Poetry Spontaneous Overflow Of Powerful Feelings English Literature Essay
In order to understand Wordsworth ‘s position on the map of poesy, we must specify the significance behind the keywords in his statement. The adjectival ‘spontaneous ‘ implies that poesy is unplanned or is a consequence of natural urges. The verb ‘overflow ‘ high spots the inordinate nature of the ‘powerful feelings ‘ the poet feels ensuing from the ’emotions ‘ experienced remembered in a unagitated ‘tranquil ‘ mode. Although this statement will be proven to be true in Seamus Heaney ‘s poesy in his aggregation North, I will besides analyze other maps of poesy.
Wordsworth ‘s remark is chiefly concerned with content in poesy as it highlights the poet ‘s feelings and emotions and points out the subject of memory in the building of the verse form but ‘the self-generated flood ‘ relates to the signifier of the verse form. An illustration to exemplify Wordsworth ‘s position is the verse form ‘The Grauballe Man ‘ as the storyteller recalls ‘one of the best preserved bog organic structures in the universe. ‘[ 1 ]The talker ‘s feelings towards the Grauballe Man is one of commiseration as Heaney refers to his ‘head and shoulderaˆ¦bruised like a forceps babe ‘ underscoring the Grauballe Man ‘s artlessness equal to a babe ‘s artlessness.[ 2 ]Further accent on a babe ‘s artlessness is shown in the 8th stanza with the noun ‘foetus. ‘ This makes the reader sympathise with the Grauballe Man the same manner we would sympathize with an guiltless babe. The subject of memory is shown in the line: ‘but now he lies perfected in my memory ‘ shows he remembers him in a tranquil ‘perfect ‘ manner. ( Heaney, p.36 ) We can besides see he is retrieving the Grauballe Man as the verse form is written in past tense. This emphasises the importance of the Grauballe Man ‘s decease as the talker is mourning over person who died long ago. The ‘spontaneous flood ‘ is besides shown in the verse form through the usage of enjambement happening throughout the whole verse form. It seems self-generated in the visible radiation of the fluxing enjambement as it is irregular but Heaney ‘s usage of irregular enjambement is planned and is hence non self-generated. The first sentence of the verse form is run on to the 2nd stanza whereas the sentence in the 4th stanza does non run onto the following stanza. There is the sense that the verse form was non planned to be equal and the sentences ‘overflow ‘ to the following stanza. Paul Valery provinces:
aˆ¦poetry orders the deepnesss of our being, for it aims to arouse or reproduce the integrity and harmoniousness of the populating individual, an extraordinary integrity which manifests itself when a adult male is possessed by an intense feeling which leaves none of his powers unaffected.[ 3 ]
In other words, the talker ‘s ‘powerful feelings ‘ while ‘recollecting ‘ the Grauballe Man has overflow as shown through enjambement in a ‘tranquil ‘ manner.
However poesy can be seen as non self-generated and the ‘powerful feelings from emotions ‘ are non recollected in tranquility. The poem ‘North ‘ is written in equal stanzas which gives the reader the sense that the verse form was planned to be written in an organized manner. Poetry might demo plentifulness of spontaneously-presented emotion, but at the same clip it is self-consciously organized, so it ‘s map is non merely affectional, it is concerned with the creative activity of formal forms. The negative linguistic communication shown throughout the verse form contrasts the tranquility in his reminiscence. The rough verb ‘hammered ‘ in the first stanza is metaphorically used to depict Northern Ireland being ‘hammered ‘ by force. ( Heaney, p.19 ) In stanza seven, the words ‘hatreds ‘ and ‘lies ‘ mirror the political state of affairs of Northern Ireland. ( Heaney, p.20 ) Culler provinces: ‘Theorists speak of ‘metaphors we live by ‘ basic metaphorical schemesaˆ¦Such strategies construction our ways of believing about the universe ‘ .[ 4 ]The metaphorical linguistic communication in the verse form highlights the storyteller ‘s choler towards Northern Ireland ‘s struggle which leads the reader to believe about the struggle. Another illustration of this is shown earlier in the essay with the image of the bruised babe.
Figurative linguistic communication enables powerful feelings to be recollected in tranquility. It is divided into groups and the first and most of import group comprises the figure of speech. The most of import of the figure of speechs are metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche and sarcasm.[ 5 ]These figure of speechs ‘are the basic rhetorical constructions by which we make sense of experienceaˆ¦and are basic constructions of linguistic communication which underlie and do possible the significances produced in a broad assortment of discourses. ‘ ( Culler, p.72 ) It is for the grounds that tropes help us make sense of the universe and enable the significances of other composing other than poesy, that each figure of speech shown in Heaney ‘s poesy will be explored in the essay.
The subject metempsychosis is shown in the verse form to convey the talkers feelings about the struggle in Northern Ireland. This is shown in the poem ‘Punishment ‘ through the metaphor ‘she was a barked sapling ‘ . ( Heaney, p.37 ) The noun ‘sapling ‘ represents a new beginning which relates to the thought that poesy ‘aˆ¦is expressly made to be reborn from its ashes, perpetually to be once more what it has been. ‘[ 6 ]Culler provinces: ‘A metaphor can transport an luxuriant proposition, even a theory. ‘ ( Culler, p.71 ) In this instance, the ‘bog organic structure ‘ metaphorically described in the verse form represents the metempsychosis of poesy and besides the hope of a metempsychosis of peace for Northern Ireland.
