Category: Literary Devices

Lord of the Flies written by William Golding is a novel that tells a story about a group of English school boys who find themselves stranded on an island without any adult supervision. From the start, it is quite evident that there are some distinct personality differences between the boys on the island. Because of this, the batch of boys experience different challenges whilst they are stranded on the island which results in numerous conflicts betwixt the boys. Eventually, there is a split in the group and the conflict progresses. It is clear that Golding intends the island and its human inhabitants to serve as a microcosm for the world and mankind. Through a fascinating series of motifs, descriptions, metaphors, and symbols, Golding communicates to the reader a series of theories regarding human nature.

Throughout the novel, Golding uses a series of symbols and metaphors to explain its theories. One of the most civilized characters in the book, Piggy, wears glasses. In addition to being the boy’s only means of starting a fire, the glasses have come to represent civilization and the apparent weakness of those who live in it. Ultimately, the glasses, like the boys’ attempts at civilization are shattered. Another object which makes numerous appearances is the conch shell. At the beginning of the novel it is used call the boys together by Ralph and later serves as a means of regulating the boy’s assemblies. It, like piggy’s glasses, comes to represent civilization. It is also of note that the conch, a typically fragile shell ends up smashed into thousands of pieces. Where the conch shell and glasses represent civilization, the signal fire which the boys light in the hope of rescue represents the desire to return to it. As the book goes on, the boys become increasingly uncivilized and they begin to neglect the signal fire preferring instead to hunt. By the end of the book, the signal fire is all but abandoned. It is however of note that in the last scene of the book the boy’s own savagery and thirst for cruelty leads them to light the entire island on fire, ultimately it is this fire that gets them rescued and returned to civilization. Just as the water cools fastest when it is boiling, the boys are able to return to their civilized state only once they have succumbed to their own savagery. Perhaps the most important symbol of all is the lord of the flies himself, physically the lord of the flies is a pig’s head covered in insects. Metaphorically, the lord of the flies is the embodiment of all society’s evil, an entity capable of evoking the savagery within every individual. It is no mere coincidence that the Hebrew equivalent of the word devil, Beelzebub, translates fairly accurately too, lord of the flies. There are numerous other symbols in the book, the meaning of which vary from reader to reader.

There are several theories about human nature that Golding portrays through motifs, descriptions, metaphors, and symbols. Through symbols, we can uncover more about the story. Readers understand the symbols in different ways and make their own conclusions about their meaning and what they represent. This always sparks debate and allows people to express their different opinions. Henceforth, making the book even better.

Poetry Foundation presents William Shakespeare’s famous poem, Sonnet 130, titled “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” According to Spacey, the poem talks of a mistress who does not conform to the conventional standards of beauty. Shakespeare compares the mistress with the beautiful things of life, but he finds none that perfectly fits the mistress. In this regard, Shakespeare challenges traditional beliefs and offers a new perspective on what it means to love a woman. Also, he argues that true love never focuses on the mistress’ shortcomings.

Masterfully, Shakespeare writes a 14-lined sonnet, which he divides into three quatrains and couplets at the closing. He skillfully uses a cross rhyme in the quatrains, which are (abab cdcd, and off), and the last two lines are couplet with a (gg) rhyme scheme. Spacey adds that Shakespeare applies an iambic pentameter in his poem. Furthermore, Sparknotes mention that this poem represents the time that its author lived, considering its formal approach. Nevertheless, a closer examination of the poem line by line brings a different understanding.

In the first line, Shakespeare introduces the protagonist of the poem. He mentions that “my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” With such a descriptive tone, it is up to Shakespeare’s audiences to be able to imagine and determine what the mistress looks like. He arouses the feeling that he is talking about his true love. It is captivating how he uses the alliteration “my mistress” and later proceeds to introduce a new thought in the last couplet. Shakespeare compares the mistress’ eyes with the sun, but still, the sun is incomparable to those eyes (Spacey). It is worth noting that the sun is amongst the most crucial elements on earth, making a top-notch comparison, and it expresses the level of expectations that society has on women.

Spacey proceeds to explain that the focus is on the mistress’ lips asserting that coral is redder than her lips. Here, Shakespeare uses objects of nature to explain her mistress. Noteworthy is the concept that the color red represents a sensual feeling. Therefore, when Shakespeare compares the red color in corals and the mistress’ lips, he means that the mistress has no commitment to appear sensually attractive to men.

Shakespeare proceeds to explain her mistress’ anatomy in the third and fourth lines. Notably, the first quatrain in the 3rd and 4th lines ends with the word “if.” From an everyday perspective, the name always stands for unfulfilled expectations. For instance, Shakespeare talks of her breasts, which are not white like snow, and proceeds to say that black wires seem to grow on her head (Sparknotes). With this argument, Shakespeare portrays how former societies have discriminated against women of color, and therefore, automatically, white women will accumulate more respect. On the other hand, he uses the words “black” and “wires” indicating that the mistress’ hair is not pleasant.

