lucianadearaujo's Blog

To Counter Malthus

lucianadearaujo — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:50:48 +0000

None us in this so

burdened earth has known

how to live, let alone

who is too many.

Presence, each day

afresh, you give a

purifying signal to

sting us alive.

Vast territories and seashores

still bear these thronging

strangers. May none die

without somebody caring.

To know even one other is

costly. And being known.

Alive, among so many

more now? a concern…

Hunger makes men desperate, threatens

to congeal the quandary. Yet

Presence abides untouched

in the churn of Quantity.

In this poem, Margaret Avison evokes the theory of British economist Thomas Malthus on population growth. According to him, the population grow inversely proportional to the amount of food. But as we see in the course of the poem, Avison does not believe that the increase in population density is the only factor that leads to lack of food or other ills of the modern world.

In the first verse, the poet refers to the world we live as hard and difficult (burdened earth), and that we have not yet learned how to live and coexist harmoniously with each other, even though we are so many. In the second verse, Avison mentions God or His son, as a Being who, through their presence encourages us to learn living, even though hardly. Indeed, their very presence encourages to learn how to live in the presence of each other. Thus, the word “presence” can be interpreted in two ways.

In the third verse, the world is described as extensive (vast territory and seashore), which bears the man and his actions. But in spite of so much abundance, men still behave like strangers to each other, avoiding and do not caring about anyone (still bear these thronging strangers. May none die without somebody caring). So we can interpret that hunger does not come only with increasing population, but with its selfishness.

On the viewpoint of Avison, the man’s individualism is s strong that knowing the other becomes something difficult, even costly (To know even one other is costly). And, also, be known, due to the distance among people. Here, the dot suggests the reader a reflection. Survive in a world that has become somewhat wild and populous becomes a challenge, a concern. The ellipsis in the last sentence also lead the reader to their own thoughts and interpretations, as if leaving a message Avison in the air.

In the last verse, Avison shows his concern about the worsening situation, mentioning that hunger brings the despair of the men, ”congealing” the dilemma. But, again, evokes God, demonstrating the hope that their presence could, moreover, supports the torrents of Quantity and humankind selfishness.

A Thunderstorm

lucianadearaujo — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:16:06 +0000

The poem describes a storm about to come. The poet give details of the preceding moments and what the scenary becomes with and after the rain.

A moment the wild swallows like a flight

The poet here uses the hearing, that allows him to listen to the movement and strenght of the wind originated by the storm that it is coming

Of withered gust-caught leaves, serenely high,The leaves are being taken off the trees and carried to the sky. He refers to the sight sense, as he is watching the leaves going away. This line describe the begining of the storm

Toss in the windrack up the muttering sky.

The poet uses the hearing, mentioning the sounds of the leaves being carried to the sky by the wind, and, also, the sound of the wind by itself.

The leaves hang still. Above the weird twilight,Here we can imagine the colours provided by an aproaching storm. It is something dark, mixtured with the colours of the sunset (the weird twilight). The storm is getting closer and closer.

The hurrying centres of the storm unite

The storm is getting heavier, with strong wind. The poet refers to the sounds heard by the storm
And spreading with huge trunk and rolling fringe,
Each wheeled upon its own tremendous hinge,

Both lines represent the movement of the rain, shaking and affecting all the elements around. Here, this movement is represented by the words rolling fringe and trunk and the senses refered to are hearing and sight
Tower darkening on. And now from heaven’s height,

Here, the storm gets its peak, through the darkness and strength. The author compares it to the heaven’s power (heaven’s height), showing the violence of the rain.

With the long roar of elm-trees swept and swayed,
And pelted waters, on the vanished plain

Here we can see the caractheristic sound of the storm, the strong movement of the water and wind. The words which best represent it are “long roar of elm-trees swept and swayed” ; “vanished plain”

Scanning the first four lines:

-   /   -           /   -          /    -        /   -    /

A moment the wild swallows like a flight

-    /       -       /        -          /       -     /    -    /

Of withered gust-caught leaves, serenely high,

-       /   -       /      -      /    -       /      -        /

Toss in the windrack up the muttering sky

-       /          -        /   -    /    -         /        -    /

The leaves hang still. Above the weird twilight

The rhyme scheme is abbaaaccdefggef

Iambic pentameter

First Poem – Welsh History – R.S.Thomas

lucianadearaujo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:35:38 +0000

We know that the Wales has in its History a series of wars and struggles, which marked the past of its people. R.S. Thomas mention the warrior past, through elements such as “We were a people taut for war” or “Warming our hands at the red past”. However, the warrior times ended in losses and failures, what we can see through passages such as “Our kings died, or they were slain By the old treachery at the ford”. It can be, maybe, an explanation for the shame some Welsh citizens feel about assuming their nationality. This almost “non-acceptance” of the origins have just “burried” the culture, the origin of the Welsh people, which resulted in a renegated nationality, a copy of the British customs.

Thomas considers the Welsh culture as dead. But, he expects a rebirth, but, not in the old way, with wars or blood, but in a noble way, more respectful and peaceful.

Hello world!

lucianadearaujo — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:27:37 +0000

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