American Literature

Literature has been known to contain hidden profound messages, meanings and symbolisms that are actually significant or reflective to society. Such symbolisms are the archetypes which frequently occur in the myths of people widely separated from time and place while having a common meaning which tend to elicit comparable psychological responses and to serve similar cultural functions (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 184). In short, archetypes are important because they serve to mirror the collective psyche of a society which is also the same collective psyche of another society or culture. Thus, archetypes are not mere symbolisms that serve to characterize protagonists or antagonists and or not mere descriptions of settings of a literary work but they actually embody something that other cultures are known to possess or portray.
   
An example would be the archetypal atmosphere of romance which is prevalent in the F. Scott Fitzgeralds In This Side of Paradise. The novel focuses on the various love-like relationships that the delusional protagonist experiences through his young adolescent life until the time that he can be regarded as a man of the world. The theme of romance occurs throughout the novel and true enough, the novel concentrates on the world of love according to Amory Blaine. Romance embodies many other notions like irrationality, illogicalness and even being too overly emotional and cruel. This is perhaps why romance or love has always been associated and represented with the color of red, a color which is perceived in archetypal imagery means blood, sacrifice, violent passion and disorder (Guerin et al., 2005, p.185).  Thus, Amory Blaines great passion and the sudden upturning of his life because of the relationship he wanted to build with the women he met (but never got to starting about it) were all caused by romanceand the interpretation and meaning of the archetypal imagery of the theme of romance proves this.

Modernist poetry opens up a whole new world of experiencing poetry in terms of structure, tone and meaning. William Carlos Williams This is Just to Say and Theodore Roethkes My Papas Waltz are no exceptions to this rule. Both poems describe different situations, but both address an offense and ones experience surrounding an offense.  This is Just to Say depicts the offense of stealing plums. My Papas Waltz, depending on the interpretation of the poem, depicts the offense of accidental hurting of a child to full-blown child abuse, depending on interpretation.   In terms of societys beliefs on offenses- the offenses described in each poem are far conflicting, and the poems treat them very differently.  Though the formal offense in Roethkes poem My Papas Waltz is greater, the offense of stealing plums in This is Just to Say is treated as far more serious and impacting.
   
Roethkes poem My Papas Waltz includes an offense that at best is an accidental bruise, and at worst, a cruel, drunken beating.   Based on the perspective of the poem-told from the viewpoint of a son- it is handled in a tone of forgiveness and love.  The poems theme is a way to find insight into the treatment of the offense.  Thematically, My Papas Waltz talks about the bittersweet relationship between a father and son, and the changes between the romanticism and trauma of a father-son relationship. This is proven through lines like line four in the poem, but I held on like deathsuch waltzing was not easy (Roethke).  The experience of family is told through the extended metaphor of the waltz, a dance that shows an interdependent relationship. 

The child in the poem will always love his father, no matter how terrible he is or how much he drinks. The whiskey on your breathCould make a small boy dizzyBut I hung on like deathSuch waltzing was not easy (Roethke).  The boy knows his father is drinking and this can possibly lead to violent behavior.  Still, the son tries hard to stay close to his father in the name of his love for his family.  Though the reality of this is haunting and makes the poem particularly sad to read, it shows that the fathers offense of hurting his child is forgiven by the child himself.  Dealing with the offense in such a way lessens the offenses impact and makes it less serious than it should be.  The last line shows a dramatic visual of this then waltzed me off to bedStill clinging to your shirt.  At the end, the son is still clinging to his father- the man that hurts him- out of love. The son in the poem forgives the father out of love, so the offense of physical harm is present, but weakened by the bond of a son for his father.

A less serious offense in the cannon of human offense is the stealing of plums in William Carlos Williams poem, This is Just To Say. Still, it is treated far more coldly and seriously than My Papas Waltz. The voice in the poem wants the reader to forgive him for eating something that the reader- or whomever the poem is addressed to- presumably saved for themselves. The protagonists think that the plums owner was probably saving them for breakfast.  Some scholars liken this honest plum stealing to a kind of rape, a rape that the narrator is not sorry for but relishes in.  This is shown at the end of the poem, it reads forgive methey were deliciousso sweet and so cold (Williams).  The protagonist asks for forgiveness from the owner of the plums, but this forgiveness is empty.  If it were a sincere display of forgiveness, the poem would end with an apology, and not one more dig in about the plums being delicious, their attractive qualities appealing to the reader on a sensory level.  

This is just to Say is written in a style that adds to the seriousness of the offense.  The poem is brief- rich in economic word choices- and in this there is a sense of tension.  The words that go unsaid are present in the poem or can be imagined by the reader. Because the words are so sparse and create tension and richness, the tone of the poem is that of seriousness, mystery and weight.  The tone of the poem, unlike Roethkes nostalgic and love-filled poem My Papas Waltz, is cold and filled with tension.  This contributes to the weight and offense of the poem. This gives the treatment of the plum stealing more weight, making it more serious and unforgivable.

Both Theodore Roethke and William Carlos Williams are modernist poets who expertly write poetry that is rich in meaning, emotion, perspective and storytelling. Though the poems This is Just to Say and My Papas Waltz are very different, they both describe offenses.  The offense in My Papas Waltz is hurting a child, but it is treated with a viewpoint of love and nostalgia.  The offense seems less serious in This is Just to Say but it treated with an unapologetic tone and tense language that makes it a far more serious offense. In Roethkes poem My Papas Waltz the offense is treated with love and nostalgia

The manner in which John Smith described the increasingly important land now a formal part of the United States, in A Description of New England, intended to entice further settlement and it also reflected his genuine amazement and vision for the future.  The strength of these descriptions is grounded most fundamentally in Smiths ability to weave together his descriptions of separate places and things in such a way as to predict or to envision the rise of a great colony or nation in the future.  To this end, for example, he describes such diverse things as crops, sources of water, locations for harbors, the weather, wildlife, farming, forests, trading possibilities, the nature of the individual in such a rugged environment, the values both politically and spiritually to guide these types of daring individuals, social classes, and the larger relation to Great Britain and the threats posed by other European nations and the indigenous population.  These varied descriptions, read discretely and without a larger context, might leave the reader rather perplexed as if a travel account had been prepared and published. 

A closer consider of the text, however, clearly demonstrates that Smith was constructing through his travels and descriptions that rise of an extremely formidable part of the British Empire.  More specifically, though he could not have known its precise nature at the time of his writing, Smith was effectively outlining and foreshadowing the reasons why and how America would evolve and the source of its commercial wealth and its own unique form of social and political development. 

He was giving birth to what today is often referred to as the American Dream, the deep-seated belief that individualism and hard work guided by a certain moral framework will aid individuals in conquering all obstacles and achieving success, and it is fair to characterize Smith as the father of the American Dream in many respects.  In order to support this characterization of Smith, this paper will present his descriptions and analyses of the ruggedly valuable natural environment and the type of individual needed to conquer and thrive in such a challenging environment.
From an analytical perspective, if Smiths writing is to be connected to a larger purpose, then it is necessary to understand how he described the new land in need of taming and conquering. 

He described, to be sure, a land that was both deadly and filled with riches both easily accessible and some that were hidden.  The most striking features of his descriptions pertained to the spacious nature of the land and its physical and geographical variety.  His descriptions read very much like a map, describing land that is fertile for growing crops and areas on the coast for fishing or points for international trade, and reading these descriptions creates an infectious enthusiasm for the prospects of these new lands.  More specifically, virtually every type of vocation and means of subsistence is available and the natural resources make these vocations and means of subsistence easily attainable if individuals are willing to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities.  Before arriving inland, for example, Smith seems almost in awe as he describes the structure and the length of the coasts.  He notes, for instance, that the Bay is full of great Ilandswhich diuides it into many faire and excellent good harbours (pdf, p. 42).

These coasts provide fish for food and trade they provide excellent geography for harbors, and the surrounding mountains and forests provide an overly ample amount of stone, wood, and minerals for construction and craftsmanship.  The forests are similarly well-stocked with more than enough resources to sustain future settlement and expansion.  Smith describes networks of rivers flowing from many mountains and the richness of the fertile farming lands fed and nourished by these rivers.

Farming is not the only possibility quite the contrary, for those not inclined to the farming lifestyle, Smith goes on to describe an extraordinarily diverse type of wildlife that can support the food needs of hunters and the commercial needs of traders in the form of pelts.  In sum, from a natural environment point of view, Smith has described a land which is suitable for virtually every type of vocation and in which resources and opportunities are endless for those hardy individuals daring to risk a more independent lifestyle.  It is within this context, trying to describe what type of individual is most suited to these challenges, that Smith makes some valuable comments about the political and religious benefits of settlement and expansion in this new area.

It is important to note that Smith was quite loyal to both his home country and to its governing system on the other hand, he seemed to predict that social, political, and commercial life in this new place would be more independent of authority for practical reasons associated with necessity and that individuals would be compelled to assume much more individual initiative and responsibility than might have been the case had they remained living in England.   In this respect, relying on many analogies, Smith is careful to state that My purpose is not to perfwade children from their parents (pdf, p. 58). 

