Thursday, October 10, 2019
Horses Poem â⬠Edwin Muir Essay
ââ¬Å"Horsesâ⬠Edwin Muir in First Poems, 1925 Notes Compiled and Edited by RI First Reading â⬠¢ The sight of horses now, in the present, leads theà speaker to consider his feelings towards horsesà when he was a child: ââ¬ËPerhaps some childish hourà has come againââ¬â¢. â⬠¢ Main focus: ââ¬â The various descriptions of horses and the speakerââ¬â¢s feelings towards the horses ââ¬â An other-worldliness about them, something magical ââ¬â Admiration and fear are mixed ââ¬â A clear Romantic feel about the poem: e.g. ââ¬ËAnd oh the raptureâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ Stanza 1 â⬠¢ ââ¬Ëlumberingââ¬â¢ gives the impression that theà horses are moving in a slow, heavy andà awkward way Stanza 2 â⬠¢ Pistons in the machines in an ancient mill areà used to describe the movement of the horsesââ¬â¢Ã hooves as the child ââ¬Ëwatched fearfulââ¬â¢ â⬠¢ The use of imagery drawn from the earlyà industrial age is interesting in what it tells usà about the childââ¬â¢s fear Stanza 3 â⬠¢ The word ââ¬Ëconqueringââ¬â¢ suggests a reference toà an even earlier age â⬠¢ The word ââ¬Ëritualââ¬â¢ and the descriptionsà ââ¬Ëseraphim of goldââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëecstatic monstersââ¬â¢ hintà at something pagan or pre-historic Stanza 4 â⬠¢ The ââ¬Ëraptureââ¬â¢ conveys a Romantic sense ofà worshipping these natural creatures: see lines 2ââ¬â4 Stanza 5 â⬠¢ ââ¬Ëglowing with mysterious fireââ¬â¢ links with theà ââ¬Ëmagic powerââ¬â¢, which describes the horses heà sees in the present day (in the first stanza) Stanza 6 â⬠¢ The powerful force of the horses is captured inà the eyes gleaming with a ââ¬Ëcruel apocalypticà lightââ¬â¢ â⬠¢ The religious imagery follows on from theà ââ¬Ëstruggling snakesââ¬â¢ of stanza 5 Stanza 7 â⬠¢ The repetition of ââ¬Ëit fadesââ¬â¢ suggests loss,à straightforwardly the fading of his memory â⬠¢ ââ¬ËPineââ¬â¢ means to feel a lingering, often nostalgic desire Exercises â⬠¢ To assist a closer reading of the poem as a whole Stanza 1 â⬠¢ Task 1 ââ¬â Look up the meaning of ââ¬Ëlumberingââ¬â¢ and then consider the way it contrasts with the description in lines 3 ââ¬â 4 Stanza 1 â⬠¢ Task 2 ââ¬â Look closely at the meanings of ââ¬Ëterribleââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëwildââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëstrangeââ¬â¢ ââ¬â These are of course words common in everydayà usage, but precise dictionary definitions of theseà words might yield unexpected and original ideas ââ¬â Note that the horses are ââ¬Ëlumberingââ¬â¢, whilst theà plough is ââ¬Ësteadyââ¬â¢ Stanza 2 â⬠¢ Check that you have understood the shift inà time. â⬠¢ The rest of the poem deals with the speakerââ¬â¢sà recollection of his feelings as a child. â⬠¢ What impression do you feel is created by theà simile of the ââ¬Ëpistonsââ¬â¢? Stanza 3 â⬠¢ The references in this stanza are to a preindustrial age. â⬠¢ Consider the effects of these words: ââ¬Ëconquering hoovesââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëritualââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëseraphim of goldââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëmute ecstatic monstersââ¬â¢. â⬠¢ You should consult a dictionary where appropriate. Stanzas 4 and 5 â⬠¢ What do you make of the tone in stanza four? â⬠¢ Explore the words used to describe the horses,à and to consider what they reveal about theà speakerââ¬â¢s attitude? â⬠¢ What contrast is signalled by the use of ââ¬ËBut whenà at duskâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬â¢ at the beginning of stanza five? â⬠¢ What do you make of ââ¬Ëmysterious fireââ¬â¢ here andà the ââ¬Ëmagic powerââ¬â¢ attributed to the present-dayà horses in stanza one? Stanza 6 â⬠¢ Analyse the effectiveness of the imagery: the ââ¬Ëcruel apocalyptic lightââ¬â¢ of their eyes and the personification of the wind. Stanza 7 â⬠¢ Before considering the final stanza