Poem

John Donne was a poet of XVI century. As a poet, he often wrote about love, influence by the stages of his life. He is often referred to as the chief of Metaphysical poetry, a specific type of writing. John’s life was tormented, and this can be felt within his writing. His life as a poet can be divided into three defined stages. Those stages represent the change of personality and his mind growth, and his growth as an individual and as a lover. The first stage, characterized him as a wild child, even tough he was already a young man.

In this early stage he was regarded as a player, not having any set relationships especially with woman, he was playing around and enjoying his youth not believing in true love. Donne was described as fun and loving. This first stage of his life as a poet, may be represented by the poem Go catch a falling star, in this poem John donne clearly state that he as no faith in woman and support his belief by unusual metaphor and similes, in which for example he compares unfaithful women’s to falling stars, or child’s with mandrake root.

In this text he clearly shows not only his loss in the faith of women’s but also how he gave up on the search to find his faithful love. “If Thou Findus one, let me know“ line 19 This line shows how Donne Is done searching for a faithful woman and how he now just waits for others to find one. The theme of Go catch a falling star illustrates John view and belief, justified by his actions and comportment during this first stage of his life. The second stage of John Donne life is characterized by a sudden settlement.

John found reason to stop playing with women’s and settle in a calmer lifestyle. He slowly stabilized, into a usual routine. In this stage of his life John Donne married Anne Donne. In this brief passage John started suffering due to love, and mainly theme his poem about Love and pain. This chapter in his life can be sensed in the poem A Valediction: Of Weeping. In this poem, he tries to convince his sick and pregnant wife to not be sad even though he was leaving to Europe for a while. Here, John love for his wife, the faith he had I her, and how much he cares for her is portrayed.

Again this poem is about Love a general characteristic of metaphysical poetry. The third stage of John Donne life is marked by the death of his wife. He was field grief. This passage of his life can be described as dark, cold, and depressing. As he was field with pain John found redemption and relief in writing. He was left alone with his seven sons and daughters, this was a time of loneliness, but also wisdom. His first writing after the death of his wife, was the XVII Holy Sonnet. In this Sonnet John, is again writing about love.

However here Love is mixed with faith and religion. We can definitely see a significant growth of his belief and opinions. He saw the death of his wife as a knock over. God as knocked him over, by taking his wife away. He questions why he as helped him find her in order to finally take her away. Significant changes in John’s life and belief can be observed through his poem. Due to his themes and ways of writing have made possible to define three different passage in his life. Those stages, have been sculpted by the environment and the people he meet.

The wind flapped loose, the wind was still,
Shaken out dead from tree and hill;
I had walked on at the wind’s will –

I sat now, for the wind was still.

Between my knees my forehead was –
My lips, drawn in, said not Alas!
My hair was over in the grass,
My naked ears heard the day pass.

My eyes, wide open, had the run
Of some ten weeds to fix upon;
Among those few out of the sun,
The woodspurge flowered, three cups in one.

From perfect grief there need not be
Wisdom or even memory;
One thing then learnt remains to me –
The woodspurge has a cup of three.

Illustration
This poem took place in hill where the trees are shaken out by the wind and a field of grass where the man in this poet saw woodspurge as one of the ten weeds and grieving for his problem all day along as the wind blown. The poet described a visual imagery by points out what that man can see while grieving in field, such as in ninth and tenth line : “My eyes, wide open, had the run”

“Of some ten weeds to fix upon;”
The tactile imagery also can be found in seventh line “My hair was over in the grass” the touch’s feel can be sensed when his hair is over the grass as he put his head to rest on it. Kinesthetic imagery, this motion happened when the man bent his head on to between his knees until his forehead touch those knees in fifth line, shows a grieving gesture.

The word “wind” in first stanza is a metaphore from a word “spirit” or more likely a “determination”, the wind itself got a personification in third line, where the poet wrote “I had walked on at the wind’s will –.” By stating that a wind could have a will like a people. Ironically, this man seems lack of determination, he only move to somewhere as the wind guide him and stopped when the wind is gone.

General Meaning

It is about a man that covered with sadness and he seems lack of resolve, his body only move as the wind blows to somewhere else, until he found a bloomed woodspurge that makes him at ease.

Detailed Meaning

Before we going more deeper in detailed meaning, it might be wise to review the trivia fact about Dante’s poem especially The Woodspurge. This poem were made approximately between 1828 – 1882, the period where Victorian’s were arisen. Meanwhile, in the year 1848, there was a movement by a group named “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood” and Dante was also one of the founder of this group.

The group’s intention is none other than to reject social-political theme in literary works and this group also established Aestheticism movement, in the meaning of aestheticism “as early as 1750, when the German philosopher, Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, in his Aesthetica, used it to identify a separate branch of philosophy. He transformed the original Greek usage of the word, applied to things perceived by the senses, into criticism of taste concerned exclusively with beauty.” (Denney 38). So, their’s intention was to make a literary works become more “aesthetic” by reject the social-political theme.

Due to its a poem full with aesthetic aspects, let’s evaluate it from top to bottom. “The wind flapped loose, the wind was still,” with such words for an opening in first line, we can considered it is truly a sentence with aestheticism’s beauty. Why so? It said that the wind flapped loose, those words “flapped” and “loose” are contradicts for each other. Flapped means flutter, throb or thrashing which means it is conducted with so much power, on the other hand, the word loose means not tight, unconstrained and relaxed.

