The yellow silk window curtain not weighted down, blew outside the window and became weathered and worn. The author compares this window curtain to her feelings, as a bright color cheering up a new room, but not weighted down, care free. Joan was not intending on living in New York for very long. She had no plan, not grounded. Everything was in reach of her apartment, so she became very familiar with her surroundings. She weathered the storms, and became tired and worn from the parties she went to. She had stayed too long at the Fair. Again, the author describes her emotions to that of a worn-out window curtain that looked bright and cherry in the beginning, but lacked its luster in the end, and it was time for a…
This begins with her ‘folding a little towel’ at her time of death, which is symbolic of the way she has continuously served others. She then calls her mother “a fabric of marvels folded down to a little space”, which refers to the marvels she accomplished during her short life, but can also be interpreted as her metaphorically large heart being ‘folded down’ into her small body. Her face ‘crumples’ like ‘fine linen’ because of it’s fine lines but also its delicacy and in the ‘remembered hours’ she is represented by a beautifully embroidered linen, which both physically and emotionally representative of her mother’s…
Gwen Harwood’s poetry explores the reality of human existence, utilising a number of personal experiences in order to impart meaning onto the responders. The poems, At Mornington and A Valediction, explore countless thematic concerns including the loss of childhood innocence, comprehending mortality and maturation of individuals. Utilising a regular variation of tense, between past and present, and her own personal relationships with others, Harwood’s poetry provokes an appreciation of the past, and reinforce themes, which highlights their universal significance. Within the beginning of the poem At Mornington, Harwood explores a childhood memory, at “the sea’s edge”, in order to highlight her apparent childhood strength in her naïve belief that she could defy nature by “walking on water/it’s only a matter of balance”, only to be saved by her father. This nativity is reinforced in the parable of the pumpkin, which grew upwards in “airy defiance of nature”. The biblical allusion with the attempt to walk on water reinforces the blind faith and innocence of the child which is contrasted to the personas self-awareness and acceptance of her own mortality, “at the time of life, when our bones begin to wear”. This childhood recollection can be deemed as the commencement of her acceptance of death; however it is only upon self-reflection on this…
In this book the symbolism of the Bird serves as a reminder to Edna’s entrapment of her victorian women in general, like the birds the women's movements are limited by their society and are unable to choose their own rights and communicate with the world around them. The novel winged only describes the women so they can use their wings to protect themselves and shield so they can never fly. Another symbol for the book is the Sea. The sea symbolizes freedom and escape, the sea also serves as a reminder to Edna of the fact of awakening in a rebirth, and the strength, glory, and lonely horror of the women's…
The poem begins with the narrator telling herself, “A few more steps, old feet.” (line 1). The old feet she refers to are the ancestor’s feet, that appear to be old and worn out from the rigorous journey they take. The speaker then goes on to say, “In pale tea I’ll see / me with her, tasting wild grapes” (lines 4-5). This shows her reminder of her ancestors in nature. The pale tea is the symbol of the clean, clear simplicity of nature and when the speaker simplifies herself, to the bare nothingness of nature it reveals to her, her ancestors. Then in the following lines, “at dawn, tasting dew / on tender leaves, another year.” (lines 6-7). The dawn represents a new day, a new start where she can again acknowledge her heritage. After, the speaker says, “her hands still guiding me, / at sunset grinding seeds” (lines 11-12). These hands guiding the speaker, are her ancestors leading her through their stories and nature around…
He let the ministries zip past (the pink, the white), and a series of stores on the main street, their windows flash ing. Now he was beginning the most pleasant part of the run, the real ride: a long street bordered withtrees, very little traffic, with spacious villas whose gardens rambled all theway down to the sidewalks, which were barely indi cated by low hedges. Abit inattentive perhaps, but tooling along on the right side of the street, heallowed himself to be carried away by the freshness, by the weightlesscontraction of this hardly begun day. This involuntary relaxa tion, possibly,kept him from preventing the accident. When he saw that the womanstanding on the corner had rushed into the crosswalk while he still had thegreen light, it was already somewhat too late for a simple solu tion. Hebraked hard with foot and hand, wrenching him self to the left; he heard thewoman scream, and at the collision his vision went. It was like falling asleep all at once. He came to abruptly. Four or five young men were get ting him out from under the cycle. He felt the taste of salt and blood, oneknee hurt, and when they hoisted him up he yelped, he couldn't bear the presssure on his right arm. Voices which did not seem to belong to thefaces hanging above him encouraged him cheerfully with jokes and assurances. His single solace was to hear someone else confirm that thelights indeed had…