Shakespeare appears to be speaking from the fifth line and uses the colors red and white, which were already used in the poem. The repetition shows that the mistress has no black-and-white color. From the 7th to the 8th line, Shakespeare compares the mistress with perfume and her. In this light, Shakespeare stresses that his mistress’ breath smells terrible, that her smell “reeks.” Such strong statements show that no one will form a relationship with the mistress.

However, in the 9th and 10th lines, Shakespeare mentions something positive about the mistress, and that’s her voice. In lines 11 and 12, Shakespeare compares the mistress with a goddess. He asserts that “I have never seen a goddess walk,” but the mistress “treads on the ground.” He uses hyperbole to express the ideals of beauty at that time. Shakespeare later admits that he has never “seen a goddess go,” yet a goddess is the highest form of beauty that anyone could ever imagine. It’s worth mentioning how Shakespeare compares the mistress with corals, which grow under the sea, and later, a goddess who can fly in the air. The goddess symbolizes the highest form of beauty, while the coral is the lowest form, and yet, the mistress does not fit even in the lowest of standards.

The first 12 lines of the sonnet tell that of a woman who is unworthy of love. However, the final couplet completely turns the narrative around. In the 11th line, Shakespeare mentions that “I think my love is rare.” The speaker confesses the love he has for the mistress, although the woman does not meet the societal standards of that time. In the closing line, Shakespeare states that “as any, she belied with false compare,” which means that the mistress has been compared with ridiculous elements that do not fit her personality. This statement is an attack on men who view women as objects to admire. However, the speaker in the poem looks into the woman, that is, her inner beauty, and even though the mistress does not meet societal standards of the time, she is still beautiful and lovable in her sight. Overall, Shakespeare uses this sonnet to teach that a woman’s value and real love go much further beyond just looks.

Works Cited

1. Poetry Foundation. “Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like….” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45108/sonnet-130-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun. Accessed 2 Mar. 2020.
2. Spacey, Andrew. “Analysis of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare.” Owlcation, 8 Jan. 2020, owlcation.com/humanities/Analysis-of-Sonnet-130-by-William-Shakespeare. Accessed 2 Mar. 2020.
3. SparkNotes. “Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Sonnet 130.” SparkNotes: Today’s Most Popular Study Guides, www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section9/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2020.

Romantic or platonic, lifelong or fleeting, love surrounds and shapes our meaningful relationships every day, teaching us lessons, presenting us with new experiences, and changing our lives forever. Good morning, I am Maddison Clark and today, as my role as literary expert, I will be analyzing how the theme of love, within two poems from different time periods, differ and compare. Love is an important and common theme addressed within poetry, as audiences, no matter age or era, are able to relate, in one way or another, to this complex emotion. As we know, love can present itself in many forms, but today, as time is short, I will only be showcasing the theme of love within Shakespeare’s 17th-century poem, Sonnet 130, and Lord Byron’s 19th-century poem, She Walks in Beauty, analyzing both in order to showcase how these poems, separated by 200 years, compare in the portrayal of love.

Written in the early Jacobean era by a famous playwright, poet, and dramatist, this piece stems from a time in which attitudes, values, and beliefs toward love and marriage were shifting. Although money, class, and political factors were still highly considered in courtship, more emphasis, following the modernization of the Renaissance, was beginning to be placed on mutual attraction. This, alongside literature being at its peak, ultimately allowed for a time of experimentation in regard to the theme of love and its conveyance within poems, hence Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130. Unlike Shakespeare’s other works, in which he closely follows traditional perceptions of love, Sonnet 130 strays from this through Shakespeare’s light mockery and satirical take on the poetic ideal of the time that a lover’s beauty is unparalleled and above that of nature, subverting this through his realistic, “matter of fact” tone.

Sonnet 130, divided into three 4-line quatrains and a 2-line couple, is comprised of a pleasing iambic pentameter, quite popular within poetry, and a progressive ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. Sonnet 130, per its name, utilizes the poetic structure of a sonnet, known greatly as the workhorse of love poetry, and its short length in iambic pentameter to express a single feeling, in this case, the poet’s love of a woman, to the readers.

Opening with a negative description of his mistress’ eyes through the simile, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” Shakespeare immediately subverts and reverses traditional portrayal of a woman’s beauty within 17th-century love poems, and instead, paints an image of a woman who possesses beauty below that of nature. Shakespeare can be seen to continue this unflattering comparison of his mistress to nature by drawing on aspects of sight, sound, and smell within the quatrains within metaphors and similes. “If snow is white, why then her breasts are dun” and “If hairs are wires, black wires grow on her head” are examples of metaphors used that further establish and elucidate Shakespeare’s view on his mistress’ beauty.

These lines, like most within Sonnet 130, are filled with vivid imagery, describing the beauty of the poet’s mistress and the facets of nature to which she is compared. This use of imagery, alongside the similes and metaphors within the poem, work together to unfold the mistress’ lacking appearance, starting with the mention of her eyes, which “are nothing like the sun”, and finishing with the way she “treads on the ground” when she walks. The poet, in the first quatrain, can be seen to dedicate one line for each comparison made between nature and the mistress, sun, coral, snow, and wires, and in the second and third quatrains, to expand on this description to occupy two lines for each comparison, roses/cheeks, perfume/breath, music/voice and goddess/mistress. This visual development of the poet’s arguments is set out this way to prevent the poem from becoming stagnant, keeping readers intrigued as Shakespeare leads up to his final 2-lines.