A powerful wind with relaxed feeling, it made the readers will feel the peculiar sensation by read it in matched tone, then it said that the wind was still. Wind, however, is a moving air and Dante wrote the wind with capabality to stand still, it just bring the imagination to the whole new level and violates the wind’s law for suited to stagnate. It is still acceptable in literary works and we can admire more the nature by imagining something that nature are not competent to, though.

“Shaken out dead from tree and hill;” for the second line, it might have a denotation like this; the winds shaken out dead from tree and hill. This may have a meaning that the winds able to cleanse the ‘dead’ from tree and hill because shaken out have a meaning uncluttered, to cleanse and the word ‘dead’ might a metaphor from sadness, anguish or misery. And the wind can simply took the sorrow out of the tree, still, the wind only remove it and the melancholic trait that has been cleansed, may outgrowth again sometimes because its humane for it to happens. There is also potency that tree might a metaphor for a man but, in the next line, the poet already talked about it so this hypothesis could not fully-accurately correct.

“I had walked on at the wind’s will –“ the third line is about a man that always seems walk as the wind’s guidance. There is also an old proverb that said “only dead fish follow the stream” which is matched with the inner meaning in the third line. By not having a spirit of independency, this man chose to follow the path that the wind makes for him. But, what makes this man would did such a not-manly act? It should have a relation with a word in previous line, “dead”. The poet used the word “dead” to emphasize the next line’s meaning or this line’s, it is an anguish that made the man paralyzed, not able doing something by himself. “I sat now, for the wind was still.”

At least, in the fourth line, this man stopped because the same thing also happened to the wind, it become stagnate just like in the first line’s point. The man do nothing but sit, seems waiting for another wind to guide him again. If we stop too in this line, we can see the voidness in the man’s mind, he would be daydreaming or blank-staring his surrounding. This emptiness of his mind has lead to something that might be crucial and it is a lack of faith. If a faithful person even without resolve in his heart, experiencing the same condition, he might pray to his God instead of daydreaming and asking for His guidance to overcome this stranded plight. Overall, the first stanza was merely an intro for the next stanzas, obviously.

By completely talking about the setting of place in first stanza that were a hill with trees and gust of relaxing wind, it is included as somewhat parts of aestheticism. The first reason, of course, it was not social-political themed stanza, the next reason is everything can be shifted with aesthetic element and “in aesthetic forms, cruelty becomes imagination: Something is excised from the living, from the body language, from tones, from visual experience.” (Adorno 68).

Everything in each stanza in this poem have relation with Adorno’s opinion about aesthetic forms, for instance, in the first stanza it is about a man that grieving and let the winds dictates him, however it is just an imagination that comes from cruelty. It will be far more cruel if there were man that actually looks like in this poem. And the another aspect in Adorno’s opinion will be discussed later on. “Between my knees my forehead was –My lips, drawn in, said not Alas!
My hair was over in the grass, My naked ears heard the day pass.” (5th – 8th line)

The second stanza have a repetition of words “my”, the possesion form of ‘me’ and ‘I’. Besides of granting this poem with aestheticism by doing those repetition, there is also another meaning behind it. The poet intends to fill the second stanza with “ego” because “my” in this case representing an ego, a personality. Though, the second stanza mostly illustrate the man’s body language, how he faced the void that he experienced. It cover up the fourth line’s hypothesis, that the man is not doing nothing at all, he make a motion to uncover his agony by doing this and that. “Between my knees my forehead was –“ this line depicts his current position, he bent his body forward and place his head on his knees till his forehead touched it.

That gesture shows him in an awful state of mind and insecure feelings, he might be grieving for his mistakes in the past or others problem that he has in his life. Moreover, this gesture was commonly known to express the deep suffering of mind and usually followed by tears that overflowing from the eyes, however, he did not cry at all. In matter of fact, he is a man and it is weird for even a man to cry for whatever the burden that he bear because in those time, the patriarchal era, it is a time where the man always described as tough being and crying is for a women. So, even he has a big problem, he would not cry no matter what the problem is.

“My lips, drawn in, said not Alas!” in sixth line, it can be judged how big his misery is. Even a word can not describe it, his lips drawn in means he does not even have a force to speak any words, yet, he want to yell “Alas!” for blowing off the steam but that word were not even match with his pain. Looks like his anger would multiplied for not being able to cried it outloud, still we can see him as a man with full of patience for being able to surpress his anger over his misery. “My hair was over in the grass,” in the seventh line is representation of anti-climax if we assume that the sixth line was a climax. In this line, it can be implied that he finally lie his body over the grass till the poet depicts it with his hair was over on the grass. It can be also stated that this man was already in stage of acceptance for lying his body over the grass, it seems he already accept the truth or the cruelty in his life.

“My naked ears heard the day pass” by lying around after sitting with full of misery in the previous line, the eighth line define that the day has passed casually. In this line too, the poet combined two things that will not relate to each other yet he succeed to make it become one, Dante clarified that ears can heard the sound of the day pass by. It is weird to even imagining how the day pass’s sound, though. Nevertheless, Dante prevailed to make impression to the reader that it might have a peaceful or calm sound because it is the first time in this poem he describe the audible situation. Dante did not put any weird sound before, and yet the man in this poem heard something, so, it should be the sound of the tranquility. “My eyes, wide open, had the run Of some ten weeds to fix upon;” (9th – 10th line)

Unlike the previous lines that analyzed one by one, the ninth and tenth line have to be evaluated as one wholeness because it seems to connected yet separated as different line, this poem were written in iambic tetrameter anyway, and it would ruin the artistic part of the poem if those line were in one line. Thus, the man eyes widely open and he saw ten weeds near him, there is no special metaphor linked with these lines. Even so, this is also the first time in this poem for the man to pay attention to his surrounding with his own very eyes.

