Poetry and New Criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poetry and New Criticism - Essay Example Poetry and New Criticism For instance, ligh-T, s-KY, be-HIND, and Mount-AIN denote that the first syllable is unstressed while the second syllable is stressed in the words of the poem. The poem is also a tetrameter because the iambic rhythm repeats itself four times in each line of the poem. The poem is both narrative and descriptive. This is because it tells a story and, at the same time, explains the world that surrounded the subjects of the poem. The speaker in this poem explains the situation surrounding the subjects, just the way s/he perceived it. Threshing is rich of assonance. For instance, the - i - sound is repeated in the first stanza three times, that is, l-i-ght, beh-i-nd the mounta-i-n. The sound is also repeated in most of the lines of this poem. Alteration is also evident in the poem Threshing. For example, is like the sun’s shadow, the bread, if there’s bread, the leaves darken a little. To emphasize and stress on an issue or point, the poet has used consonance. For example, in the line, they lie in the shade, waiting, resting; the poet has repeated the consonant sound, -ng to emphasize on the activity that the subjects of the poem were engaged in. also, in the line, beyond the fields, the river’s soundless, motionless, the –ss consonant sound has been repeated to explain the status of environment surrounding the subjects of the poem. ... Also, the explanation of the river’s soundless, motionless scum mottling the surface, symbolizes the oppression. The poem is rich of imagery in that there are similes, metaphors and symbols have been used in the poem. For instance, the light behind the mountain has been liked to the sun’s shadow passing over the earth. Also, the cool environment under the trees has been liked to the flask of water that gets passed around. In the poem, the sun has been personified. In the line, the sun’s moving again, taking the men along, the sun has been given human attributes. For instance it said that the sun moves, and at the same time, it takes men along. This personification stresses emphasizes on the effect that the hot sun has on the subjects of the poem in terms of doing their work, and how it determines their fate because it marks movement in time. There is irony in the poem too. Men are sad to enjoy the hours when the sun is hot and their women are far way, but the wor k has not been done. It is therefore, ironical to enjoy a tie of the day when a lot of work still awaits to be done. Also, the poems states that the flask is put away, the bread, if there is bread, in one of its lines. It is ironical for people to lack bread, yet the main activity revolving in the poem is threshing of wheat. It is expected that with the activity of harvesting wheat, bread is supposed to be available in plenty. Nature has been used by the speaker of the poem to explain the surrounding the subjects of the poem. For instance, the hot weather characterized with the scorching sun emphasizes on the type of environment that the subjects of the poem dwell in, in that point of time. Nature also explains the oppression that the subjects of the poem face. The explanation