The speaker’s son tells her that he saw trees flowering with white flowers at the edge of the woods. He tells his mother this because he wants her to realize that there is life beyond her husband’s death so that she can move on and find happiness. The “yard” (1) is the grass outside of her home which represents the life she shared with her now deceased husband. However, the “meadows” (21) symbolizes this idea of a new life separate from the one that she had with her husband, almost like a new beginning. Next, there is the contrast between the “woods” (22) and “marsh” (28); the “heavy woods” (22) symbolizes the heaviness she feels as a result of the weight of her grief. On the other hand, the “marsh” that she wants to sink into represents death …show more content…
She compares the new grass that is sprouting to flames of fire and there is a visual of the grass flickering just as flames do. There is almost an ominous feel as if the grass is under attack, just as her heart is from grief. The imagery of the flames also relate to symbols of romantic desire that she feels for her dead husband. The imagery describes in line 2-3 are very vivid and lively in comparison to lines 13-14, where the imagery is generalized and flat. She describes the flowers by just naming the colours like yellow and red and lacks specificity when she says “some bushes” (13). After such beautiful imagery there is little image-making vividness, it is easy to tell that the widow lacks interest in what formally gave her joy and excitement because of her grief. I believe that the masses the widow is referring to is not quantity but instead size as in heaviness, massive etc. and this relates to her grief- as I stated before, the heaviness of her grief. From this we can conclude that the speaker’s emotional condition is dazed and dull. It is as if she cannot appreciate the beauty surrounding springtime anymore because she is so focused on her grief regarding the death of her
The garden is the vehicle in which the narrator reveals her reluctance to leave behind the imaginary world of childhood and see the realities of the adult world. The evidence supporting this interpretation is the imagery of hiding. The narrator uses the garden to hide from reality and the
For example, the first time death is symbolized in this story is when the family passes a graveyard. “They passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island. ‘Look at the graveyard!’ the grandmother said, pointing it out. ‘That was the old FAMILY burying grounds.’” (99). O’Connor purposely mentions the specific number of graves, one grave for each person in the car. She also mentions that it was a “family” burying ground. This symbolism foreshadows that the family will soon face death. When the family is driving through the town, the grandmother remembers the old plantation is called “Toombsboro”. This plantation’s name is brought up to remind the reader of death. Toombsboro sounds like the tomb, symbolizing the family will soon face their tombs. Another description that is given to symbolize the deaths is that of the Misfits car. “It was a big black battered hearse-like automobile” (103). A hearse is a vehicle designed to carry coffins for funerals. This description also foreshadows the death of the family before the Misfit arrives. Lastly, the “woods, tall and dark and deep” (105) represent the family’s death. The woods symbolize the unknown and fear we have for death, which is considered dark and deep. The Grandmother stood in front of the woods reminding us that death is always near and behind us. Just like the woods, death can be a scary thing
In the story,”Tall full-leaved trees grew here and there across the lawn.”(Creech 253) When Sal notices this, it’s greatness reveals. She can see the beauty and peace that her mother rests in, so Sal knows she’s at peace. This has importance in order for Sal to move on with her life. The story tells the reader, “I knew by myself, and for myself that she was never coming back…”(Creech 254) When Sal realizes that her mom never will come back, she can accept the fact and move on. The story says,”she isn’t actually gone at all, she’s singing in the trees.” (Creech 254) Sal accepts that she died, but also knows that her mom will connect with her through the trees. Now, Sal can move on with her mother’s spirit. In conclusion, when Sal sees her mother’s grave, she can eventually move on and accept. This setting has importance because she can move on from this trip’s
Explain (tell me what image the poem brings to mind)She begins by describing the "death of winter's leaves".