The previous panorama or landscape that described by the poet in preceding line were merely the poet’s imagery, not the man’s visual imagery. It is as well as the Adorno’s opinion previously, aetheticism can be reached by showing a visual experience, now the man had his eyes widely open and saw ten various weeds, which is nice. It also means that the field were full with green-coloured scenery due to all those weeds, green is categorized as bright colour which is can also means a happiness, merry, just like spring’s scape. Although, he finally notice his surrounding, in no matter of time, he quickly noticed that there were ten kind of weed based in his vision. Is he a botanist? Or nature lovers? For immediately knowing there were ten different plant may be his brief assumption, but that is not the point in here, right? The truly case were located in next line and these lines were just an intro to lead this points in there. “Among those few out of the sun, The woodspurge flowered, three cups in one.” (11st – 12nd line)

The eleventh line implied the situation is happened in daytime for sun lightened those plants on the field. If we paid more attention, the third stanza were less with grieving content, everything gradually become more serene. No more sadness, no more wistful part in this stanza because the man just back to his senses, previously, he just a hollow-vessel with nothing to struggle for. Finally, he noticed his surrounding and even the smallest detail like the ten weeds, although he only noticed the woodspurge for the most, a plant with “All parts are highly toxic by ingestion; sap may irritate skin and eyes.” (“Plant Selector”).

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae is the another name for woodspurge, and it is unique for having three cups in one. Usually, “The mature flowers take a Single form, with an approximate petal count of 2” (“Plant Database”). So, it is rare occasion for found a three-petal woodspurge, In addition, a clover plants mostly have three petals and myths said that clover with four-leaves will bring a luckiness to the person who found it. Thus, what is the meaning behind from found a three-petals woodspurge? Will they bring fortune to whoever found it? Well, I rest my case for this aside and some professional said “the flower reminds us of the central mystery of Christianity: the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the Trinity that breaks the rule of fate.” (Nield). And how it can related to aestheticism?

As a commoner, I put simply the metaphor of woodspurge is a faith in God. It all makes sense, at the first, he wander aimlessly seeking for nothing as the wind guides him until he stopped in peculiar area where he found a three-petals woodspurge that makes him in ease. Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, however, have a goal to make literary works become more aesthetic, more religious and have more connection with nature to confront Victorian’s literary works that full with socio-political, overly-scientific literary works which made the people’s faith fade away deliberately. “From perfect grief there need not be

Wisdom or even memory;” (13rd – 14th line)
Again, these lines have to consider as one unity, and it have a deepful meaning in this part. The poet chose the word “perfect” to make the readers feel the absolute depression that the man had, it is not for asking a pitiness to the man, it is about sending a ‘message’. After that man saw a woodspurge, his mind became soften then he learnt something “you will got nothing from grief, not even wisdom or even memory.”

Which means there is no value for being blue over something, and its said that not even a sad memory will retain in mind, something that started with tragedy or bad things will certainly ended with tragedy too. It is true, though, and every one would not keep something bitter in their head for a long time. Somebody might choose to erase or pretend for bad incident that have occured instead of mourning it endlessly because in the end those memories will washed away for sure. “One thing then learnt remains to me –

The woodspurge has a cup of three.” (15th – 16th line)
In this last two lines, the poet expressed the important thing as a friendly reminder for him. In the end, he finally have one thing to learn that woodspurge has a cup of tree which also have another meaning, if he become stuck in grief again, he should remember that there are God and his kindness that always guide him in to right path and it symbolized with three-petals woodspurge. Therefore, the last stanza is endearment of his sorrow because he certainly re-ignited his faith with nature’s help indirectly.

Conclusion

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, one of the founder of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood,
vowed to make a movement for opposing the Victorian’s mediocre literature work theme such a socio-political, science and industries that overwhelming in those times. Dante and his confidant, thus imbued Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s era with Aetheticism, that more linked with nature, faith and religion in sense of beauty nuance. This poem, nevertheless, were reflectioned to the people at those times, when the religion and faith were not as strong as before.

Dante used wind as representation of nature and as a device to mediate people until their faith revived again, just like in this poem. Thanks to the wind, that grieving man led to a woodspurge that reminds him to his God. And it is all the Dante wanted, he wished that every people would not forget and surrender in their faith. If they did, just remember how beautiful the world it is and eventually they will keep in their mind that everything were a God’s creation.

Emily Dickinson is one of the greatest American poets of the the early 1900s. Her style and approach are unmistakable. During her lifetime she received little praise for her work and only a few of her poems were published. The bulk of Dickinson’s poems offer obscure meanings, vivid language, and brevity. Her poems addressed the themes of love, death, and nature. However in “Much Madness is divinest Sense” and “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” Dickinson confronts the isolation and aggressive social control which plagued her life and continues to influence the lives of aspiring artists and nonconformists today.

Dickinson uses formal literary devices to demonstrate and convey to the reader her assertion that the expression of personal truth is not welcomed by society. The theme of “Much Madness is divinest Sense” is nonconformity. Dickinson believed that society was too rigid to acknowledge and accept anything that differed from the norm. Individuals who do not adhere to societal standards are treated like outcasts within society. To be considered “sane” by society, all one has to do is “assent” (6). Dickinson takes an ironic approach in which she believes that it is truly the “majority” which shows “the starkest madness” (3).

