A literary Appreciation for Ordinary Level
Poet : John Keats
John Keats was a romantic English poet. Keats' contribution for English literature lasted only for a short time. He passed away at the age of 25 in 1821.
Keats was born in Moor-gate London in 1795. At school, he was more interested in classics and history. He was a voracious reader and turned out to be a brilliant student.
Keats' poetry became popular only after his death. During his life time his poetry were not well received by people.
His poetry is characterized by sensual imagery.
Poem:
SON of old moon-mountains African!
Chief of the Pyramid and Crocodile!
We call the fruitful, and that very while,
A desert fills our seeing's inward span;
Nurse of swart nations since the world began,
Art thou so fruitful? Or dost thou beguile
Such men to honour thee, who, worn with toil,
Rest for a space 'twixt Cairo and Deccan?
O may dark fancies err! they surely do;
'Tis ignorance that makes a barren waste
Of all beyond itself, thou dost bedew
Green rushes like our rivers, and dost haste
The pleasant sun-rise, green isles hast thou,too,
And to the sea as happily dost haste.
Poem:
SON of old moon-mountains African!
Chief of the Pyramid and Crocodile!
We call the fruitful, and that very while,
A desert fills our seeing's inward span;
Nurse of swart nations since the world began,
Art thou so fruitful? Or dost thou beguile
Such men to honour thee, who, worn with toil,
Rest for a space 'twixt Cairo and Deccan?
O may dark fancies err! they surely do;
'Tis ignorance that makes a barren waste
Of all beyond itself, thou dost bedew
Green rushes like our rivers, and dost haste
The pleasant sun-rise, green isles hast thou,too,
And to the sea as happily dost haste.
Appreciation:
To the Nile is a sonnet written by Keats about the famous river the Nile. The Nile is credited as the longest river in the world. A river is an essential part of the environment. Keats being a romantic poet finds equal importance between the Nile and the other rivers in the world despite all the myths associated with it. A river is a source of water which serves all the living beings in myriad ways.
The Nile starts her long arduous journey from the Deccan plateau in Sudan and ends her journey near Cairo in Egypt. On her long journey, she moistens the parched lands and enriches the soil. Lush green forests thrive on the banks of the Nile. Hence, the Nile has been playing a significant role in the lives of dark skinned people in Africa. One cannot forget the fact that the great human civilizations like Mohenjo -Daro and Harappa sprang up on the banks of the Nile. The Nile carries with her a long history.
The sonnet 'To the Nile' has two parts. The first eight lines or the octane describe the historical background of the Nile:
"Chief of the Pyramids and Crocodile!"
"Nurse swart nations since the world began"
The words and phrases like the 'pyramid' and 'since the world began' carry the reader as far as to the times of ancient civilizations and even beyond that. The poet keeping to the popular myths and legends call the Nile 'SON- of the old moon mountains African!". These words connote the superiority of the Nile and its nature. The words also attribute a divine quality to the river. The word 'chief' suggests the authority the river wields and its power.
The pyramids are massive human constructions which bear witness to the unique ingenuity of ancient man. The modern world looks at the pyramids with awe. Keats knowing this very well raises the Nile to the position of 'the chief of the Pyramids'. It seems he wants to offer due respect to the Nile. In other words , the Nile is the leader of all the material things around it. According to the poet , the Nile is not only the chief of the pyramids but also the 'crocodile'. The 'crocodile' is a symbol of ferocity and ruthlessness. He may want the reader to signal that this peaceful giant can turn out to be violent at any moment like the crocodiles basking peacefully on the bank of the river. The poet does justice to the Nile and brings out its true nature in the octane.
In the sextet or the last six lines the poet comes down to the reality. He keeps aside all the historical facts and myths related to the Nile and focuses on the river as a mere water body. Keats says the Nile makes no difference when one compares it with other water-bodies in terms of its service to mankind and other fauna and flora.
"Of all beyond itself, thou dost bedew
green rushes like our rivers...."
Like any other river , the Nile moistens the parched lands, makes it green and finally terminates its journey at the sea.
Keats uses archaic diction very strongly throughout the poem. He uses a number of archaic words like 'thou' , 'dost' , 'thee' etc. By using the archaic words the poet may have intended to establish the connection the Nile has with the ancient times.
The Nile is personified in the poem. Keats addresses the Nile 'Thou art..' and gives the impression that the Nile is a human being. The words like 'SON' and 'chief' also help the writer personify the river.
Keats also uses questions like " Art thou so fruitful?" " Or dost thou beguile? " adding a kind of dramatic quality to the poem. These questions also help the poet establish ideas strongly in the reader's mind.
The poet uses metaphors like 'the son of old moon mountains African' and 'Chief of the Pyramid and Crocodile'. The poet compares the Nile to a 'divine son' and 'a chief'. These comparisons creates a sense of superiority related to the Nile in the reader's mind.
The poem is rich in visual imagery. The diction he uses strongly helps the reader form a vivid picture of the Nile. The picture of the massive river and its long journey passing parched lands and through the lush green forests with pyramids on its banks and isles in the middle is painted beautifully in the reader's mind.
"Rest for space 'twixt Cairo and Deccan plateau"
"The pleasant sunrise , green isles hast thou, too"
The poet also uses a lot of exaggeration in his description of the Nile. His calling the Nile 'SON of old mountains African!' , 'chief of Pyramids and Crocodile' and 'nurse of swart nations' etc. suit the poem to bring out its meaning.
Finally, the poet is able to bring the Nile;so exaggerated in the lines, on par with other rivers. At the same time, Keats does not fail to give respect to the Nile as well. When the myths that surround the Nile are removed and look at it as a source of running water in the environment the Nile does not make any difference. This reality hidden behind the Nile is creatively brought out by Keats through the poem 'To the Nile'.
Sajendra Kumara
0777597875
0777597875
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Third Term - 2022 (2023)
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OL Literature Term Test Paper
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To The Evening Star
A Literary Appreciation for O/L
The Poet:William Blake
A Literary Appreciation for O/L
The Poet:William Blake
The poem:
To The Evening Star
THOU fair hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountain, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And then the lion glares through the dun forest;
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy scared dew: protect them with thine influence!
William Blake
To The Evening Star
THOU fair hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountain, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And then the lion glares through the dun forest;
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy scared dew: protect them with thine influence!
William Blake
The evening star
The Venus
'
'
About the poet:
William Blake was an English poet who belonged to the romantic school of thought. He was born in London on the 28th of November in 1757. His works were not recognized during his life time. Blake is considered by many as a seminal artist in the fields of poetry and visual arts. Though most other poets in this period were regarded as escapists: writers who escaped reality, Blake reserved his place as a non-escapist. William Wordsworth , John Keats , Emily Dickinson , Samuel Coleridge etc were some of the escapists.
Blake lived at a time when the economy of the country was developing in leaps and bounds. However, there was a serious threat to the human values. The human values were in shatters because the society focused more on earning money and climbing up the social ladder. The society faced numerous problems like corruption, pollution , prostitution , exploitation , economic imbalance etc. As a result, some artists paid more attention on nature to escape reality. They did not pay attention on the main problems faced by the society. Such poets are called romanticists.
Blake broke away from escapism and he raised his concern on socio-political problems , religion and death.
Appreciation:
To The Evening Star written by William Blake is a sonnet written in the form of an ode. 'The Evening Star' is none other than the Venus: the 2nd planet in the solar-system. The Venus is associated with Roman mythology. According to Roman mythology the Venus is the goddess of love , fertility and victory. Hence, this poem is an address to the goddess Venus. Blake being a romantic poet uses a natural phenomenon and discusses its effect on everyday life.
The fair haired evening star appears like 'an angel' with the setting of the sun.While 'the sun rests on the mountains', The Evening Star or the Venus appears wearing 'a radiant crown' and carrying 'a bright torch of love'.She treats those on their evening beds with a 'smile'.Then she 'draws the blue curtains of the sky' and scatters her silvery dew on the flowers that wither with the sunset. She also mingles the dusk with silver. But, soon, she has to leave. With her departure, evil forces like 'the wolf' and 'the lion' starts prowling under the cover of the darkness causing a fear psychosis. Though the flocks of sheep are blessed with her 'holy water', they further needs her protection.
The first ten lines of the poem have been dedicated to explain the presence of the The Evening Star and the service she renders to the mankind and environment. The last four lines explain the setting in of the darkness and the evil that brings with it.
The poet uses personification to give more effect to the poem. Blake does not want The Evening Star to be considered as a mere astral body. By using personification The Evening Star is presented as a celestial being.
"THOU fair-hair'd angel of the evening"
"Thy bright torch of love.."
"Thy radiant crown put on"
"Thou drawest the blue curtains of the sky"
Blake starts the poem with the metaphor "THOU fair hair'd angel of the evening". It is believed that angels come down from heaven and they do more good than harm to the living beings. The Venus ,as mentioned above, is the Roman goddess of love. The metaphor "Thy bright torch of love" speaks of the extent of love and kindness the Venus has for mankind. The poet metaphorically calls the sky "blue curtain".
The poet uses a number of archaic words like 'thy' , 'thou' , 'whilst' , 'dost' etc. throughout the poem. The archaic diction well suits the poem because the poem is related to the ancient Roman mythology.
The poet uses oxymoron when he says The Evening Star "speak silence". This phrase brings out the quiet environment created soon after the sunset.
The poem is also rich in imagery. One can easily paint pictures of The Evening Star , the evening sky , the mountains , dew , darkness , the wolf and the lion.
"fair hair'd angel"
"bright torch"
"Blue curtains of the sky"
"flower that shuts its sweet eyes"
The poet makes an effort to establish the power of The Evening Star. He says that the Venus is wearing "a radiant crown". The crown symbolizes power and authority. Blake also speaks of "silver dew". "Silver dew" symbolizes "holy water". It is a biblical reference. Holy water is used to invokes blessings on people. Hence, she may "scatter" the holy water in order to protect the mankind in her absence. The 'wolf' and 'the lion' symbolize ferocity and ruthlessness in the environment.
"The flock" is a phrase that has a biblical reference. It is used to refer to the sheep. The sheep is a symbol of innocence and peace. When the poet says "The fleece of our flocks are covered with /Thy sacred dew" the writer ensures that the safety of the mankind is guaranteed with the holy water.
The poet brings out the true nature of the environment through this poem. The environment is a combination of love and evil. This is a continuous changing process like the sunset , the dawn of the evening star and the fall of darkness. Blake makes a successful effort to bring out this reality through the poem "To The Evening Star".
Sajendra Kumara
0777597875
Sajendra Kumara : A teacher of English - TP: 0777597875
I welcome your comments; comment below.
Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree
A literary appreciation for O/L
The Poet:👉
A.E.Houseman
Alfred Edward Houseman was an English classical scholar and poet. His poems wistfully evoke the dreams and disappointments of the youth in the English countryside. Houseman was born on March 26th 1859 in UK . Houseman came in to popularity with the publication of his collection of poetry 'A Shropshire Land'. He studied Greek and Roman classics intensively and was appointed the professor of Latin at University College, London. His poems center around themes of pastoral beauty, love , grief , death and the patriotism of the common soldier. Despite acclaim as as a scholar and a poet in his lifetime , he lived as a recluse rejecting honours and avoiding the public eye. Houseman passed away on April 30, 1936 , Cambridge.
The Poem:
Before the appreciation:👉
A barn
A stack of hay
William Blake was an English poet who belonged to the romantic school of thought. He was born in London on the 28th of November in 1757. His works were not recognized during his life time. Blake is considered by many as a seminal artist in the fields of poetry and visual arts. Though most other poets in this period were regarded as escapists: writers who escaped reality, Blake reserved his place as a non-escapist. William Wordsworth , John Keats , Emily Dickinson , Samuel Coleridge etc were some of the escapists.
Blake lived at a time when the economy of the country was developing in leaps and bounds. However, there was a serious threat to the human values. The human values were in shatters because the society focused more on earning money and climbing up the social ladder. The society faced numerous problems like corruption, pollution , prostitution , exploitation , economic imbalance etc. As a result, some artists paid more attention on nature to escape reality. They did not pay attention on the main problems faced by the society. Such poets are called romanticists.
Blake broke away from escapism and he raised his concern on socio-political problems , religion and death.
