Analysis My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun Essay - 2511 Words

Emily Dickinson is a poet known for her cryptic, confusing language. Words are often put together in an unusual way and create deciphering difficulties for the reader. But behind all the confusion is a hidden meaning that becomes clear, and one realizes that all the odd word choices were chosen for a specific reason. The poem I will try to analyze is My Life Had Stood—A Loaded Gun, or number 754. I find this to be one of her most difficult poems to decode. However, I find the images fascinating and the last stanza very confusing but intriguing. What I first thought the poem was about and what I finally came to a conclusion on are two completely different thoughts. Through answering questions on the poem’s literary elements, thorough†¦show more content†¦In stanza two, the near rhyme is â€Å"And now We roam in Sovereign Woods—/And now We hunt the Doe—†, where the reader is able to detect the long ‘o’ in the two end words . In stanza three, the rhyme is in lines two and four: â€Å"†¦Upon the Valley glow—/It is as a Vesuvian face/Had let it’s pleasure through—†. The ‘oh’ sound in â€Å"glow† is mirrored with the longer ‘ooh’ in â€Å"through.† In stanza four, the near rhyme can be heard in lines one and three: â€Å"And when at Night—Our good Day done—/I guard My Master’s Head—/’Tis better than the Eider-Duck’s/Deep Pillow—to have shared—†. This near rhyme is more complex than previously mentioned rhymes, because the reader hears the rhyme of two sounds: â€Å"Day† in line one and â€Å"Eider† in line three are similar because of the ‘d’ and then a sharper-sounding vowel—an ‘a’ and an ‘e.’ Then, the words following, â€Å"done† and â€Å"duck,† respectively, also sound near to each other again because of the ‘d,’ but this time the duller, lower sounding vowel comes from the ‘o’ and ‘u.’ When â€Å"Day done† and â€Å"Eider-Duck† are read out loud, the reader can hear the double, almost alliteral sounds made from the repetitive ‘d’ and corresponding vowels. I found stanza five’s near rhyme to have some debate: â€Å"To foe of His—I’m deadly foe—/None stir the second time—/On whom I lay a Yellow Eye—/Or an emphatic Thumb—†. Initially, I thought the near rhyme could be heard with â€Å"time† and â€Å"thumb,†Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of Dickinsons Poem, My Life had Stood a Loaded Gun631 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun† In the poem, â€Å"My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun,† published around 1863, Emily Dickinson effectively uses metaphorical language in making the speaker compare him/her self to a loaded gun. The speaker speaks as if he/she is a loaded gun waiting to expose their full potential. When reading this poem, one could definitely see religious connotations in that one cannot reach his/her full potential without The Master’s – God’s – help and direction. In â€Å"My Life had stoodRead MoreAnalysis Of Emily Dickinson s Poem My Life Had Stood- A Loaded Gun 993 Words   |  4 Pagestheme in most of Dickinson s poems is the wonders of nature, and the identity of self, as well as death and life. The five poems with the common theme of death are: â€Å"My Life had Stood- A Loaded Gun†, â€Å"I Heard A Fly Buzz- When I Died†, â€Å"Behind Me Dips- Eternity†, â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death†, and â€Å"I â€Å"I Felt a Funeral in my Brain.† In the first poem â€Å"My Life had Stood- A Loaded Gun†, Emily Dickinson really plays into human emotion by describing anger as a â€Å"Vesuvian face† which is essentiallyRead MoreFemale Oppression By Emily Dickinson And Charlotte Perkins Gilman1729 Words   |  7 Pagesof American Literature there has been a common theme of male oppression. Especially towards the end of the 19th century, before the first wave of feminism, women were faced with an unshakeable social prison. Husband, home and children were the only life they knew, many encouraged not to work. That being said, many female writers at the time, including Emily Dickinson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, were determined to examine the mind behind the American woman, through the lens of mental illness andRead MoreEssay about Loaded Gun Symbolism Depicted in Emily Dickinsons Poem, 7541993 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"754,† the narrator immediately compares her life to a weapon, â€Å"My Life had stood -- a Loaded Gun --† (754). Usually, when one thinks of a gun, he or she might think of death instead of love. In most cases, when a person owns or has a possession of a gun, that person might use the gun for protection. A gun is an inanimate object that has the potential or power to take the life of a human. From analyzing the poem â€Å"754,† the narrator symbolizes a loaded gun, full of potential, full of power, waitingRead MoreBibliography Relation to Analysis of Emily Dickinson ´s Writings2048 Words   |  8 Pageswords that aren’t real, yet which, add meaningfulness of vivacity and command of language scarcely found in poetry (Borus 89-91). In Dickinson’s Safe in their Alabaster Chambers deliberates a religious perspective of death, incorporating the idea of life following death or hereafter. There are heptad degrees of imagery found in this poem including those about religion, society’s politics, money and the greed thereof, geometry, iti nerants, sexual implications, as well as musical ones. Dickinson alsoRead More Emily Dickinsons My Life Had Stood:A Loaded Gun Essay2395 Words   |  10 PagesEmily Dickinsons My Life Had Stood:A Loaded Gun Emily Dickinson is a poet known for her cryptic, confusing language. Words are often put together in an unusual way and create deciphering difficulties for the reader. But behind all the confusion is a hidden meaning that becomes clear, and one realizes that all the odd word choices were chosen for a specific reason. The poem I will try to analyze is My Life Had Stood—A Loaded Gun, or number 754. I find this to be one of her most difficult poemsRead MoreChinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: Exploring the Ibo Culture1743 Words   |  7 Pagesartistic world of the African past. He has convinced his readers that â€Å"African people did not hear of culture for the first time from the Europeans; that their societies were not mindless but frequently had a philosophy of great depth and value and beauty, that they had poetry and, above all, they had dignity.† (Innes and Lindfors 65). He portrays the psychological problems of a generation of Africans suddenly plunged i nto a modern world. Whatever was written earlier about Africa was to depict it asRead MoreEssay about Nature in the Works of Emily Dickinson1368 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes exist in the human world and she wants to tell the world. Dickinsons poems are mostly written by nature, love, and death according to Anna Dunlap in her analysis. Dickinsons sister, Lavinia, is the one who published Dickinsons work, on her first attempt the editor that was responsible was taking her sweet time. This editor had Dickinsons work for two years so Lavinia decided to find another editor and Loomis Todd is the right person and editor for this job. Once Lavinia found the perfectRead MoreImagery Of Women By Adrienne Rich1540 Words   |  7 Pagessocialist because â€Å"socialism represents moral values – the dignity and human rights of all citizens† (Daily News). In one of her poems, â€Å"Necessities of life,† Rich focused on death. Adrienne Rich got a negative reaction to her earlier poem â€Å"Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law† which was her first overly feminist poem (Marilyn Hacker) and thought she had failed, so she focused on death in her next poem â€Å"as a sign of how erased she felt when her own sense of coming into rightful subject matter and voiceRead MoreThe taste of melon by borden deal11847 Words   |  48 Pagesthought about. We had moved just the year before, and sixteen is still young enough that the bunch makes a difference. I had a bunch, all right, but they weren’t sure of me yet. I didn’t know why. Maybe because I’d lived in town, and my father still worked there instead of farming, like the other fathers did. The boys I knew, even Freddy Gray and J.D., still kept a small distance between us. Then there was Willadean Wills. I hadn’t been much interested in girls before. But I had to admit to myself

