Percival Everett’s latest book, So Much Blue, captivates its readers through its unique writing and the different setting in which Everett has chosen to tell a story. Everett’s book interchanges between three different settings to tell artist Kevin Pace’s story: “House” (the present), “Paris” (ten years ago), and “El Salvador” (1979). Each setting has its own different plots and its own different secrets. In “House”, Kevin lives with his wife and two children and he works on his painting that he chooses to keep in away from any eyes but his own. In “Paris” Kevin has an affair with a French lady 25 years younger than him, and in “El Salvador”
In Julia Alvarez’ poem, “On Not Shoplifting Louise Bogan’s The Blue Estuaries”, a story is told that someone is browsing the shelves of a bookstore and is drawn to a work by an author that she doesn’t know. Knowing that they can’t afford the book, she considers stealing it before putting it back. Throughout the poem, Alvarez uses expressive imagery and specific selection of detail to convey the book as a beautiful and understated piece of literature through the eyes of the speaker. The imagery used to describe just the appearance of the book is powerful in its impression.
In this poem excerpt, from On Not Shoplifting written by Julia Alvarez, taken from Louise Bogan’s The Blue Estuaries, we are introduced to a character who is contemplating on stealing a book from her school’s bookstore. Throughout the excerpt the author uses literary devices such as selection of detail as well as imagery in order to depict the internal struggle the protagonist faces of whether or not to steal the book. When we are first introduced the protagonist she begins by speaking about how this book caught her attention and why she became so interested in it. She states “ Your book surprised me on the bookstore shelf- swans gliding on the blueblack lake; no blurbs by the big boys one the back; no sassy, big haired picture to complicate
In the poem On Not Shoplifting Louise Bogan’s The Blue Estuaries writer portrays the speaker’s discoveries through imagery, diction, and_______. The discovery the speaker made is a new found comfort/confidence in herself and language skills through poetry. Reading and writing helped her get a step closer to understanding the language and finding a comforting feeling. The writer uses a great amount of imagery to portray the feeling of the speaker.
Some poems are lengthy, and some poems can be very short, however when analyzed, they all express a deeper message. For example, when examining the poem, "The Changeling," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the reader can easily spot the important message which the author is trying to reveal to the reader through the use of poetic devices. When closely reading this poem, the language and the terminology applied by Cofer enhances the readers ability to make connections between the theme of this poem and how it can be applied to real world scenarios. The poetic devices incorporated into the poem, "The Changeling," reflect on how young children interpret gender roles in their own way.
Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was intended to be apprehended by the public world, not only to her family as interpreted in her poems. Anne Bradstreet is an illustrious English poet, who is notable for writing poetry only to family and never intended to publish her works. In her well-known poem, “The Author of her Book”, she discloses that her “offspring of [her] feeble brain”(1) was not meant to be “expos’d to public view”(4). Anne makes lectors understand that her poems were never intended to be seen by other persons rather than her family, however they were “snatched from [her] by friends”(3). Anne also reveals her poems were made “in raggs”(5) and were not good enough and that every time she fixed them, she found more mistakes on them.
In Eleanor Lerman’s poem “Starfish,” the ordinary moments of life are elevated to deep contemplation and recognition. In “Starfish,” Lerman uses the recurring motif of starfish, along with a free verse structure, and the exploration of themes of existential reflection, ultimately suggesting that meaning is not found in answers but in the continuous search itself. The starfish in the poem can be seen as a symbol of life and existence. Propelling the author into reflection on the human experience, and the desire to find meaning and connection, even in the seemingly simple moments of life. Contradicting to the life of starfish, which is unpredictable in the “boundless sea.”
Adventure and desire are common qualities in humans and Sarah Orne Jewett’s excerpt from “A White Heron” is no different. The heroine, Sylvia, a “small and silly” girl, is determined to do whatever it takes to know what can be seen from the highest point near her home. Jewett uses literary elements such as diction, imagery, and narrative pace to dramatize this “gray-eyed child” on her remarkable adventure. Word choice and imagery are necessary elements to put the reader in the mind of Sylvia as she embarks on her treacherous climb to the top of the world. Jewett is picturesque when describing Sylvia’s journey to the tip of one unconquered pine tree.
With the real naïveness of a child, we were introduced to the character Sylvia- an incredibly quiet, soft spoken girl, from the story A White Heron, written by Sarah Jewett. In fact, Jewett did described Sylvia as having a, “…childish patience…” (pg. 1597), but, as I read further into the story, it became clear that this story was not just about the innocence of childhood, but of
This week was spent focusing on grief, sadness, and reflection. Elizabeth Bishop’s The Fish provided intense imagery, and very descriptive words to allow the reader to vividly recreate the picture of the setting int their head. The Fish exhibited many examples of literal and figurative means within it. The first time I read it, I didn’t quite understand it.
The poem Dusting by Julia Alverez relays several ideas to the reader. It begins by describing a young child going about a house and writing their name on the furniture. The child 's mother follows behind her and, in the process of dusting, incidentally erases the writing. While this poem may seem superficial from a quick reading, it not only reflects some aspects of Alverez’s childhood, but it also reveals some thought provoking questions. In Dusting, through making an analogy to a relationship between a mother and her child, Julia Alvarez demonstrates her desire to break away from traditional or cultural expectations, express her individuality, be well-known, and, ultimately, she makes an important point about life.
The vivid imagery contrasts considerably with the speaker’s identity, highlighting the discrepancy between her imagined and true personas. The speaker undergoes a symbolic transformation into a boy, but in order to do so, she must cast away her defining features as a woman. One way she does this is by repositioning
An Anthology Poems An Anthology Poems ANITA CSEREY - ESPARON Copyright © 2015 by Anita Cserey - Esparon. ISBN: Softcover 978-1-5035-0612-1
She has a “virtuoso command of vocabulary, a gift for playing the English language like a musical instrument and a startling and delightful ability to create metaphor;” her work is characterized by “baroque profusion, the romance of the adjective, labyrinthine syntax, a festival lexicon” (“Amy Clampitt”). These quotes from Alfred Corn and Richard Tillinghast in the New York Times Book Review give a brief but certainly painted glimpse into the works of the 20th century poet Amy Clampitt (“Amy Clampitt”). While she didn’t receive significant recognition until her later years of life, Clampitt emerged as one of the most regarded poets of her era due to her alluring integration of imaginative diction, crafted syntax, and symbolic richness, all
“Bishop’s carefully judged use of language aids the reader to uncover the intensity of feeling in her poetry.” Elizabeth Bishop’s superb use of language in her introspective poetry allows the reader to grasp a better understand of feeling in her poetry. Bishop’s concentration of minor details led to her being referred to as a “miniaturist”, however this allows her to paint vivid imagery, immersing the reader in her chosen scenario. Through descriptive detail, use of metaphor, simile, and many other excellently executed stylistic devices, the reader can almost feel the emotion being conveyed. Bishop clearly demonstrates her innate talent to communicate environments at ease.
