We Were The Mulvaneys Analysis Essay

Connell uses imagery when Rainsford is on the island. The author wrote “He saw no sign of a trail through the closely knit web of weeds and trees; it was easier to go

As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.

Death is part of the human life cycle, approximately 151,600 people die each day. Everyone wonders how they will die, if they suffer, if it’s tragic or if it’s just simply peaceful. In each of the three poems the main focus is death. Each poem shows a different feeling about death. “Thanatopsis” by William Bryant, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult and “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas, all have different meanings of death.

Oates’ implementation of similes helps give the reader a chance to experience imagery in an understandable way. An example of this in the passage is, “A light gritty film of snow on the ground, darkest in the crevices where you’d expect shadow so it was like a film negative.” The comparison of the shadows and darkness of the snow to a film negative helps the reader understand the frightful and dark image the author is trying to draw. With this comparison, we are able to understand Judd’s observations of his surroundings much better. The Imagery used in this excerpt is important in showing the reader how Judd is feeling, but through his surroundings. An example in the passage that really demonstrates this is, “I leaned farther and farther over the rail staring into the water and I was moving, moving helplessly forward, it seemed I was moving somehow upward, rising into the air, helpless, in that instant aware of my heart beating...” The rushing and running of the water downstream illustrates the tension and anxiety Judd is feeling about his anticipated “death”. Oates’ imagery helps characterize Judd by her use of nature around him to express his

Bruce Dawe, a well-known Australian poet, writes about a variety of topics, including death, suicide, cruelty and apathy of society, destruction of the environment, prejudice and the senselessness of war. Dawe uses vivid visual and aural poetic techniques to express his emotions towards the theme of the poem. This helps the reader grasp a better understanding of what Dawe is writing about. The poems being discussed are his poem ‘Life Cycle’ which describes the life of being like an AFL player; the poem ‘Soliloquy for One Dead’ known as a very emotive poem, which deals with the thought of loss and the feeling of grief and lastly, ‘Planning a Time Capsule’ discussing the views Dawe has on what humans are doing to the environment.

Mourning and mortality is a constant concern that transcends time. Slessor’s poetic treatment of these ideas continue to engage readers as it evokes a sense of awareness. This is evident in Kenneth Slessor 's poem Five Bells as the persona 's grief for his deceased friend, Joe Lynch causes him to realise the significance of time and the strength of spiritual attachments. This further leads him to question the purpose of human life.

Throughout this poem there are multiple ways Hall connects the poem to its core meaning. Located within the title, the word ‘dead’ is used to describe the machine. Being dead is the ultimate end of a life and that uncertainty of death sparks fear among many people. The inclusion of this certain word is used to set the tone of the poem as dark and gloomy and obtain the readers interest. Another method used by Hall to convey the theme of death was through imagery. The entire second stanza is a description of the pilot’s skeleton strapped within the crashed plane. Having such a graphic image portrayed, Hall is able to essentially shock his reader with the gruesomeness that death produces. One of the last things the reader may decipher from this poem is that life, just like war, is a trap. Within the third stanza, the pilot is said to be taking a train to work and is “held/ by the firm webbing” of the train. The webbing infers that the pilot, although not trapped in his plane, is trapped in the roles put forth by society.

In a world filled with unanswered questions and everlasting confusion, realization tends to be the oasis of knowledge. Judd Mulvaney in Joyce Carol Oate’s, We Were the Mulvaneys, realizes that death is imminent and everyone eventually dies. In order to characterize the speaker as a young boy aware of his surroundings and alert of the truth of life, Oates uses several literary techniques. “I leaned farther and farther over the rail, staring into the water

In contrast, the connotative diction in Catherine Davis’s poem “After a Time” presents a depressing tone towards the acceptance of death. To begin Davis describes death with connotative diction using words like “losses” instead of more denotative words like death. This suggestive tone shows Davis’s desire to avoid using cacophonous language in her poem. Davis continues this diction when she replaces aging by calling life a “losing game”(7). Death is suggested many times in the poem as going back the “way we came,”(9).

The idea of death can be, and is an enormously disturbing, unknown issue in which many people can have many different opinions. To some individuals, the process of life can progress painstakingly slow, while for others life moves too fast. In the excerpt We Were the Mulvaneys, by Joyce Carol Oates, a innocent farm boy named Judd Mulvaney has an eye-opening encounter by a brook near his driveway. During this encounter, Judd faces a chain of feelings and emotions that lead to his change of opinion of the issues of life and death, and change as a character. This emblematic imagery of life and death, as well as jumpy, and retrospective tones benefit the development of Judd as an innocent child as he begins to change into a more conscious and aware adult.

It is here where Judd is also shown to be exceedingly self aware and mature, recognizing the naive aspects of his youth in his initial reaction to contemplating death, "I did not believe that Judd Mulvaney could die.", and immediate correcting himself by examining the abundance of experiences he's had from growing up on the farm. All of these experiences overwhelmingly pointing at the fact that death is definite and inevitable. This realization then feeds into furthering the sense of Judd being highly reflective as he wonders whether or not the people around him are even aware of the fact that life may in fact be meaningless. It is here where the scene of Judd staring into the river expands to take on its role as a symbol in the excerpt. Oates is able to give the same feeling Judd had when looked into the fast moving 'current' moment. He made out the shallowness of life, and realized that the fast moving current does not have the same emphasis on the importance of the individual that we have in ourselves as he looks toward his reflection and sees the empty void, a silhouette which could be filled by

Sleep is another common symbol for death, and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is filled with the essence of sleep. Every element of the poem works together to create a lullaby effect, calling the speaker and reader to a "lovely, dark and deep" sleep (474). The gentle imagery of the downy soft snow and easy wind, combined with the cadence and meter of the poem creates a lulling, rocking, soothing effect. The AABB rhyme scheme and the iambic quatrameter create a lullaby feeling, easing the reader in to a comfortable sleep.

Death is a topic that unites all of humanity. While it can be uncomfortable to think about, confronting death in unavoidable. “Dying” addresses that discomfort and universal unwillingness to consider the inevitability of death. Pinsky’s use of imagery, symbolism, and tone create a poetic experience that is like death, something every reader can relate to. In “Dying,” Pinsky describes how people are oblivious and almost uncaring when it comes to the thought of death. Pinsky is trying to convince the reader that they shouldn’t ignore the concept of death because life is shorter than it seems.

Mary Oliver’s poem, “Sleeping in the Forest,” presents a peaceful and vivid representation of death and its relationship with nature. As the poem begins, the reader is introduced to the earth welcoming the speaker back into the realm of nature. Man was created from the dust of the earth and when we die, our bodies return to the dust. However, this poem presents a more beautiful image of what death is composed of. Death is often portrayed as being frightening and disturbing. When individuals are presented with the thought of death, they often push this thought away out of fear and ignorance. Everyone will die someday whether we ignore the thought of death or not. However, Oliver creates a relaxing and welcoming image for the reader on what death (ideally) is. Obviously, since Oliver is still alive, she doesn’t know what death feels like. However, the way she describes death, I hope that it feels like sleeping in a forest; full of stars and enchantment.