The Organization

The organization, diction, and figurative language used, in "The Great Scarf of Birds"� prepares the reader for the speaker's concluding response. The organization of the poem helps the reader to understand the importance of the event and prepares them for the speaker's concluding response. The diction shows the reader that the event that is taking place is very important to the reader because of the vivid detail used by the author. The figurative language used in the poem helps to heighten the imagery and to emphasize the importance of the event, which prepares the reader for the speaker's concluding response.

The organization of the poem is a key factor to helping the reader understand the speaker's feelings toward this event. The poem begins with the description of what the speaker sees while playing golf on an October day. When the speaker says, "I saw something to remember"� (line 2), it informs the reader that something very important is going to happen. The speaker first describes the trees and the sky, and then he starts to talk about the geese flying overhead. He then talks about the clouds, but regresses back to talking about the geese. The speaker describes all of the beautiful things around him, but it is obvious that he is most interested in the geese because he always bring his attention back to them. This shows the reader that there is something very special about the geese, and that the speaker finds them to be very important.

The diction in this poem prepares the reader for the speaker's concluding response because it shows that the speaker remembers the event very vividly; therefore it must be a very significant event in his life. An example of this is when he describes a cloud as "paled, pulsed, compressed, distended"� (line 20). Another example is when he describes the flocks of flying geese as "great straggling V's"� (line 9). Also, when the speaker says "as if out of the Bible or science fiction"� it lets the reader know that the event is very magical and mysterious. The speaker's ability to describe this scene so vividly tells the reader that this is a very important event, and that the speaker's concluding response will be very meaningful and important.

Figurative language in this poem brings more emotion and imagery to the event. This helps the reader to understand better the feelings of the speaker, which will help the reader to better, understand his response. For example, when the speaker says "a cloud appeared, a cloud of dots like iron filings which a magnet underneath the paper undulates"� and "the starlings were thicker and outlined the flock as an ink stain in drying pronounces its edges"� it heightens the imagination of the reader. It makes the reader feel as if they were there, watching the event. This helps the reader to better comprehend the speaker's response and vision of the event. Another example is when the speaker describes the flock ascending as a lady's scarf and how it is negligently tossed toward a chair. This helps the reader to picture exactly what the flock of geese looked like. Just as the flock flew away, an unwanted scarf is thrown towards a chair. This prepares the reader for the speaker's conclusion that his heart has never been lifted as it was by the lifting of that great scarf.

This poem's organization, diction, and figurative language all help the reader to better visualize the event, and to understand the view of the speaker. These components bring emotion and imagery to another level, and prepare the reader for the speaker's final response to the event.