Analysis Of ' Piano ' And ' Snake '

INTRODUCTION – (1 paragraph) STRUCTURE 1. Opening sentences which introduce the poem, its author and its form.Explain why the poem is of a particular form (either a ballad or lyric poem). 2. Thesis statement: A general statement about what the poem communicates about life and life experience. 3. Signpost: briefly outline the more specific reasons for how/why the poem conveys this life experience and / or message. (Introduce the main features which will be explored in more detail in the body of your essay).

Style is the special way an author creates his or her work. Gabriela Mistral exploits an informal style in her poem “Ballad”. The poem discusses the poets feelings and is written in first person point of view validating its informality; “My heart’s blood.”-Line17 using ‘my’ and describing her heart confirm this. Diction contributes to style in an extensive way. Repetition is a form of diction that is heavily spread out through the poem. “Saw him pass by.”-Lines 2/6, “He goes loving.../...in bloom”-Lines1-2/11-12, and “He will go.../through eternity.”-Lines 19-20/23-24. The repetition emphasizes the authors style an diction. In this poem diction is displayed through negative connotation. Choosing to describe her emotional state as “,wretched,”-Line 5, instead of sad or unhappy, and by adding a

When a reader grasps a theme throughout any piece of literature, he or she never clearly understands the intent without knowing where the theme came from. The theme that is portrayed in the poem is, often times reconnecting with a loved one cannot only bring happiness, but it can also bring sorrow. This theme was emphasized throughout the poem and without knowing the historical context of the poem, one could not necessarily understand where it came from. In the text it

The detail increases the power the snake exudes in the perspective of the man. “Children, dogs, and horses…who weren’t as strong” compared to the snake, created panic and fear, because of its “six powerful fangs” and “little

As the initial path of conflict between snake and man is developed, literary devices such as imagery allow the reader to more easily visualize and connect to the story. Descriptive imagery is the first literary device used in “The Rattler”. The use of “ Light was thinning; the scrub’s dry savory odors were sweet on the cooler air. In this, the first pleasant moment for a walk after long blazing hours” (The Rattler 1) in the opening of the piece encourages the reader to delve into the narrator’s life and experience what he feels. After the narrator abruptly sees the snake, the imagery changes from the peaceful rural life to a dark, intense description of the snake, “a six-foot black snake thick as my wrist, capable of long-range attack and armed with powerful fangs” (The Rattler 2), changing to the viewpoint of the snake for the reader. The switch in the use of imagery takes the reader through a completely different path and alters their emotional response to the story. The snake’s presence illustrates the narrator’s obvious fear and anxiety while allowing the reader to feel the same emotions

The fact that enjambment is used throughout the poem such as in the lines, “like a colour slide or press an ear against its hive” portrays a lack of structure and therefore emphasizes the initial enjoyment one feels when reading a poem before the chore of analyzing it begins. This is also emphasized through the fact that the poem is a free verse poem.

The poem’s structure as a sonnet allows the speaker’s feelings of distrust and heartache to gradually manifest themselves as the poem’s plot progresses. Each quatrain develops and intensifies the speaker’s misery, giving the reader a deeper insight into his convoluted emotions. In the first quatrain, the speaker advises his former partner to not be surprised when she “see[s] him holding [his] louring head so low” (2). His refusal to look at her not only highlights his unhappiness but also establishes the gloomy tone of the poem. The speaker then uses the second and third quatrains to justify his remoteness; he explains how he feels betrayed by her and reveals how his distrust has led him

    The poem is structured as a sonnet which commonly expresses a theme of love throughout the lines. Also it is paired with the “ABAB” rhyme scheme to give an emotional view to the readers about the conflict he has. Also the sonnet and the rhyme scheme is a common usage of poem making and many people know what it is, so the poet uses this structure to let readers understand more easily and clearly. He also uses the “ABAB” scheme to separate parts that are important within themselves. In the first four lines, it talks about the poet himself and how much he tries to avoid the one she loves by “ hold my louring head so low”(Line 2). In the next four lines, it talks about the mouse and how its problems relates with the poet’s emotional pain. After that, the next four lines talks about the fly and how it relates with the author with his physical pain. Using these methods help the poet communicate with the readers easily.

