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Analyzing Rainer Maria Rilke's The Panther

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In the poem “The Panther” by Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke describes a panther in isolation through his repetition and description of certain words and ideas, and melancholy tone. The most prevalent image in the poem are the bars. “His weary glance, from passing by the bars…” is the first instance of this and it appears again as its complementary “rhyme” in the third line. This emphasizes the presence of the bars around the panther, suggesting that the panther is trapped, or feels isolated. Bars are usually associated with jail cells or cages, but in this case it is the later, since the panther is inside of it. Cages usually are used when animals are kept in captivity, or against their will, so the emphasis on the bar suggests that the panther does not want to be isolated in a cage. "It seems to him there are a thousand bars..." is a hyperbole, and it suggests that the panther only sees bars, and further emphasizes …show more content…

The first stage, presented in the first stanza, is the panther glancing out into the "open air", perhaps even looking for something other than bars. The second stanza provides the image of the panther stomping around in a circle, showing his power and strength, conveying the panthers sense of hope. In the second stanza, the bars are mentioned once again, but this time they are described as "iron bands". Which once again emphasizes the prevalence of the bars in the panther's life, and his isolated, trapped state. In the last stanza, Rilke presents the image of the panther standing alert, with "visions that arise Only to sink and die within his heart." This suggests that the panther had a spurt of hope, and was standing alert perhaps for a way out of the cage, but eventually his hope dwindled. The structure of the poem, with the three stages of the panther, suggest a cycle, and makes the events seem

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