1. This poem is a follow-up poem to Kilmer's "Trees," one Nash wrote over 50 years later. What is Ogden Nash saying about both Nature and society? (You have to understand Kilmer's poem to understand Ogden's clever response.)
2. Discuss the function and/or image of a billboard. What do you think the billboard is a symbol of in this poem? Explain.
2. The poem “song of the open road” is saying that when a tree is cut down to make room for some advertisement that has much to no meaning it will never be as meaningful is the life of a tree. People cut down trees which are supposed to be beautiful pieces of nature freely living just to put up pointless advertisements. When it says “indeed unless the billboards fall ill never see a tree at all” this reveals that these billboards are blocking life and they will never see a tree again unless these billboards are taken out, it suggests trees are gifts and should be valued rather than ignored.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Price
ReplyDelete9-19-17
English 7th hour
Question #2: Discuss the function and/or image of a billboard. What do you think the billboard is a symbol of in this poem? Explain.
In the poem “Song of the open road,” by Ogden Nash I feel that the image of a billboard is trying to draw attention from the drivers on the open road. Nash is conveying that he “shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree.” The billboard is drawing his attention from naturally occurring trees along the road, to a giant, bright advertisement that covers up the trees. I believe that the billboard is supposed to represent how society is less and less focused on mysteries in nature(trees) and more focused on things that are insignificant. Furthermore “unless the billboards fall I’ll never see a tree at all,” explains that there are seemingly more billboards than trees and that the billboards need to fall before they completely replace beauty in nature.
1. Ogden Nash Is saying that society overlooks nature and we only focus on things such as advertisement. " I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree". He is trying to prove the point that nature is amazing and its better than all the artificial stuff like billboards. "Enless the billboard fall ill never see a tree again" this shows that society values advertising and artfical stuff more that they would cover up trees to advertise. This is a clever response becouse he is telling Joyce "I know you like trees and all but how can people appreciate them if we can't see them". When Joyce said "only God can make a tree" Ogdens response to that would be "but you can protect them by being covered up by billboards or even getting cut down. He is trying to bring her attention to the problem that not all people get to even see a tree. And if they can't see them through all the billboards they can't admire them.
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