Poem Comparison Essay Example

Poem Comparison Essay The Difference in Similarity Lady Lazarus, by Sylvia Plath and The Waking by Theodore Roethke are two poems that relate directly to the speaker. Although both poems share this similarity, the way in which both works or literature are constructed are vastly different. Plath uses visual imagery and poetical tercets to show the pain and suffering of the speaker in her poem, while Roethke uses the musical Villanelle and synesthesia to create his picture of the speakers inner thoughts and a sense of awakening. When reading the poem Lady Lazarus for the first time, the subject matter can be a little ifficult to comprehend. The title of this poem and the speaker share the same name, ultimately making connections to the poet herself. Lady Lazarus begins by telling the reader that she has done it again. Whatever it is; the reader does not know. She is a thirty-year-old who compares to herself to a Holocaust victim while also telling the reader that she has nine lives, much like a cat. The reader figures out that it is dying but, like a cat, the speaker keeps returning to life. We will write a custom essay sample on Poem Comparison specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Poem Comparison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Poem Comparison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Lady Lazarus tells the reader about the first two times that she almost died and how dying is an art. She describes eath as theatrical as shes possibly preforming her third death in front of a crowd at a circus. She again compares herself to a Holocaust victim as she imagines herself burning to death at concentration camp crematorium. At the end of the poem, she is resurrected for the third time and will eat men like air (line 84). In The Waking, much of the poem takes place inside the speakers mind. The speaker begins to contemplate his own opening awareness to who he is and what he can know. The poem briefly shifts from the speakers mind to the real world to notice some of the natural organisms that surround this going where I have to go. The speaker returns to his inner reckoning of greater power and fate. Imagery is an excellent way for a reader to read a poem through the five senses. It gives a more realistic feel to the work that is presented and can give better insight about the tonality of the work. Lady Lazarus uses imagery to describe her pain that is comparable to the pain that the Jews experienced during the Holocaust. Visual imagery is used in lines 4-5 when she says A sort of a walking miracle, my skin/Bright as a Nazi lampshade this use of simile refers to how some Nazis used the skin of the deceased Jews as ampshades. Another use of visual imagery is seen on lines 8-9, as Lady Lazarus says My face a featureless, fine/Jew linen. This metaphor relates Lady Lazarus to how the Nazis would raid the homes of the Jews and take all of their possessions, sometimes including linen. The comparisons of the speaker to things that Nazis had possession of during the Holocaust makes us think that the speaker may feel that she is possessed by the Nazis. The Waking uses a form of imagery called synesthesia. This is a mixing of sensory experiences to paint a picture of the hybrid world of sleeping and waking. One example of synesthesia is in line 2, where the speaker says: l feel my fate in what I cannot fear. What does fate actually feel like? Since it is not something that is classified as the common sense of feeling or touch, it may be used to describe a presence through an absence. I believe this to explain how someone can teel something without actually knowing what it may be, such as that feeling when you know someone is staring at you. Another use of synesthesia arrives when the speaker says: l hear my being dance from ear to ear (line 5). This line describes the sharp sensitivity of his hearing. His hearing is so acute that he can hear himself dance around his own body. It seems as though his senses are highly sensitive and are firing in several directions in his own mind. People hear themselves think, like myself, I think this is another excellent use of synesthesia because you arent hearing your thoughts literally but you still can hear them. Lady Lazarus is a poem that is made up of twenty-eight tercets. A tercet is a three-line stanza. These stanzas are mostly made up of short, choppy lines with a mix of enjambment and end stop lines that can been seen as an example in lines 22-24 when the speaker ays: [This] is Number Three. (end stop)/ What a Trash (enjambment)/To annihilate each decade. (end stop). When read aloud, the words move quickly and forcefully. It almost sounds like the speaker is spitting her words out to the reader in disgust. This could relate to her overall feelings of disgust throughout the poem. This poem also has use of perfect rhyme and slant rhyme. One instance of perfect rhyme happens in lines 83-84, where the words hair and air rhyme. An example of slant rhyme occurs in lines 71-72, where the words burn and concern sound rhythmical. Also, there is use n anaphora in l do it so it feels like hell (line 46) and I do it so it feels real (line 47). While these various kinds of repetitions of sounds occur all over the place in Lady Lazarus, they do not occur in a particular pattern. The rhymes have an off- kilter feel to them, and this allows the poem to be fast and free wheeling. The reader never knows when a rhyme or some other kind of repetition is going to happen next. I think it works to the feeling of the speaker very effectively because the speaker is in an erratic state of mind. The Waking is characterized as a Villanelle, which means n Italian word referring to a rustic song or dance. Villanelles have five tercets (three- line stanzas) and one quatrain (a four-line stanza), for a total of nineteen lines in all. The rhyme scheme of the tercets is ABA, where the letter refers to the end rhyme of each line, while the quatrain is ABAA. The A rhyme does change throughout the poem. Line 7, for example, ends with a shift in rhyme: you, which does have an O in the word, though it has a long U sound to it. The reader receives more of this type of rhyme in lines and 10 and 12 with how and slow. While the rhyme is generally redictable, it does shift as the poem develops. That seems fitting in a poem where the speaker is describing an awakening. The change in rhyme scheme refers to the shift in the speaker from sleeping to awakening. By line 7, the speaker has shifted from what is going on in his mind to God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, (line 8). The speaker is talking about the nature that surrounds him rather than what is going on in his mind. A form like th is has a musical tone to it rather than the choppy freewheeling Lady Lazarus poem. What is interesting about this is that it akes the poem somewhat repetitive, much like the average every day song and how we see the line going where I have to go repetitively. This Villanelle is, in a way, going where it needs to go in relation to how this type of poem is constructed. The Waking, in terms of meter, has each line written in strongly pronounced iambic pentameter. An iamb is a two-syllable pair in which the second syllable is emphasized. This makes the poem a little easier to read and it gives the impression that the speaker is singing the words to the reader as opposed to the spitting image hat Lady Lazarus brings. Sylvia Plath and Theodore Roethke use their own poetic styles to set the tone of the speakers in their poems. Plath uses visual imagery and short, choppy tercets to describe a woman who is so unhappy that she relates her despair to a Jewish person during the Holocaust. On the other hand, Roethke uses synesthesia and the musical form of a Villanelle to characterize the speakers awakening through his mind and the real world. Bibliography Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton 2012. print.

