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I'll give someone 10 bucks if they can write me a two-page essay on Charlotte Mew's poem The Trees Are Down by Monday. I don't understand the poem at all. Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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The poem is almost as old as my english teacher. I will never why we can't read langston hughes or shel silverstein.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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this is what I got. It needs to be exactly two pages or I get an automatic C, which I'll probably get so whatever.
Charlotte Mew’s poem, The Trees Are Down, is a first-person view of the grief a person experiences over deforestation. The poem is an interesting one because of the setup of its stanzas. The lines in each verse of the poem are spaced in such a way that it conveys the tone of the poem. The poem is also unique because it toys with the idea of the death of Mother Nature. It does this through the dead rat, which the narrator finds near her house. The poem is also unique because it has an excerpt from a book of the Bible in it. The passage, which conveys a strong conservation tone, seems to sum up the whole poem. The writer’s unique style and word choice in this poem makes it especially difficult to read, but it is rewarding because the poem’s message is in clear and fine print. Charlotte Mew’s poem is a very important poem on the destruction of Mother Nature. Through the author’s word choice in the poem, the reader can deduce that the narrator of the poem enjoys springtime because of its beauty. The line ‘Half the Spring, for me, will have gone away with them’ is an example of how the trees’ absence is affecting the narrator. The narrator expresses grief over how people take joy in cutting down trees. The author’s construction of the second stanza of the poem conveys how she grieves over the dead rat she found, which was collateral damage to the deforestation taking place. However, at the end of the second stanza, the narrator seems determined not to let the rat ruin her enjoyment of her favorite season. The passage from the book of Revelations in the beginning of the poem sums up the narrators attitude to the deforestation of trees. At the end of the third stanza, the narrator describes what the trees must have felt before they died. She then reveals that the quote at the beginning of the poem had been haunting her all day. It is evident from these lines that she expresses some guilt over the death of the trees. However, the narrator does not make any move to right other people’s wrongs and does not plant any trees throughout the poem.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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it needs to be done tonight otherwise I won't be able to seen Benchwarmers tomorrow and I really want to see it, lol.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I don't know what your guidelines from your teacher for analysis are, but one of the things you can also talk about are some of the words themselves. Often poets choose a word that sounds like what it means.
This is called onomatopoeia.
In reading through the first stanza out loud, are there any words that stand out as onomatopoeic to you?
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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quote:Charlotte Mew’s poem, The Trees Are Down, is a first-person view of the grief a person experiences over deforestation.
Why might the poet have chosen to write in first person? Is there something about that style of writing that would "bring something" to the poem?
quote:The poem is an interesting one because of the setup of its stanzas. The lines in each verse of the poem are spaced in such a way that it conveys the tone of the poem.
Can you give an example of spacing in the poem and what you think that particular spacing conveys? That would be great here.
quote:The poem is also unique because it toys with the idea of the death of Mother Nature. It does this through the dead rat, which the narrator finds near her house.
"Unique" is the wrong word here. Other poems also do this, so this one is not unique. Maybe you want something like "metaphorically rich."
This is another good place to expand your essay. Why might the poet have chosen this metaphor? What is it about a dead rat that would have an additional impact on the reader, and what do you think that impact would be meant to be?
quote:The poem is also unique because it has an excerpt from a book of the Bible in it. The passage, which conveys a strong conservation tone, seems to sum up the whole poem.
Again, not unique. Perhaps "intriguing?"
Here, too, is a good place to expand. Why do you think she chose to use a quote from the Christian bible? Why this book of the bible? How exactly -- and be specific -- does the quotation relate to the subject of the poem?
quote:The writer’s unique style and word choice in this poem makes it especially difficult to read, but it is rewarding because the poem’s message is in clear and fine print.
The last words of that sentence do not make sense to me.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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quote:Originally posted by SoaPiNuReYe: the whoops and whoas right? Thanks I totally skipped those.
There are others, too, that a more subtle. Try reading it aloud and see where it makes your lips or mouth twist around.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Soapinureye, are the whoops and the whoas onomatopoeia, or are they more like direct quotes? Who voices the whoops and the whoas?
Onomatopoeia is usually a word that is describing a sound, as well as making the sound that it's describing. Examples of onomatopoeia might be the words "sigh" or the word "clomp". Read the poem again and see if you can pick out any onomatopoeiaic words. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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What does it mean to unmake the spring? In what sense did the rat do that, and the death of the trees?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Thanks for the tips, I'll post the final copy when I'm done. I'll try to use your tips without stealing your ideas as best I can. Again, thanks.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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"Crunch" is onomatopoeic because it has a kind of rough, crunchy sound when you say it.
Kkkkrrrrr-unCH!
If you say crunch-crunch-crunch really fast, it's almost like crunching something up in your teeth. Kind of like how it sounds on that GrapeNuts commercial.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Soapinureye, we are only asking questions. Don't worry -- you are still doing the work. This is what people do when they are writing professionally or doing research -- they bounce ideas around and refine the product.
