...Poetry Analysis Introduction Poetry is a form of literature that employs rhythmic and aesthetic qualities of language. It uses a set of elements or instruments to help bring imagination, emotion and meaning to a reader. Some of the elements used include images, diction, figurative language, lines and stanzas, symbols, and syntax. These elements contribute to the poem’s effect. To this end, poets should strive to use either one or a combination of these elements in their poem(s) to appeal to the sense of the reader(s) as well as give them new insights beyond the literal meaning of the words used in the poem. The use of figurative language in the poem “On Being Told I Don’t Speak like a Black Person’, by Allison Joseph One of the most interesting...
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...Title: Macbeth Analysis Instructor: Erin Schwartz English 125 Introduction to literature Amanda Manley 11/25/2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the...
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...Macbeth Analysis Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Edison April 22, 2013 Macbeth Analysis The poem that I have selected is Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. I will identify three elements in this poem that I found very engaging/interesting. I will give insight on how these elements affected my personal opinion on this poem. Analyzing how these elements affected my response in its entirety will be the vocal point of my paper. Macbeth is a tragedy and is considered one of Shakespeare’s most powerful poems. Shakespeare introduces Macbeth as a strong, power wanting, and noble fighter. Macbeth talks to the witches in the start of Act 1 scene 3 by commanding them to speak to him and for them to tell him what they are. “Speak if you can. What are you” (Clugston, 2010)? Indicating that Macbeth talks with authority, that he has power over the witches, as he does not politely ask the witches. The way that Macbeth is speaking here is using imperative verbs. Shakespeare here uses language to show us what Macbeth character is like. He also tells us by using language that Macbeth is respected by others at the start of the play. In Act 1 scene 2 it states “O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen” (Portman, 1995). Duncan expresses this about Macbeth. This reveals that people do respect Macbeth and his bravery proves he has a quite high status. Symbolism plays a prominent role to emphasize the theme of corruption of power. Throughout the play there are several main symbols repeatedly...
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...Reliability of Freud’s narration of Dora. The case-study of An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria (Dora) is Sigmund Freud’s retold account and interpretation of an eighteen-year-old girl’s experiences throughout adolescence. Throughout the text, the matter of reliability is brought to focus. Due to Freud’s profession, his narration of Dora’s recount comes from a neuropsychological perspective. In Freud’s Afterword he states, “The disadvantage of this is that the reader is unable to confirm the correctness of my working method on the basis of my account” (100). In this quote, Freud highlights that his and Dora’s views completely differ from one another. How reliable is Freud’s interpretation of Dora’s personal truth? Freud’s patronising mannerism...
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...Eclipse Alarcon Cunningham ENG 102 2/12/2024 Rhetorical Analysis. On February 7, 2024, Nikki Haley, a South Carolina governor who is running as a presidential candidate for the Republican party, said this on Fox News, "America has never been a racist country." She speaks on behalf of people who wish to minimize the racism ingrained in this country's foundation. The discourse about racism and America's history of systemic discrimination is being flat-out ignored by current politicians, pulling the wool over the public's eyes. The incident was captured in a political cartoon by Adam Zyglis on January 19, 2024; people in denial is an evident exaggeration of the hypocrisy of the Republican party through irony and satire as well as symbolism, dimensioning...
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...sex symbol in the American film industry, was alive and flourishing, Shawshank Redemption takes the ordinary lives of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Morgan Freemand), Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), the hotshot Tommy Williams (Gil Bellows), and Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore), and coalesces them altogether to set the stage for one of the greatest stories ever set in the dusty grounds of Shawshank State Penitentiary in Maine. Everything from Andy’s imprisonment to his eventual escape was integral events in Shawshank Redemption’s message regarding the necessity for humanity. Following, I will attempt to dissect the movie into three topics for analysis in the following paragraphs, with a conclusion which will reveal an overall reception of the movie as well as provide an evaluation. Symbolism is rife in Shawshank Redemption; everything from the walls that surround Shawshank State Penitentiary...
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...Actions Speak Loudly Chekhov and Conrad are masters of symbolism, but each author uses the literary tool differently within their stories. For Chekhov, simple gestures and subtle images meticulously placed throughout the text help to reveal psychological aspects of a character. Conrad, on the other hand, tends to employ symbolism rather visibly and allegorically, allowing the reader to directly establish a link between objects, actions, and themes. To compare Chekhov and Conrad’s writing styles, an example of symbolism in one of each author’s stories will be used: Gurov eating of the watermelon in Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Little Dog” and the lamp in Kurtz’s death scene in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. Using these examples, it becomes clear how Chekhov uses symbols to develop a character’s persona to more effectively have that character illustrate the story’s theme while Conrad uses symbols to directly develop the story’s theme. The watermelon scene in Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Little Dog” contains symbolism associated with the gestures and actions of the story’s male protagonist Gurov. Chekhov has the scene begin with Anna – the female protagonist – and Gurov entering Anna’s apartment for the first time. Immediately after entering, Anna begins to express her fear that Gurov will not respect her should she cheat on her husband and become romantically involved with Gurov. The details of Anna’s face also help to set the serious and gloomy tone for the scene as she is...
