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Nature in american literature
The role of nature in modern literature
The role of nature in modern literature
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Recommended: Nature in american literature
Change: Examining Change within Nature in John Keats’ “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” and Richard Wilbur’s “The Beautiful Changes”
Images of nature, and changes within it, are common themes within poetry. Both the poems “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” by John Keats, and “The Beautiful Changes” by Richard Wilbur show a theme of change within nature, however Keats uses a continuous cycle to show that this change can occur independent of human interaction, where Wilbur presents a single change that is brought upon by a shift in the perspective of the speaker. Both poems use a metaphor to reveal a larger truth about the change that is occurring. The tone of both poems is also notably different; Keats’ poem seems to be circular, showing
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In “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket”, Keats begins with a tone that depicts an extremely temperate world. He describes birds, creatures whom are typically related to summer months, as being “faint with the hot sun” (Keats 2). In contrast to this bleak image, the grasshopper is depicted as singing, and enjoying the heat in summer luxury: “a voice will run/From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;/That is the grasshopper’s – he takes the lead/ In summer luxury.” The tone used in this description is one of joy – we are shown a creature who is able to thrive within, and enjoy, the warm summer conditions. The second stanza, however, seems to be introduced quite differently. The new setting is in stark contrast to the one depicted within the first stanza, however the tone within the stanza follows the same pattern. The description of a “lone winter evening, when the frost/Has wrought a silence”, through the use of the same critical tone as describes the birds who are faint under the hot sun, also gives the reader a sense of a bleak world. This, again, is contrasted by a song: “The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,” (Keats 12). The joyful tone used within this line appears to again show a creature who can enjoy the harsh natural conditions. In this way, Keats uses a …show more content…
Keats describes the change as a continuous process that is independent of human interaction and perception, where Wilbur shows changes that are brought upon by specific human interaction, and that require a change in perception to be inherently noticeable. Both poems use metaphors to enhance the descriptions of their changes, though Keats uses a metaphor of poetry to describe the changes, while Wilbur uses the changes as a metaphor to describe a speaker’s love of a beloved. The tone of both poems is used to show that a change has occurred, but while Keats presents a repeating tonal pattern to show the continuous cycle of changes, Wilbur presents a single change in tone that parallels the change within nature. Polarizing imagery of two very different settings is used in both poems to show that a change has occurred, however the methods by which the changes are observed are quite different. Through this comparison of the two poetic works, we are shown that observable changes within nature can happen whether they are independent of human interaction, or caused by a change in the perspective of the
To conclude, in the poem “Changes” by D. Ginette Clarke, the use of repetition, word choice, and punctuation revealed the persona in a well-thought out and respectable manner. Clarke was very clever in the way that she had used these elements to not only reveal the persona, but also to make the poem as amazing as it is. The persona started off as a curious man, then came off as serious, only to turn out to be a demanding and vehement person; but in the end, the persona’s special characteristics were clear. Therefore, the use of repetition, word choice, and punctuation revealed and represented the persona and his curious, eager, and desperate personality.
In his poem “The Great Scarf of Birds”, John Updike uses a flock of birds to show that man can be uplifted by observing nature. Updike’s conclusion is lead up to with the beauty of autumn and what a binding spell it has on the two men playing golf. In Updike’s conclusion and throughout the poem, he uses metaphors, similes, and diction to show how nature mesmerizes humans.
John Updike’s poem “The Great Scarf of Birds” expresses the varying emotions the narrator experiences as he witnesses certain events from nature. His narration of the birds throughout the poem acts as numerous forms of imagery and symbolism concerning him and his life, and this becomes a recollection of the varying emotional stances he comes to terms with that he has experienced in his life. These changes are so gradually and powerfully expressed because of a fluent use of diction and figurative language, specifically symbolism and simile, and aided by organization.
In Gwen Harwood’s poetry, the changes in an individual’s perspective and attitudes towards situations, surroundings and, therefore transformations in themselves, are brought on by external influences, usually in the form of a person or an event. These changes are either results of a dramatic realisation, as seen with shattering of a child’s hopes in The Glass Jar, or a melancholy and gradual process, where a series of not so obvious discoveries produces similar reformation. An example of the later case would be Nightfall, the second section of Father and Child, where the persona refers to her forty years of life causing “maturation”. For the most part these changes are not narrated directly but are represented by using dynamic language techniques to illustrate constant change in the universe of the poem.
Richard Wilbur's recent poem 'Mayflies' reminds us that the American Romantic tradition that Robert Frost most famously brought into the 20th century has made it safely into the 21st. Like many of Frost's short lyric poems, 'Mayflies' describes one person's encounter with an ordinary but easily overlooked piece of nature'in this case, a cloud of mayflies spotted in a 'sombre forest'(l.1) rising over 'unseen pools'(l.2),'made surprisingly attractive and meaningful by the speaker's special scrutiny of it. The ultimate attraction of Wilbur's mayflies would appear to be the meaning he finds in them. This seems to be an unremittingly positive poem, even as it glimpses the dark subjects of human isolation and mortality, perhaps especially as it glimpses these subjects. In this way the poem may recall that most persistent criticism of Wilbur's work, that it is too optimistic, too safe. The poet-critic Randall Jarrell, though an early admirer of Wilbur, once wrote that 'he obsessively sees, and shows, the bright underside of every dark thing'?something Frost was never accused of (Jarrell 332). Yet, when we examine the poem closely, and in particular the series of comparisons by which Wilbur elevates his mayflies into the realm of beauty and truth, the poem concedes something less ?bright? or felicitous about what it finally calls its 'joyful . . . task' of poetic perception and representation (l.23).
Keats’ poetry explores many issues and themes, accompanied by language and technique that clearly demonstrates the romantic era. His poems ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ and ‘Bright Star’ examine themes such as mortality and idealism of love. Mortality were common themes that were presented in these poems as Keats’ has used his imagination in order to touch each of the five senses. He also explores the idea that the nightingale’s song allows Keats to travel in a world of beauty. Keats draws from mythology and christianity to further develop these ideas. Keats’ wrote ‘Ode To A Nightingale’ as an immortal bird’s song that enabled him to escape reality and live only to admire the beauty of nature around him. ‘Bright Star’ also discusses the immortal as Keats shows a sense of yearning to be like a star in it’s steadfast abilities. The visual representation reveal these ideas as each image reflects Keats’ obsession with nature and how through this mindset he was able
In the poem Beauty and Variations by Kenny Fries he discusses the topic of beauty, and how the impact of beauty standards causes variations within an individual. To describe to his readers’ the impact that beauty has he uses stanzas to organize his writing to start the reader with a broad meaning to an in depth story between two individuals, with one that is fighting against beauty and variations, and the other person helping the other person to overcome these standards and variations. Fries uses phrases to express a relation of a circumstance called an adverb. The adverbs are used to show the aggressiveness of overcoming beauty standards, and its variations. He also uses the formation of mental images known as imagery to the meaning of his
...st two lines regarding the urn. The urn says beyond all the other factors in life all the human being needs to know is that beauty and truth is of one of the same. So even though the last stanza is of a different structure, it does not have the urn representing a scene, it still represents innocence and beauty especially within the famous line “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” And therefore as demonstrated throughout the entire poem by the use of images painted on the urn, Keats demonstrates the theme of innocence and eternal beauty.
Plath employs a shift to accentuate a change in time. The speaker of the poem says “I am silver and exact/Now I am a lake” (1, 10) to indicate an alteration in time. The purpose of the device is to convey an adjustment in c...
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.
The first stanza begins with Keats painting a picture of Autumn as being a “season of mist and mellow fruitfulness”. This is used in conjunction with the use of the image of a “maturing sun” which ripens the Autumn harvest of views and the fruits. The excessiveness of the Autumn harvest is achieved with the use of hyperbole. He describes the fruit being ripened to the core, the gourds are swelled, the hazel nuts plumped and trees bend from the weight of the apples. So the first stanza describes quiet vividly the fullness and abundance of life.
A Grecian Urn” Keats ponders over the immortal world painted on the structure and the changing one in which all humans live in.
The importance of this book is that it contains some of the works of poetry which were carried out by William Yeats. Arguably, the most salient feature in the book is the attempt at portraying the shift that characterized Yeats in his work, so that his works are arranged almost chronologically to underscore this standpoint. Works that depict him as a bard of the Celtic Twilight, reviving Rosicrucian symbols and legends are the most frontal. These are followed up by works which show the shift away from plush romanticism. The same are exhibited by the heavy presence of incantatory rhythms such as “I will arise and go… and go to Innisfree”. The same is seen in the lyrics, “as passionate and cold as the dawn”.
John Keats employs word choices and word order to illustrate his contemplative and sympathetic tone. The tone could be interpreted as pessimistic and depressing because the majority of the poem focuses on Keats’ fear of death. However, if the reader views the last two lines of the poem in light which brings redemption, one might see that Keats merely wants to express the importance of this dominant fear in his life. He does not desire for his audience to focus on death, but to realize that man does not have control of when it comes. The poet uses poetic diction, a popular technique of the early nineteenth century. The poem also demonstrates formal diction that Keats is often known for. Although Keats meant for most of his words to interpret with denotative meanings, he does present a few examples of allusion and connotation. His connotations include “teeming,” defined as plen...
Through the ingenious works of poetry the role of nature has imprinted the 18th and 19th century with a mark of significance. The common terminology ‘nature’ has been reflected by our greatest poets in different meanings and understanding; Alexander Pope believed in reason and moderation, whereas Blake and Wordsworth embraced passion and imagination.