English Literature Coursework.
Post 1914 poetry comparison. D. H. Lawrence, Snake.
Sylvia Plath, Medallion.
By close reference to these poems compare and contrast the views of snakes presented by Lawrence and Plath.
In your answer you should consider:
The tone of the poems and language used.
The moral and philosophical agendas of the poets.
In this essay I will try to compare two poems, the first of which is by D. H. Lawrence entitled Snake. The second is by Sylvia Plath and is entitled Medallion. I will compare the language used, the structure, the theme and the tone of each poem.
Firstly I will look at snake; this is because it was written first. Very simply the theme of snake is that the poet finds a snake
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Colour is often associated with life so here it seems that Plath is trying to bring the snake back to life through the use of colour "his little vermilion eyes", the garnet bits burned like that." Also the use of fire seems to add life to the snake as a fire is seen as a very lively thing always moving and flickering. "Yet his belly kept its fire" and "old jewels smouldering there". This second phrase I think is very striking as it is associated with the fact that there was once a fire now only the remains of one that you could make another fire out of. This I feel is referring to the snuffed out life of the snake and the fact that there may still be a bit of life there and you could almost revive it.
The first six stanzas are descriptive about all the beautiful things that the snake has to offer. However at the end of the seventh stanza the poet describes all the nasty things that are happening to the snake in death. This is a huge contrast and the way the poet writes it seems to suggest that the snake is worthy of more. However when Plath writes "he was chaste enough" this seems to suggest to me that the poet thinks it is a good thing that the snake is dead as it can do no more harm.
The last sentence of the poem is "the yardman's flung brick perfected his laugh." This is almost saying how unfair it was that the snake was killed and how much the yardman does not care. I think the yardman here stands for the vast majority of people on this earth that
Knowing Zora Neale Hurston was a religious woman, it is no shock that throughout the “Sweat” there are many hidden Biblical references. One reference the story often makes is the snake. The snake is a reference to many things. It first, is a reference to the snake in the book of Genesis, where the devil tempts Eve. The snake also represents original sin and the darkness that comes in all of humanity. In “Sweat”, Delia is afraid of the snake, thus showing her fear of sin and darkness, portraying her as a strong Christian character. The snake can also be a connection to Christ. When the snake is first brought to the house it appears dead. It remains this way for three days, until it miraculously awakens (Carter 611). This relates to Christ when he is hung on the cross and buried. He
As the snake “drew back his head and [the man] raised [his] weapon” they both were ready for their last fight. Both felt threatened by each other; thus, both felt the necessity to become defensive. However, neither one saw the situation as an immediate threat, so they did not immediately strike. When the narrator “made an unprovoked attack,” the snake performed “a little song of death.” The reader’s sympathy for the snake once again returns because the snake did nothing wrong. The “little song of death” depicts an image of the snake’s last effort to live. However, there is nothing “little” in death, but rather displays the snake’s submissiveness to the man. The “ominous” situation with “poison dripping from [the snake’s] fangs” is reminiscent of the tragedy that just occurred. The author reminds the reader of the necessity to rid the world of the danger from a snake. It lessens the reader’s grief towards the snake, bringing a more neutral tone to the
Not only do these poems share differences through the speakers childhood, but also through the tones of the works.
The detail increases the power the snake exudes in the perspective of the man. “Children, dogs, and horses…who weren’t as strong” compared to the snake, created panic and fear, because of its “six powerful fangs” and “little
One similarity that the poems “A Blessing” and “Predators” have is that they both have tame animals. An example that supports this statement it that in the poem “Predators” there are two tame animals or domesticated animals. One example that proves this theory is that in the poem it explains that there is a dog and a cat that is the speaker’s pets. Additionally, in the poem “A Blessing” it explains that in the poem it informes that “We stepped over the barbed wire into the pasture.” This proves that the two Indian ponies are tame because the barbed wire is protecting them and they are in a pasture. Furthermore, the speakers also have similarities. One similarity between James Wright and Linda Hogan is that in the two poems they both learn something. James Wright learns about the feelings that the two Indian ponies had and how that made him happy and peaceful. Likewise, Linda Hogan learns that she needs to be more protective of her pets once she finds out that there are wild animals living in her
Another aspect to this poem that is very important would be the figurative language. The author uses a lot of similes and metaphors throughout further illustrate this father’s ridiculous ways. The speaker uses the simile “snaked like dragons” to describe the fire engines, this was a good choice in comparison because when you think of a dragon you automatically think of bright fires and then when you continue on the thought you think of their crouched down tiptoes
It is apparent from the first line of the poem that author is in a state of overriding fear travelling through the unknown: likening the road to an “old snake shedding its skin.” A snake is a clear representation of childhood fear and youthful paranoia, due to its intimidating nature. Walcott compares the path to a snake because he fears it just like a snake, to him the path is daunting and potentially deadly at first. The author not only compares the road to a snake but a snake shedding its skin. This paints a grotesque image for readers and illustrates how he views his initial journey with anything but enthusiasm. The author is in the unfamiliar wilderness searching for not only the storyteller’s house but himself. His state of childhood terror is only counterbalanced by his encounter with the storyteller.
Prompt: Read the following two poems very carefully, noting that the second includes an allusion to the first. Then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss their similarities and differences. In your essay, be sure to consider both theme and style.
Thirdly, Both writers use a lot of imagery in their poems, they use a big amount of imagination to tell their experiences. Each poem is developed out of
The third stanza describes the snake as “cool and gleaming as a braided whip” (9-10). Describing the snake as a braided whip demonstrates the intricate woven pattern of the snake’s scales and the poet’s appreciation for nature and its’ beauty. The snake is not a useless piece of rubber, but a beautiful and vibrant part of nature. “He is as beautiful and quiet as a bead brother” (10-11). The snake is quiet, makes no sound, and snuggles into
The snake metaphor present in Priam’s death serves to dramatize his death. Pyrrhus, like a snake “sloughing its old skin to glisten in its newfound youth,” viciously approaches Priam to murder him (Aeneid 2.590-91). By drawing a parallel between the snake, shedding its skin, to Pyrrhus, the audience can believe Pyrrhus as a much stronger, ruthless, and dangerous version of himself. One way Virgil successfully accomplishes this belief is through using the word “glisten[ing]” which symbolizes rebirth, strength, and power. Furthermore, Virgil strengthens this interpretation with the description of the snake having “triple tongue[s] flicking
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by
“Piano” and “Snake” in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are based upon distinct and similar reasons, they want an escape to their present state. “Piano” and “Snake” in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are for distinct and similar reasons; they want an escape to their present state. The interpretation received when analyzing “Piano” was that the narrator himself was having a troublesome time because he aspired something that was nostalgically unreachable for him, his childhood. What caused this inclination to be unreachable was due to the time passing which resulted in him becoming an adult and conforming to the constitutional systems. Snake’s narrator’s inner distress came from the need to break down the structural voices and principles that educational systems had constructed upon him. Both narrators have heavily built up emotions for the want of liberation from the prisons that confine them to the structures meant for them; their desires although differing in context are similar in topic matter. There are in fact differences in what they long for, but there is no doubt that they do desire something different from what they presently have.
Therefore we have two poems which are deliberately changing their structure from the norm in order to create effect. However, these effects have totally different intentions, which lead to the end of the similarities and the first of many differences between the two poems.
In this compare and contrast essay I will compare four poems in detail and mention two in the passing to find similarities and differences. The poems and sonnets I have chosen to compare are ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning and Sonnet 18 and Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare