combing poem essay in english

Poetry Out Loud

By Gladys Cardiff

Bending, I bow my head and lay my hands upon her hair, combing, and think how women do this for each other. My daughter’s hair curls against the comb, wet and fragrant— orange parings. Her face, downcast, is quiet for one so young.

I take her place. Beneath my mother’s hands I feel the braids drawn up tight as piano wires and singing, vinegar-rinsed. Sitting before the oven I hear the orange coils tick the early hour before school.

She combed her grandmother Mathilda’s hair using a comb made out of bone. Mathilda rocked her oak wood chair, her face downcast, intent on tearing rags in strips to braid a cotton rug from bits of orange and brown. A simple act Preparing hair. Something women do for each other, plaiting the generations.

Gladys Cardiff, “Combing” from To Frighten a Storm . Copyright © 1976 by Gladys Cardiff. Reprinted by permission of Copper Canyon Press.

Source: To Frighten a Storm (Copper Canyon Press, 1976)

• Relationships

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Silently She’s Combing by James Joyce

Silently she's combing, Combing her long hair Silently and graciously, With many a pretty air.

The sun is in the willow leaves And on the dappled grass, And still she's combing her long hair Before the looking-glass.

I pray you, cease to comb out, Comb out your long hair, For I have heard of witchery Under a pretty air,

That makes as one thing to the lover Staying and going hence, All fair, with many a pretty air And many a negligence.

More from James Joyce :

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• Who Goes Amid the Green Wood
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Bending, I bow my head and lay my hands upon her hair, combing, and think how women do this for each other. My daughter’ s hair curls against the comb, wet and fragrant — orange parings. Her face, downcast, is quiet for one so young.

I take her place. Beneath my mother’ s hands I feel the braids drawn up tight as piano wires and singing, vinegar-rinsed. Sitting before the oven I hear the orange coils tick the early hour before school.

She combed her grandmother Mathilda’ s hair using a comb made out of bone. Mathilda rocked her oak wood chair, her face downcast, intent on tearing rags in strips to braid a cotton rug from bits of orange and brown. A simple act Preparing hair. Something women do for each other, plaiting the generations.

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How to Write an Essay Comparing Poems

This is Revision World’s guide on how to write an essay or answer an exam question that asks you to compare poems within the poetry anthology you are studying.

Understanding the Task:

Identify the Key Components: Ensure you understand the task requirements, including the poems you're comparing, the themes, and the aspects you need to analyse (e.g., structure, language, tone).

Pre-Writing Stage:

Read and Annotate: Read the poems multiple times, annotating key themes, literary devices, and interesting observations.

Identify Similarities and Differences: Note down similarities and differences in themes, imagery, language, structure, and tone between the two poems.

Structuring Your Essay:

 Introduction:

Introduce the poems and poets, providing context if necessary.

Present your thesis statement, outlining the main points of comparison.

Body Paragraphs:

Topic Sentences: Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that states the aspect of comparison.

Comparison: Analyse each poem separately, focusing on the chosen aspect (e.g., theme, structure). Then, compare and contrast the same aspect in both poems.

Use of Evidence: Provide evidence from the poems to support your analysis (quotations).

Analysis: Interpret the significance of the similarities and differences, considering their effects on the reader and the overall meaning of the poems.

Conclusion:

Summarise your main points of comparison.

Reflect on the significance of the comparisons and their implications for the reader.

Offer insights into the broader themes or messages conveyed by the poems.

Writing Tips:

Be Specific: Avoid vague statements and ensure your comparisons are specific and well-supported by evidence.

Consider Poetic Devices: Analyse the poets' use of poetic devices (e.g., imagery, symbolism, metaphor) and how they contribute to the overall effect of the poems.

Focus on Key Themes: Choose a few key themes or aspects to compare rather than attempting to cover everything in the poems.

Maintain Coherence: Ensure your essay flows logically, with clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

Proofread: Carefully proofread your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Example Statement:

"In 'Poem A' and 'Poem B,' both poets utilise imagery and symbolism to explore the theme of loss, but while 'Poem A' uses natural imagery to convey a sense of grief and acceptance, 'Poem B' employs religious symbolism to depict a more existential struggle with loss and faith."

Example Topic Sentences:

"In 'Poem A,' the poet employs vivid natural imagery to convey the speaker's emotional response to loss."

"Conversely, 'Poem B' utilises religious symbolism to explore the theme of loss in a more abstract and existential manner."