The theme in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” exhibits the same overall theme. However, this poem offers a more personal approach to the subject. Dickinson was a prolific writer who was not just content to write about observing nature. Her poems show her deep reflection on the universal human experiences. Yet her work was often met with ridicule. It was within her writing that she learned she could tell the “bright” truth but only through “Cirrcuit lies”. She believed that society was inflexible and “infirmed” and simply unable to accept the truth about itself.

That truth must be offered ”gradually”or all people will be “blind” to it. Both poems show Dickinson’s use of paradox. Paradox is when a statement seem contradictory but is actually true. In “Much madness is divinest Sense” the paradox is within the title. Madness in this poem actually refers to people who are telling the truth and that a godly quality. In “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” the paradox exists in having to create lies to tell the truth. The themes in these poems both address the issues of nonconformity in general and more specific terms.

The use of rhyme and meter in “Much Madness is divinest Sense” and “Tell the Truth but tell it slant” are used to parallel the nonconformist content of each poem. In “Much Madness is divinest Sense” Dickinson uses traditional iambic tetrameter and switches over to anapests. Anapests are created with each metrical foot consists of three syllables, the first two short or unaccented and the last one is long and accented. An example of anapest occurs lines 4-6 of “Much Madness is divinest Sense”. Dickinson writes “’T is the majority In this, as all, prevails / Assent, and you are sane”.

The rhyme scheme in each could be consider slant rhyme. Traditional poetry keeps the rhyme at the end of each line. However, slant rhyme is disjointed and the rhyme is often forced. “Sense,””Madness,” and “dangerous” all rhyme however, dangerous does not have the same emphasis or syllable count. The same is observed in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”. In this poem the rhyme is imperfect and altered. It is through the expectation that the end of lines will rhyme that displays Dickinson assertion that only through unorthodox means can she. and perhaps all artists, tell the truth.

“Lies” and “surprise” as well as “kind” and “blind” rhyme. However, lies and surprise have a different number of syllables. The odd rhyme and meter utilized by Dickinson contribute to her theme of nonconformity by interrupting the smooth flow of each poem. While each piece of poetry seems like free verse, it takes a couple of attempts to understand how the poem is actually supposed to sound. Dickinson expertly uses rhyme, meter, and paradox to support her belief that individuals who openly share subversive views on society are often isolated and treated cruelly by that society.

These individuals are paradoxes. Society, blind to the truth they speak, would rather call them mad then deal with their own reflections. Dickinson wit as author, which is often overlooked, is clearly demonstrated in this poems. In “Much Madness is the divinest Sense” and “Tell the Truth but tell it slant” Dickinson exhibits her her ability to be an interpretor of the human experience. She easily relates the pressure of social conformity through intentional and specific word choice while still maintaining the brevity she is known for.

The poem “A Story” written be Li- Young Lee conveys the complex father and son relationship showing their connection through literary devices while the son is trying to get his father to tell another story. This poem is written in third person narrative by an ominous voice telling the fathers thought process. The narrator begins the poem saying, “Sad is the man who is asked for a story and can’t come up with one. ” This intro not only gives us a foreshadowing look onto the poem, but tells us the emotions the father feels given to us by the all knowing narrator.

He tells us the dad is sad that he can’t think of a new story which shows us that he just want to please his son and in turn portraying love. The structure in this poem gives us a feeling of the old man’s desperation to dig up another story first portraying his uncomfort, “The man rubs his chin, scratches his ear. ” His anxiousness escalates, “soon, he thinks, the boy will give up on his father. ” You see his attitude further rise when he says, “he sees the day this boy will go. Don’t go!”

Finally you see his desperation reach a high when he says, “Are you a god, the man screams, that I sit mute before you? ” The poem made you feel the desperation of the father through the structure because you could feel him getting more and more frustrated. This frustration in him not being able to satisfy his sons want for a new story gives us a picture of the love the father has for his child. A parent just wants to make their child happy and his anger when he cannot accomplish this show us that he has genuine love for the son.

In the concluding paragraph the poet makes a comparison saying, “It is an emotional rather than logical equation, an earthly rather than heavenly one, which posits that a boy’s supplications and a father’s love add up to silence. ” The contrast of the emotional and logical equations and the earthly and heavenly equations show us that this is not such a big deal after all. It is all in the fathers emotions. His love for his child is so great that he does not want to see him go.

He is haunted by the day he thinks his son will leave him and he does not want to let his son down because he thinks that will make his son leave. This fear of letting his son down is preventing him from thinking of a new story. That is why the equation at the end is the sons request plus the father’s love equals silence. This relationship shown through the use of literary devices is a natural one showing the parents undying love for the child.

Analysis

“Works of art or literature profoundly reveal their creator’s psychology”

Marle Bonaparte

In this chapter, the detailed analysis would focus on the aspect on different attitudes adopted by Edgar Allan Poe to portray his conception of death in selected poems. Poe himself sees death in various experiences and his transformation of death from one poem to another is noteworthy. The bedrock of analysis would be The Raven, Annabel Lee, Lenore, The City in the Sea, Eldorado, and The Conqueror Worm.

Although the theme in these poems is the same, the attitudes and the nature of description are entirely different in all of them. The chapter is allocated to three subtitles, man’s attitude towards death of the beloved, man’s description of death and the third corresponds to the reasons behind these attitudes adopted based on Poe’s biography.

