Poem Analysis

Part A
What are the most important symbolic associations of the color green in
Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill”?
The color green in “Fern Hill” is used to symbolize the various emotions that
the speaker feels during various phases of his life. In the beginning, in line 2, the
speaker associates the color green with happiness. He says, “happy as the grass
was green.” The color green here symbolizes his feeling at the time. Further in line
9, the speaker says, “I was green and carefree.” Here green is associated with being
young. He felt young and carefree. Further, he emphasizes this feeling when he
says, “and green and golden I was.” The repetition here is meant to lay emphasis
on his feeling about his youth. Further, the speaker demonstrates his vulnerable
state. He wants the reader to know that though he is happy, his happiness is fragile.
He says, “fire green as grass.” He uses green to mean happiness. When he talks
about a fire that is as green as grass, then he alludes to a possibility of the fragility
of his happiness. The same way fire would destroy grass is the same way his
happiness can easily be destroyed. As the poem progresses, green is being
associated with loss and naivety. The speaker refers o the children as “green and
golden” and then says that over time, they were being led out of grace. The young,
carefree, and happy children are also naive and easily led astray. The greenness is

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thus a disadvantage and a source of weakness. Lastly, the speaker seems desperate
and unhappy. He compares reen to death. Green is at first associated with
happiness, but as the poem comes to an end, it loses its vitality and is now
associated with death.
Identify the metaphors and the similes in Earle Birney’s poem “From the
Hazel Bough.” Is his use of the metaphors different from his use of the
similes?
The poem uses various examples of metaphors and similes. Similes include
“her legs swam by like lovely trout,” “she was plump as a finch and lived as a
salmon,” “gay as silk and proud as a Brahmin.” The similes here have been used to
give a vivid description of the lady. They non only describe her physical
appearance but her character as well. Metaphors are also used for the same
purpose, to describe the lady. For example, the poet says, her “eyes were trees” to
describe the appearance of her eyes.
In “love is more thicker than forget,” e.e., cummings uses alliteration,
assonance, and consonance. Identify an example of each and comment on the
effect of these devices in the poem.
Cummings uses various poetic devices in the poem to help better convey the
meanings. For instance, there is frequent use of alliteration in the poem. For
example, the poet writes, “it is most mad and moonly” the consonant /m/ is

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repeated three times in this line. The artistic choice of words helps the poet create
an intriguing poem and deliver meaning as well. Here, the poet explains that there
are good times and bad times in love. For love to make sense, people must
understand that it is eternal and messy at the same time. The poet also uses
assonance. For example, in the line, “is deeper than the sea.” The vowel ‘e’
appears severally. It is used to help the audience understand the nature of love. As
much as the sea is deep, love is deeper than that. This shows how big it is. Further,
Cummings uses consonance in the poem. It is evident in the lines, “less bigger than
the least begin” and “less littler than forgive.” The repetition of the sound /e/ is an
example of consonance in the poem. The poet uses it here to emphasize love. It
cannot be compared to forgiveness, and it is more mysterious than humans think.
What is the chief symbol in Gwendolyn MacEwen’s “The Red Bird You Wait
For”? What does the symbol suggest beyond its literal meaning?
The bird is the chief symbol in MacEwen’s poem. The poet describes the
bird passionately and even says that it will fall in giant wings. Literally, the bird is
big and carries with it good news. Although the poet says that it is uninvited, it still
descends. It thus implies that the bird is a necessary guest and will come whether
or not it is invited. The bird in the poem symbolizes a person’s talent or exemplary
ability at something. It could refer to the poet’s great ability to write poems or
another person’s. This is evident when the poet writes, “its name you have buried

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in your blood.” It shows that the poet is referring to an innate ability. The poet also
writes, “I have felt it crash through my flesh.” The urge to write poems or venture
into poetry is what the poet is referring to in this line. It is a desire that can no
longer be hidden given its giant wings.
Describe the rhyme pattern in W. B. Yeats’s poem “Leda and the
Swan” and comments on its effect.
Yeat’s poem has a rhythm that is mostly iambic pentameter. The rhyme
scheme is as follows, abab cdcd efg efg. The end rhymes are full; for example, for
instance, one, there is still/push and caressed/breast. The rhyme makes the poem
musical. The recitation is pleasurable. It gives the poem an established form or
pattern, thus making it interesting for the reader. Further, the rhyme in the poem
gives it a sense of ending and fullness. For instance, still/ push. Reading these
words at the end of sentences provides a sense of finality.
Part B
The Poem, The Child who Walks Backwards by Lorna Crozier, is written
from a neighbor’s point of view. The neighbor is narrating an interesting
relationship between a mother and her son. The tone is generally diplomatic, and
the poet’s choice of diction makes it an interesting one to read. The poem talks
about child abuse. The woman, who is the mother to the young boy, abuses him.
The neighbor notices various signs of abuse, but the mother lies about her son’s

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behavior which is allegedly responsible for the marks on the young boy’s body. In
the beginning, the poem has subtle diction. The poet writes, “my neighbor tells
me” here, the choice of words “tells me” instead of maybe told me or said shows
that there had been an ongoing conversation about the boy’s state.
Further, the choice of words in the first sentence show distrust and doubt. It
is an indication that the neighbor knows another side of the story that the mother is
not revealing. Further, the neighbor states that “corners and doorknobs have
pounded their shapes into his face. The diction here shows that these items are
purposefully ut to hurt and injure the boy, which is not the case. It shows a
deliberate effort to hurt the boy by his mother. Though she lies about the cause of
the injuries, the neighbor knows she has been abusing the boy.
Additionally, the poet’s choice of language and use of figurative speech
helps convey the poem’s meaning. The poet writes, “he plummets through the halls
like a wounded bird” (Crozier 9). The use of simile here shows that the abuse has
affected the boy so much that he no longer enjoys nighttime. The use of hyperbole
is also evident. The neighbor says that the “child sacks his cheeks on the floor”
(15). This is an exaggerated lie because it is not possible to hit one’s cheeks against
the floor, both sides at the same time. The injuries show that the boy had been
slapped by his mother. Hyperbole is also used in this line, “cracks his skull on the
bedpost.” As much as the boy is injured, cracking his skull would leave him

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hospitalized. The poet uses hyperbole to show the extent of damage and injuries on
the small boy.
Unfortunately, the mother does not show remorse. Instead, she lies and fails
to reveal the truth about her son’s state. She even says that “he walks backward,”
which is not true. The neighbor concludes by saying that as the child gets hurt, the
mother “lies sleeping.” Sleeping here has been used symbolically to show her
disinterest in the boy’s wellbeing. As a mother, she has a responsibility to protect
the child, but she does not. The poem has a sad mood. It exposes the abuse of a
young boy who is defenseless by the one person who should protect him; his
mother.