Cause and Effects of World War 2 essays

Cause and Effects of World War 2 essays September 1, 1939, a day that would change the world forever. It was the start of World War 2. Germany had invaded Poland and introduced its self to the world as a powerful war machine. The war lasted 6 years, it killed more people, destroyed more property than any other war in history. World War 2 not only involved Germany but most of central and Western Europe, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, Japan, China, and eventually the United States. The war brought about the downfall of Western Europe as center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. Battle grounds of World War 2 spread to nearly every part of the world. There are many things that cause World War 2 such as economic problems, nationalism, and the rise of dictatorships in certain countries. Some believe that many of the causes were due to problems left unsolved by World War 1. World War 1 damaged the economies of European countries. All the countries that came out of the war were deeply in debt. They had trouble repaying loans. After the war many soldiers had trouble finding jobs. Germany suffered from inflation; it destroyed the value of money and wiped out savings of millions of people. Unfortunately many of Europes countries in the late 1920s were taking loans from the United States, and in 1929 the united states had a worldwide business slump knows as the great depression, this stopped progress on Europes economic recovery. Through this weak state, two movements gained strength, communism and fascism. These two forces gained most support from countries from countries with economic problems; communism and fascism were opposing forces. Nationalism also caused a lot of tension between many countries. Nationalism was an extreme form of patriotism that swept across Europe during the 1800s. Nationalists viewed foreigners and minorities as inferior. Nationalism grew stronger after World War 1, for e ...

Religion in the Medieval Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Religion in the Medieval Europe - Essay Example These were practiced in various ways including, divination that comprised of astrology, palm reading, interpretation of dream and reading of omens. Medical magic was also part of magical practice. It involved the use of charms, medical astrology, prayers and use of medical herbs. Other forms of practicing magic included the use of protective amulets alchemy and sorcery, which was the use of magic with an intention to harm. However, it faced opposition from the Christian religion, which viewed the use of magic as idolatry. Magic can be viewed as a religion from Etic and Emic perspectives. The initial refers to its perception from outside tradition while the latter refers to perception from within the religion. Christians, on the other hand, defined magic from what it is not. The definition was magic is neither a religion nor a science. Various groups blamed each other of practicing magic due to their varied beliefs. The church distinguished magic as not being a religion by believing t hat the church was a true religion while magic was demonic. Religion was associated with god while magic was associated with demons besides; magic was viewed to be a manipulation while prayer was viewed to be supplication (Hamilton 39). The theory of magic has an evolutionary model, which described the process to begin from magic to religion, then Christian religion that was to be taken over by science. This, however, was criticised by scholars who claimed that it was outdated, unsubstantial, unscholarly and bias. Magic was practiced in the pre modern Europe across the demographic boundaries as pagans adapted to Christianity, which accommodated them. This was due to the influence of the Arabs and scientific inventions. However, the Christians viewed magic as a cult. Magic became increasingly identifiable as definite phenomena in the medieval Europe. Until the conversion period of 300CE to 1100CE, this had acculturation characteristics including paganism coming to terms with Christia nity, beliefs adapting to new religious views. In addition, at this point, the rulers of pagan societies got themselves aligned with the church (Louise, Edward & Raudvere 10). The Christians dominated the region and introduced its own view on culture to the local community. Tension arose between the locals who were pagans and the Christians who were the intruders. The church distinguished between magic and miracles. They viewed magic as an illusion that was created by demons while miracle was real actual and non-illusory. This was more evident on the Christian writings which included book IV of Isidore of Seville’s etymology, which is against divination and demonic behaviour and practices. Belief was one important thing at this time of conversion. The church believed that magic was conducted by demons and highly condemned it. It was believed by the pagans that there were women who were capable of cutting fingerprints of the foot and performs rituals with them. In addition, so me women were dedicated to killing people through devil powers. Bishop Buchan of worms (950-1025) discouraged this. St. Benedict’s and St. Gregory the great (540-604) gave a description of how St. Benedict saw through an illusion a fire that consumed the monks which he perceived that was caused by a heath idol buried under the building. Strigae was a roman term used by pagans to refer to vampire creatures and witches. The penal code in medieval condemned the belief in the Striga who were claimed to steal children. The belief that a certain woman had experienced a nocturnal flight with the pagan gods Diana who was recognised as a Striga was