Essay about Kenneth Slessor Poetry Speech - 848 Words

Have you ever felt like time was running past you? That the world kept spinning while you just stood still? Time is a central theme in many of Kenneth Slessor’s poems, however it is primarily explored through ‘Out of time’ and ‘Five Bells’. Slessor has made it obvious that he is aware that time continues whether we want it to or not and this is what allows us to put into perspective the notion of humanity’s dominance. Slessor uses a cyclical structure in both poems proving effective in helping portray the theme of time. This is shown through the repetition in the beginning and ending lines in Out of time and is similarly explored in Five bells via the sound of the bells that unify the poem which are also repeated. In ‘Out of time’†¦show more content†¦By using the cyclic structure the end is firmly tied to the beginning, the structure is very appropriate for this poem and the theme of time, as it reflects the continuum of time wonderfully. The idea of time can also be seen throughout ‘Five bells’ which is considered to be Slessor’s best poem and is one of Australia’s best known works. The poem was written in remembrance of Slessor’s friend Joe and the character he was as well as revealing the effect his death had on Slessor. In the beginning of the poem we see the line â€Å"Time that is moved by little fidget wheels† conveying the meaning he was taken before his time. This refers to the chronological and systematic time of humanity in which is measured by minutes and hours, shown on clocks that are symbolised by bells. This concept of time is far more powerful with the use of personification as emphasised by the capitalisation. The persona tells of listening to the bells in the harbour, â€Å"From the dark warship riding there below†. The following memories of his friend Joe occur between the rolling of the bells, â€Å"between the double and single bell†. This would be a few seconds so it does not follow the logical sectioning of human time, which is very similar to the meniscus in ‘Out of time’. The refrain, â€Å"five bells†, in italics is like a stage direction that reminds us the bells are still in the process ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem The Of The Light Brigade By Kenneth Slessor1491 Words   |  6 PagesSpeech Draft War Poetry â€Å"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.† Like movies, novels and music, poems are texts that people use to reflect on their lives and experiences. Poems can have an impact on people’s thinking, not only through the things they might say to their readers, but through the discussions that readers have with each other about poems. I truly agree with this statement and believe that it accurately describes how people can reflect on their

History of Native Americans in the United States Free Essays

Native Americans passed their history from generation to generation using myths, creation stories, tales, legends and songs. Native American oral history is the beginning of literature in early America. The first written literature in pre-colonial America consisted of poems, journals, letters, sermons and accounts written by early explorers, settlers, and religious people seeking wealth and religious freedom in America. We will write a custom essay sample on History of Native Americans in the United States or any similar topic only for you Order Now These early written works were significantly influenced by British writers. Early American literature contains many elements, but religion was the major theme in the writings of the early Americans. The Puritans wrote in Puritan â€Å"plain-style† and their literary works conveyed the strong Puritan belief that God dictated every facet of their lives. The literature of this time reflected the Puritan’s strong belief in virtue and sin, punishment and Godly rewards. William Bradford was a deeply religious man who, after arriving in America, on the Mayflower, was elected to serve as governor of Plymouth in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bradford wrote the first history of the Plymouth colony, Of Plymouth Plantation, in 1651. This early writing told of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlement and included elements of fear, conflict and the struggle for survival, the colonists faced in America. Bradford wrote about the initial relief the Puritans felt when the Mayflower landed on American soil for the first time, after the long and miserable journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element (â€Å"Early Americas Digital Archive† 2003). The Puritans realized immediately they were completely unequipped to survive, having arrived in the winter. They had little food and skills, no shelter and were overwhelmed with fear at the first sight of Native Americans. Bradford wrote that the colonists knew from the onset that settling in America was going to be a struggle for survival, filled with conflicts, and how fearful they were in this new land filled with savages and wilderness. And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search an unknown coast†¦. For summer being done, all things stand upon them with a weather- beaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, represented a wild and savage hue (â€Å"Early Americas Digital Archive† 2003). William Bradford described the early attempt of colonization in America, as a time of starvation, brutality, fear and hardships. Bradford documented the trials and tribulations of the Puritans in his detailed journal, Of Plymouth Plantation. Another element, religion, is deeply rooted in early American literature as evidenced in A Modell of Christian Charity, a sermon by John Winthrop. Winthrop was a deeply religious man who studied and trained himself into a Puritan. Winthrop sailed to America the Arbella in the spring of 1630, where on board, he composed his sermon, A Model of Christian Charity. Winthrop considered the Massachusetts colonists in a covenant with God and each other, and he wrote: For we must consider that we shall be the City upon a hill. They eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our god in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present from us, we shall be made a story and a by word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors of God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of the ways of God, and all professors for God’s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a going (â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity † 2015). The city they established on the hill was based on Christian principles and this new unified colony would be the model for future colonies. John Winthrop states in his sermon that the Puritans have entered into an agreement with God to help each other and show kindness towards one another in this new land. He says that if they don’t honor this agreement, God will punish them and bring devastation to the colony. In regard to the bond of marriage between Him and us, wherein He hath  taken us to be His, after a most strict and peculiar manner, which will make Him the more jealous of our love and obedience. So He tells the people of Israel, you only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore will I punish you for your transgressions (â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity † 2015). The separation of church and state was another element in early American literature. Roger Williams, a clergyman from England that John Winthrop hailed as a â€Å"godly minister† when Williams came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop offered Williams a job in the Boston church, but Williams declined, feeling that the church was not suitably committed to the worship of God. Williams believed that preventing error in religion was impossible for it required people to interpret God’s law and people would inevitably err (Barry 2012). He felt that government must remove itself from anything that touched upon a human being’s relationship with God. Williams wrote that â€Å"forced worship stincks in God’s nostrils† (Barry 2012). This dispute between Williams and the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony led to Williams banishment from the colony. Williams brought land from the Narragansett Indians and wrote that â€Å"having, of a sense of God’s merciful providence unto me in my distress, called the place PROVIDENCE, I desired it might be for a shelter for persons distressed for conscience† (Barry 2012). Williams meant religion when he said conscience. (Barry 2012). Williams most famous writing on separation of church and state is found in, The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, for cause of Conscience, Discussed, in A Conference between Truth and Peace, published in 1644. Williams wrote that mixing church and state corrupted the church, and that when one mixes religion and politics, one gets politics (Barry 2012). [W]hen they have opened the gap in the hedge or wall of Separation between the Garden of the Church and the Wildernes of the world, God hath ever broke down the wall it selfe, removed the candlestick and made his Garden a Wildernesse (Barry 2012) Puritan writers regularly cited the Bible in their letters, poems, sermons, and books and they appreciated the writings that worshipped God and warned of evil. The early works of American literature are chronicles of adventure, politics, conflict, struggle and hardships the explorers and Puritans endured as they established new colonies throughout New England. How to cite History of Native Americans in the United States, Papers

