Comparing Blessing And An Old Woman

Though written in a very light and simple manner, the poem comes across as something very profound, laden with meaning through its incongruities. The persona, wanting to see something, often goes to the well and looks down at the water to see it. This certain search below the water's surface can be compared to man's search beneath the human experience for meaning, for certainty.

The appreciation of nature is illustrated through imagery ‘and now the country bursts open on the sea-across a calico beach unfurling’. The use of personification in the phrase ‘and the water sways’ is symbolic for life and nature, giving that water has human qualities. In contrast, ‘silver basin’ is a representation of a material creation and blends in with natural world. The poem is dominated by light and pure images of ‘sunlight rotating’ which emphasizes the emotional concept of this journey. The use of first person ‘I see from where I’m bent one of those bright crockery days that belong to so much I remember’ shapes the diverse range of imagery and mood within the poem. The poet appears to be emotional about his past considering his thoughts are stimulated by different landscapes through physical journey.

In stanza four, “there is still some water left over” alludes that the friendship of the persona and their company will endure and the strength of it will be enough to “refresh them”, even though their time is limited. Harwood comments on the use of the water motif in “Lamplit presences”; “In “At Mornington”, elements of the past, present and future are used in images of water…the first source of the flux of life: the water of the infinity of death”. The concept of the water motif alludes to the ________ of death and rebirth, and of the transitional stages of life. At the beginning of the poem, water represents the innocence of childhood, toying with the childish belief that life is infinite, displaying the persona as a child being saved by her father and tossed amongst the waves; “…and was caught by a wave and rolled/ like a doll among rattling shells/ and I seem to remember my father/ fully clothed, still streaming of water/half comforting, half angry”. Towards the end of the poem, the water is seen as a method of redemption and death, depicting the persona introspectively alluding to their acceptance of death; “…and when I am seized at last/ and rolled in one grinding race/ of dreams, pain, memories, love and grief/ from which no hand will save me…” This central motif of water, and its

Throughout the poem the tone and harmony is showing many different moods including shyness, anger and calmness. An example of shyness is at the start of the poem “softy, silently it swishes”, an example of anger is in the middle of the poem “it thumps, it sprays it rips at shores, its ozone spray”, and finally at the end of the poem calmness is shown, “it spends its strength, it sings, it sighs. The wave recedes”. One aspect of the poem I find intriguing is the alliteration and personification. For example, “it sighs, it sings, it seeks”.

To start with, the theme of the poem is that water is a necessity to life and is a precious gift. This gift is known as a “Blessing”. To begin with, there is a lack of water in which the poem takes place. Imtiaz starts the poem off strong stating right away how “The skin cracks like a pod” (1). Human skin becomes dry and cracked when it is not moisturized. A pod is useless when it is dries up and becomes fragile because of the deficiency of water. The pod links to human skin because water keeps the skin hydrated and helps the body function. In addition, the villagers in the poem value water. When the municipal pipes explode, “silver crashes to the ground” (9). To the villagers, the water shines like silver. The villagers worship the

Towards the middle of the passage the author attaches a metaphor in the quote " waterfall of crying and stampling" to compare the sound of the water to a crying baby. He also adds a simile "Robert

The other section where symbolism is evident is “Small Porch in the Woods.” It is divided into several poems. In the first one, there is the mention of “unshifting star” which represents a change that is undisturbed. It is the turning point of the society. Despite the challenges communities face in their life, their ambition leads them towards achieving their objectives in life. The second poem under this section is about a heavy rain that fell in the month of April. Heavy rain is the representation of unhappy moments. The description presented by the narrator shows that it is a sad moment where everything is carried away. Throughout the poem, the rain is seen, as a lesson

In this week’s reading, “She Grows in wisdom, Stature, and Favor with God “by Mary Lynn Dell, discuss in details about how the biopsychosocial and religious/ spiritual development as it pertains to girls from birth to age twelve. The author was able to focus on the independence of girls rather than comparing them to boys. For example, the author discusses how clergy/ pastoral caregivers must have a clear understand of the issues that surround girls. I agree with author that anyone working with girls especially pastoral caretakers should be aware of the biological, psychological, genetic, and the cultural of girls. For many girls, body image is a big deal for them. For example, in the reading Julie was a young lady who was dying, but she

The stories can also help you remember things about your culture that they might have confused you about. The narrator also mentions the word stories throughout the poem showing that it is a very powerful thing when trying to keep your

From the beginning to the end this poem contains many symbols, water being one of the first to appear. It is first described as unmisted, acting as a reflecting surface on the mirror. In the end, water takes on the position of being a lake, reflecting the girl’s image, no matter the occasion. Water acts as both clear and containing in the poem, showing the girl’s image and hiding the youth that she once had. Not only does water act as a symbol but light, as well. In the poem, it says darkness separates us over and over. Darkness symbolizes the thoughts and feelings the young woman feels, how they cloud her thoughts and opinions of herself. The final, and perhaps greatest symbolize is the reflections themselves. The reflections show the importance of appearance to the woman in the poem, and reveal the inner thoughts she has, how frustrated she feels when her reflection doesn’t meet her expectations. The reflections symbolize not only her outer appearance, but her inner as well. This poem embodies the feelings and thoughts many woman have had, looking in the mirror and not

Now, we are going to try to see how the different parts of the poem are linked. Arrived to this point, there are many things that deserve our attention:

First the explanation of the poem would be the starting ground into really analyzing what this is about. Do Not Go Gentle

Throughout every stanza in the poem, they all have a part where rhyme links into it. In stanza one, the rhyme is found at the end of each sentence, “span…hands…doors…floors…” This is a very simple rhyme, which links back to the relationship of the mother and child. This rhyme shows the beginnings of the mother helping her child and creating a bond. This influenced the mother as she was able to help her child and be close with her son. This inspires me to feel gratitude towards the mother, as it shows that she is helpful, always there and willing to help her son. I suppose I appreciate this mother’s dedication, as in this society, it is rare to find such commitment mothers or fathers. Being present and supportive can go far for your child. Therefore, the first stanza uses rhyme in order to influence the audiences’ feeling about the mother. The second stanza also creates a rhyme at the end of each sentence, “recording… leaving… unreeling…” These are similar to the first stanza but have the same “ing” sound at the end of each word. The second stanza also goes into depth about the bigger objects and the distance between the mother and child’s relationship becoming further apart. Both stanza one and two show the development of the

The poem “Blessing” is about an unfortunate group of people who miraculously find clean water because of a pipe bursting. This is seen as a blessing because of the inadequate amount of water they get in addition to the hot weather conditions and constant droughts. Imtiaz Dharker sets the poem “Blessing” in a shanty town near Mumbai. She starts the poem with a powerful simile describing the state of these people whilst setting the scene. “The skin cracks like a pod”. The word “skin” could demote metaphorically to the earth. Immediately an image of drought and dry soil comes to mind. The phrase “cracks” highlights how hot the country is. This is effective because it allows the reader to envision the scene. The use of onomatopoeia exemplifies the noise of the ground exemplifies the noise of the ground. On the other hand the poem. “Island Man” is about a Caribbean man who one morning woke up in London. This anonymous character is used live in the Caribbean island but wakes up every morning to the sounds and blissful memories of the Caribbean. The Caribbean Scenario that he thinks he has woken up to contrasts harshly with the reality of his existence in London. The sentence “wakes up to sounds of blue surf” proves that Island Man sees the Caribbean as a calm and relaxing location however the poet describes London as a “grey metallic soar”. This usage of language is an illusion compared to the

The poem opens with the statement “there is never enough water”, sharply piercing the readers with a reality that lacks water. The poet wants us to stop and imagine just for a second what it would be like without water, and realise how much we are dependent on this “god”. She then draws a scene of what it would be like when this “kindly god” enters into the water-deprived reality. They are filled with euphoria, elated that such a blessing has entered into their lives. The contrast between these two scenes, the two emotions of despair and elation