Society vs. Heart in Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn Essay

Society vs. Heart in Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn Ernest Hemmingway once described a novel by Mark Twain as, â€Å"†¦it is the ‘one book’ from which ‘all modern American literature’ came from† (Railton). This story of fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a remarkable story about a young boy growing up in a society that influences and pressures people into doing the so-called â€Å"right thing.† It is not very difficult to witness the parallels between the society Huck has grown up in and the society that influences the choices of people living today. However, what is it that gives society the power to draw guidelines to define the norms, trends, and what is morally right and wrong in life? Is it always the best choice to listen†¦show more content†¦The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, sisters who adopt Huck, have a slave by the name of Jim who, on the outside, appears to be both unintelligent and foolish, as by the impression received when Jim first speaks, â€Å"Who da h?† (Twain 6). In the beginning of the novel, Huck’s views on slavery had been skewed by society and by the civilized Miss Watson’s righteous and moral views. Huck finds it all fun and games when he and his comrade, Tom Sawyer, play a trick on Jim; Tom Sawyer and Huck remove Jim’s hat from his head and place it on the branch above him. When Jim wakes up, he believes he has been bewitched, adding to his dim-witted and brainless appearance. Only later on in the novel does Huck realize what Jim really means to him. On Huck and Jim’s journey to Cairo, Jim begins to speak about when he is free he will go and find his children and take them from the slave owner. This rubbed Huck the wrong way; his standards of Jim had been lowered because, from Huck’s point of view, why would Jim steal his children away from a man who has done nothing to him? Huck’s conscience began to come into play and he had made up his mind: He was going to turn Jim in when they reach shore. He was sure of it until Jim began to sweet talk Huck, telling him that Huck was the only white man that had ever kept a promise to him. This comment went directly to Huck’s heart; he could not possiblyShow MoreRelatedHuckleberry Finn : American Literature And Culture1622 Words   |  7 Pagesfor themselves, based on honorable values. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are the first kids depicted in American literature, and through them, Mark Twain develops the concept of kid, by having them participate in com ical manipulation and deception. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has two principal lies, imaginative lying and deceitful lying. Lying and deceit are central themes Twain uses to develop the blueprint of a child. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and the King and Duke involve themselvesRead MoreHuck Is a Non-Conformist1467 Words   |  6 PagesSelf-Reliance vs. Huckleberry Finn In Ralph Waldo Emersons essay Self-Reliance, he defends the personality traits that every creative human being possesses and a persons intellectual independence, which enables him to surpass the achievements of previous generations. Emerson explains how most of society is made up of conformists, people that simply conform to a past technique created by earlier innovators. Against being a conformist, Emerson chooses to support being a creator, or a personRead MoreThe Head vs. the Heart813 Words   |  4 PagesRamirez 1 Juan Ramirez Mrs. Giles Period 2 24 September 2012 The Head Vs. The Heart The sounds of tools and chains clink and jingle not too far off. Slaves are in the fenced off field picking the soft cotton from the dry earth. The dust coming from the path that leads from the big, white house to the field gets picked up in gusts of wind making them squint their eyes. The owners of the house are chatting and laughing on their dusty porch sipping on their tea while their children play tag and hide-and-go-seekRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Despite being banned in many public schools, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been cherished throughout American society for many decades due to the it’s clever characters, absorbing storytelling, and engaging plotline. There are three reasons in which I am led to believe that it is the quintessential American classic novel; these three reasons include the explicit detail of racial differences during this time frame, the faultless self vs. self conflict, andRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2475 Words   |  10 PagesMark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, is, at its core, an adventurous story of a young boy who ventures down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim. On more complex levels, the novel has many varied themes, one of which is about the fundamental rules of conventional society and the hypocrisy of that society. At this level, the novel is satirical in nature because Twain is mocking traditional society. Throughout the n ovel, Twain compares how people are willing to unquestioningly follow theRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1753 Words   |  8 Pagesliterature yet, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is ranked the 4th most banned book in America over 125 years after its publication. Some are baffled at how a book full of slavery and segregation can be banned when it is simply a reflection of a disturbing past and a learning opportunity for people of many generations to come. Yet, others are against its negative use of derogatory language in nearly