Miroslav Holub’s Poem ‘The Door’ and David Herbert Lawrence’s Poem ‘Bat’, explore the idea of change being positive and negative, respectively.
In the poem ‘Bat’, Lawrence puts the reader into the poem so the calmness of the romantic Italian setting “the tired flower of Florence” can be felt. Assonance “brown” and “surrounding” is used to back up the imagery of peacefulness. His use of ellipses enables the reader to reflect upon the beauty and nature of Italy. His wide use of alliteration of the letter ‘s’ allows the reader to connect with the flow of the swallows and the romantic scene.
He uses short sentences and exclamation to quickly change the mood, when suddenly he remembers “The swallows are flying so late!” He questions “Swallows?,” using direct speech. The mood quickly changes with words like “Dark” and “shudder”. The metaphorical “changing guard” and “the swallows gave way to bats” keeps his view that the swallows where originally there. There is a certain sadness of loss “Like a glove … at the light”, where he is remorseful that such darkness could disturb the light in metaphorical terms. His description of bats “Black piper … wildly vindictive” are undermining of bats. He uses “Creatures that … upside down” to describe the bats with separate objects, and then again uses “disgusting” and “old rags” together in the same nature as the previous stanza, emphasising his hate of bats. He remarks, they are “not for me” in the end.
On the other hand, in the poem ‘The Door’, Miroslav Holub expresses his feelings, that change can be positive, by instituting a positive outcome when the reader goes “and open[s] the door”, using directed language. It is based on the idea of taking risks and comprehending change. Throughout the poem, Holub uses a conversational tone, along with the use of “maybe” behind every idea proposed, giving a certain unknown characteristic to the change. In the first stanza, he describes a natural change, as if there is only one of each;“a tree”, “a garden”, “a wood”, “a magic city”, and the contrast of a garden we know exists, or a magical city, which is to most, mythological. In the second stanza, Holub changes the mood though the imagery of “a dog rummaging”, which perhaps shows a negative side, however his emphasis of “or” in this stanza, is used to reinforce the point, that anything could occur.
The Term Paper on Anne Sexton Poem Suicide Stanza
All Her Pretty Ones, and then some... An interpretation of the poetry of Anne Sexton Anne Gray Harvey was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1928. After attending one year of college, she eloped and married Alfred "Kayo" Sexton at the age of nineteen. They had their first daughter in 1953, and shortly after, in 1954, Anne Sexton was diagnosed with postpartum depression. Sexton was soon admitted to ...
Holub uses the imagery of “a face, or an eye, or a picture” to connect back to the reader, and then ends with “a picture of a picture” to puzzle the reader, make them more involved to observe the change rather than imagine it. The third stanza becomes more ‘real’ than the previous, as the mysteriousness of a fog is put forward, but reassurance is stated, that the fog will clear. This metaphor is used to sustain the theory, that change could be anything. In the third stanza, the repetition of “Even if” emphasises Holub’s continued persuasive language that the reader must go and open the door. The imagery becomes increasingly prominent with “the darkness ticking” and “the hollow wind”. He ends on “nothing is there”, exaggerating again on his point that change can be anything. The last stanza releases the tension that was built in the poem, revealing that at least some change will come about.
In my view, “The Door” best examines ideas about change, through its use of contrasting imagery by directly relating to the reader as to what change might be. His directed speech of “Go and open the Door” engages with the audience, so they are able to reflect and explore what change can bring about. Holub keeps open to the fact that change could be anything, by introducing more negative ideas on change such as the fog. His used of persuasive language “Even if” and Suspense “Maybe” continues to explore the idea of change being anything.
