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Summary Of Louis Macneice 's Poetry Essay

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Poetry is an expression of one’s emotions and feelings, often people overlook this and read simply what is there instead of divulging further. It is important to remember that “any contemporary poet is a mouthpiece of the Zeitgeist, but, as mouthpieces alter what you put into them, it is helpful to consider the shape of the mouthpiece itself” (MacNeice, 1968). When studying Louis MacNeice’s poetry, it is important to research the context around his texts, especially his childhood. His uncommon upbringing as a child then later his tumultuous adulthood is clear throughout his writing. However, concentrating solely on MacNeice’s childhood when analysing his poetry, it is clear to see that he had a traumatising infantile. With the death of his mother at the age seven (1914 of Tuberculosis), Elizabeth, MacNeice’s sister describes her brother in relation to their mother as “His last memory-picture of her walking up and down the garden path in tears seems to have haunted him for the rest of his life… I think that the shock of seeing the sudden change in the mother whom he loved so much, followed by the uncertainty of her return, may have been the chief factor which caused Louis’s memories of childhood to be so sad and sometimes so bitter” (Terrence, 1970). This can be seen throughout his poetry as a common theme throughout is that of despair and isolation, instilling a clear feeling of melancholy for the reader. As his childhood had such a huge effect on his writing I will be

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