“Slavery in the south was brutal as anybody could imagine” an idea expressed by Jean Toomer through his poem called “November Cotton Flower”. The poem is fourteen lines of rhyming verse describing the harsh, sudden and questionable bloom of a cotton flower in the month of November. It is composed of heroic couplets, with a regular rhyme scheme, which is as follows: A, A, B, B, C, C, D, D, E, E, F, G, H, H, but the poem reads like Shakespearian sonnet - three quatrains developing a certain tone and theme, followed by a couplet that undercuts or reverses them. In the beginning it portrays the scuffle for survival of cotton flower during November’s harsh winter weather; but towards the end, it describes the sudden bloom of it. The author goes in depth with most of the descriptions to give a reader a clear and strong mental image. The poem describes the weather and its effect on cotton flower by pointing out the dying branches and vanishing cotton. The image of insufficiency, struggle and death parallel the oppression of African American race. The beginning of the poem illustrates the struggle and suffering of the cotton flower; which represent the misery of African Americans and also gives an idea that there is no hope for them. But at the end the speaker says “brown eyes that loves without a trace of fear/ Beauty so sudden for that time of year” (lines 13-14). This shows the rise of the African American race, and their fight against racism. The author used mood, tone and
To achieve this goal, I have divided the poem into three parts in order to explain how they all relate to the first stanza and to paint a simple picture for understanding this great work. The first section represents a folktale styled intro, introduces us to the personality of the subject of the poem and her relationship to her environment as seen
In the poem, “Which Plant Is Not Faded” it is a depressing poem that talks about the hardships that the people went through throughout that time period. It explains in (line 1-4) that everyone is to fight. It doesn’t matter what they are doing or even if they have a family but they are taken out of their homes to fight and to create
The poem takes the setting of summer and it's droughts and harsh living conditions and runs with it. One can see this in lines "Not now. Love itself a flower with roots in a parched ground. " ,"What can the small violets tell us that grow on furry stems in." , and "We cannot go to the country for the country will bring us no peace. "(1-17)
They vividly depict the gruesome image of lynching and set the tone. “An example of this is ‘ Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh, then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh’ the image of one moment, smelling the sweet flowers as you were outside, then the horrid smell of burning flesh instantly enters your mind. Juxtaposition also helps with this” (Strange Fruit). Juxatopostion helps get the image across revealing its message. The poem’s tone is dark and dull, and when the speaker reads it they have a serious tone. This relates to the theme of the poem because the theme is protest. When you talk about protest against something you are serious about the point you want to get across and that is what this poem is doing, trying to get its idea across seriously. This poem relates to history because it has to do with racism. “The key players of this story were all drastically affected by racism in America” (Meaning). Racism goes back many years before Meeropol wrote the poem. This poem was a global news flash on how far racism was being taken because of deep and clear he creates a picture in your mind using
Before burying his carnation, Paul recalls the moment when “all the flowers he had seen in the glass case that first night.” Paul’s memory of the flowers is purposely reminiscent of his own struggle to remain an individual.The vibrant color of the flowers, distinct among the whiteness of the snow, stand up to the impending winter. But ultimately, placed within an alien and unforgiving environment, the flowers will succumb to the cold and, as Paul witnesses, “their red glory all over.” It is clear that the author is trying to draw parallels between the flower’s endeavor to survive the winter with Paul’s struggle against society. His flight to New York is Paul’s last stand against the overbearing weight of society, which he feels, like winter, is slowly, but surely, extinguishing his individuality. This stand, while clearly misguided, isn’t entirely without merit. The society which he lived in was, increasingly, becoming devoid of any sort of life; instead, conformity, rather than originality, was being championed. His personal rebellion represents the attitudes many of the attitudes people had at the time in regards to their changing society, although few acted on
This extended metaphor allows the reader to see the result of the prayer later in life. She also tells her readers “that we must take the utmost care and kindness in all things” (lines 15-16). She is reminding us that we are supposed to behave with care and kindness. This poem is compelling because it makes the reader allow his or her mind to be willing to accept new suggestions and ideas. The way the eagle makes a “circle in the blue sky” is a symbol of how life, like a circle, is continuous, without an end or a beginning (line 11). In the end of the poem, she writes “in beauty” which is a connotation to something each person hopes for in their own life. We can see the poem shows how peace can be received through prayer and nature.