The talker ‘s feelings on ‘the force between elements of Northern Ireland ‘s patriot community ( chiefly Roman Catholic ) and unionist community ( chiefly Protestant ) ‘ is shown in the verse form ‘The ministry of fright ‘ . ( Aldea press release ) The line ‘Catholics, in general, do n’t talk every bit good as pupils from the Protestant schools ‘ show the segregation of the two denominations stand foring the political struggle between the two. ( Heaney, p.64 ) It is besides seen that Protestants are more advantageous than Catholics in instruction through the manner they speak. The simile ‘My fingers tight as Hedera helix on her shoulders ‘ besides represent the struggle between the denominations as the adjectival ‘tight ‘ gives the reader a sense of tenseness ; the same tenseness in the struggle. ( Heaney, p.64 ) A simile is a type of metaphor. ‘Metaphors can be used to reenforce our images of the universe or to dispute them. ‘[ 7 ]This simile reinforces our image of the spiritual struggle in Northern Ireland.
The feeling of guilt is shown in the verse form ‘Summer 1969 ‘ as it shows the talker in Spain while ‘The Troubles ‘ began in Northern Ireland. ‘I was enduring merely the intimidation Sun of Madrid. ‘ ( Heaney, p.69 ) The word ‘suffering ‘ shows his guilt for non supporting his state when it needed him and the Sun is shown to be the cause of his agony as it ‘bullies ‘ him. The usage of metonymy in the line: ‘I retreated to the air of the Prado ‘ further shows his guilt as he hides off in Spain. ( Heaney, p.69 ) ‘Figurative linguistic communication can significantly impact our attitude towards the subject under treatment, and is capable of impacting us even ( or possibly particularly ) if we do non consciously acknowledge that it is being used. ‘ ( Ways of Reading, p.156 ) The usage of metonymy is relevant to the talkers guilt shown through the ‘sun ‘ and ‘Prado ‘ instead than straight faulting them self. The talker may non recognize this consciously. The subject of nationalism is sensed in the talker ‘s voice which encourages all readers to support their state alternatively of pretermiting it. This encouragement is shown by exposing the effect of experiencing guilty if their state is neglected.
The talker reveals a moral message in the verse form ‘Freedman ‘ as the last line summarises the statement before the verse form begins by R.H Barrows: ‘aˆ¦for a adult male from a ‘backward ‘ race might be brought within the picket of civilization, educated and trained in a trade or a profession, and turned into a utile member of society. ‘ ( Heaney, p.61 ) To ‘bite the manus that fed me ‘ is relevant to this as the battles of bondage enabled the ‘backward race ‘ to be a ‘useful member of society. ‘ ( Heaney, p.61 ) This is further emphasised by the statement that ‘A verse form Begins in delectation and ends in wisdom. ‘[ 8 ]The statement by R.H Barrows shows the delectation of a ‘backward race ‘ being ‘a utile member of society ‘ but the verse form ends with the wisdom that what does non kill a individual, makes them stronger. However, the last line is a synecdoche which can be seen as a weak map of poesy. Besides, the term ‘backward ‘ is conversational. ‘Everyday linguistic communication is full of footings which would one time hold required a metaphorical reading, but which are now so familiar that they produce no consequence at all. ‘ ( Ways of Reading, p.156 ) Therefore the synecdoche and the conversational adjectival ‘backward ‘ could be seen as holding no result on the reader as it is so common.
The feeling of choler of the talker towards the Irish struggle is emphasised in the sarcasm used in the verse form ‘Whatever you say, say nil ‘ as the poet satirises the Irish struggle by depicting the English position of it as an ‘Irish thing ‘ as if the struggle is undistinguished for a proper name. ( Heaney, p.57 ) Another illustration of sarcasm in the verse form is the line: ‘The ‘voice of saneness ‘ is acquiring hoarse. ‘ ( Heaney, p.58 ) This line is unfastened to interpretation as ‘it requires the reader of listener to take assorted interpretative hazards in order to work out the intended significances. ‘ ( Ways of Reading p.168 ) Therefore the map of sarcasm is to let the reader the freedom to construe its intending the manner they wish merely as the Irish struggle is unfastened to reading.
Wordsworth ‘s position on the map of poesy can be proven to be true for some verse forms such as ‘The Grauballe Man ‘ but is proven to be untrue in other verse forms such as the verse form ‘North ‘ . The different figure of speechs of nonliteral linguistic communication serve different poetic maps such as informing readers on Northern Ireland ‘s political and spiritual struggles. It besides serves to inform readers on human consciousness as seen in the verse form ‘Summer 1969. ‘ It may besides convey a moral message to the universe as shown in ‘Freedman ‘ . The reader ‘s freedom of construing a verse form the manner they wish leads to different thoughts of the map of poesy, that it allows us to see its map, and the state of affairs in Northern Ireland, in any manner. Although Wordsworth ‘s position can be seen as the map of poesy, it should besides be considered that it is non the lone map as this essay shows.
