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    Seamus Heaney's "A Constable Calls" examines the conflict between authority and individuality as well as the effect that political and societal differences have on a person's understanding of self. The poem emphasizes the intrusion of authority into private places, which causes uneasiness and uncertRead more

    Seamus Heaney’s “A Constable Calls” examines the conflict between authority and individuality as well as the effect that political and societal differences have on a person’s understanding of self. The poem emphasizes the intrusion of authority into private places, which causes uneasiness and uncertainty in a divided and conflicted society. The poem also tackles the battle to establish one’s individuality in the midst of external pressures, as the family attempts to create a respectable image while concealing questionable or incriminating information. The poem also refers to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, emphasizing larger forces influencing community life and the danger of repression and repression. A Constable Calls Summary

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    Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two, unlike things without using "like" or "as." Example: In the line "And dreaming through the twilight,"  Repetition: The deliberate use of the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis or effect. Example: The repetition of the worRead more

    1. Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two, unlike things without using “like” or “as.” Example: In the line “And dreaming through the twilight,” 
    2. Repetition: The deliberate use of the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis or effect. Example: The repetition of the word “haply” in the lines “Haply I may remember, And haply may forget”.
    3. Imagery: The use of descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) to create vivid mental images. Example: The lines “Be the green grass above me / With showers and dewdrops wet”.
    4. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity. Example: In the line “Sing on, as if in pain,” the repetition of the “s” sound in “Sing,” “as,” and “pain” adds a musical quality to the line.
    5. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words. Example: In the line “I shall not feel the rain,” the repetition of the “a” sound in “shall,” “not,” and “rain” creates an internal rhyme and a musical effect.
    6. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause. Example: The poem uses enjambment in several places, such as between “Haply I may remember” and “And haply may forget,” which creates a smooth flow of thought.
    7. Personification: A figure of speech in which human attributes are given to non-human things or abstract ideas. Example: In the line “And if thou wilt, remember, / And if thou wilt, forget,” the speaker personifies memory and forgetfulness as if they are conscious beings.

    When I Am Dead, My Dearest Summary

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    On first reading, this poem appears to be a pretty simple little song, but some of the implications it discreetly suggests are not so obvious as we dig more into 'When I am dead, my dearest'. In the ending: Christina Rossetti indicates, by declaring that she may not remember her beloved after she haRead more

    On first reading, this poem appears to be a pretty simple little song, but some of the implications it discreetly suggests are not so obvious as we dig more into ‘When I am dead, my dearest’. In the ending: Christina Rossetti indicates, by declaring that she may not remember her beloved after she has died, that there may be no future and that she may be incapable of remembering him. Rossetti repeatedly uses the word “haply” near the conclusion of the poem, but it’s not quite the same as “happily”; it really means “by chance” or, if you prefer, “perhaps.” When I Am Dead, My Dearest Summary

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    The poem is divided into two octaves or stanzas of eight lines each. These can be further divided into quatrains (four-line stanzas) based on their rhyme scheme (each set of four lines follows an ABCB pattern). When I Am Dead, My Dearest Summary

    The poem is divided into two octaves or stanzas of eight lines each. These can be further divided into quatrains (four-line stanzas) based on their rhyme scheme (each set of four lines follows an ABCB pattern). When I Am Dead, My Dearest Summary

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    Christina Rossetti's poem "When I am Dead, my Dearest" examines the themes of acceptance, impermanence, and the temporary nature of relationships. The speaker draws a comparison between their time spent together and nature, expressing her desire for her loved one to have happy memories of her afterRead more

    Christina Rossetti’s poem “When I am Dead, my Dearest” examines the themes of acceptance, impermanence, and the temporary nature of relationships. The speaker draws a comparison between their time spent together and nature, expressing her desire for her loved one to have happy memories of her after she is gone. The poem highlights the impermanence of life and relationships, emphasizing the changing seasons and the beauty of life. The speaker also understands that life is a temporary moment and that life will go on as usual even after the speaker has died. The poem expresses acceptance and a wish for the loved one to continue living their life, cherishing memories, and accepting the changes that happen with time. When I Am Dead, My Dearest Summary

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    Heaney explores themes of youth and nature in the piece. These two ideas are combined by the poet as he highlights and emphasizes events from his childhood. He remembers what it was like to go outdoors and pick blackberries when they would mature. This poem has a lot of nostalgia for an earlier timeRead more

    Heaney explores themes of youth and nature in the piece. These two ideas are combined by the poet as he highlights and emphasizes events from his childhood. He remembers what it was like to go outdoors and pick blackberries when they would mature. This poem has a lot of nostalgia for an earlier time. It also alludes to the inevitable passage of time. Blackberries have an expiration date, just like youth has.

    Blackberry-Picking Summary

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      Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. Example: "Round hayfields, cornfields, and potato-drills" - The repetition of the "r" sound in "round," "hayfields," "cornfields," and "potato-drills." Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in neighboring wordsRead more

     

    1. Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. Example: “Round hayfields, cornfields, and potato-drills” – The repetition of the “r” sound in “round,” “hayfields,” “cornfields,” and “potato-drills.”
    2. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in neighboring words. Example: “Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.” – The repetition of the long “a” sound in “briars,” “scratched,” “grass,” “bleached,” and “boots.”
    3. Imagery: The use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create mental images. Example: “A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.” – This line creates a vivid mental image of the rat-grey fungus feasting on the spoiled blackberries.
    4. Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two different things without using “like” or “as.” Example: “The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.” – The process of the fruit fermenting is compared to the souring of the sweet flesh.
    5. Personification: Giving human qualities or characteristics to non-human entities. Example: “The juice was stinking too.” – The juice is given the human quality of “stinking.”
    6. Enjambment: The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of a poem to the next without a pause. Example: “But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.” – The sentence continues from the first line to the second without a pause.
    7. Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Example: “The rat-grey fungus” – The fungus symbolizes decay and the impermanence of pleasure.
    8. Repetition: The repeated use of words or phrases for emphasis. Example: “And dulls to distance all we are.” – The repetition of the “d” sound in “dulls,” “distance,” and “all” creates a sense of monotony and fading.

    Blackberry-Picking Summary

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      'Blackberry-Picking,' by Seamus Heaney, is an excellent piece about the speaker's childhood and the times he spent picking blackberries. This poem recounts a recurring memory from the speaker's youth: picking blackberries and enjoying their delicious flavor every August. One ripe blackberry wRead more

     

    ‘Blackberry-Picking,’ by Seamus Heaney, is an excellent piece about the speaker’s childhood and the times he spent picking blackberries. This poem recounts a recurring memory from the speaker’s youth: picking blackberries and enjoying their delicious flavor every August. One ripe blackberry would be present at the beginning of the week, but soon all the other berries would be ready for plucking. Blackberry picking was a brief activity, though, as the berries only lasted for about a week before becoming bad and dying. The speaker acknowledges that despite always knowing they wouldn’t, he would wish they would stay longer each year.

    Blackberry-Picking Summary

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