duffy and pugh

Equally essential as the narrative in poetic writing is the overall effect of language structure and description. Although there is no distinct rhythm or rhyme to this poem, it is through language and structure that the text is made inviting. In the blank verse, “Why are you still seventeen.../ dragging a shadow you’ve found?” (1), this metaphor for a borrowed lifestyle facilitates a feeling of lost identity and nostalgia for the past. By incorporating such language, and by choosing a self-proclaimed rhetorical question, the speaker adds to the effect of personal obscurity. An immense component of the entire poem are the combined stanzas: “that's not the road you want,/ though you have it to yourself.” This emulates the feeling of regret. In continuation of the metaphorical self-evaluation of the poem, it supports the idea

The young man in the poem loses his identity as he develops into the ruthless world of adulthood with its dehumanizing competition of ‘money-hungry, back-stabbing’ and ‘so-and-so.’ These exaggerated words and clichés

A common theme throughout the poem is the coping mechanism used for his troubled relationship. He does not view his alcoholism as a fault, but as a comfort and an escape. He yearns “to sleep beneath a patchwork quilt of rum”. (Clarke 6) Furthermore, he wishes to drink until he is unaware that his relationship is troubled. He wishes for “the slow collapse of language / [w]ashed out by alcohol.” (Clarke 7-8) He desires to detach, and isolate himself from the situation mentally, rather than remove himself physically. This suggests that he has no wish to recover from his alcoholism, and no desire to leave his

Furthermore, poetry, and the personification of poetry, conversations with old friends and family, should not need a special occasion, rather it should “ride the bus” with patience for the stops before your own and the understanding of other’s needs before your own (line 13). You can also say the bus can represent the speed at which life passes you by and how easy it is to miss something if you are not paying attention, or even, that these missed moments have a poem to help you along your long journey home. With the use of

Yuriana Hidalgo Introduction to Literature Prof. Paula Cameron Poetry Assignment November 11, 2014 Identity and Rites of Passage In the poems “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland, “The Journey” by Mary Oliver, and “Carrying a Ladder” by Kay Ryan, the three poets described the struggle that society is going through. Each poem is full of meaning, as the reader keep going can see the images, can sense the tone, the language that makes the reader feels identified with the poems. Everyone lives in a society full of problems and struggles, even though we tried to fight; there are always obstacles in the way. Nothing in the life is easy and never will, but we can’t give up we have to keep fighting to survive.

Clare does a fair job in capturing how it is to be a lonely, melancholic soul, grieving the loss of friendship in love, all while making it clear that the speaker has a vast knowledge of self awareness. The simplistic seeming set up of the stanzas lends to a much deeper understanding of the human condition. “I Am” is written with precise punctuation, purposeful repetition, as well as a distinct rhyme scheme which helps to create the morose but understanding atmosphere that exists in the speaker 's head.

In order to be happy, people must have a purpose in life. This theme is demonstrated through both symbolism and mood in the passages “Andy Lovell” by T.S. Arthur and “The Song of the Old Mother” by William Butler Yeats. Through these literary devices, the authors show that by not following your passion, you will eventually become miserable. Because of their powerful words, the reader gets a firm grasp on the importance of objectives in life.

In conclusion, Gwen Harwood deals with the constant relevant issues of loss and consolation by the enduring power of poetic treatment of age and youth. In my opinion, on the most profound of universal truths, there is no certainty in life and we must deal with events and situations as we encounter them. Harwood’s poetry distinctly presents a

This notion of female identity as a constructed in masculine discourse but accepted by all, is a recurring theme in Duffy's poetry. She stereotypes many of her characters in order to foreground their incongruous place within a modern society. She also highlights the inadequacies of language as a form of expression in the Lacanian sense that 'no meaning is sustained by anything other than reference to another meaning' (Lacan, p.83). Language, therefore, is an unreliable form of expression and, as such, is deconstructed by Duffy through the use of dramatic monologues to represent speech rather than written forms, and by her juxtaposition of seemingly random nouns and adjectival phrases and her use of compound words. Language is used to create a tension throughout her work, particularly in her insistence on foregrounding the construction of the poem itself.

William Blake uses the children in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience to represent the effects of the by-products left by a society dominated by the concept of providing for an upper class through the notions associated with proto-capitalism. This essay will highlight the various ways in how Blake presents both the physical and psychological effects caused by these by-products (poverty and suffering) to these children and how they as a whole represent this side of society that is affected therefore as a result conveying the ways in which Blake represents poverty and suffering in both of his books.

These connotations come across well and it is striking for the reader, meaning they always have the thought of speech in their minds. The first section of the poem is mainly dialogue between his teacher and Harrison. He remembers a school production: 'I played the drunken porter in Macbeth'. Harrison's teacher tells him 'Poetry's the speech of kings.

Possibly the saddest feature of the poem is the fact that, although both Harrison and his father himself know that the father isn’t coping very well, neither of them can bring themselves to talk about it. This exposes the inability of men (especially old, proud Yorkshire men like Harrison’s father) to speak openly about their feelings. Harrison’s father would see it as a sign of weakness to openly show his great sorrow and his “still raw love” to his son. The word raw is used to describe his love as an undressed wound and the pain is still constant. The poem is therefore painfully well observed and frustratingly honest. We feel very sorry for Harrison’s father and indeed for Harrison himself, who allowed his father to carry on the pretence without ever feeling able to help. His father is now dead, his phone number is “disconnected” and it is too late for Harrison to “call”. The final verse presents the reader with an antithetic juxtaposition. Harrison begins with stating that, “I believe life ends with death, and that is all”, (this contrasts to Donne, as he doesn’t believe in the afterlife). However, his actions do not support his statement, as although his parents are both dead, he still keeps their memory alive in his “new black leather phone book”, still “calling” their “disconnected number”. Harrison’s behaviour is hugely ironic, given the almost critical way in which he exposed his father’s frailties in the opening three verses, now, just like his

The problem that needs to be solved here is the seniority versus performance issue based on the current

Mental suffering is a theme which Durcan explores in “En Famille, 1979” and “Sport”. Durcan’s intense poetry often focuses on memories of loneliness. “En Famille, 1979” almost appears to be a cry for help, as though the poet has never come to terms with the traumatic effects of his earliest experiences. The “dark school” presents a disturbing metaphor of his childhood. Durcan’s use of the French title meaning ‘with one’s family’ is heartbreakingly poignant. Yet he remains obsessed with the past. His unsettled childhood, particularly his painful relationship with his father, has much marked his poetry. Similarly, “Sport” examines the effects of rejection. The father-son relationship has remained the same all through his life.The devastation he experienced as a young man desperately attempting to impress his father is evident in the bleakness of the phrase “I was fearful I would let you down”. The poet’s fondness of dark humour is emphasised in his exaggerated description of the opposition players. The Mulling team had “gapped teeth, red faces…” They scarcely seemed human. However, despite his use of humour, it disguise Durcan’s continuing disappointment with this

‘Poem at Thirty-nine’ is a free verse structured poem by Alice Walker. There is sadness in the poem and it is presented by