The Great Scarf Of Birds Figurative Language

Nature contains a simplicity that delights people; it is a natural relief to the soul. Fresh air revives those who have been stifled indoors for too long and awe-inspiring sights like the Aurora Borealis inspire poetry and art. John Updike in “The Great Scarf of Birds” shares a moment that lifts the speaker’s heart through nature. Through figurative language, natural diction, and organization, Updike describes how nature is a balm for the soul.

Updike primarily uses figurative language to emphasize the beauty of Cape Ann during October. He describes the elm trees on the golf course as transparent, “seemed swaying vases full of sky.” The mystical language evokes a soothing response. The specific image he conjures up helps the reader imagine exactly how the elm trees looked against the sky, even though he uses unorthodox language. Geese are flying south for the winter, along with a flock of starlings so plentiful that they cover the sky. Updike emphasizes the vastness of the flock by saying how it “darkened in spots, / paled, pulsed, compressed, distended, yet held an identity firm.” A flock is not physically capable of this, but the language describes how the

starlings morph while flying, unable to keep their shape. After the flock lands and is resting, one bird flies up, leading the others. The figurative language in this stanza compares the ascent of the birds to a piece of women’s clothing. “Lifting in a casual billow, / the flock ascended as a lady’s scarf.” The ascent morphs as it rises higher, just like a piece of fabric thrown in the air. Figurative language helps emphasize certain images in the passage when literal language is not sufficient.
The organization of the poem mirrors the flight of the starlings. The first stanza is the prequel to the flock; it shows the depiction of Cape Ann before the birds, calm and tranquil. The second stanza is when the birds are a “cloud of dots, like iron filings” on the horizon. The next is when the starlings arrive on the golf course. When the starlings rest in Cape Ann, the stanza compares them to ink, they tint the earth with their abundance and color. “The starlings were thicker and outlined the flock / as an inkstand in drying pronounces its edges.” The comparison to drying ink shows how they rest before renewing their journey. The fifth step in any journey is when they leave; the fifth stanza shows the last act of the birds, an awe-inspiring finale to their arrival. The speaker is irrevocably changed by the sight of the bird’s leaving; the beauty in nature’s creations lifts his heart.
Nature imagery and diction are rampant, showing the abundance and beauty of autumn.

The trees are turning orange and red and the apples have reached the peak of ripeness. “Ripe apples were caught like red fish in the nets of their branches.” This image of ripeness and fish gives the reader a sense of abundance. Autumn is the time of the harvest, when plants are done growing just in time for the cold of winter. There are also an abundance of geese and starlings as they fly south during October. “The sky / was dramatic with great straggling V’s / of grease streaming south, mare’s tails above them.” Updike uses natural diction to compare clouds to the soft tails of mares, emphasizing the natural beauty of the scene. The natural diction and imagery emphasize the message of the importance of nature to

humans.
In “The Great Scarf of Birds”, John Updike creates a poem about a flock of birds to tell how nature can uplift a human soul. He organizes the poem to mirror the path of the flock, including natural diction and figurative language to depict certain images. Nature is a powerful force for relieving the inadequacies of life and improving life.