Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins

¶ … familiar fairy tale subject with a twist to communicate the virtues and sins of any American family Literal scene and situation Scene is a home a "princess" shares with the Seven Deadly Sins A woman trapped by work and worry Speaker's mood Mood is downtrodden and sad until the end Metaphorical or symbolic implications of the poem A virtuous woman holding out against the Seven Deadly Sins Title's emphasis Emphasizes the humor and religious overtones of the poem Rhythm patterns Four line stanzas with every other line rhyming Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins This paper analyzes the poem "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" by R.S.

Gwynn. Specifically, it focuses on the theme of the poem and the methods the author uses to communicate the theme. The theme of sin and virtue is at the heart of this poem, which takes a whimsical look at a woman surrounded by the Seven Deadly Sins. The author uses a familiar fairy tale subject with a twist to communicate the virtues and sins of any American family.

The literal scene and situation of this poem could be a fairy tale cottage in the woods, like the seven dwarfs owned, or it could be any family home in American suburbia. The poem all takes place inside this setting until the end, and so, the setting is not the most important element of the poem, but it sets the mood for what will follow, and gives the reader a small idea of what they should expect.

The poem reads like a fairy tale, but in reality, the poem tells the story of a typical American mother, slaving over a family that takes her for granted and leaves her with little time or energy for herself. The author writes it with humor, but the subject and the situation is too true to really be funny. The mood at the end of the poem changes from the beginning considerably.

At the end, the mood is light and carefree, because it seems as if a handsome prince is actually going to save the woman from her life of drudgery. However, the real "happy ending" is that she realizes trading life with one man for another is no happy ending, and she would rather spend her life in a nunnery with other women, where she will not be taken for granted.

That is really why the ending is so light-hearted, because she is changing her life for the better, not just trading one sinful and neglectful family for another. The symbolic implications of the poem are quite funny and quite disturbing at the same time. Gwynn uses the very familiar seven dwarfs as symbols of sin and avarice. He uses these very familiar subjects and places them in a difference setting to symbolize the American family and all its problems and sins.

He shows these problems with humor, such as "Years passed. More sinful every day, the Seven / Breakfasted, grabbed their pitchforks, donned their horns / And sped to contravene the hopes of heaven, / Sowing the neighbors' laws with tares and horns" (Gwynn). You can see the family at breakfast, and then taking of in their different directions for work and school, and leaving havoc in their wake. The symbolism is funny, but all too real, because this could describe just about any family in America today.

They are so busy with their own interests (sins) and problems that they do not care about anyone or anything else, and they go out into the world every day to spread havoc as they rush through their lives. They leave their virtuous mother home to clean up, and never say thank you or recognize her in any way. They are little devils, and nothing more. The symbolism of the mother as "Snow White" is equally important.

She is the heroine of the poem, but she is forever taken for granted by the people around her. She works hard, but no one cares, and when she complains the "Father" refers her to the Bible. No wonder she leaves for a nunnery! The company of women is certainly much more preferable than this company of sinners who do not care about her or the work she does every day. The symbolism here is quite clear.

Families who take each other for granted will probably fall apart in the end, just as this family will surely do without their Snow White to keep them all together and content. In addition, the contrast of sin and virtue is quite clear. To take care of the family is a virtue, and to take that care for granted is a real sin. The title emphasizes Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins so the reader will immediately understand the underlying symbolism and theme of the poem.

He uses a very well-known fairy tale so that immediately the reader will form a picture in his mind and understand just what point he is trying to make with the poem. The title sets the mood of the piece, and makes the reader expect one thing, while the poem will give them quite another thing. The title sets the reader up and then makes their expectations different from what they actually get from reading the poem.

The title is also ironic, because the reader is expecting a happy fairy tale, when what they get is a moral tale of real life that may hit very close to their own home and family. The rhythm patterns of this poem are part of what makes it successful. It uses four-line stanzas with the first and third, second and fourth lines rhyming with each other. The author.