Dickinson And Hughes Essays - Jazz Poetry, Guggenheim Fellows

Dickinson And Hughes After reading both "Tell All the Truth but Tell It Slant" by Emily Dickinson and "Harlem" by Langston Hughes, I determined that the main difference between the two poems is both poets' use of diction. Dickinson makes use of abstract diction in her poem, using words like bright, delight, superb, and dazzle. Using the word "truth" in itself is an enormous abstraction. Hughes, however, uses more concrete diction, with words such as raisin, fester, sore, meat, and load. These are actual, physical things that exist. I see this as the most significant difference between the two poems. At first glance, Dickinson's poem made no sense to me. I then, however, tore it apart and came up with the following explication. Line one basically states "tell me the whole truth, but don't be so direct. Don't just come out and say it." In line two, when the speaker refers to a circuit, she is most likely comparing the way they tell the truth to the way circuits wind their way around a room, mostly hidden, but getting their job done. Lines three and four are saying the direct truth may be too much to handle, such as the sun may be too bright to look at directly. Lines five and six are telling this person to explain the truth like one might explain lightning to a child, with a kind, soothing tone of voice that's easy to understand. Lines seven and eight say that the truth must come a little at a time, or gradually, so that it may leave us in some suspense, rather than hitting us all at once and leaving us unable to comprehend the whole truth for what it is. Dickinson's use of alliteration shows in the poem, especially in lines one, two, four, and seven, where she uses words in pairs, such as tell, truth, success, circuit, the, truth, superb, and surprise. The author also uses an a b c b rime scheme. Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem" was bit easier to explicate because of his use of concrete diction. The first line is simply an introduction into the poem, which in itself is a pondering of what happens to a dream when it must be postponed or put off. The main body of the poem goes into detail about what happens to the dream. Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Fester like a sore? The whole poem is basically a simile. The author compares this deferred dream to a dried up raisin, a festering sore, rotten meat, syrupy sweetness that's crusty and sugary, a heavy load that just sags, and finally, does it just explode? He uses very good imagery, and I'm almost able to see this dream being put off, forgotten about, or deteriorating. Both authors, although using completely different methods, come across very clearly with their main point. While Dickinson is abstract, and Hughes is more concrete with his diction, they both use considerable similes, Hughes more than Dickinson. For example, Hughes uses similes in almost every line of his poem. Dickinson uses only a few, such as "as lightning to the children". Dickinson also uses personification, in saying that the truth must dazzle gradually, or using the phrase "the Truth's superb surprise", referring to the truth as a proper noun, giving it human characteristics. The tone of Dickinson's poem differs from that of Hughes's poem in the sense that Hughes's poem is inquisitive, while Dickinson's is more commanding. The speaker of "Tell all the Truth..." is saying exactly that- tell all the truth but tell it slant, while the speaker in "Harlem" is more contemplative, asking what happens to a dream deferred. The imagery of both poems leaves me with solid pictures in my mind. In "Tell All The Truth..." the Truth takes on this certain aura, where you feel that experiencing it would be something wonderful, and it would dazzle you to no end. Also, as mentioned above, "Harlem" creates the picture of a dream deteriorating, in one way or another. Hughes's use of language easily put these images in front of us for us to see. Bibliography Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, Dana. An Introduction to Poetry. 9th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.

IGCSE English Paper 3 Model answers Essay Example

IGCSE English Paper 3 Model answers Essay Example IGCSE English Paper 3 Model answers Essay IGCSE English Paper 3 Model answers Essay IGCSE English Paper 3 Model answers BY Anusha291098 Description of a sunny day:- The freshly watered grass gleams as if it were dotted with sparkling diamonds in the late afternoon day. Beautiful, wild flowers grow untamed and uncultivated on one side of the field while on the other side trees covered the perimeter as far as the eyes could see. A silent stream trickles gently through the clean-cut rocks placed in middle of the field, divided the field into two. Not many knew where to find this sun-dappled, thereal beauty of Gods private chapel and those who did, did not dare to come here for the fear of getting lost from the clearly marked trail. As I lay down on the soft grass I cannot help but wonder how silly people can be, staying away from this beautiful gift provided by nature itself, but at the same time Im glad for the privacy. I place one hand in the stream and watch the water run thorough my fingers, shimmering magically in the fierce sun. Though it seems like Im not the only one njoying this paradise, a shadow looms over me blocking the radiant sun rays. I look up to see a family of four; two parents and their two children trekking in the woods. They mustVe been lost, from the look of their faces. Tear paths show clearly on their mud cover faces and they break out in big smiles when they see me. I stand up, and the mother starts talking, explaining how they got lost in the woods that morning after having wandered what they thought a few meters away from the trail. I quickly ive them my canister of orange Juice, which they quickly gulp down hungrily. After theyVe calmed down considerably I give them directions to the highway where theyVe left their car. They thank me profusely and leave with the extra map and compass I always keep with me. What an interesting day! , I think to myself. The sun retreats below the rim of the turning world, creating an aura of mystery and magic. Indigo hues deepen around the mesmerizing and occasionally surprising field that IVe come to love in the few years IVe known it.