“From the Wave” by Thom Gunn Poetry is a work of literature in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. Thom Gunn is a poet known for creating imagist poems. In “From the Wave,” Gunn uses the literal meaning, surfers preparing for a wave, and compares them to the metaphorical meaning, students preparing to graduate from college. In “From the Wave,” the speaker explains how surfers prepare for the approaching wave. The first stanza is about the build up of the actual wave. “It mounts at sea, a concave wall” shows the wave building up as it approaches the shore (Gunn line 1). Gunn describes the wave as “building tall” and it having a “steep incline” to show just how …show more content…
In “From the Wave,” the metaphorical meaning shows how education is important to achieve. “It mounts at sea, a concave wall” represents the nervousness of a new start and being off on his own after graduation (Gunn line 1). The speaker uses the phrase “hiding rise to sight” to show his experiences through his school career (Gunn line 5). He is described as having a “learn’d skill,” which he will be able to use throughout his life to become a successful citizen (Gunn line 10). The “marbling bodies” represent the students preparing to walk across the stage at graduation to receive their diplomas (Gunn line 13). During college, the load of school work would “slice the face,” but “balance is triumph” meaning that college became easier when he learned to balance his school work and social life (Gunn lines 17, 19). “They paddle in the shallows still; two splash each other” shows the speaker walking on stage to receive his diploma from the principle (Gunn lines 29-30). After graduation, the real world begins. “Then all swim out to wait until the right waves gather” tells how the speaker is moving on to his new life and starting a career (Gunn lines 31-32). Both the literal and metaphorical meanings of “From the Wave” represents how preparation turns into success. “From the Wave” is considered an imagist poem, which causes the reader to dig deeper than the literal meaning. Gunn compares surfers with graduating students to prove that in order to succeed, preparation is
In the beginning of The Open Boat, the author Stephen Crane displays a wide variety of imagery. The first chapter is about several men who get stranded on a deserted island. While their ship is in the process of crashing into land, Crane describes the cruel waves. "The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times it's edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks". With much hesitation, Crane subtly foreshadows the future events.
The suspense is if any of the lights will stay lit. The sound of the vicious waves crashing against the lighthouse was evidence of “the lighthouse…being swallowed by the angry ocean.” This quote reveals visual imagery of the waves crashing against the lighthouse. In addition, to depicting a fearful mood, it creates a mood of apprehension since the question of the safety of the character arises. Vivid imagery enhances the mood of uneasiness throughout the
The narrator begins this story stating, “None of them knew the color of the sky” (338). He refers to the cook, the correspondent, the captain, and the oiler, the main characters. This quote means that all of them are focused on fighting for survival, paying all of their attention to the waves. They fight against the waves, trying to stay alive. However, the author states, “A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats” (339). The waves are a symbol of the uncaring nature; it does not matter how hard the protagonists try to fight against the waves because nature continues its course; the waves continue to flow. However, the characters are determined to stay alive. They continue to face this external conflict that is nature, even when they realize that nature is
The first quote is important because it shows how emotional humans can relate to the sea, with its blue, rolling waves sinking into the beach and rising again, a thousand fold of times, repeating and representing the moods that sentient beings can
“A few feet from her locker, Laurie froze. There on her locker door, the word “enemy” was painted in red letters. Suddenly the loudest noise in the corridor was the quick, instant beating of her own heart (110)”. Laurie’s popularity changed dramatically throughout the story from being a popular girl who was dating a football player to him actually breaking up with her. Finally she changed from being liked by others to being hated by other people for publishing her article about the Wave. She described it as something awful and wrong. She was now the “enemy”. On the other hand, Robert Billings changed from a poor student who didn’t care about anything to a high level confident person. “Robert Billings trudged into the room he was a heavy boy with shirttails perpetually hanging out and his hair always a mess as if he never bothered to comb it after getting out of bed in the morning (p.7)”. In the beginning of the novel the other students were afraid to ruin their own images by hanging out with Robert and were always embarrassed by him. But when The Wave comes along he decides to make a change and gets involved. Robert was promoted by Ben Ross which made him a higher rank in the wave than anyone else. Robert began to be fully devoted to the wave which made a big change in his
Nevertheless, the flag stands erect and flapping in the wind. On the right side of the piece, we view the exact magnitude of the storm through the “white wash” of the violent waves. Additionally, the sky to the right of the ship’s crow’s nest is lighter and hints of a sun trying to break through the lurking darkness. Despite the presence of other visual elements, what clearly connects is that the ocean, embellished and predominantly highlighted in the work, was Moran’s principal interest. However, the fact that something so fleeting as surging waves dominates the composition even to the visual expense and weight of an obviously colossal ship.