Man’s attitude towards the death of the beloved:

The Raven

The poem follows an unnamed narrator who is also a lamenting lover of his dead beloved Lenore. Lenore is thought to be the deceased wife of Poe and holds the central element in this poem. The narrative poem begins on a dreary night of December, where the lover is seen as tired and weak. Remembering his dead beloved he experiences ennui and tries to overcome this by diverting his attention to an old book. As the narrator is seen feeling at unease and weak, he hears a tapping on his chamber door. He consoles himself that a visitor may have tapped the door to seek asylum and nothing else.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘T is some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door;
Only this and nothing more.”

(The Raven 112)

Since the beginning of the poem, reader can feel the ambience of death surrounding the narrator. The use of “I” is the poem indicates unnamed narrator being fearful and irritated as he describes the sound in rather negative term “rapping”. According to TheFreeDictionary, the word corresponds to a series of rapid audible blows in order to attract attention. This rapping sound generated which is described is making the narrator aware of his surroundings more and he begins to fear for himself.

Narrator also uses “gentle” which portrays yet another descriptive aspect, the gentle tap made the narrator aware of his situation and was able to respond to it. The narrator also shows his irritated nature: “Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door / Only this and nothing more.”

Narrator now moves on to remembering his lost beloved Lenore. He can be evidently seen to showcase his unconscious through a moment of flashback, a specific time that he is reliving again in that chamber. The use of words “dying embers” showcases a trigger generated in the narrator about his lost Lenore. It is said that “we unconsciously tend to run away from our distressing thoughts and painful experiences by believing and convincing ourselves to forget them.”

These repressed thoughts and experiences remain in our unconscious in a dormant phase, and as soon as similar situation occurs, these recurring experiences surfaces. The past has surfaced again when the narrator moves into flashback, feeling sorrow for having lost his beloved forever:

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore,
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore:
Nameless here for evermore.

(The Raven 112-113)

Here, narrator uses “bleak December” to signify cold, and consequently death. The very first line creates a conception of death as cold and unwavering in the reader’s eyes. Nothing lives in the winter, for those who live goes into hibernation till the winter surpasses. December is the month of winter. This symbolizes death as cold, unforgiving and larger in magnitude. The cold of winter wipes out the warmth effortlessly as the narrator explains it as “dying ember”.

This dying ember generated the flashback of his beloved and this in turn instils the narrator to think about his beloved’s death. He calls her the “fair maiden” whom the angels took away, leaving narrator sorrowful and mournful in attribute. To surpass his sorrow, he sought refuge in books: “Eagerly I wished the morrow; – vainly I had sought to borrow / From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore.

Now narrator moves to open the door, fearing, grieving, and contemplating that it might be Lenore that seeks entrance in his chamber. The depiction of this fear is uncanny as narrator shows his inner fear which enthralls in him terrible yet fantastic horrors that he has never felt before. This uncanny attitude towards death is evident of the nature of Poe. Poe regards death as an inevitable concept in this narrative poem.

The horrors that the narrator faces are portrayed through the musical effect of silken purple curtain, sad, uncertain rustling of purple curtain, narrator is now terrified of this sound and reassures himself that it might be some visitor who seeks entrance at his chamber door. From the initial concept of death as an inevitable phenomena, the transformation has made death generating fear inside narrator. The narrator is now fearful of the ambience around him as it generates the flashback of his lost love.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“‘T is some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door:
This it is and nothing more.”

(The Raven 113)

The narrator’s state is been showcased as he tries to forgo his fear and establishes himself adamantly for the visitor. He converses with the person on the other side of the door. Narrator, completely unknown of the visitor, tries to communicate his thoughts by saying that he was nearly napping, and the visitor’s tapping was so distinct and clear that he was able to hear it, therefore, asks for their apology for he was napping and opens the door wide. However, the narrator meets nothing but darkness on the other side.

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door:—
Darkness there and nothing more.

(The Raven 113-114)

The narrator now resonates with his fear again, wondering, fearing “dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before. In absolute fear, the only word that narrator could think of was of Lenore and as he speaks it, it reverberates back to him. This can also be subjected as his inner loneliness, the narrator, weak from his mourning of his beloved feels alone and forgotten, and as he hears the tapping, thinks of his lost love coming back to him. According to Freud, the fear of death dominates us more often than we know. This fear of death allowed the narrator to recollect his memories of Lenore and call her out when he opens the door.

Later a loud tapping is again heard and when he checks again finds a stately Raven of saintly days of yore entering his chamber.it sought bust of Pallas just above his chamber door to settle on and gave no attention to the narrator. The Raven plays a crucial role in this poem. This Raven not only acts as a simple animal doing its bidding but acts as a pivot to unleash the emotions narrator carries with him.

Now the conception of death has yet again transformed. Death has now materialized in the form of The Raven. The raven is first and foremost, considered a bird of evil. This bird has long since been associated with different mythologies. In Norse mythology, for instance, Raven signifies as a messenger. Odin’s two ravens, Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory; flew across the world to collect news of the day and report back to Odin. It is also associated to be a harbinger of death and doom, with strong associations with storms and floods.

Narrator now fascinated and excited of the entrance of the Raven “ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling” (Raven 43) asks the creature of its name. The raven surprises the speaker by saying “Nevermore”. Narrator curious to know more starts inquiring the Raven of its whereabouts. He thinks for a minute as to what can he ask from the bird when his mind starts to wander back to his lost Lenore. The speaker feels the air becoming dense around him and scented with perfume from some heavenly being Seraphim. According to Christian angelology, Seraphim mean “burning ones” or in other words, nobles. They are also known as “ones of love”.

