Two Ways of Seeing a River by Mark Twain
What the first responder gave you are known as similes which are basically the same as metaphors (in the way that they compare two things) except they use like or as.
Metaphors can be vague and open to interpretation.
The river itself is clearly a metaphor, as to what it is a metaphor for is unclear to me.
I believe that each reader will choose as to what this metaphor means for themselves (and I think that will be based on experiences that they had in life).
To me the river is either life itself or perhaps more likely an experience in life (notice how he says it's unfamiliar from what he is used to at home). To me this speaks of a life experience perhaps a journey or maybe even a relationship.
One thing is clear and that is that what he is talking about he was excited to learn about at first, he was very focused and determined to learn more about it, this experience (whatever it may be) is something that was once of great interest to him. It intrigued him, astonished him and I might go as far to say he had some love/hope/belief for it at some point in time.
But as he "mastered" it or perhaps grew some knowledge about this river it started to loose it's magic. If the river is life I can see what he's saying, as I look at my niece she is filled with joy, she's untouched by the world, innocent, she's too young to understand a lot of things that happen. I noticed, myself, that as I grew older I began to question more, the more questions the more knowledge. I can't help but feel the more I know the more I loose of what my niece has (whatever this essence or river of hers is). It would seem, in my opinion, that as we grow older, life can loose the magic it once had.
Have you ever seen tourists in your area? they are fascinated by the attractions, they want to see them all and perhaps at one time locals did too, but as time goes by we hardly notice them or acknowledge their importance/significance anymore. They loose their luster over time because they simply "are" and exist. Or go travel and see the graffiti and trash on the Eiffel tower, the Roman arenas, castles and such. I was surprised to see that myself but it's similar to how I was once astonished by the beauty of Pikes Peak and now I guess I hardly notice it. From time to time, rarely, I will notice the beauty of the mountains again and I'll sit there and examine them. But to be truthful more often I just go about life as if they aren't even there, my focus is elsewhere.
And that distraction may very well be the steamboat or the compass (this would be another metaphor). The compass to me stands for the conformity of life, we all grow up, get jobs, make money, pay taxes, etc. etc. etc. It can all be just so, I don't know, normal I guess. It's almost like were being pointed at an office or a cubicle. It's safe. Safe piloting. You know what I mean? it's kind of hard to explain.
The doctors may very well be yet another metaphor, ever since he lost the majesty of the river he has "pitied doctors from his heart." To me the doctors are society. They want to "fix" him, fix his heart, but he won't allow it and in fact he pities them for their beliefs and trying to make him come back to a falsehood. They don't see the beauty anymore (notice how the doctors analyze the ripples as simple "breaks" in the water, everything has become scientific, having no beauty no majesty). These "doctors" they too are masters of the river because they know so much that they miss the simple beauty of it.
That's 3, if you spent more time on it you could surely find several more, I'm sure of it.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The river was the icon of life, hope, and really any other emotion to the Cambodians. As Sundara said to Jonathan, the Americanism of "The road of life" is incorrect to her culture. A road can end, but a river keeps flowing. This would also reflect the Buddhist beliefs of reincarnation, compared to the Christian beliefs of a single life. Every event in the book that had any significance had a reference to water or a river in it. When Sundara cried, she swam in tears that were drowning her. When Moni announced her divorce, she also said she would paddle her own boat…
- 671 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Twain uses analogies in this short piece. In the first paragraph Twain says.” A broad expanse of the river turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold…” (1). Twain is comparing the way the river shined to blood because they both are red. Using analogies puts imagery into the readers head of how the scene looked. If Twain was just to compare this river to another river that he had seen it doesn’t put images in your head unless you have seen the compared thing before. When you use analogies, you are comparing two unlike things but it is still able to put that image into your head.…
- 670 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The speaker of the poem describes the rivers to be ancient and then he identifies himself with the rivers saying that [his] “soul has grown deep like the rivers”. He then enumerates different rivers (Nile, Euphrates and Mississippi) and places with historical implications: Congo and New Orleans. The latter appears in the same line with Lincoln, which clearly alludes to emancipation of the slaves. The poem ends with the repetition of the line “my soul has grown deep like the rivers”, which emphasizes the significance of identifying his soul with the rivers, establishing some similarities which we will examine…
- 524 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the middle section of the passage Barry shifts his focus from rivers in general to the river system which he believes to be most multifaceted and most impressive, the Mississippi. This narrows Barry’s focus and allows him to expand more deeply on the single river system of the Mississippi. He personifies the river by saying “it acts… it roils”. Barry is saying that the Mississippi is alive; it dictated its own path and cannot be controlled. In the third paragraph Barry uses four similes to say that the Mississippi river is so complex and dynamic that no single image can capture it’s essence in whole. In that one paragraph Barry described the river “Like an uncoiling rope…snapping like a whip…trying to devourer its self” and “whirling and foaming like a whirlpool”. These four similes somewhat overload the readers mind when trying to envision what the…
