Aboard At A Ship's Helm
ABOARD, at a ship's helm, A young steersman, steering with care. A bell through fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing, An ocean-bell--O a warning bell, rock'd by the waves. O you give good notice indeed, you bell by the sea-reefs ringing, Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship from its wreck-place. For, as on the alert, O steersman, you mind the bell's admonition, The bows turn,--the freighted ship, tacking, speeds away under her gray sails, The beautiful and noble ship, with all her precious wealth, speeds away gaily and safe. But O the ship, the immortal ship! O ship aboard the ship! 10 O ship of the body--ship of the soul--voyaging, voyaging, voyaging. In the poem by Walter Whitman Aboard At A Ship's Helm, there is a open form of poetry that is used called free verse. Free verse is defined as a form of poetry that does not acknowledge the traditional defining characteristics of closed forms of poetry. This includes following a specific meter or foot like iambic pentameter. This poem fails to establish a set meter or foot, so it does not conform to the guidelines that are seen in closed form poetry. The thing that makes it free verse instead prose verse is that it uses enjambment in the entire poem. For example, Walt says in the poem "speeds away under her gray sails." The way he does this is by saying the first part of the idea, which is speeds away under her," on the first line then on the next line he continues that idea by saying "gray sails." This is considered enjambment because it has one whole idea that is continued on the next line in the poem instead of being on one line for the entirety of the thought. Because this poem has enjambment that is able to be seen throughout the rest of the poem, it is considered free verse because free verse does not follow the traditional characteristics of open form poetry but it does include the concept of enjambment within the poem.
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A Hand-Mirror HOLD it up sternly! See this it sends back! (Who is it? Is it you?)Outside fair costume--within ashes and filth, No more a flashing eye--no more a sonorous voice or springy step; Now some slave's eye, voice, hands, step, A drunkard's breath, unwholesome eater's face, venerealee's flesh, Lungs rotting away piecemeal, stomach sour and cankerous, Joints rheumatic, bowels clogged with abomination, Blood circulating dark and poisonous streams, Words babble, hearing and touch callous, No brain, no heart left--no magnetism of sex; 10 Such, from one look in this looking-glass ere you go hence, Such a result so soon--and from such a beginning! In Walter Whitman's poem, A Hand-Mirror, he discusses a hand-mirror; however, the way he does this is unique to this peom. He does not seem to establish a specific foot or meter, using different meters in different lines; as a result, it creates somewhat of a list that gives a number of things that are bieng seen in this hand mirror by the perceiver's eye. This is seen through the chaotic sound, which is lacking a set form of meter and foot. I believe that Walter chose to lack a uniform sound pattern due to the list of things that are being pointed out in the mirror by the speaker. He seems to be listing them as if stating everything that comes to his mind instead of structurally stating what he is observing, which makes way for the c A Child's Amaze
Silent and amazed, even when a little boy, I remember I heard the preacher every Sunday put God in his statements, As contending against some being or influence. In the poem A Child’s Amaze, Walt Whitman seems to be reminiscing on the times of his childhood where he would see the preacher he refers to in the poem speaking of God an essential amount of times. He states that he would do this as if he was fighting against something that was opposed to God. He seems to be astonished by this battle between the preacher and some influence that he was not able to make out at the time, which is evident when he states in the beginning of the poem that he was “silent and amazed.” Likewise, it seems that he observes the preacher while inferring that he is going against a force of some kind; as a result, there are multiple tones given off. The most prominent tone given off is one suggesting that he is astonished by the pastor’s consistency with God while also being a little baffled as to the reason for his constant use of God in his statements, which he then assumes to be a being or influence that is going against both the pastor and God. Simultaneously, I believe that the mentioning of his young age adds to his astonished and confused tone because it suggests that he has been observant and astonished since he was a young child, and even as a young child, he questioned the world. This supports his astonished and curious tone that is created in the poem, which is inferred to be a result of his young age and the curiosity that accompanies it. A Farm-Picture
Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn, A sun-lit pasture field, with cattle and horses feeding; And haze, and vista, and the far horizon, fading away. In the poem, A Farm-Picture, the use of language within the poem is considered precise for the majority of the poem. When the speaker says "through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn, a sun-lit pasture field, with cattle and horses feeding," it is evident that the meanings of the words denote the literal description of a barn sitting on a farm where there are cattles and horses feeding on the grass. The effect of this language is that the reader is able to create a visual image using their imagination, allowing them to see the farm as the speaker perceived it in the poem itself; likewise, the last line's language seems to have more connotations. "The haze, and vista, and the far horizon, fading away" could be perceived to connotate obstacles that are placed in front of people in life being only mere illusions blocking the real vista or beautiful things in life that are fading away the more a person is blinded; however, it is possible to argue that the language in this specific line literally represents "a haze, and vista, and the far horizon, fading away" that is being seen on the farm by the speaker. The effect of this use of language in the last line is that the reader possibly understands the theme of life being a beautiful thing that is blocked by the obstacles that are placed in fornt of people, or they are able to see the far horizon fading using their imagination. A Noiseless Patient Spider
A noiseless patient spider, I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them. And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul. In Walter Whitman’s poem, A Noiseless Patient Spider, the speaker is not necessarily identified. Instead, it is understood that the speaker is a bigger creature looking down on the smaller creature, which is a spider. This is seen through the speakers description of the spider as being “noiseless and patient”. Clearly, only a bigger creature would see the spider from such a clueless perspective because it is not known how spiders perceive things, which is evident that the speaker does not either. As for the tone, the speaker seems to be admiring the process of a spider weaving its web, which he then compares to his own soul. He uses certain diction to suggest that his soul is just like that spider in the vast, vacant space. It shoots out filament only hoping that it connects to something, but when it does not, it continues to do it over and over again; thus, I believe the tone that the speaker uses in the poem is sanguine due to the fact that like the spider his soul is lost in the vastness of space, trying to connect itself, yet apart from this, he talks in confidence of his soul being like the filament of the spider and connecting to something. It builds a bridge that is needed to fulfill itself and its goals, which is seen when the speakers says “till the gossamer thread you fling(like the spider), catch somewhere, o my soul.” As a result, the tone then creates a theme of continuing to find one’s purpose despite the realization of the vast emptiness surrounding it. Despite the constant failure of the “filament” or “soul” not connecting, one must continue to fling its thread, knowing that eventually it will connect to something fulfilling. |
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October 2014
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