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At least you're then in a situation where you can go through it and condense it, make a really strong, shorter essay.Its definitely a good thing that you've shortened it, as I know it can be a pain to do sometimes. You feel all chuffed with yourself after spending ages piecing this amazing essay together, only for someone to discard it as 'too long'.. Sorry that it was me
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Here's my Walcott essay. Need to get a C in English, so advice would be appreciated.
I found the poetry of Derek Walcott to be extremely interesting and thought-provoking. It is my first time to encounter a Caribbean poet and the experience has given me much food for though. In addition it has given me a vivid picture of the West Indies and of the impact of colonisation on them. I have enjoyed the fact that Walcott writes from his own personal experience. This makes his poetry alive and real. Another aspect of his poetry that appeals to me is his sensuous and evocative imagery which brings a painterly quality to his work. It is interesting that the message of his poems is often carried in the connotations of the imagery as well as in the narrative or the argument.
Because Walcott writes from personal experience it is easy to get a sense of his personality. One aspect that comes across very clearly in his poems is his search for identity. We see this in “The Sailor Sings Back to the Casuarinas”. This poem is narrated by a sailor named Shabine. Like Walcott himself, Shabine is of mixed race. He states:
“I have no nation now but the imagination”
This reflects a similar sense of dislocation that Walcott seems to feel, caught somewhere between his European and African roots. Shabine journeys around the seas of the Caribbean in the same way as Walcott makes an emotional journey in search of his identity. This poem, through its focus on the Casuarina trees, explores Walcott's belief that those who colonised the Caribbean Islands used language to dominate and control the natives. Shabine realises the trees are unaffected by whatever name is used for them “since they were trees with nothing else in mind / but heavenly leaping or to guard a grave”. This is in marked contrast to the influence that names can have on human beings:“but we live like our names”Shabine clearly perceives that names reflect how we see ourselves and our place in the world. He believes that on has “to be colonial to know the difference / to know the pain of history words contain”. This point has a strong impact on me as an Irish person and has caused me to consider Ireland's colonial history as reflected in words such as “The British Isles” and “Londonderry”. Our ancestors shared the historical experience of the people of the West Indies.
Another aspect of Walcott's personality that comes across in his poetry is his belief in life after death. This notion comes across in “For Adrian” and “A Letter From Brooklyn”. While Walcott, like most of us, was not without doubts and uncertainties where religion is concerned most of his poems on this subject are wonderfully reassuring and uplifting. Reading “A Letter From Brooklyn”, I was struck by the old lady's absolute belief in a life beyond death. She refers to Walcott's father in the present tense:
“He is twenty-eight years buried....he was called home,
And is, I am sure, doing great work”
Walcott is hugely comforted by her belief in a life beyond death:
“Restores my duty to the World”
The repetition of “I believe” in the closing lines of the poem (“So this old lady writes and again I believe, / I believe it all, and for no man's death I grieve”) underlines how his faith has been dramatically renewed.
While learning so much about Walcott in his poetry, I cannot avoid being impressed by his particularly effective use of language and imagery. He has a fantastic ability to introduce a thread of imagery and sustain it throughout a poem. This can be seen particularly in “Saint Lucia's First Communion” and in “A Letter From Brooklyn”. In “A Letter From Brooklyn” a spider web ,metaphor is introduced in the opening line:
“An old lady writes me in a spidery style”
This shapes the entire poem and complements the message of the poem. Like the web, the old lady appears frail, but, in reality is very resilient.
The metaphors in “Saint Lucia's First Communion” are equally impressive. Walcott introduces the symbolism of light and dark and black and white in the first two lines. With this mix of black and white we realise that the poems meaning will be carried in its imagery in addition to its argument.
“At dusk, on the edge of the asphalt's worn out ribbon
in white cotton frock, cotton stockings, a black child stands”
The words “white”, “cotton” and “black” invoke the idea of slavery and the poet's realisation of what is happening - “Ah! It's First Communion” - creates a connection that links first communion to slavery. The “white satin moths” are a metaphor for the moth-shaped hair clips and he develops this with the reference to “the caterpillar's accordion” perhaps suggesting the visual appearance of the children in precession but also pointing to the youth and innocence of the children. Another image in this poem that impressed me by the wealth of its connotations is “the wafer pods”. The poet seems to be suggesting that the small children do not yet understand or question what it is they do:
“the wafer pods in belief without an if”
The verb “pods” calls to mind the expression “like peas in a pod” and reinforces the idea of the unquestioning belief and conformity of the children.
Walcott's poem “Endings” has intense and memorable images that the poet employs to express the idea of love gradually and inevitably fading away. In the second couplet two similes reinforce this idea:
“as sunlight fades from the flesh
as the foam drains quick from the sand”
As Walcott had three failed marriages, there is a real sense of him speaking from personal experience. Love, he says, ends as silently as flowers or fades like flesh removed by a pumice stone. Through these images Walcott is achieving realisation for the reader who becomes completely aware of how Walcott perceives how endings happen. I also enjoyed this poem's many musical qualities such as its alliterative 'f' (“fade...fades...fading”), 'l' (loves lightning) and 's' (“sound...stone...shape...silence...surrounds”) sounds.
The poetry of Derek Walcott has been a very thought-provoking experience. The complexities of religious belief revealed in some of the poems have made me think about what he calls “belief without an 'if'” on the one hand, and about the comfort that faith and a real belief in an after life can offer to people, on the other. I am also drawn to his thoughts on colonialism and the effect that that can have on one's sense of identity. His imagery is vivid and really evocative of the Caribbean. However, his lack of commitment to marriage is not really compensated for by his belief that things “fail” and “fade”.
