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What Does Dirt Mean

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Think about what dirt is, unimportant debris. No! dirt is the foundation of all life, but its importance is overlooked. Sharon Olds, author of the poem "Ode to Dirt", tells of her point of view on dirt and how it has changed after realizing it, comparing it with other importances in nature. In "Ode to Dirt" Olds uses metaphors, personification, and word choices to change the general opinion about what dirt is. Olds uses metaphors to transcend the literal meaning of dirt and also to try to increase the value placed on dirt. When Olds says "You are our democracy" he means that if dirt is a democracy then it must be very important. It must be at the heart of the way we live and make decisions. By making dirt equate to the heart of society, Olds is increasing the value of the word dirt and trying to disconnect its literal from its figurative meaning. Additionally this can also be seen in "you are the skin of our ground" This quote creates a soft and loving tone. It adds to the idea that dirt is like skin. Everyone creates the idea that dirt is significant, important …show more content…

Olds referred to the dirt as "Dear Dirt", revealing that dirt is treated like a person. Dirt is personified as a deity as Olds says "Oh dirt help us find ways to serve your life" this quote serves to emphasize how Olds is trying to change the meaning of dirt but by doing it in such an extreme way makes us to think that instead of trying to change the figurative meaning of dirt, Olds is praising dirt as if it were a god and this is confirmed when he refers to dirt in this way in the poem "you who have given birth to us and you have fed, and who in the end will take us and spin with us, and wobble and orbit”, it is as if Olds is repeating a mantra to express the beliefs you have around dirt and thus declare your devotion to this supposed

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This information proves that dirt is the way we live and make

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In the poem, “ Ode to Dirt,” Sharon Olds uses figurative language and specific word choice to detail her acceptance and apparent repentance of dirt. The author's attitude towards dirt evolves throughout the poem, words such as “slighted” that entail apologetic feelings soon change to words of awe and amazement. This creates an interesting poem based around dirt, the speaker makes an irrelevant object into an interesting subject. To start the poem, the speaker sets the stage with an apologetic tone, referring to how insignificant they previously perceived dirt to be, “ It's as if I had loved only the stars and not the sky that gave them space.” She realizes dirt's importance in the grand scheme of things, and begins to realize its grand importance.

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He motivates them to “hope for the future and improve the present auspicious moment,” and to “not be derelict to duty in the time of need.” Green tags on to the pride of the African Americans claiming that if they fight for the Union Army, they can then “let not the honor and glory achieved by our fathers be blasted or sullied.” Strictly speaking, he wants the African Americans to ignore the past and to bring pride to the family name. By calling on their sense of pride and familial relations, he further kindles his fellow comrades into fighting for the Union

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Readers have to read the whole selection to get to it and in the end it leaves them with a challenge. Good Old Dirt by David Montgomery appeals to most readers. He sets up this selection to relate to both a reader’s pathos and logos. As well as calls the reader to take action and trys to get them involved.

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He provides a historical allusion to the Dust Bowl in which he says it “was caused not by drought but by the transfer onto the Great Plains of farming methods that were suitable to wetter regions” (Sanders 56-59). This demonstrates the negative results that come from migration because the farmers had originally lived in a climate that could tolerate the excessive farming, but when they moved, they did not account for the climate change, so they ended up hurting both themselves and their environment. Through the expression of the negative results of the mass migration in history, Sanders impacts his audience by invoking a sense of fear within them, so the audience is more likely to support Sanders position. The audience does not want to harm any aspect of their life, so a greater motivation to remain in the place where they have established their roots is create. The impact on the environment and one’s way of life causes Sanders to appreciate “People who root themselves in places” (Sanders 73) and believe that “By settling in, we have a chance of making a durable home for ourselves, our fellow creatures, and our descendants” (Sanders 78-80).

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Have you ever really thought about how vital dirt is? Many people seem to look past its importance. In the poem “Ode to Dirt” by Sharon Olds, the speaker initially feels terrible for ignoring the dirt, then turns into acknowledging it. Old uses strong diction and figurative language such as personification to show the speaker's apologetic yet celebratory attitude towards the dirt.

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Green also appeals to the reader’s emotions when he talks in lines 7-8 about love of country despite its flaws. This may convince free African Americans to join the to make the country better. Green’s word choice is also influential

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This is shown especially in the short article "Hey Come on Out'' by Shinchi Hoshi. The village was looking into the hole in the morning and noticed something in the sky: "The man, however, was gazing in idle reverie at the city's skyline growing ever more beautiful, and he failed to notice" (Hoshi 45). This suggests that the waste is going to fall on them. This quote shows that since the people of the village were dumping all the trash in this hole, they did not know about it; nature noticed that it was not right and knew something had to be done. This is explaining that people do things to destroy the environment.

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Now we can see that the more land the farmers use with heavy mechanisms like tractors, the more soil and dirt is exposed. With the grass gone and dirt open, wind and dust will carry it up in the air and collect more and more when time goes

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“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. ”This quote goes best with Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who works in the field every day. This is the exact stereotype of “Black people” in that time. The quote meaning for Tom is that he has a very stereotypical life.

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In the poem "Ode to Dirt" by Sharon Olds, the speakers complex attitude toward dirt evolves from one of disgust to one of admiration and even approval. Olds uses a variety of word choices and figurative language to convey this growth. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker describes dirt as "mud / and dust / and dirt / clods / that stick to your shoes. " The use of these simple, plain words conveys a sense of disgust and disrespect for dirt. The speaker goes on to describe how, as a child, they were forced to clean the dirt off their shoes and wash their hands "as if God / and the germs would be angry with us."

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The author uses a lot of personification towards the dirt. In the beginning they say “ Dear Dirt” they are directing the poem to the dirt making it seem as if the dirt could read it. They then apologize to the dirt by saying “ I am sorry I slighted you.” The word slighted means to disrespect by not treating or speaking to it with attention or respect.

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Throughout the poem, the speaker uses specific words to spotlight the speaker's changing attitude. In the first line it says “Dear dirt, I am sorry I slighted you. ”(line 1) In this context when the speaker uses these words that imply that they are sorry they once disregarded/overlooked the dirt.

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An Annotated Bibliography Benna, Steven. " These 16 Insanely Successful College Dropouts Show You Don't Need a Degree." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 01 July 2015. Web.

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That reconnection with nature will renew the world for us. The speaker in the next stanzas reflects how he has lost this connection, as his “afflictions bow me down to the earth” (82) and his “viper thoughts” have stolen his “shaping spirit of Imagination” (86). Coleridge speaks of the wind’s inability to raise him out of his

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