He therefore states his allegiance to Britain while simultaneously outlining the benefits to potential settlers.  First, he engages in an extensive discussion to the effect that individuals of all social classes will be able to prosper in ways that might not be possible in England.  The rich and the powerful can extend their trading empires while the lower classes can build new lives and perhaps improve their standard of living and offer better prospects for their own children.  Smith is thus characterizing a new type of social equality as a major benefit and advantage this advantage, to be sure, is one of the fundamental pillars of the American Dream.  Equality of opportunity, the idea that everyone will be provided an equal opportunity to prosper, is perhaps the most important tenet of the American Dream.  Second, there would exist less oversight, more independence, and individuals would be encouraged rather than discouraged from taking risks.  The natural environment was rough, conquering it demanded hardy rather than timid settlers, and this would confer a greater degree of self-determination than was allowed in England or Europe at the time.  Finally, Smith explicitly linked the notion of individual liberty with commercial profit and prosperity. (pdf, pp. 60-61) 

He felt that liberty was an intangible benefit that would be mutually beneficial to both England and the local settlers.  He has therefore outlined the origins of the modern American Dream by presenting equality of opportunity for all social classes, a tolerance and encouragement of risk-taking and new ways of doing things, and an emphasis on the causative relationships between liberty, economic prosperity, and individual success and happiness.

In conclusion, a careful reading of Smiths work supports an interpretation to the effect that he had unintentionally created the framework for the American Dream.  In order to conquer the rugged environment with so many riches a new type of philosophical mindset need to be instilled in individuals.   This mindset is akin to what is known as the American work ethic and it functioned to mold and to create new types of individuals who did not conform to British expectations and demand for very long. 

The greatness of a writer lies to a great extent in his image making capability and the creativity of a writer is exposed in the metaphors he coins. Here, Ernest Hemingway, in his short story The End of Something, shows great originality through a number of similes and metaphors. Contributing greatly to the significance of his imagery he achieves a new meaning and richness. Hemingway has wonderfully blended the form and idea of the anecdote through his skilful handling of the imagery.

In this short story, if we analyze the firs term, we perceive that the author narrates about a place, Hortons Bay, which was a lumbering town. Once it was a very busy and populous place where was a sawmill where logs were cut with the saws to make lumber. But suddenly the mill collapses because the supply of logs was not abundant and one day The lumber schooners came into the bay and were loaded with the cut of the mill that stood stacked in the yard. The heaps of timber were taken away. The detachable machinery was taken out along with the two large saws and all those things were carried away which made the mill a mill and Hortons Bay a town.

This story tells us about a deserted place and two people, Nick and Marjorie who are the major characters. After a long period of ten years while Nick and Marjorie came to fish by the side of the beach, they saw the deserted place where once the mill was there and for which the town was full of people. Similarly, the relation between Nick and Marjorie comes to an end. Marjorie is one kind of character who loves nick, loves to fish with Nick. Once they came to fish by the sea beach. Suddenly Nick says that the fish are not going to be caught. Here the author wants to reveal the present situation of Nicks mentality and uses fish as metaphor. Here as Nicks speech- But they wont strike. This speech proves that Nick loses his affection to Marjorie.

Mutability is the main theme of this short story. Hemingway, in this short story, by the passage of time, attempts to divulge the theme of changeability in nature and in human mind or relation and also tries to reveal the similarities between nature and human life. As we see The broken mill represents Nick and Marjories broken relationship. The town, Horton Bay, was indeed a busy and crowded place and famous for its lumbering works. But now the town is isolated and lost its previous phase. Similarly, Nick lost his interest to Marjorie.

After ten years while Nick and Marjorie rowed along the sea beach they saw the mill, which was ruined, but still contains the sign that once there was the mill. They were setting night lines to fish with trailing bait. Marjorie wants to attract Nicks concentration saying, Theres our old ruin. Nick rows and looks at the white stone in the green trees. Suddenly Marjorie asks Nick that can he bear the moment in his mind when the mill was subsided. Nick says he can barely remember the period immediately. Again Marjorie says the ruined mill seems more like a castle. But Nick keeps himself wordless. Nick keeps rowing and gets them quite distant from the sight of the mill. Because Marjorie feels curiosity in ruined mill but Nick doesnt. Marjorie always likes a beautiful night when Nick stays beside her. But Nick is quite unconcerned to Marjorie. He relation between Nick and Marjorie gets into an end like the mill was broken and the town turned into a deserted place.

The first part of this short story of Hemingway thus embodies the accurate and shrewd observations of an author regarding man and life. Terse, compact and packed with thought, informed by a sharp and keen intellect, the style as well as the matter appeals to a wide range of readers. Full of practical wisdom and keen insight into human nature and life in general, the first part of this short story does indeed. From the above analysis, the story reveals that in the very beginning the process of the broken mill has described through vivid imagery. We are amazed to note how skillfully the author has used similes and metaphors to give the story a coherent meaning.      

Literature has always been part of human life and culture. It exists to inform or entertain people, to satirize or argue social issues, to emphasize or to deconstruct certain themes we encounter in our lives. Generally, a literary piece can be classified according to its function and this function has a lot to do with the authors motive in writing a literary material. In Washington Irvings (2009) The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, it is very clear that above anything, the authors motive is to provide a social criticism of the American society during his time. Specifically, he uses exaggeration of the storys elements, especially of the setting and characterization, and intolerance of peoples behavior, beliefs, and values.

By judging its setting and characterization, it is no doubt that The Legend of the Sleppy Hollow is a gothic story (Elite Skills Classics 2009). Harris (2008) explains that gothic stories usually use an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, supernatural and inexplicable visions and events, and high, even overwrought emotion among others.In the legend, there is an atmosphere of mystery and suspense especially when Ichabod encounters the headless goblin. Mainly, the goblin, which appeared as a horseman of large dimensions, and mounted on a black horse of powerful frame makes the story gothic. Likewise, his chase of Ichabod results in a high, even overwrought emotion, thus making readers feel tension as they continue reading. On the one hand, these elements strongly suggest the gothic elements of the story, but on the other, Irvings use of exaggeration makes the story more disturbing.

Irvings description of the events and characters makes it look exaggerated. He uses exaggerated adjectives and modifiers to elaborate characteristics, behavior, motif, and actions. This strategy stirs up imagination, and allows the reader to be absorbed in reading. For example, in describing the goblin, he first reveals that the goblin is of large dimensions. (Irving 39) Note that Irving uses this phrase instead of saying that the goblin is huge. Also, he uses the term, dimensions instead of size, making the goblin seem like an unknown figure of different shapes. Irving shows fondness of double adjectives to describe things. For example, There was something in the moody and dogged silence of this pertinacious companion that was mysterious and appalling. (Irving 40) Note the use of moody and dogged then of mysterious and appalling. When the party at the Van Tassels is over, Ichabod is described as heavy-hearted and crestfallen, (Irving 36) which likewise employs the use of double adjectives.

Irvings description of characters also reveals his propensity to become overly emphatic and exaggerated. Describing Katrina Van Tassel, he states,
She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen plump as apartridge ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of herfathers peaches, and universally famed, not merely for herbeauty, but her vast expectations. She was withal a little of acoquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was amixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set offher charms. She wore the ornaments of pure yellow goldand withal a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in thecountry round. (Irving 13)
These descriptions, which give the physical characteristics of the character, form a vivid illustration to the minds of the readers. Comparing Katrina to a partridge, Irving uses ripe, melting, and rosy-cheekedthree adjectives that emphasize attractiveness of the girl. Also, the description of the characters attire presents the triviality of the author, and further illustrates his exaggerated way of description.
   
These exaggerations that Irving employs make the story unbelievable. Instead of giving a realistic depiction, Irving chooses to exaggerate to suit the requirements of the folktale, which is expected to be formed out of peoples collective imagination. Unlike other literary pieces which aim to portray reality, the legend makes use of exaggerated elements that imply the authors objective to make it look fictional so as to discourage readers from believing. Such motive is evident in his ending, where he relates the story of a New York farmer who reports that Ichabod actually left to pursue a career in politics. This revelation leads the readers to a realization that after all, the tales of the sleepy hollow are not true. At the end, Irving wants his readers to denounce triviality and superstition, and embrace realism instead.
   
Aside from exaggeration, Irving also shows intolerance of trivial matters. First, he employs a fictional character named Diedrich Knickerbocker to emphasize the fallaciousness of the story. By assigning a tale collector, Irving emphasizes the fictional quality of the story. As the readers learn that a certain D.K. is the source of the story, they become open to the possibility that this collector may have altered the storys content to please his readers. Unlike a folktale told firsthand, the story seems to be one that is handed down by an unknown gossiper to a person who takes interest in it, a story collector by the name of Knickerbocker. This motif makes the story less credible, thus showing Irvings intent not to tolerate readers to believe in the legend.
   
Likewise, Irvings description of the setting implies his intolerance of triviality. Set in a Dutch community after the U. S. independence, the story relays the triviality of the Dutch who settled in America. The name of the place, Sleepy Hollow suggests the backwardness of the place, its inability to progress and embrace reforms. As the narrator recounts, despite the migration and improvement during the said time, population, manners, and customs remain fixed (Irving 2) in the Sleepy Hollow, and people are given to all kinds ofmarvelous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. (Irving 2) In addition, the characters submit to all kinds of tales and such is their pastime and main activity during occasions. No single character is exempted from this behavior, even the male figures Ichabod and Brom, who are often contrasted. As Daniel Hoffman notes, Ichabod and Brom present the regional clash between characters. In the story, we see the Yankee versus the Backwoodsman (86).