“The Surfer,” by Judith Wright is a poem about a young, tanned, strong man surfing in the ocean. In the middle of the poem the tone warns the surfer of the looming danger of the changing sea. With the author’s specific use of diction, structure, metaphors, personification, and symbolism, the poem begins with the thrillingly surreal weightlessness as a surfer stands on the surface, to the mysterious dangerous side of the ocean. The purpose of the poem is to convey that although some things can be enjoyable they can also be dangerous, in this case the ocean.
The threatening wave is about to splash down and take over the boats
In the article it states. In the grace of the ocean or the power of the waves some people think when did surfing begin? We know it wasn’t a happy go lucky beach boy from the 80s. Most people believe it was invented by fisherman to get their fish into shore quickly. Later it became a sport of kings the richest people and the kings had up to about 18 to 24 feet long. Instead of calling it surfing the Hawaiians “he e nalu,” or wave sliding. In 1777 Captain James Cook observed canoe surfing in Tahiti and wrote “I can not help concluding that the man had great pleasure!” But do to the Europeans coming to Hawaii they got a lot of diseases and cause most surfing to stop. In 1866 a man named Mark Twain went to Hawaii to rediscover the past and brought
While reading the poem “Introduction to Poetry,” Billy Collins sends a message to the readers that they should be patient and impartial when it comes to analyzing a poem in order to see the true meaning behind the without being over analytical. There is a revieting situation that takes place because Billy Collins is delivering his message to all readers about the way that one should be able to read a poem. This poems educates the reader on how to be able to read and plunge into a poem, through using many techniques like mood, tone, and literary devices to do so. In the first two lines Collins demands that we tackle a poem with a invigorating eye. There should be an exploration of what the poem means to us. How does this poem apply to our
This image is similar to the one created in “Dover Beach – A Note” by Archibald MacLeish, who also used the crashing waves as a metaphor for the passing generations. In particular, Thomas is referring to ‘the last wave’ of good men, who believe that they could have accomplished more if they lived longer. However, Thomas provides reassures in this metaphor as after one wave, comes another, presumably with more good men. Additionally, Thomas uses the metaphor of ‘green bay’ to stand for life, as this is where the waves come from. Green especially is associated with life and youth. Moreover, the use of the words ‘bright’ and ‘danced’ to describe what the men’s ‘frail deeds’ could have been creates a contrast to show why men might rally against ‘the dying of the light’; who wants their deeds to be frail when they could be bright and
The Wave is a story about a high school senior class that has been intrigued to join their teacher’s cult known as the Wave. Several people tried to prevent the denial of his movement. Laurie Saunders the main character in the wave, is a rebellious girl who is very ashamed of this movement and is not inspired by her history teacher. He shows them a very emotional video of what Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party did. Some of the students take it more personal than others do. Because of Laurie’s bravery, independence, and determination, Laurie denies the Wave.
An important idea in The Wave is ‘words can be used for harm or for good’. This idea means that words can be used to hurt people mentally and create bad things, but, at the same time can cheer a person up and change their life in a good way. The confusing thing is, is that good words can also be bad. For example, if someone said that they won their basketball game and you said ‘good’, then that would be a good thing to say. It’s also quite the same with harmful words. In The Wave, this conundrum is used in a smart way. For example, Ben Ross is taking his first class with The Wave as a base when he introduces the line,
Poems are confusing and intricate, and Jack Spicer embraces this fact by writing a poem about how poems are difficult to understand. “’Any fool can get into an ocean’” is a complex poem commenting on the art of poetry, an Ars Poetica, and how it takes someone, something special to be able to grasp its meaning. Using a variety of literary techniques, from allusions to metaphors and scenic imagery, Spicer effectively creates a poem commenting on the nature of poems and their complexity. Free verse is a favorite of most modern poets and Spicer fully embraces this structure with no rhyme or specific meter. The poem consists of twenty-three lines and the twelfth line is indented; this marks a physical halfway point in the poem and Volta.
Many children are told growing up to always go with your gut instincts because if you feel in your heart that something is wrong, it most likely is. Similarly, Laurie a highschool student struggles to choose to go with their gut and follow her heart during crucial issues that occur in her high school life. In the novel, The Wave, Todd Strasser uses dialogue, revealing actions, and symbolism throughout the story to support the theme of trusting your gut and never being afraid to do the right thing. Through Laurie heated arguments, character revealing actions, and ability to understand the significance of the salute, Todd Strasser beautifully illustrates the theme of the story.