Literary Analysis Of Joy Harjo And Art Spiegelman

Bruce Dawe’s poems “Katrina”,” A Victorian Hangman Tells His Love”, “Homo Suburbiensis “ and “Enter Without So Much As Knocking” depict life and death through the use of similar poetic techniques such as metaphors, imagery, onomatopoeia, tone and similes, although, with different circumstances. The events in these four poems evoke emotions within the reader, the most common being sadness and frustration. These emotions are explored, in all four poems, through the tone of melancholy.

“One Art” is a villanelle filled with sad sentiments of encouragement towards accepting loss. Elizabeth Bishop uses her tone to pull emotions from the reader that could be confusion and disagreement. Her tone deeply impacts the reader in such a way that it causes him/her to seriously think of accepting her opinion and advice. The capturing way she uses her tone in her word choice shows the reader her natural inflexion when she speaks. The tone of her work even affects her characterization. In “One Art,” Elizabeth Bishop uses tone to convey a character of false casualty, while also using it to emphasize the very heavy impact of her diction.

Through distinctive images composers develop interest, drawing the responder in and thus providing insight into the experiences of others. This is demonstrated in Amanda Lohrey’s novella ‘Vertigo’ as Luke and Anna find themselves in a new and disorientating environment as they attempt to build a new life and in the ‘The Red Tree’ composed by Shaun Tan, through the nameless girl’s journey as she attempts to find herself and her place in the world. Meaning created by distinctive images creates interest thus permitting the responder to gain a greater understanding on how the experiences help shape one’s self.

In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.

In Father and Child, as the persona moves on from childhood, her father becomes elderly and is entertained by simple things in nature, “birds, flowers, shivery-grass.” These symbols of nature remind the persona of the inconsistency of life and the certainty of death, “sunset exalts its known symbols of transience,” where sunset represents time. Both poems are indicative of the impermanence of life and that the persona has managed to mature and grow beyond the initial fearlessness of childhood moving onto a sophisticated understanding of death.

The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.

Analyzing different mediums can enhance an individual’s overall appreciation and understanding of a particular idea or story. While analysis of a painting can reveal the mood of the artwork, an analysis of a poem can reveal the author’s tone. Much more then that, analysis provides an opportunity to explore each work in an attempt to understand human nature through each author’s perspective. While exploring the painting “Ulysses and the Sirens” by J.W. Waterhouse and the poem “The siren song” by Margaret Atwood, a universal truth presents itself. While the painting focuses on the thematic idea of Odysseus being stubborn while his men care for his safety to get home, the poem holds a different view. In contrast, the thematic statement from the poem discusses the idea that the Siren hates singing and being in a bird suit, but is asking for help but it’s still tempting to hear the song. Although differing in point of view, both the painting and the poem explore an aspect of human nature that are relevant to society today. There are two different authors for the painting and the poem. However, the two are different when compared to each

In both books, war is used as propaganda to control society, and it is also an idea that is to be supported no matter what.

In the analysis of Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” and Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays,” both modernistic and highly respected poets similarly write with a sense of reminiscence of childhood experiences. Similarly, both poems are about a memory as a boy looking back at a specific time in their lives and the love they have for their respected fathers. A similar implication is expressed in the way of their lives not being perfect, but still remaining a humble family. This is shown within the first stanza of “My Papa’s Waltz” with an intoxicated father, as well as the first stanza of “Those Winter Sundays” with a hard-working, yet poor and achy father. Both poets’ usage of figurative language is present in ways of metaphorically speaking and alliteration. For example, in Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays,” the speaker compares the cold to an object that can splinter and break, by insinuating “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.” (Hayden, line 5) More so, in Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” the term “But I hung on like death” (Roethke, line 3) is presented as a metaphor as well. They have some common poetic themes shared between such as love, family, and admiration, however, they are presented in different ways in accordance their tones, making them unique. In analyzing the two, although quite similar, the structure, mechanics, tones, settings, and the interpreted mood of the poem, brings justification on their differences.

Roethke paints a light-hearted and joyous reflection of a cherished memory between a father and son. The imagery

Poets frequently utilize vivid images to further depict the overall meaning of their works. The imagery in “& the War Was in Its Infancy Then,” by Maurice Emerson Decaul, conveys mental images in the reader’s mind that shows the physical damage of war with the addition of the emotional effect it has on a person. The reader can conclude the speaker is a soldier because the poem is written from a soldier’s point of view, someone who had to have been a first hand witness. The poem is about a man who is emotionally damaged due to war and has had to learn to cope with his surroundings. By use of imagery the reader gets a deeper sense of how the man felt during the war. Through the use of imagery, tone, and deeper meaning, Decaul shows us the

Elizabeth Bishon’s poem “One Art” explores the universal experience of loss through enacting a structured, post-modern villanelle, which utilizes parody through understatement and “disobeying” the rigid structure of a villanelle. The speaker’s strategy is revealed through the structural form as well as the play of language through the speaker’s discourse, implications, and ordering. The poem’s linguistic contributions help perform the speaker’s poetic purpose.

When one thinks of the Holocaust, art and music do not tend to come to mind. Yet, both were pervasive in the years of 1933-1945. In Terezín and other camps, art was often the difference between life and death. Despite appalling conditions, inadequate resources, and the threat of death, artists and musicians created over 30,000 pieces of work. Whether a reworking of Verdi’s Requiem or a mere scrawling of a name, all serve as testimonies to the resilience of the human spirit, and the attrocities committed during the Holocaust. Often for these people, being forgotten in time was more frightening than death. While many of the artists of Terezín, were ultimately killed, through their art and music, their voices are forever preserved. In the bleak and dismal world of Terezín, art provided beauty and hope to those interned. Art was an act of spiritual and creative resistance.

No matter who reads the book, unless they’re cold and heartless, it is most likely that they will be impacted because either work of literature describes heartbreaking events. Anyone is capable of imagining such tragedies almost as if they had lived them themselves. If one had to guess who the author’s initially wanted to reach out to, it would be hard to say. However, one wouldn’t read the book unless they sincerely cared enough to read the stories otherwise forgotten and underrated.

Among all the notable literary works, poems have one of the deepest and hidden meanings. In most cases, they employ stylistic devices such as fiction and rhythm to develop an interesting to read portion but still maintain its relevance. There are many notable poets who have made significant impacts and played important roles in shaping the modern day poetry. Key themes such as love, suffering, and oppression have been the most dominant in the field since they touch on a day to day events and have a unique way of expressing the feeling. Although many poets have considerably good plot and theme development, Stanley Kunlzn’s “Father and Son,” Li Young Lee’s “The Gifts” and “Eating Together,” and Sylvia Plath’s “Child”, “Daddy”, and “Morning Song” have proven to have unique themes and stylistic devices that ensure the message has been relayed effectively.