Nevertheless, this contrast does not affect the way the two behave in the story in regard to their belief in superstitions. The main character, Ichabod, who is a schoolteacher is fond of telling tales of magic and superstitions. Surprisingly and more ridiculously presented is the character of Brom Van Brunt, who likewise believes in such stories, and even makes up his own. Nevertheless, his attitude is quite different from the rest, because while everyone fears the headless creature, he claims to have defeated it. In addition, the old man, Balt Van Tassel, a respected landowner, is himself fond of supernatural tales too. During the party, he engages in storytelling about the unknown.  Considering these, Irving once again exaggerates in his description of the characters. As Greven (89) claims, a certain fetishization of fraternity exists here, making male characters such as Ichabod a homosocial individual. Irving actually involves all characters, implying that they share the same attitude. Assigning similarities, Irving implies his strong criticism and intolerance of the people, especially of Dutch settlers during the said time.
   
Overall, the exaggerated description of the characters, setting, and events in the story make it appear too fictional. The imaginary place, trivial characters, and their gossiping that leads them to backwardness imply the authors strong criticism of such societies that existed during his time. In particular, he sets his story in New York to effect a contrast between Sleepy Hollow and the citys reforms. Moreover, Irving shows intolerance of the peoples behavior by making Ichabod disappear. Not knowing what happens to him, the people will believe what they want to believe, thus suggesting two options, whether to dwell in the impossible or to be realistic. Furthermore, Irving does not just present sleepy societies in exaggeration. He also expresses intolerance of them. Using a dead fictional character by the name of Knickerbocker, he suggests that such tales should remain as tales. He does not make Knickerbocker a living narrator in order to emphasize that along with the tales he collected, he too is obsolete, and should just remain a memory.

The 1897 published  The Open Boat written by Stephen Crane, originated on a real incident from his true life, that was on January which is in the same year. During  his travel going to Cuba to labour as a newspaper letter-writer throughout the Cuban rebellion opposed to Spain. The Commander (Commodore), become submerged off the seaboard of Florida Crane, and the other three men were all compulsory directed their route closer to the shore in a small boat. He was grounded at the sea for almost thirty hours after his ship. On that case, one of the three men drowned while trying stressfuly to swim going to the shore. Then Crane wrote the narratine The Open Boat in the short time afterward. The story tells about the trouble and trials of four men sunken ship at the sea who should make their route going to the shore. Cranes engrossingly realistic picture of their  life-threatening unpleasant experience seize the sense of feeling and emotion of makig every effort for survival in opposition to the nature. And because of the works theoretical and analytical conjecture, this is frequently categorized as a composition of Naturalism, written side shoot of the Realist  manoeuvre. The composition, The Open Boat has demonstrated a lasting outstanding that talks to the lasting experience of  distressing a near call woth the demise (Crane, 1900).

Everyone would expect that the narrative should be a heart-pounding escapade tale not basing on the adrenaline rush of trouble than ont the systematical and theoretical investigation if mans connection to the nature that totally swamp him. This feeling of totally taking up in the strive against the nature is depicted but the well known line of the story (first line actually) None of them knew the color of the sky. (Cranes 1st line) Fascinatingly, nonetheless, it  does not construct Cranes narration realistic, it in fact creates a type of  clear-sightedness, an bright and intense nightmare condition, in which look like horsesscrambling over walls of water, carpets on a line in a gale, and white flames, to allude only some of the dozen metaphors used (Crane, 1900). The cosy but comfortable of these picture does not make the Cranes causing to be the experience any less heartfelt., they just simply call observation to the inability of trivial and bare words to communicate and transmit it. Additional to brilliant and creative language, Crane make use of  carefully-chosen narratives and tale to make the circumstances seem uncomfortable. The  expance to which the four men are balanced on the edge of their lives and death is with illustrations by the seagull that the ground that disembark on the ship captains head, as Cranes stated The captain naturally wished to knock it away with the end of the heavy painter .......... To have continue to exist in this condition for thirty hours looks like almost incomprehensible.

Cranes extraordinary use of  rhythm in the composition reminds one of the movement of the sea, while each and every phrase has a separate and discrete sense of falling and rising, each one is also a dissimilar length, just like the waves, several of which are enormous and rolling, while others are purely and solely small swells. Every can feel this through this lines lines The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. In his depiction, in his rhythm, Crane does not and never allows everyone to fail to remember the narratives setting, not even for a second, the enormous and distressing presence of nature,  self- possesed to dismantle the insignificance which is man, orders and draws everybodys attention and observationat all times. However, the very significant aspect of their strive lies in the venture to help others for survival.

Crane narrates the time when we were swamped by the surf and making the best of our way toward the shore. But finally the correspondent arrived at a place in the sea where travel was beset with difficulty. He did not pause swimming to inquire what manner of current had caught him, but there his progress ceased. The shore was set before him like a bit of scenery on a stage, and he looked at it and understood with his eyes each detail of it. As the cook passed, much farther to the left, the captain was calling to him. Turn over on your back, cook Turn over on your back and use the oar.  All right, sir. The cook turned on his back, and paddling with an oar, went ahead as if he were a canoe. (Crane 1900).

Tim OBrien scrutinizes the connection between the narration on the story and the experience of war. How to tell a True War Story is something like distinguishing the truth of the story from a fiction. Basically, the story comprises of a story telling by the author and putting him into one of the characters. A true war story is a clear reflection of the story to describe obscenity and immorality that provides the principle of courage. It depicts the idea that sometimes stories are even more realistic rather than what happens in the real world as you get to picture the details in the scenario. However, contradictions appear when he put his identity onto one of the characters and lays the notion that storytelling is fallacy most especially on war stories. The narrator comes out to be erratic in a sense that the most realistic part of the true war story is an intuitive response of a listener and comes into view of being typical. OBrien defends that the story is a mere fact though, however it becomes unrealistic when some parts of the story were not able to stand for the truthfulness of the scenarios. Thus, a true war story does not depict certainty and truth is extraneous.

On the other hand, the poetry of Owen resembles the literature of OBrien where in it both depict war. Wilfred Owen, being known as an educated soldier and at the same time a poet, established his name on the First World War. His style of poetry uses pararhyme or the imperfect rhyme where in the consonants in two words is similar but differs in vowels. The poem, Arms and the Boy, depicts the side of the author as being nationalistic and reflects the reality of what young people faced during that time. Violence had been prevalent and devours the innocence of the youth emotionally and physically. The author showed that the boys are too young to engage in the war and be responsible for the weapons and being armed to kill other soldiers. 

The piece of Tim OBrien relates to the poem Arms and the boy by Wilfred Owen both talks about the war. Both authors describe the violence and crime in the scenes of their stories and involve reality. However, the poetry of Owen is considered to be more realistic as it is equipped with his own experiences as a soldier.

The work of OBrien falls more on the side of a fiction and reality and thus suggests vagueness. He also writes according to his experiences but seems to be usual for the readers and appears to be common such as describing war as hell and other. Generally, OBrien and Owen are just two of the great artists who express their ideas and experiences on war through their writings. Both use their own styles of literature Owen as reflecting the reality of what violence the war brings and OBrien narrating the story and putting him as one of the characters in the story. Thus, they are similar with their subject matter and the style by narrating the story to the readers. A distinction just occurs between how OBrien uses vagueness into his literature while a pararhyme for Owen. Consequently the novel of OBrien is a different style from the poem of Owen.

After learning about the Art of Rhetoric, it was finally understood that arguments actually take on different forms, and these varying forms also hold corresponding effects and impacts on the effect being made upon the audience. Each of these forms also goes with related objectives that set them apart from each other. To recall, the logos, was said to be the logical argument of persuation (Huber and Snider 177). This style of argument focuses on facts and logic which made it useful for business and professional letters and articles. Pathos on the other hand, appeals to the emotions of the audience. It is said to be the style of persuasion which focuses on factors that stir and influence the emotions and feelings of the audience (177). Lastly, there is Ethos. This style of persuasion focuses on the speaker or the author. Ethos, is that element of persuasion arising from the influence of the speaker (177).

This means that this style of argument focuses in the building up of the speaker or the authors credibility through words. Each style or element of persuasion has a corresponding significance to the over-all impact of an argument. It also holds valuable implications to the effects being put upon the audience. This paper shall analyze and review how these styles have been used in a very significant and valuable letter in history Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

Kings Letter from a Birmingham Jail is an open letter which was written as an address and refute to the statement of eight white Alabaman clergymen. The letter basically represented Kings sentiments about how these clergymen thought that social injustice must never be addressed in the streets. Furthermore, the letter presented Kings most emotional sentiments on the then worsening case of racial prejudice and discrimination.
The first part of the Kings letter was basically an overview and an introduction of what he was about to convey. From this part, the reader would easily get an idea of what the letter will sound like in the succeeding parts. In the second paragraph, King gave a quick background about his credentials as activist and a renowned leader of a religious organization.

This is evidently what we call the ethos. In this part of the letter, it is quite understandable that King decided to first introduce himself as well as his credentials properly so as the readers will be able to know how credible he is in talking about some of Americas then most controversial social issues. Just like in any other program, a speaker is always given a proper introduction first so that the audience would know how fitted and suitable his individuality is on what he is about to say. In this case, since Kings article was an open letter, it appears logical that he first made some proper introductory statements about himself and his advocacies first, and this gave the readers sufficient background on how well versed and exposed he is on the aforementioned issues. Rights after this part, King immediately jumped and segued to the reasons why he was in jail. In this part of the letter, he emotionally relayed how mightily he tried to fight for black freedom under the guidance of God. In this part, a lot of readers, especially black Americans will easily relate, since they understand the kind of freedom King was talking about. Moreover, as King talked about God, it can easily be assumed that a lot of Christians would easily relate to this part of the letter as well, since King mentioned how he felt the Lord guided him on his way. In this point, King started shifting styles from ethos to pathos.

