ipl-logo

Black Walnut Tree

677 Words3 Pages

In the poem, The Black Walnut Tree, by Mary Oliver a family is debating whether to sell their tree in order to pay their mortgage, or to keep the tree and not be full of guilt. The author is able to make this flow easily due to her interesting word choice and her ability to display her ideas. Through the use of visual imagery, hyperbole and allusion, the speaker reveals the burden of money that characterizes those struggling with bills. The first form of figure of speech which was utilized and truly popped out, was visual imagery. Visual imagery is used in line 6-8, “Likely some storm anyway will churn down its dark boughs, smashing the house.” The reason why this is very important, is it serves two purposes, the first being that the family might sell the tree for no reason at all. But the second reason it is so …show more content…

The only piece of allusion which I was able to find was “the whip-crack of the mortgage,” in lines 34 and 35. This quote has many different interpretations, but one meaning which connected to the ideology of debt, money and success was the connection to slavery. The main reason why I found slavery to be connected to this quote is the use of a whip, and whips tend to correlate with slavery and being beaten. Slavery and debt go hand in hand, both cause people to do some things that they don’t want to such as long hours at work and the constant worry of what is to come. In the poem, the family is worried about whether they should sell their tree or not and this is one sign of being enslaved to something, a constant worry and thinking about doing something that they don’t want to. Although this may dispute what was previously said, this may not be a bad thing, as a matter of fact debt could be a drive for some people to do better in life. In conclusion, the author was able to use an allusion in order connect debt as a form of slavery which causes you to persevere or become a

Show More
Related

Figurative Language In Oranges By Gary Soto

122 Words | 1 Pages

The author uses figurative language to strengthen the poem by adding more detail. He explains what things feel like,sound like,look like, and even taste like. Without figurative language the writing would be boring and short.the imagery describes how the setting looked and gave the reader more knowledge. In the poem “Oranges” by Gary soto the boy has an orange in his hand and describes it as fire in his hand. Constructed response

Read More

Symbolism In Mildred D. Taylor's Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry

503 Words | 3 Pages

In the book “Roll of thunder hear my cry”, Mildred D. Taylor uses symbolism to provide context, and background information of the how their community is, and who the Logan’s fit in it. A great example when the author provides context and background information would be the fig tree. When the author is describing the fig tree, she describes it as “It keeps on blooming, bearing good fruit year after year, knowing all the time it’ll never get big as them other trees.” (pg 206) The author is trying to describe how the Logan family fits in in the community.

Read More

Atwood Debtor's Prism Analysis

2405 Words | 10 Pages

It seems that debt has become a norm in today’s society; people do not flinch at the sound of the word or attempt everything in their power to not succumb to it. When debt was a feared concept, people ran away from it. However today it seems that people are somewhat forced into a life of debt. The piece by Margeret Atwood, “Debtor’s Prism” is one about how the idea of debt has been deeply woven into our literature, social structure, and culture. Since the recession began in late 2007, Atwood takes a unique perspective of the history behind debt and the meaning of having been pawned.

Read More

Samuel Johnson Debtors Prison Rhetorical Analysis

328 Words | 2 Pages

This excerpt from Samuel Johnson’s “Debtors’ Prisons (2)” puts Johnson’s thoughts and ideas on the necessity of jailing those who fail to pay back their debts forth quite plainly. In the second paragraph, Johnson describes a scene to his audience that restates how the general public would typically react to a person being arrested for that very reason. Johnson continues his anecdote with a situation that parallels the goings-on in Britain at that time - the misfortune that is befalling several people unable to pay back their debts.. It is easy to ignore it when it is only one person, but something must be done when it is happening to so many. Johnson uses another anecdote in paragraph 5 that appeals to the emotions of his audience.

Read More

Annotated Bibliography On Student Debt Crisis

1056 Words | 5 Pages

It is apparent that this article has a very similar message then the others, even almost the same exact message given in most of the other sources. Mulhere, Kaitlin. " Climb Out of Student Debt. " Academic Search Premier [EBSCO].

Read More

The Transformation Of Musui's Story Of The Samurai

1403 Words | 6 Pages

For example, Katsu’s downfall and The Great Depression are events that deal with debt, but in different circumstances. In the book almost every commoner or samurai, especially Katsu himself, had fallen into debt from their own personal reasons. That debt led to their lives fully pertaining to begging and separation from one’s family. Katsu was first experienced to no money when he ran away the first time. He met two tradesmen and went along with them.

Read More

A Raisin In The Sun Greed Quotes

932 Words | 4 Pages

Money is often what is associated with greed in this world. It can blind people to the point where they disregard the situation of all others. In the play “A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter Lee wants the money that was left from his late father’s life insurance to invest in a liquor store. Everyone else in the family thinks that it’s a very bad idea. His mother, also known as Mama, is the one receiving the money, and wants it to be spent on bettering the family.

