Question

the writer by richard wilbur
in her room at the prow of the house
where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
my daughter is writing a story.
i pause in the stairwell, hearing
from her shut door a commotion of typewriter - keys
like a chain hauled over a gunwale.
young as she is, the stuff
of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy.
i wish her a lucky passage.
but now it is she who pauses,
as if to reject my thought and its easy figure.
a stillness greatens, in which
the whole house seems to be thinking.
and then she is at it again with a bunched clamor
of strokes, and again is silent.
i remember the dazed starling
which was trapped in that very room, two years ago;
how we stole in, lifted a sash
and retreated, not to affright it;
and how for a helpless hour, through the crack of the door,
we watched the sleek, wild, dark
and iridescent creature
batter against the brilliance, drop like a glove
to the hard floor, or the desk - top,
and wait then, humped and bloody,
for the wits to try it again; and how our spirits
rose when, suddenly sure,
it lifted off from a chair - back,
beating a smooth course for the right window
and clearing the sill of the world.
it is always a matter, my darling,
of life or death, as i had forgotten. i wish
what i wished you before, but harder.
directions: read the poem and complete the tpcastt method by answering the guiding questions provided for you.

1. title: what does this title suggest? what is the denotation of the writer? what are the connotations of the writer?
2. paraphrase: below, put each stanza of the poem into your own words. dont interpret or analyze the poem yet!
3. connotation: remember that this step is all about examining the poem for meaning beyond the literal. examine and explain the connotations found throughout the poem.
4. attitude: identify the speakers attitude toward the subject. then, explain how the poems diction, details, and imagery contribute to this tone.
5. shift: identify any major shifts in the poem. what indicates a shift? is there a change of attitude or mood? explain.
6. title: now its time to reexamine the title. what is its significance? what new insight can you now provide about the title?
7. theme: first, identify the subject(s) of the poem. then, determine what the poet thinks about this subject. write your theme in 1 complete sentence.
8. in lines 5 - 6, what is being compared in the simile?

Explanation:

1. TITLE: The denotation of "The Writer" is a person who writes. Connotations may include creativity, solitude in the act of writing, and the process of crafting stories. It suggests a focus on the act and identity of writing.
2. PARAPHRASE: In the first stanza, a father or mother describes their daughter writing a story in a room with light coming in and linden - trees outside. In the second, the parent hears typewriter - keys sounding like a chain being hauled. The third stanza wishes the daughter a lucky passage as her life has heavy and light elements. In the fourth, the daughter pauses in her writing, then resumes with noise and silence. The fifth and sixth stanzas recall a starling trapped in the room two years ago and its struggle to escape. The last stanza connects the starling's escape to the daughter's writing, seeing it as a matter of life or death and wishing her well more earnestly.
3. CONNOTATION: The typewriter - keys' sound as a chain being hauled could connote the weight and effort of writing. The starling represents the writer's struggle and the hope of breaking free to create. The stillness in the house when the daughter pauses may connote the contemplation in the writing process.
4. ATTITUDE: The speaker's attitude is one of concern, hope, and a sense of the gravity of the writing process. Diction like "lucky passage" and "I wish" shows care, while details of the starling and the daughter's writing process contribute to a tone of solemnity and hope.
5. SHIFT: There is a shift from the present - day description of the daughter writing to the past memory of the starling. This shift is indicated by the change in subject matter. It also brings a change in mood from the focus on the daughter's writing to the more dramatic struggle of the starling, and then back to the daughter with a more profound wish.
6. TITLE: Re - examining the title, it represents not just a person who writes but someone on a journey of creation, with the struggles and hopes similar to the starling's. It emphasizes the importance and intensity of the act of writing.
7. THEME: The poem's subject is the daughter's act of writing and the parallel between her creative struggle and the starling's physical struggle for freedom, with the speaker wishing her well in this life - or - death creative journey.
8. Simile in lines 5 - 6: The sound of typewriter - keys is being compared to a chain hauled over a gunwale, emphasizing the noisy and perhaps laborious nature of the writing process.

Answer:

1. Denotation: A person who writes. Connotations: Creativity, solitude in writing, writing process.
2. See above paraphrase.
3. See above connotation analysis.
4. Attitude: Concern, hope, sense of gravity. Tone contributed by diction, details, imagery as described.
5. Shift from daughter writing to starling memory and back. Indicated by subject - matter change, change in mood as explained.
6. Represents a creative journey with struggles and hopes.
7. The daughter's writing and its parallel to the starling's struggle, with the speaker's wish for her success.
8. Sound of typewriter - keys compared to a chain hauled over a gunwale.