Literature Questions Essay
Literature Questions Essay Quotable quotes from “Songs of myself” that show Whitman’s theme of democracy
A.”I permit to speak at every hazard, Nature without check with original energy”
This quote depicts democracy in that the writer speaks despite the risks for him speaking. Democracy is where one has a right to speak his mind. Hence in this quote the writer defines the hazard as being not democratic in any way.
B.”The Negro holds firmly the reins of his four horses, the block swags underneath on its tied-over his chain”
This quote refers to the time the African Americans were enslaved and made to serve the white man. During this time, there was no democracy at all. In short, the poet in this case acknowledges how the Negros have developed and become independent in a democratic world.
Daisy’s love for Winterbourne
From the very beginning, Daisy had her pretty eyes rested on those of winterbourne. She talked to him as if she had known him forever and talked to him about her family. Daisy blushed when winterbourne suggested on going with her to the old castle. Daisy had accepted the offer too quickly and started planning on how her brother Radolph was to stay with their mother when she and Winterbourne went visiting the old castle. On their second meeting, Daisy was very pleased to see him again and she openly declared that that was the longest evening she had ever spent. Daisy at some point when they meet again after going to the old castle, asks him to pick her up meaning she definitely loved him.
What makes a poem?
What particularly defines a poem is how the sentences are structured or laid out. Normally the sentence structure in a poem usually does not follow the rules of syntax. Another thing that uniquely defines a poem is the word choice that is used. The words used are usually complex and they require one to look into their meaning so as to have an understanding of the poem. Usually the words have a connection or a relationship to each other and in a poem the words are usually of a repetitive nature.
For any piece of writing to qualify to be a poem, it must have a speaker who is known as the persona in the poem. This is usually the person who talks in the poem. Another aspect of a poem that should be present in every poem is the use of figurative language. This refers to the use of aspects such as metaphors, images or even similes. This gives a particular writing the poetic nature that it is supposed to have.
The appearance of the writing also helps in defining what a poem is. A poem is supposed to have an arrangement of lines that are usually short sentences separated by either commas or full stops. Every poem should at least have a subject matter or an objective which the reader is supposed to deduce at the end of the poem. Normally, poems are usually of various categories and the most common being love poems. Thus for a poem to be a poem, it must have the purpose for it being written and in one way or another there must be a lesson or teachings learnt from the poem.
Analysis of the poem “This is just to say”
The poem “This is just to say” may largely be classified as a poem. This is because the poem has a title and on having a closer look at the poem the poem has both a surface and a deeper meaning. The poem is using structured sentences which are short and every sentence conveys a meaning. The poem is satirical which is one of the many aspects or characteristics of a poem. In my own opinion, this poem can be classified as a love poem and as long as a poem can be classified in one way or another then it can be described as a poem. In the poem, the writer has used the feature of alliteration in the poem, in this case the alliteration in this case is the sound’s’ in the poem, which gives it its poetic nature. The poem in this case may be considered to be a love poem. The poem has a simple and easy to understand title but at the same time it might have a very deep and complicated meaning. In this case, I will take the plums to refer to a forbidden fruit and their being delicious and cold it would be evident that forbidden fruits taste the sweetest. It is also notable that the poem has made no use of commas and full stops and this may be taken to mean that the speaker in the poem was in a hurry as if it was a note to his lover.
The persona in this poem also achieves in making it possible for the reader to perceive an image of the unfolding of the events as they take place.
Snows of Kilimanjaro
The first quote from the “Snows of Kilimanjaro”: “Love is a dunghill and I am the cock that gets on it to crow”: These words were said by Harry. From the quote, it is evident that Harry does not love the woman and is only with her for her money. Harry might have loved the woman before but his love is slowly fading away. Harry continues to make such statements such that his wife is offended to the point that she starts crying.
The above quote depicts Henry as a person who does not mind about other people’s feelings and all he cares about is himself. Therefore, his character can be judged to be that of a selfish individual. On reading the story further, Harry openly admits that he is more used to lying to women and even feels much better and wonders how women believe some things that men say even when they do not mean it. So it would be correct to depict the character of Harry as that of being untrustworthy.
The second quote: “Do you have to kill your horse and your wife and burn your saddle and your armor”: These words were said by Harry’s wife. She seems very concerned about him and very caring too. This statement made by her was as a result of their quarrel whereby Harry openly declared that he did not love her any more. In response to this statement, Harry said that the armor was her money which in one way or another was offensive to the woman, to the point that she started crying making Harry act all caring which he was not.
From this quote we are able to depict the character of the wife in this case as caring. She can also be described to be very strong emotionally because despite Harry’s tormenting nature, she continues to care about him especially when he thinks that he is going to die overnight. She can also be described as being an understanding woman. This is so because when Harry was ill and even if he is on the verge of death, she understood the fact that Harry might have been overcome by fear and despair and instead of getting angry even after he abuses her, she instead tries to calm him down. (Hemingway 70)
Brooks poem
One of Brooks’ poem that I chose to identify and use goes by the title, “The ballad of chocolate Mabbie”. The reason I chose this poem is because this poem has tried to address social issues especially those of the colored people that are considered to be of the lower class. In this poem, it talks about a boy who leaves a colored girl so that he can be with a girl with a lighter skin. This poem also enables the reader to appreciate the artistic nature of the poem as it has applied the use of features such as assonance, which is one of the key features of a well written poem.
This poem clearly brings out the feelings of this girl who feels that she has been left by her boyfriend because she is black and in a way the poet in this case Brooks captures the white supremacy issue in America. This poem in particular brings into light the problem of racism that has been widespread all over the world as the girl used in the poem is an example of the victims that suffer continuously under racism.
How Brooks fits in with other writers
Brooks is a woman who has dedicated most of her work towards the fight of white supremacy and also in the fight for the rights of those who are less privileged in society. The past writers who are long gone and are remembered to date is because of their writing and it was not just done as a hobby or as a means of livelihood to them but it was done for a good cause.
Therefore, Brooks can be said to fit in with other writers the likes of James Weldon and Hughes that have constantly dedicated their work for a good cause. Thus, it is writings such as poetry that have great influence and impact among people up to date. If such writing is as good as it has been used by the few writers mentioned earlier, then Brooks can be widely acknowledged for her fight together with other writers towards achieving a humane society. It is evident that every writer will almost definitely face criticism for his or her work. Brooks is among the many writers that have faced both positive and negative criticism for their work, which makes her perfectly blend in with other famous writers just like her.
