Metaphors In Jim Wayne Miller's Poem 'Spring Storm'

In the poem “Storm Ending” written by Jean Toomer, African Americans and their lives which is under the rule of a white society is represented by certain aspects of nature. Throughout the poem, Jean uses pieces of nature, for example flowers. He compares the thunder to flowers that “blossoms gorgeously” and the clouds being “full-lipped flowers”. Along with all of these, Jean uses a handful of literary devices and imagery to give a better insight on his comparison of nature and the average African American in a dominant white culture. A good example of this is how he utilizes visual imagery throughout the story such as “bleeding rain” which can show the beating African Americans take from their owners.

The environment that one is living in can supply hope. Todd Davis showed this through a seasonal metaphor. The narrator of the poem talks about weather changing and getting better, providing the metaphor. The weather getting warmer and the arrival of spring symbolizes new life and a new start. The narrator ponders, “I’m not sure/ why he couldn’t wait,” then later talks about blossoms opening (Davis 787, 4-5). This quote and other hints about spring are discussing how the new season is bringing new hope for many. The narrator says that “we understand/ the ones who decide to leave us in February” (Davis 787, 5-6). This is discussing how during the winter, life can feel so

In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, A storm is responsible for creating an epoch in Prospero’s life. Likewise, the hurricane in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God also represents a watershed in Janie’s life. Both Shakespeare and Hurston use the storm to symbolize creation and regeneration among their protagonists. Hurston, however, uses figurative language to enhance features of the storm, creating a mood for the reader. Hurston uses imagery and personifications to establish varying moods throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God.

While they are preparing the cards, Mikage notices how “Outside, a warm wind came roaring up, a spring storm (Yoshimoto 28). The “wind” illustrates Mikage’s continuation to allow people to assist with her life decisions, however, the “warm[th]” of the “wind” suggests that the people in her life, Eriko and Yuichi, are guiding her to the path that Mikage needs to be on. Yoshimoto writes about the “spring storm” to metaphorically show that although, “storms” often bring destruction and loss, “spring” is a sign of restoring something completely new (28). Often, “spring represents the renewal and rebirth of nature. Yoshimoto uses the “storm” to emphasis that, like “storms”, people are unpredictable and they are constantly recreating and destroying parts of themselves.

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don't do anything to hurt people; they only help farmers out and sing beautiful songs. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a little girl named Scout who sees her town as a beautiful place where nothing unpleasant happens until accusations of rape occur. Then she realizes how racist and negative her town people can be. This occurs when her dad defends an innocent African American man. She realizes that Macomb has deplorable individuals living there, and this reality hit her hard. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds.

By the end of the poem there is another shift in tone. The tone takes on a more hopeful meaning. Now, Bryant uses the spring season to compare to a new age. He mentions, “The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes/ In the full strength of years, matron, and maid,/ The bow'd with age, the infant in the smiles.”(68-70) The rebirth of human life compares to nature in the sense that when nature is reborn in springtime everything turns green. The reader ends the poem with an enlightened sense of feeling instead of the dark and gloomy feeling they felt at the beginning of the poem.

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, mockingbirds are a bird that has a remarkable ability to “exact imitations of the notes of other birds”. In addition, they are known to have up to 200 songs in their “playlists’, which they will sing all through the day and evening, usually when there is a full moon. Based on this description, mockingbirds are innocent, beautiful birds that can bring a sense of calmness to people around them with their smooth melodies. Therefore, they are a creature that brings no harm to others, just joy. Like the mockingbird, today’s society consists of many innocent people around the world who are hardworking and treats others with respect no matter of their socio economic status; as well as, race and religion. On the other hand, there are some people in our world who judge others based on their evil beliefs they learned from others instead of listening to their conscience.

Usually a storm creeps upon us, hits a luminous climax, and then fades away into nothingness.  In The Storm, Kate Chopin develops a parallel between a rainstorm and an emotional storm in a woman’s life.  Chopin uses symbolism to depict the feelings of relationships that are as unpredictable as that of a raging storm.