Edit: Sorry about the weird formating, I copied it from a .doc file.0 -
Here's my Walcott essay. Need to get a C in English, so advice would be appreciated.
I found the poetry of Derek Walcott to be extremely interesting and thought-provoking. It is my first time to encounter a Caribbean poet and the experience has given me much food for though. In addition it has given me a vivid picture of the West Indies and of the impact of colonisation on them. I have enjoyed the fact that Walcott writes from his own personal experience. This makes his poetry alive and real. Another aspect of his poetry that appeals to me is his sensuous and evocative imagery which brings a painterly quality to his work. It is interesting that the message of his poems is often carried in the connotations of the imagery as well as in the narrative or the argument.
Because Walcott writes from personal experience it is easy to get a sense of his personality. One aspect that comes across very clearly in his poems is his search for identity. We see this in “The Sailor Sings Back to the Casuarinas”. This poem is narrated by a sailor named Shabine. Like Walcott himself, Shabine is of mixed race. He states:
“I have no nation now but the imagination”
This reflects a similar sense of dislocation that Walcott seems to feel, caught somewhere between his European and African roots. Shabine journeys around the seas of the Caribbean in the same way as Walcott makes an emotional journey in search of his identity. This poem, through its focus on the Casuarina trees, explores Walcott's belief that those who colonised the Caribbean Islands used language to dominate and control the natives. Shabine realises the trees are unaffected by whatever name is used for them “since they were trees with nothing else in mind / but heavenly leaping or to guard a grave”. This is in marked contrast to the influence that names can have on human beings:“but we live like our names”Shabine clearly perceives that names reflect how we see ourselves and our place in the world. He believes that on has “to be colonial to know the difference / to know the pain of history words contain”. This point has a strong impact on me as an Irish person and has caused me to consider Ireland's colonial history as reflected in words such as “The British Isles” and “Londonderry”. Our ancestors shared the historical experience of the people of the West Indies.
Another aspect of Walcott's personality that comes across in his poetry is his belief in life after death. This notion comes across in “For Adrian” and “A Letter From Brooklyn”. While Walcott, like most of us, was not without doubts and uncertainties where religion is concerned most of his poems on this subject are wonderfully reassuring and uplifting. Reading “A Letter From Brooklyn”, I was struck by the old lady's absolute belief in a life beyond death. She refers to Walcott's father in the present tense:
“He is twenty-eight years buried....he was called home,
And is, I am sure, doing great work”
Walcott is hugely comforted by her belief in a life beyond death:
“Restores my duty to the World”
The repetition of “I believe” in the closing lines of the poem (“So this old lady writes and again I believe, / I believe it all, and for no man's death I grieve”) underlines how his faith has been dramatically renewed.
While learning so much about Walcott in his poetry, I cannot avoid being impressed by his particularly effective use of language and imagery. He has a fantastic ability to introduce a thread of imagery and sustain it throughout a poem. This can be seen particularly in “Saint Lucia's First Communion” and in “A Letter From Brooklyn”. In “A Letter From Brooklyn” a spider web ,metaphor is introduced in the opening line:
“An old lady writes me in a spidery style”
This shapes the entire poem and complements the message of the poem. Like the web, the old lady appears frail, but, in reality is very resilient.
The metaphors in “Saint Lucia's First Communion” are equally impressive. Walcott introduces the symbolism of light and dark and black and white in the first two lines. With this mix of black and white we realise that the poems meaning will be carried in its imagery in addition to its argument.
“At dusk, on the edge of the asphalt's worn out ribbon
in white cotton frock, cotton stockings, a black child stands”
The words “white”, “cotton” and “black” invoke the idea of slavery and the poet's realisation of what is happening - “Ah! It's First Communion” - creates a connection that links first communion to slavery. The “white satin moths” are a metaphor for the moth-shaped hair clips and he develops this with the reference to “the caterpillar's accordion” perhaps suggesting the visual appearance of the children in precession but also pointing to the youth and innocence of the children. Another image in this poem that impressed me by the wealth of its connotations is “the wafer pods”. The poet seems to be suggesting that the small children do not yet understand or question what it is they do:
“the wafer pods in belief without an if”
The verb “pods” calls to mind the expression “like peas in a pod” and reinforces the idea of the unquestioning belief and conformity of the children.
Walcott's poem “Endings” has intense and memorable images that the poet employs to express the idea of love gradually and inevitably fading away. In the second couplet two similes reinforce this idea:
“as sunlight fades from the flesh
as the foam drains quick from the sand”
As Walcott had three failed marriages, there is a real sense of him speaking from personal experience. Love, he says, ends as silently as flowers or fades like flesh removed by a pumice stone. Through these images Walcott is achieving realisation for the reader who becomes completely aware of how Walcott perceives how endings happen. I also enjoyed this poem's many musical qualities such as its alliterative 'f' (“fade...fades...fading”), 'l' (loves lightning) and 's' (“sound...stone...shape...silence...surrounds”) sounds.
The poetry of Derek Walcott has been a very thought-provoking experience. The complexities of religious belief revealed in some of the poems have made me think about what he calls “belief without an 'if'” on the one hand, and about the comfort that faith and a real belief in an after life can offer to people, on the other. I am also drawn to his thoughts on colonialism and the effect that that can have on one's sense of identity. His imagery is vivid and really evocative of the Caribbean. However, his lack of commitment to marriage is not really compensated for by his belief that things “fail” and “fade”.
Edit: Sorry about the weird formating, I copied it from a .doc file.
