Pablo Neruda: Stylistic Elements and Literary Devices

Pablo Neruda: Stylistic Elements and Literary Devices Language A: English; Written assignment essay – Pablo Neruda’s poems â€Å"How has Pablo Neruda used stylistic elements and literary devices in his poems?† Deriving his name from a Czech Republican poet named Jan Neruda, the Chilean poet with a Spanish background, Neftali Ricardo Reyes’ life was always kaleidoscopic. His life was subjected to a multitude of colours like the Spanish Civil war, being a ‘Consul General’ in Mexico, communism and exile. From being a prolific poet to donning a prominent political persona, he mustered awards like the International Peace Prize (1950) and even the Nobel Prize in Literature (1971). Born in 1904, time set him up perfectly to be part of the surrealistic art movement of the early 20th century. As his poetic career went, he predominantly wrote poems that featured intimacy and endearment, evident history and open political agendas. Quite interestingly, it is said that he even symbolized the colour of ink that he used to write in. As it goes, he manoeuvred the mighty pen that put to use green coloured ink as he was of the opinion that the colour stood for hope and desire. From an analytical point of view, it may seem that a load of meaning may have been lost during the time of translation of all his, Pablo’s, poems because all were composed in his mother-tongue, Spanish. Although, there are many of them in which Neruda has encompassed numerous stylistic elements and literary devices which appended figurative language, sound techniques and structure, and this makes it logical even having gone through the Spanish-English translation. When taken into account holistically, Pablo Neruda’s poems present him as the ever-present voice and using his talent of rigorous personification, he speaks as a seer in all of them. This is because he mostly speaks in first-person, that is, â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Moving on, the structures of his works and the language he portrays them in are affected greatly by his vivid life. At age thirteen, despite his father’s dissent, Pablo was encouraged by Gabriela Mistral (also a Nobel Prize in Literature awardee) to publish his first work â€Å"Entusiasmo y perseverancia† (Enthusiasm and perseverance). He continued then on under a pseudonym. After having completed his college, and studying French, he wrote entire sets of poems, the most celebrated of which is ‘Veinte Poemas de Amor y una Cancià ³n Desesperada’ (Twenty love poems and a song of despair). To continue describing his life anymore would be a futile exercise as I will deviate from my primary top ic. From my understanding, I think a part of Pablo Neruda’s unexcelled success as a romantic poet could be attributed to his utilitarian stylistic elements and literary devices. The very first of which is imagery. His use of imagery has associated significant facets of nature to his personal poetic experience and this gives the reader something interesting. More than experiences, it is his emotions that talk volumes. The fact that he found and embraced his creativity in many of his poems, progressing in time, is one that engages a reader even further. Another explanation could be that his fixated inclusion of personification along with imagery, in parts of ‘Veinte Poemas de Amor y una Cancià ³n Desesperada’ presented the majesty of the human figure and the splendor that is possessed by the female human body. These can be found in the lines, â€Å"Body of a woman, white hills, white thighs, you look like a world, lying in surrender†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . If we throw light on another poem, â€Å"If You Forget Me† is an example where Pablo utilized an impressive diction to help the reader comprehend the words he structured in his unique format. His unique format basically is a format-free structure and therefore, is a free verse. Despite the inconsistent pattern of the poem, elements of rhyme can affirmatively be found. This is evident in the lines, â€Å"But if each day, each hour, you feel that you are destined for me with implacable sweetness, if each day a flower†. When we move on to Pablo’s acclimation to being a more sensual poet, he has strategically placed numerous metaphors in his twenty poems from the aforementioned set. A random example of a metaphor could be, â€Å"es tan corto el amor† from the twentieth poem in ‘Veinte Poemas de Amor’. It is Spanish for â€Å"love is so short† and the essence of this, at its core, is the â€Å"love is time† allegory. As we go ahead, a reader would notice that in the course of his twenty love poems, Neruda has effectively realized the need of repetition via the reiteration of common metaphors. Maybe because all his twenty poems (and the others) hold interconnected themes of love, nature, etc. Repetition is also an influential literary device when reading â€Å"Tonight I Can Write The Saddest Lines†. Neftali devoted his life to writing about love and intimacy, additionally, he married thrice. This suggests that the man stayed in love for most of his time, though the topic that his love-conquests met closure or not is totally something apart. He repeats the titular lines thrice (up until the 11th line only) and this, one can assume, expresses his sense of loneliness and solitude and the fact that perchance he will never ever have back that one woman (many women, actually) he loved and cared for with all his heart. These emotions are apparent in the lines, â€Å"Tonight I can write the saddest lines. To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her. To hear the immense night, still more immense without her. And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture†. Picking up from where I wrote of ‘If You Forget Me’, symbolism and personification play a humungous role abiding by which Pablo benevolently grants many vivid things basic human characteristics. This encompasses the aspect of personification quite illustratively when he talks of â€Å"aromas, light and metals† as the things that carried (reminded him of) him to his love. Along with this, Neruda so diligently symbolized him being intimate with the love of his life even when he inhaled his last, that it efficiently coloured the mood and atmosphere of the poem, permitting the reader to ponder upon the same. Coming back to square one, I strongly feel that all his decisions (Pablo’s) as a poet, when employing each and every literary device and stylistic element that he has, have stalwartly built him a reputation that has been, is and will be successful enough in keeping readers beseeching the magic that his motifs and themes have created and presented the curious reader with. In general terms, Pablo does not usually have a plot or even a consistent structure for that matter. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that a conventional reader would be subject to ennui. Pablo has made sure that the polychromatic and vibrant mix of stylistic elements and literary devices such as personification, symbolism, imagery, repetition, etc., that he incorporates every time keeps the reader zealous. I think Neftali is unique in his way of painting emotions, love and loss especially, and this is something that he should always be commended for.