Declaration of war by the United States free essay sample

The First World War began in August 1914. It was directly triggered by the assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on June 28, 1914 by Serbian revolutionary, Gavrilo Princip. This event was, however, simply the trigger that set off many declarations of war. The actual causes of the war are more complicated and are still debated by historians today. But there were two important causes that are truly believed to be the factors of World War One. The two underlying causes that led to World War One were Alliances and Militarism because there were rivalries between nations, alliances between countries caused direct declaration of war, and arms races had commenced. A number of alliances had been signed by countries between the years 1879 and 1914. These were important because they meant that some countries had no option but to declare war if one of their allies declared war first. An example of this comes from a Chicago Tribune article labeled â€Å"The Crime of the Ages. We will write a custom essay sample on Declaration of war by the United States or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Who did it? Where all of the nations are declaring war on each other because of their allies, causing a chain reaction of war declarations due to the start of it when Serbia had war declared on them by Austria-Hungary. (Doc. 4) Now Europe had much tension as the battle line was drawn with Central Powers being Germany and Austria-Hungary on one side and Allies consisting of many nations like Great Britain, France, and Russia with Italy joining later. Italy had been a member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. However, the Italians joined the other side after accusing their former partners of unjustly starting the war. Doc. 3) The cause of all this havoc was the rivalries between nations in Europe that sparked the war. The tension between countries was matched by tension within countries. Especially in southeastern Europe, in an area known as the Balkans. Ethnic groups revolted as Austria-Hungary and Russia stood by. The region was a â€Å"powder keg† just waiting to explode, and with the Black Hand ordered assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary, it did. All this fighting in the Balkans was due to everyone wanting all the Serb people in one nation and to eliminate Austria-Hungary from the picture. This growing European divide had led to an arms race between the main countries France, Germany, and Great Britain. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914 due to the war and there was fierce competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas. (Doc. 7) Germany had been increasing their armaments to defeat the Allies, so their Schlieffen Plan would come into action and work. (Doc. 9) But everything did not occur how Germany thought they would. All the commotion caused by Germany had happened because they had realized that they are in the middle of the World War One battlefield. So they had to step up their armaments and be the winner or loser of the war. (Doc. 8) The causes of World War One included a growing sense of militarism, which was accompanied by an arms race and alliances that had been a huge cause of all the war declarations and rivalry between nations. The war itself did not have any good effects. It left countries in debt with many casualties at hand. War was not really a good thing for Europe as its regions were destroyed and it was a long war that lasted four years. This was the complete opposite of what soldiers thought ‘would be a short and simple war’.