Overall I think its a very good essay - only thing is that I didnt feel as though there was an ending/summation to the essay. The last paragraph is great, but maybe stick on another sentence at the end, highlighting the impact his poetry had on you/how much you liked it etc. Just my humble opinion!0 -
This is my cultural context essay, I was too late handing it in and my teacher wouldnt correct it, so any criticism welcome. How do I improve it?
Write an essay in which you compare the texts you have studied in your
comparative course in the light of your understanding of the term, the cultural context. (2003) (70 marks)
The texts I have studied are “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd (‘TSLOB’), “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte (‘JE’) and “Inside I’m Dancing” directed by Damien O Donnell (‘IID’).
In my opinion, cultural context can be broadly defined as the world of the texts and the forces within these worlds that shape the lives of the characters in each of the texts. Cultural context is all aspects of life, the totality of meanings, ideas and beliefs shared by individuals within a group of people, or a society. ‘TSLOB’ is set in the deeply racial south USA of the nineteen sixties, in the era of the Civil Rights Movement, while ‘JE’ is set in nineteenth century Victorian England. In contrast, ‘IID’ is set in the late twentieth century modern Dublin. The societies in each of the three texts presented hold many different values, or forces that shape the lives of each of the characters. The cultural environment created offers the reader a context in which to explore thematic and character development. We may also appreciate the literary techniques that allow such a vivid world to be set before our imaginations. Credible and vivid environments are created within the three texts, through the exploration of themes such as education, social class, family and work.
Education is deemed to be an instructive and enlightening experience. However, in ‘TSLOB’, the image presented of education is very different. T Ray, father to the teenage Lily, does not place any great emphasis on education and he crushes her idealistic dream of becoming a successful writer, forbidding the reading of any books. He does not encourage his daughter to further her education; rather he deprives her of it. Similarly, the disabled Michael and Rory in ‘IID’ are deprived of the education that comes with living as a full member of society, a deprivation also common to Jane in ‘JE’, as an impoverished orphan living in a class based society. For Jane, education is her only way of escaping the callous Reed family, but it is also the means in which she establishes herself as a person of worth. Her education as an established governess also leads her to Mr Rochester, while in ‘IID’ the education Rory and Michael receive in the ‘real world’ lead them to Siobhan. In contrast to the sexual relationship between Jane and Rochester in ‘JE’, a sexual opportunity between Siobhan and either of the two boys does not present itself. We see a very different take on education in ‘IID’ - the paralysed Rory educates Michael and teaches him how to enjoy life as an integral member of society. In this way, like Jane in ‘JE’, this education helps Michael to establish self worth and to assume his place in the world of the text.
There is a strong and clear link between the education and social class in each of my three chosen texts. The value of hierarchal distinctions between individuals or groups in each of the texts has a profound impact on the lives of each of the protagonists. In both ‘JE’ and ‘IID’, social class divides are apparent, while in ‘TSLOB’, it is racial class that prevails. Lily falls in love with Zachary Taylor, the black bee keeper, and in the racial south of 1959 a mixed race couple was not tolerated. Similarly, the orphaned Jane in ‘JE’ falls in love with the esteemed and affluent Mr. Rochester, a relationship deemed unacceptable in the world of the text. In contrast with ‘TSLOB’, it is social class divisions in ‘IID’ that separate Rory and Michael from society in the world of the text. In living independently, they face discrimination from many sources – ignorant bouncers outside a Dublin nightclub who use Michael’s choice of footwear as an excuse to refuse their entry and the gardai dismissing the incident when Rory is caught joyriding. Even Michael’s father, a respected barrister, abandons his son and rejects him due to his disability. In the same way, Jane is disowned by the Reed family when she goes to school, never invited to return during the holidays. In contrast, in the world of ‘TSLOB’, Lily’ s father arrives at the Pink House after tracking down his daughter, however is exultant to leave her with the Boatwright sisters, effectively abandoning his only child.
Family and the importance of family is another common value in each my three chosen texts. In ‘IID’, Michael’s father has disowned him, while Rory’s father is unable to care for him. The two boys have both lost their mothers, similar to lily in ‘TSLOB’, who accidently shot her mother at a very young age. Jane in ‘JE’ has lost her father, and similar to lily and the two boys, she has also lost her mother. Michael’s father, Fergal Connolly, is akin to Lily’s father, both having emotionally abandoned their children. In contrast to this, Rory has a caring, well meaning and attentive father who is proud of his son. Both Jane and lily create a permanent family for themselves at Moorhead and at the Pink House, while Michael and Rory find a family in each other and with Siobhan in “cripple heaven”. Unlike Lily and Jane, Michael is left with no family again after the death of Rory, but is willing to continue Rory’s legacy and live as an integrated member of society.
A further aspect of cultural context in the societies of the texts is the value of work. For Lily in ‘TSLOB’, it is her work in the honey house that helps her to grow and mature as a person, and gives her a sense of self worth, similar to the self worth education gives to Jane in ‘JE’ when she is first sent to Lowood. Jane becomes a teacher herself, an embodiment of her core belief that prejudices “are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education”. Contrastingly, in ‘IID’, Siobhan’s work with Rory and Michael teaches the boys that if they want to be equal, they “have to show people the same respect that you demand of them!” In ‘JE’, Jane’s work as a governess leads her to Mr. Rochester, who she goes on to marry. Likewise, Lily’s work in the bee house brings her to Zach, however unlike Jane and Mr Rochester, their relationship is put on hold due to racial tensions. In contrast, while both Michael and Rory are attracted to their employee Siobhan, she does not reciprocate. Work is a mainly positive force in the lives of Protagonists, not only teaching them about themselves, but leading them on to a new found state of self belief.