The third stanza describes the snake as “cool and gleaming as a braided whip” (9-10). Describing the snake as a braided whip demonstrates the intricate woven pattern of the snake’s scales and the poet’s appreciation for nature and its’ beauty. The snake is not a useless piece of rubber, but a beautiful and vibrant part of nature. “He is as beautiful and quiet as a bead brother” (10-11). The snake is quiet, makes no sound, and snuggles into

The fellow-traveller’s staff  “bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent.” Bringing a large black snake into the physical setting is indeed one way to dramatically ratchet-up the tension and the foreboding of ill. In this passage the narrator identifies the traveller with the snake: "Sayest thou so?" replied he of the serpent, smiling apart.”

In the next four lines of the poem, the speaker talks about how he feels as he imagines his childhood. Even though he is in front of this woman who is singing and playing music, “in spite of” himself, his present state, this “insidious mastery of song betrays” the speaker back “till” he “weeps” to go back to his childhood. The guileful dominance of the song the woman is singing beguiles him to think about his past experience. His heart “weeps to belong to the old Sunday evenings at home.” He really misses the time when he was little, and he used to hear his mother playing piano every Sunday evening. He wants to go back to his childhood and belong to that time again.

In a connection to the game of Go, wherein players aim to surround their opponent’s stones, the speaker appears to be drowning in remorse; “I have lost the feather of poetry/ and the rains/ of separation/ surround us tock/ tock like Go tablets” (Stanza 1, Lines 4-8). This effect is achieved with the onomatopoeic sound of Go stones clacking, which distracts and muffles the senses, which is experienced by players who spend extensive amounts of time playing board games. With repetition, one can be overwhelmed by the sound. In the same quote, “rains of separation” is symbolic, marking the beginning of the separation with his love, and establishes the motivation for the stanzas that follow. Additionally, “feather of poetry” describes the speaker’s wisdom, which he believes has been dulled. The extended metaphor is realized when the speaker ends with the personification of blood representing his family’s struggles; “all the wise blood/ poured from little cuts/ down into the sink” (Stanza 5, Lines 22-24). Indeed, a comparison drawn between unfaithfulness to familial decay is exposed by Ondaatje. A sympathetic mood is prompted by the victimization of the speaker, conveying the feeling that humans’ mistakes have lasting effects - intentional or

The first person point of view reinforces the confidential tone recalling the confessional poetry genre of which Plath is considered one of the most prominent poets. The title itself introduces the reader in the narrator private sphere portraying a profound, totalitarian and obfuscating love as revealed by the word “mad.” Reading between the lines, it sounds somehow sinister as if to question the veracity of the narrator’s point of view, a concept also emphasized through the use of the word “song.” In the collective imaginary, a song gives voice to inner feelings or thoughts, like a window into the soul of the writer without any pretense of being a bearer of truth.

But the symbolism of the snake cannot be ignored and suggests that Lawrence may have been exploring something other than simply a snake. The snake also makes a rather large symbolic appearance in The Bible as it represents temptation and Satan himself. Lawrence uses a repetition and imagery to show that it is a really hot day, and snake has come from the burning bowels of the earth and Lawrence uses simile to say it is “Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld." These allusions can’t be overlooked, as he represents the obstinate desire in every law-abiding citizen to ignore social order and give in to the temptation of wrong-doing that hangs over everyone’s head. He resists his education’s urges for him to not give into his temptations, and after he successfully obeys his learned behaviors, he regrets his decision to do so and wishes he had broken societal order to give into his twisted temptation.

     The narrator seems almost confused by how he feels toward this snake. His voices tell him he is a coward and that he isn't a man because he hasn't killed the snake. But he longs to talk to him. He seems to feel a connection to this snake. He "felt so honoured" to be with the snake. He was afraid, and he recognized that, "But even so, honoured still more"