poem is a clear representation of it's theme, maybe the most clear out of all of the poems. The speaker enters the woods, deeper and deeper they go, away from the people on the outside of the woods. He walks the opposite from others, if taken in a literal sense. “Against the trees I go” (Frost, Line 2) implies that he would rather walk away from others, as walking against the trees, instead of walking with them. Just looking at the poem, you see that the speaker is happy walking into the woods alone, and that this is where they come to be alone, away from others. As the poem goes on, it gets later but the speaker does not feel the pressure to leave. They slowly make their tracks in the snow. Snow is a symbol of isolation as well, for example, when snow is fresh. The snow looks so delicate, not to be touched. But, in this poem, no one had touched the snow. The speaker made his tracks in the snow because he was the only one there to make them. No one has come to this spot, and therefore it is isolated, only for him. As the poem
Emily Dickinson became legendary for her preoccupation with death. All her poems contain stanzas focusing on loss or loneliness, but the most striking ones talk particularly about death, specifically her own death and her own afterlife. Her fascination with the morose gives her poems a rare quality, and gives us insight into a mind we know very little about. What we do know is that Dickinson’s father left her a small amount of money when she was young. This allowed her to spend her time writing and lamenting, instead of seeking out a husband or a profession. Eventually, she limited her outside activities to going to church. In her early twenties, she began prayed and worshipped on her own. This final step to total seclusion clearly fueled her obsession with death, and with investigating the idea of an afterlife. In “Because I could not stop for Death”, Dickinson rides in a carriage with the personification of Death, showing the constant presence of death in her life. Because it has become so familiar, death is no longer a frightening presence, but a comforting companion. Despite this, Dickinson is still not above fear, showing that nothing is static and even the most resolute person is truly sure of anything. This point is further proven in “I heard a Fly buzz”, where a fly disrupts the last moment of Dickinson’s life. The fly is a symbol of death, and of uncertainty, because though it represents something certain—her impending death—it flies around unsure with a “stumbling buzz”. This again illustrates the changing nature of life, and even death. “This World is not Conclusion” is Dickinson’s swan song on the subject of afterlife. She confirms all her previous statements, but in a more r...
The image developed in the first stanza is especially striking, with its suggestion of once tame and friendly animals who have reverted to wildness and will no longer risk the seemingly innocent taking of bread from the speaker's hand. This stanza establishes at once the theme of change, a change from a special, privileged condition to one of apparent mistrust or fear, and the sense of strangeness (no explanation is given for the change) that will continue to trouble the speaker in the third stanza. Strangeness is inherent in the image itself -- "with naked foot stalking in my chamber" - -- and the stanza is filled with pairs of words that reinforce the idea of contrast: "flee"/"seek," "tame"/"wild," "sometime"/"now," "take break"/"range." Most interestingly, we are never told who "they" are.
My first and immediate explanation for the poem was an address from one lover to a loved one, where distance became a factor in their relationship. The lover has it far worse than the desired partner and the solitude builds nothing but longing for this person at a time when his love is the greatest. He says " What have I to say to you when we shall meet?... I am alone" with my head knocked against the sky”. He further asks, “How can I tell if I shall ever love you again as I do now?” There is uncertainty because he is wondering over the next encounter with his loved one. He says, “I lie here thinking of you” and is compelling when he wants the loved one to see him in the 5th stanza and what love is doing to his state of mind. He is hopeless and expresses it by asking questions he is unsure of, conveying his troubled state. Williams enforces imagery along with sound effects to demonstrate the despair of the man in a realm that is almost dreamlike with purple skies,spoiled colors, and birds. Stating he is alone and that his head collides with the sky may underline the man’s confusion. He also uses imagery in the “stain of love as it eats into the leaves”, and saffron horned branches, vivid and easy-to-imagine images that captivate the reader. The line stating “a smooth purple sky” and this stain which is “spoiling the colours of the whole world” easily formulate a very distinct picture. Through consonance words like “eats” and “smears with saffron” become fiercer in the eyes of this lover as they cancel out a “smooth sky”.
These six poems all vary in tone and messages yet all connect to death. Poem at Thirty-Nine explores the feelings the poet had towards her father 's death and looks back on her relationship with him, leading onto how she thinks he would see her now if still alive. Remember requests a lover to remember the speaker when they die, but not so much that it affects their daily life. Do not go gentle into that good night shows the poet lamenting his father 's decreased health and encouraging him to cling to life. Funeral Blues is once more the poet mourning his partner 's death and wants the world to share his grief. Poem shows the poet weighing up an average man 's life, in the end avoiding making a definitive judgement. Death be not proud takes to death directly, saying he has nothing to be proud of, instead being
Aside from the holy force that propels the world, Thomas also examines how we alter the way our lives should naturally progress. Death is a stage of life; as a rose is bent or killed by the cold so should we age and eventually die in due time. However, Thomas analyzes human and natural...
These aspects help the speaker escape from reality. The snow symbolizes the purity and peacefulness the speaker feels while stopping in the woods. (4) The darkness can symbolize many different things. Some times darkness would be considered evil or dangerous, but I do not think this is the case in this poem. I believe the darkness symbolizes the undisturbed atmosphere of the woods.