It Sifts From Leaden Seives - ED

As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.

Both Dickinson and Frost approach their darkness with a sense of rhythm. In Dickinson’s poem, the “uncertain step” of line 5 is conveyed through

Explain (tell me what image the poem brings to mind)She begins by describing the "death of winter's leaves".

The author uses diction throughout the poem to help the reader better understand how the speaker is feeling. For example, "It was hot. A size too large, my wool winter suit scratched" (lines 1-2) shows

Enjambment in the poem sets the mood. The mood is that as of a snowfall, quiet cold, settled and slow. The poem does not need to rush its thoughts into a sentence or a stanza. By separating the thoughts into different lines and stanzas forces the reader to read slowly as that of a snowfall. The reader reads the poem peacefully, which depicts the images of a peaceful snow, covered forest.

In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, Frost describes a thick patch of woods that are a long way from anything. He does not go into great detail describing them, leaving that to the reader’s imagination. He merely describes them as “lovely, dark and deep.” This lack of detail is to help us focus not so much on all the things that are there, as the things that aren’t. He mentions that the horse must be thinking that this is strange to stop here, with no barn near. The only thing that is nearby is nature. The lake is frozen and the trees and ground are covered with snow. During a snowstorm, sound does not travel very well. It is very muddled and muted. The only sounds that are mentioned in the poem are the bells on the horse’s harness and the wind. So, the rider is stopping to smell the roses. He is taking a break from the world around

In the fourth and final stanza Frost uses the riming of all four sentences to draw the reader into the climax of the poem, “the woods are lovely dark and deep/ But I have promises to keep/ and miles to go before I sleep/ and miles to go before I sleep”. This grouping leads the reader to feel that

The poem begins with the poet noticing the beauty around her, the fall colors as the sun sets “Their leaves and fruits seemed painted, but was true, / Of green, of red, of yellow, mixed hue;” (5-6). The poet immediately relates the effects of nature’s beauty to her own spiritual beliefs. She wonders that if nature here on Earth is so magnificent, then Heaven must be more wonderful than ever imagined. She then views a stately oak tree and

In Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” a relationship between the speaker and the speaker’s father is expressed in short but descriptive detail, revealing a kind of love that had gone unnoticed for so long. Throughout the poem, Hayden’s use of connotative diction keeps the poem short and sweet yet packed with significant meaning. The evocative sound patterns play just as great a role setting the harsh and reflective tone of the poem. Together, these devices are used to effectively deliver the poem.

Frost does not use a wide variety of vocabulary when it comes to the language usage in the poem. He does not care to use a numerous amount of complex words to make the poem sound extremely intricate. Therefore, the diction of this poem can be considered low. Frost keeps the language of the poem casual and simple. However, he did throw in a couple intricate words that really stood out. He used the word, “hoary” when instead he could have used grey, old, or white. He also stated, “pane of glass” when he could have simply said a mirror instead. On another note, Frost truly values the use of repetition. The term “sleep” is mentioned six times within the poem. The speaker wants to really emphasize this term so that the reader can recognize that

Frost uses rhymed iambic pentameter, a favorite style of his, to create a steady flow and represent the first manifestations of winter. Iambic pentameter, in terms of style, is about as far as you can get from Mary Oliver’s free verse. As the amount of syllables in a line is constant the Frost much change his pace with much different strategies. He does this by switching from multisyllabic words to monosyllabic words. He does this by stressing words at different points in a line, creating a more hurried pace. He also uses some internal rhymes to the same effect. Mostly, Frost’s poem achieves the same mimicry of winter by focusing on the soundscape of the poem. He uses almost entirely soft vowels and he mostly avoids harsh consonant sounds. This sets up the peaceful, quiet feeling of a new winter The only time that harsh consonants are used is intentionally, when he is referring to the harshness of winter in old age. The stressed rhyme words in this section are “break”, (13) “take”, (17) and “ache”(21). Frost bends a strict poetic form to his will and creates the feeling of a wintry day and makes changes to the internal structure of the lines to vary this

Hayden utilizes diction to set a dark and solemn tone throughout the poem. Like the various examples of imagery, there is also a strong use of underlying symbolism. In the first stanza, the words “cold” (1. 2) and “fires blaze” (1. 5) are used, which introduces a conflict. This is emphasized in the second stanza when the word “cold” (2. 1) is used again, later followed by the word “warm” (2. 2). In the last stanza, the father eventually “had driven out the cold” (3. 2). Yet the father had not ridden the house of the cold air until the end of the poem, which symbolizes how it took his son several years later to recognize the behaviors in which his father conveyed his love for him.

Not only are metaphors utilized throughout the poem, but a literary device known as Imagery is as well. Imagery is alternative as important a device for it allows for the reader to have a clear picture of what the character in the poem is visualizing. Furthermore, it also helps covey the theme the author is aiming to represent to the reader. Imagery is made known in stanza two line three, which states, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (Myer, 1091). Here the author is using imagery to inform the readers the traveler is coming up with a reason for why one path could be more favorable over the other. The reader analyzes this line of imagery to obtain a clearer representation of the traveler’s decision-making process. Another line where the author uses imagery is in stanza two line five, which states, “Had worn them really about the same” (Myer, 1091). Here the author is using imagery to inform the reader that the paths are “worn” down, which informs the reader that both of his choices have been equally chosen by people before him. These examples help the reader begin to form the theme of self-justification in decision-making. After analyzing the metaphors and the imagery Frost uses in this poem, the reader can conclude so far that the theme the poet is conveying

The speaker furthermore conveys the idea that nature is a grandeur that should be recognized by including the element of imagery. The poet utilizes imagery as a technique to appeal to reader’s sense of sight . It is “the darkest evening of the year” (line 8) and a traveller and his horse stop “between the woods and frozen lake” (line 7). By writing with details such as these, readers are capable of effortlessly envisioning the peaceful scenery that lies before the speaker. The persona then draws on reader’s sense of sound. “The only other sound’s the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.” The illustration allows readers to not only see,

When reading this poem you will get a very vivid image of a warm summer morning because of the words "sunny, summer and dried the dew." A girl is in a field running carelessly with a silk dress on that sways as the breeze blows. She is tall and slender as a "cedar pole." Who has a very carefree spirit is "strictly held by none". A girl who is completely at peace because everything in her life is going well "by countless silken ties of love and thought to everything on earth the compass round."