Angela M. Estes: Poem Analysis

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

As the snake “drew back his head and [the man] raised [his] weapon” they both were ready for their last fight. Both felt threatened by each other; thus, both felt the necessity to become defensive. However, neither one saw the situation as an immediate threat, so they did not immediately strike. When the narrator “made an unprovoked attack,” the snake performed “a little song of death.” The reader’s sympathy for the snake once again returns because the snake did nothing wrong. The “little song of death” depicts an image of the snake’s last effort to live. However, there is nothing “little” in death, but rather displays the snake’s submissiveness to the man. The “ominous” situation with “poison dripping from [the snake’s] fangs” is reminiscent of the tragedy that just occurred. The author reminds the reader of the necessity to rid the world of the danger from a snake. It lessens the reader’s grief towards the snake, bringing a more neutral tone to the

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

Another aspect to this poem that is very important would be the figurative language. The author uses a lot of similes and metaphors throughout further illustrate this father’s ridiculous ways. The speaker uses the simile “snaked like dragons” to describe the fire engines, this was a good choice in comparison because when you think of a dragon you automatically think of bright fires and then when you continue on the thought you think of their crouched down tiptoes

It is apparent from the first line of the poem that author is in a state of overriding fear travelling through the unknown: likening the road to an “old snake shedding its skin.” A snake is a clear representation of childhood fear and youthful paranoia, due to its intimidating nature. Walcott compares the path to a snake because he fears it just like a snake, to him the path is daunting and potentially deadly at first. The author not only compares the road to a snake but a snake shedding its skin. This paints a grotesque image for readers and illustrates how he views his initial journey with anything but enthusiasm. The author is in the unfamiliar wilderness searching for not only the storyteller’s house but himself. His state of childhood terror is only counterbalanced by his encounter with the storyteller.

Abandoned by her mother at three-year-old, married at the age 19, three children at the age of 26, and with only a fifth-grade level education. My mom was in prison for a month after struggling to cross the Mexican border into the United States. My mom came to American seeking a better future where my siblings and I did go hungrier to be able to survive. The poet is describing the word “Migration” that takes a different method in relating what is crossing the border as well as tense perceptive effects that occur when it comes to crossing the border. Rosa Alcala’s poem has persona, metaphor, images and figures speech the author can illustrate the feeling of the poem as attentive vagueness.

Portrayed as righteous by a sympathetic diction, the reader feels pity and pleased by the snake. When the man comes back with a hoe, the snake had “not moved”, but rather stayed still like a “live wire” when he “saw the hoe”. He did not move because he knows people do not want to mess with him and he does not want to trigger a fight. He is dangerous only if someone were to provoke or try to harm him. He will not attack unless he is forced to.

Language, details, and actions are used to make the readers feel sympathy for the snake. In the story, the snake is very relaxed, calm and non-aggressive. When the snake is first noticed, its head is not “drawn back to strike” the man. This shows that the snake is not being aggressive, which means that it’s intentions were not to fight the man. The snake also “held his ground with calm watchfulness”.The

At the end of the short story a group of snakes are trying to put out the fire that was started in the house, this relates to the novel because of the machine that the doctors use to get all of the poison out of patients that try to commit suicide which is called a snake. In the short story the snakes are spraying venom at the fire in hopes to put it out while in the novel the snake try to consume the poison inside the patients in hopes to save their lives. Throughout the short story the reader realizes that the animals that are in the house are all robots, just like in the novel they have animals like the hound which are robots. Aside from the many similarities, there are a few

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

Initially, Collins demonstrates how one can weigh a dog’s weight with his method. Concrete diction in the first stanza, such as, “ small bathroom”, “ balancing”, and “shaky” suggest the uncomfortable nature of his intimate relationship with his pet. Although Collin is unappreciated for the gritty toil determination, he praise himself to applauded that “this is the way” and raising his self-esteem by comparing how easier it is than to train his dog obesity. In addition, the negative diction used to describe Collin holding his dog to be “awkward” for him and “bewildering” for his pet. This establish he rather force love rather willing show patience. When holding a pet on scale, there is less hustle because he secures the dog’s position by carrying it. Where as when he orders the dog to stay on the weighing scale with a cookie, his dog only followed him because of the expected reward.

Aemilia Lanyer’s only book of poetry published in 1611 Salve Deus Rex Judeorum marked Lanyer as a historically important literary figure. At age 42 she became the first English woman to declare herself as a poet. Due to this, a lot of scholarship published about her tends to lean toward feminism. From here feminist criticism branches off into several categories: 16th century women writers, female relationships, patronage, women’s rights, discussions of property and home. Another category that Lanyer incorporated into her writing was linking or comparing her female patrons to sacred figures. Lanyer is well known for writing for her main inspiration and patron, Margaret, the Countess of Cumberland. Lanyer published one of the first texts of English

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.”

The use of words like silently, softly, in the beginning when he is first describing the snake and the snake's motions, serve to get us into a quiet, observing mood. Then saying the snake "mused a moment" gives us the impression that the snake is "like a king", quiet and majestic. Again, later in the poem, using words such as dreamily and slowly, projecting that quiet atmosphere.