Key Elements Of Discovery In Poetry Essay

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Discovery may often be seen as spontaneous and sudden, however, it is just as often a result of a long process evoked by curiosity, necessity or wonder. This concept is evidenced through poems such as ‘The Tuft of Flowers’ and ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost, as well as ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley. These texts all feature key elements of discovery which can be identified and analysed as containing a conscious process, rather than occurring spontaneously or unprompted. This can be inferred through the content and subject of the poems, the composer’s choice of language modes, forms, features and structure shapes, assumptions about representations of the concept of discovery and assumptions about how it is conveyed …show more content…
The poem is written in heroic couplets, which usually use a masculine rhyme, emphasising the dramatic nature of the monologue and making a series of logically progressing statements and ideas. The second couplet sets the tone of the poem by creating imagery of a scene of destruction through the use of the adjective ‘levelled’, drawing on connotations the responder may have - such as destruction, conflict, equality, annihilation and slaughter. In the fourth couplet, emphasis is placed upon the word ‘alone’ due to the use of an emdash as a caesura. This highlights the persona’s attitude and mental state further, the next line using the idea of him speaking ‘within (his) heart’ to develop significance in relation to his feelings of isolation. The process of his discovery is then indicated as reaching another stage, as the sixth couplet begins with the word ‘but’. This couplet signals a discovery being brought on by a sense of wonder. This is catalysed by the butterfly, a symbol of transformative change, joy and movement to the next phase of being. The ninth couplet repeats the phrase ‘and then’ to suggest the butterfly’s persistence, the use of ‘tremulous’ bringing forth feelings of

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