The totality of meanings, ideas and beliefs shared by individuals within a group of people, or a society, is what defines cultural context for me. The values of a society are an embodiment of personal, social and political ideals, which impact greatly on the lives of the protagonists. Exploring three texts under the mode of cultural context has raised many questions for me and has led me to critique the world in which I live in. I would most like to visit the world of Jane Eyre, for as a female with slight feminist tendencies, this world would challenge my existing views on female oppression. Similarly, I would also like to visit the world of Rory and Michael, for I feel that those with a disability are often those most misunderstood.0 -
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I'll type some stuff out tomorrow, great thread idea, though. So we can all borrow and swap ideas for our own answers? Gift
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How long did it take ye to type it out?
Alot of ye are fond of Key Notes yeah? 0 -
How long did it take ye to type it out?
Alot of ye are fond of Key Notes yeah?
About 40 minutes - I dont have/know what 'Key Notes' is? my essays come from me, with some phrases in the bishop essay coming from notes from my teacher. if you take essays from notes books and slap them down, its plagerism, which you'll be crucified for.0 -
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OMG so many threads, I have to dig to find this thread. So anyway I did one them comparative questions, please rate it for me. Yes, I know I'm crap at English, I only barely passed...anyways. I don't how to write a conclusion so I didnt bother."The general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader's feelings of optimism or pessimism in reading the text"
In light of the statement above, compare the general vision and viewpointin at least two of the texts in your comparative course.The general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader’s feeling of optimism and pessimism in reading the text. Some element of general vision and viewpoint which show this are subject matter of revealing a bright or dark outlook, characters sharing a vision on life, aspects of life the texts focus on and the impression created by the closing scenes of the texts. The three texts I studied as apart of my English leaving course are the following, “The Truman Show” by Peter Weir (TTS), “Philadelphia, Here I come!” by Brian Friel and “Curious incident of the dog in the night time” by Mark Haddon.
As said, the general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader’s feeling of optimism and pessimism and this can be seen through the subject matter of the texts which reveal a bright or dark outlook
We see this in PHIC, where the subject matter is quite depressing. The play revolves around the character Gar O’ Donnell and SB O’ Donnell. Gar, who cannot communicate with his father SB, is leaving Ballybeg for a new life in Philadelphia as he believes that there is no reason for him to be in Ballybeg. More of the same is seen in CI. The text revolves around Christopher Boone, a child with Asperger’s syndrome attempting to live life in the “normal world”. Christopher lives with his single parent father Ed, Ed struggles at home because Christopher’s special needs and disability. Similarly to both CI and PHIC, TTS’ subject matter is quite depressing as we see the lack of control that Truman has on his life. Truman is on a big brother-esque reality television about his daily life. Viewers don’t realise the cruelty that they are supporting. It seems that entertainment is more important than morality.
As well the subject matter of the texts, the general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader’s feeling of optimism and pessimism via the character’s vision of life. In PHIC, Gar’s vision of life is very mundane. He noticed that life is dull and boring in Ballybeg also, he notices that his friends “The Boys” only discuss the women they like as well times in the pub. As a reader, I wasn’t surprised to why Gar would like to leave Ballybeg. The same is seen in Ballybeg. Christopher fears almost everything that surrounds him such as walking into town to his father when he finds out that Ed has killed their neighbour’s dog, Wellington. TTS follows the same suit as CI and PHIC, Truman detestes the world that he lives in as its boring a repetitive, similar to PHIC. He feels that he no reason to be here hence why he wants to explore the world and go to Fiji.
Another way is seeing how the general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader’s feeling of optimism and pessimism is by looking at the aspects of life that the three texts focus on. In all three texts there seems to be a character leaving home, therefore giving it a somewhat of a pessimistic vibe.
In PHIC, the aspects of life are very negative. Gar is just about to leave for a new life in Philadelphia as he cannot stand living in the dull world of rural Ireland in the 1960s. His lack of communication with his father SB and his failed relationship with Katie Doogan, gives many reasons to why he should leave home and start a new life somewhere else. Similar to PHIC, in CI, it seems that a child with Asperger’s syndrome cannot be truly accepted into society. Children from the “normal school” call Christopher a “spaz” as he walks to school. Also, the mother of the family Judy, runs away to London as she could not deal with the pressure of rearing a child with a disability. More of the same in the TSS, we see that rise of reality television viewers watch an ordinary individual, watching how he acts to various everyday normal events. This reveals a negative outlook once again. It is cynical and cruel as the whole world watches Truman in his darkest hours such the death of his (supposed) father during a boat trip when Truman was a child. The fact that Christof can create fear into a good honest man is very sad and heartbreaking.
The final element in the general vision and viewpoint is shaped by the reader’s feeling of optimism and pessimism is by looking at the impression given at the closing scene in each of the three texts. In the texts I studied there is mixed impressions to be seen. In PHIC, there is little or no resolution, but we are given a pessimistic vibe nevertheless. Gar and SB realise that their relationship is still badly strained and still unresolved. Neither character can express how they feel about one another, even though Gar is on the brink of departing for Philadelphia. The text closes here, giving it an anti-climatic vibe to the text, leaving for the reader to decide if Gar goes to Philadelphia or not. In sharp contrast, CI has very positive impression at the closing scene of the text. Christopher returns back home in Swindon, but now lives with his mother. He still sees his father when he comes home from school. After Christopher’s pet rat Toby dies, Christopher receives a dog, the beginning of a new chapter in Christopher’s life. He takes his A-level in maths and receives his much deserved A grade. There’s nothing negative to say the CI’s ending at all. Similar, TS also has a positive impression at the end of the text. Truman finally escapes Seaheavan and also conquerors his fear of water. He can now be with his true love since he was a teenager, Sylvia.0 -
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While reading the poetry of Michael Longley I initially found it to be quite off-putting due to the violence it contained, yet as I studied it further I came to see that, even though the war-themed poems were violent - 'A bullet entered his mouth and pierced his skull' - they in no way glorified war, but rather acted as a commentary. Longley's work unflinchingly faces up to reality and depicts man's inhumanity to man.