Exceptionalism: Native Americans in the United States and Pew Research Center Essay

The idea of American exceptionalism is not a new one. Thomas Jefferson spoke of civilizing the Indians many believed they were savages. Surely the Native Americans thought the white newcomers were the savages. The white men forced the Natives off of the â€Å"new† land and proceeded to murder them. The United States continues this tradition today, going into countries where we are not welcome, and trying to change them, make them more like us. What I can gather from reading Wilfred McClay’s, The Founding Fathers, is that he believes America is what is because of our past. From the time the Europeans came to America to settle, we have believed we are superior. Mr. McClay states that we need to stay connected to past and learn from those who discovered our great Nation (McClay 2006). Following his writing was not easy, it did not seem quite clear. It seems as though he feels Americans place themselves on a pedestal, but that is why our country is so great. Americans justify their actions by making our own stories; we teach people what we want them to know, not what truly happened. Howard Zinn does not feel Americans should insist on exceptionalism (Zinn 2005). The United States does not have the right to push its beliefs on the other nations of the world. He discusses the issues of American Superiority in his article, The Power and Glory. According to Mr. Zinn, there is a growing trend among Americans who refuse to accept that we are a superior people. A 2011 Gallup Poll confirms this statement. In 2002 approximately 60% of Americans believed our culture was superior to others (Pew Research Center 2011). In 2011 number dropped to 49% (Pew Research Center). I agree with Howard Zinn in that Americans are not exceptional, we are from other people, just as each individual is different. Although many believe we are better because we have so much freedom, and we are the land of opportunity, we are not. We have homeless people, our politicians are corrupt, and children go to bed hungry. The United States bully’s other countries for our own self-interest. Decisions are made to take control of other countries. What other military has bases all over the planet? The United States needs to take care of its own people, and then it will be exceptional. I have been to other countries, and in my eyes, they seem to be doing it right, but I am sure they have their own issues as well. Bibliography McClay, Wilfred M. 2006. The Founding Nations. First Things. March 2006. Accessed January 24, 2015. http://www. firstthings. com/article/2006/03/the-founding-of- nations Pew Research Center. 2011. The American-Western European Gap. Pew Research Center. November 17, 2011. Accessed January 29, 2015. www. pewglobal .org/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/ Zinn, Howard. 2005. The Power and the Glory. Boston Review. June 1,2005. Accessed January 25, 2015. http://bostonreview. net/zinn-power-glory.

