Post 1914 Poetry Comparison. D. H. Lawrence, Snake. Sylvia Plath, Medallion.
English Literature Coursework.
Post 1914 poetry comparison. D. H. Lawrence, Snake.
Sylvia Plath, Medallion.
By close reference to these poems compare and contrast the views of snakes presented by Lawrence and Plath.
In your answer you should consider:
The tone of the poems and language used.
The moral and philosophical agendas of the poets.
In this essay I will try to compare two poems, the first of which is by D. H. Lawrence entitled Snake. The second is by Sylvia Plath and is entitled Medallion. I will compare the language used, the structure, the theme and the tone of each poem.
Firstly I will look at snake; this is because it was written first. Very simply the theme of snake is that the poet finds a snake having a drink at the poets water hole. However when you read the poem more carefully you notice certain phrases that show that Snake has another theme. This theme is respect; throughout the poem the poet tells us how much he likes the snake. Phrases such as "honoured still more" and "I felt so honoured" prove this point. This I feel also relates to the fact that Lawrence would like cosmic hierarchy reorganised so that either man should not be so high above the snake or the snake deserves to be higher, examples of this are given in phrases like "And I, like a second comer, waiting" or "must stand and wait". Man is higher in the cosmic hierarchy than a snake but still the poet had to wait for the snake. There is also the conflict that the poet has with the snake in the fact that the poet was taught to kill and fear the snake when he was young but now he has seen one he realises that it is a very elegant animal and should not be killed. Seven lines refer to this one point starting at "and voices in me" and ending at "you would kill him!" this is the nature Vs nurture debate.
The first thing one notices about the tone when you first read snake is the fact that it changes throughout the poem. At the start of the poem he seems
Post 1914 poetry comparison. D. H. Lawrence, Snake.
Sylvia Plath, Medallion.
By close reference to these poems compare and contrast the views of snakes presented by Lawrence and Plath.
In your answer you should consider:
The tone of the poems and language used.
The moral and philosophical agendas of the poets.
In this essay I will try to compare two poems, the first of which is by D. H. Lawrence entitled Snake. The second is by Sylvia Plath and is entitled Medallion. I will compare the language used, the structure, the theme and the tone of each poem.
Firstly I will look at snake; this is because it was written first. Very simply the theme of snake is that the poet finds a snake having a drink at the poets water hole. However when you read the poem more carefully you notice certain phrases that show that Snake has another theme. This theme is respect; throughout the poem the poet tells us how much he likes the snake. Phrases such as "honoured still more" and "I felt so honoured" prove this point. This I feel also relates to the fact that Lawrence would like cosmic hierarchy reorganised so that either man should not be so high above the snake or the snake deserves to be higher, examples of this are given in phrases like "And I, like a second comer, waiting" or "must stand and wait". Man is higher in the cosmic hierarchy than a snake but still the poet had to wait for the snake. There is also the conflict that the poet has with the snake in the fact that the poet was taught to kill and fear the snake when he was young but now he has seen one he realises that it is a very elegant animal and should not be killed. Seven lines refer to this one point starting at "and voices in me" and ending at "you would kill him!" this is the nature Vs nurture debate.
The first thing one notices about the tone when you first read snake is the fact that it changes throughout the poem. At the start of the poem he seems