SPRING, A Poem By Edna St. Vincent Millay

SPRING, A Poem By Edna St. Vincent Millay SPRINGBy: Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) To what purpose, April, do you return again?Beauty is not enough.You can no longer quiet me with the rednessOf little leaves opening stickily. I know what I know.The sun is hot on my neck as I observeThe spikes of the crocus.The smell of the earth is good. It is apparent that there is no death.But what does that signify?Not only under ground are the brains of menEaten by maggots. Life in itselfIs nothing,An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.It is not enough that yearly, down this hill, AprilComes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers. Spring â€Å"Spring† is a powerful free verse poem written by Edna St. Vincent Millay, in 1921 . At first glance, this poem does not seem extremely meaningful. However, the time during which it was written, explains the poems true importance because it is after World War. It contains figurative language, specifically describing post war trauma. The tone and mood enforce the element of war to a greater extent. The atmosphere created by the author is vague, but looking deeply into the metaphorical language, allows you to truly understand the casualties. In the poem â€Å"Spring† written by Edna St. Vincent Millay, war is cruel and indescribable. In quatrain three, line three, Millay writes, â€Å"Not only under ground are the brains of men.† This depicts the battlefield. The author explains that as spring arrives, the reality of the war is forgotten. Citizens continue with their lives, forgetting about the casualties. The nice weather comes, but it should have never cover ed up the war. The author is also upset. She is angry regarding the month of April. Millay is trying to ask what the point of Spring is, after the death of so many. The bright flowers, the warm sun and the nice breeze are useless when there is no one to admire them.On another note, the written part of the poem consists of four quatrains and one couplet. Three lines of each quatrain are end-stopped, while the remaining one is enjambed. In the couplet, one line is enjamed and the other is end-stopped. In the first two quatrains, the author is unsatisfied. Millay could be indecisive about the month of April. However, the remainder of the poem identifies that she is frustrated with society. The last two lines of the fourth quatrain explain this theory. She is identifying life as pointless and useless. Millay may not believe in war and is angered by it. The couplet enforces this prediction even more. The tone of the last line indicates her frustration, anger and irritation. The rhythm is irregular with no specific rhyme scene. However, this free verse poem has a pattern similar to Shakespearean poems; the first eight lines are talking about a subject, which builds up to contradict against the rest of the poem. In this case, for the first eight lines, the poet discusses the climate and nature during April, and then contrasts it to war for the rest of the poem. There are some lines in this poem, which are metaphors and have symbolism. For example, the last two lines of the fourth quatrain. The â€Å"empty cup, † symbolizes the future. It explains our future to be nothing. This is also a metaphor because it compares life to an empty cup. Fighting will lead to nothing. This is the hidden message in this line. The atmosphere of the poem always relates back to war. There is a lot of imagery in the poem. For example, line four of the first quatrain. The reader can imagine the tiny leaves opening slowly, as the day goes by. This makes it a form of imagery. In the th ird line of the third quatrain, the author is referring to a place known as ‘No Mans Land. This is the land between two trenches that all soldiers feared, because of death, due to exploding shells. Cacophonic The entire poem is cacophonic. â€Å"The sun is hot /the spikes of the crocus /eaten by maggots ,† are all unpleasant phrases. These expressions helped create the tone, which is war and casualties. This poem is unique in another sense as well. The author is speaking to the season, which is quite preposterous. The last line of this poem is another unique phrase. The author personifies April. He remarks on April as knowing nothing. It just comes and brings some useless flowers, thinking that all will become well; these shall not be accepted because of the war. The poem was an understatement because truly looking at just the text, line eleven was the only sentence, which talked about the victims. Millay has chosen her words extremely carefully when writing this poem. She vaguely describes the true meaning and theme of this literature. What I mean by this is that, without a biography, it would be difficult to infer the true theme of this poem. War is embedded in the specific langu age and the result is a truly unique poem. The precise symbolism has true meaning when deeply investigated. An illusion has been created by the title of â€Å"Spring† giving this poem an even greater twist. â€Å"Spring† by Edna St. Vincent Millay is about war and the results; an inhospitable environment with casualties and no future.

