Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “The Panther” was written about a panther locked in a cage, quickly losing hope—dwindling away. I cannot help but notice the tone of revoked freedom ringing clear throughout this poem. The poem is divided into three stanzas: a thesis, antithesis, and then a conclusion that mixes both. The first stanza the panther is powerless, the second stanza makes the panther appear to be in control, and the third stanza shows external forces seal the panther’s fate. Rilke uses one specific visual contrast in each stanza to give visual imagery. In the first stanza, Rilke uses a contrast between the seemingly never-ending number of bars and black numbness surrounding his world to show that the
Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “The Panther” was written about a panther locked in a cage, quickly losing hope—dwindling away. I cannot help but notice the tone of revoked freedom ringing clear throughout this poem. The poem is divided into three stanzas: a thesis, antithesis, and then a conclusion that mixes both. The first stanza the panther is powerless, the second stanza makes the panther appear to be in control, and the third stanza shows external forces seal the panther’s fate. Rilke uses one specific visual contrast in each stanza to give visual imagery. In the first stanza, Rilke uses a contrast between the seemingly never-ending number of bars and black numbness surrounding his world to show that the