“Art for art’s sake” originated from an old French slogan hundreds of years ago, but it has held true for many of the world’s most prominent poets (Landow). “Kubla Khan: or, A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge exemplifies this principle. Its 54 lines are bursting with numerous literary techniques and styles that continually sway between manmade establishments and the wilderness, resulting in a visionary, dreamy environment for the reader. Coleridge utilizes a changing rhythm, frequent repetitions, intense imagery, and several contrasts to reveal a theme centered about poetic creativity and the relationship between humanity and nature. Prior to diving into the text, some background information is required to grasp the
Kubla Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, is set as the initial character. He was the emperor of the Mongols in China during the thirteenth century A.D., and symbolized vast riches and secrecy to most Europeans (Kublai). The description in line two unifies him to that subject – “stately pleasure” evokes images of luxury, splendor, and magnificence. Line three introduces a river, Alph, which does not exist in reality; some scholars believe it refers to Alpheus, a river in Greece. Others believe it references the first letter of the Greek alphabet, Alpha, meaning the beginning (Kubla). This writer finds the latter to be the most logical interpretation, because of how the river then flows to the caverns and sea. The choice of the adjective “sacred” to describe the river implies that it may symbolize life. Lines four and five make a sharp turn towards darkness. Measureless caverns and “sunless sea” provides a contrast from the glorious kingdom Kubla Khan was building just two lines above. This is the first of many examples in which Coleridge evaluates the relationship between artificial establishments of humans and the primitive wilderness. Finally, note the alliteration at the end of each of the first five lines: “Kubla Khan”, “dome decree”, “river, ran”, “measureless to man”, and “sunless sea” help to reinforce the beauty of poetry. The smooth, flowing nature of these lines in iambic tetrameter is
A reflection of the first thirty lines seems to take place, with a scrambling of all the ideas articulated so far into one body. The word “shadow” is especially critical here, as it is not just the pleasure dome being discussed, but its concept. Coleridge seems to imply that when nature and human organization are blended together, the product of the “mingled measure” is something met “midway”, something with aspects of both chaos and control. It then can be deduced that nature and man are capable of living in harmony, though the former will always endure longer than the latter (Kubla). Lines thirty-five and thirty-six support this; they are still in stanza two, but are not indented. This is done purposely in order to serve as a reaction to the previous reflection, essentially stating that this revelation was a creative achievement, but that the harmony will be broken
Since its emergence over 30,000 years ago, one of visual art’s main purposes has been to act as an instrument of personal expression and catharsis. Through the mastery of paint, pencil, clay, and other mediums, artists can articulate and make sense of their current situation or past experiences, by portraying their complex, abstract emotions in a concrete form. The act of creation gives the artist a feeling of authority or control over these situations and emotions. Seen in the work of Michelangelo, Frida Kahlo, Jean Michel-Basquiat, and others, artists’ cathartic use of visual art is universal, giving it symbolic value in literature. In Natasha Trethewey's Native Guard, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,
...ree of the conformities of the ancient world by introducing the idea that people should be comfortable with revealing their inner feelings and eradicate the fear of what others may think. This theme is reflected through the structure of his poem; his use of a modified form of the original sonnet and a non-standard rhyme scheme shows his desire to break free of the social norms and set his own new ones. In just fourteen lines, Henri Cole manages to unveil the hidden realities of what takes place in baths while disguising the truths within the rhyming lines of his poem.
Over the decades, art has been used as a weapon against the callousness of various social constructs - it has been used to challenge authority, to counter ideologies, to get a message across and to make a difference. In the same way, classical poetry and literature written by minds belonging to a different time, a different place and a different community have somehow found a way to transcend the boundaries set by time and space and have been carried through the ages to somehow seep into contemporary times and shape our society in ways we cannot fathom.
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.
I think one big inspiration for Khadra in her journey is the poet. In their first interaction, I wondered if the poet was real or a vision that Khadra had seen. Yet throughout her journey he is almost a teacher. He shows her how small she thinks of herself. For her whole life, she has believed that Allah will judge all from a distance. “You still think of God as some Big Parent in the Sky, don’t you?” questions the poet. He makes her realize that Allah is always in her heart. She has the power over her religion and not the other way around. She also finds religious inspiration in an unexpected place, a synagogue. Khadra realizes that she has lost part of herself. She experiences a tremendous overpowering feeling of realization. The realization
...s work The 3rd of May, 1808 is a very detailed and dramatic narrative within a collection of war themed works by the artist. I believe that by using the formal elements of color, texture, shape, lines, space, and the value I was able to sufficiently provide evidence that Goya offers a sequential order of direction for the audience to comprehend from their personal viewing. The twisted and grief stricken work creates a massive emotional connection and the artist plans for the viewers’ to grow and understand this message. The subject highlighted is obvious that Goya is passionate on his stance and outlook on war is suggested in the work. It’s obvious that Goya’s formal organization of his color palette, variation of brushes, repeating shapes, and play with lighting all correspond to depict man’s savage and at times monstrous actions are justified during war.