And I think you have a start on a really cool paper. I can't wait to read it. WOuld you please post a finished copy here when you are done, or maybe send me an email copy if you don't want to put it online?
I'd really appreciate it.
(I have to go to sleep right now, but I'll come back to read and write in the morning.)
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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The last stanza describes a lot of loud and soft sounds. To what purpose are they used? What are the loud sounds used to represent? How about the soft sounds?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: What does it mean to unmake the spring? In what sense did the rat do that, and the death of the trees?
I think it means that it ruined her spring. I think the trees meant a lot to her.
That's a good thought! But why did she pick Spring? Would it worked as well if she was describing how the loss of the trees ruined her winter? What does springtime represent?
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: Why is it that even a rat should be alive in May? Does the poet mean more by "spring" than a season of the year?
(CT )
May flowers?
Remember that this poem is 'metaphorically rich' right? So what symbolism do you think of when you think of spring? Maybe along the same line as bunnies and eggs being associated with Easter?
Edit: Beaten! and Tatiana did a much better job being subtle then me. I don't even know why I try.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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"Slither" is another example of onomatopoeia. (Soap, I'm giving you some examples that are kinda similar to the words you might pick out from the actual poem, just in case you missed that. )
Think about "Slytherin" House in Harry Potter. It's the snake house, right? Ssssllllitherr-in. It sounds like a snake winding back and forth when you say it.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Ok i think i got it. She waited all winter for the trees to come back and look beautiful and stuff, but when they did, they were being cut down.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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And to think, you were going to pay someone off to do your homework when you were perfectly capable of thinking it through for yourself. You've got the spring idea down, but consider expanding on it some more, specifically metaphorically.
If you could sum up spring in one word what would it be?
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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I would happily do grammar and spelling editing for you tomorrow, if you like. Right now, though, I'm about to fall over. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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Charlotte Mew’s poem, The Trees Are Down, is a first-person view of the grief a person experiences over deforestation. The poem is an interesting one because of the setup of its stanzas. The lines in each verse of the poem are spaced in such a way that it conveys the tone of the poem. The poem is also symbolic through the dead rat, which the narrator finds near her house. The dead rat symbolizes the death of Mother Nature. The poem is also unique because it has an excerpt from a book of the Bible in it. The passage, which conveys a strong conservation tone, seems to sum up the whole poem. The writer’s unique style and word choice in this poem makes it especially difficult to read, yet it still enriches the reader with imagery and understanding. Charlotte Mew’s poem is a very important poem on the destruction of Mother Nature. Through the author’s word choice in the poem, the reader can deduce that the narrator of the poem enjoys springtime because of its beauty. The line ‘Half the Spring, for me, will have gone away with them’ is an example of how the trees’ absence is affecting the narrator. The narrator waited all winter for the trees to come back and when they finally did they were being cut down. The narrator expresses grief over how people take joy in cutting down trees. This may be one of the key reasons why the author chose to use a first-person narration for the poem. It makes the grief in the poem seem more personal. The author’s construction of the second stanza of the poem conveys how she grieves over the dead rat she found, which was collateral damage to the deforestation taking place. However, at the end of the second stanza, the narrator seems determined not to let the rat ruin her enjoyment of her favorite season. The passage from the book of Revelations in the beginning of the poem sums up the narrators attitude to the deforestation of trees. At the end of the last stanza, the narrator describes what the trees must have felt before they died. She uses the actions and sounds of what a tree feels to make their deaths all more important. She then reveals that the quote at the beginning of the poem had been haunting her all day. It is evident from these lines that she expresses some guilt over the death of the trees. However, the narrator does not make any move to right other people’s wrongs and does not plant any trees throughout the poem. Apparently, the blossoming of trees in the springtime meant a lot to the narrator of the poem and since they are gone she must feel forgotten in the world she lives in. The fact that the author uses the book of Revelations signifies that the trees or Mother Nature will have revenge on the people who cut them down. The last line of the poem could be a warning. The author’s use of imagery and onomatopoeia helps the reader understand what is going on in the poem. The ‘whoops’ and ‘whoas’ help the reader understand, or at least infer, that the people who are cutting the trees down are being disruptive. The writer also uses onomatopoeia when describing the noises that the saws make. She is also descriptive in the third stanza when she describes how a tree falls down. It is at this part where the shape of the stanza is important. The line that is in parenthesis is the action of the tree falling down. Charlotte Mew’s poem is an important one for many reasons. It’s symbolism and imagery help the reader understand the tones the author is trying to convey. It is also important because its last few lines could be a warning to all those who destroy Mother Nature. This is especially important in today’s society, where global warming and natural disasters have plagued the Earth over the past few years. The author’s use of first-person makes the poem, and the grief, all the more personal to the reader, and all the more important.
Posts: 1158 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I just wanted to say that I love Hatrack for being so willing to take an attempt at plagarism (albeit a joke, I'm sure) and help SoaP through (his?) paper. It means so much to me to know that if I ever need any kind of help, Hatrack will always be there for me.
Awww....this is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
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