Two elements that any good poet understands and uses well are imagery and figurative language. Both are used in poetry in order to aid the reader in the understanding of the purpose of the poem. “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson is a great example of the use of imagery in a poem. In contrast, “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath uses figurative language to show the reader what the meaning of the poem is. The two elements are necessary for a poet to have in their arsenal of tools for writing. In the poem “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” by Emily Dickinson, there are multiple uses of imagery to assist the audience in understanding exactly what is happening in the poem. The poem, itself, is describing to the reader what it would be like …show more content…
The first line in the excerpt compares the speaker to a loaf of bread that rises and grows. The second line continues the speaker’s attitude of making fun of herself. The third line, however, takes a big turn from the funny, teasing nature of the poem so far. The speaker now sees herself as a tool to use for someone else’s goal, a platform for others to use and stand upon, and something to produce meat and milk. The metaphors that the poet uses do not only show the reader that the speaker is pregnant, but they also show how the speaker feels about the pregnancy. Both imagery and figurative language are important to the portrayal of the purpose of poems for the audience. Some poems can use imagery and figurative language to do this; others use one or the other to accomplish the goal of the poet. “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” uses mostly imagery to allow the readers to comprehend the full meaning of the poem. “Metaphors” uses a type of figurative language to show the reader the development of the speaker’s attitude and the purpose of the
Poetry is a unique form of literature. Poetry uses the aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language. To evoke meaning, poets use various forms word manipulation; phonaesthetic, sound symbolism, and metre are often used. The word “phonaesthetics” derives from two Greek words, phone which means, “voice-sound” and aesthetics. Sound symbolism is the partial representation of the sense of a word by its sounds.
A lot of Imagery makes the story more intense and easier to understand. Irony makes the poem lighter and gives it a more smooth
For example, the poet uses a personification towards the poem saying to keep it “as a warm coat”, displaying the poet's desire to comfort and bring a warm feeling to the reader. The poet also uses a simile to express the poet’s want to protect the reader and keep them “tucked away like a cabin or hogan in dense trees” to protect them from any worldly dangers that might threaten to harm them. This simile presents the poet’s desire to act as a haven for the reader, and their desire to give the reader all their love because they can’t give any materialistic things. Throughout the poem, the poet presents the reader with lots of imagery to convey images of warm, protected, and comforting feelings. An example of this imagery is the poet welcoming the reader in with “a pot full of yellow corn”, giving the reader an image of coming in from the cold to be embraced with a warm comforting
In most stores that people read, they never notice metaphoric language. Readers may think that it is just a weird way to say something, but most metaphors have meanings. If readers pay more attention to this element it makes the story more interesting to read. Once someone reads while identifying metaphoric language, they will never stop. The authors of the two stories “The Long Rain” and “Harrison Bergeron” used metaphoric language to shape the mood and dominant themes of the stories.
Metaphors are an influential piece to the literary world due to, “the process of using symbols to know reality occurs”, stated by rhetoric Sonja Foss in Metaphoric Criticism. The significance of this, implies metaphors are “central to thought and to our knowledge and expectation of reality” (Foss 188). Although others may see metaphors as a difficult expression. Metaphors provide the ability to view a specific content and relate to connect with involvement, a physical connection to view the context with clarity. As so used in Alice Walker’s literary piece, In Search Of Our Mothers’ Gardens.
Figurative language is the glue to all poetry writing. It is what holds poetry together and without it, poetry would be plain and boring. Figurative language adds depth and creates a whole new dimension full of possibilities that readers can enjoy. It is the most powerful tool that an author can use because it can be used in a way no other piece of literature can. It makes poems unique and the utilization of figurative language amplifies the meaning of the main message of the author.
A metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. An example of the metaphor she uses would be “hummocks that sink silently into the, slack earth soup” meaning that there is quick sand that drags you down into the nasty muck in the swamp In conclusion Mary Oliver’s “Crossing the Swamp” is an excellent poem to read. It give several examples of visual imagery, metaphors. The way it is organized there is not multiple stanzas, but the poem is one solid
Another example of figurative language that the author uses is personification in lines 18 and 19 “tucked away like a cabin or hogan in dense trees, come knocking.” to show in his poem that he will protect her. When she is sad she can use this poem to keep her safe. It also
Luis J. Rodriguez Essay In the poem, “‘Race’ Politics,” Luis J. Rodriguez it is about the author and his brother crossing over the border from Watts to Southgate. Southgate is a all white all american community that treats the two brothers as lesser because of their different race and where they had come from. The purpose of this poem is to use syntax, connotation, and imagery to help enhance the writing for the readers. There are many different uses of imagery used in this poem.
Poetry is an important part of literature which conveys an author 's ideas across to the reader through the use of descriptive language. Poetry helps an author to express their inner emotions and often incorporates various poetic devices which enriches the text. Poetry gives the reader a different perspective and when read closely, can give the audience a look into the authors imagination. Likewise, poetic devices enhance the writing and can drastically change the mood of the poem, as well as, how the reader interprets the poem. Poetic devices are important in literature because they help to convey a message, add spontaneity to a poem, and give the reader a strong visual.
In the poem “Because I could not stop for death” by Emily Dickinson, death is described as a person, and the narrator is communicating her journey with death in the afterlife. During the journey the speaker describes death as a person to accompany her during this journey. Using symbolism to show three locations that are important part of our lives. The speaker also uses imagery to show why death isn 't’ so scary.
Some poems may have a strict structural form while others may not. The writer can incorporate one of many poetic devices into his work to relay his message to the reader. Examples analyzed today include poetic sound, onomatopoeia, alliteration, rhyme, meter, and verse. An example of poetic sound, onomatopoeia, and alliteration can be found in Helen Chasin’s short poem “The Word Plum”.
There are seven stanzas in this poem and the techniques appeared in the poem are Imagery, Simile, Metaphor, and Alliteration. The imagery is the techniques used all over the seven stanzas in this poem to describe the image of the Death the movement, and the sound which included Auditory, Visual, and Kinetic. The First stanza described the environment in the cemeteries, the heart refers to the dead bodies in the graves and a tunnel could be coffins. The dead bodies sleeping in a tunnel which give the image of the coffin and in this stanza the poet also used a Simile in the last three lines by using word “like” and “as though.”
In “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”, Emily Dickinson uses imagery and symbols to establish the cycle of life and uses examples to establish the inevitability of death. This poem describes the speaker’s journey to the afterlife with death. Dickinson uses distinct images, such as a sunset, the horses’ heads, and the carriage ride to establish the cycle of life after death. Dickinson artfully uses symbols such as a child, a field of grain, and a sunset to establish the cycle of life and its different stages. Dickinson utilizes the example of the busyness of the speaker and the death of the sun to establish the inevitability of death.
“A Memory of Youth”: Yeats and Erotic Experience A cloud blown from the cut-throat north Suddenly hid Love’s moon away. The “cloud”—amorphous and obstructing—cuts into the scene, as well as the poem, with a sudden violence, in order to block the image of “Love’s moon”. The cloud itself cannot have definite dimensions, as it exists to only hide the moon, casting the speaker of the poem, his love and the cloud itself in a continuous darkness. It is in this darkness that the speaker of the poem finds his own perception and experiences clouded, indicating his blind submission to erotic love in lieu of a more illuminating, comprehensive “Love”.