...Name: Professor: Course: Date: The Dawn Appears with Butterflies Joy Harjo’s poem “The Dawn Appears with Butterflies” describes death and dying, familial relationships and spirituality. It is a story told in first person, of a young husband who has died suddenly, leaving his wife “to the grace (that) we pursue as wild horses (pursue) the wind,” (lines 17,18) and the young widow has to leave before dawn to prepare her late husband’s body for burial. It is the widow’s friend, who tells this story in prose, surmising that life is the “gradual return to the maker of the butterflies” (line 29). It is a story of grievance and preparation for burial that comes off as humorous as well as deeply unreasonable and confusing. The speaker and the young widow spend the night before the funeral, waiting for dawn and the depth of the widow’s loss is counterbalanced – “your tears made a pale butterfly, the color of dawn” (line 25)- by the depth of connection with the universe and the acceptance of the inescapability of death to us all. It is Harjo’s use of the butterflies-at-dawn imagery that infuses joy and triumph over the darkness in the incessant continuum of dawn versus darkness, and brings about thoughts on the nature of grief and the part that spirituality plays in the grieving process. In this poem, Harjo uses several elements. She uses metaphors in some instances “Your grief is the dark outlining the stars” (lines 18, 19), “Everything is a prayer for this journey” (line 58), and...
Words: 1193 - Pages: 5
...”Sorry for the Loss” - by Bridget Keehan “Sorry for the Loss” is a short story written by Brigdet Keehan. The story is a about a woman named Evie, who works at a prison as a chaplain. She has been working as a chaplain for over a year but she is still not completely comfortable with job. Evie has to inform one of the prisoners named Victor of the loss of his grandmother. His reaction to this is surprising. By analyzing examples from the text, this essay will describe Victor’s reaction to Evie’s news and the symbolism within this text. Furthermore, how Evie thrives at her job. Victor’s reaction to the news about his grandmother, who I will refer to as Nan, is unexpected. Evie has never delivered a death notice before but she definitely did not expect it to be easy. “I hope she was stoned. No straight up. She was a pot head, serious. She said it was for her MS4, but I think she’d have been a pot head even if she wasn’t sick. But good luck to her. Whatever gets you through right?”. This example shows how Victor stays calm and it appears it does not affect him. The loss of a family member normally exclaims emotions rather you are a sensitive person or not. (p.4, l.99) “He sniffs hard then looks to the small thick…..”Why should a dog, a horse, a pigeon have life and Nan no breath at all? Evie finally gets the courage to break the bad news surprisingly he just change the subject and refers to Shakespeare. The reason for this might be that he is hiding his emotions behind a façade...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...Although it fits into multiple film genres, I Am Legend has to be one of the deepest scary/ horror movies of all time. The movies tells the story of Robert Neville (Will Smith), an immune scientist tasked with finding a cure for an infection that turns people into zombie like creatures called Darkseekers. It’s classified into as a thriller horror because of its aggression and reality; there’s, philological confusion, evil vs good, and suspense in every corner. Author Richard Matheson and director Francis Lawrence brilliantly included themes of death, the dark, and loneliness:fears everyone has once experienced, in order to invoke the classic horror movie feelings. At first, the movie seems like a wanna be classic, but after watching it a few...
Words: 393 - Pages: 2
...People live in a world where they constantly have to meet deadlines and do so in a timely fashion. In the world today, it is so fast paced, people forget to settle down and appreciate the moments they have. Think about today, going several places, hundreds of things crossing a person's mind; Do they ever remember to live in the present? Today, people can instantly connect to millions of people throughout the world. Today,a person can make a once 30 minute trip into a 5 minute trip. With the world today being so fast, it is easy to forget how it used to be. At one time, it took days to communicate across the world; Now, it takes a few presses on a screen and a few seconds. People sometimes forget to slow down in our busy world. David L. Weatherford tries to bring light to this everyday struggle of hurrying through life. Weatherford uses his own personal experiences and several different literary devices such as imagery,...
Words: 1292 - Pages: 6
...The naturalism and realism movements of the 1900s were fast and furious, enveloping and influencing drama, art, literature, and even people themselves. They were big stepping stones in the development of imagery, theme, and symbolism within literature, producing changes that still linger in novels today. One author whose writings are a perfect example of the influences of naturalism is Edith Wharton. Her short stories, novels, and personal biographies were riddled with naturalistic traits. Wharton used symbolism in Ethan Frome to enhance the naturalistic themes of the novel. Naturalism was a strong movement in the 1900s which took the literary world by storm. Using the theory that nature is an unconquerable force, always acting against man, literature was filled with all variations of naturalistic motifs and symbols (Campbell Naturalism). Themes of predestination, astrological influence, and natural moralistic values were strong (Bellman 140). Scenery was often used to convey the mood of characters through their observational view of it (Moore). Naturalism says that humans are animals, so their connection with nature is deep and vital. Feelings and desires are distinctly linked to the animalistic traits of humans’ ancestors, proving that instinct is something set by nature within the body, and cannot be ignored. Common characteristics of a naturalistic novel are found in that the characters are always lower-class, the characters always live by passion and instinct, and that free...
Words: 1421 - Pages: 6
...Reading some stories can be confusing and hard at times since people can’t always put themselves in a character's perspective. It is even more difficult to comprehend without an aid of some sort but the short story The Veldt is different. The automated home the Hadley family live in does all of their everyday chores for them. In The Veldt, Ray Bradbury utilizes descriptive language and symbolism to express the experiences of living in the Happylife home. The language used creates vivid, lifelike images in the reader's mind that immerses them into an unrealistic world. Some other readers who analyze this story feel imagery is applied to the story and plays along with descriptive language. Symbolism is a heavy topic in this tale. Important parts stick out through symbols, which help the reader to relate to what is happening. Significant, impactful descriptive language and symbolism are placed in The Veldt. Descriptive language modifies how The Veldt can be perceived. When the short tale mentions how the main room, the nursery, shifts, “... presently an African veldt appeared, in three dimensions… the ceiling above them became a deeper sky with a hot yellow sun.” The veldtland description is so deep, that it plants whoever...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...The Death of a Butterfly “Las Mariposas”, The Butterflies, is the codename given to the Mirabal sisters upon their emergence into the Dominican Revolution. While the name grew from Minerva’s underground name, it also took on a symbol of hope, change, and transformation behind the suppression of the Dominican people. Throughout the novel each sister represents a different stage of the butterfly life cycle: Dede as an Egg, Patria as a caterpillar, Maria as a Pupa, and Minerva as an adult; each respective stage symbolizes the different levels of courage and sacrifice devoted to their country’s freedom from tyrant Rafael Trujillo. Alvarez uses symbolism in “The Time of the Butterflies” to suggest that the price of freedom paid by the Mirabal Sisters was not worth the cost when butterflies have such short lives. Butterflies have grown to symbolize a variety of different meanings throughout history and culture. Their metamorphosis is typically construed as a representation of change, purity, and rebirth, while some cultures view butterflies as a depiction of the soul or a transition between lives. Dede takes on the “Egg” stage of the butterfly life cycle as her character faces many obstacles despite being the least involved sister. Like the egg, Dede remains planted firmly where she was laid. “A chill goes through her, for she feels it in her bones, the future is now beginning. By the time it is over, it will be the past, and she doesn’t want to be the only one left to tell their...
Words: 1366 - Pages: 6
...John Fowles, the author of The Collector and The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann relate to each other in many ways. Both the author and director of the two comparative texts uses symbolism, illusion and contrast to identify the intensity of the obsessive love present in both texts. The Collector and The Great Gatsby contain a complex text and a passionate and insightful tragedy of mistaken and obsessive love. The Great Gatsby's story has a strong correlation with the theme of the Collector focussing on the idea of obsessive love, in many ways. The two stories can be described as a tragic love story of male dominance, a complex portrait of two minds, which include noble actions that have devastating side effects. Frederick and Gatsby are both immensely rich and do everything they can to please their loves, they are common in the sense that...
Words: 798 - Pages: 4
...People tend not to appreciate the things they have until they lose them. In The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter, the adaption by Erza Pound of a Chinese poem, the speaker is a young married girl who recalls her regrets of not spending enough time with her now-absent husband. The poem is melancholic, beautiful, and pleading. Throughout the poem, the sorrow of the wife stresses her longing for the return of her husband. While the original poet, Li Po, writes it with proper poetic form, Pound uses a different tactic to align the context. He refrains from using meter patterns and rhyme, and writes the poem in free verse so that it feels more like a genuine letter to her husband. Doing so allows Pound to draw the reader directly into the solitude of the wife without having to overcome the barrier of an overly structured presentation. In the midst of long sentences, the two shorter ones draw significant attention to the emotional impact that nature has on the speaker. When speaking of the changing season, the falling leaves and the paired butterflies, the speaker remarks, “They hurt me. I grow older” (Pound 25). These sentences capture the attention of the reader as the poem reaches its climax in which the wife acknowledges her despair for the long absence of her husband. By abandoning the rigid form of poetry, Pound allows the reader to feel the sorrowful emotions of the wife. The sorrowful state of the wife also affects the way that she views the natural world. The early transition...
