A Tree Telling of Orpheus
Dillon Etherson
Period 3
22 October 2010
Analytical Essay
The poem “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov is an interesting poem that explains how a man with such a beautiful voice and such skill on his lyre that his crazed fans tore him limb from limb. His talent was so rich and amazing that even the trees would uproot themselves from the ground and follow him. It’s an inspirational story that tells the reader that with practice and dedication anyone can train their voices and stretch their skill and eventually become an amazing artist and pursue their dreams, whether it be music or something else.
When she wrote this poem she was trying to imply that with enough practice anything is possible. She is also trying to portray the life of an artist with such talent and ability that people are envious. She was also saying that he was so passionate about his music, it even says in the poem, “then as he sang it was no longer sounds only that made the music: he spoke, and as no tree listens I listened, and language came into my roots.” She was trying to portray that in his music you could hear sadness, anger, passions, and grieves. The author uses personification in this poem, example: “I a tree rejoiced in its flames” she also uses allusions and metaphors in the poem, for example: “words kept leaping over his shoulder to me.” These elements effect the reader in a way that with all those things put together it gives the reader a colorful, vivid image of what is going on, it gives them an idea of where and what the scenery looks like, and it makes them think about what they are reading and it keeps their minds going in a way that they won’t want to stop reading. What I have analyzed from this poem is the author just wants the reader to understand and get what the man with the lyre is trying to portray though his beautiful music.
In conclusion, this essay analyzed Levertov’s use of sound devices in “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” and their effects on the reader.
Period 3
22 October 2010
Analytical Essay
The poem “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” by Denise Levertov is an interesting poem that explains how a man with such a beautiful voice and such skill on his lyre that his crazed fans tore him limb from limb. His talent was so rich and amazing that even the trees would uproot themselves from the ground and follow him. It’s an inspirational story that tells the reader that with practice and dedication anyone can train their voices and stretch their skill and eventually become an amazing artist and pursue their dreams, whether it be music or something else.
When she wrote this poem she was trying to imply that with enough practice anything is possible. She is also trying to portray the life of an artist with such talent and ability that people are envious. She was also saying that he was so passionate about his music, it even says in the poem, “then as he sang it was no longer sounds only that made the music: he spoke, and as no tree listens I listened, and language came into my roots.” She was trying to portray that in his music you could hear sadness, anger, passions, and grieves. The author uses personification in this poem, example: “I a tree rejoiced in its flames” she also uses allusions and metaphors in the poem, for example: “words kept leaping over his shoulder to me.” These elements effect the reader in a way that with all those things put together it gives the reader a colorful, vivid image of what is going on, it gives them an idea of where and what the scenery looks like, and it makes them think about what they are reading and it keeps their minds going in a way that they won’t want to stop reading. What I have analyzed from this poem is the author just wants the reader to understand and get what the man with the lyre is trying to portray though his beautiful music.
In conclusion, this essay analyzed Levertov’s use of sound devices in “A Tree Telling of Orpheus” and their effects on the reader.