every chapter in the novel. Throughout the reading, Twain’s clever use of specific eventsRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque2092 Words   |  9 Pagessoldiers. Himmelstoss’s development from a strong, authoritarian in the training camp, to a fearful, cowardly soldier at the front lines is just confirmation that war has the ability to ruin even the mightiest man. Central Conflict: Person vs. Self, Paul vs. Himself Paul has his first real encounter with death when his friend Kemmerich dies in the hospital. The realization that he and his friends can and will die makes the war suddenly real to Paul. He battles with internal opposing forces of hopeRead MoreInterpretation of the Text13649 Words   |  55 Pagesof words: a world of forms, images, and sounds that are all designed to work together. This does not mean that works of literature have nothing to do with reality. On the contrary, Walt Whitmans poems often address the reader directly; Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn has everything to do with the history of American slavery; and when Emily Dickinson writes, 1 never hear the word escape Without a quicker †¢blood, she is surely expressing her ovm feelings. The world of literature is watered by manyRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages.............................................................................. 299 CHAPTER 10 Deductive Reasoning .......................................................................................... 312 x Implying with Certainty vs. with Probability ................................................................................ 312 Distinguishing Deduction from Induction ..................................................................................... 319 Review of Major

Stupidity Definition Paper Free Essays

Emily Thompson Mrs. Clem Advanced Composition October 25, 2012 What An Idiot! Of the 14 million people on the planet, not one of them was born stupid. Everyone possesses some level of intelligence at birth. We will write a custom essay sample on Stupidity Definition Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Yet, as some grow older, they transform from great beings of high intellect to creatures that seem to have little to no aptitude. During the years that they grow up, most of these stupid people do not lose knowledge; they gain it. What is the reason for their degeneration into stupidity? Perhaps stupidity is not a lack of intelligence, as many believe. Maybe, it is the refusal to utilize one’s intelligence to the highest possible degree. Unwillingness to learn is unmistakably present in the life of a stupid person. Last week, I was discussing schoolwork with a friend of mine when he said that he recently failed a paper on the usage of commas. I was aghast that a sixteen-year-old student could fall short in the simple arena of comma usage, but this happens every day. My friend and others like him have sat through countless classes that have taught them how to use commas. However, they cannot determine the correct site of a comma because they have deliberately decided that neither self-improvement nor the acquisition of knowledge is an important objective in their lives. For whatever reason, they have chosen to be ignorant, and thus, they are stupid. In addition, laziness consumes the life of a stupid person. Stupid people will not apply themselves in anything that is not pleasurable. Stupid teenagers sit in their rooms all weekend playing Black Ops because it takes less effort and brainpower to play  a  game  than it does to write an English paper. In the same manner, stupid adults engross their minds in college football all weekend rather than cleaning out their garage. To make matters worse, both stupid adults and  stupid  teenagers complain about their unfinished papers and filthy garages. Furthermore, stupid people do nothing to get themselves out of their undesirable situations. Unless motivated  to change their surroundings, these stupid people continue to sit in their laziness and incessantly grumble about their unfavorable, yet repairable, conditions. Stupid people constantly refuse to use common sense in their words. When a thought enters the mind of a stupid person, it immediately converts into words. The stupid person does not censor what they say, so they will question obviously true statements and declare completely unintelligent babble. Since they are stupid, they do not contain their senseless questions and statements. If they would only think through their thoughts before transforming them into words, stupid people would appear to be much less stupid. In addition to not using common sense before speaking, stupid people do not use common sense before performing their actions either. Recently at volleyball practice, I was standing still when a fellow player of mine launched a ball at my head. I looked at my teammate and scowled. She obviously did not mean to send the ball at my face. In fact, she did not mean to kick it at anything in particular. However, she also did not consider that if she kicked this ball, it might travel in an undesired direction and injure someone. Stupid people do not consider the effects of their actions. Consequently, they travel through life recklessly while immediately turning their impulsive ideas into actions. Although stupid people can reform themselves into intelligent, productive members of society, these conversions are infrequent. It seems that there is no hope to entirely eradicate the existence of stupid people. However, if we remove all the warning labels, the problem may sort itself out. How to cite Stupidity Definition Paper, Papers

After the Bomb Book Summary Essay Example For Students

After the Bomb Book Summary Essay After the Bomb written by Gloria Miklowitz is a thrilling novel that takes place before, during, and after a bomb which supposedly was sent from Russia by accident. L. A. and surrounding cities are all altered by the disastrous happening. Philip Singer a teenager is in a position as leader of the family. His brother Matt is awfully sick, possibly from radiation, his father was away at work during the blast and for all Philip knows he might be dead, and his mother was desperately injured and needs immediate attention. Hospitals are flooded with injured and dying people and the government doesnt send help for a few days. The badly injured dont even get the chance to be helped because the hospitals have to send the ones that are likely going to live to hospitals that specialize in burns. His mother is so badly burned that the hospitals put her on the bottom of the list to be flown to burn centers. By the end of the novel Philip has taken charge, snuck his mom ahead to be flown to a burn center, and in a sense saved his town from thirst. He truly survived the terror, shock, and danger of the bomb. The novel goes through a couple of settings such as, Philips struggle to keep his family alive, and the conflict between the nature of a nuclear bomb against the Los Angeles area. When the bomb hits he is playing around in a playroom shelter with his brother and his girlfriend. They go out to find out what had happened and found burning houses, their house only left with one wall, rubble on the ground, debris all over the place, and people running frantically for shelter. Philips brother became sick after finding his mother and bringing her back down to the shelter, and found that his mother had been burnt severely and needed immediate medical attention. Philip struggles to keep his brother from getting even more sick than he was and to bring his mother to a hospital. Philips family werent the only people affected by the bomb. the entire surrounding area of Los Angeles was pounded by a devastating bomb. Churches, Hospitals, and streets were flooded with sick, dying, and even dead people. Hospitals that were built to only withstand 200 people now have thousands, and hospitals lack food, doctors, and water. Philips struggle for survival, and the devastating blow against L. A. was only the beginning of the disastrous bomb. The setting is practically the whole plot of the novel showing Philips struggle to get his mother to a burn center that could save her life, bring his family to safety, and to save his town from thirst. When Philip arrives at the hospital with his mom the government and hospital had already started flying patients to burn centers, but his mom was too sick and burnt so the hospital didnt care for her. She was placed on the bottom of list to be flown away. Philip secretly switches the tag on her mom with one that says and earlier number so that she would be flown out more promptly. He does so and she is flown out early and he most probably saved her life by doing so. Another example was when the bomb had just struck and Philips family was in the shelter which wasnt very safe and stable. He went up to the surface to check out his neighbors house which was miraculously intact. Philip found the owner and his wife in good shape and arranged to bring his family over to the neighbors cool basement for safety and refuge. A third example was when the hospital in his town was almost pout of water and Philip was asked by a nurse to find a worker that works with the town s plumbing at his house and manage to get water to the hospital. .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .postImageUrl , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:hover , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:visited , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:active { border:0!important; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:active , .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4db998e654a32f69f7c8d9a3fb13169c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: I was in New York City in 1997 when I heard about the death of Aunty EssayHe did so and after a while drained water from a residents pool and had it flown down to the hospital. These are some examples of how the setting functions in the novel. After the Bomb is an exciting and stimulating novel which shows the leadership of a teenager over his family. The novel displays a realistic happening that can happen any second and describes it intricately. Its an electrifying, terrifying, and exhilarating rush and is an outstanding novel. Survival was only the beginning