Essay on Matsuo Basho's Inspiration

Poetry in some way, shape or form, gives realistic ideas to even objects that reflect upon a part of life by using symbolism and personification.

When nature is personified in East Asian poems, it is common for the personification to have a negative context toward the reader. Nature is commonly conveyed as something or someone who has suffered, who has lost hope, or who has been

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.

“Art is a means of expression that must be understood by everybody, everywhere. It grows out of the earth, the textures of our lives, and our experience” (Rufino Tamayo). Rufino Tamayo or full name Rufino Arellanes Tamayo was born on August 26, 1899. Rufino Tamayo was a Mexican painter that combined European painting styles with Mexican folk themes. As a painter, a sculptor Rufino Tamayo earned many levels of achievement and his painting have been showcased in many prestigious museums around the world but, being very prolific during the course of his life.

Waldo Ralph Emerson said "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." In Bashō's Narrow Road through the Backcountry, exactly this sentiment is realized in the literary capture of North Japan's natural beauties on his journey for poetic enlightenment and motivation. This work is the story of the journey that Bashō began near the end of his life in order to attain inspiration for writing poetry, specifically in haiku-type forms. Bashō's chosen path mirrored that of Saigyō, a well respected monk and poet, which ran through the locations of residence and inspiration of various other notable Japanese poets and writers. The travel tale has long been

Duong’s decision to describe the snowflakes as “strange flowers” exposes Hang’s attachment to the landscape of her own home, and also the strangeness of this new landscape for her. The word choice of flowers and their connotation of spring provide contrast to the harsh winter. Hang’s simile comparing the snowflakes to a “luminous” childhood dream juxtaposes the description of them as “blinding shards” and “frail”, thus revealing Hang’s opinion of dreams as something rarely obtained. Surely as a child she imagined the best that might have happened, and had such optimistic hopes of what might have been. They are thus associated with sorrow by the simile, reflective of the cruel reality she faced when her dreams were suffocated as a child. The snowy landscape also triggers a more consuming flashback to a time in Hang’s childhood. Duong provides vivid imagery of the beautiful landscape of the bay - “Clouds floated like puff jade along the horizon, a line broken jagged by solitary rocks.. This endless jade-colored necklace fallen to the earth.” (Duong ) The metaphor comparing the clouds to a jade-colored necklace further emphasizes the landscape’s beauty and richness. The idea of a jade necklace, a material wealthy good, introduces the idea that the natural landscape is a gift, accessible by all. Duong emphasizes this with the subsequent sentiment that “beauty knows no frontiers, seduces without discrimination” (Duong 83). Hang

There are many poems in The Book of Songs. However, the poems “I Beg of You Chung Tzu” and “Thick Grow the Rush Leaves” focus more on love and courtship. This is different from traditional Chinese poetry which focuses on daily life. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the figurative language and elements of Chinese poetry in “I Beg of You Chung Tzu” and “Thick Grow the Rush Leaves.”

The other section where symbolism is evident is “Small Porch in the Woods.” It is divided into several poems. In the first one, there is the mention of “unshifting star” which represents a change that is undisturbed. It is the turning point of the society. Despite the challenges communities face in their life, their ambition leads them towards achieving their objectives in life. The second poem under this section is about a heavy rain that fell in the month of April. Heavy rain is the representation of unhappy moments. The description presented by the narrator shows that it is a sad moment where everything is carried away. Throughout the poem, the rain is seen, as a lesson

Similarly, in his poem Lime, contrasting imagery paints a historic landscape that lays the foundation for the duality of cultural evolution. Take, for example, the first stanza, “The victorious army marches into the city, / & not far behind tarries a throng of women / Who slept with the enemy… (1-3). While victory and pride are associated with the first line, disgrace and embarrassment become the central tone of the following lines. This sharp difference in attitude creates a duplicitous setting that characterizes change as both hopeful and despairing. Additional imagery, in the form of personification, further illustrates cultural evolution as a double edged sword, Komunyakaa exclaims, “The stunned morning / Opens into a dust cloud of hooves“ (4-5). By portraying the morning as in a state of shock, the triumph of the army feels like an unnatural disturbance in the environment. Coupled with “a dust cloud of hooves,” the tumultuous effects of war are exhibited. Despite opening his poem with a scene of victory, the contrasting imagery illustrates the bittersweet qualities that accompany cultural

In poetry, there is often the use of many words that may seem a bit strange to the average reader. These words are often more complex than what is actually meant, but are used to enhance the reading and make it more enjoyable to the reader. Other words would make the poem less smooth, and that is why such complexity arises. These words shape a type of metaphor, which is referred to as a kenning.

The poem has no rhyme scheme or particular rhythm; this makes the descriptions stick out more to the reader, while having a varied sound when it is written

Poetry is used to express several different mediums through: structure, tone, imagery and rhyme schemes. John Keats’s ode “To Autumn” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” or, a Vision in a Dream” will be critically analyzed, compared and contrasted to each throughout this paper to further dissected the meaning of each poem.

The use of different literary devices such as imagery, symbolism and diction set up a poem that is addictive to read! Once it is started, it’s hard to stop. This poem offers a welcoming story for our reader to enjoy.

With the formation of a “rare device”, symbolizing his masterpiece of poetry, Coleridge acknowledges that poetry forms through the combination of nature and human perception. In the end, Coleridge demands the readers to “beware” (49, p.1634) of the power of the inspired poet, who recreates his own “sunny dome” (47, p.1634) in the protection of a “circle round him thrice” (51, p.1634). The energy from nature is eventually transferred to the poet, the poet to use his imagination to create his own “Paradise” (54, p.1634), which resembles Xanadu of Kubla Khan. Through the metaphors developing in the poem, Coleridge pieces together the process a Romantic poet creates a poem from the inspiration of a nature scene.

Poets use many ways when they want to communicate something using poems. Poems are used as a means of passing ideas, information and expression of feelings. This has made the poets to use the natural things and images that people can relate with so that they can make these poems understandable. The most common forms of writing that are used by the poets are the figurative language for example imagery and metaphors. In addition, the poets use the natural landscape in their attempt to explore the philosophical questions. Therefore, this essay will explore the forms that have been used by the poets in writing poems using the natural landscape. The essay will be based on poems such as ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by