Traveling Through the Dark darkly inspiring, lyrically lovely poem, William Stafford's "Traveling through the Dark" contains both literal and metaphoric imagery. The main thrust of the poem comes from the theme of death, although chance and choice also play important roles in the piece. The narrator finds a deer dead on the road and stops his car to avoid hitting it and to avoid swerving and hitting more of its kind. One of the only verbs repeated twice in the poem, "to swerve" evokes a sense of last-minute decision-making based on a combination of instinct, inbred ideas, and even logic. The narrator also notices that the deer is pregnant, its fawn "lay there waiting, / alive, never to be born." That one image and concept encompasses "Traveling through the Dark," as there is little the narrator can do to rescue the unborn yet alive organism inside the belly of the dead deer. Therefore, a sense of sorrow and helplessness...
While on the surface, "Traveling through the Dark" deals with the impact that mankind has on the natural world, the verses also imply underlying meanings and metaphors. These meanings and metaphors can be interpreted in a variety of means: the unborn fawn can indicate an unborn human fetus and its impending doom can suggest abortion, for instance. The fact that the narrator does have a choice of how to act in the situation also impels the reader to ponder his or her own choices, many of which involve last minute "swerves."
When the narrator discovers the deer, the first instinct is to use common sense and reason: "It is usually best to roll them into the canyon: / that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead." Not only is the narrator exempt from blame in the killing of the deer; he or she consciously tries to avoid causing more death. He or she could have instinctively swerved but instead gathered his senses, stopped, and examined the body. The act of stopping exhibits caring and concern: he or she is obviously affected deeply by the sight of the deer.
Moreover, the poet underscores the intensity of the sight…
Dark ages and the middle ages existed between fifth and fourteenth century. The Dark Ages observed traditional and modern clashes when there was no intellectual growth not only the public but also the kings and rulers of the countries were illiterate. The Roman culture was deteriorating and the intellectual growth in Roman society stopped. The Dark Age prevailed in whole of Europe and. It is stated that the period was
Dark Age and the Archaic Age Having watched the lectures for the prior learning unit on video, I was prepared to enjoy the video lecture presentation for this learning unit. I previously found the presentation of lectures in the video format to be very convenient because I could observe at my own pace, rewind if I missed part of the lecture, have flexibility about when I was viewing the lecture, and
Travel to British Columbia ABOUT BRITISH COLUMBIA To really see the beauty of British Columbia, rent a car. Driving is relatively easy even in the cities, as Canadians drive on the right side of the road, and a car is superior to any other option for seeing the countryside. Unless you're looking for a "winter sports" vacation, the best time to visit British Columbia is the summer. While the southwestern part of British
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux. Specifically it will discuss whether the book is an Orientalist text. This memoir discusses the author's travels through Africa from the Nile southward to Cape Town. Orientalism refers to studies and art that depict the East, and the ability of westerners to truly understand the cultures of others, and Theroux runs into that behavior during his trip. Author
It is impossible to read the Great Gatsby without identifying if not with individual characters then with the struggles they experience. Truly, it is timeless. In my personal life, I have recently experienced several setbacks which forced a reassessment of those goals and achievements I had been working steadfastly towards for years. Much the way that Gatz had in the pursuit of becoming Gatsby. So certain was I as was
panther, by Reiner Maria Rilke and Travelling through the Dark, by William Stafford, are two poems about wild animals and the effects of human kind's interference into their existence. In the case of Rilke's poem, the interaction is intentional: the man has locked one of the most impressive creatures in the wild, a panther, behind bars. In the second poem, the interaction is unintentional: the narrator finds a road