Read More

John Newton's Child Slavery

1626 Words | 7 Pages

When an individual of a family falls into debt they are often forced to repay their debt with physical labor. The other family members including children are also forced to join the debt. Due to corruption, the family gets subjected to endless labor throughout the rest of their lives. The country of India has taken preventative measures such as banning debt bondage. However, the people of India are uninformed of the rights they have and often live in slavery for their entire life.

Read More

Poem Analysis: Small Town With One Road By Gary Soto

805 Words | 4 Pages

“He looks both ways and then leaps across the road where riches happen on a red tongue”(34-38). The metaphor used shows how unsatisfied the brown person, the daughter, and the father are in their life. This poem clearly depicts how some people in the world live in poor conditions and have unhappy lives. The poem doesn’t only show hatred and sadness in life in impoverishment, but it also shows how you can get out by perseverance like Gary Soto did in his personal life through literature and hard

Read More

Stand Tall Analysis

716 Words | 3 Pages

“Mom and Dad smiled at each other and laughed. It was a sound that Tree hadn’t heard from them in the longest time” (132). This shows how Tree wasn’t sure his parents were ever going to get along again, but they end up having a good time. This is an example of how family matters most and hope is always around. This situation gave Tree strength to preserve.

Read More

The Pedestrian Mood Analysis

651 Words | 3 Pages

one of the many times he uses imagery throughout this story is when the narrator says, “on his way he would see the cottages and homes with their dark windows, and it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows” (Pg 1). By using imagery to compare walking through the neighborhood as walking through a graveyard shows that it is completely silent and there is no activity in any of the houses. Most people wouldn't describe their neighborhood as a graveyard, this also develops the mood. Another time he uses imagery is when the narrator says, “The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk in mid-country” (1). This shows mood because the narrator describes him as a hawk in mid-country, that means that he is all alone in what he feels to be like a barren or abandoned place.

Read More

Analysis Of Planting A Sequoia By Dana Gioia

1100 Words | 5 Pages

The agony the writer is feeling about his son 's death, as well as the hint of optimism through planting the tree is powerfully depicted through the devices of diction and imagery throughout the poem. In the first stanza the speaker describes the setting when planting the Sequoia; “Rain blacked the horizon, but cold winds kept it over the Pacific, / And the sky above us stayed the dull gray.” The speaker uses a lexicon of words such as “blackened”, “cold” and “dull gray” which all introduce a harsh and sorrowful tone to the poem. Pathetic fallacy is also used through the imagery of nature;

Read More

The American Dream: Minimum Wage In The United States

1002 Words | 5 Pages

“The dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement (Adams 1).” A 2002 study found that 17% of student loan borrowers reported their loans had a significant impact on their career plans.13 Today, after the economic downturn, ASA’s survey suggests that number has nearly doubled, as 30% of respondents said their student loan debt was a deciding factor or had considerable impact on their choice of career. In addition, 52% said they either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that their “need to pay student loan debt is hampering my ability to further my career.” One ASA survey respondent commented, “I need to have two jobs because of my student debt, and I cannot take employment opportunities that will not make enough money, regardless of the potential that they may have in the future (American student assistance 5).” Relates to definition because they need to have 2 jobs to be able to pay off student debt.

Read More

Student Loan Forgiveness

1994 Words | 8 Pages

Loans allow receiving a college education seem like a smoother process considering that such a hefty amount to pay is divided so that it can be paid for in moderation. Despite the fact that it’s split into many payments, it’s still a large quantity all in all so unless indebted students aim for high income jobs, there would many years of difficulty to come after college. For this reason, undergraduates make it their goal to go after jobs which would prevent them from being constantly pressured to pay off debt. Thus, student debt is both a crisis and a reason to encourage persistence towards greater ambitions (Hillman, 41). It is a tremendous thing when a student seeks to be financially comfortable or even rich in the future but not when it is for the wrong reasons.

Read More

The Negro's Complaint Analysis

1541 Words | 7 Pages

The poem is constructed into seven stanzas, organized in iambic pentameter containing a rhythm of “ababcdcd”, throughout the rhythm of the poem comes reflection to the emotions of the speaker whom is a slave. In one stanza the slave uses his curiosity to ask god why cotton plants were made (the slaves mostly worked through picking cotton plants). “Why did all-creating nature Make the plant for which we toil? and how horrible it is for anyone to be a slave, Think, ye masters iron-hearted... How many back have smarted For the

Read More

More about Black Walnut Tree

Related Topics

Open Document