The succeeding statement mentioned things about injustice and which, King assumed, every person goes through in a lifetime. He specifically notes
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator idea. Anyone who lies inside the United States can never be considered an outsider within his bounds. (King 65)

In this part of the letter, King starts to become emotional about the painful realities that black Americans were facing during that time. As what has been learned about pathos, this element of persuasion is supposed to capture the emotions and empathy of the audience. And evidently, this was also what King was trying to achieve in this part of the letter. In the succeeding parts of the letter where he specifically talked about the painful experiences black American had to go through due to racial discrimination, he continued to utilize pathos as a style of argument. It appeared that King was trying to get the audience one with his own sentiments by making them feel how the black Americans felt during times when they are being kicked by police officers, being discriminated in schools and being humiliated publicly. Kings ability to utilize pathos has also been very apparent when he mentioned how he himself conveyed how difficult it was for him to explain to his six year old child why white Americans are treating black Americans so badly. This line of the six year old child must have probably caught hearts and emotions as King went on with his letter the child asked, Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean (King 69). As a whole, it is very much observable that most of Kings appeal in this letter have more of an emotional attack. Knowing this, it is understandable that people find this letter more emotionally moving that it is informing.

Logos was only used once in this letter. In the paragraph where King discussed about unjust law code, logos as a persuasion element, was very evident. Prior to this paragraph, King was talking about natural law and the unjust law. This shift from pathos to logos was logical in the sense that King had to explicate how things are in the technical aspect of judiciary. Yes, people experience injustice every day, in the streets, in the park, and just about everywhere however, King thought of explaining to these people what injustice looks like in the proper proceeding at court and at law in order to tell them that injustice also has a more technical and complex face. And in this kind of discussion, only logos appears useful in the argument, since the information being talked about is a factual and technical information. This piece of information does not have anything to do with the authors credentials, as well as to the empathy of the readers, that is why logos applies best in this part. The shift of the authors from pathos to logos has been acceptable since the flow of information also went well with the transition.

As a whole, Kings utilization of the elements of persuasion has been very effective. He started off with ethos since he first wanted to establish himself as a credible author. This was very logical as it created a good introduction about the author as well as the issues he was about to talk about. It was evident that pathos has been very dominant in this piece of work. This was completely understandable as this work appeared to be address and appeal to the people King was pertaining to as agitators, as well as to the black Americans like himself. Basically, the information conveyed in this article was emotional and sentimental hence, it appears acceptable that the author directed his words toward the readers emotions as well. Logos was almost not utilized, but this is also understandable since the author did not make use of much technical and factual information. All in all, based from the utilization of the three elements of persuasion, it could be deduced the Kings Letter from an Birmingham Jail is a piece of literature which has been dominated by the pathos.

The manner in which John Smith described the increasingly important land now a formal part of the United States, in A Description of New England, intended to entice further settlement and it also reflected his genuine amazement and vision for the future.  The strength of these descriptions is grounded most fundamentally in Smiths ability to weave together his descriptions of separate places and things in such a way as to predict or to envision the rise of a great colony or nation in the future.  To this end, for example, he describes such diverse things as crops, sources of water, locations for harbors, the weather, wildlife, farming, forests, trading possibilities, the nature of the individual in such a rugged environment, the values both politically and spiritually to guide these types of daring individuals, social classes, and the larger relation to Great Britain and the threats posed by other European nations and the indigenous population. 

These varied descriptions, read discretely and without a larger context, might leave the reader rather perplexed as if a travel account had been prepared and published.  A closer consider of the text, however, clearly demonstrates that Smith was constructing through his travels and descriptions that rise of an extremely formidable part of the British Empire.  More specifically, though he could not have known its precise nature at the time of his writing, Smith was effectively outlining and foreshadowing the reasons why and how America would evolve and the source of its commercial wealth and its own unique form of social and political development.  He was giving birth to what today is often referred to as the American Dream, the deep-seated belief that individualism and hard work guided by a certain moral framework will aid individuals in conquering all obstacles and achieving success, and it is fair to characterize Smith as the father of the American Dream in many respects.  In order to support this characterization of Smith, this paper will present his descriptions and analyses of the ruggedly valuable natural environment and the type of individual needed to conquer and thrive in such a challenging environment.

From an analytical perspective, if Smiths writing is to be connected to a larger purpose, then it is necessary to understand how he described the new land in need of taming and conquering.  He described, to be sure, a land that was both deadly and filled with riches both easily accessible and some that were hidden.  The most striking features of his descriptions pertained to the spacious nature of the land and its physical and geographical variety.  His descriptions read very much like a map, describing land that is fertile for growing crops and areas on the coast for fishing or points for international trade, and reading these descriptions creates an infectious enthusiasm for the prospects of these new lands. 

More specifically, virtually every type of vocation and means of subsistence is available and the natural resources make these vocations and means of subsistence easily attainable if individuals are willing to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities.  Before arriving inland, for example, Smith seems almost in awe as he describes the structure and the length of the coasts.  He notes, for instance, that the Bay is full of great Ilandswhich diuides it into many faire and excellent good harbours (pdf, p. 42).  These coasts provide fish for food and trade they provide excellent geography for harbors, and the surrounding mountains and forests provide an overly ample amount of stone, wood, and minerals for construction and craftsmanship.  The forests are similarly well-stocked with more than enough resources to sustain future settlement and expansion.  Smith describes networks of rivers flowing from many mountains and the richness of the fertile farming lands fed and nourished by these rivers. 

Farming is not the only possibility quite the contrary, for those not inclined to the farming lifestyle, Smith goes on to describe an extraordinarily diverse type of wildlife that can support the food needs of hunters and the commercial needs of traders in the form of pelts.  In sum, from a natural environment point of view, Smith has described a land which is suitable for virtually every type of vocation and in which resources and opportunities are endless for those hardy individuals daring to risk a more independent lifestyle.  It is within this context, trying to describe what type of individual is most suited to these challenges, that Smith makes some valuable comments about the political and religious benefits of settlement and expansion in this new area.

 It is important to note that Smith was quite loyal to both his home country and to its governing system on the other hand, he seemed to predict that social, political, and commercial life in this new place would be more independent of authority for practical reasons associated with necessity and that individuals would be compelled to assume much more individual initiative and responsibility than might have been the case had they remained living in England.   In this respect, relying on many analogies, Smith is careful to state that My purpose is not to perfwade children from their parents (pdf, p. 58).  He therefore states his allegiance to
Britain while simultaneously outlining the benefits to potential settlers.  First, he engages in an extensive discussion to the effect that individuals of all social classes will be able to prosper in ways that might not be possible in England.  The rich and the powerful can extend their trading empires while the lower classes can build new lives and perhaps improve their standard of living and offer better prospects for their own children.  Smith is thus characterizing a new type of social equality as a major benefit and advantage this advantage, to be sure, is one of the fundamental pillars of the American Dream.  Equality of opportunity, the idea that everyone will be provided an equal opportunity to prosper, is perhaps the most important tenet of the American Dream.  Second, there would exist less oversight, more independence, and individuals would be encouraged rather than discouraged from taking risks.  The natural environment was rough, conquering it demanded hardy rather than timid settlers, and this would confer a greater degree of self-determination than was allowed in England or Europe at the time.  Finally, Smith explicitly linked the notion of individual liberty with commercial profit and prosperity. (pdf, pp. 60-61)  He felt that liberty was an intangible benefit that would be mutually beneficial to both England and the local settlers.  He has therefore outlined the origins of the modern American Dream by presenting equality of opportunity for all social classes, a tolerance and encouragement of risk-taking and new ways of doing things, and an emphasis on the causative relationships between liberty, economic prosperity, and individual success and happiness.

In conclusion, a careful reading of Smiths work supports an interpretation to the effect that he had unintentionally created the framework for the American Dream.  In order to conquer the rugged environment with so many riches a new type of philosophical mindset need to be instilled in individuals.   This mindset is akin to what is known as the American work ethic and it functioned to mold and to create new types of individuals who did not conform to British expectations and demand for very long.  

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is considered to be one of the successful masterpieces that satirizes human weakness and is recognized as the greatest satirical piece of writing. This is succinctly captured in how the novel traces Hucks moral developments as he encounters a seemingly haphazard array of people as well as situations (Nash, 1999 102-105). Essentially, the novel embodies the search for freedom and given the idea that it was written during the post Civil War, Twain intended to satirize the intense white reactions against the blacks. This is fundamentally a portrayal of increasing segregation, racial prejudice lynching and the extensive notion that blacks were perceived to be not human enough. It also outlines the voice of the society on the ills of racism as well as hateful contempt, which though existed at that time, transcends into the present through discrimination in terms of employment, justice, and other phenomenon. Accordingly, Twain attempts to bring out into the open the ugliness of the society by creating rather a challenge to it .The paper discuses the human weakness that Mark Twain satirizes in the novel.