Assonance, anaphora, and alliteration are also intertwined stylistically throughout the poem, strategically working to further intrigue and grab the reader’s attention through repeated words, phrases, and vowel sounds. Assonance can be seen utilized in line 9, “I love to hear her speak, yet well I know”. This use of assonance draws attention to the poet’s first, and only, mention of his mistress’ positive qualities, as well as creates a soft, smooth-flowing sentence matching that of his mistress’ voice. Anaphora and alliteration are also utilized, both within lines 1 and 12, beginning with, “My mistress”, in order to establish and draw attention to the topic, his mistress, as well as link everything within the three quatrains together effortlessly. All three quatrains, working together through the constant use of metaphors and similes, help the reader establish the author’s intended view of his mistress’ beauty, a beauty that is not greater than that of the sun, coral, snow, or roses. Shakespeare, throughout the poem, criticizes his mistress, progressively painting an unflattering, untraditional image of her in readers’ minds, then, in the last two lines, presents a more thoughtful and sincere view, stating that, despite all negative praises made, his mistress is rare and beautiful in her own way. “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare.” His mistress is not perfect, nor exaggerated or idolized. His mistress is human. By ending the poem in such a way, Shakespeare presents readers with an insight into what his love with the ‘dark lady’ was really like, leaving readers with an alternative view of what it is to love, where love comes from, and finding love despite, or even because of, physical flaws.

She Walks in Beauty, published in 1814 by Lord Byron, much like that of Shakespeare, compares the beauty of a woman to nature, yet, unlike Sonnet 130, Byron follows the more traditional, courtly portrayal of love and a woman’s beauty. Within the poem, She Walks in Beauty, believed to have been written following Byron’s first sight of his young cousin at a ball he attended, the traditional perception of 19th-century love is perpetuated, with Byron presenting a serious and adoring piece which holds an idyllic tone as most pieces from the time do. Written in the early 19th century, the attitudes, values, and beliefs towards love at the time were very traditional, with couples usually wedding as a means of business between families, leading to She Walks in Beauty to conform, much like most of society at the time, to a more traditional, courtly take on love. Although dating 200 years after Shakespearean time, She Walks in Beauty closely follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet structure with a progressive ABABAB CDCDCD EFEFEF rhyme scheme and 18-lines which are divided into three 6-line stanzas, following a regular, iambic tetrameter rhythm.

Lord Byron much like that Shakespeare, opens his poem with a simile, “She walks in beauty like the night/of cloudless climes and starry skies”, immediately emphasizing the clarity and brightness of her beauty. This can be seen to differ greatly show Shakespeare, in Sonnet 130, portrays how his mistress walks, “My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground”. Byron’s comparison of how his lover walks to that of the night can also be seen to possess alliteration and assonance “cloudless climes/start skies”, immediately creating an indelible effect of the woman’s beauty and rhythm that matches how she is described to walk. This comparison can be seen to be opposite to that within Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, in which he compares the woman to a summers day, yet unlike that of Shakespeare, Byron, through this simile, presents the woman’s beauty as not only above nature but, through comparing it to the night sky, as vast and superior; he presents her beauty as otherworldly. Both poets can be seen to continually draw on sight, sound, and smell to depict their desired portrayal of a woman’s beauty, with Shakespeare focusing more on aspects of nature, such as snow and coral, and Byron more on the contrast, through imagery, of dark and light, to describe the same parts of different women.

This can be seen when Byron describes the dark of the woman’s hair and how it lightens her face how the contrast of these aspects attribute to the beauty that shows itself within every strand of the woman’s dark hair, “waves in every raven tress”, and admires the balance of “dark and bright” that meet in harmony within her appearance, but notably in her eyes. This differs greatly from the description Shakespeare gives to his mistress’ hair and eyes in Sonnet 130, painting the woman as having straggly, “black wires” growing on her head and eyes that “are nothing like the sun”.

Within the second stanza, many examples of alliteration and assonance exist, drawing the readers’ attention to the continued contrast of dark and light, day and night, to deepen the description of the woman’s beauty. Such as through the lines, “One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impaired the nameless grace”, in which the poet depicts the woman as possessing such beauty and perfection that altering even one thing about her would greatly impair or damage this beauty. Alliteration and assonance are further used within the last two lines of the second stanza, in which the author can be seen mentioning the woman’s emotions and how pure and precious she is within. “Where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling place.” Through this line filled with imagery, Byron personifies the woman’s thoughts and emotions, which express themselves angelically upon her face, revealing that her beauty is not only limited to her physical attributes but is deep within her. This use of the second stanza relates much to that of Shakespeare, using it to progress his view on his lover while ensuring the poem does not become stagnant.

