Ernest Hemingway

Poetry Essay

Poetry is a form of writing that does not have to make sense, its reasoning and theme is not usually clearly stated. Many poets use personal experiences in order to create their pieces of literature as well as using specific literary elements to help the reader understand what is being read. Robert Frost wrote a poem called “The Silken Tent”. This poem includes literary elements such as simile, symbolism, and imagery to convey the relationship between a woman and the love for her family.

Unlike many famous poets, Frost’s work was published while he was alive, writing poetry was his way of life and his form of work. He allowed the people in his existence to influence his writing and by the time he was 41 years old he had two full-length collections published (poets 1). “The Silken Tent” is a poem about a woman that feels bound to her family, she is happy in her life living as a wife and as a mother. Frost begins this poem with a simile “She is as in a field a silken tent” (1). He does this in order to let the reader interpret what this poem is going to be about, a woman who is tied in this silken tent. Using simile is a key element in allowing the reader to understand that this poem will deliver a story about a woman and her position in life. This was the only simile Frost used in this poem, the rest is metaphor. The use of metaphor in this writing will permit the reader to feel a stronger connection to the woman and a deeper feeling to the relationship this person has with her family.

Symbolism is another literary element that Frost used in “The Silken Tent”. An example of this is, “So that in guys it gently sways at ease, And it’s supporting central cedar pole, That is its pinnacle to heavenward, And signifies the sureness of the soul” (4-7). These lines symbolize the woman who is comfortable with the role she has in her family, her calmness and sureness is portrayed through these lines allowing the reader to realize how strong this woman’s love is to her family. Lastly Frost uses the element of imagery, this literary element is extremely important in explaining the relationship this woman has with her family because the reader can feel the emotion, they can get a picture in their head of what is going on. this, “But strictly held by none, is loosely bound-By countless silken ties of love and thought-To everything on earth the compass round” (10-11). Now the reader can understand that this woman doesn’t feel trapped, she doesn’t feel obligated to live like this, she is bound to her family from all the love around her.

Literary elements are critical in any poem, and Robert Frost used them in such vigorous ways that he could tell a story by using them. Frost wrote about the relationship a woman had with her family in his poem “The Silken Tent” by incorporating useful literary elements such as simile, symbolism, and imagery.

Ernest Hemingway

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

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