In 'Wreaths', Longley pays tribute to those who remained ordinary throughout the Troubles in Ulster, and were forgotten victims; symbols of conflict rather than people. 'The Civil Servant' deals with the murder of an unwilling figure in society, merely 'preparing an Ulster fry for breakfast', unaware that he was about to be murdered. With 'He lay in his dressing gown and pyjamas/While they dusted the dresser for fingerprints' Longley implies that the incident itself has become more important than the person, and that the human condition has been reduced to only a statistic. There is a shift in tone, however, when what seems to be the only note of sentiment or morality in the poem - 'Later his widow took a hammer and chisel/And removed the black keys from his piano' - is expressed.
Speaking of 'The Greengrocer' Longley said 'I wrote a lament for our local greengrocer who was killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force.' It is the strong aspect of love and sentimentality that permeates Longley's poetry, and by naming the greengrocer - 'Jim Gibson's shop' - Longley personalizes the poem. The poet notes that each death is seen as a statistic yet they are never recognized as people - 'With holly wreaths for Christmas/Fir trees on the pavement outside.' It is shown to us here that Jim Gibson was a man who did not expect to be murdered, as he had planned ahead; planned a future.
In 'The Linen Workers' Longley derails slightly, to dwell on the concept of death - 'I am blinded by the blaze of that smile/And by the memory of my father's false teeth.' In this stanza Longley also references Christ, along with his father and the ten linen workers who were 'massacred'. He compares them to a set of teeth, and makes, therefore, a connection between them and the reality of their deaths. The poignant pieces that fall around the linen workers - 'Wallets, small change, dentures' - represent the workers' personalities which were forgotten in the violence. In this poem Longley conveys a great sense of belief in the afterlife, with biblical references such as 'the bread, the wine'. In dealing with murder, Longley remembers the fallen; employing a great sense of humanity and letting his personality shine through.
Longley displays a use of intricate language in 'An Amish Rug'. Once saying that 'rhythm is what poetry is about. When rhythm fails, the poem fails', 'An Amish Rug' presents us with clear, stark images, communicated to us in language which creates a natural, melodic rhythm. Lines two and four begin with 'and', 'out' and 'black' are repeated in line two, and line four sees Longley use the alliterative 'silhouettes' and 'snowy', with assonance within their 'o' sounds, giving the first stanza a slow rhythm.
In this poem, I also admired Longley's great use of imagery. In the speaker's imagination we see what his home would be like if he were to live the Amish way of life - it would be a simplistic way of living, 'As if a one-room schoolhouse were all we knew'. An image of his family adorned in the strictly black clothes worn by the Amish people - 'And our clothes were black, our underclothes black' - symbolizes the speaker's desire to live in palpable happiness in the hope that some of the simplicity and serenity of the Amish peoples' lives may enter their own. Using metaphor in stanza one, the speaker also describes the children, adorned in purely black clothes, as 'silhouettes in a snowy field' , mirroring the Amish mentality that everything is black and white; life is controlled by rules and uncertainties.
Stanza two sees the speaker present his wife as 'the hired boy' with a patchwork quilt; the stark and dreary blacks and white of stanza one contrasted against the 'cantaloupe and cherry'. As well as this image, Longley uses a colourful 'flowerbed' to portray a now warm and intimate setting in complete contrast to the 'snow' of the first stanza. The images created by Longley in this poem compose a testimony to simplicity - simplicity in terms of both home life and love, and comment on the extreme over-emphasis of material items in modern society.
Although most of the poetry of Michael Longley had a profound impact on me, my favourite of his would have to be 'Self Heal.' To me, this poem epitomizes Longley - a compassionate man who works with a vast variety of themes and diversity within the themes themselves; for example, 'Wreaths' is a poem detailing a physical war, while 'Self-Heal' deals with a personal war. This poem also shows us how Longley deals unusually with the subject matter at a time when rural Ireland, almost a microcosm, was grappling with the notion of acceptance.
'Self-Heal' deals with a balanced woman in crisis; taking a retarded boy for a walk 'to teach him the names of flowers' yet exploring at the same time possible romantic and sexual feelings for him. Longley uses direct language in asking the blatant question 'Could I love someone so gone in the head?'. We are given a description of the boy as physically deformed: 'His skull seemed to be hammered like a wedge/Into his shoulders, and his back was hunched,/Which gave him an almost scholarly air.' This description of the boy's 'scholarly air' is an almost cruel irony, seeing as the boy is mentally retarded. It is in this image that we see the woman, thought to be a teacher, almost seeking similarities between herself and the boy in order to justify the attraction. Another conformation of this is the sexual incinuation within 'I pulled a cuckoo-pint apart'; the cuckoo-pint being a flower of sexual connotations because of its appearance: the thought of having a relationship with the boy is clearly on her mind.