Song Analysis

Should society criticise someone so much that they should change their appearance? The song ‘Mrs Potato Head’ sung and produced by Melanie Martinez in 2016, covers part of our narcissistic, degrading society towards a person’s physical appearance, specifically girls and how people need to be up to a certain physical standard to please someone. Melanie attempts to influence people about this issue and tries to inform them that you don’t have to change your physical appearance for anyone and that getting plastic surgery won’t fix your insecurities. Melanie told ‘Noisy’ that, “It was not me bashing women who get plastic surgery, but more of a ‘Why are you doing this when you’re beautiful without it?” I am a part of the demographic that get heavily influenced by the now judgemental society but this song has made me realise that if I’m happy in my own skin that’s all that matters.

Teel paragraph

The song, ‘Mrs Potato Head, sung by Melanie Martinez positioned me to feel sympathy for the people who have lost their self-esteem because of societies physical standards and have changed their selves through plastic surgery to change that. Simile, allusion, imagery and metaphor are used to make me feel this way. For example, in the last line of the first verse simile is used, “They stick pins in you like a vegetable”. In this example, comparing you to a vegetable suggests that ‘they’ (surgeons) stick needles, pins and other tools in you in order to look beautiful.

In the following example, allusion is used to convey the issue of societies physical standards, “Oh Mrs Potato Head tell me, is it true that pain is beauty?” In this example, allusion is used in the words ‘Mrs Potato Head’. ‘Mrs Potato Head’ refers to the toy where you can add and take away parts suggesting that the toy is like a person getting plastic surgery. This would of not made sense to the reader if they didn’t know what Mrs Potato Head was making this an allusion.

In this example, imagery is used in the last line of the 4th stanza, “They pucker up their lips until they suffocate”. The words ‘pucker up their lips until they suffocate’ creates an image inside of the reader’s head of girls are getting so much lip fillers to the point where they it can be dangerous. This strong image can change the reader’s opinion on plastic surgery because it has described what the person looks like which can be very disturbing.

In the last example, a metaphor is used in the second line of the second stanza, “Baby soft skin turns into leather”. The comparison between soft skin to leather suggests that plastic surgery will turn your youthful, soft skin to a plasticky, hardened texture. This comparison makes the reader rethink their choices on plastic surgery. Simile, allusion, imagery and metaphor have made me feel sympathy for the people who have resorted to getting plastic surgery due to societies high standards of physical beauty. Martinez has tried to make people aware of this issue in society and tried influence people that don’t change yourself because someone said to. Martinez has challenged society about their values on inner beauty and diversity about what a person looks like. Sadly this song is still relevant today, mostly because of unrealistic people on social media making the viewer reflect on one’s physical appearance.

Rocket Man is the song created by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The performer of this song is Elton John who is a famous English singer-songwriter. And this song was included with the Honky Château in the early 1970s. Rocket Man also became one of the songs of the hit song in the United States and the United Kingdom at that time.

According to the study of space events from 1961-1970 , there had a lot of space events occurred during the period of the 1960s. A lot of musicians created music that related to space themes. When the public’s obsession with space reached its peaks, the song about the facts of the rocket man has appeared, the lyrics of rocket man described the feeling of loneliness for the rocket man. Ray Bradbury’s story “The Rocket Man” provided the inspiration for this song, in the song of Rocket Man, descrying the story about an astronaut before going to Mars. The story began from the wife packed the baggage for the husband, who was an astronaut, they had to face the distant separation, the astronaut had to separate from his family because this is their job. In the lonely environment of outer space, they really missed their family. At the same time, the lyrics once again express the loneliness of the working environment of outer space, no family, only work.

In the song of Rocket Man describes the bitterness of the work of the universe in the lyrics:

And all this science I don’t understand

It’s just my job five days a week

A rocket man, a rocket man

The ending lyrics emphasizes the helplessness and powerlessness of the rocket man and once again magnifies the mood of their missing family.

This song not only uses the lyrics to describe the story about the loneliness of the rocket man but also through the musical psychedelic and rocky tonality simulates the loneliness of the universe. The song of Rocket Man in order to produce the feeling of loneliness and weightlessness, using the lilting structure and the uncluttered production for the physical space. According to the Rizzi ‘s analysis that the song of Rocket Man using two instrumentations: piano and bass guitar, at the same time, in the song interpretation, with Elton’s vocals and the chorus to express the emotion of the development of the story in this song. In the beginning, this song just uses piano accompaniment to create a relaxed atmosphere and cooperate with Elton’s vocals to tell the fact that the astronauts are leaving home. However, the melody raised on the word “ be high ” , the development in pitch express the astronaut will fly to thousands of miles away, which shows the sadness emotion of the astronaut and then the guitar enters the song when the lyrics that describe the emotion that the astronaut miss family. Meanwhile, the melody raised again on the word “ a timeless flight ”, which reflects the astronaut’s helpless. Followed by the chorus enter to the song, using the form of a chorus, the astronaut has to leave their family for a long time, reflecting the love for families and inner sadness. And when the lyrics express the life of the space and the sense of loneliness, using Elton’s vocals to reflect the alone.

