Compare or contrast how Bronte and Dunbar use form, language and symbolism to present a theme in their respective poems. Emily Brontë was born in Yorkshire, England on July 30th, 1818 (Benvenuto). Brontë grew up in a very strong Catholic home (Benvenuto). She was known to be very reclusive and mostly kept to herself. Brontë lived in the Romantic period, often in these times nature would resemble perfection (Benvenuto). Most often, Emily Brontë 's pieces reflect mostly on her agoraphobic personality (Benvenuto), and the time period where she grew up. As like Brontë, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, did not allow his social limitations to hold him back. Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio on June 27, 1872 (Bloom). Dunbar was able to relate to Brontë feeling
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A lyric poem is a type of emotional songlike poetry, distinguished from a dramatic and narrative poem. Emily Bronte uses a lyric poem to express her great longing for freedom. Lyric poems require the author to be speaking in first person. Bronte clearly does this in her poem when she symbolically says; “could my hand unlock the chain” she is referring to releasing herself to freedom by suicide. She presents the bird and herself as one. Secondly, Bronte expresses her deep despair feeling when she says; “In exhausted woe”. This gives the reader a clear descriptive sense of how she is …show more content…
Symbolism is a poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express strong emotion and/or ideas. Brontë uses a bird, a cage, and nature to symbolize her longing for personal freedom. “The caged bird” is symbolic because it 's representing her, the caged bird, she 's stuck and trapped, she 's in deep despair, and longing to be released to freedom. Secondly, “How gladly would I watch it soar, and never regret, never complain” when she refers to “it” she is referring to her soul. She is speaking of ending her life and letting her soul free. She longs for heaven as an escape. This ties into her background because she grew up in a very religious home; where suicide is not a choice, but she knows heaven is where she
A lyric poem is a type of emotional songlike poetry, distinguished from a dramatic and narrative poem. Emily Bronte uses a lyric poem to express her great longing for freedom. Lyric poems require the author to be speaking in first person. Bronte clearly does this in her poem when she symbolically says; “could my hand unlock the chain” she is referring to releasing herself to freedom by suicide. She presents the bird and herself as one. Secondly, Bronte expresses her deep despair feeling when she says; “In exhausted woe”. This gives the reader a clear descriptive sense of how she is …show more content…
Symbolism is a poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express strong emotion and/or ideas. Brontë uses a bird, a cage, and nature to symbolize her longing for personal freedom. “The caged bird” is symbolic because it 's representing her, the caged bird, she 's stuck and trapped, she 's in deep despair, and longing to be released to freedom. Secondly, “How gladly would I watch it soar, and never regret, never complain” when she refers to “it” she is referring to her soul. She is speaking of ending her life and letting her soul free. She longs for heaven as an escape. This ties into her background because she grew up in a very religious home; where suicide is not a choice, but she knows heaven is where she