FREE ESSAY ON A REVIEW OF 5 POEMS

A REVIEW OF 5 POEMS

In "The Man He Killed," Thomas Hardy uses the possibility that two men could be friends or
have some sort of relationship to show how war makes no sense. One of the men shoots the
other all because they had enlisted on different sides in a war. That man realizes the
possible similarities between them and comes to the author's conclusion about war.
Imagery brings out the unjustified hatred each man showed towards each other during war,
"And staring face to face, I shot at him as he at me" (line 6-7).
The idea that a man would buy a twenty-dollar drink for a man he does not know symbolizes
how the man imagines the possibility of a friendship, "You'd treat if met where any bar
is, Or help to a half-a-crown" (line 19-20).
Personification is used as the man associates certain characteristics to war that show
how war makes no sense, "Yes; quaint and curious war is" (line 17)!
A sad tone is developed through the story as the author takes a look at the power that
war has on humans. Sadly we can see how this man turns cold-hearted as he justifies his
killing with the only reason that he can come up with, "I shot him dead because- Because
he was my foe. Just so: my foe or course he was" (line 10-11). It is sad to see that war
can take two men who are alike in many ways, even having the potential to be friends and
turn them into cold-hearted killers eventually one killing the other. Once the man has
killed the other man he sadly realizes that killing the other man was unnecessary and the
author stresses this by discussing this regret in three of the five stanzas in the poem.
Through repetition and rhyme the author shows what a war can do to the mind as the man
tries to justify his killing. "I shot him down because- Because he was my foe. Just so:
my foe of course he was." (line 10-11). To add to this, one can also see how rhythm is
used when the man pauses after his first because (line 9), showing how he is trying to
think of reason for the killing. Sound is used to justify the theme revealed throughout
this poem.
In Sharon Olds's, "The Planned Child" a boy who dislikes his planned conception is used
to show how one should appreciate what they have, because not everyone is as fortunate.
As a friend points out how the boy was a wanted child, the boy realizes how fortunate he
is to have a mother that couldn't live with out him, "the world that was not enough for
her without me in it" (line 18).
"As if sliding the backbone up out of his body" (line 3). The backbone is the central
part of the body and a person cannot live with out it, thus this simile shows how much
the planned conception bothered the boy.
"The world that was not enough for her without me in it" (line 18). This directly
symbolizes that she had planned his birth for good reasons and ultimately showing how
much he meant to her.
"I would have liked to be conceived in heat and haste, by mistake" (line 6-8). This
alliteration emphasizes how the boy hated that his birth was planned and wished that his
birth took place in a harsh environment, in which he wasn't as wanted.
The author stresses thankfulness through out the poem as the boy goes from hating his
planned conception, to appreciating and accepting it. The author once again directly
states the boy's negative opinion on the subject of his birth in order to support the
thankfulness expressed in the 2nd stanza, "I hated the fact that they had planned me"
(line 1). One of his friends expresses an objective view to the boy and the boy realizes
how thankful he is for his mother, "-none of it was enough, for her, without me" (line
21-22). This thankful tone essentially shows how one should be thankful for what they
have, since other may not be as fortunate.
Repetition is used to express how much the boy hated his planned conception and to
express how thankful he was for his mother, "conceived in heat, in haste, by mistake, in
love, in sex"(line 7-8) and "not the moon, the sun, Orion cartwheeling across the dark,
not the earth, the sea" (line 19-21). Rhythm is used as the pause in speech signals an
explosion of emotion from the boy, showing that even though he felt so badly about his
mothers decision, he realized how lucky he was, "rising and falling to know the day to
make me-I would have liked to have been" (line 5-7). The author uses sound to stresses
different supporting details of the poem.
In "Next Please," Philip Larkin expresses how we should take advantage of the present,
instead of waiting and anticipating the future. He shows how we unnecessarily look
forward to the future optimistically so that we can forget about the present, even though
we are ultimately going to be let down by the future. "Always eager for the future, we
Pick up bad habits of expectancy" (line 2), this shows how we look to the future, but he
hints that we will be let down by what we expect, as he refers to expectancy as a bad
habit. The future isn't something to wait for since it usually doesn't stop for you,
"Arching our way, it never anchor's" (line 14).
The boat stopping and unloading symbolizes our hope to succeed in fulfilling certain
promises," We think each one will heave to and unload All good into our lives" (line
17-18).