It is reinforced in the line 'Gently he slipped his hand between my legs' that the relationship between the two has become anything but platonic, yet the teacher notes that she 'wasn't frightened; and still I don't know why,/But I ran from him in tears to tell them.' For an instant, the teacher explored the half-world between acceptance and marginalization, yet she runs to inform the boy's parents of his doings, who punish him brutally - 'He was flogged with a blackthorn, then tethered/In the hayfield'. In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of this poem is the woman's attitude towards the incident, and the uncertainty of her feelings and whether or not she is attracted to the boy, which, in the rural context and time of which this poem is set, shows Longley's daring in writing about such a taboo subject.
The poetry of Michael Longley exemplifies a wide range of themes, and adversity within the themes themselves, which I found to be an anomalous aspect of his poetry. As well as this, Longley's harrowing, inglorious portraits of war serve as testament to his brutal honesty, which allows his poetry to resonate at many different levels - personally, I found that although appearing and perhaps intending to be unbiased in his poetry, Longley employs a didactic style and tone in his work. Above all, however, I enjoyed Longley's daring in dealing with taboo subjects - contextualized, his poetry represents a different way of thinking, from his differing opinions on war to those on sexuality and even mental health. Personally, I feel that each of these factors greatly contribute to Longley's poetry as a whole, and effectively create work which has had a profound and resounding impact on me as a reader.
Question! I'm getting different answers from different teachers, but is 'retarded' an acceptable word to use? Most say that it is, but there are two that say it isn't PC enough..0 -
I really like that, made me want to read more and more
EDIT:grrr nobody read mine, I'm a sad panda
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Question! I'm getting different answers from different teachers, but is 'retarded' an acceptable word to use? Most say that it is, but there are two that say it isn't PC enough..[/quote]
My english teacher told me to stop using swear words in my short stories, as they are considered the lowest form of expression apparently. Dunno if retarted is technically a swear word, but best to err on the safe side and use mentally disabled or something.0 -
Question! I'm getting different answers from different teachers, but is 'retarded' an acceptable word to use? Most say that it is, but there are two that say it isn't PC enough..
It isn't. It has different meanings. American it means "drunk" while in Europe its taken on a whole different meaning. Plus you can use much fancier words. Its a word that depends very much on the context.My english teacher told me to stop using swear words in my short stories, as they are considered the lowest form of expression apparently. Dunno if retarted is technically a swear word, but best to err on the safe side and use mentally disabled or something.
Definitely don't swear. It is the lowest form of expression and English scholars (i.e. teachers) would frown upon it.
Are you folks posting full answers? Mine are abut twice the lenght of all these. Not looking down or anything, maybe I write too much! :pac:
Oh, and pray to God no one takes your answer and learns it of..0 -
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Are you folks posting full answers? Mine are abut twice the lenght of all these. Not looking down or anything, maybe I write too much! :pac:
It's easy to write out a lot when you're at home. But, remember, when you're in the exam you are confined by the limits of physical possibility.:pac:0 -
During my mocks, I was given answer books that two margins on each side. Hopefully we get them cause they make your answer look longer!-0
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We 100% will, we are told to draw a double margin on all the essays we do as practice. In the exam, they are half an inch either side.0
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During my mocks, I was given answer books that two margins on each side. Hopefully we get them cause they make your answer look longer!-
Well its all relative when you have 400 scripts. If one is say 3 pages and the rest are 5, then the 3 page one is obviously shorter. Write a good essay to the best of your ability and you will be marked accordingly. They don't mark based on lenght.0 -
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@ Blue-Army
your Bishop essay in my opinion was too heavy in quotes. U should try and ENGAGE more with the poetry not just stick in quotes everywhere. I was quite confused at times. Maybe make stronger points and back them up with quotes? not the other way round? and focus more, take your time with each point. Just some suggestions..but fair play for knowing ur quotes anyway, il be cramming tonight!0 -
This is my Rich essay, the question was something like "Adrienne Rich explores isues of Masculinity, Relationships and Power in her work"
I also wrote it before I realised all poetry answers must have a personal response, even if it's not specifically asked for in the question, so that#s a weakness I have to look at.
Also it's probably full of spelling errors cos my computer doesn't have spellcheck, these wont happen in the exam!
So besides from spelling and personal response which I knw I need to improve on, please tell me how to make this better in time for Saturday!
To truly appreciate the poetry of Adrienne Rich, the reader of her work must first consider the social context in which she wrote. Rich wrote in an age when the subjugation of women was the norm and when a woman's role in society was that of a homemaker and nothing more. Because of this, Rich's poetry offers an exposé on the treatment of and attitude towards women in 1950's and 1960's America.
Rich highlights the perceived role of the American Woman through her exploration of the themes of relationships, power and masculinity. Although her poems offer an exploration of what it meant to be a woman through these themes, they can seem somewhat dated to the modern reader and their poignancy is somewhat lost in a more 21st century egalitarian context.
Rich scrutinises the themes of relationships, power and masculinity throughout her poetry and often these three themes can be found interwoven within a single poem, as is the case in “Trying to Talk with a Man” and “Living in Sin”. Rich examines the influence power has over relationships and the role of the masculine and feminine within these relationhips, such as in “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers” and “From a Survivor”.
The poem “Trying to talk with a man” concerns itself mainly with the interplay of power and relationships, set against the backdrop of America's struggle for power and it's strained international relations. This poem as an examination of Rich's strained relationship with her husband and serves as a realisation to both herself and her readers that her marriage with her husband has become stagnated and silent:
“surrounded by a silence...that sounds like the silence of the place except that it came with us and is familiar”
This poem also serves to highlight how Rich felt dominated by her husband, it contains many references-both explicit and implicit- to the power he has over her.
