The Red Wheelbarrow

This poem also uses many symbolic images. Many of the parts of the car which he describes utilize poetic devices and contribute to the poem's theme. The "spark and arc" is an interesting use of

The beginning of the poem starts off with African Americans going to the North and seeing faces that resemble theirs in Harlem. They are remembered of the hardships in the South but their aim is to get to the North where there is a better life. The key words “cotton and green pastures” show us the escape route that those of color are leaving to get a better life. The poem cites that “Cotton still stuck in their shoes, Zotts ! waiting to be shipped back to green pastures. The idea of escaping and moving away is in the determination to move on even though you are tired and dirty from the cotton stuck in the shoes waiting for many different opportunities.

The setting of this poem is in a rural part of an unnamed Southern state, off of Highway 96 at Cherrylog Road. It is at the peak of a summer afternoon in a junkyard full of discarded automobiles. This setting affects the reader’s perception of this poem by using a hot southern junkyard with an active sun that is “eating the paint in blisters from a hundred car

Emotional connections between two people can be fortified with an object in which both people can care for and share with one another. In the story “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, Lyman and Henry have a special bond. This bond is emphasized in the red convertible because it symbolizes the connection that both brothers have with one another. After Henry goes off to war Lyman takes care of the car. Lyman cares for the car as if he were trying to preserve the bond that he and Henry had. Furthermore, Lyman knows to some extent that the bond between his brother and him is fragile because Henry has been gone away to war. The color of the car which is red has a double meaning which includes emotions such as the love that exists between the brothers, but also disaster like war. The war separated them both emotionally and physically, but despite this, at the end, they were able to relive the old days when their bond was at its strongest.

Bruce Dawe uses symbols to create moods showing sadness and the loss of hope. Dawe’s line ‘and when the loaded ute bumps down the drive past the blackberry canes with their last shriveled fruit’, the blackberries were used as an indicator of time, on their arrival the berries were the 'first of the season' but by the time when they drove past the blackberry cane was they're saw only 'their last shrivelled fruit'. This tells us that they perhaps only stayed for about two or three months. ‘The brown kelpie pup will start dashing about, tripping everyone up’ The dog run around barking, shows the scene of a chaotic house, it also conveys a sense of bad luck to the family. A “kelpie” is an Australian sheepdog, in Scottish it refers to an evil water spirit that takes the form of a horse and drowns travellers. This cross-meaning gives the poem a sense of danger, implying that the family is not only traveling with a puppy for the children but is also an omen of bad luck. The unexpectedness of the move is conveyed by the fact that the tomatoes are still green on the vine. They never live in the one place long enough for the tomatoes to ripen. This could be the same for other aspects of their lives, making new friends could be an example. They started to become friendly with the

In literature, red is often associated with blood and violence. Four researchers, Erella Hovers, Shimon Ilani, Ofer Bar-Yosef, and Bernard Vandermeersch, studied colored symbolism and concluded; “Color symbolism is one of the symbolic frameworks used extensively by contemporary societies to convey information and abstract messages through material objects” (Hovers et al.,2003.) Through the use of colors, May vividly expresses the emotions of the speaker towards society, regarding the topics of warfare and education. He specifically selects certain colors, like black and red, to stir up emotions within Jontae. The colors create a symbolic image, ultimately leading up to represent the violent scenes taking place. May writes his fear; “I know how often red is the only color left to reach” (18-19), to show his apprehension for Jontae a young male in society surrounded by warfare. Red in literature often represents blood, sacrifice, and violence. Using colors throughout the poem, creates a more vehement atmosphere, in which Jontae is left to choose between warfare, and discovering his identity in an alternative

There is also figurative language used in phrases such as “Having come from the clouds” and “tilting road”. This adds to the effect of imagery and emphasis on the journey to the sawmill town. It also helps to make the stanza more interesting to the reader.