and reaching a judgement about its effectiveness, you might read the whole poem (perhaps working in pairs). â⬠¢ Having studied closely the previous stanzas, how do you now feel that the final stanza should be spoken? â⬠¢ How does the tone here differ from the tone in other parts of the poem? Activities â⬠¢ In order focus on the sounds of the poem, you might in pairs or small groups practise reading the poem aloud. â⬠¢ Try to capture a suitable voice for the speaker as you read, and vary the tone as appropriate. â⬠¢ Finally, annotate a copy of the poem, indicating briefly the effects created by imagery and sound devices â⬠¢ Select an example of a device used in a particularly striking or vivid way; explain what it is that makes it striking for you. Thematic links with set poems â⬠¢ Nature: Pied Beauty, Hunting Snake, Pike, The Woodspurge, Upon Westminster Bridge, Summer Farm â⬠¢ Time: A Different History, The Cockroach, The City Planners, The Planners Summary â⬠¢ Past memories â⬠¢ Surpassing reality â⬠¢ The poet reminiscing one of his childhood memories: ââ¬â Horses ploughing during a rainy day Power of Nature â⬠¢ Expression of the power of nature â⬠¢ Language techniques ââ¬â Simile ââ¬â The ââ¬Å"mechanicalâ⬠metaphor ââ¬â Oxymoron ââ¬â Negative connotations Vocabulary of nature â⬠¢ Horses â⬠¢ Field â⬠¢ Blackening rain â⬠¢ Hooves â⬠¢ Stubble â⬠¢ Hulks â⬠¢ Monsters â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Sun Light Bossy sides Flakes Snakes Dusk Gloam â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ Fire Bodies Mire Eyes Night Manes Wind Country Tree Figurative Language â⬠¢ Similes ââ¬â Hooves â⬠¢ ââ¬Ëlike pistons in an ancient millââ¬â¢ ââ¬â Image: à » Their hooves are like machines à » They keep on moving up and down, ploughing the whole field â⬠¢ Struggling snakes ââ¬â Snake-like furrows ââ¬â Prepares us for the biblical imagery à » ââ¬Ëcruel apocalyptic lightââ¬â¢ â⬠¢ Eyes ââ¬â As brilliant and as wide as night Personification â⬠¢ Wind Their manes the leaping ire of the wind Lifted with rage invisible and blind â⬠¢ Dusk â⬠¢ The broad-breasted horses in the light of the setting sun â⬠¢ The light coming off of their bodies in flakes â⬠¢ The steaming nostrils â⬠¢ Their warm, gigantic bodies glowing with mysterious fire â⬠¢ The smouldering heat of their bodies in the cold mud â⬠¢ Metaphors ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Conqueringâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Great hulksâ⬠â⬠¢ Mechanical â⬠¢ Industrial age â⬠¢ Comparing a horseââ¬â¢s power to that of an engine ââ¬â E.g. car engine ââ¬â Reader can visualize and sense the physical power of the animal ââ¬â Powerful image of the horses ââ¬â Appreciation of the beauty of the powerful force of the horses â⬠¢ Oxymoron ââ¬â Horses described as ââ¬Ëmute ecstatic monsters on the mouldââ¬â¢ ââ¬â Horses being presented as ââ¬Ëterrible, so wild and strangeââ¬â¢, yet with ââ¬Ëmagical powerââ¬â¢ ââ¬â Leading the reader to ponder the poetââ¬â¢s message: â⬠¢ The idea of nature fading away and life becoming mechanical ââ¬â Followed by the disclosure of his dislike of modernisation â⬠¢ Negative connotations ââ¬â Dark side and despair â⬠¢ Through negative connotations ââ¬â The ââ¬Å"smoulderingâ⬠bodies of the horses à » Their eyes gleaming with a ââ¬Å"cruel apocalyptic lightâ⬠â⬠¢ Here the poet expresses his emotions towards the arrival of evil, or apocalypse and his world turning dark The right words â⬠¢ First half of the poem ââ¬â Words like ââ¬Å"seraphimâ⬠and ââ¬Å"goldâ⬠â⬠¢ Emphasis on strong presence and value in nature â⬠¢ End of the poem ââ¬â ââ¬Å"black fieldâ⬠and ââ¬Å"still-standing treeâ⬠â⬠¢ The poet introduces a dark, sad tone ââ¬â As he expresses his realisation à » faded nature à » loss of its presence Conclusion â⬠¢ Memory ââ¬â Struggle â⬠¢ Light and darkness â⬠¢ Symbolic ââ¬â Expresses aspects of nature â⬠¢ Wildness â⬠¢ Innocence
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