The narrator's vision of her ancestors expanding a plentiful life is emphasized with the picturesque “blue fields…with leaves and vines and orchards.” This then strikes the narrator with the realization that cutting down the tree would be a betrayal to their ancestors, their dreams and the demise of the heritage of the
In ‘I kneel to pick frail melancholy flowers among ashes and loam’ a tone of loneliness and sadness is established as the persona enters. Harwood describes the violets as ‘frail’ and ‘melancholy’, terms that arn’t usually associated with flowers. This is also explored in the juxtaposition of ‘ashes’ and ‘loam’. Ash is symbolic of death and decay which contradicts the ‘loam’, symbolic of life and birth. The persona’s dark and unpleasant perceptions reveal their uncertainty and state of mind. The present tense indicates the persona’s adulthood and their sense of longing and unsatisfaction conveyed through the nostalgic delivery of
While grieving for her loss alone in her room, Louise stares into the “open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring of life” (281). Louise soon begins to realize that her life is much like the trees: it is the beginning of her new spring of life. Her husband’s death, Louise didn’t view her life as worth living. But his death allowed her to asses her life and her true self-worth. It gave her a sudden insight to her new reality that gave her a feeling of overwhelming independence.
To start off the analysis, the setting of the entire poem is significant. Though the poem takes place in a house, the atmosphere the house is set in is also important. The month is September which is a month of fall which can be seen as a symbol for decline. It definitely insinuates that the poem is leading towards death. Line 1 has “September rain falls on the house” which gives the feeling of a dark and cold night with a storm on top of that. To further develop that, Bishop gives us the failing light in line 2 to also give us an idea of the grandmother’s struggle. Bishop uses the cyclical theme of changing seasons to show the unending nature of what is transpiring within the
Life can feel like lounging on the sand, staring into the cities of roses, however, with such happiness comes a deep, cruel truth called death. In this passage, Oliver’s style conveys the complexity of her response to nature by the double-meaning between the owl, the lie behind the “immobilizing happiness”, and the cold truth of these roses. Oliver’s style strives to show how nature is all but an illusion of life and death.
The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."
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
The children are unnoticed by others and the mother is the only one that is protecting them. This poem shows the hard times that the mother must face because her children have died. However the mother is coping with them while still protecting her children after they have died, This is the mother's way of coping because she is not yet ready to let go of her children and still wants to care for them. This poem shows this through nature by portraying the mother as a bird who is protecting her nest. Also the poem uses nature by describing the harsh times as a winter wind that has caused harm to the mother and her children.
The poem begins with the poet noticing the beauty around her, the fall colors as the sun sets “Their leaves and fruits seemed painted, but was true, / Of green, of red, of yellow, mixed hue;” (5-6). The poet immediately relates the effects of nature’s beauty to her own spiritual beliefs. She wonders that if nature here on Earth is so magnificent, then Heaven must be more wonderful than ever imagined. She then views a stately oak tree and
The atmospheric conditions may represent the hardships that the couple had to go through in their relationship, and may also be used contrast the unpredictability of the outside world compared to the steady relationship that the couple have. ‘A Youth Mowing’ is also a poem about relationships, this time it is between a younger couple. The river ‘Isar’ is a symbol of freedom, it represents the way that the men’s lives are. However, this sense of liberty is broken by the ‘swish of the scythe-strokes’ as the girl takes ‘four sharp breaths.’ Sibilance is used to show that there is a sinister undertone to the freedom that the boy has which will be broken by the news that his girlfriend is bringing. She feels guilty for ‘what’s in store,’ as now the boy will have to be committed to spending the rest of his life with her, and paying the price for the fun that they had.
Through nature, these colors bring emotions, Death brings emotions of sadness and sympathy, but beauty brings happiness and joy. Firstly, the neighbors notice that in the garden belonging to Rappaccini, on a shrub lay a cornucopia of purple flowers “Enough to illuminate the garden, even if there had been no sunshine”(Rappaccini’s Daughter, 669). The beauty in these flowers attract a flood of sunlight, because the sun (nature) sees them as beautiful. The flowers bring happiness to whomever may view them because the sun directed its own energy on them to make them more beautiful. Similarly, in the garden’s fountain water ”continued to gush and sparkle into sunbeams as cheerfully as ever”(Rappaccini’s Daughter, 669). The sun shines on the free flowing water like how Romantics view nature as free. The waters beauty becomes intensified by the beams of the sun which can bring happiness to those who view them. Thirdly, when Rappaccini’s daughter decides to visit the garden she becomes illuminated by the sun like a flower. A suitor spots her in the sunlight and much like a flower in nature would bring one happiness, she brings him happiness.