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...Comparative Literature Paper Lillian Beller World Literature October 14, 2012 University of Phoenix Comparative Literature Paper Selfishness and revenge are woven through “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner like a fine silk thread, supporting the theme of death in each. In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the cause of death is never obviously revealed but lightly hinted upon Emily as the cause. “The Cask of Amontillado,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the cause of death is revealed but no one knew the cause of Fortunato’s disappearance. These stories contain many differences as well as similarities ranging from imagery, symbolism, theme, and tone. The recognizable commonality of the two is the theme of death. Each of these stories portrays death, or murder, as a result of vengeance, revenge and betrayal. “The Cask of Amontillado” deals with the death of Fortunato and “A Rose for Emily” deals with the death of Homer and Emily. William Faulkner never admits that Emily is the cause of Homer’s death but gives the audience clues that suggest Emily was indeed responsible. Emily’s death seemed to be of natural causes (Faulkner, 1931, p 531). Edgar Allan Poe, in “The Cask of Amontillado” tells the audience of Montresor’s plot of revenge and murder of Fortunato. Betrayal and revenge are obvious throughout both stories. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily first betrayed Homer after he...
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...A Look Into Nagi’s Face Analysis How destructive is power? This is a question one might contemplate while reading ‘A Look into Nagi’s Face’. Alaa’ El Aswani depicted power’s effect on a very small environment represented in the classroom. A Look into Nagi’s Face tells the story of a young boy who appears to be in the lower/middle class. This boy went to a strict French school where the teacher would hit whoever makes a mistake. When this happens other students would act as if they had seen nothing and the day would just continue normally. One day, Nagi, a new rich student with French origins came to the school and all the students became fascinated by him. He became their leader and the day the teacher hit him they all revolted. The teacher took Nagi and went out of the classroom and then returned alone. The kids wondered what happened and told their parents; their mothers weren’t free to hear from them and their fathers reprimanded them for rebelling. The next day Nagi came and they all tried to ask what happened, but the answer they got was just a smile. They went to class and the teacher let Nagi watch over them and when the lower class boy, supposedly Nagi’s, friend talked Nagi wrote his name on the black board and the teacher hit him once he got back. The theme of the short story is mainly Power and how it enslaves people. This is portrayed in multiple incidents, first is depicted in this passage: ‘The Frere is in front of me brandishing his cane in the air. There is no...
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...Analysis on “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne There has been much speculation and analysis on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” Each and every one has their own opinions about what Hawthorne really meant about this short story, but of course you can tell by their accreditation which source is more likely to be accurate. In “Young Goodman Brown”, the main character, Goodman Brown, experiences a life changing revelation at the beginning of this short story. The experience is a walk through the woods, something that he states his father and father’s father embarked on. This particular journey shapes his life and changes him forever. What is particularly peculiar about this journey is that it goes through the woods at night. And during this time period if you were caught in the woods at night you were considered a Satan worshiper, doing the Devil’s brood, or practicing witchcraft, which meant all the same things during this era. We know Young Goodman Brown is a Puritan based on his belief system, so this experience isn’t one he is looking forward to, but he knows he has to do it. Kind of like getting a shot, you know you have to do it, and it’s good for you, but you are hesitant about doing it. So along the journey he meets with a man that looks similar to him, but older. The man is kind of dark and shady, and he carries a staff that looks like a serpent. So the symbolism there represents that this man is the Devil. Throughout the duration of his journey...
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...The Road Not Taken Poetry Essay In order to write a poetry analysis essay, the reader must first understand the symbols and deeper meaning behind the speaker’s words in the poem. In his poem, “The Road Not Taken”, Robert Frost faces two roads which seem to depict choices in life. The speaker evaluates his choices and consequences, makes a decision, and follows it through regretfully. The writer used imagery to describe the road he took and diction to imply regret and reflection regarding his decision. He used symbolism and archetype in the statement “fork in the road” which reflects unseen choices about life that must be made. In the first stanza, the speaker writes “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” in which he describes his situation (610). He has come upon a fork in the road. The poem was written in 1916, when there were scarcely cars around so the imagery in this stanza depicts that the roads were most likely worn out paths with a lot of yellow leaves on the ground. In lines 2-3, the speaker wants to go down both roads but realizes he cannot be on two roads at the same time. He appears regretful that he cannot travel down both paths and so he stands there initially hesitant. The word “stood” in line 3 suggests he was not driving a car. The line “And Looked Down One As Far As I Could” illustrate he is looking down the road to see where it goes (610). One could imagine what if it was not really a fork in the road but a fork in the road of the speaker’s...
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...Literary Analysis of “Sweat” and “Sonny’s Blues” Amelia Williams ENG125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Deborah Zeringue December 22, 2014 As living and breathing human beings people are bound to experience some type of conflict. Conflict can be present within a person, between two people, between a person and forces of nature, and even between a person and their society. Conflict is defined as the struggle that shapes the plot in a story (Clugston, 2014, ch.4sect.1 para.4). When reading a piece of literature, especially a short story, one should pay special attention to the central conflict because it is the key element of the story (Clugston, 2014). This essay will analyze “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston in terms of individual versus individual, nature, society, and self, symbolism, figurative language, similarities and differences. In the short stories “Sonny’s Blues” and “Sweat” both of the main characters deal with an internal conflict of some sort. Sonny in Sonny’s Blues has to refrain from turning back to drugs after his release from prison; he is also facing the piano again after not playing for a year. Delia, on the other hand has to live with an abusive, cheating husband that “done beat huh ‘nough tuh kill three women” (Hurston, 1926, para. 24). In both texts the main characters are described as humble people, for example in “Sweat,” the author writes “Delia’s habitual meekness seemed to slip from her shoulders...
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...Bachelor2 Literary Analysis of Riders to the Sea The chosen work for this literary analysis is Riders to the Sea, by J.M. Synge (1903). This piece is written as a classical drama. This form of writing is written with direction for setting creation and stage direction for characters included as its form is to be set into action. What is so delightful about this type of writing is that when reading, your imagination is taken to the scene enfolding before you. The characters need not speak every word to portray their emotion to you. Their subtle movements and changes in set symbolically convey visual meaning. After reading the play, it is just as interesting to see it performed. You will want to see if the director of the play has picked up on the subtleties that the playwright has included that have already captured your own mind or emphasized symbolism that you did not absorb. There are several portions of this play that stood out to me as saying more than what most would glean important. The first is a soliloquy made by the two daughters concerning the death of Michael. They are clearly worried how the impact of the news of Michael’s death will impact their mother. They are worried most about her and not of their own loss of their brother. This leads to dramatic irony, as now the audience knows more than the protagonist about what is the sisters believe has happened. The dramatic irony is further proven when the daughters inspect the stitching and fabric of...
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...Emilia Quinones Jason Thayer English 120 3 February 2015 “Train” PSA Rhetorical Analysis Global warming has been investigated by scientists for many years, and continues to be investigated today. Many people question this issue, wondering when it’s consequences will be among us. Many even question whether or not it exists. Every day, there is new evidence discovered about its existence, which makes us all question what the future holds for the earth that we live on. “Train” is a public service announcement made by a nonprofit organization called the Environmental Defense Action Fund. The focus of this organization is to find a solution to global warming, and protecting the environment for the current, and the upcoming generations. This PSA successfully captures the attention of anyone that might come across it by remaining strong, audience-focused, symbolic, and organized. The moral principles of the creator are included with ethos. In the PSA, there is a specific message that the author is trying to get across. He starts it out by stating what the idea of the message is, and then proceeds to tell us the message. In this case, the issue is global warming, but the harmful effects that are predicted aren’t going to be something to worry about in his lifetime, because he’s an older adult. In the PSA, “Train”, an actor is standing on train tracks while he speaks, with a train rapidly approaching. The train in the video is meant to represent the effects of global warming...
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...Analyzing a story you only 'sort of know' will do you no good. Your analysis will be shoddy and it will come across through your writing (or presentation). 2. Discuss the story with a teacher or peer Once you have read the story sufficiently to understand it as best you can, it is helpful to discuss the story with another person. If this story was assigned in school, you will probably be discussing it in class, where you will have the guidance of a teacher and opinions of several other students. More brains are always better than one; consequently, open your mouth and ask your questions. Bring your analysis into the forefront of a conversation so that you can discuss ideas. You may discover that you have found a brilliant new way to view a story. Or, you may discover that your analysis is so far off track that you will need to re-read the story to understand what is truly occurring within. 3. Select a specific theme Stories, like novels, essays, and poems, can carry several themes. You must select one to focus on in your analysis. The beauty of analyzing a story is that it will not be overwrought with too much symbolism or too much plot. It should be fairly easy to select a specific idea to follow. Once you have selected the theme you want to analyze in the story, go on to the next step. 4. Research that theme Once you have selected the theme of the story for your analysis, then you must begin the analysis. Go through the story several times and find at least three examples...
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