By following these steps and incorporating these tips, you can effectively write a well-structured and insightful essay comparing two poems in your GCSE English Literature exam.

A Full Guide to Writing a Perfect Poem Analysis Essay

01 October, 2020

14 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

Poem analysis is one of the most complicated essay types. It requires the utmost creativity and dedication. Even those who regularly attend a literary class and have enough experience in poem analysis essay elaboration may face considerable difficulties while dealing with the particular poem. The given article aims to provide the detailed guidelines on how to write a poem analysis, elucidate the main principles of writing the essay of the given type, and share with you the handy tips that will help you get the highest score for your poetry analysis. In addition to developing analysis skills, you would be able to take advantage of the poetry analysis essay example to base your poetry analysis essay on, as well as learn how to find a way out in case you have no motivation and your creative assignment must be presented on time.

What Is a Poetry Analysis Essay?

A poetry analysis essay is a type of creative write-up that implies reviewing a poem from different perspectives by dealing with its structural, artistic, and functional pieces. Since the poetry expresses very complicated feelings that may have different meanings depending on the backgrounds of both author and reader, it would not be enough just to focus on the text of the poem you are going to analyze. Poetry has a lot more complex structure and cannot be considered without its special rhythm, images, as well as implied and obvious sense.

While analyzing the poem, the students need to do in-depth research as to its content, taking into account the effect the poetry has or may have on the readers.

Preparing for the Poetry Analysis Writing

The process of preparation for the poem analysis essay writing is almost as important as writing itself. Without completing these stages, you may be at risk of failing your creative assignment. Learn them carefully to remember once and for good.

Thoroughly read the poem several times

The rereading of the poem assigned for analysis will help to catch its concepts and ideas. You will have a possibility to define the rhythm of the poem, its type, and list the techniques applied by the author.

While identifying the type of the poem, you need to define whether you are dealing with:

• Lyric poem – the one that elucidates feelings, experiences, and the emotional state of the author. It is usually short and doesn’t contain any narration;
• Limerick – consists of 5 lines, the first, second, and fifth of which rhyme with one another;
• Sonnet – a poem consisting of 14 lines characterized by an iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote sonnets which have made him famous;
• Ode – 10-line poem aimed at praising someone or something;
• Haiku – a short 3-line poem originated from Japan. It reflects the deep sense hidden behind the ordinary phenomena and events of the physical world;
• Free-verse – poetry with no rhyme.

The type of the poem usually affects its structure and content, so it is important to be aware of all the recognized kinds to set a proper beginning to your poetry analysis.

Find out more about the poem background

Find as much information as possible about the author of the poem, the cultural background of the period it was written in, preludes to its creation, etc. All these data will help you get a better understanding of the poem’s sense and explain much to you in terms of the concepts the poem contains.

Define a subject matter of the poem

This is one of the most challenging tasks since as a rule, the subject matter of the poem isn’t clearly stated by the poets. They don’t want the readers to know immediately what their piece of writing is about and suggest everyone find something different between the lines.

What is the subject matter? In a nutshell, it is the main idea of the poem. Usually, a poem may have a couple of subjects, that is why it is important to list each of them.

In order to correctly identify the goals of a definite poem, you would need to dive into the in-depth research.

Check the historical background of the poetry. The author might have been inspired to write a poem based on some events that occurred in those times or people he met. The lines you analyze may be generated by his reaction to some epoch events. All this information can be easily found online.

Choose poem theories you will support

In the variety of ideas the poem may convey, it is important to stick to only several most important messages you think the author wanted to share with the readers. Each of the listed ideas must be supported by the corresponding evidence as proof of your opinion.

The poetry analysis essay format allows elaborating on several theses that have the most value and weight. Try to build your writing not only on the pure facts that are obvious from the context but also your emotions and feelings the analyzed lines provoke in you.

How to Choose a Poem to Analyze?

If you are free to choose the piece of writing you will base your poem analysis essay on, it is better to select the one you are already familiar with. This may be your favorite poem or one that you have read and analyzed before. In case you face difficulties choosing the subject area of a particular poem, then the best way will be to focus on the idea you feel most confident about. In such a way, you would be able to elaborate on the topic and describe it more precisely.

Now, when you are familiar with the notion of the poetry analysis essay, it’s high time to proceed to poem analysis essay outline. Follow the steps mentioned below to ensure a brilliant structure to your creative assignment.

