Rules of Engagement: 1 - You must ADD ON to discussion. Do not repeat either what was said in class OR what someone else already posted about the poem you are discussing. 2 - Please indicate WHICH QUESTION you are answering in your response. 3 - Answer only ONE question. 4 - Make sure you answer ALL parts of that question--i.e. If it asks you to identify a poetic device like alliteration and connect to meaning, make sure you connect to meaning. :)
"The Moths" (p.6)
1. How does seeing the moths help the speaker in her life? Explain and support your answer with textual evidence.
2. Choose one of the following devices, identify it in the poem, and connect it to meaning: metaphor, imagery, alliteration.
The moths help the speaker in life by giving her a different understanding/ vision to life. Whenever the speaker is alone by herself and is just enjoying nature and the outside world she feels more alive. But, when she stops thinking about what the world should be instead of what the world really is she feels pain, loneliness, and sadness. “I was always running around, looking at this and that.” If I stopped the pain was unbearable.” This quotes explains well that the world is a dark place for sometimes if you don't look into the real meaning of life and to enjoy what's around you.
In Mary Oliver's "The Moths" she uses imagery to portray the interests she views in her poem, for the reader. Imagery is a poetic termanology that paints a picture in your head after you read a poem. Imagery is not used with "The Moths" for every stanza, however, in the ninth stanza, the deep description of the words "the wings of the moths catch the sunlight and burn so brightly." make the reader imagine and therefore the words create a picture book in the readers mind. This is used typically to show the reader what the character is seeing in the poem, generally giving importance to that section as imagery is not used throughout the entirety of the poem. For instance, "If I stopped the pain was unbearable" does not give the reader much of an image in their mind as they glance over the words, because it is more of a thought in the character's mind, rather than something tangible they are encountering. Using imagery the way she did, sparingly, Oliver automatically makes the reader imagine the details of the moth because of the overall importance they hold in the poem. Saying how the wings of the moths "catch the sunlight and burn so brightly" gives them more of a subtle but noticeable emotion rather than saying something along the lines of "the moths were lit with sunlight". The way she worded it gives the moths more of a bold character in the poem overall, thus making the reader more conscious of them, giving them more of an importance throughout the poem because Oliver spends most of the time depicting the moths rather than herself or the forest of flowers she is wondering around in.
(#1) In the poem, "The Moths" by Mary Oliver, the author describes an "unbearable pain" which is contradicting to the beautiful moths she is describing as well. I think she is trying to justify happiness in a very cruel world. She explains the pain in the world, but her diction when it comes to the moths distracts you from the negativity mid-poem. I think the moths help the author see the good in the bad, beautiful moths in an ugly world, wings that burn but also catch the sunlight. The message portayed is that there is always gonna be bad that comes with the good but you get to decide whether or not you will let that control your life. The end of the poem recites, "At night, sometimes,/they slip between the pink lobes/of the moccasin flowers and lie there until dawn,/motionless/in those dark halls of honey." The author is implying that that the moths will come out again even after being in the dark; accepting the presence of pain is okay but letting it consume your happiness is not.
In the poem, "The Moths" by Mary Oliver the moths help the speaker realize her individuality and unnoticed self beauty. The speaker describes the moths, "..White moths, i don't know what kind, that glimmers by mid-May in the forest, just as the pink moccasin flowers are rising." The use of vivid imagery helps the reader visualize the feeling of the enjoyable weather in May and the sight of the pink flowers. The speaker speaks of the moths as something delicate and fragile, as most people view moths as nothing special and ugly, or even scary. The speaker sets a whole new perspective on the moths. Unlike the comparison between butterflies which people seem to appreciate and enjoy the sight, The speaker could've used butterflies but there was a reason she used the moths. Moths are a representation of how she views herself, "You aren't much, I said one day to my reflection in a green pond, and grinned." She came to a realization that she is like the moths, only noticed if taken the time to appreciate, "If you notice anything, it leads you to notice more and more." The speaker is saying here that if taken the time to stop and appreciate who you are and how you are, you will learn to accept yourself, and you don't need to be a butterfly to gain a sense of beauty.
The moths help the speaker in life by giving her a different understanding/ vision to life. Whenever the speaker is alone by herself and is just enjoying nature and the outside world she feels more alive. But, when she stops thinking about what the world should be instead of what the world really is she feels pain, loneliness, and sadness. “I was always running around, looking at this and that.” If I stopped the pain was unbearable.” This quotes explains well that the world is a dark place for sometimes if you don't look into the real meaning of life and to enjoy what's around you.
ReplyDeleteIn Mary Oliver's "The Moths" she uses imagery to portray the interests she views in her poem, for the reader. Imagery is a poetic termanology that paints a picture in your head after you read a poem. Imagery is not used with "The Moths" for every stanza, however, in the ninth stanza, the deep description of the words "the wings of the moths catch the sunlight and burn so brightly." make the reader imagine and therefore the words create a picture book in the readers mind. This is used typically to show the reader what the character is seeing in the poem, generally giving importance to that section as imagery is not used throughout the entirety of the poem. For instance, "If I stopped the pain was unbearable" does not give the reader much of an image in their mind as they glance over the words, because it is more of a thought in the character's mind, rather than something tangible they are encountering. Using imagery the way she did, sparingly, Oliver automatically makes the reader imagine the details of the moth because of the overall importance they hold in the poem. Saying how the wings of the moths "catch the sunlight and burn so brightly" gives them more of a subtle but noticeable emotion rather than saying something along the lines of "the moths were lit with sunlight". The way she worded it gives the moths more of a bold character in the poem overall, thus making the reader more conscious of them, giving them more of an importance throughout the poem because Oliver spends most of the time depicting the moths rather than herself or the forest of flowers she is wondering around in.
ReplyDelete(#1) In the poem, "The Moths" by Mary Oliver, the author describes an "unbearable pain" which is contradicting to the beautiful moths she is describing as well. I think she is trying to justify happiness in a very cruel world. She explains the pain in the world, but her diction when it comes to the moths distracts you from the negativity mid-poem. I think the moths help the author see the good in the bad, beautiful moths in an ugly world, wings that burn but also catch the sunlight. The message portayed is that there is always gonna be bad that comes with the good but you get to decide whether or not you will let that control your life. The end of the poem recites, "At night, sometimes,/they slip between the pink lobes/of the moccasin flowers and lie there until dawn,/motionless/in those dark halls of honey." The author is implying that that the moths will come out again even after being in the dark; accepting the presence of pain is okay but letting it consume your happiness is not.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, "The Moths" by Mary Oliver the moths help the speaker realize her individuality and unnoticed self beauty. The speaker describes the moths, "..White moths, i don't know what kind, that glimmers by mid-May in the forest, just as the pink moccasin flowers are rising." The use of vivid imagery helps the reader visualize the feeling of the enjoyable weather in May and the sight of the pink flowers. The speaker speaks of the moths as something delicate and fragile, as most people view moths as nothing special and ugly, or even scary. The speaker sets a whole new perspective on the moths. Unlike the comparison between butterflies which people seem to appreciate and enjoy the sight, The speaker could've used butterflies but there was a reason she used the moths. Moths are a representation of how she views herself, "You aren't much, I said one day to my reflection in a green pond, and grinned." She came to a realization that she is like the moths, only noticed if taken the time to appreciate, "If you notice anything, it leads you to notice more and more." The speaker is saying here that if taken the time to stop and appreciate who you are and how you are, you will learn to accept yourself, and you don't need to be a butterfly to gain a sense of beauty.
ReplyDelete