Compare and Contrast 'Crow Lake' and 'Warren Pryor'
In the modern day, millions of students of all ages from around the globe attend schools and universities solely for the purpose of receiving an education. The reason as to why education is one of the most important elements in life is because it helps individuals gain wisdom and awareness, and essentially achieve more success in their lives. The importance of education also happens to be one of the central elements in Mary Lawson’s ‘Crow Lake’, as well as in ‘Warren Pryor’, a poem written by Alden Nowlan.
To begin with, one most first realize the true value of education. We are introduced to this concept when we see the extents to which Warren’s parents go in order for their son to be able to receive an education, rather than to labour on a farm. In the first stanza of the poem, Alden describes: “His parents boarded him at school in town, slaving to free him from the stony fields” (Nowlan 2-3). Alden is able to achieve imagery in his reader’s mind by his use of diction. The selection of words such as ‘slaving’ creates a powerful evocative effect, as it highlights how much an education is truly worth. On the other hand, Kate is also making similar conclusions. While reflecting on her university education, she explains: “I had discovered by then that Great-Grandmother Morrison was more right than she knew about the power of education […] she’d had no idea of the other doors it could open” (Lawson 187). This passage reveals Kate’s experiences with success and her realizations about the true potential of formal education.
Another common element between the protagonists of the novel and the poem, is the financial struggles they have to face and the sacrifices they have to make. Alden Nowlan describes Warren’s situation with: “When every pencil meant a sacrifice” (Nowlan 1). This line introduces the reader to a taste of poverty, where something as uncostly as a pencil can mean a sacrifice. Similarly, Kate retells: “Money was too tight for me to go home for short
To begin with, one most first realize the true value of education. We are introduced to this concept when we see the extents to which Warren’s parents go in order for their son to be able to receive an education, rather than to labour on a farm. In the first stanza of the poem, Alden describes: “His parents boarded him at school in town, slaving to free him from the stony fields” (Nowlan 2-3). Alden is able to achieve imagery in his reader’s mind by his use of diction. The selection of words such as ‘slaving’ creates a powerful evocative effect, as it highlights how much an education is truly worth. On the other hand, Kate is also making similar conclusions. While reflecting on her university education, she explains: “I had discovered by then that Great-Grandmother Morrison was more right than she knew about the power of education […] she’d had no idea of the other doors it could open” (Lawson 187). This passage reveals Kate’s experiences with success and her realizations about the true potential of formal education.
Another common element between the protagonists of the novel and the poem, is the financial struggles they have to face and the sacrifices they have to make. Alden Nowlan describes Warren’s situation with: “When every pencil meant a sacrifice” (Nowlan 1). This line introduces the reader to a taste of poverty, where something as uncostly as a pencil can mean a sacrifice. Similarly, Kate retells: “Money was too tight for me to go home for short