Snakecharmer and In the Snake Park :: essays research papers

The poem, â€Å"Snakecharmer†, is a poem that conveys an underlying theme of power and control, as represented by the snakecharmer, through the nature of the snakes and their relationship with the snakecharmer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no consistent rhyme scheme to the poem, and almost all the stanzas in the poem have run-on lines to the following stanza. The effect these create is a general atmosphere of inconsistency and disorder. The run-on lines also place an emphasis upon the last word of the stanza and the first word of the following, helping the poet impress upon the reader the significance of words such as â€Å"river†, â€Å"tongues†, â€Å"snakes†, â€Å"shapes† and â€Å"rules†. The atmosphere of inconsistency and disorder that is created can also be linked to the free, uncontrollable movement of the snakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poet also uses repetition of the word snake to impress upon the reader the fact that snakes are all there is in this world, a hypnotic effect that brings clearly to the reader the image of a â€Å"world of snakes†. The sibilance of the words Plath chooses to use creates an indistinctly ominous effect that is lazy and almost hypnotic to the reader. The sibilant â€Å"s† is present at least once in every line of the poem, exaggerating that effect, which is very much like the movement of a snake holding its prey in thrall before the kill. Thus the atmosphere of disorder and inconsistency is threaded with an indistinct sense of foreboding for the reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first stanza, the â€Å"snakecharmer† is generalized as he is juxtaposed with â€Å"gods† and â€Å"man†. The grand style of the first line is continued through to the second as the charming of snakes is likened to the beginning of worlds; â€Å"begins a snaky sphere†. Here the reader is made aware of the amount of power the snakecharmer possesses in his control over the snakes. The grand style abovementioned gives a sense of grandeur to the snakecharmer, and the tone of this stanza is subtly respectful towards him. In the last line of the stanza, the word â€Å"pipes† is repeated; â€Å"mouth-pipe. He pipes. Pipes green. Pipes water†; that has an almost hypnotic effect on the reader. This could be because the repetition of a word coupled with frequent use of caesuras gives a calming effect that can soothe the reader while commanding his attention. This is precisely the effect the snakecharmer has on the snakes.

Analysis of Comments on a New York Times Article Essay

The article. â€Å"Forced From Executive Pay to Hourly Wage. † which was written by Michael Luo and was published in the New York Times last February 28. 2009. fundamentally told the narrative of people who used to gain five or six-figure sums per twelvemonth. are now being paid hourly minimal rewards. One illustration in the article was the instance of Mark Cooper. who used to gain $ 70. 000 as a security director for Fortune 500 Company in the United States and who oversees a budget of $ 1. 2 million. Nine months ago. he lost his occupation and now he is gaining $ 12 an hr in his occupation at his friend’s janitorial services company. Although the article itself is appealing plenty. it is besides interesting to observe the readers’ remarks about it. As of now. there are 300 remarks about the article and upon reexamining most of them. it can be surmised that each reader who commented had significantly different point of views and sentiments about the narrative told in the New York Times article. Obviously. these readers adhere to different moral codifications which are seen through their responses. In general. the readers who commented on the article can be divided into two groups: one group lauded the brave act of Mark Cooper while the other criticized the manner of authorship and the elusive message that New York Times author used in the article. One of the reader’s who praised the article narrative admired the bravery of Mr. Cooper as he was able to take down his pride and found ways to supply for his household even if it means that he has to scour lavatories and hold his salary dramatically reduced from five figures to an hourly pay without any benefits. In a sense. this group extremely regarded the value of difficult work and get downing all over once more in a dignified manner. Most of their remarks fundamentally indicated that Mr. Cooper is non entirely and that there are 100s of Americans who have similar â€Å"riches to rags† narratives. These readers. based on their remarks. besides believed that there is no shame being hapless every bit long as 1 has a dignified and lawful occupation. On other manus. the other group of readers who commented on the article criticized the New York Times for insinuating that those who work blue-collar occupations are lower signifiers of human existences than those who work white-collar 1s. They see the article as know aparting to Americans who have been populating their lives below the poorness line for a long clip even before the current economic crisis. For illustration. one reader lamented that article more or less showed that a $ 12-an-hour occupation is an indecorous manner of life. which is non true. In add-on. one reader did non experience sorry for Mr. Cooper and commented that he had a batch to be grateful for because he lives in an above norm house and was able to populate a rich life. To this reader. the economic crisis makes everyone in America equal because they are fighting to do ends meet. However. what’s common in all the readers’ responses is that they could all associate to the troubles experienced by the people depicted in the article. In fact some of the readers. who are obviously from different walks of life. shared their ain narratives in their remarks. In other words. the individual factor that binds all the readers who commented is the adversity brought approximately by the fiscal crisis in America. In a manner. the article’s remarks show two things: one is that there are a batch of Americans who are so used to a good life that they are apparently caught off-guard when a lay waste toing fiscal crisis like this hits them and the other is that due to the crisis. most Americans would be willing to take on any occupation merely to last. But the remarks besides indicated that Americans are more incorporate in accomplishing a common end which is to retrieve from the lay waste toing effects of the crisis and reconstruct their lives. Works Cited Luo. Mark. â€Å"Forced From Executive Pay to Hourly Wage. † 28 February 2009. New York Times. 4 March 2009 & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nytimes. com/2009/03/01/us/01survival. hypertext markup language? pagewanted=1 & A ; _r=2 & A ; sq=executive % 20janitor & A ; st=cse & A ; scp=1 & gt ; .