Stanza two and three depicts two types of storms, one externally and one internally, that are bound to happen. As the storm persists, the speaker observes that “weather abroad / And weather in the heart alike come on / Regardless of prediction.” The speaker associates the storm currently happening as a parallel to the troubles he has metaphorically. The “weather abroad” speaks of the disorder present outside of his sentiments. Even though predictions or storm warnings can aid people in toughing through the occurrence, such as stocking up on food and basic disaster supplies, the storm is imminent either way; the weather cannot be manipulated and it will continue to bring forth destruction. Meanwhile, in regards to the emotional state of the speaker, it is of the heart. An individual can attempt to brace themselves in the face of trying times that will weather away the heart, however, they can’t hinder the turmoil set to come. The speaker “can only close the shutters” to the storm raging outside or within. However, by closing the only way he can view the turbulent storm, either from the house or within oneself, he is closing his eyes to the destruction, choosing to be blind to it. Nevertheless, the storm will go forth and wreak havoc that will remain for an extended period of time, engendering suffering. Instruments may well predict the storm, but it is unavoidable and the outcome depends on what one does with the

A booming echo of thunder bellows in the distance as the rain hurls upon the earth with no intent of ceasing, demolishing what would have been a gorgeous sunny day. Abruptly, the precipitation pauses, the sun glows upon the land, and the harmonious chirps of birds fill the air. In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rainy Day,” he depicts the immediate and long term effects of enduring hardships on the mind. Misfortunes are an inescapable element of the life of any individual.

Furthermore, in the fourth portion of the poem shows the speakers obligations to maintain her freedom. In stanza four the speaker then states, “I am a tornado child born in the whirl of clouds; the center crumbled then I came. My lovers know the blast of my chaotic, giving that they tremble at the whip of my supple thighs; you cross me at your peril, I swallow light when the warmth of anger lashes me into a spin, the pine trees bend to me swept in my gyrations…” (Lines 16-22). The speaker discusses his sexual encounters in lines sixteen through twenty-two with the Rosalie Richardson. The speaker explains how to maintain a sense of freedom through sexuality, which was one of the ways that black southerners maintained their freedom. The last lines of the poem which is in stanza five states, “I am a tornado child. When the spirit takes my head, I hurtle into the vacuum of white sheets billowing and paint a swirl of color, treaked with my many songs” (23-26). According to the text, stanza five just outlines the seemingly purposeless nature of Rosalie’s life. The speaker becomes creative by adding the use of colors to describe the tone and Rosalie’s feeling throughout the poem. The speaker uses white to describe Rosalie life as a blank canvas and the “swirl of color” shows how she is open to various cultures, which are greatly influenced by Dawes because he is exposed to numerous cultures. While freedom is manifested in Dawes’s poem, hopelessness is shown in Brooks’ poem.

The images created in the song show the adversity the people face and how they are being silenced by the majority. In the opening stanza the people are a metaphor to the sunrise, coming slowly and patiently but exploding with power when they truly come out. As the people face challenges,

The rainbow, an extended metaphor, symbolises an epiphany, a sudden realisation that is imbued with hope. The symbolism for the rainbow can also biblically allude to a more religious revelation, where the blacksmith boy has embraced ‘god’ into his life. This symbolism along with the contrast between the two images “But in front of the night the rainbow stood on the mountain”, hints to humanity’s capability of change even in the direst of times. The following lines “He ran like a hare, he climbed like a fox” are similes, to show the blacksmith boy’s newfound affinity with nature, and his rediscovered sense of self. The further similes used in the following lines, “Like a bar of ice, like the column of a fountain, like a ring of gold.” describe the rainbow, in increasing levels of brilliance, from a bar of ice to a ring of gold, this depicts the blacksmith boy’s gradual dawning on the significance of his revelation, figuratively portraying the value of humanity’s affliction with nature or biblically, the importance of god in our lives.

This poem Spring Sorrow by Rupert Brooke might have connected with Ireland because of his somewhat lonely childhood. He lost both his parents by the age of 15, and lived both world wars. This seems like a sorrowful lifetime. The subtle dissonance in the piano part illustrates the meaning, but it goes a step farther to highlight specific words in the text, like “pain,” “heart” and “spring.” This dissonance also often comes at the end of lines, showing that the sorrow will never truly end, but will be dreaded until it inevitably comes back next spring.

This is quite a contrast as the poet is describing two unique emotions with such lack of emotional/descriptive words. The poet uses this technique to effectively convey how people undermine the destructive powers of the human emotion, people think that the world may end in a nuclear winter/ice age (ice) or global warming/incinerate (fire) but ignore the realities of how excessive desire and hate can ultimately lead to destruction.