- 522 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The entire poem contains one extended metaphor about a boat on a river. The development of the metaphor began in verse two when the author compared his hands to paddles, because the man uses his hands to propel himself and navigate around the street and pavement. Next, the author used “familiar waters” implying that the street he was on was a river and that he does this often; hence the word familiar. Because of the extended metaphor, we can infer that the block of wood may also be a boat navigating across the waters. When we put all the pieces together we get a full, clear image: The man was getting around on his boat (“block of wood”), paddling (“hands are paddles”), speeding against the current (“Silk-stockinged legs”) and all of this happening throughout the vast river (“Queen Street”). The tone of the poem was heroic because in a sense the author is praising the man throughout the poem by describing all the things he has to…
- 550 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Washington Irving wrote a lot of metaphores in the story,"The Legend of Sleepy Hallow". If its the setting of story or maybe about the a metaphore about the charactors.…
- 608 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Figurative language is used in the meanings of words are not literal and literary devices are appropriate to literature rather than everyday speech or writing. This poem is one of those poems that catches your eye, and so…
- 667 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
What is most interesting about this story is actually its lack of metaphorism. Only in the beginning is there actually a reference to a metaphysical metaphoric object. The rest of the story is only about the physical properties of the metaphor and its affect physical effects on the populace of the community. The writer relies upon the reader to make his own inferences about his written words. As opposed to integrating the metaphors into his writing.…
- 853 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Water is the one of the most primal archetypes. It represents resurrection, purification and redemption. In the case of The Things They Carried, water is a constant companion to the characters of the story, whether good or bad. Water, in this book though, can also represent feeling of guilt and shame and the struggle involved with war. In some instances, the characters are desperate to find the purification that water typically provides. Sometimes they get that and sometimes they don’t. In this novel, water, typically mentioned in the form of a river, cannot only symbolize life but also death.…
- 900 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
He has hardly ever been in the peaceful, natural countryside and is overwhelmed by his senses. After stepping out of the river into the night air and safety Bradbury uses metaphor to help create imagery. The first metaphor comes in the phrase, “The land rushed at him, a tidal wave”. This metaphor helps the reader understand how overwhelmed Bradbury is to be on land again after being in a river for so long. Bradbury also uses personification in the phrase, “He was crushed by darkness and the look of the country and the million odors on a wind that iced his body.” Bradbury gives darkness, the country, and smells the ability to crush Montag as well as ice him. Bradbury uses metaphor yet again by writing, “The stars poured over his sight like flaming meteors.” In this quote Bradbury gives the reader an image of Montag seeing stars in their entire beauty for the first time. There is one other literary device Bradbury uses throughout the entirety of this quote, imagery. Every metaphor and bit of personification leads toward creating an image of Montag stepping out of the river. He gives the reader the feeling of being on land, the incredible amount of darkness, the crushing beauty of the countryside, the scent of the wind, and the millions of stars that freckle the blackness of the night. Bradbury uses these literary devices in order to show the reader a perfect picture of the night that Montag steps into when he emerges from the river. Bradbury also does it to show how overwhelming it is to step out of a crowded, dirty, and artificial city into a serene, stunning, natural world. In this quote Bradbury writes Montag stepping out of the river using metaphor, personification, and imagery to give the reader a complete picture of the night’s beauty and how overwhelming it is for Montag, coming from a…
- 997 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
One way this river can be seen as symbolic is that it acts as a divider. The river divides the region so that Marlow is separated from the natives and also from Kurtz. This helps Marlow see both sides of the continent. As a result Marlow would be able to see both sides of the situation. It helps him see the good of the…
- 162 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
He is describing what happened once he saw land. He states that the water became still bringing him a sense of peace. Therefore, the water represents serenity and hope.…
- 770 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The River is a song by Jordan Feliz, and it one of my favorite and most influential songs. I first heard it during a Nationals game as Daniel Murphy’s walk-up song. The lyrics are about going to a river to pray, repent, and become born again. As an atheist, I try to avoid being acquainted with religious ideas or opinions, as I believe that religion has become a sensitive issue in many cases nowadays. But after listening to the song a few times, I started to love it, and it soon had a great impact on myself.…
- 282 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an object is described by comparing it to something else. For example in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies; For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.” (In lines 2-4) Shakespeare is comparing more prayer to lesser grace and happy to hermia. Shakespeare uses metaphors to allow the audience to create a better understanding of the text. It also involves the viewers in a sense, giving them a chance to relate to the…
- 403 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
“Reading the River” by Mark Twain fkdjsaljdaskljfdksajfkdjsakfjkdljajfdksajfdjsajflkdsja. I believe the message of this memoir is that everything changes as life goes on. In this memoir Twain looks back in his life to his younger years. He reflects on how he saw the river when he first started working on it, and then later he states “all the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat.” (Twain) Twain is stating that he use to see the river for all of its beauty and romance but now all he sees is the river for his career. I have to agree with Twain. I believe that once we see something the first time it will never be the same. As life goes on things change,…
- 275 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays