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    The poem explores the themes of cultural differences between European settlers, particularly the English, and the native people in Canada. It touches on historical contexts like colonization. Some of the other themes explored include identity, power dynamics, manners, customs, and the contrast betweRead more

    The poem explores the themes of cultural differences between European settlers, particularly the English, and the native people in Canada. It touches on historical contexts like colonization. Some of the other themes explored include identity, power dynamics, manners, customs, and the contrast between refinement and simplicity. The first part talks about the “refined” attitude of the settlers through personified animals, highlighting their customs. This is set against the simpler indigenous culture. The second part emphasizes the shift of the indigenous people from a simpler native lifestyle to a more refined one after English settlement, shaping the course of history.

    The Animals in That Country Summary

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    Alliteration - Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in lines like “his name/ stamped on him, heraldic”, “sand, sword”, and “human/ he”. Irony - irony is used when what the poet says is in contradiction to what they actually mean. In this pRead more

    1. Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in lines like “his name/ stamped on him, heraldic”, “sand, sword”, and “human/ he”.
    2. Irony – irony is used when what the poet says is in contradiction to what they actually mean. In this poem, the poet uses irony when comparing the face of animals to human faces in the lines “In that country the animals/ have the faces of people”.
    3. Repetition- Repetition is a literary device in which a word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or effect. The word “their” is repeated multiple times in the last few lines of the poem.
    4. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the snobbish manner of the white settlers to “ceremonial cats”. She also uses metaphor when talking about the “human-like teeth” in the “blue mouth” of the bull.
    5. Enjambment – enjambment is when the line is continued onto the next line without any pause. In the poem, the poet uses enjambment to create a connection between the concepts talked about in the stanzas.
    6. Personification- personification is used when the poet gives human-like qualities to non-human objects. The poem personifies animals like “cat”, “fox” and “bull” in the poem.
    7. Litotles- Litotes is the ironic usage of a negative to highlight the positive aspect of the idea. In the poem, the poet makes use of the negative sentences like “Their deaths are not elegant” and “They have the faces of/ no-one” to emphasise on the condition of the natives in the country.

    The Animals in That Country Summary

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    The central theme of the poem revolves around the profound experience of loss and grief, particularly focusing on the mother's lament for her young son who tragically drowned. The poem highlights the deep sorrow that accompanies the death of a child, emphasizing the intense theme of loss. The poem aRead more

    The central theme of the poem revolves around the profound experience of loss and grief, particularly focusing on the mother’s lament for her young son who tragically drowned. The poem highlights the deep sorrow that accompanies the death of a child, emphasizing the intense theme of loss. The poem also touches upon identity and the quest for connection. The poet portrays the child as an explorer of new worlds in order to discover himself. The poem also explores the themes of life’s journey, from birth to self-discovery, and depicts the emotional complexity of a mother observing her son’s exploration into the unknown.

    Death of a Young Son by Drowning Summary

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    As the poem is written in free-verse, it has no set rhyme scheme. Though there are a few instances of slant rhyme present in the poem, overall there is no rhyming pattern. Death of a Young Son by Drowning Summary

    As the poem is written in free-verse, it has no set rhyme scheme. Though there are a few instances of slant rhyme present in the poem, overall there is no rhyming pattern.

    Death of a Young Son by Drowning Summary

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    The poem revolves around the themes of loss and death. The poem is a mother’s lament about the death of her young son who died by drowning. The poem explores the grief that the woman goes through. The sense of loss at the death of a child is one of the main themes. Other themes touched upon are idenRead more

    The poem revolves around the themes of loss and death. The poem is a mother’s lament about the death of her young son who died by drowning. The poem explores the grief that the woman goes through. The sense of loss at the death of a child is one of the main themes. Other themes touched upon are identity and the search for connection. The child had gone out to explore the world and find himself. The poem talks about the search for identity and belongingness for young children.