In addition, the lyrics repeat the word “ And I think it’s gonna be a long long time ”, on the basis of psychology and music, when audiences hear the same things repeatedly, they will start to pay attention to various elements then they did originally. According to the inverted-U model shows, when audiences hear somethings repeatedly, their pleasure will increase, and reach the optimal point, but after the optimal point, the pleasure will start decreasing. In the Rocket Man, the lyrics about describing the astronaut has to leave home for a long time and will be very lonely has appeared four times, the recurring lyrics allow listeners to focus on the content of the song and the inner strength and loneliness of the astronaut. At the end of the song, through repeat the word to emphasize that astronaut will leave a long long time, and the audiences can feel a long time by the repeated lyrics and audiences’ pleasure will be increased and when the emotion reach the peak, and ready to turn to go down, the song will be finished, the structure of this song could catch the audiences’ emotion and when the song is over, it will still relive the sense of loneliness and helplessness.

The Rocket Man created the sense of lonely for space by the combination of piano and guitar, to create the powerlessness and weightlessness in the space, meanwhile, through Elton’s vocals and the chorus to express the content of the astronaut’s story. The transformation between the vocals and chorus to express the emotion of this song, Through the science way to sharp the form of this song and the audiences’ emotion could be attracted by this form.

The song This Is America, they are trying inform viewers of how America isn’t what we perceive it to be. In the video he appears to show a contrast of popular contrast culture’s perception of black experience and its often brutal reality by juxtaposing happy, carefree choruses and dark, aggressive verses.

In the beginning when he shots the African American who was playing the guitar and then all of sudden had a bag over his head was a symbolism of Jim crow because of the pose that Gambino had when shot him which was a racist character to distinguish African American as lazy, stupid, and inferior human beings. The other things shown was when he handed gun off and the African American was basically dragged it showed that peoples care for guns and black people don’t get no kind of dignity. Then when he hands the gun off the person who garbs is grabbing it with a red cloth which could represent the Republican- Dominated states who value guns over black lives.

The contrast may also suggest recurring shifts in mood whenever there is a crisis in America. At one point the entire nation was in going crazy and there was chaos everywhere and then next thing you know they was happy and dancing and not worried about nothing that was happening behind them. Gambino represents this by dancing with the school aged children and not worried about all the chaotic scenes of violence in the back such as people getting carjacked, people getting assaulted and people getting robbed. Also in his song he featured some of today’s artists who are also African Americans because they have all contributed to fighting police brutality.

This song also shows symbolism because there is a brief scene in the video where a hooded figure is riding an all-white horse through all the chaotic events behind Bino. Theories state that the horse relates to the pale horse Death rides in Revelation 6 as one of the Four Horse of the Apocalypse. The music also shows that he is just wearing a necklace and his pants with no shirts to relate or symbolize the late Fela Kuti, a Nigerian musician. Another symbol of him wearing no shirt symbolizes that black people are very vulnerable compare to anyone else. Then another thing about his outfit is the fact he has buttons where a zipper is supposed to be represents what confederate soldiers wore which recalls the historical violence upon African Americans and his dancing serves to distracted us from that history. Basically saying that we are distracted by nowadays gimmicks we forget the pain and violence African Americans have experienced. During the song when Gambino slaughters a whole chorus out of nowhere is a quick recall of when a white supremacist killed nine black people in a church basement. The image shows how people struggle to reconcile with and spate different instances of violence.

In the end when he is running away from all the people in the end theories state that he is running from The Sunken Place which is a conception of Jordan Peele movie Get Out. Also suggesting that him sprinting goes back to a tradition of African Americans having to run for their owners to save their lives or escape the slavery.

In Gambino song Redbone which nowadays refers to a distinguished lighter skinned black female. In the song it seems as if he fears that his efforts to keep his woman happy is what going to drive her away from him. He suggests this because in his first line he suspicious of his girl cheating on him and he is implying that he she would remain loyal to him but her actions have made him think different and feel like she up to no good. In the next verse he gave a metaphor of his relationship by using the food such as peanut butter, chocolate and Kool aid. The message that his trying to display is that despite their personalities seem to be align they do not go well with each like the food references.

In one part of the song he’s saying to stay woke because he must be trying to warn whoever he is talking to stay observant with infidelity in relationships and also to be concern of their partners because they don’t know what they are doing behind there back. Then him saying “N*ggas Creepin” is a message to be aware of males making a move to screw over their love ones.

In contrast “Redbone” was more his relationship to a girl and how he was scared to lose her because of his own insecurities. He is trying to warn other of their love ones and that you really can’t trust no one when it comes to relationships. Which differs from “This is America” which is trying to relay message to the world that America is not what is made to seem and he is trying to show what is really is and what America is really about. That for some time we’ve been sweeping everything under the rug because we get distracted by things nowadays because of how gullible we are today.

In life, taking the known route does not necessarily have the most beneficial ending- this is partially due to the fact that the unknown road provides options for personal growth and new experiences. This idea is conveyed throughout ​The Road not Taken​ and is specially reinforced in the last stanza. ​The Road Not Taken​ was written by Robert Frost in 1915. This poem functions as an extended metaphor about someone who is faced with a simple yet significant decision. The poet uses a range of poetic techniques to illuminate the protagonist’s journey and how he has developed as a person.