The themes of isolation, hopelessness and insanity are heightened greatly through the use of imagery and allusions. As the opening of the poem originates at midnight ‘the gloomiest’ time of the night with the only source of light irradiating from the moon, the only things can be seen through the moonlight indicating the importance of the moon. In a traditional sense, the moon was seen to represent the womanly grace associated with physic, intuitive and mysteriousness yet also in a way presenting a dark nature welded in a realm between the conscious and the unconscious. The fragile wordings embody the compassionate feats of the feminine and motherly side of the moon as she tenderly ‘smooths the hair of the grass.’ However there is a radical change in tone as ‘A washed-out smallpox cracks her face.’ As this line is ambiguous as to whether the persona was referring to the moon or a woman’s facial features or perhaps both. However in the artwork, a depiction of a crescent moon illuminates to a different notion of the beginning of a renewal cyclic change.…
The use of imagination brings a child's perspective of the garden to a level in which everything is brought to life in and around the backyard. The child's perspective makes simple items show great symbolism such as the washing line which lifts the persona to an "exalter position, almost sky high". The washing line is also personified with "sliver skeletal arms" and is "best climbing tree" which metaphorically describes the washing line. Sustained metaphors like "pegs adorning its trunk" are used to further show the responder the comparison between the washing line and a tree. The use of similes enables the responder to be able to take part in the poem and see things in the eyes of an imaginative child, a child who finds a simple backyard, where clothes can be hung like "coloured flags in a secret code", mystifying and amusing.…
But unlike a prisoner who was chained against his will, he trailed after her retreating figure eagerly, his entire awareness wrapped up in a burning need to serve his new mistress, to please her, to do everything possible to bring her satisfaction. He was hers and hers alone; that was all he needed to know. She faced him again when they reached solid ground, suddenly reaching out to wrap a warm hand around his cold, damp fingers. There was a flurry of words he didn't understand, followed by a brilliant flash of gold in her green eyes, and then the world was spinning, turning, whirling past his bewildered gaze so swiftly that he could distinguish nothing beyond splashes of color and the frigid wind that chilled his naked…
Physically, she is a frail, old woman. She wears a red rag over her head, and carries a thin, small cane, which is fashioned from an umbrella. With her blue eyes, she walks toward town in her long, darkly striped dress with an apron of equal length. Her skin is full of “numberless branching wrinkles”.…
This is done by showing events through the eyes of the recently awoken soul. By making our eyes the spirit’s eyes, the poet is able to immerse the reader into the spirt world where the reader is not allowed to bring preexisting thoughts on things such as laundry. Furthermore, this poem begins with “The eyes open to the cry of pulleys” which makes the reader want to see what the eyes are seeing. Throughout the poem, the poet is continually playing with the reader’s sight in this spirit world with images such as “the sun acknowledges with a warm look.” These unfamiliar images created in this spirit world create an incubation chamber where complicated thoughts on qualities can be represented through things such as…
It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet! ' 'Nor ever will, my child, I hope, ' said Hester. 'And why not, mother? ' asked Pearl, stopping short, just at the beginning of her race. 'Will not it come of its own accord, when I am a woman grown? ' 'Run away, child, ' answered her mother, 'and catch the sunshine! It will soon be gone. '”…
Frown sinking to worry. Forgetting all fears of darkness, the clicking of heels reaches the boy’s side. This woman’s smile calming, light, voice lulling. She's careful not to startle him as she brings him securely to her chest. Her once spotless outfit washing in the mud-stained concrete. Meanwhile, a spark has grown in the boy’s eye. This stranger matching visions of guardians in his past. His weak body comes alive, a flash of silver brightens the street. The boy shoots up. A jagged silver strip tearing the woman's cloth. Her heart halting - mid beat failing. Gone is this privileged girl an empty shell in her place. Organs once keeping her inside now dangling on the street. Cackling breaks the mist. Excited hands fiddling with the tan coloured skin, mouth straining so unused to his smile. So our scene can now fade on the platted strings of flesh, the boy having gained one tiny spot of enjoyment…
It was a cold Autumn afternoon when Salem had been wandering aimlessly through a valley near her hometown. She fashioned her usual apparel: the hem of her sleek, white gown fluttering in the currents of the wind, the chime of her golden wrist-wear and many golden necklaces echoing through the mountains and hills. She seemed to be in quite a hurry, her heels clicking against the brick-paved path beneath her in rapid succession, her lowered head overshadowed by the silhouette of untamed hair, her slender arms folded briskly over her chest. Around her rustled the many leaves of Autumn trees that littered the ground, the hills, and even the base of the mountainside. Nearest to her vicinity swayed a little river, where lied her reflection in all…
There’s something so tragically beautiful about the rain, Hange muses to herself as she traces and connects the transparent drops dotting the mullioned window. She can’t deny it: it’s certainly fitting for the given situation. She breathes in and the fiery ache within her lungs doesn’t go away; it only worsens, and she fears, for a fleeting moment, that maybe it’ll burn a cavity through her chest.…