“Out here I feel more helpless with you than without you”
“you look at me like an emergency...your dry heat feels like power”
Rich offers us another insight into her marriage in the poem “From a Survivor”, written after her husband's suicide. In this poem Rich acknowledges the power her husband held within their relationship and feels freed from it:
“your body...is no longer the body of a god or anything with power over my life”
“From a Survivor” illustrates the futility of marriage and implies that all marriages are destined to fail. The poem opens with Rich looking back on the early days of her marriage and realising the naivety of her and her husband in thinking that they were immune to marital complications.
“I don't know who we were that our personalities could resist the failures of the race”
It is interesting to note that nowhere in this poem does Rich accept any blame for the failure of her marriage. While in her poem “the Roofwalker” she acknowledges that she made her bed and must lie in it, it is ultimately a poem of self-pity and the same self-pitying tone runs through “From a Survivor”.
Rich holds the same negative view of marriage in “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers”. This poem fuses the ideas of masculinity and power and scrutinises the subjuation of women. In this poem Aunt Jennifer embroiders tigers on to a screen, she imbues these tigers with the power she knows she does not have:
“they do not fear the men beneath the tree; they pace in sleek chivalric certainty”
The old cliche of marriage being a ball and chain is rehashed here in the form of Aunt Jennifer's wedding band, which “sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand”. The wedding ring represents the husband's domination of Aunt Jennifer and throughout the poem we are presented with an image of a terrorised woman whose sole escape is through her embroidery.
“when Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by”
This poem, like “From a Survivor” and “Trying to talk with a man” presents us with an overwhelmingly negative view of marriage and the balance of power within it. This same aspect of marriage and power can be seen again in the poem “Living in Sin”.
Like “Aunt Jennifer's Tigers”, “Trying to talk with a man” and “From a Survivor”, “Living in Sin” portrays a woman who feels oppressed by her partner. Although there is no explicit power struggle, she feels it is her duty as the woman of the house to provide domestic care. Masculinity and Femininity are examined here, with the masculine portrayed as lazy and apathetic:
“...shrugged at the mirror, rubbed his beard, went out for cigarettes...”
and the feminine as oppressed and bound by domestic duties:
“half heresy, to wish the taps less vocal, the panes relieved of grime”
Again the male/female relationship is presented in a negative light. The woman in “Living in Sin”, like Rich in “From a survivor” had idealistic notions of partnership. She did not anticipate the mundanity of her everyday life, she had thought that her life would be filled with:
“A plate of pears, a piano with a Persion shawl..”
And that “the studio would keep itself”.
In this poem Rich places the blame for the failure of the relationship firmly on the man's shoulders. As is commonplace in her poetry, Rich offers no solutions to the problems she depicts, nor does she pay any acknowledgements to either the positive attributes of men nor the negative attributes of women. This retracts from the message of her poems somewhat as there is an overt gender bias which makes the reader view her poetry somewhat cynically.
While the issues Rich attempts to explore through her poetry were relevant and poignant in their day, her approach towards them makes it harder to engage with them. Her refusal to acknowledge the existence of possible harmony between the sexes coupled with her failure to view possible solutions to the issues she portrays detracts from the impact of the poems.
Perhaps poetry is not the best medium to explore the issues Rich raises, her method of examining the role of the American Woman only serves to highlight what every woman realised and what many women campaigned against: that women were treated unfairly and unequally. It is possible that had Rich explored this issue through a medium that allowed for greater clarity of thought and more discussion her views and opinions would hold more weight.0 -
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Ok folks this thread seemed to work really well last year and helped a lot of people so I think we should try and start it up again, looking at other peoples work can help you see the flaws in your own so post them up here and people can try provide constructive criticim.
I'll type up essays I've done on Kavanagh and Yeats and put them up tonight sometime0 -
Scoobydooo wrote: »Ok folks this thread seemed to work really well last year and helped a lot of people so I think we should try and start it up again, looking at other peoples work can help you see the flaws in your own so post them up here and people can try provide constructive criticim.
I'll type up essays I've done on Kavanagh and Yeats and put them up tonight sometime
Quite honestly I wouldn't be bothered. Use your time to study, not rate or post answers here on Boards. I'd also like to highlight your putting your answer in the public domain for anyone to read, cut, copy and paste.0 -
Heres my Essay on Kavanagh, strictly from memory. DIdn't look at the books for quotes etc, as it was after I learned them.
From my readings of Kavanaghs poetry I observed that the main themes in his poetry consist of the following: home is important to Kavanagh, Kavanagh feels lonely and isolated but contrastingly in some of his poems he is exurbuent and overjoyed, Kavanagh sees the extra ordinary in the ordinary and the last theme I noticed in Kavanaghs poetry is that he uses colloquial language in sonnet form poems, which is unusual to see in such great poetry.
The poem ''Inniskeen Road: July Evening'' is a famous poem of Kavanah's. This poem is written in sonnet form but contrastingly Kavanagh writes it in colloquial language. The main theme in this poem is Kavanagh feels lonely/isolated. In this poem Kavanagh is describing a night in which '' There is a dance in Billy Brennans Barn'' Kavanagh is observing the people going to this dance, Kavanagh notices the ''wink-elbow language'' but Kavanagh is not part of it. This makes him feel like a outsider. He feels lonely/isolated. This poem is set in Kavanaghs hometown but doesn't feel at home. He feels a outcast. Kavanagh campares imself to ''Alexander Selkirk'' who was alone on an inhabited Island for 3 years. Kavanagh feels this is a necessary comparison because thats how alone he feels. Towards the end of the poem Kavanaghs language changes because he gets frustrated that he is so alone. He expresses his frustration by using the colloquial word ''blooming''.