The novel is about a teenage boy called Huck Finn. His father is an alcoholic a factor which makes him to be violent. Because of his violence, Huck runs away and bumps into a runaway slave called Jim. However, instead of turning Jim in, Huck does against the expectation of the society and decides on helping Jim to break free from slavery. As Jim and Huck travel together, Huck begins to understand that certain stereotypes about the blacks are wrong. Eventually, Huck risks his life, overcomes many hurdles and succeeds in freeing Jim (Twain, 1993 12-78). Twain focuses on alcoholism, racism, mob mentality and the hypocrisy of the civilized society as the human weaknesses that he satirizes. He uses his passionate style and satirizes these three aspects of human life throughout the novel.

Manning and Amerce (2004 207-208) describe that the language that Mark Twain uses marks the words that the book contains to be full of clear abhorrence towards the black slaves. For example, everything that is said about the whites despises and refuses to accept the black race. This is vivid when Huck answers his Aunt Sallys question whether or not anyone is hurt. Huck answers that he just killed a nigger, which is the only way to refer to a black in the white society. In addition, not only are the blacks treated differently from the whites they are also regarded as slaves and thus property to be owned. Huck is prompted to utter such words so that he may succeed in saving Jim. He realized that it was the only way to achieve his objectives without necessarily raising an eyebrow. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people than skin, color and race.

Hucks father also had his own opinion about the government. He outlines that his government was the most wonderful one because of a nigger in Ohio (Twain 199335).  Accordingly, both racism and the government are satirized. Pap represents the rigged and close minded whites and their feelings about free blacks. He goes ahead to mock how the government has outlawed slavery in some states and not others. Primarily, Twain touches on slavery by entering into the bitter realms of social satire and their beliefs on the issues of free slaves.

Alcoholism is another human weakness that the author satirizes in the novel. Accordingly, Manning and Amerce (2004 206-208) postulate that alcoholism is a parody that is brought to fore by the author constantly drawing attention to the drunk and violent father of Huck Finn in a very negative way. For example, Pap says, I was just about to go and vote myself if I werent too drunk to get there. (Twain, 199327).These sentiments imply that he will never vote anyway simply because the government allowed one black professor to vote. The drunkard nature of Pap reduces him to a Nobody. Not even can Pap be compared to the black Jim he does not even deserve to be compared to a kind as well as warm hearted slave. This is captured in the fact that the only time he visits Huck is when he needs money which definitely leads to something else. In essence, money is the only thing that Pap expects from Huck.
Throughout the novel, we meet the characters whose lives are ruined by alcoholism. Mark Twain thus satirizes the consumption of alcohol by highlighting the effects it has on people and the society at large. A case in point is when Huck quotes that Pap has never been seen for more than a year. He seems to be comfortable with such happenings and expresses overtly that he did not want to see him either (Twain, 1993 13).  In light of this, Nash (1999 103-106) portends that Twain uses Pap to satirize drunken adults in the society and what alcoholism does to their families, their children and everyone around them.

In addition, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn satirizes mob mentality. It is profoundly another issue related to the novel where failure to employ ones instinct and the constant following of others is the valid example in life. This disposition fits succinctly in the story line of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and thus becomes a phenomenon that Twain successfully satirizes. For example, it is evident in the case where someone sang out Take up a collection for him, take up a collection and everybody accepted the statement as said. Accordingly, Nash (1999104-107) points out that accepting the statements that were sung takes the angle of dumb dogmatism. Ideally, the crowd followed the song without necessarily taking time to perceive the actual intended meaning. Manning and Amerce (2004 206-208) further assert that considering that the King took advantage of such situation of gullibility, he managed to make people believe that he is a pirate and he was trying to get the priest help him find a path to God. This is indeed a concise parody because nobody took the time to probe the absurdity in the speech given by the King. He took advantage of the passiveness of the people and got away with a greater portion of the stolen money.

Similarly, someone in the crowed yelled, Sherburn ought to be lynched(Twain, 1993 140) and in no time, everyone in the crowd began repeating this statement word for word en masse. As the sheriff stood on his roof and began shooting his gun, the crowd etched a sunder and ran away. In essence, Nash (1993 104-105) observes that mob mentality is a critical factor in human life and is used in the novel to play a bigger role of trickery. For instance, Huck gave his best thereby managing to avoid the trap of mob mentality, thus survived on his instincts which were later understood to be more logical, became his weapon and helped make a friend out of it.

Twain depicts the society that surrounds Huck as one that is covered a little more than a collection of degraded rules and the precepts that defy logic thus postulating a parody on the hypocrisy of the civilized society. For instance, when Huck plans to head for the west in a bid to escape, it emerges that he is trying to avoid more than mandatory school attendance as well as regular baths. Accordingly, Manning and Amerce (2004207-209) understand that this faulty logic is noticed after the new judge in town allows Pap to keep custody of Huck. The judge seems to privilege the rights of Pap to his son as his biological father all against the welfares of Huck. Similarly, this decision comments on the system that puts the white mans rights to his property, who is the slave. Nash (1999 106) contends that in implicitly comparing the eminent plights of black slaves to those of Huck in the hands of Pap implies a parody that Twain shows that it is impossible for the society that allows itself to own slaves to be just irrespective of how civilized such society proclaims and believes to be.

To recap, the development of the novel, the use of characters and literary styles coherently correlate to emphasis the parody of human weakness in the society. From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that Twain in the novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn shows us that we can rise above our societal perceptions and tackle the vice of human weakness just the same way Huck did to Jim. Twain pictures Jim to show how blacks were treated as sub humans by being denigrated, being locked up and derided. However, he introduces Huck who treats Jim fairer opposed to other whites. Accordingly, Huck looks at Jim as a friend and through their journey as friends he finally disagrees with the position of the society that blacks are inferior. It is a successful masterpiece that brings to fore the historical injustices of racism and its face in the present society.

John Smith in A Description of New England portrayed an extraordinarily optimistic and ambitious portrait of the new land and the lives that people could live were they to fully recognize and take advantage of the rare benefits the new land offered.  The scale of this optimism was buttressed by the fact that Smith had a great deal of international experience and that he was able to compare the perceived riches of these new lands, both in terms of commercial and philosophical possibilities, with lands that he had previously encountered and studied in parts of Asia and Africa.  These were, in his view, virgin lands with abundant natural resources which could be developed in ways that settled lands in other parts of the world could not because of well-entrenched settlement patterns and indigenous belief systems  by other peoples.  More, Smith viewed these American possibilities broadly and in his description he effectively offered up the riches and the openness of these new lands as a type of New World within which almost anything was possible.  These possibilities, significantly, extended to both the affluent and to the common human being.  Everything, in short, seemed possible in Smiths view.  This paper will discuss these possibilities by examining the benefits and the advantages that Smith presented and described in A Description of New England.  Rather than discussing how particular social classes might benefit in isolation, such as the affluent and the ordinary man, this essay will examine the larger context in which such a thriving existence was thought possible by Smith to this end, this paper will sketch and outline the perceived benefits in terms of natural resources, commercial opportunities, and the population vacuum within which political and religious flexibility and freedom could be pursued.

As an initial matter, and perhaps the most profound set of descriptions provided by Smith in A Description of New England, the sheer abundance of natural resources was treated as an extraordinarily rare find.  Smith described these resources comprehensively and referred to them in terms of land-based resources, water-based resources, and the seemingly infinite scale of the land.  These resources included such things as lumber and fish.  There were minerals and lands both more fertile and more abundant than in Europe.  He envisioned settlements constructed from the timber, supported by farming, and a growing domestic and international trade in which the farmers could improve their standards of living and in which the affluent could expand existing commercial operations.  Indeed, it was by comparing the size of these new lands to European states through which he predicted in certain ways the future of an American empire.  Size and natural resources were the primary advantages indeed, Smith noted that these lands constituted a Country farre bigger than England, Scotland, France and Ireland, yet little knowne to any Chriftian (pdf, p. 21).  He also characterized the coast lines as an advantage because the inland natural resources could be extracted and incorporated into the international trade of the time.  He saw an inland farming empire, a coastal fishing network, and opportunities for the creation of even more sophisticated networks for domestic and international trade premised on the natural resources and the seemingly unending potential for expansion and growth.  These lands, in his descriptions, seem almost inexhaustible and infinite.
   
Smith also articulated and described an interesting connection between these bountiful lands and seas and the men there at work.  A close analysis of the text, and particularly the word choice and the comparisons made, suggests that Smith believed to a certain extant that the nature of the land had an almost infectious effect of the inhabitants.  He noted with respect to the profitable harbors, for example, that profits were larger and that commerce raged as wildly as the seas to which they were attached (pdf, pp. 30-31).  In the same way that the lands were bigger, so too did he seem to romanticize the sailors and the ships and the commerce.  Everything in this new place was bigger and better and more able to stand on its own terms.  This would also affect Smiths descriptions of the type of political and religious orientations of the people engaged in settling these lands.  These people, in his view, were stronger and more independent than other men.  They were more willing to take risks, they therefore reaped greater rewards, and they were beginning to forge an identity in which the individual was more dependent on himself and his particular notion of God than on a sovereign entity or authority far across the seas.  Just as these were new lands, so too were these new men and women.  This is the crucial nexus, new lands and new people, that ties Smiths work together most substantively.