Best Poem Analysis Essay Topics

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• My Last Duchess Poetry Analysis

Poem Analysis Essay Outline

As has already been stated, a poetry analysis essay is considered one of the most challenging tasks for the students. Despite the difficulties you may face while dealing with it, the structure of the given type of essay is quite simple. It consists of the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In order to get a better understanding of the poem analysis essay structure, check the brief guidelines below.

Introduction

This will be the first section of your essay. The main purpose of the introductory paragraph is to give a reader an idea of what the essay is about and what theses it conveys. The introduction should start with the title of the essay and end with the thesis statement.

The main goal of the introduction is to make readers feel intrigued about the whole concept of the essay and serve as a hook to grab their attention. Include some interesting information about the author, the historical background of the poem, some poem trivia, etc. There is no need to make the introduction too extensive. On the contrary, it should be brief and logical.

Body Paragraphs

The body section should form the main part of poetry analysis. Make sure you have determined a clear focus for your analysis and are ready to elaborate on the main message and meaning of the poem. Mention the tone of the poetry, its speaker, try to describe the recipient of the poem’s idea. Don’t forget to identify the poetic devices and language the author uses to reach the main goals. Describe the imagery and symbolism of the poem, its sound and rhythm.

Try not to stick to too many ideas in your body section, since it may make your essay difficult to understand and too chaotic to perceive. Generalization, however, is also not welcomed. Try to be specific in the description of your perspective.

Make sure the transitions between your paragraphs are smooth and logical to make your essay flow coherent and easy to catch.

In a nutshell, the essay conclusion is a paraphrased thesis statement. Mention it again but in different words to remind the readers of the main purpose of your essay. Sum up the key claims and stress the most important information. The conclusion cannot contain any new ideas and should be used to create a strong impact on the reader. This is your last chance to share your opinion with the audience and convince them your essay is worth readers’ attention.

Problems with writing Your Poem Analysis Essay? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Poem Analysis Essay Examples 

A good poem analysis essay example may serve as a real magic wand to your creative assignment. You may take a look at the structure the other essay authors have used, follow their tone, and get a great share of inspiration and motivation.

Check several poetry analysis essay examples that may be of great assistance:

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/poetry-analysis-essay-example-for-english-literature.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/mariefincher/poetry-analysis-essay

Writing Tips for a Poetry Analysis Essay

If you read carefully all the instructions on how to write a poetry analysis essay provided above, you have probably realized that this is not the easiest assignment on Earth. However, you cannot fail and should try your best to present a brilliant essay to get the highest score. To make your life even easier, check these handy tips on how to analysis poetry with a few little steps.

• In case you have a chance to choose a poem for analysis by yourself, try to focus on one you are familiar with, you are interested in, or your favorite one. The writing process will be smooth and easy in case you are working on the task you truly enjoy.
• Before you proceed to the analysis itself, read the poem out loud to your colleague or just to yourself. It will help you find out some hidden details and senses that may result in new ideas.
• Always check the meaning of words you don’t know. Poetry is quite a tricky phenomenon where a single word or phrase can completely change the meaning of the whole piece. 
• Bother to double check if the conclusion of your essay is based on a single idea and is logically linked to the main body. Such an approach will demonstrate your certain focus and clearly elucidate your views. 
• Read between the lines. Poetry is about senses and emotions – it rarely contains one clearly stated subject matter. Describe the hidden meanings and mention the feelings this has provoked in you. Try to elaborate a full picture that would be based on what is said and what is meant.

Write a Poetry Analysis Essay with HandmadeWriting

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• August 26, 2023
• All Poems / GCSE AQA

The Emigrée, Carol Rumens

FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS​

There once was a country… I left it as a child but my memory of it is sunlight-clear for it seems I never saw it in that November which, I am told, comes to the mildest city. The worst news I receive of it cannot break my original view, the bright, filled paperweight. It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight. The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time rolls its tanks and the frontiers rise between us, close like waves. That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar. Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it. It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight. I have no passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me in its own white plane. It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I comb its hair and love its shining eyes. My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. They accuse me of absence, they circle me. They accuse me of being dark in their free city. My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight.

LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

There once was a country… I left it as a child

The poem begins with the fairytale-esque phrase ‘there once was a country’ not dissimilar to the famous ‘once upon a time’. This immediately connotes emotions related to childhood and the nostalgia that accompanies them – this is fitting as the speaker reveals that she ‘left [this city] as a child’.

but my memory of it is sunlight-clear

‘Sunlight-clear’ is a warm, vibrant image suggesting that the speaker looks back fondly on her time in the city and that she was comfortable there. This imagery is the first of the pathetic fallacies that are a motif (a recurring theme) of the poem.

for it seems I never saw it in that November which, I am told, comes to the mildest city.                                                                                                                The worst news I receive of it cannot break

The speaker reveals that her positive recollection of the city is not tainted by her ignorance of the events of ‘that November’ from which she receives the ‘worst news’. Specified later in this stanza, the reader can infer that political turmoil or conflict took hold of the city, likely forcing her to emigrate from the country. Such events potentially took place in ‘that November’ or the reference to winter is a metaphor for the brutality of the events that occurred.

my original view, the bright, filled paperweight.

The ‘bright, filled paperweight’ is a metaphor for how the speaker’s positive perception of her former home remains unwavering, keeping these fond memories at the forefront and the negative ones at bay, akin to a paperweight organising sheets of paper and preventing the onset of disarray.

It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight.

The speaker’s adoration for the city (for which the ‘sunlight’ is an extended metaphor) is still present despite the conflict that ravages it. Describing it as ‘sick with tyrants’ likens the city to a person suffering from injury or disease that spreads as the war intensifies. This personification portrays the city as innocent to the conflict’s inception and defenseless to its continuation, rendering the onset of peace a distant hope.

The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time rolls its tanks                                                                                                                      and the frontiers rise between us, close like waves.

The city’s ‘white streets’ symbolise innocence and purity, linking to the concluding message of the previous stanza. This symbolism is seen across literature and religion, from the Bible to Macbeth, and from which the colour of a bridal dress is derived. Furthermore, the imagery of the city’s ‘graceful slopes’ is one of poise and elegance which is harshly juxtaposed by the war-torn symbols of ‘tanks’ and ‘frontiers’. The effect is to emphasise the disparity between the place she called home and recalls so fondly and the place she now hears about and the tragedies taking place there. These two places may share the same geographical location but, to her, couldn’t be further apart.

That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar.

‘That child’s vocabulary’ the speaker refers to is the limited knowledge, having been forced to leave so young, she has of her native language. The simile ‘like a hollow doll’ is emotive, suggesting that the speaker feels empty, as though she’s lost her identity through her emigration – it’s not just the city she’s been forced to leave behind but it’s culture and it’s natural to feel imposter syndrome elsewhere as a result.

Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it.

The ‘coloured molecule’ referred to here is a metaphor for words in her native language. Describing them as ‘coloured’ conjures a notion of vibrancy which, similarly to the imagery of sunlight throughout the poem, represents the fond nostalgia felt by the speaker. Additionally, the term ‘molecule’ suggests vitality, referencing the lifeline that her language provides to her home city and culture.

It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can’t get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight.

Tragically, it appears that the state that now rules the city has ‘banned’ the speaker’s native language as part of its oppressive regime. This is known as linguistic discrimination which is still active today – publishing materials in Kurdish is currently banned in Syria, for example. Perhaps the speaker is referencing similar events or maybe, more deeply, her language is a symbol of her culture as a whole which, although to her ‘tastes of sunlight’, is now outlawed and punishable under the new regime.

I have no passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me in its own white plane.

The speaker has ‘no passport’ rendering it physically impossible for her to return to her home city, however, emotionally, seemingly in a dream, it returns to her ‘in its own white plane’. ‘Plane’ in this context is defined as ‘a level of existence, thought, or development’ and here the city’s ‘white plane’ highlights the disparity between reality and fantasy, between the city as the speaker knows it and its current state.

It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I comb its hair and love its shining eyes.

Rumens ascribes human traits to the city, a technique known as anthropomorphism, as the speaker describes how ‘it lies down in front of [her]’. The simile ‘docile as paper’ as well as how the speaker ‘combs its hair’ and references ‘its shining eyes’ portrays the city as childlike, linking to its innocence and vulnerability previously symbolised and evoking a feeling of sympathy towards it within the reader.

My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. They accuse me of absence, they circle me. They accuse me of being dark in their free city.

The speaker feels like an imposter in the ‘free city’ she has emigrated to, accused by its population of being ‘dark’ or resigned as a result. The cultural barrier the speaker is forced to overcome is such that, although ‘free’ in the sense the city is at peace, she feels trapped within it, conveying this emotion through the metaphor ‘city of walls’. The only thing that can lessen this emotional toll is clinging onto the memories of her home city – the nostalgia lifting her spirits and helping her ‘dance’ through this foreign environment.

My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight.

The poem concludes with this thought-provoking metaphor. The childlike imagery of the speaker’s home city continues as it ‘hides behind’ her akin to a child behind their mother. It remains ambiguous, but ‘they mutter death’ is likely to refer to the locals or news outlets of the speaker’s new city discussing the tragic events of her home city and the likely influx of refugees. The speaker’s ‘shadow [falling] as evidence of sunlight’ is open to interpretation, however, Rumen’s choice for the image of ‘sunlight’ to conclude this final stanza like the two prior implies the ending to be optimistic by design. 

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On the Many Ways and Reasons to Mix Poetry and Prose

Contributing to a long-standing and very various tradition.

All I often knew was that I did not only want to write poems. This was a theme through my adolescence (I was an early writer, in some ways) and then later. A bizarre depression settled over the already strange young person that I was, for I had inherited a world that stringently divided prose from verse, that swore to the usefulness of prose and the mere tolerability—bemoaning a noxious lack of good, clear purpose—of poetry, as pop songs played in the background. And on this point I have mostly remained despondent. I have never wanted only to write poems or, for that matter, to write only prose.

But as luck and the lucky fact that it is nearly impossible for a human being to have an entirely unique desire would have it, I was not alone in my wish for literary combination. Though this form, practice, or, as it may be, genre is seldom taught in school (I have been to many), there exists a long-standing and various tradition of bringing together poems and prose into synthetic items of literature. In the classical West sometimes this is called prosimetrum . Elsewhere, I have liked terms like “miscellany,” “saga,” “postmodern novel.” There are, it turns out, not just many ways, but many reasons to write a work bringing together groups of sentences with groups of words that are measured out according to principles and patterns that are not merely grammatical. If your eyes can withstand another 1,500 words, you may gather what are, in my opinion, a few of the better reasons for engaging in this sort of mixture.

REASON ONE: you recognize that much distinction is arbitrary.  I do not know if prose is the opposite of verse. This is like asking what the opposite of a cat is. Some may know that verse and prose have long had the strange if plausible function of designating, in writing, the difference between song and “plain” speech. It’s on these grounds, anyway, that much of the much-touted, as well as the much-debated, specialness of poetry, particularly lyric poetry, is, as far as I have been able to ascertain, based.

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Let us jump to the 17th century in France. A character in Molière’s Bourgeois gentilhomme remarks (I paraphrase), “Very cool. I had no idea I’d been speaking prose my whole life.” Such limp delight at learning that one is already playing by timeworn rules suggests a rhyme between canonicity and complacency, of course, but could also hint at the radical irrelevance of the very category of prose—or, for that matter, speech. It is surely easier to maintain interest in these matters when writing has not lain down and died in the pit suggested by the verse-prose distinction. The German Romantics’—to jump again—idea of prose was pleasantly nonstandard. If aphoristic, it was endlessly so, like a staircase in a dream. Their poems were likewise dreamy; sometimes fragmentary, disordered. Their novels included folk songs and other lyric professions, suggesting that there was something particularly worthy about the combination of lineated language with the paragraph, the breaking of prose. The poet Novalis wrote about the sentence as a temporary “containment” of linguistic dynamism, maintaining that “A time will come when it no longer exists.” And Friedrich Schlegel, in his “Letter on the Novel,” composed at the dawning of the new (19th) century, insisted on a lapidary lineage of mixed genre dating back to the late middle ages: “I can hardly imagine a novel otherwise than as a mixture of narrative, song, and other forms. Cervantes never composed otherwise, and even Boccaccio, in other respects so prosaic, decorated his collection with inset songs.”

It seems, too, that within the apparently mongrel and/or pastiche environment of novels including songs, which is to say, songs surrounded by narrative prose, poets might act not only as convenient speakers or singers but also as more or less curious characters, bringing me to my second rationale, aka, REASON TWO : it is conceivable to you that the poet is as likely to be a character or other figment, as a genuine, living person . For Anglophone readers, the inevitable point of comparison is Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire , of 1962. And, as this novel points up, when the poet, here one John Shade, becomes a character, we find a literalized depiction of those aspects of personality and personal history that in America the professional critic was tasked with discovering and/or vivisecting on behalf of the lay reader. Whether or not Nabokov was aggressively satirizing New Critical leanings in American letters, Pale Fire , like Novalis’s The Novices of Sais , places a poet in a landscape, which is at once the prose of the book and a more-or-less everyday world. In this sense the novelist might be acting as a sort of historian, folklorist, or cultural critic; the song or poem does not appear free of charge but rather demands context, which is often a close cousin of interpretation. It hardly need be said that in the novel the poem can be deployed in an endless number of ways, ranging from artifact to spell.