Appreciation:
To The Evening Star written by William Blake is a sonnet written in the form of an ode. 'The Evening Star' is none other than the Venus: the 2nd planet in the solar-system. The Venus is associated with Roman mythology. According to Roman mythology the Venus is the goddess of love , fertility and victory. Hence, this poem is an address to the goddess Venus. Blake being a romantic poet uses a natural phenomenon and discusses its effect on everyday life.
The fair haired evening star appears like 'an angel' with the setting of the sun.While 'the sun rests on the mountains', The Evening Star or the Venus appears wearing 'a radiant crown' and carrying 'a bright torch of love'.She treats those on their evening beds with a 'smile'.Then she 'draws the blue curtains of the sky' and scatters her silvery dew on the flowers that wither with the sunset. She also mingles the dusk with silver. But, soon, she has to leave. With her departure, evil forces like 'the wolf' and 'the lion' starts prowling under the cover of the darkness causing a fear psychosis. Though the flocks of sheep are blessed with her 'holy water', they further needs her protection.
The first ten lines of the poem have been dedicated to explain the presence of the The Evening Star and the service she renders to the mankind and environment. The last four lines explain the setting in of the darkness and the evil that brings with it.
The poet uses personification to give more effect to the poem. Blake does not want The Evening Star to be considered as a mere astral body. By using personification The Evening Star is presented as a celestial being.
"THOU fair-hair'd angel of the evening"
"Thy bright torch of love.."
"Thy radiant crown put on"
"Thou drawest the blue curtains of the sky"
Blake starts the poem with the metaphor "THOU fair hair'd angel of the evening". It is believed that angels come down from heaven and they do more good than harm to the living beings. The Venus ,as mentioned above, is the Roman goddess of love. The metaphor "Thy bright torch of love" speaks of the extent of love and kindness the Venus has for mankind. The poet metaphorically calls the sky "blue curtain".
The poet uses a number of archaic words like 'thy' , 'thou' , 'whilst' , 'dost' etc. throughout the poem. The archaic diction well suits the poem because the poem is related to the ancient Roman mythology.
The poet uses oxymoron when he says The Evening Star "speak silence". This phrase brings out the quiet environment created soon after the sunset.
The poem is also rich in imagery. One can easily paint pictures of The Evening Star , the evening sky , the mountains , dew , darkness , the wolf and the lion.
"fair hair'd angel"
"bright torch"
"Blue curtains of the sky"
"flower that shuts its sweet eyes"
The poet makes an effort to establish the power of The Evening Star. He says that the Venus is wearing "a radiant crown". The crown symbolizes power and authority. Blake also speaks of "silver dew". "Silver dew" symbolizes "holy water". It is a biblical reference. Holy water is used to invokes blessings on people. Hence, she may "scatter" the holy water in order to protect the mankind in her absence. The 'wolf' and 'the lion' symbolize ferocity and ruthlessness in the environment.
"The flock" is a phrase that has a biblical reference. It is used to refer to the sheep. The sheep is a symbol of innocence and peace. When the poet says "The fleece of our flocks are covered with /Thy sacred dew" the writer ensures that the safety of the mankind is guaranteed with the holy water.
The poet brings out the true nature of the environment through this poem. The environment is a combination of love and evil. This is a continuous changing process like the sunset , the dawn of the evening star and the fall of darkness. Blake makes a successful effort to bring out this reality through the poem "To The Evening Star".
Sajendra Kumara
0777597875
Sajendra Kumara : A teacher of English - TP: 0777597875
I welcome your comments; comment below.
Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree
A literary appreciation for O/L
The Poet:👉
Alfred Edward Houseman was an English classical scholar and poet. His poems wistfully evoke the dreams and disappointments of the youth in the English countryside. Houseman was born on March 26th 1859 in UK . Houseman came in to popularity with the publication of his collection of poetry 'A Shropshire Land'. He studied Greek and Roman classics intensively and was appointed the professor of Latin at University College, London. His poems center around themes of pastoral beauty, love , grief , death and the patriotism of the common soldier. Despite acclaim as as a scholar and a poet in his lifetime , he lived as a recluse rejecting honours and avoiding the public eye. Houseman passed away on April 30, 1936 , Cambridge.
The Poem:
Before the appreciation:👉
The river Severn : the longest river in England. (Severn shore is a village near the Severn)
A scythe - a farming tool
👉
Lammastide: Lammastide Day is a holiday celebration in some English speaking countries in the Northern hemisphere usually between 1st of August and 1st of September. It is a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest and is the first harvest festival of the year.
👉Appreciation:
Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree is a narrative poem written by the English poet A.K.Houseman. The poem has the characteristics of a ballad. Hence, it can also be called a ballad. The poem tells the story of a man who kills his own brother due to a dispute over a love affair. However, there is a little evidence to support the motive for the murder. The writer drives into the reader's heart that one cannot easily escape from the feeling of guilty conscience after a crime. It pricks the perpetrator's heart every passing minute.
The narrator says that he has to bid farewell to his hometown Severn store. The narrator tells a person called Terrance; whose identity is not revealed , that he will not come back. Terrance could be a close friend or a neighbour. The speaker confesses that he killed his brother Maurice and his body lies "amongst the hay". He further says that the knife he used to stab him lies beside the body. The assailant brother repents the gruesome act and is worried about his mother who is waiting for the two brothers to return home.
The narrator starts his story with a sense of urgency when he says "Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree". Arousing the reader's curiosity he says "Farewell to Severn shore", probably his hometown. Then he tells a person called Terrance that he will not come back home: "For I come home no more". The words like 'barn' , 'stack' and 'tree' speak of the pastoral environment he was born and bred.
The narrator without beating about the bush; probably driven by his urgency to leave the scene of the murder, promptly breaks the horrific news in the second stanza: the murdering of his own brother.
"The sun burns on the half-mown hill,
By now the blood is dried;
And Maurice amongst the hay lies still
And my knife is in his side. "
He further reveals the time,place and the tool he used to commit the crime. The whole drama is summed up here and this is enough evidence for him to be charged with murder.
There is empathy when the narrator thinks of his mother who would be waiting for the two sons to return home.
"My mother thinks us long away;
'Tis time the field were mown"
The narrator's grief comes to a climax when he says
"She had two sons at rising day,
To-night she'll be alone."
She is a quite unfortunate mother who loses two sons though one of them is living. The living son is the assailant of the other son. This is an incident which inevitably leaves a heavy psychological impact on any mother.
Quite ironically the narrator bids farewell to his dead brother, too. This may be an attempt to win the reader's sympathy for the narrator.
"And here is a bloody hand to shake,
And oh, man , here's a good bye;
However, the narrator does not try to justify the murder.
"My bloody hand and I"
The narrator in his urgency to bid farewell to his hometown does not forget to wish his dead brother a good life at least in his next birth. There is also a slight hint contained in his words for his reason to commit the murder.
"I wish you strength to bring you pride,
And a love to keep you clean"
Probably his brother Maurice has had a love affair with his mistress and hence , he wishes him 'a love' to keep him clean in the next birth. The narrator also does not forget to remind the fun time they had during Lammastide: a festival held to mark the annual wheat harvest. He wishes him good luck at races on the green.
"And I wish you luck, come Lammastide,
At racing on the green."
There is a contrasting view contained in the last stanza to the idea expressed in the first stanza where in the narrator's urgency bids farewell to his hometown. The last stanza expresses the fact that the narrator has a dim ray of hope to return home one day.
"Long for me the rick will wait.
And long will wait the fold,
And long will stand the empty plate."
The poet uses repetition in the poem. The word "farewell" is repeated in the first stanza in order to express the writer's sense of urgency to leave his hometown. One cannot forget the fact that the narrator is a criminal and a murderer. In the last stanza, the poet repeats the word 'long' as against the idea expressed in the first stanza. Here , the narrator does not stress that he would 'never' return. By repeating the word "long" he leaves a ray hope that he would return some day when the matters are cleared.
The poet uses a simple conversational language to tell this heartrending story. This makes the reader easy to understand the poem and gives more effect to it.
"farewell"
"Terrance, look your last at me"
"And oh, man , here's a good-bye"
The poem is also rich in imagery. The poet's choice of words help the reader paint a picture of the incident and the English countryside explained.
"Barn and Stack and Tree"
"Half mown-hill"
"bloody hands"
"At racing on the green"
The poem has been written using a set rhyme scheme: ab ab. The poet uses the correct genre: ballad or narrative style, to relate his story.