There were other benefits and advantages which were more softly presented or implied.  Smith, for example, digresses at points to marvel about the climate and its varieties.  The climate and the fertility of the land create in his view an almost magical blend that will yield the finest grains, fruits, and seeds for the future (pdf, p. 34).  These lands, in addition to being fertile and amenable to farming, are also teeming with wildlife.  He writes of fox, otters, and martin.  These can provide meat and fur pelts for domestic use or be used as a part of a growing trade network (pdf, p. 38).  He also speculates as to as of yet unknown riches.  While indicating the presence of gold and silver, for example, he imagines buried somewhere to be other minerals such as lead and alum (pdf, p.39).  The descriptions are therefore not simply about what has been discovered already, but include a fairly firm conviction that much has been undiscovered and is awaiting discovery.  These descriptions, to a substantial extant, truly underlie what will later become the spirit of the American Dream.  More particularly, there are accessible and hidden riches that may be secured if individuals are knowledgeable, hard-working, and willing to do what is necessary to extract these riches. 

For some, this may involve braving the rough seas in the coastal cities in order to be rewarded with bountiful harvests of the largest fish ever seen.  For those in the interior this may involve becoming closer to the land, tilling the land, and engaging in farming that will first feed the immediate family and then be used in trade to secure greater wealth and security.  Finally, for those brave enough to risk pursuing the hidden riches of the as of yet unknown frontier further inland, the rewards may be gold and fame.  In sum, a synthesis of all of Smiths varied descriptions yields the skeletal outlines of what is now known as the American Dream.  This dream was premised on vast lands, abundant and varied natural resources, new types of men willing to work hard and independently, and a spiritual or religious conviction that viewed these settlement and commercial efforts as being a part of Gods plan.  The American Dream, in many important respects, can be traced to John Smiths descriptions and the accompanying visions that he had for the new lands and its people.  Politics and religion would be affected by commerce and the frontier lifestyle rather than commerce and individuals being molded by rigid notions of political authority and religious dogma imported or otherwise imposed from Europe.  The American Dream, in sum, was grown from these seeds and it truly represented a new view of the individuals relation to the land, to authority, and to religion.

In the final analysis, it can be seen that John Smith was in many ways both prescient and wise.  He was prescient because he foresaw in many ways the vast potential of these new lands and the precise reasons for this potential.  His vision of an embryonic country that could one day become very powerful and successful was grounded on the size of the lands, the natural resources attached to these lands, and the potential to exploit these natural resources for commercial gains that would benefit the affluent as well as sustain and provide unique opportunities to the ordinary man willing to work hard and to persevere.  Additionally, he anticipated the unique philosophical, political, and religious opportunities that lands so far from the centers of European power and authority offered.  There were, in effect, opportunities for the development of a more secular land premised on hard work and strong values.  That many of Smiths predictions have been realized is a testament to the specificity of his descriptions and how he considered these factors to be of relevance to commercial development and individual freedoms.

Through a short story, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was able to demonstrate the strong desire he possessed for staying and teaching in a Russian interior. During the earlier parts of the narrative, Alexander mentioned that he was set to go back to one of the big cities but was lured into moving to an inner town in Russia. He has experienced days spent on a series of jobs he did not like. To him, the goal of becoming a teacher remained as one of the most important objectives he had. Together with the decision of living in an inner city, Alexander headed for an inner town in Russia where he met Matryona.
   
A larger part of the reasons of Alexander lies mostly on his desire for a peaceful community and his wish to become a teacher. The community offered to him by the inner parts of Russia moved him away from the hustle of the city life. He expected to have a calm environment where peace and serenity can occupy him. Though his dream community did not entail the luxuries of life, he did not mind it at all. His desire to have a simple life is manifested in the way he behaved inside the house of Matryona. He cheerfully accepted the simplicity of the house and embraced the ugliness there could be for he sees this as a part of the life he wanted. The characteristics of the house suited what he clearly wanted.
   
Aside from this, it allowed him to obtain a teaching job that is close to the peaceful environment he lives in. His job actually sustained his living in Matryonas house as he is provided with goods, being a teacher who serves in the community. He moved away from the jobs he had earlier, which are not decent and not at par with the responsibilities he is looking for. His aspirations for teaching led him to stay in the inner city as he chose a more secluded environment, which is far from civilization. A great expectation from the teachers is that they have to serve the community by serving as the fountain of knowledge for the children. Commonly, the areas that are far from civilization experience difficulties in access to education. In fact, these are the areas that are commonly not reached by agents of education, which in this case are the teachers. By moving in to the community, Alexander is able to help in educating the children and resolve issues of parents with their children. There was even a time when he had a parent visit him because of his child.
   
A greater reason, which is not fully discussed in the story, is the inherent need to stay away from the materialistic side of the world. In the secluded village, Alexander received comfort with the fact that they produce what they eat. Though Matryona offered him a list of people who accept lodgers and have better accommodation than hers, he preferred to stay in the simple home despite the fact that fancy cooking is not done in the house. Likewise, the house did not contain any earthly possessions or luxurious appliances that make everyday living easier. Through this, Alexander is relieved of the complexity that the city sometimes offer.
   
Likewise, he constantly proved that the simplicity and absence of material and earthly possessions brings more harm than good. In the said community, he saw that the simple way of life yields the most positive feeling of internal peace. On the other hand, the greed of others for material possessions resulted to the tragedy that became a mark in the minds of the people. In the said tragedy, the conscience of those with greedy souls continued to haunt them. As for Matryona, Alexander proved that she was able to rest in pure peace because of how she distinguished herself from the earthly possessions and materialistic world.

The concept of prison and the deeper meaning of it is both manifested in the novels. The concept of prison in both books is illustrated in the society where the main protagonists belonged to. Prison is defined by the fact that the characters experience lack of freedom due to the moral standards given by the society to its members. Institutions specifically government and religion restrict them in their different forms of human tendencies. The world in both novels is indirectly defined as a prison. The rational structure created by a collective group of people restrict individuals to fully become human  in terms of fully experiencing what the physical world can offer. Since humanity often attempts to find rational explanations to the rational events of the world, people are often restricted.
   
Unlike the society where he belongs to, Meursalt, the main character in the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, is passive and has a lack of moral feelings. He believes that life is meaningless and purely physical. He truly embraces the idea that human existence holds no greater significance. He is unperceptive but only exists via his sensory experience.  In the first half of the novel, Meursault is unaware in the absurdity and irony of human existence and the only thing real to him is his physical experiences. Circumstances that would be very important for most individuals, such as his mothers death and marriage proposal, do not matter to him on an emotional or sentimental level. He is neither moral, immoral or amoral but he simply does not attempt to make a distinction between what is good and what is bad. He does not place any value judgment on his actions and decisions. As long as he has time and ability to do so, he will do an act. His killing to the Arab man as his response to the suns physical effects upon him is meaningless  another event that happens. But his murder to the Arab however forces him to retrospect about life and its meaning. As Mersault contemplates his impending death by formal execution, he finally acknowledged his mortality and accountability for his own life. However he concludes at the end that human life has no grand meaning, greater purpose or importance, and that their actions, their goings and comings, have no consequence on the world. His realization about the meaninglessness of life is the culmination of all the events in the novel.
   
Due to Mersaults view towards the world or the universe and his passive or gentle indifference, society sees him as a threat or as an outsider. Mersualts view towards the world is like a prison that when its standards are not met, you are doomed to death. When you conform to the physical needs or to the philosophical notion that human life has no rational meaning or order, you are considered a prison or an outsider. The society nonetheless attempts to impose rational explanations or justifications for Meursaults irrational and sinful actions. The courtroom in the novel is used as a significant symbolism about how the author implicitly described the world as prison. The court can be compared to the society as a whole where minor characters reappear as witnesses in the courtroom in their attempt to justify that truly Mersaults actions are wrong and immoral. The law on the other hand functions as the will of the collective people where they present what a person as a member of the society should be and where the restrictions are put to. The crucifix in the novel also symbolizes rational belief structures. When Mersaults rejects Christianity, he automatically rejects all systems and orders that seek to define a rational order within human existence. Mersaults defiance and his passive approach towards the universe without thinking what makes an action good or bad can be branded a threat to the created social order.
   
The novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a story that describes a single day of an ordinary prisoner set in Soviet labor camp during 50s. Through the main protagonists thoughts, feelings and actions, the readers are able to perceive Russian camp life and its restricted activities. The authoritative oppression and cruelties given to the prisoners from prison officials illustrate how hard it is to be in that kind of situation. The prisoners actions are all managed and supervised by the camps commandment. The prisoners always have tasks to do, have limited rest and they never have free time to be with themselves and discuss important issues. Since survival is of the utmost importance to the prisoners, obedience is such an important virtue inside the camp. The setting and the human experiences literally conform to what a prison in reality is like. The physical and emotional condition of the camp is harsh, reflecting a world that has no tolerance and even small glimpse of independence. The prisoners almost rely totally on each others altruism even for the food  their most basic human need. They are forced to overcome prejudices based on ethnic and cultural differences for the good of the group. However, the dehumanizing atmosphere forces the prisoners to discover ways to retain their identity and sense of individuality while conforming to the voiced or unvoiced rules of the camp. 
   
In the novel, one can see the evil or the disadvantages the institutions created to the society that affect every aspect of the prisoners lives in the novel. The system uses the work squads to control and discipline the prisoners through punishment and peer pressure. However what moral compromises do prisoners have to make in order to survive  Societies  perceived prisoner labor as more than simple punishment or as a reformative experience by which they repay their debts to the society. Their reformative or training experience inside the prison will make them productive members of the society. However the harsh retribution for such small offenses is ironic and absurd. The long and hard prison sentences seems like nothing more than a cruel exercising of power by Soviet officials instead of disciplining. Those institutionalized conceptions made the prisoners lives like hell. Meanwhile the spoon that the main character hides on his boot after every meal represents his thirst for freedom and identity. Though the spoon is a useful tool, Shukhov perceives spoon as something that represents his uniqueness, because the spoon which he hides every time is something that the prisoners do not have. The camp continually tries to destroy the prisoners sense of uniqueness, and Shukhov must hide the spoon every after meal from camp officials in order to preserve the individuality and uniqueness he has carved out for himself in the camp.
   
