They clear their  Â, freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks,  Â, cool and thin as the day they guided him  Â, he says in his clear voice. More About This Poem Rite of Passage By Sharon Olds About this Poet Sharon Olds is one of contemporary poetry’s leading voices. Notably, there is the combination of both a full stop and a hyphen mid way through the poem at “on her thighs. Sharon Olds is one of contemporary poetry’s leading voices. As mentioned, the range of punctuation in ‘An Easy Passage’ is interesting because there are many hyphens, commas and semi colons used. It was characteristic of the Archaic and Classical periods. Die Plauderecke bietet allen Besuchern von Baby-Vornamen.de einen Ort, um ungestört über schöne Vornamen, die Schwangerschaft oder andere Dinge zu plaudern. From the epics of Homer to the sonnets of William Shakespeare to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” to the silly limerick you learned at school, there is a type of poetry for every purpose. – What can” which helps to add an extended and distinctive pause, further supporting the idea that the middle of the poem helps to act as a transition point in the narrative through the use of structure. Sati or suttee was a historical Hindu practice, in which a widow sacrifices herself by sitting atop her deceased husband's funeral pyre.. an underground passage 2 from a book etc [countable] AL TCN a short part of a book, poem, speech, piece of music etc passage from/of He read out a short passage from the Bible. Approach the Zen Master / Talk to the Zen Master. Reading this poem again made me think about how clearly all-knowing the narrator is (e.g. This choice helps to impart a sense of fluidity and movement to the poem, and by extension its subject matter, perhaps causing a reader to see it as supporting the title with the idea of an ‘easy passage’ rather than one which is difficult or hard to understand. Stories are often used in relation to growing up, which would therefore link with the idea of a rite of passage. “Armaments” are military weapons and equipment, so describing a “flash” links to them being fired, bringing one of the only references to weaponry and violence to the poem. How are transitions from different positions (crouching to standing, indoors to outdoors) used in an effective way? Interpreture uses cookies to ensure complete website functionality and analyse website views and site metrics. In addition, the idea of the stairwell and stairs could be interpreted as both a physical and mental transition of childhood to adolescence and adulthood. The following is an outline of the history of Western classical music. The specific decision to have female characters could be interpreted by some readers to show a more personal connection to the poet, therefore making a reader feel like the poem has a stronger message. The meaning is somewhat challenging to understand at first, not helped by the very dense structure which makes it difficult to separate out different sections. That said, it still could appear daunting and challenging, evoking a similar sense and emotion to those which are facing a ‘rite of passage’ into maturity and experience.  Click here to see all the prescribed poems from the ‘Poems of the Decade’ collection. The adjective “sharp” is a distinctive choice which has connotations of precision and accuracy, but also of potential pain and suffering, perhaps highlighting the potential impacts of these transitions and passages. As such, a reader is likely to have a general accurate understanding of what the poem will look at. The humanising descriptions of these surroundings are interesting because they encourage the idea of onlookers to the scene, further increasing the sense of importance of these actions. The poem comprises four five-lined stanzas known as ‘quintains’. Copus was born in London in 1969 and is very interested in rhythmic styles of poetry, and subjects of her work often including family relationships, which is explored to an extent in ‘An Easy Passage’. In what ways could ‘An Easy Passage’ be interpreted as a surreal poem. the mix of understanding emotions, thoughts and reasoning), which supports the idea that they are speaking from personal experience. Reading poetry is a rite of passage for American schoolchildren, but writing poetry of your own is a challenge. ‘An Easy Passage’ is written in the third person and the lack of dialogue creates a corresponding lack of variety in pronouns, with only uses of “her” and “she” in the poem. Find self published books as unique as you. The semantic field of the body is notable throughout the poem, with examples typically drawn from two sources. I do not think, he said, that the way could have been shortened. If it had been “looks down now” or even “looks across” then I think this could have encouraged more readers to pick up on a similar idea to yours. Great analysis yet again! It could certainly be possible; as with all literature, any interpretation is valid providing there is a supporting argument. The use of “petrified” could have two interpretations, either literal petrification of natural forms into a stone like material, or the emotion felt by the beach (the gravel driveway) at seeing the young girl on the rooftop. This is most likely to be so that the descriptions could be seen as applying to a whole range of people, making the poem more universal in its tone and approach. While this can be seen as positive for the girls, for the “flush-faced secretary” it could be negative as it highlights the more saddening aspects of society, such as having dreams and ideas that are likely to ever come to fruition. The most notable aspect of the structure of this poem is that it is free verse in a single stanza. This certainly did do wonders to my understanding of the poem’s message of childhood vs adulthood, which seems to be a popular theme in the Poems of the Decade. This is to be expected for the longer sentences, as many of these examples could be seen as replacing full stops and full caesura so as to not break the continuous