Words: 729 - Pages: 3
...Jason Arnold English 2070 Mr. Farrell 11/06/2013 “Lying in a Hammock…” Analysis This poem is really cool. I like it a lot. From the title all the way until the second to last line of the poem, one may think that this piece is a simplistically vivid description of a man and his farm. With such beautiful imagery, the reader anticipates an enjoyable conclusion; however, they are treated to a harsh wake-up call in the last line. I needed to read this poem multiple times before I could fully interpret it. Although they just seem like just beautiful descriptions, every line in this poem contains hidden negative symbolism about the speaker’s life. The first line contains an image of a “bronze butterfly” sleeping on a trunk. This stagnant description of such a beautiful creature demonstrates a slowly moving life, one of which hasn’t achieved much. The trunk that the butterfly is sleeping on is colored black, representing the man’s missed opportunities to leave the farm. The next line portrays a leaf blowing down a ravine found behind an empty house. Obviously the empty house and the later heard cowbells in the distance (implying that the cows are leaving the farm) are clear images of the man’s loneliness. The speaker moves on to spot some horse manure. This dung, after being left for over a year, has dried and is turning into stones. The changing of this manure symbolizes the man’s changing into an old, lifeless man. Just as the manure does, the longer the man sits there and waits...
Words: 387 - Pages: 2
...In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a work of historical fiction about the Mirabals sisters fighting the dictator regime of Rafael Trujillo in the 20th century Dominican Republic. The Mirabals, Dede, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria, all grow up under his reign. As Minerva becomes a radical figure against Trujillo, each sister has their own reaction and develops their own identity. The sisters each become a symbol of national hope for taking part in an underground revolutionary movement, being called “Las Mariposas”, or The Butterflies, by radicals across the country. Minerva, in particular, is a huge symbol for the nation even while she battles her own identity problems with her father and her own self. In In the Time of Butterflies Minerva’s identity changes dramatically as she becomes a public figure of resistance, moving away from the innocence of childhood to change into a strong woman. Minerva Mirabal is best known as a leader and this begins in her teenage years. During her childhood, she gets a reputation for being feisty, not going with the crowd. This becomes prominent when she and a group of...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
...Sorry for the Loss While a butterfly is free to spread its wings, many people suffer in captivity, and can only dream about the world outside. The yearning for freedom is depicted in Bridget Keehan´s short story: “Sorry for the Loss” from 2008. Every choice and action in life has a consequence, and sometimes we make choices with such severe consequences that they may change our future drastically, for the better and worse. People are quick to judge others for their wrongdoings, and are often so narrow-minded by their prejudice and stereotypes that the reason behind others wrongdoings becomes irrelevant matter. This is exact-ly the topic where Keehan takes at hand in the story, where the female prison chaplain Evie, con-fronts a young charming prisoner, condemned for murder, who reveals to be everything but what she had expected him to be. The story takes place in prison; however we are not given a name of the place or the location. There are hints that indicated that it´s somewhere in England, since a tearoom is mentioned, and tearooms are characteristic for England. The plot of the story proceeds chronologically and starts in medias res with no introduction as to where we are or whom we´re going to meet. This story has a 3rd person narrator with a restricted point of view also called limited omniscient, where the narrator doesn´t have full access to the thoughts of anybody but the main character, Evie. Keehan has chosen this point of view to make the reader...
Words: 1294 - Pages: 6
...“Color symbolism is the use of color as a representation or meaning of something that is usually specific to a particular culture or society. Context, culture and time are certainly important factors to consider when thinking about color symbolism.” (Arnold) Adam’s piece consists of all muted colors, nothing is too attention grabbing and seemingly blends together. Adams used a lot of beige/ivory colors which are known to symbolize unification, pleasantness, calmness or simplicity, which fits well with the theme. The pop of blue in the butterfly could be interpreted as symbolizing peace, order, harmony, and again calmness. The use of grey could symbolize security, reliability, or maturity/old age. The browns show a sense endurance, comfort or again reliability. The subtle hints of purple could represent enlightenment or transformation. Every color was used to connect the objects in the painting through a type of...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
...are key representatives of mans relationship with nature. ‘he was an English socialist poet, anthologist, early gay activist and social philosopher.’(1). Carpenters rhetoric throughout his life and works encompasses the intrinsic and symbolic intertwining of the physical reality of nature in the exploration of consciousness, societal structures and critique. The comparative value of both poems to each other and the wider world is clear through the apparent symbolism, progressive connotations and stylistic approach displayed. The main...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...Following the American Psychological Associations Guidelines Background Research: Step 1 Lone pine cemetery situated in Washington state, Klickitat county established in the 1800’s is a public cemetery located around six miles northwest of Clarksville and is two and a half mile east on Lone Pine road. Many mature oak trees and a few mature pine trees possibly planted at the time of cemetery foundation fills the cemetery. At the south eastern region is an archway painted white with the lettering of Lone Pine cemetery written across the top. To my opinion the gravestones are all in good conditions with some older ones needing cleaning and renovations. Several graves have flowers giving the foresight that the cemetery's care is adequate. On April 08 1857, David Frazee and David Slusher gave a deed to a Christian church composed of the disciples of Christ meeting at pleasant valley, in Ameli township, Washington county of three acres of land to be held sacred to the construction of a cemetery and erection of a meeting house. This act gave birth to Lone pine cemetery and a church that housed the disciples meeting for a prayer. From the cemetery’s database, on the transcription notes the earliest birth date recorded is in the year ...
Words: 1856 - Pages: 8