The whole poem is a saga of a farming family based in the English countryside. The pastoral peaceful environment is disrupted and corrupted by the gruesome act of a murder. The poet's attempt to convey that guilty conscience pricks the mind is effectively accomplished.
Sajendra Kumara
👉
Lammastide: Lammastide Day is a holiday celebration in some English speaking countries in the Northern hemisphere usually between 1st of August and 1st of September. It is a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest and is the first harvest festival of the year.
👉Appreciation:
Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree is a narrative poem written by the English poet A.K.Houseman. The poem has the characteristics of a ballad. Hence, it can also be called a ballad. The poem tells the story of a man who kills his own brother due to a dispute over a love affair. However, there is a little evidence to support the motive for the murder. The writer drives into the reader's heart that one cannot easily escape from the feeling of guilty conscience after a crime. It pricks the perpetrator's heart every passing minute.
The narrator says that he has to bid farewell to his hometown Severn store. The narrator tells a person called Terrance; whose identity is not revealed , that he will not come back. Terrance could be a close friend or a neighbour. The speaker confesses that he killed his brother Maurice and his body lies "amongst the hay". He further says that the knife he used to stab him lies beside the body. The assailant brother repents the gruesome act and is worried about his mother who is waiting for the two brothers to return home.
The narrator starts his story with a sense of urgency when he says "Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree". Arousing the reader's curiosity he says "Farewell to Severn shore", probably his hometown. Then he tells a person called Terrance that he will not come back home: "For I come home no more". The words like 'barn' , 'stack' and 'tree' speak of the pastoral environment he was born and bred.
The narrator without beating about the bush; probably driven by his urgency to leave the scene of the murder, promptly breaks the horrific news in the second stanza: the murdering of his own brother.
"The sun burns on the half-mown hill,
By now the blood is dried;
And Maurice amongst the hay lies still
And my knife is in his side. "
He further reveals the time,place and the tool he used to commit the crime. The whole drama is summed up here and this is enough evidence for him to be charged with murder.
There is empathy when the narrator thinks of his mother who would be waiting for the two sons to return home.
"My mother thinks us long away;
'Tis time the field were mown"
The narrator's grief comes to a climax when he says
"She had two sons at rising day,
To-night she'll be alone."
She is a quite unfortunate mother who loses two sons though one of them is living. The living son is the assailant of the other son. This is an incident which inevitably leaves a heavy psychological impact on any mother.
Quite ironically the narrator bids farewell to his dead brother, too. This may be an attempt to win the reader's sympathy for the narrator.
"And here is a bloody hand to shake,
And oh, man , here's a good bye;
However, the narrator does not try to justify the murder.
"My bloody hand and I"
The narrator in his urgency to bid farewell to his hometown does not forget to wish his dead brother a good life at least in his next birth. There is also a slight hint contained in his words for his reason to commit the murder.
"I wish you strength to bring you pride,
And a love to keep you clean"
Probably his brother Maurice has had a love affair with his mistress and hence , he wishes him 'a love' to keep him clean in the next birth. The narrator also does not forget to remind the fun time they had during Lammastide: a festival held to mark the annual wheat harvest. He wishes him good luck at races on the green.
"And I wish you luck, come Lammastide,
At racing on the green."
There is a contrasting view contained in the last stanza to the idea expressed in the first stanza where in the narrator's urgency bids farewell to his hometown. The last stanza expresses the fact that the narrator has a dim ray of hope to return home one day.
"Long for me the rick will wait.
And long will wait the fold,
And long will stand the empty plate."
The poet uses repetition in the poem. The word "farewell" is repeated in the first stanza in order to express the writer's sense of urgency to leave his hometown. One cannot forget the fact that the narrator is a criminal and a murderer. In the last stanza, the poet repeats the word 'long' as against the idea expressed in the first stanza. Here , the narrator does not stress that he would 'never' return. By repeating the word "long" he leaves a ray hope that he would return some day when the matters are cleared.
The poet uses a simple conversational language to tell this heartrending story. This makes the reader easy to understand the poem and gives more effect to it.
"farewell"
"Terrance, look your last at me"
"And oh, man , here's a good-bye"
The poem is also rich in imagery. The poet's choice of words help the reader paint a picture of the incident and the English countryside explained.