    Death of a Young Son by Drowning Summary

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    Alliteration - Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in the lines “his head”, “he was hung”, “It was the spring, the sun kept shining,” etc. Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as”Read more

    1. Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in the lines “his head”, “he was hung”, “It was the spring, the sun kept shining,” etc.

    2. Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as” or “like”. In this poem, the poet uses simile in the lines“he was hung in the river like a heart”, and “I planted him in this country/ like a flag.”

    3. Symbolism- symbolism is when the poet uses words to symbolize a concept, person or idea in a poem. In this poem, the “floating land”  symbolizes the emotional distance between the mother and son.

    4. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares “the dangerous river of his own birth” to the search for identity. Metaphor is also used in the lines “his head a bathysphere”, “cairn of my plans and future charts”, and “The dreamed sails”.

    5. Imagery- imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. In the poem, the poet uses visual imagery to create the image of the strange land and the river flowing.

    6. Enjambment – enjambment is when the line is continued onto the next line without any pause. In the poem, the poet uses enjambment to create an internal connection within the stanzas.

    7. Personification- personification is used when the poet gives human-like qualities to non-human objects. The poem personifies “currents” in the line “the currents took him.”

    Death of a Young Son by Drowning Summary

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    The poem revolves around the central idea of childhood and the intense experiences tied to sadness and depression. It emphasizes the profound impact these emotions can have on children, making it challenging for them to see beyond their sorrow. The poet highlights the difficulty children face in navRead more

    The poem revolves around the central idea of childhood and the intense experiences tied to sadness and depression. It emphasizes the profound impact these emotions can have on children, making it challenging for them to see beyond their sorrow. The poet highlights the difficulty children face in navigating sadness, often losing sight of happier memories. Despite this, the central idea is one of resilience and growth. The poem advises children to face and endure sadness as an inevitable emotion, suggesting that confronting it can lead to inner strength and eventual healing.

    A Sad Child Summary

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    The poem explores the themes of childhood and experiences. The themes revolve around the sadness and depression that a child feels. The poet highlights the depression that children go through and how it is hard for them to experience sadness. When they feel sad, that is all they feel. They start toRead more

    The poem explores the themes of childhood and experiences. The themes revolve around the sadness and depression that a child feels. The poet highlights the depression that children go through and how it is hard for them to experience sadness. When they feel sad, that is all they feel. They start to forget every happy memory that they had. The poet taps on this and advises them that sadness is an emotion that everyone has to explore and handle. The children are advised to endure the sadness and come out stronger at the end.

    A Sad Child Summary

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    Radhika

    Alliteration - Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in the lines “see a shrink”, “blessings. Better”, “sulky with sugar”, etc. Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as” or “like”. IRead more

    1. Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem alliteration occurs in the lines “see a shrink”, “blessings. Better”, “sulky with sugar”, etc.

    2. Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as” or “like”. In this poem, the poet uses simile in the line “or hug your sadness like an eyeless doll”.

    3. Repetition- Repetition is a literary device in which a word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or effect. The phrase “you’re sad” in the first line of the poem.

    4. Anaphora- anaphora is when a phrase is repeated in a stanza. In the poem, the word “it’s” is repeated in the second line of the poem.

    5. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the anger of the child to “the red flame is seeping out of you”.

    6. Apostrophe- apostrophe is when the speaker in the poem directly addresses the listener or the reader. In the poem, the speaker is directly talking to the child and refers to them as “you” and “My darling”.

    7. Imagery- imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. In the poem, the poet uses visual imagery to paint the scene of the party in the second stanza of the poem.2

    8. Rhetorical question- a rhetorical question is a question asked by the poet without the intention of getting an answer but to put stress on an idea. The first line of the 3rd stanza is a rhetorical question.

    9. Epigram- epigram is a short phrase or saying in the last lines of the poem which express the idea of the poem. The last line of the poem expresses the central concept of the poem, i.e. everyone is sad and they learn how to endure it.

    A Sad Child Summary

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