Psychology of aging Essay

As people age, they become vulnerable to various diseases such as diabetes among others. Diabetes is a disease that affects many of individuals all around the world and arises when there is a high level of sugar in the blood for an extended period of time. There exist three known types of diabetes- Type1, which affects mostly the younger population; Type II, that affects population above 40; and gestational diabetes which affects women during the third trimester of their pregnancy. Factors that give rise to diabetes include hereditary factors, being overweight and problem with beta cells located in the pancreas (Jack, 2006, 45). I) Type I This occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Thus patient of this type of diabetes have to receive daily injections of insulin. The most affected are the children and young adults but can also affect people of other ages. Type I diabetes is caused by destruction of beta cells resulting from malfunctioning of the body’s immune system (Jack, 2006, 71). II)Type II In this case, the beta cells do not produce enough insulin to meet the needs of the body. Moreover, the cells in the body do not react appropriately to the available insulin because they cannot admit glucose through their cell membranes. The type II nature of diabetes is most vulnerable to aging people (Jack, 2006, 71) Though diabetes has no cure it can be controlled through diet, proper medication and exercise. Campaigns on how to best manage the disease is important in avoiding adverse effects on the body. Old and aging people need to take excessive care with their diets and how they exercise their bodies. Care and attention should also be given to the aging people especially those who are diabetic.

Analyzing Rachel Carson’s “the Obligation to Endure” Essay

Analyzing Rachel Carson’s â€Å"The Obligation to Endure† In her essay â€Å"The Obligation to Endure†, Rachel Carson alerts the public to the dangers of modern industrial pollution. She writes about the harmful consequences of lethal materials being released into the environment. She uses horrifying evidence, a passionate tone, audience, and the overall structure of her essay to express to her readers that the pollution created by man wounds the earth. There are many different ways that pollution can harm the environment, from the nuclear explosions discharging toxic chemicals into the air, to the venomous pesticides sprayed on plants that kills vegetation and sickens cattle. The adjustments to these chemicals would take generations. Rachel†¦show more content†¦This is an efficient strategy. It makes her audience want to get involved and preserve the natural resources the environment has to offer. In her essay she describes the devastating effects chemicals have on the environment with such conviction; it might make the re ader feel obligated to make changes in his or her own life to help the natural world. Rachel Carson uses an assertive tone to get her point across. She has a one-sided argument and is very aggressive to those who oppose her point of view. She is very effective at stating her opinion to her audience. In her essay Rachel Carson targets anyone who will listen as her audience. She wants to inform human beings of the effects chemicals have on the environment. Rachel Carson’s audience had little knowledge of the effects radiation and pesticides might have on nature or to themselves. She successfully enlightened her audience to the harm man was causing to the environment not only presently, she also wrote of future ramifications. She predicts â€Å"Future historians may well be amazed by our distorted sense of proportion. How could intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by methods that contaminated the entire environment†¦?† (Carson 615). This statem ent might make her audience scrutinize their actions through the eyes of future generations. Rachel Carson used cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, andShow MoreRelatedEssay on Silent Spring - Rachel Carson30092 Words   |  121 PagesSilent Spring Rachel Carson Online Information For the online version of BookRags Silent Spring Premium Study Guide, including complete copyright information, please visit: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-silentspring/ Copyright Information  ©2000-2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gales For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author BiographyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesindentured to Europeans, but it amounted to less than 3 percent of Chinese emigrants and 10 percent of Indian overseas emigrants, and had largely peaked by the 1870s. Like European migrants, most Asian migrants were free or organized through debt obligations to other migrants (although most Indian migrants still worked on European-owned plantations, recruited, paid, and organized by Indian labor recruiters).16 The swell in free global mobility in the middle of the nineteenth century corresponded with