Sounds in Poetry

The sounds that are heard in poems allows a reader to further connect to the characters in the poem. As personification lends itself to the sense of vision, sound in a poem does the same for the sense of hearing. In "Out, Out" Frost doesn't need to describe the saw for the reader to further understand the scene, instead he states, "Buzz- snaw snarled and rattled." By using words that connote a certain noise, Frost allows the reader to not only see words on a page, but also to hear them.

First Half of 3rd Paragraph

An important contrast to Hamlet, Claudius speaks with a power and conviction one can only derive from an absolute lie. The King’s words and phrases seem rehearsed, as if when he comforts Hamlet, he knows exactly how to permeate Hamlet’s thoughts through sheer confidence. Claudius’ strong sense of sureness is portrayed through repetition as well as an overbearing tone. When the King speaks of his own sadness over the death of his brother, he repeats his words to try and convince his peers of his immense sadness. He duplicates words first when he states, “To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom, to be contracted in one brow of woe” (1.2.3-4), then again a couple lines later, “With an auspicious and a dropping eye, with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage…” (1.2.11-12)...

Symbolism in Yates' Poem

A symbol is a thing that represents or stands in for an object, function, or process. The falcon portrayed in Yates’ poem “The Second Coming” is a symbol of liberty, freedom, and victory in a dark and destructive time. However, the falcon “cannot hear the falconer,” meaning that the peace will not come in the “anarchy” and “blood-dimmed tide” that Yates describes.