Here the narrator believes Raven to be a messenger, a prophet which could predict if he could meet his beloved Lenore in Heaven to which he replies “Nevermore”. A constant to and fro is showcased between the narrator and the Raven. By saying nevermore, the Raven suggests that the narrator would never be able to let go of his beloved’s memories and they would haunt him till the end of times. Narrator, enraged, calls the raven “thing of evil”, “devil”, and commands the devil to return to the “Night’s Plutonian shore”.

Pluto is the god of the underworld; Hades. It is presumed that the Raven has the knowledge of the dead and therefore its response “Nevermore” is deemed relevant. Through this, narrator realizes that death is the ultimate end to everything and he will never meet with his beloved again. This makes him even more melancholic and depressed and commands the raven to leave his chamber, Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door / Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

These lines clearly indicate the perception of the narrator. Despite the constant name calling and ordering the Raven to leave his chambers, the creature doesn’t move. This can be linked back to Death itself. No matter how one individual tries to make it go away, the course of nature undertaken by death would never shift from its original path. The Raven does not move as is “still sitting on the bust of Pallas just above my chamber door”. The repetition of the word “Nevermore” adds to the mood of the poem. Nevermore is a negative word, which means never again, which evokes emotions of helplessness and despair, sadness and melancholy; all the attributes concerning the death of someone. In this poem, this word evokes emotion concerning the death of a beloved.

According to Freud’s theory on death, the speaker attitude towards the death of his beloved is unconsciously portrayed. The speaker travels in flashbacks, remembering the past encounters with his love and reliving those emotions unconsciously. He could not sever his dependence from his lover’s memories. Even if he tries to keep himself occupied with reading old volumes of books, he still somehow, retracts back to her memory that is infused in his unconscious forever. As a result, his attitude towards the raven and his answers are the manifestation of his unconscious mind’s needs. “Unconscious motivations and needs have a role in determining our behavior”.

Defining Humanity through the Depiction of Loss and Suffering in Epic Poems Casey Dalton 10/8/2010 Forms and Expressions in World Literature Though epic poems, such as Homer’s The Iliad, or Beowulf, were meant to entertain, spread religion and culture, and perhaps even to preserve historical truths, they also have a rarely noticed, possibly accidental agenda; defining humanity. Even tales such as The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam have a mutual theme, though they come from completely different cultures and time frames.That theme is that what makes us mortal; what makes us human is the aspect of loss and suffering in our lives.

This is true throughout all epic poems, whether subtle or not. The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian story of a king and his brotherly bond, is a fairly obvious representation of the theme connecting humanity to loss and sorrow. This story dates back to one thousand B. C. E. and “can rightly be called the first true work of world literature. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) According to the epic, Gilgamesh was a great warrior and king of the city-state Uruk.

He was described as almost god-like. This idea is embodied by now popular stories such as the story of Hercules, who is half-man, half-god. He is both praised and feared for his power. The epic reads, “Supreme over other kings, lordly in appearance, he is the hero, born of Uruk, the goring wild bull. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) Gilgamesh wields all of this power, yet he cannot control himself as a god would. He kills the locals’ sons, and rapes their women; possibly out of sheer boredom. He has been given more power than he can handle.

In order to correct the problem, the god Anu convinces the goddess Aruru that Gilgamesh requires a counterpart to keep him occupied. Aruru creates Enkidu, an equivalent to Gilgamesh in size and strength, and they become loyal companions. Enkidu has a dream that he is attacked and killed by “a man of dark visage” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) and soon after, dies. Gilgamesh cannot handle the loss of his dear friend and companion. He stays with the body until it is a host to maggots, and then wanders in the wilderness by himself, mourning.Then, realizing that he is mortal as well as his beloved Enkidu, Gilgamesh sets off on a quest to find his “ancestor Utanapishtim, who joined the Assembly of the Gods, and was given eternal life. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) The story of Utanapishtim’s gift was Noah’s Ark-esque.

In which, he was given immortality for building a boat to save humanity and all other living things from a flood. Utanapishtim give Gilgamesh a plant that is said to reverse age. Gilgamesh tells a ferryman, “…this plant is a plant against decay by which a man can attain his survival.I will bring it to Uruk-Haven, and have an old man eat the plant to test. The plant’s name is ‘The Old Man Becomes a Young Man. ’ Then I will eat it and return to my youth. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) The plant is stolen by a snake, being a literal representation of a loss of immortality; making him human.

Though, it is also a representation of a rebirth; of the realization that comes to Gilgamesh. After all these events, Gilgamesh realizes that though physically he will die, he can live on through the legacy he leaves behind.And so, he returns to Uruk and becomes a leader, a hero, and a proper king. The theme of loss causing expression of humanity is proven through this passage, “Over his friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh cried bitterly, roaming the wilderness. ‘I am going to die! – am I not like Enkidu?! Deep sadness penetrates my core, I fear death, and now roam the wilderness- I will set out to the region of Utanapishtim, son of Ubartutu, and will go with utmost dispatch! ’” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) Before Gilgamesh’s loss of his companion, mentally, nothing separated him from being a god.He had the strength and ability to conquer anything or anyone. After Enkidu’s death, he realizes that no matter how powerful he may be, he is still a mortal and a human.

Gilgamesh succumbs to a symptom of being human, mourning his loss. Previously, he had taken many lives carelessly, but when his companion’s life was taken, he becomes deeply emotional. He becomes irrational and wanders through the wilderness, becoming nomadic, like an animal. It’s as if he is attempting to avoid being human; to avoid being mortal.On Gilgamesh’s return to Uruk, the epic reads, “A snake smelled the fragrance of the plant, silently came up and carried off the plant. While going back it sloughed off its casing. At that point Gilgamesh sat down, weeping, his tears streaming over the side of his nose.

” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume A 57-97) The death of his friend caused him to realize that he, too, was mortal, but the loss of his only possible source of immortality caused him to realize that he will never be more than human.Though, the human life he lives is his opportunity to become ‘immortal’ to his people. The tale of The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam is a part of the Shah-nama or, The Book of Kings. Though it is a Persian epic, and was originally written around the year nine-hundred eighty-one, it has many strong similarities to The Epic of Gilgamesh. This epic starts off with a hero by the name of Rostam whose cherished horse wanders off and is captured. In search of the horse he comes across the fairest of maidens, Tahmine, who was well aware of his heroic reputation and wished to bear his son.They conceived a son.

Rostam leaves his seal with Tahmine, to give to their child and they proceeded to live separate lives. The son is named Sohrab and is born Turkish, opposing the Iranian Rostam, due to political issues. The father and son are unaware of their relation, and meet each other in the battle field. Rostam mortally wounded Sohrab, and with his dying breaths, still unaware of their relation, Sohrab vows that his heroic father will avenge his death, and reveals the seal given to him upon leaving home for battle.Rostam had “slain the one he held most dear. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume B 509-18) He is then overcome with grief for the rest of his existence. This is the tragedy; the loss of a son, one’s attempt at becoming ‘immortal’, a legacy.

Had Rostam not mistakenly slain his own son, and they had joined forces, they would have been an unstoppable force. Secrecy and bad politics kept the son from his father, thus keeping the son from being identified with his father, which is where the deeper meaning lies in the epic poem.Though god-like, Rostam was a mortal, and incidentally had destroyed his only son, who had not yet become identified with his father. As in Gilgamesh, the only hope for one to become near immortal is through one’s legacy, being another common theme pning across the spectrum of epic poems. Rostam had destroyed his only physical possibility of creating a legacy with his own hands, there lies the tragedy. Though, Rostam lost his link to everlasting life, it created one for Sohrab. Never knowing the sorrow of a substantial loss, Sohrab was killed in perfection; he died in a god-like image.

Addressing Rostam, a man says, “Once from afar I saw his arms and neck, His lofty stature and his massive chest. The times impelled him and his martial host to come here now and perish by your hand. ” (“Longman Anthology: World Literature” Volume B 509-18) Sohrab’s image will be preserved as a god’s, as unflawed, never knowing the feeling of suffering; the feeling of loss. Epic poems are not unlike other genres of literature in that they all share common themes and ideas, no matter how conflicting the cultures of which they are tied to.All epics, especially tragedies, remind us of what it means to be human. Whether intentional or not, these poems directly connect humanity to, through our mortality, the loss of what one holds dear. Though, it is taken one step further and is connected to pity, sorrow, and grief.

Without these emotions, one is not human.Works Cited The Longman Anthology: World Literature. 2nd ed. Volume B. Pearson Longman, 2008. 509-18. Print.

The Longman Anthology: World Literature. 2nd ed. Volume A. Pearson Longman, 2008. 57-97. Print.

The importance of this book is that it contains some of the plants of poesy which were carried out by William Yeats. Arguably, the most outstanding characteristic in the book is the effort at portraying the displacement that characterized Yeats in his work, so that his plants are arranged about chronologically to underline this point of view. Works that depict him as a bard of the Celtic Twilight, resuscitating Rosicrucian symbols and fables are the most frontal. These are followed up by plants which show the displacement off from lavish romanticism. The same are exhibited by the heavy presence of incantatory beats such as “ I will originate and goaˆ¦ and travel to Innisfree ” . The same is seen in the wordss, “ as passionate and cold as the morning ” .

The same plants discussed supra, seem to hold been compiled to demo the multiplicity of poetic functions that Yeats plays in the book. For case, in the verse forms, A Poet to His Beloved ” and, “ When you are old ” Yeats is seen as a lover. In Yeats ‘ work of 1931 titled, “ The Remorse and Interpretation of Speech ” , he comes out as a combative and grim poet of the human scruples. His grim nature is seen in the line, “ I carried from my female parent ‘s uterus, a overzealous bosom. ” That Yeats explores the different sides of himself is a affair which is good underscored in this book which is a myriad of aggregations. The verse forms so, as already mentioned, are diverse in subject and nature. Some of the verse forms appear spiritualistic, occultist while others appear to be clannish. Therefore, the book is non merely an interesting read in this work on the history that it contains a aggregation of Yeats ‘ poetic plants, but besides because it depicts him as a adult male of many chapeaus, holding many Scopess on life affairs, every bit far as these verse forms are concerned.

Yeats, B. William. “ Among school kids. ” The Norton Anthology of Poetry. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1975.

This verse form was published in 1927 and comes out as a signifier of speculation. The verse form is rich in its range as it covers assorted subjects runing from kids, to human behaviour, life in the twentieth century, the doctrine on life and life after decease, among others. This verse form is an eight-lined stanza which is to a great extent loaded with rimes and the usage of matter-of-fact linguistic communication. The verse form has been written within the context of a visitant who has walked into a schoolroom under the counsel of a sort aged nun. The importance of this verse form to this reading is that in it, the poet addresses the dynamism that has shaped and continues to determine the civil society, advancement and modernness, as opposed to the position quo ante which predated the Civil War or the Anglo Irish War.

