Poetry essay
How does the poet vividly convey ideas concerning the influence that nature has upon man?
Compare and Contrast at least two poets from cluster one giving detailed close analysis throughout.
(Comparison of ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ by Thomas Hardy and ‘Landscape’ by Michael Longley.)
Equally ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ by Thomas Hardy and ‘Landscape’ by Michael Longley portray to the reader that nature can consume and influence mans’ behaviour. They also both highlight how easily things can come and go through our lives unnoticed and insignificant, without realising its value until it’s lost.
Longley’s use of simile is very effective when conveying to the reader the influence of nature upon man. Using the simile ‘Like a hillside neighbour Erased by sea mist’ portrays how when he is at one with nature and within nature he can so easily be consumed and mesmerised. It shows that even the things closest to him can be ‘Erased’ as if they never existed; this gives a sense that he is now vulnerable because nature has blinded him; Longley gives the reader the impression that nature is allowing him gradually losing himself. Similarly Hardy uses the same technique to show how he was consumed in nature. His ballad ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ tells a story of how due to his obsession in nature he lost something close to him, his wife. The simile ‘like little crossbows animate The swallows flew in curves of eight’ in the first stanza, through the contrast of a swallow to a implement of battle that due to his fascination and obsession in nature these beautiful creatures have been turned into reasons for him and his wife to fight. Also the use of the shape ‘eight’ suggests the infinity symbol, is suggests that Hardy is in an endless cycle which suggests the extent at which he is consumed by nature, and that as long as he is in this cycle with nature he will also be in an endless cycle of war with his wife, and the ‘swallows’ will remain as
Compare and Contrast at least two poets from cluster one giving detailed close analysis throughout.
(Comparison of ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ by Thomas Hardy and ‘Landscape’ by Michael Longley.)
Equally ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ by Thomas Hardy and ‘Landscape’ by Michael Longley portray to the reader that nature can consume and influence mans’ behaviour. They also both highlight how easily things can come and go through our lives unnoticed and insignificant, without realising its value until it’s lost.
Longley’s use of simile is very effective when conveying to the reader the influence of nature upon man. Using the simile ‘Like a hillside neighbour Erased by sea mist’ portrays how when he is at one with nature and within nature he can so easily be consumed and mesmerised. It shows that even the things closest to him can be ‘Erased’ as if they never existed; this gives a sense that he is now vulnerable because nature has blinded him; Longley gives the reader the impression that nature is allowing him gradually losing himself. Similarly Hardy uses the same technique to show how he was consumed in nature. His ballad ‘Overlooking the River Stour’ tells a story of how due to his obsession in nature he lost something close to him, his wife. The simile ‘like little crossbows animate The swallows flew in curves of eight’ in the first stanza, through the contrast of a swallow to a implement of battle that due to his fascination and obsession in nature these beautiful creatures have been turned into reasons for him and his wife to fight. Also the use of the shape ‘eight’ suggests the infinity symbol, is suggests that Hardy is in an endless cycle which suggests the extent at which he is consumed by nature, and that as long as he is in this cycle with nature he will also be in an endless cycle of war with his wife, and the ‘swallows’ will remain as