Yet, the paradigmatic examples of books of poems combined with plot have to be a pair of works written by contemporaries in 11th-century Japan, The Pillowbook by Sei Shōnagon and The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. In these two books, the first a diary, the second a novel, numerous characters within court society compose poetry. This is at once a pastime and a kind of networked system of communication and signification, permitting simultaneous epistolary address and reference back to the system, to its histories and commonplaces. Through the poems interspersed in The Pillowbook and The Tale of Genji we learn not merely the emotions and motivations of characters, but also how they deal with the problem of writing and how they deploy it, whether as lure, dissimulation, entreaty, or gift outright. For writing is not only unnatural, it is also and of course a means of obtaining and manipulating power. And the ambiguity of the poem permits kinds of meaning prose’s obviousness precludes. A description of a flower may be just that, yet it may also be sign or secret message; it will be read differently by different characters, just as by the reader herself, who reads over, as it were, characters’ putative shoulders.

The prismatic nature of the poem, its turning inability to remain “just text,” or “just address,” or “mere symbol,” or “absolute literal designation,” and on and on, is also exploited in exceedingly interesting ways in the American modernist context. The lack of (Romantic) mysticism or (medieval) intrigue is made up for in prosimetrical works that take the poem as an item capable of varying and destabilizing contemporary prose to ends at once aesthetic and political. Works by Jean Toomer and William Carlos Williams bring me to my third and final historical reason to combine, REASON THREE: you are bored with a certain (sad) status quo.  Toomer’s Cane , of 1923, presents a combination of modernist poems, clear and vivid in their depictions of American landscapes and persons, with short prose vignettes employing vernacular language along with song-like refrains. This unique book’s intent seems to be to bring into dialogue the values of high modernism and the everyday speech and African American folk culture of the South; it seems to have ambitions at once ethnographic and loftily, exactingly stylistic. William Carlos Williams meanwhile locates an American identity through improvisation and excess, re-describing both prose style and the capacities of verse through various modes of excerption, appropriation, and apostrophe, after a fashion that belies his reputation as a rigorous reducer of words into machine-like things. Though Williams wrote many books of mixed genre, Spring and All , published in the same year as Cane and home to the famous minimal poem including a “wheel / barrow,” is the scene of a particularly powerful explosion of speed-fueled prose typewriting; it’s a book of leaps and lashings, a seeming attempt to prove that poetry can invade the syntax of the American sentence, ecstatically. If it does not exactly promote the joy of romantic love, then it demonstrates the power of an encounter of another kind, between precise syllabic poems and a tumbling, rushing onslaught of prose. Like Cane , Spring and All is a comparative text; it invents new terms and tastes by way of contrast and association.

Above I have supplied three reasons, and though I like them fairly well, they do not, in the end, as is probably to be expected, exhaust all my thinking and feeling about varying, combinatory writing styles. I may care most about a mixture of styles because it allows the paranoiac in me to comment on the conservative literary (not to mention educational) systems that I fear linger in our world, in spite of—and sometimes even paradoxically by way of—the iconoclasm of modernist heroes et al. Verse is not just, to my mind, a form with various technical appurtenances, since it has a long history and specific social functions (inputs, outputs); like prose, it seems to me at times a sort of system, with myriad institutional nodes. Though I am not so heroic myself as to believe that my contemporaries are in need of saving, I do often find that some perverse aspect of me would very much like to make things a little bit messier, throw a wrench in the engine, and otherwise, pick your frustratingly well-worn metaphor, cause to function less smoothly said system of literary production. Most of all, stubborn being that I am, I find myself drawn to various styles of silence, said silence being a possible ingredient in, or sign of, the still, at least to me, unaccountable distance between poetry and prose.