"Barn and Stack and Tree"
"Half mown-hill"
"bloody hands"
"At racing on the green"
The poem has been written using a set rhyme scheme: ab ab. The poet uses the correct genre: ballad or narrative style, to relate his story.
The whole poem is a saga of a farming family based in the English countryside. The pastoral peaceful environment is disrupted and corrupted by the gruesome act of a murder. The poet's attempt to convey that guilty conscience pricks the mind is effectively accomplished.
Sajendra Kumara
The Eagle
A LITERARY APPRECIATION
Poet: Alfred Lord Tennyson
The poem:
Appreciation:
The Eagle is a short poem written by the renowned English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. Tennyson was a Romantic poet who belonged to the Victorian era. The poem though short in length is an extremely powerful poem which brings out the supremacy of nature.
The poem , as its title suggests , is about a lone eagle perched atop a 'crag' : a rock. The eagle is one of the largest birds of prey which unlike other birds is rare to the human eye. The eagle's superb aerial skills are known to everyone. The bird's sharp eyes guarantees its accuracy in darting at its prey even at a great distance. The eagle's sharp talons make the prey helpless. This peculiar nature of the eagle as explained makes it different from other birds.
The poet has humanized the eagle in the poem in order to attribute it more vigor and significance in the reader's mind. The reader is made to look at the bird in a different corner. The eagle's talons are compared to 'hands'. Only humans have 'hands'. The metaphorical comparison of the bird's talons with human 'hands' is an effort by the poet to attribute human qualities to the bird. The poet also says "he stands" and " He watches from his mountain walls" further humanizing the bird.
The eagle though it is perched very high atop a rock "close to the sun"is firm in its position. The bird has to brave the wind and sun to be in its position. The word 'clasp' ensures the bird's stability. Stability is an important characteristic of supremacy. Tennyson uses his diction very carefully to establish the bird's supremacy.
The sun is looked upon as a 'god' from time immemorial. Worshiping the 'sun god' is an aged old practice among human beings. It is the only source of energy which keeps the world living. . The poet positions 'the eagle' close to 'the sun' in order to earn more respect and awe for 'the eagle'. Interestingly, Tennyson makes sure that he does not toe the line; he keeps the all powerful 'sun' in its due position. And he reserves a place for the eagle below the sun. Though this is merely a hyperbolic expression , by doing it the poet is able to win credibility for his effort.
The poet goes on to say that the eagle dwells in 'lonely lands'. This may be a shrewd effort by the poet to prevent the reader from getting distracted to other elements in nature; which then would have reduced or challenged the eagle's supremacy. When the poet says 'lonely lands' the focus centers only on 'the eagle' and nothing else. In short, it appears the poet wants to make 'the eagle' the cynosure of all eyes. This purpose is effectively achieved by the poet by using this short phrase.
Further, the poet builds an image of a citadel when he says "ring'd with the azure world." The eagle then naturally is the unique emperor in the "azure world" created by the poet. The metaphorically the "azure world" is the blue sky. The combination of the two most unique parts of nature: the sun and the blue sky, creates a suitable background for the poet to establish the eagle's supremacy.
The poet says "The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls". Even the giant sea is placed below the eagle. It further establishes the eagle's supremacy. An image of a commander is created by the poet. The words like "wrinkled" and "crawls" further convince the idea. These words reduce the power of the sea. It creates an image of the sea shrinking away from 'the eagle'.
The image of the eagle's citadel is lucidly built up when the poet goes on to say "He watches from his mountain walls." The metaphorical reference to the "mountain walls" tells the reader of the callousness of 'the eagle's' citadel. The bird's supremacy is further established by this comparison.
The poet compares the eagle to a thunderbolt: "like a thunderbolt he falls". The destructive power and the swiftness of thunder do not need any further explanation. This is an exaggerated simile used to explain the eagle's swiftness. It also has an auditory image. This is an effective comparison to establish the eagle's supremacy in nature.
The poem "The Eagle" provides enough evidence to understand the power of Tennyson's language as a poet. It is one of the shortest poems which the reader can finish off within seconds. Tennyson's effort to establish the supremacy of nature by using a 'lone eagle' is effectively achieved at the end.
Sajendra Kumara
Next :'A bird came down the walk' by Emily Dickinson
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2 comments:
I invite your comments
Sir which novel you teach..
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