An examination of Thomas Hardys "The Darkling Thrush" Essay

‘The Sun Rising’ comes across as a romantic poem where the speaker addresses the sun with anger for

The first ten lines of the poem describe a setting sun and establish the framework in which we are expected to view the monarchy’s fall. Detailing the “glorious” (1) sun’s “double brightness” (4) while he dips below the horizon, Philips portrays the sunset as something both beautiful and terrifying. As the sun “[p]uts on his highest looks in ‘s lowest state” (6), he compels observers to hate him while “ador[ing] his Fall” (8). This section not only characterizes the sun’s shining sunset as a response to his fated end, but evokes the idea of war with words such as “magazine” (as in a magazine of bullets) to refer to the sun’s light (1).

In both “The Darkling Thrush” and “Great Rock and Roll Pauses”, the texts explore the realizations made and the perspectives gained. Both texts use the setting as a moment of awareness. In both texts, they use the scenery as a time to reflect on the times to come. The speaker of the poem is wandering through woods while the characters of “Great Rock and Roll Pauses” are walking around the dessert. Both landscapes are dead and barren, empty of any distractions which intensifies the need for interpersonal relationships.

The presence of the sun symbolizes the “rays of truth”.  “The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade.”  Hiding from the inevitable truth – the inevitable topic of discussion, Jig and the male sit in the shade of the rail station.

The final quatrain highlights a depressing state of mind through assonance and alliteration. Words like ‘keen’, ‘deceives’, ‘me’, ‘tree’, and ‘leaves’ exhibit the assonance of the ‘ee’ sound. Although Hardy tries to keep a neutral opinion of his experience of love, beneath the surface, the reader is aware of the inner emotional turmoil that the author has experienced.

Hardy begins to forget how she was during the time they were estranged but before, “as at first when our day was fair” when they were in love. Hardy assures himself with “yes, as I knew you then.” Although the reader might believe this would make it harder for Hardy to move on, it could possibly do the opposite- Hardy can continue his life without having regrets, on how their relationship was before she died. Hardy visualises her in an “air-blue gown!” this is a romantic expression communicating how perfect she seemed to be. To convey how his loved one was everything to him, Auden uses a contrast in language in the third stanza, “My North, my South, my East and West” demonstrates how Auden was directionless once he died, how he was the entire world to him; all the coordinates. Auden wanted everyone to share his grief, “Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone” “let the mourners come” as a response to death. I believe he wanted to inflict his pain on everyone else after the loss of a loved one, because it's extremely painful to see others happy; he wants others to share his grief. Auden seen his loved one so perfect, he wished to broadcast it to the world “Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves” “let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead.” Because of the loss of his partner, Auden wishes to erase romance. Romance is associated

This rare radiance stands in stark contrast to the "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous" raven who now never leaves his chamber (71). Lenore is referred to as a "sainted maiden" (94), whereas the raven is referred to as a "prophet!" and a "thing of evil!" (85, 91). The radiance of Lenore is contrasted with the speaker's soul, which he describes as being under a shadow (107). These contrasts serve to draw attention to the most significant contrast described in the poem: an intelligent, well-read, loving man interprets a bird seeking shelter on a cold night as an emblem of never-ending anguish and succumbs to depression and madness.

In the poem, “ Neutral Tones” ,by Thomas Hardy, the readers will inquire information from the author through use of imagery. In the first three stanzas Hardy reminisces about a memory he has with a past loved one. During the last stanza, Hardy reflects how the relationship shaped him. The speaker is aggravated mentally by the disappointment of love, believing that things were once beautiful.  He is devastated and frustrated when love perishes and feels deceived by the sweet promises love had to offer.

In William Shakespeare’s 33rd Sonnet, the speaker remarks on the ultimate beauty of the sun and its continuous daily cycle. However, the sun is not completely unmarked as the occasional cloud shields the world from its glory. In Greek mythology, the sun was the ultimate ruler as legend says Helios would drive the sun everyday across the sky in his golden chariot. A similar myth is mirrored in Egyptian history as Ra, the sun god, was the ultimate ruler. The sun holds a vital place in the the human history of power and strength and is the keystone to all life. Although at first read, the speaker seems to be remarking on the sun’s eternal glory despite the occasional shielding cloud, in actuality, the speaker is drawing a parallel between his

Robert Seymour Bridges was an inspiring and influential writer whose career spans almost six decades. He was an obscure poet until obtaining the title of poet laureate in 1913. Bridges writes with a passion for beauty and nature in life that is clearly displayed throughout his poetry. Influenced by his upbringing and the war during the time, Bridges’ uses a cold and formal style; however, he is still able to express strong emotion that captivates the reader. Bridges’ use of vivid imagery, precision, and beauty in his writing helped him develop into one of the most influential literary figures of the early twentieth century and revolutionized and influenced the English literature world greatly.

Lastly, Coleridge’s poem is reflective of the focus on the individual in romantic literature, where they are a solitary reflective figure as opposed to works focusing on the individual in society. Coleridge stresses the individual through writing in first person and interjecting many “I” phrases. The antithesis in the first line between “they are gone” and “here must I remain” firmly brings the attention to the individual in the poem, focusing on this solitary figure and his feelings. The conversational style of the poem also helps by reproducing natural speech, giving the feeling of his own train of thought, coming naturally. In fact, the whole poem encapsulates this focus on the individual, with the structure mirroring his meditation, contemplating a problem and finding a solution to it. The form and structure of the poem is shaped around his thoughts and even the

Natural instances are prominent in Hardy’s “The Darkling Thrush” and Thomas’s “The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower”. Hardy reminisces over the past while witnessing a changing society while Thomas reminisces over the certain destruction of his youth and vitality, even with different concerns both authors’ problems are due to passing time. Both poems have a certain contrast when explaining their theme but both are aware of the idea of death being a natural occurrence that awaits all of us. The two author’s similarities are highlighted by a look at form, tone, words, and continuous use of nature to depict theme.

The first seven stanzas establish the setting and the narrator’s state of mind. Weak and overwhelmed with grief, the speaker tries to overshadow his sorrow by reading curiously obscure books. Narrated in first person, the poem conveys the speaker’s shift from weary, sorrowful composure to a state of nervous demise as he recounts his strange experience with the mysterious black

Author Thomas Hardy is typically distinguished for following a trend in which all his fiction is characterized by chance being the incarnation of the blind forces controlling human destiny. As J Clipper once said, “Hardy reflected Nietzsche’s agonized cry that ‘God is dead’, in his novels. His view of life was that since there is no God to give meaning to life, Man is alone in the Universe, no better and no worse than other creatures who live or have lived for a brief moment on this speck called Earth. The Universe and fate is essentially malevolent and benevolent.” Hardy believes that God, whether he once was once a presence or not, has disappeared entirely from the world. People are left to defend themselves and cope in a society

is our job to search it out. In the case of the poem, the narrator now