This poetry essay delves into the profound layers of meaning embedded within Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” exploring how the poet’s masterful use of language and metaphoric imagery invites readers to contemplate the complexities of decision-making, personal growth, and the unpredictable nature of life’s journey.

The idea of life’s journey is strongly conveyed through the techniques of assonance, visual imagery, and metaphors. These all function in impactful yet different ways.

Assonance allows audiences to read the poem with an upbeat rhythm. Visual imagery creates a strong illustration in the reader’s mind. And the use of metaphors allows readers to perceive things in their own way and use comparisons to understand what the poem is about.

Assonance allows the poem to be read in a rhythmic and upbeat voice This contrasts with the main idea of the poem: which is about personal decision-making in the context of what society thinks is conventional. As the narrator arrives at the fork in the road, the rhythm diverts the readers’ attention to the protagonist’s point of decision on what ‘way’ to follow. The assonance is used to create a lyrical flow, which is in contrast with the initial indecision the protagonist feels.

The poet’s use of visual imagery allows readers to feel a deeper connection to the protagonist’s physical journey and become more immersed in the poem’s setting – for example, the imagery of the “yellow wood” conjures the scene. The use of the color yellow connotes feelings of warmth and happiness, symbolically this can mean that both roads will lead him to happiness and peace of mind. The two “roads” function to make the reader physically imagine the two choices he has. The setting in autumn symbolizes a time of change. This shows us that whatever road he chooses is going to end with something that differs from his day-to-day life. Visual imagery is a technique that Frost relied heavily on ​to paint a picture of the mysterious, inviting natural landscape.

The use of metaphors assists the reader to arrive at a deeper understanding of the character’s journey. The road not taken is an extended metaphor. Frost uses the roads as a way to convey to the audience that we all have to choose between two broad options. We can stick with the conventional path and do what social convention dictates. Alternatively, we can forge our own independent path. The metaphor of the two roads is repeated throughout the poem to create a very clear and easy-to-visualize comparison. The fork in the road symbolizes difficult and ​life-changing decisions that will determine the course of our lives. The image of ‘undergrowth’ is used to show that however far he can see he won’t be able to see everything. It is used to show that, although Frost can try to see what’s in his future, there will always be aspects of the future that are unknowable.

The tone has the power to manipulate and control how a poem is understood and expressed. The protagonist speaks with a sorrowful tone which forces the reader to grasp the reality of not being able to explore both paths – to choose one, is not to choose the other. The sorrowful tone projects the emotional understanding of having to give something up in order to take the path less known. Frost uses the first person to allow his point of view to stand out; it shows a ​reflective nature that emphasizes the internal drama of making difficult life choices.

Frost plays with the notion of time in his poem, bringing the reader with him as he undertakes his journey. He also uses the sense of time to show how hard it can be to make important life choices. At the start of the poem, Frost describes the choice in front of him, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”. He can’t foresee where either path will lead. He is sad that he has to choose between different possible futures.

Choosing one road will mean giving up the other. In the last stanza, Frost has come to the end of his journey and projects forward to imagine how he will speak about his choice many years in the future. He took the road less traveled, and in talking about his decision, he will see it as ‘bitter-sweet’. As he says, his decision “made all the difference”. But, ​the last line in the poem (“that has made all the difference”) is one that he “shall be telling … with a sigh.”

The poem is about life’s choices but it does not glorify making one choice over another. It tells us that life is too uncertain to make such simple assumptions. It attempts rather to deepen our experience about life choices, bringing us to understand that to choose something important, is to give up something else important – and the value of the thing given up is something we will never really know because we didn’t experience it. Even to take the path less chosen is to miss out on something. And that makes our choices – even our best choices – something to recall with a sense of loss.

O Captain! My captain is a poem composed by the American poet Walt Whitman who is called the bird of democracy. Most of his works reflect his ideas about women’s rights, immigration laws, and labor issues. This poem in particular is an elegy written after the death of former American president Abraham Lincoln. Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” stands as a testament to the profound impact that poetry can have in capturing the collective emotions and mourning the loss of a beloved leader, as demonstrated by the elegiac tribute to President Abraham Lincoln in this poignant poem.

Background of the poem: The united states of America are now one of the most democratic countries in the world and they are leading in almost everything. This upgraded nation was once a place of slavery. In the 1800s people in the USA used black people as slaves. Slavery was at its peak in some states of the USA in those days. Though some of the presidents tried to avoid slavery they were not able to accomplish it as nearly 11 states supported it. These 11 states were the confederate states of America and the rest was called the united states of America. Confederate states had their own flag. They supported slavery and required slaves to serve and they never wanted black people to live free. They suppressed and oppressed black people. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. His works were mainly against slavery and he works towards the abortion of slavery. His efforts have never gone in vain. Finally in 1865, Abraham Lincoln won and he abolished slavery in the entire nation. It was a celebration moment and the people welcomed it wholeheartedly. They are celebrating it but success is never sought without sacrifice. Abraham Lincoln was killed by a confederate member. Walt Whitman who never met Abraham Lincoln in his life was very much inspired by his work so he composed this poem to give him a tribute.