Everything has to evolve or else it perishes Essay

Denial, and acceptance, these words are intertwined with innocence, and the loss of said innocence. In order for one to mature one has to accept the truth and make necessary adjustments. The people who deny the truth don’t experience the â€Å"fall from innocence† and may be blind to the things going on around them. If the innocent chooses to accept the truth the characters â€Å"evolves† and falls from innocence. If a character chooses to deny the truth it will take a toll on the character mentally, or physically. In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses the archetype of the Fall from Innocence in order to illustrate Leper’s philosophy, â€Å"Everything has to evolve or else it perishes. † He demonstrates this theme through the characters of Leper, Finny, and Gene. Gene is a character in the book who loses his innocence. Gene is smart young man attending attending Devon school. He is best friend’s with Finny. Gene is always competing with Finny, most of the time Finny doesn’t realize this. Finny is oblivious to many of the things going around him and is always happy. Finny’s attitude and the way he carries himself frustrate Gene. Finny is â€Å"perfect† and nothing ever seems to go wrong in Finny’s life. Gene becomes jealous of Finny and begins to resent Finny for trying to sabotage his academics. These feelings of jealousy eventually cause Gene to push Finny off the tree. Gene tries to preserve his innocence by attempting to convince himself that he was not responsible for the fall and that it must have mysteriously happened. The fall shattered Finny’s legs. Deep down Gene knew that he was responsible for Finny’s fall. This experience was traumatizing for Gene. Gene would have to deal with the fact that HE was responsible for Finny not being able to do anything he loved. Gene was responsible for Finny not being able to be in the Olympics, not being able to enlist, and causing Finny to eventually lose his innocence. Gene was directly responsible for his best friend’s problems and he couldn’t ignore it. Gene chose not to enlist to stay with Finny, he chose to train for the Olympics for Finny, he probably would have done more if he had to. Gene did these to protect his innocence, and make himself feel better. He did not want to believe he was responsible and was trying to make up for the fall by doing these. After the fallt things don’t get better for Gene. It isn’t until Leper’s testimony that he must accept what he has done. When Leper confirms that it was not an accident and that Gene was responsible for breaking his best friend’s legs Gene can no longer pretend that everything is fine. Everyone including Finny knew that Gene was responsible. Gene could no longer act like he did not do it. Gene had to cope with his actions and their consequences. Accepting his actions are what lead to Gene losing his innocence. Finny is an example of the Innocent archetype, who â€Å"perishes† when he denies the truth. Finny is a prime example of the innocent, he seeks safety, he is naive and doesn’t understand or want to understand the evils of the world. Finny’s loss comes at the hands of his best friend Gene. Finny’s fall begins when he and Gene decide to jump off the tree and Finny falls off the tree. Finny is an exceptional athlete and has jumped off the tree many times. In his mind nothing like this could ever happen, he’s done things like this many times before, and has done them well. Falling off the tree could have never been his fault and he knew that. That is why he looked at Gene with â€Å"extreme interest† as he fell. Somewhere in his mind he felt that Gene could have been responsible for this but he didn’t want to believe this and chose not to. He could not believe that his best friend could have pushed him off the tree which led could have led to things for more severe than broken legs. When Gene tells Finny that he was responsible for his fall Finny continues to deny this and even apologizes for thinking Gene could have been responsible. Later on in the book when Brinker tries to find the truth about the fall and Finny has no choice but to accept the truth he continues to deny it. Rather than hearing all of the truth, that Gene was responsible for his fall, which would destroy his world he decides to leave the presence of everyone else. Finny’s suspicions were right but he, the innocent boy, can’t accept that anybody would be cruel enough to push him off the tree. As he takes the stairs to leave, he slips and falls. This fall would later be the cause of his death. Finny refuses to grow up, and accept the events taking place in his life, regardless of the evidence that shows his perfect world has many imperfections. His clouded judgement and refusal to accept the truth and evolve eventually leads to his death. Leper’s loss is portrayed through his insanity. Leper was once a sane, quiet boy who was interested in skiing, and went to school with Gene, and Finny. One day Leper found out that the army had skiing patrol and his passion for skiing lead to him enlisting in the army. Leper’s decision to enlist in the army was not influenced by the possible consequences and responsibilities of the war but by his passion to ski. Leper was not aware of the reality of the war, and what was going to happen once he enlisted. His innocence led him to believe that nothing bad could come from the war and he would only be skiing. Once he faced the reality of the war Leper could not handle it. The traumatic experiences from the war led to his insanity and him leaving the war. Leper was a timid, innocent boy who had not been exposed to the horrors of the real world and the war. Once he enlisted he had to face a world that he could not handle, his innocence was lost. In A Separate Peace three boys, Finny, Gene, and Leper all experience a â€Å"Fall from Innocence. † The three characters have to deal with circumstances they have never dealt with before. Not prepared to handle these events they experience a â€Å"Fall from Innocence. †

Human Rights And The United Nations - 959 Words

Human Rights is a conceptual idea that no matter who we are and where we are born every human is entitled to basic rights and freedoms. Human rights are not privileges and cannot be granted or revoked. They are inalienable and universal. The concept is thought provoking but becomes difficult once put into practice. This is because rights and freedoms are defined differently across societies and cultures. Different societies dictate how their people are treated and what their rights are. Key factors of implementing the idea of universal human rights must be questioned. These questions are; what constitutes basic human rights, who get to pick them, and who enforces them and how? Societies throughout history have exemplified how difficult defining and implementing valid rights and justices can be. The most modern example of an assembly defining and trying to enforce laws is the United Nations. The United Nations emerged from the ruins of WWII. The treaty that established the UN reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights. In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document lays the basis for modern international human rights law. The declaration lists 30 articles recognizing different aspects of human rights. Some principles include (1) all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, (7) are free from discrimination, (3) given the right to life, liberty and personal security, (4) and the freedom from slavery orShow MoreRelatedHuman Rights And The United Nations2206 Words   |  9 PagesWhat are human rights? Some might ask. Human rights is a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every pe rson. But not everyone has these rights. How would you like to wake up everyday and hear gunshots and hearing a rocket hitting a buildings and your mom and dad hiding under a table. Then have strangers coming to your house and taking away your family. 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Racism Is The Belief Of All Members Of A Specific Race

Racism is the belief of all members of a specific race to have the same specific characteristics or abilities to that ethnicity group. Racism is directed towards a specific person’s race based on the belief that one’s race is superior to the other. Racism has been a big issue ever since history could recall. Wherever there are different racial kinds of people, there would be racism. How does history, global issues, and societal up bringing affect racism in our current society. The history of racism started in the seventeenth century, when the Europeans came to North America; they wanted to conquer this new found land as their own, but there were already people inhabiting the land, the Native Americans. The Native Americans were viewed as blood thirsty savages and uncivilized in the eyes of the Europeans and their cultures, thus leading to genocide and mass murder in the attempt to wipe out the Native Americans and truly claim the land as their own. 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