Stevenson 1 Jessica Stevenson Ms. Hays English 202 22 March 2012 An Explication of William Stafford’s “Ask Me” The poem “Ask Me” is not as it may seem the first time you read it, you have to read through it a second maybe even a third time in order to take notes about the true meaning that Stafford is trying to get across. William Stafford gives us a paraphrase of his own poem “Ask Me”, giving the reader a look into what the poem means to him. By giving us the reader a more in depth explanation of his work it allows us to understand the meaning within the poem itself. So now let’s take a look at it and see what his thoughts were. This poem is like no other of William Stafford’s.
Browning uses a number of different narrative techniques to tell the story in Porphyria’s Lover. The poem is written in first person, in past tense, from the perspective of our narrator who is unnamed but as the title suggests is “Porphyria’s Lover”. This means that the telling of events is not completely reliable and can be assumed to be biased. The narrator’s first line of speech, “I listened heart fit to break” suggests he is waiting for someone, maybe even longing. Browning structured this poem as a dramatic monologue and has included structural features such as enjambment which makes the poem sound less like a crafted speech and more like a casual conversation, which may be seen as eerie considering the events later on in the poem.
In ‘My Last Duchess’ 1842 and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ 1836, Browning uses a range of narrative methods to convey the story. This includes the use of enjambment, rhyme schemes and alternation between the past and present; all of which contribute in building tension within the poems. In both of the dramatic monologues there is a single stanza and speaker to narrate the story. However, in ‘My Last Duchess’ Browning uses the rhyme scheme AABB with iambic pentameter whereas in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ the rhyme scheme used is ABABB. This reflects the speaker’s personalities as the Duke seems to have a compulsive character in which he continually discusses the objects he owns, ranging from the Duchess to other notable artworks.
In this chapter, analysis will be focused on the traits of Poe’s writing methods. Section 5.1 Symbolism in Poe’s Works "Symbolism" refers to a rhetorical device of choosing representative symbols to illustrate a carried meaning which concealed in a subject’s literal meaning. Edgar Allan Poe used symbolism in most of his poetry and short stories in order to force the reader to see his views on life, love, and death. His opinions are mirrored through that of his characters and his use of symbolism allows for a broader spectrum of interpretation. One of Poe’s most famous symbolic short stories is The Masque of The Red Death, a tale about a prince and his followers failed to escape the plague.
With the description of “darkening lanes” not only is there alliteration with the first word “down”, but it also creates a gloomy effect from the very start of the poem. This is juxtaposed with the description “sang their way to the siding-shed.” Usually, when someone or something is described as singing, it has a positive connotation, however, here, coupled with the dismal attitude of the poem it could perhaps be interpreted as more of the last bits of patriotism appearing as moral diminishes. The last line of this first stanza creates a memorable image, calling the soldiers faces “grimly gay.” Not only is there alliteration of the “g” sound, calling attention to the phrase, but also the dichotomy of the two words, grim being more menacing and gay being extreme happiness, reveals the conflicting emotions the soldiers must be feeling. At this point in the war they know what they are getting into: the destruction and less that ideal conditions, however they are still expected to keep up the patriotic enthused attitude of going off to war and serving their country. The next
One of the first things a reader can notice about this poem is the rhyme scheme. From the first stanza to the last stanza it follows an ABBA rhyme scheme. The structure allows each scene to focus on the center lines then go to the last line which has some relationship with the first. It should also to be noted that Auden purposely punctuated some lines to continue on to the next,” In a lonely field the rain lashes an abandoned train” (2-3). The moments in the poem that are like that throws off the sing song rhythm that would have been made.
Seamus Heaney- Ancestral Photograph Poem Interpretation c.) The poem gains its power from the ambiguity of the speaking voice. The narrator of the poem communicates a deeply personal account of his own intimate history, as well as an objective detachment from it. The ambiguity of the narrator allows the audience to come up with multiple interpretations of the poem. Investigating the poem from this aspect, the second stanza proves to be the most interesting, as it is open to a number of various interpretations. The second line of this stanza, “Long fixed in sepia tints begins to fade”, indicates how long the heritage and the memories of his father’s uncle have been preserved.
Browning incorporates all of these elements in an intriguing manner in his poetic masterpiece My Last Duchess. For example, the writer clearly presents both a speaker and a listener; in this poem the Duke is known as the speaker as he recounts the tragedy of his last duchess’ death to his listener known as the Count. Browning also sets the conversation in a very symbolic setting that was inspired by the history of a Renaissance duke, Alfonso II of Ferrare whose young wealthy wife Lucrezia died suspiciously. In addition, Browning’s masterpiece includes the use
This alternate rhyme scheme, which changes from one quartet to the next, gives the poem a sense of purpose. Each of the two stanzas of the sonnet, begins with a question that the remainder of the section answers. By using, the sonnet structure in his poem, Owen is able to introduce a touch of irony, because the traditional function of a sonnet is to describe love. However, since the main content of this poem is of anti-love, the reader is therefore able to appreciate the deaths of the soldiers. The octet is generally dominated by the sound of battle while the sestet is characterized by muted grief.
Andrew Marvell's poem, ‘To His Coy Mistress’ (hereafter I shall refer to the poem as ‘Mistress’) is a beautifully provocative poem. ‘Mistress’ encompasses many literary techniques including tone, imagery, alliteration, metaphor, irony, enjambment and similes. It is written in iambic tetrameter as a three part proposition to his mistress, and Marvell employs alternative poetic styles (as mentioned previously) to enhance each of the three arguments in the poem. In essence, ‘Mistress’ examines the assertion that after death, morality is of no value. Marvell accentuates the triviality of his mistress being vain during her lifetime, emphasizing that she must do away with all trepidation when it comes to temptation.