Questions
Jim Tilley uses humor to create a philosophically serious poem in The Big Questions. Tilley states in the poem that big questions are big only because they have never been answered. Using the comparison of a bear’s big questions to a human’s big questions, he brings up some good points. The bear is eyeing the human as the answer to his only big question, and he has figured out the answer. As compared to human’s where everything is much more complex. We worry constantly about miniscule problems and are always looking for answers to life’s big questions.
Tilley is speaking to the reader, to put it plainly. This is shown through his use of the word ‘you’ throughout the poem. As in, “Like when you’re hiking a trail alone and you encounter a mammoth grizzly who hasn’t had lunch in a fortnight, and he eyes you as the answer,” or, “Still, one day when someone does, might it not be a person like you staring down a bear looking for lunch.” Tilley’s use of the word ‘you’ shows that he is connecting to his audience and sending them a message.
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This poem has a deeper meaning than what means the eye at first glance. The ending is interesting and was worth a third and even fourth go over. “So, this can be a defining moment, but not a big question, because no one ever figures those out. Still, one day when someone does, might it not be a person like you staring down a bear looking for lunch?” This could mean several things, but this kept coming to mind. Maybe the answer to life is just to live life. Not to feed in to things that take up time and don’t matter. Life is short and someday you may be the one who is facing the difficult situation. Tilley puts his reader on the spot and asks what would you do in this situation. Also, by stating that it is a defining
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
The poem explains her hardships. Reading poetry is different from reading prose because you really have to dig deeper and study harder. A poem is not always straight forward like many other writings. You have to use context clues and understand imagery, tone, and sense. Summarizing a poem becomes difficult if you do not re-read several times. I learned that figurative language and lifestyle really tells a great story. Language especially helps you understand what is going on between the lines. Overall, family is always there at the end of the day. Sometimes situations get tough, but there is always a light at the end of the
What idea(s) does this poem suggest to you about overcoming challenges involving with hopelessness and ambitions?
In the end, the poem is looking to show what actions can do in the long run. It teaches us to be very cautious with everything we do since it can affect the people around us. It can have good or bad
From the very first word of the poem, there is a command coming from an unnamed speaker. This establishes a sense of authority and gives the speaker a dominant position where they are dictating the poem to the reader rather than a collaborative interacti...
This poem describes the worry of decision-making and the rewards of forging your own path. The subject of the poem is faced with a decision of taking the "safe" route that others have taken before or breaking new ground. He finds that making original and independent choices makes life rewarding. One poetic device is imagery described in the lines, “long I stood/ And looked down one as far as I could/ To where it bent in the undergrowth;” (lines 3-5). The imagery is used to describe his sight of the not literal two paths that he could choose. One form of figurative language used is Metaphors. This poem is attractive because is its very inspirational to me at a time where I am making a lot of important
Tinbergen’s ‘four questions’ refers to a publication from 1963 by Niko Tinbergen, one of the founding fathers of behavioural biology (Giraldeau, 2012). In which he outlined four questions in the study of animal behaviour, namely causation, development, function described as the survival value and evolution. Although Tinbergen’s questions were not original, as causation, function and evolution questions had already been discussed previously by biologist Julian Huxley, Tinbergen added a fourth question to the study of animal behaviour regarding development (Giraldeau, 2012).
T.S. Eliot had very philosophical and religious meanings behind this poem, and that helped me relate personally very well with this work of his. He used allusions to other poems, letting me make connections with works I have read before. He also used inclusive language and had the same opinion as me portrayed in this work. Based on these, T.S. Eliot has convinced me of his messages in this poem, as well as made this by far my favorite of his.
In the first stanza, it is established that the poem is written in the first person, when “I” is referring to the speaker, which illustrates this person’s point of view concerning the tragedy of 9/11 during a whole day of events. The speaker begins by setting a tranquil mood as the opening of a long list of last names. In line 1, he says: “Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.” He describes the night like a tropical tree gently swaying in a peaceful beach setting. He calmly observes the gentle raindrops dripping slowly down his windows until they disappear in “A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze, / And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,” (2-3). For a brief moment, he enjoys going outside to his garden at sunrise to forget the sorrow that death brings when “In the morning, I walked out barefoot / Among thousands of flowers” (11-12).
Overall, dwell on this process of changing throughout the poem, it can be understood that the poet is demonstrating a particular attitude towards life. Everyone declines and dies eventually, but it would be better to embrace an optimistic, opened mind than a pessimistic, giving-up attitude; face the approach of death unflinchingly, calmly.
The poem says that "since feeling is first" (line 1) the one who pays attention to the meaning of things will never truly embrace. The poem states that it is better to be a fool, or to live by emotions while one is young. The narrator declares that his "blood approves" (line 7) showing that his heart approves of living by feeling, and that the fate of feeling enjoyment is better than one of "wisdom" (line 9) or learning. He tells his "lady" (line 10) not to cry, showing that he is speaking to her. He believes that she can make him feel better than anything he could think of, because her "eyelids" (line 12) say that they are "for each other" (line 13). Then, after all she's said and thought, his "lady" forgets the seriousness of thought and leans into the narrator's arms because life is not a "paragraph" (line 15), meaning that life is brief. The last line in the poem is a statement which means that death is no small thi...
Northrop Frye is one of the most influential literary critics of his time, and today. Indeed, one of his most applicable articles was published in 1986, titled, “Don’t You Think It’s Time to Start Thinking?”. He uses several key points to argue that most of society does not think critically and that the skills are purposefully not being taught to keep society compliant. This article, which criticizes how students are taught to think, is still very relevant today. While some may argue that the curriculum has changed over time to incorporate more of critical thinking, that is still not the case. Frye’s article is pertinent even today, especially with the inception of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Society still encourages reading
The poem at first glance looks to be about a Tyger but after reading through
In conclusion, the poem helps you to realize and accept that just like birth is natural, death is a natural process in life. No matter what, death is inevitable. But instead of holding on to the sad memories, you can use the happier memories to cope and deal with the loss of a loved one or family pet. However, you are able to be at peace with the fact that you loved them until the end.
...ridge’s longing brings the reader back to reality, in which we see real emotions at play. Another way the final stanza portrays reality is the use of the word “I.” The first three stanzas are in third person, but the last stanza is in first person. Coleridge is describing “Paradise” but transitions to seeing: