1. Poetic devices used in the poem, The Waking”
Metaphor
Poet uses
metaphors to express his feeling about human life.
Sleep is a metaphor
for death.
Wake is a metaphor
for life.
Dance is used
as a metaphor for the walk of life
Shaking is a metaphor
for the difficulties of life or the poet’s mental instability.
Waking is a
metaphor for learning, realization, and self-knowledge.
Repetition
Repetition of the
following lines:
I wake to sleep and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
Paradox
A person waking to sleep is contradictory. Here is someone awake yet asleep
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
Imagery
Tree: the shape of a Tree with capital T suggesting that this
is no ordinary tree but the Tree of Life.
Lowly worm: low-level creatures or ignorant people.
Winding stair: This can be a reference to evolution,
spiritual or otherwise, or the fact that even people who seem to have little
can still achieve much.
2. Identify
what makes this work unique. From the brief biographical background you may
have of the author does this indicate anything about the work itself? Does the
author's biography have a role in the work's message or theme?
Theodore
Roethke’s poetry is distinguished by its inherent rhythm and natural imagery. His work is characterized by its introspection.
Another prominent thing in his style is the move-in standards in psychology. Heroic moving and
profoundly disquieting’ is one of the most remarkable in American literary
history.
This poem is
the depiction of the personality of the poet. The poem is a kind of
autobiographical sketch of the poet because it portrays the real life of the
poet. The author’s biography is reflected in the main theme of the poem which
is self-acknowledgment. The speaker learns about himself throughout the journey
of life. Theodore
Roethke's poetry is known for its exploration of the self through reflection on
nature. His mental
illness also caused him to look into the darkness from time to time, recording
his inner life in personal poems. He suffered from issues of abandonment and loss, and a lack of
self-esteem. Despite his difficulties with mental illness. His intense
self-exploration and that he was able to see into himself more clearly because
of his illnesses. Roethke attempted to tie the world of the greenhouse to
the “inner world” of man. His readings in philosophy and religion. His
exceptional self-investigation.
3. Are there
elements in the stories that make the works of the period? That is, after
looking at some of the history of the period, show how the work fits into that
era.
The poem, ‘The Waking’ was written in 1953. The poem was
composed after World War II ended and as the world entered the Cold War.
Roethke challenges people in this poem to understand their place in the
changing world and to comprehend that they should appreciate each moment in
life. This focus on life appreciation could stem from a fear of the world
ending due to the nuclear weapons programs building up during the time. Contrasting images of nature and industry that make a sense of
hope that distinguishes him from the Modernists. A sense of insecurity that
seems aptly suited to the middle years of the twentieth century.
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