Sylvia Plath was known as an American Poet, Novelist and Shorty story writer. However, Plath lived a melancholic life. After Plath graduated from Smith College, Plath moved to Cambridge, England on a full scholarship. While Plath was Studying in England, she married Ted Hughes, an English poet. Shortly after, Plath returned to Massachusetts and began her first collection of poems, “Colossus”, which was published first in England and later the United States. Due to depression built up inside, Plath committed suicide leaving her family behind. Sylvia Plath was a gifted and troubled poet, known for the confessional style of her work, which is how “Mirror” came to be. Although this poem may seem like the reader is reading from first person point of view, there is a much deeper meaning behind Plath’s message throughout the poem. Plath uses several elements of terror and darkness to show change to the minds of the readers.
Wordsworth is raised in a simple country side and he views his childhood as a time when his relationship with nature was at its greatest; he revisits his childhood memories to relieve his feelings and encourage his imagination. Even if he grew up within nature, he didn’t really appreciate it until he became an adult. He is pantheistic; belief that nature is divine, a God. Since he has religious aspect of nature, he believes that nature is everything and that it makes a person better. His tone in the poem is reproachful and more intense. His poem purpose is to tell the readers and his loved ones that if he feels some kind of way about nature, then we should have the same feeling toward it as well. On the other side, Coleridge is raised in rural city such as London and expresses his idea that, as a child, he felt connected to nature when looking above the sky and seeing the stars. Unlike Wordsworth who felt freedom of mind, Coleridge felt locked up in the city. Since he did not have any experience with nature, he did not get the opportunity to appreciate nature until he became an adult. In Coleridge’s poem “Frost at Midnight,” readers see how the pain of alienation from nature has toughened Coleridge’s hope that his child enjoy a peaceful nature. Instead of looking at the connection between childhood and nature as
Overall “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is poem that seems like a simple story told by a sailor about his woes at sea. But Coleridge uses many details to make symbols throughout the story for the reader to interpret and see the connections between it and religion. Whether it be through the Christ like albatross, which most would just see as a simple bird, or the woman on the boat showing how the lifestyle might be fun but ultimate leads to nothing we see that these small details create a bigger story than what is just on the cover.
...ous allegory represents Christian ideals such as sin, forgiveness, and prayer. In addition, Coleridge’s use of language and form contribute to the message conveyed in the text. The form fluctuates throughout the text by use of different rhyme schemes, loose meter, and stanzas in length varying four to nine lines. The variety of form could be representative the array of interpretations of this text. Coleridge conveys profound religious meaning by using symbolic language with interpretive representations. Although his use of elevated language possibly narrowed the audience, that could have been his intentions due to the complexities of this philosophical poem. In the end, Coleridge’s depiction of the Mariner’s journey ultimately conveys the Christian ideal, which is to love and appreciate all creatures created by God, whether Albatross or snake.
...ubla Khan, the imagination is more of a physical, creative force, with more raw power than finesse. With it, works such as a pleasure-dome full of physical paradoxes can be inspired, created, and described, far better than with the words of a critic alone “A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!”. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has it that the imagination is more of an intangible force, subtle yet with as much power as the imagination in Kubla Khan. It connects the huge array of creatures on the Earth together, and without the imagination, they would, die in the end, one by one.
Nature is often a focal point for many author’s works, whether it is expressed through lyrics, short stories, or poetry. Authors are given a cornucopia of pictures and descriptions of nature’s splendor that they can reproduce through words. It is because of this that more often than not a reader is faced with multiple approaches and descriptions to the way nature is portrayed. Some authors tend to look at nature from a deeper and personal observation as in William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, while other authors tend to focus on a more religious beauty within nature as show in Gerard Manley Hopkins “Pied Beauty”, suggesting to the reader that while to each their own there is always a beauty to be found in nature and nature’s beauty can be uplifting for the human spirit both on a visual and spiritual level.
In his epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge critiques the Gothic convention of the explained supernatural (in particular explanation in the form of divine intervention) through his portrayal of the tension between Christian themes and the sublimity of the archaic both within the poem itself as well as in the external preface and marginal glosses accompanying the poem. I intend to argue that despite the seemingly inherent Christian morality present on the surface of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge subtly draws attention to a pre-Christian subtext, which holds the insignificance of humanity and the unknowability of the universe in high regard. Through his characterization of the Ancient Mariner and his
Although both “Kubla Khan,” by Samuel Coleridge and “Ode on Grecian Urn,” by John Keats are poems originating from the poets’ inspiration from historical figure, the two poems convey different messages through their respective metaphors. While Coleridge emphasizes on the process of creating a Romantic poem, Keats expresses his opinion about art by carefully examining the details of the Grecian urn.
In a vision once I saw: (.) That with music loud and long. I would build that dome in air (37-46). “Xanadu” is a wonderful “Paradise” of fantasy, but Coleridge draws the reader back to reality with the word “I.” He immediately transitions from describing visionary objects to explaining his own poetic challenge. The “pleasure-dome” mirrors the poem, and Kubla Khan mirrors Coleridge.