Critical Analysis of Edwin Arlington Robsin

The poem at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation, south carolina, 1989 by Lucille Clifton is a six stanza poem with many repetitions throughout the poem conveying the idea of how the slaves that worked in the walnut plantation were forgotten and not honored. The speaker of the poem, who is taking a tour around the plantation and cemetery, expressed anger throughout the poem as the tension slowly escalates ending with repetitions of “here lies”. Putting all the elements of the poem together, paradox and repetition, it perfectly articulates the underlying meaning of the poem, which is to remember and honor the dead slaves, men and women, whom worked in

The text is very descriptive and loaded with symbols. The author takes the opportunity to relate elements of setting with symbols with meanings beyond the first reading’s impressions. The house that the characters rent for the summer as well as the surrounding scenery are introduced right from the beginning. It is an isolated house, situated "quite three miles from the village"(947); this location suggests an isolated environment. Because of its "colonial mansion"(946) look, and its age and state of degradation, of the house, a supernatural hypothesis is implied: the place is haunted by ghosts. This description also suggests stability, strength, power and control. It symbolizes the patriarchal oriented society of the author’s time. The image of a haunted house is curiously superimposed with light color elements of setting: a "delicious garden"(947), "velvet meadows"(950), "old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees"(948) suggest bright green. The room has "air and sunshine galore"(947), the garden is "large and shady"(947) and has "deep-shaded arbors"(948). The unclean yellow of the wallpaper is

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

Through the author’s use of alliteration and assonance, clearly shown in the quote ‘someone she loved once passed by-too late’, it becomes evident what is being conveyed through Harwood’s writing. Displayed through this quote the poem is directed in past tense, this

Poetry is a form of literature applying different terms of language to evoke meanings or qualities in an author’s life. Throughout American history, many poets have been major influences on society, and one of them is Edwin Arlington Robinson, an American writer of rationalism and physiological understanding. In “Miniver Cheevy,” Edwin Arlington Robinson uses imagery and allusions to convey the meaning of the poem that reflects upon the similarities between his own life and that of the cheerless speaker of the poem.

Master establishes a foil in these two Spoon River Anthology poems as the reader observes the differences in the characters’ lives and outlooks. Uniquely, Masters creates characters who have died and now look back on their lives to give advice to the reader. For example, in “George Gray”, George is dead but knows he did not live life with a purpose. He

First and foremost, the text focuses on the loss that occurs when a new era emerges. Defining the concept of loss allows readers to grasp the idea that something is fading away throughout time. Edward Hopper illustrates this concept through the shading of the house. The shading of the house sets a depressing tone for the picture, evoking feelings of melancholy and loneliness. For instance, the sunlight illuminates the left side of the house, but not enough to illuminate the entire house. In fact, a majority of the house is casted pitch-black from the shadow. In this context, sunlight signifies revitalization whereas darkness signifies loss. The stark contrast between darkness overshadowing lightness symbolizes the extent of loss that is felt when

“The five o’clock by the chimney still marked the time, but the oriole nest in the elm untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle” (Hurst 416). James Hurst, the author of the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” uses imagery like this in his story to create a mysterious feeling for the reader. This short story is about two brothers, their relationship, and the regrets we all feel after loss. Hurst not only uses the narrative to create a sorrowful tone, but also various literary elements to get through to the reader. Through the use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism, James Hurst creates a sorrowful tone in his short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”.

The theme of emptiness is seen throughout Thomas’ poems. The wartime poet writes of his memory of livelihood and activity in villages, such as the one described in ‘Aspens’, and then how it begins to disappear as a result of war. This is shown as the village is left with a ‘lightless pane and footless road’ causing the village to appear as ‘empty as sky’ and this simile gives a sense of vastness of the effects of the war, emphasising on the emptiness in the poem. Further, the mention of the ‘cross-roads to a ghostly room’ explicates that the village is so empty that it is leading nowhere. This metaphor is ironic as cross-roads are suggestively open gateways and a sense of choice in direction. However this connotation is altered as Thomas uses the metaphor ‘ghostly room’, to portray the vacant village and this is supported by the cross-roads as they lead to emptiness and isolation. This is also seen in ‘Old Man’ as the paradox ‘only an avenue, dark, nameless, without end’ gives a sense of no lead despite the fact that an avenue should lead somewhere. It is clear here that Thomas’ state of depression is

The second main poetic device used by Robinson is irony. The apparent irony in the poem is the fact that Richard Cory killed himself. As I have discussed before, Richard Cory was this guy who had all of the things anyone could ask for. He had good-looks, money, intelligence, and was, for the most part, liked by everyone. The irony comes when the reader realizes that the majority of people would be unbelievably happy with this life. It is extremely appalling and ironic that Richard Cory could kill himself with this seemingly perfect life. The second piece of irony stems from the first. It is not necessarily the fact that

“The Wife’s Lament” is a poem that was translated by Ann Standford, and it uses numerous literary devices to convey the pains and emotions being felt by the narrator, an exiled wife. The author of the poem uses a metaphor to compare the cave the wife has moved into to an empty hall: “under an oak tree

Almost immediately after telling the readers about her first crush, the speaker, setting up for the second part of her story, begins to use vague phrases and abstract imagery to tell the rest of her story. The speaker remembers “lingering far past curfew [with the paperboy]” and the “gray [air]” that surrounded her (7-8). She tells of the “huge shadow of the hickory” that shrouded her with darkness, that allowed her to be in the shade (9). These vague details and the darkness offered by the tree’s shade allows for the interpretation that the speaker will soon fall asleep in the hickory’s shadow and begin to dream of the

The poem, "The Night House" by Billy Collins, is very symbolic and meaningful, and most people can relate to because everyone has something they are not content with in life. Collins is a great, straightforward writer that people can depict with in his poems because he is practical and uses simple things or everyday experiences in an easy way. This poem in particular is very symbolic and effortless to analyze because it is the everyday life--- going to work, coming home, and then going to sleep--- the cycle then repeats over and over. He talks about "the body works" at the beginning (which sets the tone for the rest of the poem), which symbolizes that our hearts and minds are not always into what we are doing. He talks and illustrates figurative parts of the body: the heart, mind, conscience, and soul. When he talks about the woman sleeping, all these figurative body parts are restless and come out at night to do what they really want to do.

To start off the analysis, the setting of the entire poem is significant. Though the poem takes place in a house, the atmosphere the house is set in is also important. The month is September which is a month of fall which can be seen as a symbol for decline. It definitely insinuates that the poem is leading towards death. Line 1 has “September rain falls on the house” which gives the feeling of a dark and cold night with a storm on top of that. To further develop that, Bishop gives us the failing light in line 2 to also give us an idea of the grandmother’s struggle. Bishop uses the cyclical theme of changing seasons to show the unending nature of what is transpiring within the

The entirety of Alfred Tennyson’s “Enoch Arden” is framed around three pivotal characters: Annie Lee, Philip Ray, and the title character, Enoch Arden. The poem operates through a love triangle which persists until Enoch’s death. In the excerpt at hand, Enoch is forced to hear of his failed marriage with Annie Lee, who remarried after years of believing her husband had died at sea. Miriam Lane not only informs Enoch that Annie has remarried, but that she has married Philip Ray, has allowed him to take care of her and Enoch’s children, and has borne him a child. Tennyson’s utilization of a love triangle as a prominent plot device likely suggests that Miriam’s news incites feelings of heartbreak in Enoch—he has lost both his wife and his