Weeds And The Black Horses And Mower example essay topic

Stacy Meyer English 203 Old vs. New "Poetry: The art of apprehending and interpreting ideas by the faculty of imagination; the art of idealizing in thought and in expression". (web) Imagination, thought, expression, what exactly do these words mean? As with any poem, it may have different meanings to different individuals. "Reapers", defines these words in its own way by creating a story, using literary techniques, and sending a message. In eight short lines, this work of art paints a vivid scene for the reader to place themselves in.

The way in which this author has selected his words, provides a base for the poem. To see the significance between the base and the sounds of the poem, we must first interpret it. When reading Reapers, it is very helpful to forget about the lines, and concentrate on the punctuation. The poem is asking one to think about the sensory details it projects. Poems often use a means of the five sensory details, including touch, taste, smell, hear, and sight to convey messages that are hidden in the text. Poets are very selective in the words that they chose to use in their own work to make the poem appealing.

The author has included many words that paint a visual picture of the poem and the atmosphere in which it takes place. "Black reapers with the sound of steel on stones are sharpening scythes". The author sets up the mood of the poem to portray death. This line gives the reader a visual image of men sharpening their tools on stones. It makes the mood feel deep and dark, using the words black reapers. It also makes the reader think of large, gray stones which are also a dark color.

Reapers were field workers that harvested grain with the scythes. The tools (scythes) were sharpened on rocks and stones so they would cut the wheat in one swift sweep. "I see them place the hones in their hip pockets as a thing that's done". This poem goes through a story. It portrays the picture of the black reapers that are finished with sharpening their tools and now placing hones in their pockets. The farmers (reapers) often wore overalls on the farm or while doing farm work, which would explain the hip pockets.

Hones are a fine-grained stone in which may be used to sharpen an edge for a cutting tool. To someone that works on a farm, this would seem like "a thing that's done", because work like this can be repetitious and an everyday routine. "And start their silent swinging, one by one". Again, following the story, the author is giving a setting while telling the story. The action of the scythes is silent when it whips through the air. Especially when cutting wheat, it is a very quiet process.

The author uses the word silent to think of what the reaper is doing as graceful. The reapers are swift and skilled at the task set before them. It is here that the poem switches directions. The author does not print a break in between these two lines, but there is a change in action. The break represents a major change in life. The rural time with the reapers doing manual labor with the scythes is replaced by a mower being pulled by horses.

It represents a change from the use of man power and manual labor to the use of machines. Starting out very silent and rhythmically as the reapers are with their scythes, the mower changes the scene while it is moving hazardously, even killing the rat and other living things beneath the weeds. This symbolizes a change in time and technology. "Black horses drive a mower through the weeds".

This line switches the scene away from the reapers and on to the black horses and mower. The horses are pulling the mower through the weeds which tells the reader that the poem was written about a time in age when motorized vehicles had not taken over the farm industry, but technology had now started using some modernized tools. Weeds also make you think that the grass is tall and there could be animals such as bugs and mice underneath the grass close to the ground. "And there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds". This line a keeps the story flowing. The field rat was underneath the weeds and the black horses and mower ran over it, cutting the rat with the blades of the mower.

"His belly close to the ground". I see the blade, blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade". The belly close to the ground means that the rat was underneath the weeds and could not be seen from above. The rat is squealing in pain, bleeding from the mower. The author sees the blade, coming up from the weeds, and covered in blood from cutting open the rat. "Continue cutting weeds and shade", means that the black horses and the mower never stop as if hitting the rat did not even phase them.

They just keep on moving along, completing their task. Throughout the poem the author uses many literary terms and devices, including imagery, blank verse, implied metaphor, irony of situation, setting, style, symbols, and theme. This provides a constant rhythm to the poem. Imagery is used by painting the vivid picture it does throughout the poem. It presents a situation in which the reader can identify the illustration described by the author. The author writes the poem with an iambic rhythm, which involves almost every line using ten syllables.

Implied metaphor is when the mood or agent is implied, but not stated. Implied metaphor is apparent when the author always uses the word black to signify depressed mood throughout the poem. Irony of situation occurs when there is a sharp contradiction between what is logically expected to happen and what does happen. One expects that the new mower, a form of new technology would help the situation when that is not always the case.

Setting is used throughout when the author describes the field, scythes and the reapers themselves. Word choice is important because of the ten syllables in each line and the sensory words including silent and squealing. Symbols are the reapers and the mower representing the manual labor and the machines. When looking at the poem from the broader perspective, one understands that the poem is contrasting the difference between manual labor and the modernization of machines. The poem highlights that technology can not always be a good thing.

Although this poem was written in 1923, there had already been many new inventions that changed the way Americans lived. "Reapers" clearly defines that a change in history can be described in as little as eight lines..