Because I could not stop for Death
Because I could not Stop for Death is a poem written by Emily Dickinson about a certain journey that she took in a coach. The setting is a road and is clearly plotted where the coach goes by passing through different places. It eventually culminates its entire journey at the point where readers are told that it goes on to eternity. The theme that is clearly brought out in this poem is the theme of perseverance. It clearly states that the journey was rough to some point and despite this factor she kept on being driven. There is the concept of characterization in the poem where the car takes the character of the journey through which the poet is taken through.
Another concept found in the poem is the use of irony. The irony explains itself at the point where there is a difference at a point where she rather seems passive in the coach letting herself just receive a drive despite the coach seeming a lot of fun as explained in the poem using expressions that show its energy. There is also the use of symbolism where the drive all through the journey actually stands for her life and the eternity that she describes at the end of the poem describing death.
Kaddish
Another poem to pay attention to is Kaddish by Alen Ginsperg. The poem is a first person poem where Alen speaks directly to his dead mother, Naomi and reflects on issues that happened three years prior to the writing of the poem. The poem’s plot is that where the poet expresses many of his feelings towards the mother in a hope of understanding the death. There are different settings to the poem due to the different parts in which it is subdivided. One of the settings is an open quiet place where the poet sits and reminisces.
The other setting is in the mental institution where the mother is admitted. In the poem there is the use of flash back where the poet discusses his days with the mother. A theme that is widely used in the poem is guilt whereby the writer feels like the death of the mother is his personal responsibility rather than the call of nature. There is also religion where the poet talks about a certain hymn. There is symbolism where he states that he calls for the shrieking craws in the sky to keep her safe. The craws also offer some characterization in the poem where they take the form of clouds in the sky.
The Blessed House
The next focus is on a short story referred to as The Blessed House by Jhumpa Lahiri. The paper major plot is about some Christian paintings that according to the main character in the story, Sanjeev, did not have any importance in life. Later on, he becomes angry when he finds them in his house and more to that fact is that the wife wanted to expose them to the public. Sanjeev is not pleased with the idea and goes on to condemn his wife for her actions. The wife tries to convince Sanjeev to change his ideology of the paintings and due to his undying love for his wife, Sanjeev accepts and after showcasing them to the public, they bring fortune to the family.
The setting of this story is a small town and more specifically the arguments take place at the character’s home. The theme that comes out in the poem is that of change and true love due to the change in ideology brought on by Sanjeev and they had come from experiencing true love. There is symbolism where Sanjeev calls the paintings the devil. Here he relates them to the evilness of the devil. Moreover, this also goes to show the devil as a metaphor as it directly compares to the paintings.
The Jew Bird
Another short story to pay attention to is The Jew Bird by Bernard Malamud. The story’s plot is about a certain family referred to as The Cohen family. The family is one that is described to have several issues and the bird after coming in tutors the family son. However it is later thrown out by the family members as they claim that it is a disturbance. One theme clearly described in the story is that of ignorance where the older family members do not pay attention to what the bird is doing for the family and hence so not find the essence. The setting of the story is the home of the Cohen family.
There is exaggeration brought out in the story where the bird is said to talk. There is also the irony that a bird from outside is more knowledgeable to teach the kid than other human beings. The bird is used to symbolize salvation for the kid as he does not seem to get any help from the inside. Moreover, the characterization made by the bird is that of fleeing that shows that the kid will flee away from the family.
JB
A play to focus on is one called JB by Archibald Macleish. The plot of the play is about Job from the bible that went through a lot of criticism due to holding on strongly to God even after suffering the plague and the plight of the people around him. One theme that is clearly described is that of religion where the acting is that of a story in the bible. The setting of the play is a street where there is a person walking down the street and along the same path there is a conversation between a popcorn seller and another retailer. They describe the events of the period and wonder why Job does not give up. There is the characterization in the play where God’s role is played by Zeus. There is the use of similes where job is described as foolish as a sheep due to not giving in to the devil’s demands and receiving good health. Moreover, there is blasphemy in the play as it is not religiously upright to impost God.
Night
Night is a novel written by Ellie Wiesel. The plot of the novel is that of a community that develops and goes through the trying period of the World War and the relation between the novelist and his father at around that time. It goes further to express the feelings that people bore at that time. The major theme brought out in the novel is that of suffering. This was because the novel was written talking about the trying times of the Second World War. The setting of the novel was a war zone because it was the era of the wars.
There is also the theme of suffering due to the pain that the novelist went through after the death of his father. There is the extended use of repetition where the novelist talks deeply of the pain that he went through after his father passed away. There is also the use of similes where he compares the war to a test of fate for the fighting sides.
