Question

784 poetry / the elements of poetry but the grief in my heart is stronger than they for though they were my joy formerly, today i notice them and turned away forgetting. today my son told me that in the meadows, at the edge of the heavy woods in the distance, he saw trees of white flowers. i feel that i would like to go there and fall into those flowers and sink into the marsh near them. —william carlos williams (1883 - 1963) questions 1. why is springtime so poignant a time for this lament? what has been the speakers previous experience at this time of year? 2. why does the speakers son tell her of the flowering trees \in the distance\ (23)? what does he want her to do? contrast the two locations in the poem—yard versus \meadows\ (21), \woods\ (22), and \marsh\ (28). what does the widow desire? 3. imagery may have degrees of vividness, depending on its particularity, concreteness and specific detail. what is the result of the contrast between the vividness of lines 2 - 3 and the relative flatness of lines 13 - 14? how does the fact that \masses\ (10, 11) appeals to two senses relate to the speakers emotional condition? i felt a funeral, in my brain i felt a funeral, in my brain, and mourners to and fro kept treading—treading—till it seemed that sense was breaking through— and when they all were seated, a service, like a drum— kept beating—beating—till i thought my mind was going numb— and then i heard them lift a box and creak across my soul 785 chapter four / imagery with those same boots of lead, again, then space—began to toll, as all the heavens were a bell, and being, but an ear, and i, and silence, some strange race wrecked, solitary, here— and then a plank in reason, broke, and i dropped down, and down— and hit a world, at every plunge, and finished knowing—then— —emily dickinson (1830 - 1886) questions 1. what senses are being evoked by the imagery? can you account for the fact that one important sense is absent from the poem? 2. in sequence, what aspects of a funeral and burial are represented in the poem? is it possible to define the sequence of mental events that are being compared to them? 3. with respect to the funeral activities in stanzas 1 - 3 where is the speaker imaginatively located? 4. what finally happens to the speaker? living in sin she had thought the studio would keep itself, no dust upon the furniture of love. half heresy, to wish the taps less vocal, the panes relieved of grime. a plate of pears, a piano with a persian shawl, a cat stalking the picturesque amusing mouse had risen at his urging. not that at five each separate stair would writhe under the milkmans tramp; that morning light so coldly would delineate the scraps of last nights cheese and three sepulchral bottles on the kitchen shelf among the saucers a pair of beetle - eyes would fix her own— envoy from some village in the moldings. meanwhile, he, with a yawn, sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard.

Explanation:

1. For the first poem by William Carlos Williams: Springtime is poignant as it contrasts past joy with present grief. The son tells of the trees perhaps to share a beauty, and the widow desires escape to the meadows. The contrast in imagery's vividness reflects the speaker's emotional state.
2. For the Emily Dickinson poem: The poem evokes auditory (sounds of the funeral - mourners treading, service like a drum) and tactile (senses breaking through, mind going numb) senses. The sense of smell is absent, perhaps to emphasize the internal, mental funeral. Aspects of a funeral are represented in a mental sequence. The speaker may be imagined as internally at the funeral. Finally, the speaker's reason breaks and they seem to lose consciousness.
3. For the third poem "Living in Sin": It describes the disillusionment in a relationship, with the studio not being as ideal as thought, and the mundane details highlighting the gap between expectation and reality.

Answer:

1. Springtime is poignant due to contrast of past joy and present grief. The son likely wants to share beauty. The widow desires escape to the meadows.
2. Auditory and tactile senses are evoked. Smell is absent, possibly to emphasize the internal nature. Aspects of a funeral are represented in a mental sequence. The speaker may be internally at the funeral and finally loses consciousness as reason breaks.
3. It shows disillusionment in a relationship with the studio not meeting expectations and mundane details highlighting the gap between ideal and real.