A metaphor is used to show how we wait for the future as we are on the verge of seeing
whether our promises are filled and if we succeed, "Sparkling armada of promises draw
near" (line 6).
The imagery is interpreted to show how we hope the boat is stopping or our promises
succeeding, but instead the boat passes by and we don't succeed as our promises aren't
filled, "Arching our way, it never anchors" (line 14).
Although we ignore the present to look forward to a sometimes-disappointing future, the
poem inspires us to make the most of the present. By pointing out how the future isn't
always what is hoped for, we see how this puts more importance on the present and creates
inspiration to grasp the present, "We think each one will heave to and unload...But we
are wrong" (line 17 & 20). "No sooner present than it turns to past. Right to the last"
(line 15-16), shows how quickly the present goes by, inferring how we are missing out on
the present and that we should grab it.
Rhythm and rhyme are used to show how it seems as though promises seem to be a long way
from being fulfilled. Yet it is just that we are so concentrated on the future and
anticipating the promises coming that it stirs up our emotions unnecessarily, "How slow
they are! And how much time they waste, Refusing to make haste!" (line 7-8). "In her wake
No waters breed or break" (line 23-24), cacophony is used to show that the only thing
that is looking for them is a boat that doesn't bring good things, instead someday that
will ruin their anticipation of the future. Both these examples give support to the theme
and show how we should put more time into living in the present rather than living in the
future.
In "Sonnet 30: When To The Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought," William Shakespeare
attempts to show how sad feelings about the past can be forgotten about as you think
about the present and what is to come. "I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought" (line
3), establishes how he didn't accomplish what he had wanted in the past. "But if the
while I think on thee All losses are restored, and sorrows end" (line 13-14), directly
points out how the thought of a friend push his regrets of the past to the back of his
mind.
Imagery is used to show the feeling of sadness that is slowly building up as an eye
filled with tears is described, "Then can I drown my eye" (line 5).
Adding to the sadness, a metaphor shows that the loss of friends causes even more grief,
as he spent much of his life with them and now they are sadly gone from his life, "For
precious friends hid in death's dateless night" (line 6).
He associates a court trial's significance and importance to society to, the significance
and importance of his feelings of the past to the his life, "When to the sessions of
sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past" (line 1-2).
The poem gives off a feeling of hope by showing how in spite of the grief caused by past
hardships; there is hope as you still can shape the present and the future. Throughout
the majority of the poem, he sadly talks about an unfortunate past and as it builds up,
he moves on to better days and forgets the past showing how there can be hope.
The Alliteration in the first line associates significance and importance to what is
described as his feelings of the past, "When to session of sweet silent thought" (line
1).
Cacophony is used to add to the upsetting tone associated with the statement revealing
the death of his friends, "For precious friends hid in death's dateless night" (line 6).
Although sound isn't used as much as other literary devices it is mainly used to enhance
the feelings associated with parts of the poem.
In "The Second Coming," William Butler Yeats discusses that the future isn't something to
look forward to through his descriptions of how in the future the world will eventually
go through a horrible transition period and would stay in this terrible state for
centuries. "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the
world" (line 3). This shows how the current world is beginning to change into a new state
as the world begins to fall apart. "Darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty
centuries of stony sleep" (line 18-19), this describes the evil future that we all aren't
anticipating, but will actually be coming.
Allusion is used to describe the ending of one era and the chaotic transition into the
beginning of another era because this is what the Second Coming is, "Surely some
revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand" (line 9-10).
Symbolism is used to describe this changing world, as we see the two gyre are used to
show how this change occurs in cycles, "Turning and turning in the widening gyre" (line
1).
Imagery is used to help visualize the scary atmosphere during the transition, as well as
after the transition, "Reel shadows of the indignant birds. The darkness drops
again"(line 17-18).
A scary feeling is obviously associated with the majority of this poem. To realize that
people loose their minds and don't know what to do when this future comes is extremely
scary, "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity"
(line 7-8). "but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare
by a rocking cradle" (line 18-20), this gives off the vibe that this new era can simply
be described as a nightmare.
Repetition and rhythm are used to emphasize the horror of the Second Coming, "Surely the
Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming!" (line 9-10). The cacophony itself enhances
the meaning of the words, to give them a more evil sound, "The twenty centuries of stony
sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle" (line 19-20). Once again sound is used
to enhance the feelings associated to the lines in the poems.