This poem has a determined and unwavering tone. In the beginning, it discussed how flowers are “always watered, fed, guarded, admired” but “harnessed to a pot of dirt” this lines hint some of the author’s disgust to society as even though society can give good things to individuals it can also hinder the individual's’ perspective on life. The line showed how society can take care of an individual and give them a comfortable life but those individuals decide to stay in that comfort that they don’t try anything new. The author is determined to be different, to walk away from our flawed society. He mentioned how he’d “rather be unseen/ than to be a pleasant-smelling flower” and “rather smell of musty, green stench/ than of sweet, fragrant lilac”,
On the second line of the poem it says , “Her hardest hue to hold”, at first you’ll most probably think it’s talking about nature but, the author Robert Frost is giving a deeper meaning which refers to life, for example in life there’s usually a time where you’re at your best whether it’s business , athletics , or school but there will be a time where it
This poem is addressing the issue of slavery at the time. It was a very big issue and an issue that a lot of writers sought to address. Slavery was not something that people liked or agreed with.
This poem represent a moment of perception of a maple leaf or dragonfly falling into the water , it goes a step beyond and expresses that uncertantly of not knowing wich was of the two of them, the “image” in this case the exact moment you realize that you are not sure of something. That moment of perception in wich you imagine the shape of the thing that it is falling into the water, that uncertainly ,its what the poem its tring to
How the ordeals of oppression scars the slave’s psyche and affects his/her relation with nature is evidently exemplified in the novel. It reveals how (Re) memory of the pastoral affects Sethe’s life. Her memories of ‘Sweet Home’ apocalypses and the maltreatment she suffered there plague her thoughts and affect her relationships. One such example is Sethe’s relationship with nature and how it reflects impediments brought on by slavery. While she can admire and even enjoy natural beauty, it is often accompanied by vicious images such as “Boys hanging from the most beautiful sycamores in the world” (Beloved 6). After dodging from ‘Sweet Home’, Sethe is surprised that she memorizes it as a beautiful place since “there was not a leaf on that farm
There is constant imagery of nature; the flowers closing and opening, the seasons and elements and references to the sense of touch, “you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens”. This reminds us of the closeness of the lovers and emphasizes the spontaneity of the lovers, their preference for intuition or feeling over thought. There is also repetitive use of the words “close” and “open”, E.E. Cummings is expressing the power of a woman over the man who loves her. She can open him as spring opens a rose, or close him as snow closes a flower; again, the use of language conjure images of nature, suggesting the vitality of their love. The subject of the poem is
Throughout the poem we have the imagery of nature, as the poem talks about something that takes place in the nature. Reading the poem we visualize the fields and the actions of reaping and planting even though these are used metaphorically. At the start we have the image of “planting” and “reaping”, just the natural and literal meaning. Then these are used as similes by the speaker in order he to introduce us to the metaphor of the poem and so we to interpret it. Then the two actions are personified in a way, when the speaker talks about fear and struggle. After these stages the have finally become symbols, symbols of the labor of black people to survive by their work and their fruitless “reaping”, that is fruitless future.
On the other hand, the author also gives details to show the woman’s unhappiness with her life. For example, she writes, "The daffodils and squills / Flutter in the breeze / As they please. / And I weep" (22-25); these lines imply that, although she can wander in her magnificent garden, objects inside of it cause her to feel grief because she realizes she can never be as free as the flowers.
From the onset, both literary pieces convey gloom even when discussing subjects which many would consider joyful. For instance, Millay’s poem approaches the season of spring with disgruntlement, as the narrator enters a rhetorical discussion by claiming that “[t]he smell of the earth is good” (Millay), and then asking, “what does that signify? / Not only underground are the brains of men / [e]aten by maggots” (Millay). This condemnation of spring is not an isolated one. The poem opens by criticizing spring, and addresses the season directly by demanding “[t]o what purpose, April, do you return again? / Beauty is not enough” (Millay). The narrator, even while addressing a time of the earth’s regeneration, is mired in the macabre, ultimately leaving the reader with a sense of despondency. The concept of underpinned bitterness is also prevalent in