Both novels says that the oppressive evil of this age is due to the institutionalized conceptions of what is right and wrong. The collective beliefs of people towards religion forces them to conform to the limitations or restrictions they imposed to the society. Both novels implicitly suggest that if the society is not institutionalized, men will be free to live life for what it is and to make the most of their remaining days. The entire rules and regulations is therefore an example of absurdity or the humanitys futile attempt to impose rationality on the irrational and unpredictable universe.

Some people believe words cant hurt.  Fortunately, for historys sake, words do hold much power that can be used for positive changes even when they have negative emotions attached with them. During antebellum slavery, the words of speeches, articles, songs, and narratives present the real depiction of slave souls. Although these words carry the same heavy burdens as the slaves during this horrific time in history, they presented arguments to prove the injustice that was holding slaves in bondage in the South. Their words request longing for justice, share the harsh conditions of slavery, share hidden messages, and cry out a plea for God to make right the wrongs. On the other hand, there is a need for acknowledgement, by those in the North and South, to treat slaves as people rather then property, while also empowering slaves to know slavery is not their destiny.
   
While reading, a true understanding of the plight of slaves was laid out in many different ways. The excerpt from David Walkers Appeal, in Four Articles, Together with a Preamble introduces the ills of slavery and the wrath that God holds on enslavers. While reading his words, I can feel the rage he has for those that enslave others and for the retribution that he feels God will have one day towards them.
   
While his piece is filled with rage,  The Narrative and Life of Frederick Douglass, is filled with sorrow. My mind quickly travels to the comfortable environment in which many people in America currently live. Douglass recounts the less than meager conditions afforded to him and other slaves with a list of allowances awarded to them.  These writers were educating the Nation about the current situation in the South.
  
 It is extremely remarkable the way words were used by many slaves and abolitionists to share messages with one another. Even with the spirituals, there is an underlying message. For those that lived through it, like Douglass, the pain of the life they lived comes with every letter, despite others belief that the spirituals are just beautiful renditions of slave contentment with their current condition. Douglass says, slaves sing most when they are unhappy as they tell the tale of woe beyond feasible comprehension (110).  Most people dont listen to the words of these soulful melodies, but the words of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot prove Douglass to be true. The slaves are singing  about being saved from the wretchedness of the world even if it is by death. They also used the words to communicate with one another which is clever all in itself.
   
While some may have misunderstood the souls of slaves through their music, others could not comprehend that slaves had souls. Sojourner Truths Address to the Ohio Womens Convention  focuses on the subconscious idea many people had that black people during antebellum times were subhuman. She tries to prove to the audience that she is a woman just like white women. The tone has the same agony as Douglass narrative and the Negro Spirituals because they all have deep feelings of pain and resentment toward their position in society when they know in their hearts the truth, they are more than just slaves, they are people. 
   
In spite of this, as I read there is a feeling of pride, that the words many people take for granted everyday were used in such a powerful way by these slaves and abolitionists, which shows they are not just human, but remarkably so.

Notwithstanding the fact that he has been considered as the fierce Greek champion who was able to win thousands of battles, Achilles was considered to be problematic in terms of being a Greek warrior and hero because of the flaws that he exhibited not only in his decisions in most of his battles but also in his love affair.
  
 One of the lapses that Achilles has perfectly shown in the story was his bursting outrage to Agamemnon when the Achaean king had finally took the control over Helen, the most beautiful and fairest woman in the land.
  
 In this light, the rage of Achilles to King Agamemnon can be considered as null because the former was indeed to be blamed on the situation. Helen, after all, is the wife of King Agamemnon. Its acceptable if Helen will be given back to the king. Actually, Achilles has no right to abduct Helen even if they say that they love each other. Abduction, in the first place, was a worst sin which was committed by Achilles to the Achaean king. So Achilles should supposed not to claim any anguish with regards to the act of King Agamemnon to claim his wife.
   
But when King Agamemnon suggested a peace offering to Achilles for the sake of their own people, Achilles had still the nerve to refuse as if he was really humiliated and deprived of justice. In the Book IX of Iliad by Homer 1945, Achilles says 
From me alonehe stole away a prize, a woman whom I loveLet him have his pleasure in bed with her. 420Why must Argives fight against the TrojansWhy did Atreus son collect an armyand lead it here if not for fair-haired HelenAre Atreus sons the only mortal men 340who love their wives Every good and prudent manloves his wife and cares for her, as my heartloved that girl, though captured with my spear.Since hes taken my prize out of my handsand cheated me, let him not try to takeanother thing from me. I know him too well. 430Hell never persuade me to agree.   

   
This shows the characteristic of Achilles as a hard-headed warrior and individual. Though he knows to himself that he is not right, he still insists what he wants for the sake of his own desire and pleasure. Actually, Achilles can be one of the persons to blame for the Trojan war. If and only if he did not abduct Helen, there could be a possibility that there would be no war between the two kingdom. But eventhough Achilles was warned by many people around him, he still insisted his desire to get the most beautiful woman on Earth even if it causes war among his people and the people of king Agamemnon.
   
Hence, it can be deducted that Achilles is indeed a problematic warrior especially in terms of his attitudes and values. This has something in parallelism with his being not perfect as a warrior and individual.  When his mother Thetis dipped him in a river in Hades, Achilles did not become totally invulnerable because his ankle was not soaked properly in the river. This is the reason why he was defeated in the battle in the later part of the story. This incident in the life of Achilles, can be highly associated to his being a problematic warrior and hero.

Prison as a Metaphor in the novels The Stranger by Albert Camusand One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovichby Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Prison can be defined as a place wherein people who did not follow the law is usually put in detention. These people are usually the ones convicted of different crimes. Weather on the other hand is a factor we usually consider before doing something like going out or doing something outdoors. Weather can be used as a metaphor for prison as used in the novels The Stranger by Albert Camus and One Day in Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Weather and prison was compared implicitly in various ways.  Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, a prisoner in the novel One Day in Life of Ivan Denisovich is an uneducated and poor man. Weather was used as a metaphor for prison in both books by the temperature used in the plots.
In the novel One Day in Life, the prisoners wear prison clothes which is very degrading for a normal people, but what makes it  more degrading and makes them feel  more of a prisoners when they were asked to wear those ratty clothes in a cold weather with a temperature as low as forty degrees below zero. The prisoners were also told to undress during body searches once in a while at a very cold temperature. This is very humiliating for them and a torture to their dignity.  In this novel, the cold weather represents the lack of freedom experienced by the prisoners for their own humanity and dignity.  Being in prison is more than enough to feel a constant suffering, but wearing ratty clothes during winter is more than just constant suffering. Also in this novel, the prisoners were told to work even at during winter with temperature said above. This represents prison since the prisoners were not given a choice whether they like to work or not and even if their body permits them to do so or not. In this novel, weather was used to represent imprisonment as a means of not permitting freedom of emotion and choice. The prisoners were not given a chance to feel and react to the coldness of the weather. They were told to do certain things that they were not able to contradict and even say an opinion about those things. In this novel, physical imprisonment is easier to dealt with than the imprisonment of emotions and choice.

When a person committed a crime, he knows that he will be dealing with imprisonment as a punishment for his acts. In this novel, all they knew is that they will be dealing with physical imprisonment and not with the kind of imprisonment that they are dealing with in the plot. The weather was used to represent the repression experienced by the prisoners brought about by the wardens. In real life, changes in weather makes us idle because we are not able to do the things we have planned and wanted to do. This is what weather represents in the novel. The prisoners are not able to do the things that they want to do and feel because of the dictators inside the prison. That is prison represented by the repression inside the prison.

In the novel The Stranger, Meursault gives more importance to the physical world as compared to his and others peoples emotions. He did not give importance to his feelings when his mother died and when he and Marie were set to get married. During his mothers funeral, he feels more hurt brought about by the intense heat of the weather and not because of his mothers death. As the story progresses, Meursault gives more attention to his own physicality, the weather and his current physical relationship with Marie. He bluntly said to Marie that feelings is not important when Marie asked him if he loves her. Also, Meursault just answered that they can get married anytime if she wants to regardless of his feelings for her. The climax of the novel was when Meursault killed an Arab man he encountered in a beach when he was out with Marie and Raymond celebrating Meursault and Maries engagement. There was no personal reason why he killed the Arab who was about to be killed by Raymond but Meursault shot the gun. He only blames the weather for it was too hot then.

In this novel, weather dictates the mood of Meursault. He killed the Arab because it was hot. He felt the hurt of the heat of the weather and not the hurt brought about by his mothers death. The hotness of the weather and not the people or events around him makes him mask his emotions. He can feel the hurt in his skin brought by the hot weather but not the hurt brought by his mothers death and the joy brought by his engagement to Marie. In this novel, weather was used as a metaphor of prison by imprisoning his emotions. He can easily feel the physical pain and not the emotional ones. He dealt more of his physical relationship with others and not her love for that person. At the end of the novel, he was imprisoned physically but his emotions were freed since he learned how to feel, how to be sad when someone was lost and how to miss someone.
   
In the two novels, there are many metaphors used and one of those is the use of weather as a metaphor of prison. Ivan and Meursault was imprisoned by their emotions. They were not given the right and chance to react to certain things and events that had happened to their lives in the duration of their respective stories because their emotions were masked by the weather. The two protagonists gave more importance on the physical aspects of their lives and not much on the emotional aspects. This may be because they are men and men are not supposed to feel their emotions based on our social norms. It may be due to the macho appeal that men usually put up to mask their emotions.
   
People see weather as a factor to be considered before doing some actions. A good example of this is during winter in which we are not able to go to beaches and sun-bathe because there is merely no sun and the weather is cold. Most of our activities outdoors depend on the weather. We are like plants and trees. Plants let their leaves fall in order to adapt to the weather during summer and fall and in order to preserve  the moisture in their trunk. People also deal with adaptations in their bodies and weather dictates what adaptations people need to do. In the example above in which people cannot go to beaches and sun-bathe during winter, people still try to do other things such as ski in the snow or stay at home to keep themselves busy. This is one of the adaptations that humans do with changes in weather. We have a choice of not being imprisoned by weather and other factors whether physical or emotional.
   
Different things can be used as symbols and metaphors for other things. As for these two novels, weather was used to represent prisonimprisonment of emotions and dignity. The prison in these two novels dealt more with not having choices and having weather dictate the moods emotions. Weather was also used here to mask emotions of men as the protagonists.

Chapter one of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a young man who has to completely change his lifestyle and how he deals with and thinks about that.  At the beginning of the chapter he says, You dont know about me, without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but that aint no matter.(Twain, 1999). He talks a little about the previous book for those that had read it and lets the rest of us know who he is talking about, such as Aunt Polly and Mary.  This paper is a short review of that chapter.
   
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer had finally found the money that the robbers had squirreled away in the cave.  The amount they found was 6,000 and Judge Thatcher put it in the bank and they collect interest on that so everyone thinks they are rich including themselves.  Well with rich comes the need to be civil so Huck now lives with the Widow Douglas who is going to teach him to be a gentleman.
   
Huck tells us about all of his trials and tribulations during this stay.  At first he couldnt stand it so he put his rags back on and ran away but Tom Sawyer found him and told him he was going to start a band of robbers but he could not join unless he went back to the widows place so he did. 
   
He had to mind his manners at the table could not smoke and could not put his feet up on the furniture.  He could use snuff because the widow did.  The widow told him all about the good place and the bad place.  In the good place there were angels and harps which he thought would be boring but decided to go to the bad place with Tom. We are then led into Chapter 2.

Often, the question for most beginning literary critiques when evaluating or analyzing a poem would be, Who is speaking in the poem.  The answer to this question asked by most contemporary critics is what the literary community knows of as the voice or the I in the poem.  Contrary to popular belief, the poet is not always equated with the I of the poem because many pieces of contemporary poetry now assume a different persona, and hence, it is unfair to assume that it is the poet speaking in the poem.  The voice of the poem serves to situate the speaker in the poem as well as the reader.  The I in the poem gives it its personality, as opposed to the more traditional and classical poetic forms that were formalistic in approach, and so, looked down upon poets who attempted to go against these conventions.  It was not always this way until some time in the late 1950s and early 1960 when a poetry aesthetic movement known as confessionism emerged.  This movement resulted in the development and the propagation of a contemporary poetic form now known as confessional poetry, 
   
The main characteristic of confessional poetry is the use of the pronoun I.  -Confessional poetry is the poetry of the personal or I. (Poets.org)  Some scholars consider confessional poetry to be poetry that emerged as a response to the Elliotic school of extinction of personality  (Rosenthal) confessional poetry directly and vociferously opposed the impersonality argued for by T. S. Eliot in his essay Tradition and the Individual Talent. (Yezzi)  In terms of content, confessional poetry often tackles such subjects as depression, trauma, relationships and death.  (Poets.org)  However, this is not to say that the universality of the genre is compromised, because although confessional poetry tackles these subjects from the personal or intrinsic point of view, the approach to the significant human experience in question tends to embrace a genetic concept of the issue concerned.  Therefore, although confessional poetry can be autobiographical at times (and it mostly is), the issues tackled or the subject matter of the poetry is something that all of society can identify with or something that man experiences in general.  For instance, a confessional poet may write about the experience of having a death in the family, but this does not mean that the poet is only speaking for himself, because while the matter is addressed from a personal point of view, the matter is something that concerns or may happen to anybody else.  In other words, although confessional poetry may be written from the point of view of the voice or the I, these pieces aim to convey a public message or emotion.  Some traditional poets find this approach conceited, however, this is exactly what confessional poetry is not  it is not conceited.  Personality cannot be equated with conceit, especially in confessional poetry.  Confessional poetry is not just self-expression, confessional poetry has a universal value in spite of its personal confessions, it reveals universal truths, while self-expression is narcissistic in the negative meaning of the term. (Rosenthal)  What makes a poem confessional is not only its subject mattere.g., family, sex, alcoholism, madnessor the emphasis on self, but also the directness with which such things are handled.  (Yezzi)
   
Confessional poetry, as mentioned awhile ago, began in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is associated with poets such as Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and W.D. Snodgrass. (Poetry. Org)  This kind of poetry emerged as a result of poets wanting to go against or break the conventions of what was then established as the accepted Academic-Modern style of which T.S. Elliot was popular for.  The shift from the doctrine of impersonality that defined the poetic orthodoxy of modernism under Eliot and Ransom to the naked poetry of the Beats and confessional poets reflected a profound shift in modern culture. (Poets.org)  While this particular type of poetry already existed during these periods, it was not until 1959 that two milestones of confessional poetry were published Lowells Life Studies and Snodgrasss Hearts Needle.  The first book that is considered confessional, however, is Allen Ginsbergs Howl and Other Poems, published in 1956.  (Poets.org)
   
While T.S. Elliot was never threatened by the emergence of this new aesthetic movement having established himself as one of the foremost modern poets and critics, he, on certain occasions, asserted that the formalistic, impersonal approach in poetry was the way to go.  Despite this assertion, however, in many of Elliots pieces, there is tangible evidence that he, too, had the tendency to become confessional whether in form, in content, or in style.  For instance, from the piece, A Cooking Egg we have the stanza,
But where is the penny world I bought
To eat with Pipit behind the screen
The red-eyed scavengers are creeping
From Kentish Town and Golders Green (Elliot)

he uses the pronoun I in the first line, but even this is not always enough to categorize a piece as confessional.  However, if the I is considered in the context of the entire first line, a different picture begins to surface.  In this particular stanza Elliot reveals a propensity to succumb to humanistic emotions, as the voice in the poem begins to sound begging or, continuing to the second line, questioning of events, giving this stanza a bit more personality than it should have had if Elliot had been more conscious of his formalistic advocacy.  This slight shift in the tone of the poem as resulting from the subtle emotions in the first two lines indicates Elliots unwary acceptance of the elements of confessional poetry.  This is not the only piece where Elliot succumbs to the conventions of confessionalism.  In A Portrait of a Lady Elliot writes,
You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends,
And how, how rare and strange it is, to find
In a life composed so much, so much of odds and ends,
For indeed I do not love it ... you knew you are not blind
How keen you are
Perhaps you can write to me.
My self-possession flares up for a second
This is as I had reckoned.
I have been wondering frequently of late
(But our beginnings never know our ends)  (Elliot)

in which one would find a discourse occurring between the external and internal self of the voice.  Here, the voice makes a statement and seemingly doubts these statements by putting in side comments, probably only happening within the mind of the voice.  This exchange of thoughts qualifies as dialogue, again, giving the poem (or the stanzas) personality, revealing the tendency of the voice for editorialization, something that is common among confessional poets.   In these few lines, the voice gives way to personal and more intimate thoughts about the subject matter, and therefore crosses the border of impersonality by allowing the reader access into the thoughts of the I of the poem.
   
On the matter of thematics, we have the following lines from the poem, Whispers of Immortality by the same author
Daffodil bulbs instead of balls
Stared from the sockets of the eyes
He knew that thought clings round dead limbs
Tightening its lusts and luxuries.

Donne, I suppose, was such another
Who found no substitute for sense,
To seize and clutch and penetrate
Expert beyond experience, (Elliot)
   
Noticeably in the first stanza of this excerpt Elliot paints a morbid portrait reminiscent of Gothicism.  Here we find the poet pre-empting the voice and creating imagery that although formalistic, reveals more graphic and vividly honest undertones as opposed to the subtle treatment of themes in earlier contemporary verse.  In the second stanza, again, Elliot, while faithful to the prosody of academic-modern poetry, makes a supposition consistent with the direction confessional poetry usually goes.
   
These lapses in Elliots poetry in the context of confessional poetry does not make the poet less of a poet rather, it simply illustrates that poetry is often spontaneous and yet intentional.  The prosody is mainly because poetry is intentional, and it is the form that is mostly affected by this intentionality of the poet.  Most of the time, despite the attention that goes into the form, expression comes out spontaneously, hence, the apparent leaning of some of Elliots poems toward confessional poetry and while this is true for most poets, current trends dictate that poetry evolves and often, the newer and more contemporary or even experimental forms are bound to attract the discerning eyes of those who advocate traditional forms and genres.