"XIV" By: Derek Walcott
While remembering the details of his experience, along with the vivid descriptions and feelings, the narrator of this poem begins in a darker light. The popular views of scenic Caribbean villages are distorted and twisted as he compares his journey to that of a dying elder. Connections are made very early on in the poem, mostly visual to help illustrate the setting of the story. The rugged road is compared to that of tattered snakeskin (the elderly woman’s frale skin), and the air has a smell of mold (further depicting the age of the woman). Scenes such as this are strange, considered morbid, and difficult to understand because it seems so close to death. The narrator continues on his journey to a threatening sunset, one that symbolizes the end of a life. The author further connects this concept with the flora of the tropical forest, Mimosa leaves shutting like that of eyelids, and dark moss covers the homes. This rush of visual imagery only helps to illustrate the notion of collapse further. While the trail of this journey seems to end, the Author creates a very distinctive shift in the poem. The narrator goes on to describe the lady's house, “lucent like paper lanterns,” implying feelings of warmth and wisdom radiating from the old house (the elderly woman). There are no longer images of death and darkness, the story now transforms to light and knowledge. There are few actual descriptions of the lady. Her head “was magnificent,” full of information and experience. And her voice is compared to a “gully,” deep with uncovered stories and past history. She has the ability to recollect memories, long lost to society, and is able to share culture with others. “Her voice fills my shelves,” symbolizing books. Her knowledge and experiences are vast and complete. Many elements can be observed in this poem, however the use of symbolism and shift play the greatest role. A dark and fatal journey into the forest is transformed into an adventure of wisdom and youth. Throughout the poem, the narrator compares an array of visual concepts to the unseen appearance and life of the elderly lady. This work is unique in that it explores the morbidity of death and the closing of a long life, but also refreshes with feelings of warmth and new life as experiences are passed on. Ultimately the story illustrates how stories and memories don't have to die, wisdom and knowledge can and should be passed from one generation to another
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"The charge of The Light Brigde" By: Lord Tynnson
“The Charge of The Light Brigade,” is a six stanza poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson in the mid 1800s. This poem analyses and conveys a British battle charge against the seemingly superior Russian forces. Through the use of strong symbolism and key connections, Lord Tennyson was able to construct this famous work. In the first stanza the speaker reveals the subject of the poem, which is the six hundred men who rode to their deaths. He claims that they were marching straight into the Valley of Death. The Valley of Death, of course, is a biblical reference to Psalm 23. This could perhaps offer hope because Psalm 23 states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me”. The speaker suggests that the men knew that they were marching to their deaths. However, by referring to the place as the Valley of Death, he also suggests that the men took comfort in knowing that their God was with them, even as they marched to their deaths. In the next stanza, Lord Tennyson reveals the thoughts of the soldiers as they ride into battle. They knew that somebody had made a fatal mistake which would cost them all their lives, however they pressed on anyway. The soldiers saw it as their duty to follow through and do what they came to do. This is one of the most important stanzas in the whole poem because it reveals the thoughts of the light brigade. It sets the tone and theme for the rest of the work. In the next two stanzas the speaker attests to their boldness as they rode “into the mouth of hell”. He speaks as one who was there and saw it all. The men knew that they were trapped. There were canons on all sides of them, but still they rode into the battle, and the speaker says that they “rode well”. The reader can imagine the brave young men, riding with their heads held high into a battle they were sure to lose. The six hundred men rode “into the jaws of death” with the proud valor of soldiers willing to die for their country. Through vivid syntax and word choice, Lord Tennyson further enhances the effect of his message. The speaker continues to reveal that the army of 600 charged to their deaths. The audience is forced to wonder why they were ordered into this death trap. However the soldiers knew, because it was their duty to follow command. Few did survive, those were the soldiers who rode back. In the final stanza Lord Tennyson brings the work to a close. The speaker calls to honor the six hundred men who marched with the light brigade at the battle of Balaclava. He asks the rhetorical question, “When can their glory fade?” suggesting that they would be forever remembered for their honor in marching so bravely into the Valley of Death. The speaker repeats, “All the World Wondered” causing readers from all generations to understand the intensity of the danger they faced. The whole world knew that it was a death trap, and they all wondered why they were sent to fight. The speaker calls for the honor of the “noble six hundred”. The purpose of this poem is to remind readers for generations of the honor and glory of the men who march into battle. The speaker honors the dead and the living of the six hundred. He calls for the honor of them all for the sacrifice they made in boldly marching into a battle where many were sure to die |
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