Critical Analysis of Two Poems - Book Report/Review Example

English, Essay Topic: Analyse 2 Poems Poets toy with ideas and play with words and pour the latentfeelings in their hearts in the poems, with fertile imagination. They paint a picture without color and the strokes of brush. Poets are choosy about the words, and take care to see that they convey the intended meanings. In those words the literal meaning, origins and connotations are equally important to derive the total effect, and they are like the alternative beats of the same heart. Diction is poet’s special way to convey the internal fire, the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings that take the form of art and aesthetics to create the magical effects. The poems being analyzed in this essay are “For Malcolm, a Year After,” by Etheridge Knight and “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” by Emily Dickinson. "For Malcolm, A Year After,” (Hill, n. p.) is a popular ballad. He wrote this poem as an inmate at the Indiana State Prison. This poem is a “tribute to Malcolm X.”(Hill, n. p.) He asked the fellow “prisoners about Malcolm X the year after Malcolm’s assassination,” (Hill, n. p.) what was that date. None was able to give the correct answer. An agitated Knight reverted to his barracks and wrote the poem. His angry mood is reflected through the poem. “Because I could not stop for Death,” is a lyric poem by Emily Dickinson, published posthumously in 1890. Compiled and edited by her friends Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. The poem was titled, “The Chariot,” initially. It relates to Death. The poet elucidates Death as a noble individual, who rides the carriage with her body to take it to the grave. In effect, the poet personifies immortality. The main points discussed in the poems are two faces of death. One merging with the eternity, another is the tragic termination of the life-force. Emily Dickinson examines Death from a friendly encounter and from the philosophical perspective of immortality, whereas Etheridge Knight reacts to Death with controlled vehemence for the violent end of an ideologue and challenges the causes leading to that tragedy. The literary element discussed in this paper is diction. Poetic diction is the distinctive language employed by the poets that is not common day slang. Diction involves archaism, rhyme, neologisms and figures of speech. Poetic diction is much different from daily speech and they succeed in demanding the attention of the readers. Words are used intelligently by the poets to convey feelings, action and attitudinal issues. The choice of one word to challenge the other is diction. Dickinson does not turn away from mortality and the she challenges Death as if it is a friendly encounter, --Oh, Death, come on, I sport with you! Thus the choice of diction is critical in the delivery of the message of the poem. “For Malcolm, A Year After,” is a political support statement for a black leader who commanded the respect of the poet. He intelligently and deliberately “manipulates metrical tensions and rhyme schemes”,(Hill, n. p.) as he constructs the statement for the slain nationalist leader. He launches the attack with a stinging statement, but holds it well to check the “self-destructive emotional explosion.”(Hill, n. p.) “Control the burst of angry words Or they might boil and break the dam” (L, 3-4) “Rhyme connects the form in the “iamb” (L, 2) and the anger in “dam.” (L, 4) He writes in the language of the white man, but from the bottom of his heart, he rejects it. He detaches himself away from the rhyme in “mad” (L, 5) “The second stanza emphasizes that while Knight uses the Euro-American culture's form, he uses it to advance the political cause of Black Nationalism. Inverting the traditional conceit of the poem living eternally despite the death of the man, Knight writes that his poem, an artifact of the oppressive culture, will die, but its message, the message of Malcolm X, will live.” (Hill, n. p.)The next lines of the poem are implicit parody of “the standard couplet form” (Hill, n. p.) to reiterate the revolutionary emotions that marked “the life and death of Malcolm X.”(Hill, n. p.) “Death might come singing sweet like C Or knocking like the old folk say, The moon and stars may pass away, But not the anger of that day.” (L, 12-15) The poet conveys a significant piece of information about the history of Blacks in America, in a few well-chosen words. “Because I could not Stop for Death,” deserves a perfect 10 and it is flawless viewed from any angle. Its movement and development are smooth, unlike that of Knight, which is full of twists, turns and bumps. Each image explains something profound and beautiful, and linked to the central idea. The first image creates an expectation about the next image being introduced. The flow is lucid, and a garland of flowers has been created as if, out of the theme of death, and the one controlling death is benevolent, as if he is taking a lady for the pleasure drive. The terror of death is duty bound, performs his functions to fulfill the objective of Immortality. He does his job without malice and with love and marches toward the final goal without making any comment about it. Physical disintegration is the challenge to immortality of the soul. Dickinson’s diction has two important components. She uses words of Latin or Greek origin, and in sharp context, introduces the Saxon element, as if they are the alternative beats of the same heart. She correctly gauges the metaphysical relations of these two languages and uses them appropriately to maximum advantage. To her death is not the tragedy of the spirit, but a conduit of emancipation. She creates perfect images of mortality, immortality and eternity, and gives an interesting and beautiful commentary on the perception of life. Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me—(L, 1, 2) In these lines Death is personified as a carriage driver, and his benevolent quality is depicted with the use of the word “kindly,” as death is normally perceived as a tragic event. The next two line lead one to a challenging situation. The Carriage held but just Ourselves— And Immortality—(L, 3, 4) The third and fourth lines explain the dramatic situation. Death is at the service of Immortality. The principle characters of the poem have been introduced briskly with telling effect and metaphorically. The phrase, “And Immortality,” stands alone, emphasizing its high importance, as the second passenger. The phrases “slowly drove” and “knew no haste” (L, 5) throws light on the characterization of the driver and seals the intimacy suggested through the phrase, “held just ourselves.”(L, 3) “For his civility” (L, 4) elucidates the kind disposition of the carriage driver. Even in the last stages of the journey when the carriage reaches the final resting place, the poet does not create a grim and sorrowful situation. The mood of the poet turns somber. By employing the phrases like “swelling of the ground,"(L, 18) the roof "scarcely visible"(L, 19) and the “Cornice in the Ground,” (L, 20) indicate the grave and the traveler on the carriage sinking out of sight for ever. The word “Paused” (L, 18) indicates the termination of relationship of the individual that has been liberated from the mortal bindings and the final embrace with the death, of remains of him, the body! Conclusion The “Death” in both the poems substantially varies in connotation. In the poem of Dickinson, it is the peaceful termination of its relationship with Planet Earth. The dead body is carried with all the respect due to it and it is the conclusion of a peaceful story of life on the Planet Earth. The death of Malcolm X by Knight will always be referred to in the pages of American racial history daubed in bloodshed. It generates strong emotions, especially in the hearts of the combustible Black youths of America. This death is regrettable and difficult to condone. Whereas Dickinson conveys a series of profound philosophical ideas through the issue of death, Knight has just one straightforward case, to avenge the death of Malcolm X, though his controlled poetic outburst. The former takes the mind of the reader to a peaceful reverie. The later pierces the heart of the reader, for justifiable reasons. Works Cited Dickinson, Emily. “Because I could not stop for Death” - Academy of American Poets. n. d. Web:www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15395,Accessed on March 12, 2013 Hill, Patricia Liggins. “For Malcolm, A Year After” Modern American Poetry, n. d. Web:www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/knight/malcolm.htm, Accessed on March 12, 2013 Read More