Literary Analysis OfThe Juggler, By Richard Wilbur

Have you ever seen a juggler? Jugglers can be found at carnivals and circuses and it is their job to entertain and impress people with their balancing skills. Many people enjoy watching going to these events and witnessing the phenomenal gift, including the juggler. In Richard Wilbur’s poem “Juggler” literary devices such as figurative language, vivid imagery and diction are used to depict the speaker’s amazement and admiration towards the juggler and the juggler and his remarkable expertise as someone who brings joy to people.

Updike continues his portrayal of the vast splendor of nature through metaphors, similes, and diction pertaining to a large flock of starlings that flew and over and lit on the gold course where the two men in the poem are playing. The approaching flock of birds seem like a “cloud of dots” (Line 16) on the horizon to observers. The author compares The image of the steadily approaching flock of starlings to iron filings (the birds) stuck to a magnet through a piece of paper (the horizon). The men stand in awe of the black, writhing, approaching mass, much like children do when the magnet picks up the filings through the paper. By comparing the approaching birds to the magnet and iron filing scenario in a simile, Updike subtly likens the men reaction to a small child’s reaction when he/she sees the “magic” of the magnet and the iron filings for the first time. The simile purpose is to show how nature can make grown men feel like small, free little kids when experiencing nature at its best. As the observers continue to watch the looming flock of birds, the flock became one huge pulsating mass of birds that seemed as “much as one thing as a rock.” (Line 22) Updike once again eloquently portrays nature as absolutely stunning to show how nature affects man. The birds descended in a huge “evenly tinted” (Line

Certain things some people do can seem beyond human powers, even defying gravity. In “The Juggler,” the poet Richard Wilbur describes the awe and wonder felt by the speaker watching the juggler; the speaker is amazed by the gracefulness of the balls flying in the air and even portrays the juggler as reeling in heaven itself. Through the use of imagery portraying the juggler’s magical performance, specific structure and syntax of the poem, and diction that elicits the godly powers of the juggler, the speaker describes the juggler as a superhuman who defies gravity while expressing the speaker’s own inability to overcome the challenges in his daily life and thus his negative view of the world.

In Richard Wilbur’s Juggler, the speaker depicts a juggler who is entertaining both men and women with his elegant prowess and practice of juggling balls and other various objects. The speaker describes the juggler as nothing more than a simpleton, entertaining those who watch his display and retreating when he is tired or done. This simple but deft actions of the juggler reveals the simplicity of the speaker, who like the others, is amazed. The juggler’s delicate and precise gestures and movements highlight the smooth and soft aspects of a calm life. The speaker uses elements such as imagery and figurative language to reveal the complex but simple display of the juggler’s practice and the ease that it releases as it gives us a respite from our stressful, daily lives.

This is the poem that Jim Northrup wrote about war. I am going to Explicate the poem and

Richard Wilbur, a legendary figure and the poet of "The Juggler", withholds great historical background unknown to many individuals. Despite of young age, Wilbur composed numerous short-stories, poems and editorials for college newspaper. In consideration with a majority of the masterpieces, a prominent theme exhibited throughout each is based upon the observations of surroundings and the natural world. Historically, Wilbur's involvement within World War II contributed significant influence in various poems. Similarly, "The Juggler" primarily emphasizes the notion of fluctuations involved within juggling, comparing such to harsh realities of daily routines.

Modernism began around the late 1800s or early 1900s, with artists and writers in Europe producing many extraordinary and influential works. This period spans many events, including both World Wars and the Great Depression. World War I appeared to be a major event that helped to start Modernism; this was because of the destruction and ruin that came from it and events that followed. This poem is consistent with the values of Modernism because of alienation, time, and self- consciousness; however, it continues to resonate with readers today because isolation, change, and insecurities are things that humans may face.

Everyday life can be monotonous and lackluster, but every once in a while someone will come along and share their talents with others for their amusement. Richard Wilbur’s “Juggler” conveys the speaker's amazement and appreciation toward people and their actions through vivid descriptions of the juggler.

Wilbur describes the juggler as happy in the moment through imagery revealing that the speaker may be going through a rough patch in his life. When the juggler is performing it is described as “Landing it ball by ball… Oh, on his toe the table is turning, the broom’s balancing up on his nose, and the plate whirls on the tip of the broom!” as the children applaud and cheer the juggler on until “he bows and says good-bye.”. When the juggler is done putting on such a fantastic show he “is tired now… and though the plate lies flat on the table top, for him we batter our hands who has won for once over the world’s weight.”. The use of imagery about the plate lying flat on the table instead of the plate whirling shows us the juggler is tired but we still clap for him because in that moment of him putting on a show he made people happy and made no mistakes. The juggler “swinging a small heaven above his ears” is happy in the moment. The use of imagery

Throughout the poem the author uses imagery to describe the juggler’s appearance and the tricks he is accomplishing in his show. For example, Wilbur states, “it takes a sky-blue juggler with five red balls...to shake our gravity up.” (lines 6-7). The author’s description of the juggler as someone who can “shake our gravity up” (line 7) shows that the juggler is someone who has a tremendous impact on the audience and the speaker because the audience is full of serious people and the juggler evokes happiness and astonishment from the audience. Moreover, by saying this the audience is able to get an insight into the life of the speaker; we are able to see that not a lot of things happen in the speaker's life that make the speaker happy. Additionally, Wilbur shows the reader the the juggler is performing, the author says, “ Oh, on his toe the table is turning, the broom’s Balancing up on his nose, and the plate whirls. On the tip of the broom!” (lines 9-21). We can see the juggler as he is performing his great trick and how the crowd is happy and amazed at what he is accomplishing through his performance when the author says, “ Damn, what a show,we cry…” ( line 21). Having the crowd cheer at the juggler as he completes his trick of the balancing act showed that people are made happy with small things like the juggling trick the juggler was performing for the crowd.

In “September, 1918”, Amy Lowell shows her readers an interesting and illuminating poem. That war can be an ugly time and the people that experience it often seems to live in a “broken world” (19). To fight an evil, sometimes war is needed, nonetheless it is still costly to the people living through the war. Some in a literal sense, like soldiers fighting in a war, while some in a physical sense by the world that they now see and live in. I find the poem truly interesting though, in how the author shows that even in war we can still hold onto hope for more promising days. Lowell portrays a melancholy mood throughout her poem that makes her readers thinking about war but also the hope of it being over.

A variety of literary devices are used in this poem. After the shift, she repeats the phrase “I rise” for emphasis. Similes show how strong and persevering the speaker is. She compares herself to dust. No matter how many times you clean, dust will always come back. She even compares herself to the sun and moon, which surely rise each morning and night, to prove her confidence. The poem also uses hyperbole and personification. It says: “You may shoot me with your words,/You may cut me with

This collection of over ninty words is much more than just a poem. It’s a story of millions of people. It ties in rhymes, sadness, happiness, religion and anger though a broad spectrum of other ideas.

The point of the poem was to deliver the horrors of war to the public

“The relationship between the energies of the inquiring mind that an intelligent reader brings to the poem and the poem’s refusal to yield a single comprehensive interpretation enacts vividly the everlasting intercourse between the human mind, with its instinct to organise and harmonise, and the baffling powers of the universe about it.”