Another poem were we can see Kavanagh feeling lonely/isolated is in ''The Hospital''. From reading this poem I first noticed like in ''Inniskeen Road: July Evening'' it's written in sonnet form. This seems to be a reocurring theme in Kavanaghs poetry. In the poem ''The Hospital'' Kavanagh is romanticising the hospital. He is giving us a very visual discription of the hospital.
''Plan concrete, wash basins... The common and banal her heat can know''
Kavangh is referring to the hospital as a ''her''. Kavanagh says this because he feels a connection to the hospital. Kavanagh has this connection because he is lonely/isolated. He is seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
''Inexhasutible adventure of a gravelled yard''
Kavanagh tries to make this sound exciting by using the word ''inexhaustible adventure'' but it's nothing more then a normal ''gravelled yard''
''This is what love does to things''
Kavanagh feels that he has a connection with this hospital because he thinks he has fallen in love with it.
A further example of Kavanagh feeling lonely/isolated can be seen in the poem ''Shancoduff''. Throughout this poem Kavanagh is romanticising about his hills.
''My black hills''
Kavanagh believes the hills belong to him. He describes the hills as ''black'' they don't see much sun-light because they are facing the north. Kavanagh chooses the color ''black'' because he does not see happyiness in these hills. The word ''black'' is a very bleak color associated with depression.
''Lots wife would be not be salt had she been incurious as my black hills''
Kavanagh knows people don't find his hills attractive. By referring to ''Lots wife'' Kavanagh was expressing that had ''Lots wife'' been here she would not looked back at his ''black hills'' and therefore would not be turned to stone.
We know that Kavanagh is facinated by these hills when he says
''These are my Alps and I have climbed the Matterhorn''
Kavanagh is comparing his ''black hills'' to the ''Alps'' and saying he climbed to the very top.
The cattle drovers refer to Kavanagh's ''black hills'' as ''hungry hills''. They describe them as this implying that no animals will go up to the hills because they are infertile due to the darkness.
''That water-hen and snipe must not be forsake?''
The cattle drovers are implying here that even these animals wont go up onto the hills and these animals are usually found in poor marshy land.
''My heart is not badly shaken''
Kavanagh shows he does not care what people think of his hills. Even though he feels lonely/isolated because of these, he doesn't care as the hills be, long to him and are special. He is seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
My final example of Kavanagh feeling lonely/isolated can be seen in the poem ''On Raglan Road''. In this poem Kavanagh fell in love at first sight and he had hoped to one day ''rue'' her hair. Kavanagh knew the relationship wouldn't last.
''Of deep ravine were can be seen the passion's pledge''
Kavanagh uses a metaphor of how he'll get hurt.
''O I loved to much and by such by such happiness is thrown away''
Kavanagh got his heart broken by this woman which left him isolated/lonely. Although he knew the relationship wouldn't last he had hope.
''I gave her gifts of the mind''
This quote suggests that Kavanagh wrote a poem for this women.
''A creature of clay''
Kavanagh's love for this women clouded his judgement of her. In Kavanaghs enchancement of love he saw this women as perfect. After he got his heartbroken he realised she was just a normal person, imperfect. This left Kavanagh feelings lonely/isolated.
Although in most of Kavanghs poetry he is lonely/isolated. I believe in his poem ''A Christmas Childhood'' he is reminiscing of times when he was happy, which makes him feel over joyed, but contrastingly he is lonely/isolated at the time he writes this poem. Kavanagh is remenising of his childhood christmas at the age of six. He remenises to happy times as he feels lonely in Dublin.
''One side of the potato-pits was white with frost- how wonder that was, how wonderful!''
Kavanagh over reacts to how great the ''potato-pits'' are. He uses the word ''wonderful'' twice along with a excalimation mark to show how overwhelemd with happiness he is.
''The music was magical''
This was just noise , but Kavanagh describes it as ''magical'' to make it sound special. Kavangh is seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.
From my reading of Kavanaghs poetry, depending on the time of his life he showed mixed emotions. When Kavanagh was lonely/isolated his escape from reality was his poetry. I enjoyed reading Kavanghs poetry as I believe in his poem ''On Raglan Road'' it's somthing everyone can relate to. I also liked Kavanaghs unique style of writing in sonnet form mixed with colloquial
language.
Aplogizes for no paragraphs:/ I had them in the Document:s0 -
Shanotheslayer wrote: »Heres my Essay on Kavanagh, strictly from memory. DIdn't look at the books for quotes etc, as it was after I learned them.
Shano great essay, good idea to start this up again too!!
I think you maybe used a few too many quotes, thats the only problem I could find, but otherwise excellent. I shall be borrowing excerpts
I'll put up my Boland one later!0 -
Shano great essay, good idea to start this up again too!!
I think you maybe used a few too many quotes, thats the only problem I could find, but otherwise excellent. I shall be borrowing excerpts
I'll put up my Boland one later!
Thank you very much Aine. Too many quotes- seems is a ''good'' problem to have!.
Currently doing my Longley essay atm and will post it up0 -
Yeah pretty good answer Shanotheslayer! a couple of things though
"the last theme I noticed in Kavanaghs poetry is that he uses colloquial language in sonnet form poems, which is unusual to see in such great poetry." This is not a theme it's an aspect of his style. Also try not to say Kavanagh so much, I know it sounds stupid but it doesn't read well. How long is that answer written out anyways?0 -
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Its around 6 pages long. Aye my teacher says I've a habit of saying the poets name to much, and looking at my Longley essay it seems I've done it again 0
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