Anyway, could we remove a poem from its job as a poem? A sentence, from its job as a sentence? What would we need to contribute to writing to cause such odd dismissals to transpire in a believable manner? What is the very smallest unit that can indicate plot, as such? What occurs (to us) when we are not sure what we are reading? To the extent that these aberrant questions have answers, they indicate the direction toward which some, though certainly not all, of my writing tends, which is to say, not toward the invention of new reasons for writing between and around and among established literary modes, but toward the invention of instances of contrast, that can in turn stand in stark contrast to the abundant supply of similarities I am sure to have found, in my perverse search for fresh difference.

Lucy Ives’s latest, The Hermit , is available now from The Song Cave.

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Coming-of-Age Story in Literature & Literary Theory

A coming-of-age story is a genre in literature and film that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of a protagonist as they navigate the challenges and experiences of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

Coming-of-Age Story: Etymology, Meanings and Concept

Table of Contents

Coming-of-Age Story:

The term “coming-of-age” originates from the mid-20th century, combining “coming” to signify the transition and “age” to represent a stage of life. A coming-of-age story typically explores the psychological and moral growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. These narratives often depict the challenges, experiences, and self-discoveries that shape an individual’s identity and worldview during their formative years.

Meanings and Concept:

• Coming-of-age stories focus on the protagonist’s journey from adolescence to adulthood, highlighting the challenges and rites of passage that accompany this transition.
• These narratives delve into the process of identity formation, examining how characters develop a sense of self through experiences, relationships, and self-reflection.
• Often, coming-of-age stories involve a loss of innocence as characters confront the complexities of the adult world, facing difficult truths and making decisions that shape their maturity.
• The central theme revolves around personal growth, as protagonists navigate life’s complexities, learn from mistakes, and acquire the skills and wisdom necessary for adulthood.
• Coming-of-age stories frequently incorporate traditional rites of passage or symbolic events that mark a character’s entry into a new phase of life.
• The concept is shaped by cultural and social contexts, reflecting the values, norms, and expectations of a particular society during a specific period.
• While the specifics vary, the universal themes of self-discovery, independence, and the pursuit of one’s identity make coming-of-age stories relatable across diverse cultures and time periods.
• Notable examples include J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and films like “Stand by Me” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” all exploring the complexities of growing up.
• The tension in these stories often arises from the conflicts between youthful idealism and the harsh realities of adulthood, creating a dynamic narrative arc.
• Coming-of-age narratives often conclude with a sense of catharsis, as characters reflect on their growth and the transformative journey they have undertaken.

Coming-of-Age Story: Definition as a Literary Device

A coming-of-age story is a genre in literature and film that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of a protagonist as they navigate the challenges and experiences of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. These narratives typically revolve around the protagonist’s self-discovery, identity formation, and the loss of innocence. The term underscores the transformative journey and rites of passage that characters undergo during their formative years, reflecting universal themes of personal growth and the complexities of entering adulthood.

Coming-of-Age Story: Examples in Everyday Life

• Learning workplace dynamics, responsibility, and time management.
• Gaining independence, adapting to new environments, and broadening perspectives.
• Confronting challenges independently, making decisions, and interacting with diverse cultures.
• Personal growth through facing and overcoming adversity.
• Developing empathy, responsibility, and a sense of purpose through community service.

Coming-of-Age Story in Literature: Shakespearean Examples

• Coming-of-age unfolds through the intense love between Romeo and Juliet, revealing their emotional growth as they navigate the challenges of family conflict, secret romance, and tragic consequences.
• Hamlet’s coming-of-age is marked by his journey from mourning to self-discovery. The play explores his grappling with existential questions, moral complexities, and the consequences of seeking revenge.
• Rosalind’s coming-of-age is evident in her transformation from a banished courtier to a wise and confident woman. The play explores themes of love, identity, and personal growth as Rosalind navigates the complexities of life and relationships in the Forest of Arden.

Coming-of-Age Story in Literature: Examples

• Holden Caulfield’s rebellion against societal norms and his journey of self-discovery, portraying the complexities of adolescence.
• Scout Finch’s maturation as she witnesses racial injustice and moral dilemmas, gaining a deeper understanding of empathy and morality.
• Charlie’s coming-of-age, explored through letters, touching on themes of friendship, love, mental health, and the challenges of high school.
• Wilhelm Meister’s apprenticeship and personal growth across various vocations, relationships, and artistic pursuits in this classic German coming-of-age novel.
• Huck Finn’s moral development and rejection of societal norms as he journeys down the Mississippi River with Jim, a runaway slave, emphasizing personal freedom and justice.

Coming-of-Age Story in Literature: Relevance in Literary Theories

Coming-of-age story in literature: relevant terms, coming-of-age story in literature: suggested readings.

• Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street . Vintage, 1984.
• Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird . Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.
• Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye . Little, Brown and Company, 1951.
• Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . Dover Publications, 1994.
• Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship . Penguin Classics, 1995.

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Coming Summary & Analysis by Philip Larkin

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

The British poet Philip Larkin published "Coming" in his 1955 book The Less Deceived . The poem's speaker describes what it's like to watch spring slowly reawaken the surrounding world, as a small songbird stirs in an empty garden and sunlight washes over houses. The poem maintains a melancholy tone throughout, however, especially as the speaker compares the happiness of the coming spring to the superficial joy a child might feel after misinterpreting the forced laughter of two adults who have just finished arguing. This comparison implies that the joys of spring—with all its symbolic connotations of renewal and rebirth—are shallower and less meaningful than people may want to believe.

• Read the full text of “Coming”

The Full Text of “Coming”

“coming” summary, “coming” themes.

Spring, Rebirth, and False Hope

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “coming”.

On longer evenings, ... ... Foreheads of houses.

A thrush sings, ... ... deep bare garden,

Its fresh-peeled voice ... ... Astonishing the brickwork.

Lines 10-13

It will be ... ... a forgotten boredom,

Lines 14-19

Feel like a ... ... to be happy.

“Coming” Symbols

The Thrush and the Garden

• Lines 5-9: “A thrush sings, / Laurel-surrounded / In the deep bare garden, / Its fresh-peeled voice / Astonishing the brickwork.”

“Coming” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Line 1: “longer”
• Line 2: “Light, chill,” “yellow”
• Line 4: “Foreheads,” “houses”
• Line 5: “thrush sings”
• Line 6: “Laurel-surrounded”
• Line 7: “deep bare garden”
• Line 8: “fresh-peeled voice”
• Line 9: “Astonishing”
• Line 10: “spring soon”
• Line 11: “spring soon”
• Line 12: “childhood”
• Line 13: “forgotten boredom”
• Line 14: “Feel like,” “child”
• Line 15: “on,” “scene”
• Line 16: “adult reconciling”
• Line 17: “And can understand nothing”
• Line 18: “unusual”
• Line 19: “starts to”
• Lines 2-4: “Light, chill and yellow, / Bathes the serene / Foreheads of houses.”
• Line 5: “A thrush sings,”
• Lines 8-9: “Its fresh-peeled voice / Astonishing the brickwork.”
• Line 1: “evenings”
• Line 3: “Bathes,” “serene”
• Line 6: “surrounded”
• Line 8: “Its fresh,” “voice”

Personification

• Line 9: “Astonishing the brickwork.”
• Lines 10-11: “It will be spring soon, / It will be spring soon –”
• Line 1: “On longer”
• Line 10: “It will,” “spring”
• Line 11: “It will,” “spring”
• Line 12: “I,” “childhood”
• Line 14: “like,” “child”
• Line 16: “reconciling”
• Line 19: “be happy”
• Lines 12-19: “And I, whose childhood / Is a forgotten boredom, / Feel like a child / Who comes on a scene / Of adult reconciling, / And can understand nothing / But the unusual laughter, / And starts to be happy.”

“Coming” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Astonishing
• Reconciling
• (Location in poem: Lines 3-4: “Bathes the serene / Foreheads of houses.”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Coming”

Rhyme scheme, “coming” speaker, “coming” setting, literary and historical context of “coming”, more “coming” resources, external resources.

Larkin's Life — Learn more about Philip Larkin through this overview of his life and work.

The Philip Larkin Society — Check out all things Larkin on the Philip Larkin Society's website.

The Paris Review Interview — Read Larkin's 1982 interview as part of the magazine's "The Art of Poetry" series.

The Cynical Poet — If you can't get enough of Larkin's specific brand of sadness and cynicism, check out the poem "Home is so Sad," which, like "Coming," takes something seemingly happy and turns it into something sad. 

Larkin's Portrait — Take a look at Larkin's likeness, rendered in both paintings and photograph, in the National Portrait Gallery's six portraits of the poet himself. 

LitCharts on Other Poems by Philip Larkin

An Arundel Tomb

A Study of Reading Habits

Church Going

Home Is So Sad

Next, Please

Poetry of Departures

Talking in Bed

The Whitsun Weddings

This Be The Verse

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