Paradox

The content of Dickinson's I taste a liquor never brewed is paradoxical. For instance, angels and heavenly figures would not normally support intoxication. However, in this poem, they are supportive of the speaker's "intoxication" in this specific case. Because God created the world for us to love, utilize, and care for, the angels are happy that the speaker is doing so.  For instance, the speaker says, "Tell Seraphs swing their snowy Hats-/And Saints-to windows run-/To see the little Tippler/Leaning against the-Sun-" (Dickinson, 797). Thus, the truth of the greatness of nature and our responsibility to to cultivate it is the truth that is revealed in the angel's ironic liking of the speaker's intoxication. That is all I have to say about paradox, so I think I will mention something about structure as well, because I haven't hit the sentence count minimum yet. Does that sentence count? Did that last one, or this one? Just kidding..but seriously.

The structure of this poem is also significant. The structure reflects the drunkenness of the speaker. The lines are broken up, suggesting the speaker's difficulty in speaking, a possible result of intoxication. The brokenness is present throughout the entire poem. For instance, the speaker says, "Inebriate of Air-am I-/And Debauchee of Dew-/Reeling-thro endless summer days-From inns of Molten Blue-"(Dickinson, 797). Clearly, something is wrong with the speaker, and we all know that she is drunk on nature.

Symbolism

Ritchie's poem Sorting Laundry is almost solely symbolism. Each piece of laundry the speaker folds is symbolic of an element of her relationship with her significant other. For instance, the speaker talks about "pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams" (Ritchie, 841). This represents the strong and enduring nature of their relationship. One can assume that the couple has been together for a long while. However, as the speaker continues to pick apart the relationship piece by piece, there is a shift in the speaker's feelings. Instead of the admiration and satisfaction with which she reflected on her relationship during the beginning of the poem, the speaker now experiences fear and worry. Once again, a piece of laundry prompts her feelings, this time a t-shirt of an ex-lover. Now realizing that the possibility of her lover leaving her is a reality, despite how perfect the relationship seams, she begins to ponder the possibility. The speaker continues to extend the symbolism even in this mindset, stating that her life without him would become a "mountain of unsorted wash" (Ritchie, 842).

Irony

John Donne's poem Better my heart, three-personed God contains some interesting irony. The speaker is upset because, for some reason or another, he is bound to evil. Initially, I thought that he had sold his soul to the devil, but that may be a bit extreme. Rethinking the scenario, I decided that the he may simply be addicted to sin and wrongful acts, most likely because they result in some kind of pleasure for  him. Either way, the speaker is truly a prisoner, in some way or another, of evil. The irony of the situation is that in order to free himself from this prison, he says to God, "Take me to you, imprison me...." (Donne, 840). He needs to become a new kind of prisoner in order to be freed of his current prison. In other words, he needs to dedicate himself to God wholeheartedly. The speaker recognizes that it is more beneficial to have no freedom with God, than no freedom with the devil. Yet the speaker goes on to say "never shall be free" (Donne, 840) implying his doubt that he will be unbound from evil. His doubt is in fact his problem!

Theme

The theme of Hardy's The Convergence of the Twain  (Lines on the loss of the 'Titanic') is clearly developed throughout the work. Hardy utilizes descriptive details and imagery to convey the idea that human vanity leads to destruction. For instance, Hardy often includes description of lavish material possessions of the passengers in the first two lines of stanza. Then, he uses the third sentence to explain the current state of the goods, which is usually unappealing and/or destroyed.  For example: "Jewels in joy designed/To ravish the sensuous mind" is followed by "Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy, 778). Hardy emphasizes how one day the jewels were attention-getting and impressive, but now they fail to even sparkle. This is representative of the idea that vanity causes destruction, ultimately. With the understanding that the poem is written about the Titanic disaster, one can expand this theme to pertain to the entire tragedy. The ship itself was well-know for its lavishness; however, its prestige and high-class nature was not enough to save it from its tragic fate. In fact, Hardy suggests that because everyone thought the Titanic was so fantastic, they failed to see its flaws, which ultimately lead to its demise.