Birth In The Poem Spring example essay topic
482 words
Formal Comparative Poetry Essay In the two poems Spring by William Blake and When You Are Old by W.B. Yeats there are two types of subject matter connected by one major point. The two types are birth and death, connected by life. We see the beginning of life, or birth, in the poem Spring, and we see death in the poem When You Are Old. When comparing these two poems using the subject matter of life and death, there are many examples of imagery. In Spring, the images one may picture happy thoughts; Nightingale In The Dale, Lark in Sky, Merrily, Merrily merrily, to welcome in the Year. When one reads that, one can only assume happy thoughts by associating nightingales, and larks in the sky. However, in When You Are Old, one sees pictures of dull, past prime, and memories. Although the memories are happy ones, like in Spring, one still sees the near depression written about in When You Are Old. How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true; But one man loved this pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face. The above quote is remembering a loved one, maybe passed on, maybe moved on. Notice if one would, the fact that they are happy memories, in a near remorseful tone of voice.
Possibly the subject matter had the chance, but let it pass them by? Also, in both poems, there is the use of birds. In Spring, there is the use of both nightingales and larks, while in When You Are Old there is the use of crows possibly to create a deathly like effect. The poetic devices used in Spring are as follows. There was the use of repetition at the end of each stanza. As one reads, one notices the line; Merrily, Merrily merrily, to welcome in the Year.
There are no similes or metaphors used in Spring. However, there is a rhyming scheme. The scheme is AA-BB-CC-D-E, as noticed at the end of each stanza. In the poem When You Are Old, there are few poetic devices. There are no similes, however there seem to be some, almost hidden, metaphors. As seen in the third stanza of the poem, one primary example is as follows: And bending down beside the glowing bars Murmur, and little sadly, how love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crow of stars.
There is also quite a unique rhyming scheme in this poem, that reflecting a classic band of the eighties. The rhyming scheme is A-BB-A. In comparison of both poems in this section, neither had use of personification, onomatopoeia, or any other real poetic device.