Memorable moments last a lifetime within the heart and often encourage new memories to be made to be just as everlasting. Life often gives the individual an array of events followed by a variety of emotions and lasting event but it is not always as delightful as the ones that make a last impression. “The Red Convertible” is about the memorable moments that the Lamartine brothers share together based on their pride for their red convertible. The shared love for the red convertible inspired the lasting memories for the Lamartine brothers; However, precisely like life, the memories were sewn into the brother’s hearts and life continues. Henry Lamartine was drafted into the Vietnam War, while Lyman Lamartine stayed behind on the Indian reservation. The draft will forever change the brothers, and only the memories from the red convertible will be left behind. Louise Erdrich embraces an intimate relationship between the Lamartine brothers which is supported by the symbolism of a red convertible however, the connection changes as life takes its negative effect on the brothers when Henry is drafted to Vietnam.

It is assumed that Williams is describing a wheelbarrow, however he decides to leave “barrow” for the following line (Williams 4). Conceivably, he has dedicated this piece of his short poem to emphasize the color he has introduced. Certainly, it is a true red, a red that is vivid and stands out in the view independently.

In this poem, we see the tone light and free, also much imagery. We see this immediately with the first line saying, the “afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight” (1). We immediately get a sense of a beautiful day, maybe even fall with the trees descriptions in the following line, “trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves” (2). Lowell shows such beautiful imagery throughout her poem especially in her first two stanzas, that when we read that they are in the middle of war in the third stanza, that it is slightly shocking. That there are “two little boys, lying flat on their faces” (7) and that they are, “carefully gathering red berries” (8). Here Lowell shows that it is still a beautiful day but the darker reality is that they are currently in a war. Then we start to see the poem more in a melancholy light. That these two little boys are picking berries to save for later, instead of enjoying it right now. However one day the boys wish that “there will be no more war” (10), and that then, they could in fact enjoy their berries, their afternoon and “turn it in my fingers”. In this poem, we clearly see the different tones throughout. Lowell shows us the light tone, then a more melancholy tone and then finally a hopeful tone.

The poet also describes both the man in the Mercedes and one of the garbage men as having sunglasses on, and that although this connects them in some ways there

Metaphors show up in the fifth and sixth stanza. “It’s when city workers cut down trees/ demolishing one limb at a time,spilling the crumbs/ of twigs and leaves all over the tablecloth of street.” Describing the twigs and leaves as crumbs,

The poet becomes increasingly uncomfortable as he begins to read about specific colors. The "jacket yellow in the green meadow" and the "red rooftops easy to spot in the valley" would hold significance for an audience with sight, but in the case of the blind man, they are worthless beyond their literal meaning (15-16). While the poet may have meant to convey a message to the reader through the red rooftops, his efforts were nullified by the blind man, and he fears that his work is now inadequate. Again, the poet appears to hesitate; he wants to "pass over" the "cathedral's ceiling," "the farewell wave," and "the album with the faces," yet he knows "it's not an option" (19-23). He feels guilty for making his poem so reliant on imagery, and the fear that he is inadequate as a writer continues to

Throughout the poem, the speaker uses a reverent tone to communicate the sacredness of the places mentioned. His understanding of the situation filters through the calmness of the scene and is exhibited through neutral word choice. The most descriptive words are only used at the beginning. “Fidgeted,” “shrank,” and “serious” build up an intense mood, which dissipates when the mention of a car as a sacred place steps in. While other hiding places and rooms are mentioned, the car keeps coming back as a savior, the thing that frees the

Old Faithful, with the rusted hood and the one flat tire, stares at me from the backyard. Memories of sweat, work, and pain race through my head at how much hard work went into that piece of junk and now it has been left to rot, only being started temporally to see if it will magically start. She was a faithful companion that only cost two hundred dollars at the start and ended at the value of only about fifty. Many summers of hard work and fun came out of her and she will never be forgotten because she is something that is essential in the everyday life of Americans. Her chipping red paint and rusted hood show integrity and the hard work of the average American. The old red tractor was something that has been relied on for years, and what