Forge by Laurie Anderson Literary Analysis

Forge is Laurie Halse Anderson’s second installment to the Chains series following up her previous novel, Chains. The escapades of the young African American slaves, Isabel and Curzon, continue in this sequel to Chains. Young Curzon and Isabel are forced to endure the hardships of maturing during the demanding time of the American Revolution. Curzon and Isabel are runaway slaves who have a high risk of getting captured with their past catching up to them every step of the way. Forge is told from the perspective of Curzon in a journal-like fashion, each entry has a date. Laurie Halse Anderson had a team of researchers gather an immense amount of information on the American Revolution and the time period to make her Historical Fiction novel as realistic as possible. By making Forge’s novel structure journal entries from Curzon’s angle, Anderson was adept in making the reader connect, investigate, and comprehend his character and the American Revolution further. Curzon is faced with many changes in the Forge including maturing into a young adult. Many readers will be able to make a strong connection to the feelings and the new challenges evoked by young Curzon’s first hand view into becoming a man. Anderson’s target audience is young adults for a reason. Forge is a great â€Å"coming of age novel† like The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. Since the book is in a journal entry format, many readers who are going through the similar changes can get a day by day account of growing up which creates a very strong relationship between the reader and Curzon. Curzon experiences mixed emotions for Isabel, even ones that he has never felt before. Curzon seemed to have a big brother type of relationship at the beginning of Forge but toward the end he develops somewhat of tenderness for Isabel. All the amends to his life are very evident in his action which is an experience that everyone will more. Each journal entry is headed with an important date that has relevance to events that happen in the American Revolution. Curzon was a soldier in the Patriot army which subjected him to many battles. After reading a Chapter in Forge, you can search the date of the entry. You can find out a great deal more about what Curzon was experiencing. Anderson didn’t just find dates to match events, she had to make Curzon’s point of view as realistic as possible. This required in depth knowledge and study of other eye witness accounts of the American Revolution. Practically everything in Anderson’s novel is has historical significance, even some of the characters. While reading Forge, you are absorbing the culture and events of the Revolutionary War. Slavery is one of our nation’s biggest regrets. Winning our independence is the United States proudest moment. The two are much intertwined with each other and especially with Curzon. Each entry in Forge is filled with the hardships of being a slave and fighting for freedom as well as fighting for your country. Curzon is the narrator of Forge; each of his thoughts and feelings are described carefully in each entry. The callous and inhumane ways that Curzon was treated were completely preposterous. If Forge wasn’t formatted into diary-like entries, the reader would have a much harder time understanding the impulses of Curzon. The first person point of you makes you value his lust for freedom and his covet for the lovely Isabel much more than if it were written any other way.