The importance of this verse form to this reading is besides seen in the fact that it betrays the political ideals that Yeats had: the verse form implicates the talker as being a senator. It is in after 1924 that Yeats served as a senator. This makes the poem sound like a verse form which was penned down after the civil war, given that it is written from the point of view of a more peaceable and politically stable Ireland. Thus, the verse form is besides instrumental as it lets the reader in into Yeats ‘ political orientation and propensities. Therefore, the many qualities Yeats had and the many Fieldss he operated in, in footings of calling are good confirmed by this verse form.

The verse form has philosophical value to it. This is seen in the point where Yeats debates within himself whether or non he was destined to fall in love with the school instructor and thereby allowing readers on the philosophical argument on whether it is adult male who is acted upon, or it is adult male who acts.

Yeats, B. William. A Vision. New York: Macmillan Press, 1956.

This work of poesy was authored and late on, published in 1956. In it, Yeats reveals his cosmology ( or worldview ) and the belief in the supernatural. This stuff remains really utile to the reading, given that in it, the controversial nature of Yeats is made known. It is against this the ‘serviceable lunacy ‘ which was attributed to him, are made known. In A Vision, Yeats seems to be diverting from the norms of his poesy. It is against this background that most analysts have described A Vision as an oddness. A Vision is said to capture the world and kineticss which characterized the 1920s, and such, is said to hold been written against the background of the thoughts of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud which were continually doing inroads into the societal mainstream.

A Vision is therefore seen to be antithetical to the disbelieving ideals which were being advanced by Marx and Freud. Therefore, it can be said that A Vision has been written in contrast to the development that had been taking topographic point at the beginning of the twentieth century. This is much seen to be true, courtesy of the mentioning of preternaturally divine cosmology in the verse form. There are elements in the verse form which are opposed to reason, equality, psychological science and the belief in advancement. Mythical, metaphorical elements, analogies and the usage of symbols and images to a great extent color the poetic work herein.

Yeats, B. William and Jonathan, Allison. William Butler Yeats. 2003.

This book is relevant to the survey, given that in it, the plants of Yeats are good disclosed. The book comes as a co-authorship of Yeats himself and Jonathan Allison. The book remains indispensible, given that it contains autobiography on Yeats ‘ life. The importance of this value to the reader is non merely based on the fact that it helps scholars get acquainted with the life and times of Yeats, but besides on the fact that the reader is able to grok widely, the verse forms that Yeats had penned down. This is because, like all others, all the verse forms that have been jotted down have been written within the historical context. At the same clip, the proviso of inside informations on Yeats ‘ life is instrumental in understanding the verse form since the thoughts that Yeats was conveying in poesy, had all been underpinned by his experiences and penchants, with these experiences earnestly determining his range and worldview. Second, the verse forms that are in this aggregation besides make the book a worthy reading.

Yeats, B. William. The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats. New York: Collier Books.

This book remains really of import, given that it provides an luxuriant history on the life and times of Yeats. The history of Yeats as a adult male born on June 13th, 1865 in Dublin County of Ireland, Sandymount small town, the blue background of Yeats is huffy good known. It is against this background one is able to larn of the birth, travels and experiences. The gravitation of the autobiography above is that it helps in the apprehension of Yeats ‘ plants, but besides in understanding the existent motive behind the countless plants of poesy that Yeats penned down. For case, in the verse form, “ A Prayer for My Son ” , one is able to derive its greater apprehension, on cognizing the fact Yeats ‘ boy was born on August 22nd, 1921, and that hence, this was a supplication that Yeats made for his boy, Michael. The same instance applies to the verse form, “ A Prayer for My Daughter ” which was written by Yeats to his girl Anne who was born in 1919. In about the same vena, one would derive great understanding on verse forms such as “ A Man Young and Old ” , when the reader appreciates the nature of the relationship that William Yeats had with Maud Gonne who was at the clip of their meeting, a 23 twelvemonth old fervent patriot and inheritress.

Yeats, B. William. Poetry for Young People. Sterling Press ; August 28, 2002.

This is a little volume, as an anthology of verse forms which is meant for the vernal audience. Alongside the verse forms, are commentaries which have besides been accompanied by images. The same has been to help in nurturing involvement and apprehension. This is of great importance, given that most of the immature people do non read Yeats, despite holding gone through the early classs which teach poesy. The importance of this aggregation is that it is a pudding stone of verse forms which are merriment to read. Give the interesting nature of the verse forms, discoursing the verse form among the immature becomes easy. The same picturesque and explanatory accounts have been presented to assist the instructor interact easy with his students in the poesy category. The same feature of the book helps parents and even grandparents read to their kids, and to present them ( the kids ) to the linguistic communication of poesy. The importance of this anthology is that it shows the cunning with which Yeats is able to utilize linguistic communication depending on context. For case, herein, it is obvious that Yeats descends from his complex buildings which are meant for more mature audience, to utilize simpler buildings for the younger audience. Indeed, the ability to alter the strength and grade of linguistic communication to accommodate the demands of an audience is one of the shots of adroitness and command over linguistic communication and literary devices and manners.

Yeats, B. William. Yeats ‘ Poetry, Drama and Prose. New York: W. W. Norton & A ; Company, March 3, 2000. Ed. 1.

This book is a aggregation of the poesy, play and essays that have been written by Yeats. The importance of this book is that it does non merely do known the major parts in poesy, play, prose fiction and autobiography, but besides criticisms which have been leveled at Yeats and these plants. The criticisms herein are luxuriant, taking a volume of 24 interpretive essays which have been written by different seasoned writers and poets such as Douglas Archibald, Lucy McDiarmid, Thomas Parkinson and Daniel Albright, among others.