In the poem “Icarus” by Edward Field, the author adapts the old myth of Icarus and employs a contemporary setting to the theme. Field utilize foreshadowing to create a probability of what might had happened to Icarus after he fell from the sky.
As the poem develops Icarus becomes more as an ordinary person who dreams of the greatness he felt before the fall. As the poem continues on where the myth left off, Field foreshadows the probability of Icarus life after the fall. In the quote “the gray…compelled the sun” signify that Icarus grew old after his fall. This can also foreshadow his life to be boring and ordinary. Field illustrates Icarus riding “commuter trains” and “serves in various committees” both of these quotes portrays Icarus’ present life after his fall. Another quote would be “wishes he had drowned” which directly indicate Icarus’ regret of his present life.
The poem employs Icarus to be an ordinary human just as Field illustrates Icarus’ attempt to go back to the height of his life. The quote “constructs small wings and tries to fly” signify Icarus’ will to fell the greatness of flying. Another quote would be “Fails every time… for trying” portrays that Icarus’ attempts was futile, because he can never escape from his fate. As Icarus realization come to his reality, he imagined himself as a hero who reached his downfall, the quote “He had… the hero” reinforce this.
The myth of Icarus portray Icarus’ life which he later fell to his death. But Fields poem illustrates otherwise, where Icarus survives and live a more ordinary life like a human being. Field also employs Icarus’ attempt to escape his fate by reinventing the height of his life when he was flying. Although Icarus failed on all of his attempts, he still lived a human life with regret. Icarus regrets to have survived his fall.
The Essay on Slave Life Field Slaves
As slavery continued and grew, complicated systems of social status developed on plantations. The lowest ranking slaves, the backbone of the plantation economy, were the field slaves. The field slaves were divided into 'gangs' according to their physical strength and ability, with the strongest and fittest males and females in the first gang. The highest ranking slaves were the domestic servants ...
