Analysis - Williams
Structure - Williams
Analysis - Gluck
Structure - Gluck
100
What does the figurative presentation of plants and their use in "Spring and All" represent? (In other words, what is it?)
People, Society, Newborns; It changes throughout the poem however people would be more accurate.
100
What does the dash do between these two stanzas? "...cold, uncertain of all save that they enter. All about them the cold, familiar wind -- Now the grass, tomorrow the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf..."
It separates the two, almost as if in different pairs of time or events in the historical movement.
100
As the poem progresses, how does the speaker change tone?
The speaker becomes more focused (and distressed) on time, and how time's passing may be good and wonderful (birth of spring), yet also horrible and deadly ("We are going to die!")
100
Give three examples of imagery in the poem
1) "Sap rises from the sodden ditch" 2) "her colored tennis shoes, one mauve, one yellow [...]" 3) "the daffodils flocking and honking"
200
What significant event happened shortly before this poem was written that plays a major role in it?
WWI
200
What is the meter of the poem?
Typographic Strip, About 30 ems wide.
200
What is the meaning of the birch twig and the "two green ears" ?
The "two green ears" are leaves that are being attached to the birch twig. The general meaning of this is the coming of spring, as the twig is being rooted to the ground, and leaves are blooming, giving the impression of a new plant being born.
200
How many enjambments are there in the poem in total?
11
300
What is the personification in the second half of the analysis in the first stanza saying about the plants? "They enter the new world naked, cold, uncertain of all save that they enter. All about them the cold, familiar wind --"
It is personifying the plants as newborns in a new world.
300
What is this an example of in the poem? "under the surge of the.."
dactyl
300
What is the meaning of "April raises up her plaque of flowers" ?
This can be symbolic of the coming of spring, yet also death, as flowers are given during a burial.
300
How many caesuras are there in the poem? (Represented by Em dashes)
3
400
Read the following: "Now the grass, tomorrow the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf One by one objects are defined- It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf" What does "It quickens.." mean in the fourth line of this excerpt show about this movement?
The momentum that the social/political world is picking up after the war.
400
What are these lines examples of? "..under the surge of the blue mottled clouds driven from the.."
Discovery-Enjambment
400
Where is the proof for the speaker's worry about time? What does this proof mean?
"Look how the bulet falls apart, mud pockets the seed Months, years, then the dull blade of the wind It is spring! We are going to die!" "Here we have imagery of a plant falling apart, and mud pocketing a seed; these are all actions that happen over time, and in the later sections of the poem, time becomes an incresingly important aspect of the narration. This sense of time is forced upon more heavily by "Months, years, then the dull blade of the wind;" and also by "It is spring! We are going to die!" this shows how the family, and perhaps the narrator, is distraught by the quick passing of time. The last phrase mentioned here also gives a sense of worry and desperation, as the narrator realizes the fate of him/herself and of all humanity. "
400
Is there any consistent rhyme pattern in the poem?
For most of the poem, there is not a rhyme scheme or pattern.
500
What does the cold Northeast wind symbolize?
The wind of the coming winter, more specifically European social/political movements and waves of idea and this momentum picking up after the war.
500
What does this line do specifically to the word blue at the end; BE SPECIFIC, you must form the complete thought, what does blue represent when it is taken this way in other word "under the surge of the blue"
The dactylic melody leans blue towards a more of a noun context. This makes blue a metonymy for the sky.
500
Why might the family be cleaning the garden? What is unique about the garden? Might this say something about society as a whole?
The family might be cleaning the garden to clear away all the former garbage and start new, as spring is often described as a new start by poets. The unique aspect of the garden is that it (most likely) already clean, yet the family can't see it. This might be trying to convey a point that people try to hard to make everything unnaturally perfect, or that people search for what is right before their eyes.
500
What feeling do the enjambents give us, as an audience of the poem?
A sense of suspense, and maybe even mystery if done correctly. This depends on the reading style, but for the most part it makes it "choppier," less natural, and can add room for pauses (that can give this feeling of suspense).
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