Sparrow Poem Analysis
"The Dog and the Sparrow" by Tourgenieff analysis
ENG 125: Introduction to Literature
Prof: Melissa Eidson
5/28/14
The poem "The Dog and the Sparrow" by Ivan Sergeevich Tourgenieff is an example of the sublime. It has the ability to cause the reader to feel deeply for the sparrow and its bravery and sacrifice. The poem is told in first-person point of view and uses figurative language and metaphors to tell the story. The theme is reverence for the sparrow, which like most themes, which is discovered until the end of the poem. Tourgenieff wrote this poem in the first-person point of view, which "occurs when the narrator (describing his or her personal action and thoughts) is a participant in the story." …show more content…
The descriptive language in this poem is incredible. "It would save its young one; it screened it with its own body; the tiny frame quivered with terror; the little cries grew wild and hoarse; it sank and died. It had sacrificed itself." (Clugston, 2010) Tourgenieff used figurative language, which is the "use of words in the way they are not normally used in order to create a distinct, imaginative effect or impression" (Clugston, 2010), very well in his poem. A perfect example is when he described how the sparrow died; "it sank and died". The theme of the poem "The dog and the Sparrow" by Tourgenieff is not revealed until the last few words; reverence. The word reverence means to have "deep respect for someone or something." (Google, 2014) Tourgenieff describes why he had such reverence for the sparrow 's sacrifice for its young. "It was really reverence I felt before that little heroic bird and the passionate outburst of its love....verily stronger than death and the terror of death" (Clugston, 2010). This love and courage from this bird is
ENG 125: Introduction to Literature
Prof: Melissa Eidson
5/28/14
The poem "The Dog and the Sparrow" by Ivan Sergeevich Tourgenieff is an example of the sublime. It has the ability to cause the reader to feel deeply for the sparrow and its bravery and sacrifice. The poem is told in first-person point of view and uses figurative language and metaphors to tell the story. The theme is reverence for the sparrow, which like most themes, which is discovered until the end of the poem. Tourgenieff wrote this poem in the first-person point of view, which "occurs when the narrator (describing his or her personal action and thoughts) is a participant in the story." …show more content…
The descriptive language in this poem is incredible. "It would save its young one; it screened it with its own body; the tiny frame quivered with terror; the little cries grew wild and hoarse; it sank and died. It had sacrificed itself." (Clugston, 2010) Tourgenieff used figurative language, which is the "use of words in the way they are not normally used in order to create a distinct, imaginative effect or impression" (Clugston, 2010), very well in his poem. A perfect example is when he described how the sparrow died; "it sank and died". The theme of the poem "The dog and the Sparrow" by Tourgenieff is not revealed until the last few words; reverence. The word reverence means to have "deep respect for someone or something." (Google, 2014) Tourgenieff describes why he had such reverence for the sparrow 's sacrifice for its young. "It was really reverence I felt before that little heroic bird and the passionate outburst of its love....verily stronger than death and the terror of death" (Clugston, 2010). This love and courage from this bird is