Response To The Colonel's Poem

The overall message in this poem is a drill sergeant educating young soldiers and preparing them for the harsh reality of war. He is not playing ‘Mr. nice guy’, he is being tough and strict to give the soldiers no easy way out.

many types of imagery throughout his poem that depicts more negativity than positivity, however both are present. For instance, the poet says “ The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death” (lines 1-3). This pinpoints one example of negative imagery in the poem because whiskey on his breath, dizzy, and death all provide unfavorable images in the reader’s mind. Another representation of this, is when the author states “ You beat time on my head ” (line 13). This also portrays negative imagery in the poem because it reveals an abusive image to readers. Lastly, a contrasting illustration of imagery is when the author conveys “ We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf” ( lines 5 & 6). This encourages that there also is positive imagery present in the poem because the father dancing with his child which provides love and security for the reader's mind.

In the essay, The Colonel, Michael Hogan illustrates the importance of the influential sport of tennis. Hogan writes about how tennis changed his life from an early age. When he was younger he saw tennis as a rich mans sport in which he had no interest. One of his much-respected neighbors, the colonel, approached Hogan’s father with the idea that his son might like to learn how to play tennis. After pondering the thought with his father, Hogan decided to take the offer. The Colonel became his mentor as they spent tireless days perfecting his swing, improving his serve, and practicing against each other. His main competitor though was a boy named Tommy Gallagher. Often, the two boys would compete with the victor being Gallagher. Yet, Hogan

This technique serves to emphasize the solemn and serious content. In stanza one, Owen describes the soldiers as they set off towards the army base from the front line. The simile "Bent double, like old beggars"(1) not only says that they are tired, but that they are so tired they have been brought down to the level of beggars who have not slept in a bed for weeks on end. Also, the simile "coughing like hags"(2) helps to depict the soldiers? poor health and depressed state of mind. Owen makes us picture the soldiers as ill, disturbed and utterly exhausted. He shows that this is not the government-projected stereotype of a soldier, in gleaming boots and crisp new uniform, but is the true illustration of the poor mental and physical state of the soldiers. By telling us that many of the platoon are barefoot, Owen gives us an idea of how awful the soldiers? journey already is; it then gets even worse. Owen tells us that the soldiers, although they must have been trained, still do not notice the deadly mustard gas shells being fired at them from behind; such is the extent of their exhaustion.

During the 18th century, railroad building was on the rise to help with the economy throughout the United States. History with the railroad dated back as early as 1815 when Colonel John Stevens created the first rail charters, running along the Atlantic Seaboard which then later to the central and western states. Railroad history in America has its earliest beginnings dating back to 1815 when Colonel John Stevens gained the first railroad charter in North America to build the New Jersey Railroad Company, although it was never actually constructed until 1832, and would eventually become part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (american-rails.com). Colonel Stevens was considered as a big inspiration to the United States bringing jobs to many Americans that was in dire need.

metaphors are used to symbolize the turbulence in the house and how rapidly it spreads throughout the house. In line 4, “greasy stains spreading on the cloth”, the ‘greasy stains’ refer to schizophrenia and how it spreads through the family. In lines (4-6) “Certain doors were locked at night, feet stood for hours outside them…” this is a metaphor for paranoia. It could also show how family members would shut themselves off from the rest of the world. The use of diction sets up the tone of anger throughout the poem by using words such as: slammed, shouting, threats, cracking, broken and madhouse. (2) “It had begun with slamming doors..” the use of slamming shows how infuriated the family was and how they took their anger out of the house. (11) “...reconciliations, the sobbing that followed.” Reconciliations

The poem can be interpreted as an allegory on how the war has impacted the veteran, and how the wall is not simply a wall. The allegory begins with the speaker looking at the black granite wall. There is a clear division between the actual visit and the veteran’s struggle at the wall. Since his “black face fades” into the wall, it shows that he is one with the “black granite.” He, alongside the wall, is evidence of history. He is living proof of what has happened in the war, and the names show the result of the war. To emphasize this connection, the veteran describes himself as “stone” and “flesh.” Since the veteran is still alive, he views himself as the flesh, but believes he should be the stone. Just like he is impacted by the wall, he believes that other people feel the same impact. The veteran believes this when he mentions “names shimmer on a woman’s blouse” (l. 19). The names on the woman’s blouse show, that as each individual person goes to the wall, a special connection happens between the two. It is almost like the people become one with the wall, sharing their feelings with one another. However, the connection is lost as the woman “walks away the names stay on the wall” (ll. 20-21). Once a person leaves the wall, that connection is gone. People leave and return back to “reality.” However, this is not the case with the veteran. This vision states that the veteran

To understand what a soldier goes through, Jerrell’s poem must be explored. His poem’s time era is important, it taking place during World War Two, because it was the most prominent war America has faced. The title alone tells the reader that someone has died. Immediately in the first line, Jerrell reveals the speaker of the poem is retelling his death story. In the first line, Jerrell talks about him being in his mother’s belly and then falling into the state. By his mother, he means the B-17 bomber. He has physically fallen asleep and reawakened in the turret’s chair. He could also be talking about the stages of his life. When he sleeps, he reminisces

The Battle of Santiago Bay decimated the Spanish fleet and killed almost 1,800 Spaniards. The aging Spanish fleet was no match for the Americans, two weeks later the Spanish forces in Santiago surrendered and on August 11th, 1898 Spain accepted America’s terms of peace. From the war America gained four new territories, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba. Consequently Cuba gained its freedom, yet it was the American flag that flew over Havana in triumph, not Cuba’s.

If it had become a competition in which we, Like children desperate for the blue ribbon, Pulled knotted hemp, gripping until certain Of calluses, if our contest awarded the strongest, The boy who could best inflict pain yet not Flinch when injured, then you won, for I must Imagine the brown of your back to reach my Peak, a short thread of breaths, a tug of war With the heaviest child grunting at the end Of the rope until jerked and dragged over The line. That fat kid flounders through muck The way I splash your relentless name

In the poem “The Colonel,” by Carolyn Forche, the Moon could symbolize the brutal honesty that the colonel shows to the poet. When the moon is described as bare in the poem, this may suggest that the moon has nothing to hide from the reader. Considering the colonel’s later actions, like when “he spilled many human ears on the table,” the moon’s openness to the reader could be a sign of the colonel’s openness to the poet (Forche, 334). This is given more merit when you consider that Forche wrote “the moon swung bare on its black cord over the house” specifically referencing the colonel’s house as a location where the truth will be revealed (Forche, 334). The ears in this same poem could represent the people who are watching the colonel for

The speaker refers to the night as his acquaintance. This implies that the speaker has a lot of experience with the night, but has not become friends with it. Thus, because even the night, which has been alongside the speaker in comparison to anything or anyone else, is not a companion to the speaker, the idea of loneliness is enhanced. In addition, “rain” (2) is used to symbolize the speaker’s feelings of gloom and grief, because there is continuous pouring of the rain, which is unlikely to stop. In line 3, “city light” is used to convey the emotional distance between the speaker and society. Although the speaker has walked extensively, he has not yet interacted with anyone – thus distancing himself even further from society. Moreover, the moon, in lines 11 to 12, is used as a metaphor of the speaker’s feelings. The speaker feels extremely distant from society that he feels “unearthly.” The idea of isolation and loneliness in this poem is used as the theme of the poem; and the use of the setting and metaphors underscores the idea that the speaker feels abandoned from society.

Wars are sometimes seen as glorious endeavors for men to gain honor and recognition, but for others, could be a true nightmare. In Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est”, the speaker recalls a particular memory of a gas attack during WWI which still haunts him. During the memory, he recounts the death of a soldier which brings to light the realities of war. Through Owen’s use of imagery and figurative language, the speaker is able to vividly recount one of his memories of WWI which is a contrast to positively perceived thoughts of war. 　　

The first time I read this poem I assumed it was about child abuse and alcoholism, but I re-read it about 5 times and a few key words jumped out at me and I came to a realization that the meaning of this poem was not abuse or alcoholism. The poem was about a son and his father goofing around and dancing not a father getting drunk and taking it out on his son. In lines 1 and 2 “But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.” is not about hanging on for dear life it's as if he was comparing the dancing to being on a ride and the young boy had to hold on tightly. Some might think in lines 7 and 8, “My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself.” was about the young boys mother upset that the father was beating on her son and she couldn't help him, but the consternation that she feels is because her pots and pans are rattling around the kitchen.

This piece begins with the speaker stating that she is fed up with the “black shoe” that she has lived in for thirty years. This is the beginning of an assumed tension between the speaker and her father that builds throughout the poem. The speaker then goes on to talk about how she should have “killed” her father before he “left”. This is the breaking point of the relationship between the speaker and her father. This poem shows that the father passed away, most likely in the speakers youth, before the speaker was ready to let him go. One can assume that the speaker was trying to earn the approval or maker her father proud and could not