The Piano Figurative Language

When Sonny plays the piano his brother “heard what he had gone through.. I saw my mother’s face again, and felt for the first time” (275) The narrator is reminded of the struggles he went through and relates back to

The piano accompaniment also assists in expressing the poem’s imagery. Most of this Lied is quarter notes in the voice with eighth notes in

The poem’s structure channeled bountiful information regard the complex emotions within the narrator. The poem started with the word “and” and followed the word “suddenly.” A time sequence is suggested here. It is believed that the speaker tells his

Wilson highlights the fact the piano is full of stories that are directly linked to Berniece, which affect her current negative feeling towards it. Also, as a young girl, Berniece had to play the piano for her mom, so she could talk to her dead father. This demonstrates that not only is her family physically depicted on it, but also spiritually connected to it.

A major tone that is present throughout most of the poem is a reminiscent tone. The speaker begins the poem by stating “The first time I walked with a girl, I was twelve…” It is easy to notice that the speaker is indulging in past events. The speaker also tells his story in past tense. The speaker describes the little details that bring him joy while reminiscing. He states that the girl’s face was “...bright with rouge.” and there was “...Light in her eyes, a smile starting at the corners of her mouth.” The speaker is reminiscing and mentions the details so he can indulge in past events wholly. There is shift in tone present when it becomes a conflicted tone. This occurs when the girl choses a chocolate that costs a dime, but the boy only carries a dime and two oranges. When the speaker realizes the fact that he will not be able to play for the chocolate he states that he “...didn’t say anything.” He took the nickel and an orange and “...and set them quietly on the counter.” He then looks up at the sales lady “...knowing very well what it was about.” The speaker is so uncomfortable at this point he does not even talk. He is conflicted because if he can not buy his girl the chocolate, he will not be able to make her happy, and making her happy is his ultimate

The tone of "My Papa's Waltz" differs from the tone in "Piano." The ironic tone of the first poem is one of a young man looking back in fear of his father. "But I hung on like death.../The hand that held my wrist.../You beat time on my head..." (3-13). The reader senses a painful scene, which the father appears to hurt and demean his son. On the other hand, the tone of "Piano" is more melancholy. "In spite of myself.../Betrays me back.../To the old Sunday evenings at home..." (5-7). The reader can feel the lyrical and longing tone in the narrator's description of a man who wishes he could go back in time to his childhood where he listened happily to the sounds of the family piano. Roethke's tone towards his father is reflected in the anger and resentment coming from the boy to his father in his poem, while Lawrence's tone towards his childhood memories reflect a longing to return to the love and happiness of his youth. Both poets use their poem's tone to create specific imagery solidifying the reader's perception of each boy's state of mind.

Readers are aware of this ambiguity. Here the heaviest flashback thoughts and the short-lasting issue set up a continuing contrast throughout the poem, which enchants its effect.

The most obvious thing that is important to the character is his adopted daughter, Anna. Throughout the narrative he shows that he cares for her happiness and her health. She is unable to speak clearly and tell her own story, so the character (father) tells it for her. The character is trying to show the reader how effective music can be as a therapy, and is using his own experience to prove the worth of musical therapy. He gives example after example of how music improved the life of his daughter, and how she looks forward to her day with music so eagerly. One line he says, “Ask her a direct question and you will get a stammered word or two at most. Play a song and she will begin to shout out the words, even if she has never heard them before. ”It is a testament to how much music can change her attitude and behaviours. It seems to fill her with confidence and strength where usually she is frail, a picture painted by the quote above.

enjoying it, wishing it would go one way and watching it go another——almost like the composer at the moment he composes it; because in order to write his music, the composer must also be inside and outside his music, carried away but it and yet coldly critical of it. (1078)

The passionate tone within the poem assists in bringing out the author’s message. For example in lines twenty-seven to thirty-eight:

In order to occupy her child, the mother dresses her daughter up to go sing in the children’s choir at church in the fifth stanza. She brushes her hair, bathes her, and puts on her gloves and shoes. Randall appeals to the senses in this stanza; he uses a metaphor here to inform the reader a visual that the family is African American. She has “night-dark” hair and small brown hands. She is dressed in white and smells of sweet rose petals. The mother takes the girls mind off of the Freedom March and fixes it on the children’s choir. The tone is one of content. The sixth stanza is a

Both Poems are faced with the problematic situation of inner hassle. Piano’s narrator struggles with his oppression of his emotions in sentimentality. When he is listening to the sounds of the chant from the women singing he says “In

In the third stanza, the speaker is brought back to reality. He's still drawn to the scene, evidenced by the way he notes the quietness of the country after hearing the harness bells shake. Although he's considered the needs of his horse to take journey towards home, he can't easily draw himself away from the beauty of the

The second stanza of the poem can be interpreted in many ways. The narrator mentions his fear and how at one point he broke down in tears. To me, this could mean that he is so headstrong about his hatred towards his enemy that it scares him. He couldn’t possibly be scared of his enemy because it was never mentioned that his enemy threatened him. The narrator then starts crying because he never expected to grow so quickly and instead of yelling about his anger, he develops these tears. Just as the unwanted emotions surface, the good emotions come up just as quickly. The narrator smiling could mean that he wants to mask everything with a smile to show his enemy that he’s doing fine. It could also mean that he’s enjoying how everything is unfolding.

He transitions the tone of the poem from one of despair and hopelessness to one of encouragement which adds a realistic effect to the poem while still encouraging the reader. There is a thin line between being completely discouraging and being realistic; the speaker in the story seems to keep the perfect balance between these two lines. With the skillfully organized tone, the author helps the reader better understand the mood of the story as well as the difficult