The theme of the poem: Three main themes of this poem is Admiration, patriotism, and suffering. Abraham Lincoln fought for slavery, fought for racism so Walt Whitman admire Abraham Lincoln through this poem and that’s why admiration is one of the themes of this poem. Walt Whitman also beautifully expressed the theme of patriotism. The last theme is suffering because, in this poem, the poet expressed how black Americans suffer for their right, and what difficulties Abraham Lincoln had to face Throughout racism.

In this poem, the poet shows Abraham Lincoln as the ship captain and the ship was nothing but the United States that finally reached the shore which is the abolition of slavery. And for that people are celebrating on the shore seeing the sheep ending its journey. But they don’t know the captain is lying cold and dead on the ship. It’s a metaphorical poem. Because here in this poem American civil was is referred to as the fearful trip and the ship is referred to as the United States of America that withstood every storm which is the civil war and finally reached the shore that refers to the abolition of slavery and becoming the one completing nation and the captain refers to Abraham Lincoln.

This poem comprises three stanzas. The poet uses free verse while writing this poem and for this reason, the lines of the poem do not rhyme at all.

In the first stanza, the poet shouts with great excitement to the ship’s captain that they are finally reaching home. The trip came to a successful end. The ship is near the port after surviving all the storms and difficulties during the journey. The eyes of all the people standing on the shore are fixed upon this brave and daring sheep. But soon the poet notices that the captain of the sheep, Abraham Lincoln is lying cold and dead on the deck of the sheep. Poet is full of sorrow at the death of the captain.

‘The Landlady’ is a very weird and unusual story. This short horror story is by author named Roald Dahl. The story is about a lady who owns a house that does bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. Billy Weaver aka Mr. Weaver is a businessman that is looking for a place to stay for the night, he first looked at the ‘First Bell Dragon’. The bed and breakfast pulled him in like some magnetic force field dragging him closer and closer. Dahl supports the theme of not everything looks too good to be true through the use of conflict setting, dramatic irony and direct characterization through speech.

The first element is conflict setting and it supports the theme because Mr. Weaver is faced with a serious conflict. The conflicts are man vs. himself and man vs. man, but in this case, man vs. very creepy old lady who kills handsome young men and stuffs them like trophies. This takes place as soon as he rang the doorbell of the house. All the elements of danger and malice are present and surround the protagonist. He, however, is so enthused with the idea of embarking on his own journey that he ignores the signs, and goes to them all, as a victim. This is how the author uses conflict to help support the setting.

The next topic that will be discussed is direct characterization. Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. This shows what the author wants you to imagine, and what he thinks about him in the form of direct characterization. In the story the author shows how Mr. Weaver is kind of loosely observant. Mr. Weaver noticed that only 2 other people had ever stayed in that bed and breakfast, so he started to try and figure out what was going on. This shows how Mr. Weaver because more observant over time in the story, and how he really picks up on the little stuff. This is how the author uses direct characterization to help support the theme.

The final element to the story is dramatic irony. Dramatic irony used in the story to create a sense of humor. The dramatic irony used in the story is about Billy’s thoughts about the house the landlady lives in before he enters. When Billy peers through the window of the Bed and Breakfast, he tells himself, animals were usually a good sign in a place like this. That shows that this is a humorous example of dramatic irony because Mr. Weaver fails to see that the cats are stuffed, instead of being asleep. Another example is when Mr. Weaver is being ‘pulled’ to the house by noticing the bed and breakfast sign. He feels like something is ‘pulling’ him closer and closer to the house. This is how the author uses dramatic irony in the story.

In conclusion, not everything is too good to be true. In the essay the three main elements are conflict setting, dramatic irony and direct characterization through speech. These were the main ones because they were used throughout the whole story. Other important different elements exist too, but none of these elements are better than the others. But always remember that not everything is going to be true.

Shades of meaning can refer to the subtleties and degrees of meaning that can be developed in a text. Australian novelist Tim Winton’s story, ‘Cloudstreet’, does not simply explore love, family, spirituality or human value, it addresses deeper concepts with graduations of meaning that develop over the course of the text, and are unique to each reader. Winton utilizes an array of literary strategies to manipulate the readers to grow alongside his characters, the story, and the ideas imbued in both.

A concept that runs strongly throughout ‘Cloudstreet’, is the importance of family. Presented throughout the text by the ‘guardian angel’ figure of the ‘blackfella’, who reminds Sam that, “you shouldn’t break a place, places are strong, important…too many places busted”. This sentiment is echoed by a series of plot events that grow the central characters of the text, bringing them closer together in the face of all odds. The remarkable resilience of family is first demonstrated by the generosity of Joel. A relative of the Pickles, he allows them to live in his hotel for free after Sam’s accident, campaigns to get Sam out of his rut, and eventually leaves them the house on Cloudstreet and £2000 pounds after his death. Joel, despite being only a cousin, understands the close bonds of family, a sense of unconditional love and acceptance. This is this message that Winton looks to promote in the text. As the text progresses, so does the complexity and shades within the idea. As Perth grows into a city, and each member of the two families goes through their individual trials and tribulations the families grow apart. Oriel moves into the tent, Quick and Ted leave, Rose grows anorexic and Dolly drinks herself to the ground. Through this loss of family Winton is presenting his perception of the erosion of family values in the real world. As Quick and Rose move to their “new house…in a new suburb… in a new street”, they are divided from their family. This represents Winton’s critique of the disappearance of communal life with the growth of suburban sprawl. Here the text comments most strongly on the importance of ‘home’, and family, with the Blackfella appearing once again to guide Quick, telling him, “You’ve got to go home Quick. Go there”. The text begins with a representation of family values, the generosity of Joel, and the tragic closeness that both families felt after their respective pain.

Winton grows the message of family importance through a variety of symbols and characterization strategies. Throughout the novel, food is used as a representation of family. The two families come together over the final banquet in the Lambs basement, and the picnic by the river. The Lambs grow close through their grocery store, Quick and Lester and Quick and Oriel bond over fishing and Rose is as ‘food’ for Quick during their union in the library. When Rose is battling Dolly, and when she loses her baby and moves away from her family, she cannot stand the sight of food, of the nourishment and health that family represents. Characterization is also used to develop shades of meaning within the concepts of family values in that each character holds a different understanding of the importance of family and attributes different meaning to their family bonds. Rose, for most of Cloudstreet attributes little value to family. Having little connection to either Ted or Chub, and venomously hating her mother, Rose only attributed value to her father seen most clearly as she saves him from suicide, “I love you Dad, you can’t do it to me. You can’t”. Poignantly it is Sam who guides Rose to returning to her family, and subsequently her food. Pushing her to find forgiveness and understanding for Dolly allowed Rose to understand the importance of family, as she and Quick return soon after to their family home. No character values the importance of family values higher than Lester, stating, “If I did nothing else in me weak old life, Quick, I know I had a family and I enjoyed every bit of it”. Lester offsets his brusque wife and morose son as a whimsical and light-hearted cook. Like Sam, he connects with his children on an emotional level, engaging with them and valuing their love above all else, “I always wanted to be loved, that’s all”. Furthermore, Lester is quick to understand the bond between the two families, and understand that the Sam unconditional love should be applied, this is first seen as Lester hides Sam, and provides funds for him to pay his debts. Each character presenting the value of family in alternate ways as they grow provides a graduation of meaning. The reader develops their understanding of family alongside the characters, allowing each reader to understand the facets of family values that they personally relate to. This ensures the poignancy of Winton’s message of the deep, emotional, and spiritual importance of family across a broad spectrum of interpretations and understandings, just as the characters hold a range of understandings of the message they are promoting.

A further concept that is thoroughly explored throughout the text is the presence of another plane of existence. Addressed primarily through point of view and symbolism, the text once again allows for a broad spectrum of different shades of spirituality, overall, presenting the message that spirituality, in all its forms is an essential and basic element of life. Winton incorporates strong Christian links though the Jesus likenesses of the burning Guy Fawkes, and the guardian angel role of Fish and the ‘blackfella’, as well as the Lamb’s crisis of faith. However, a far broader spectrum of spirituality can be applied when looking at Fish’s description of his plane of existence as “the moon, sun and stars”. Spiritual Fish appears to Quick during his time in the wheat belt, and is able to actively guide him through his effective coming of age as a man, as well as recounting the story in the time it takes for him to drown. This represents a far less traditional form of spirituality. The story is narrated by spiritual Fish, and on occasion these present an omniscient and inherently mystical perspective of the story, only broadening the shades of meaning and interpretation that reside within the overall message of spiritual importance. Furthermore, darker aspects of the metaphysical such as the tortured spirits in the library, Quick’s ‘misery pictures’ that torment him at night, as well as the misery imbued in the house itself, constitute a further shade of meaning within the overall development of spirituality in the text. A final component of the ethereal in ‘Cloudstreet’ is the presence of, and the distinct respect towards, the Aboriginal cultural and spiritual heritage and their connection with the land. By representing the mystical, wise, guardian angel role as an indigenous man, who Winton has described as, “the past, the one carrying the memories everybody else has forgotten”, he is acknowledging with a certain reverence, the power and importance of Aboriginal spirituality. Effectively, Winton has developed many tendrils and small paths of spirituality that the reader may or may not identify within the story. Some are presented through symbols such as the water, which surrounds and reflects the spiritual upheavals in the character’s lives, others are presented through plot devices, such as the final picnic, bringing the families together through unconditional love and acceptance, and of course the point of view, which, being from the perspective of a spirit, imbues the story with a sense of spirituality to its core.

Effectively, within ‘Cloudstreet’ there exist comments on broad concepts and issues. However, within each of these there are subtleties. Through a range of literary techniques, Winton has managed to create multi-faceted messages that can be understood and interpreted across a broad spectrum, allowing for readers to each glean different shades of meaning from the epic novel.