feel of the poem. Buy, sell and share photography books, wedding albums, portfolios and more. ‘An Easy Passage’ The poem title can be interpreted as alluding to the idea of either a ‘safe’ passage or a ‘rite of passage’ which are both commonly associated with the idea of growing up and transitioning from one experience and existence to another, either metaphorically or physically. Notably this is at the end of the poem, which could be interpreted by some readers at signalling the potential for future conflict. Overall, the poem lacks any key identifiers as to who the girls are, or who the different workers are that are being described. You have quite possible saved my A levels thank you all so much. As such, these different factors mean that extra focus and attention needs to be made to ensure a full understanding of the poem. ‘An Easy Passage’ by Julia Copus is a poem which centres around the journey of a young girl sneaking into her house, presented in a surreal format which helps to create a distinctive narrative voice and raise ideas regarding childhood transitions and development. Browse self published books. Just one quick question from me – Since you mentioned the rhetorical question and other structural devices as creating a natural turning point for the narrator to move from childhood -> adolescence -> adulthood, could it be possible that the flush-faced secretary is the narrator in the future who looks back at her childhood? This could help evoke some of their own ideas regarding this subject, which could be quite effective because it would allow a reader to contrast their own experiences with those described in the poem, and judge them as either being more or less lenient or suitable. The second main source is through descriptions of their surrounding environment, such as the “warm flank of the house” and “eye of the street”. What impact does the use of present tense have on a reader’s interpretation of the poem? The decision to have long sentences sandwich shorter ones in the middle of the poem could be interpreted as helping to demonstrate the shift in narrative and development of the girl, as she continues her ‘passage’ from innocence to experience. 5. However, a reader may question the use of “Easy” and perhaps consider that it is being described in a deliberately misleading way. For example, the long single stanza in this poem could be contrasted with the flowing stanzas of ‘Look We Have Coming to Dover!’ or the broken stanzas of ‘History’, while the themes and language could be compared with ‘To My Nine-Year-Old Self’. While ‘An Easy Passage’ can be quite a challenging poem to understand because of the relatively abstract and surreal initial impression, there is a whole range of interesting structure and language devices which enable lots of comparison with other poems. We’d love to hear why you gave this rating: An Easy Passage Poem, Childhood, Edexcel, English, English Literature, Identity, Julia Copus, Poems of the Decade, Society and Culture. Although "Western" and "classical" are inexact terms, they do name a reasonably coherent musical tradition that stretches from the Dark Ages to the present day. All information submitted will be published pending moderation. The line lengths are generally similar, although not as exact as some other poems in the anthology (such as ‘From the Journal of a Disappointed Man’), which reduces the sense of it being a singular block of text, and could help a readers understanding and reading of the poem. This turning point is particularly notable for the rhetorical question, which acts as a natural turning point as after this the poem returns to the extended sentences. Click here to see all the prescribed poems from the ‘Poems of the Decade’ collection. More About This Poem a song in the front yard By Gwendolyn Brooks About this Poet Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most highly regarded, influential, and widely read poets of 20th-century American poetry. Squares are uniform shapes which may be seen as jarring when compared against natural and fluid transitions and experiences being described in the poem. By submitting a comment you agree to the Interpreture Privacy Policy. Some readers may interpret this structure as being representative of a childhood, then a turbulent adolescence, then returning to a more stable adulthood. One says to another, They eye each other, seeing themselves  Â, tiny in the other’s pupils. That said, my personal interpretation of the description “looks up now … at a girl” makes it feels very much in the present. Would you support Interpreture by purchasing any of these products? Winner of several prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, Olds is known for writing intensely personal, emotionally scathing poetry which graphically depicts family life as well as global political events.... As the guests arrive at our son’s party  Â, jostling, jockeying for place, small fights, breaking out and calming. The eldest son is going through a rite of passage, in a sense this profoundly sad death in the family is forcing him to grow up and he's finding it understandably hard. She was a much-honored poet, even in her lifetime, with the distinction of being the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize. Thanks! This creates distance from the events being described with the more observational tone, which could be interpreted as making it feel more story-like. Pederasty in ancient Greece was a socially acknowledged romantic relationship between an adult male (the erastes) and a younger male (the eromenos) usually in his teens. Poetry is one of the most elegant forms of human expression. Also important to the structure of this poem is the lack of sentences. Then pick the “free” option to save money (paying him doesn’t offer any advantage and you get the same reward at the end of the questline regardless). The first is the physical descriptions of the girl and her friend, with a focus on describing different parts of her and what she is wearing. The poem title can be interpreted as alluding to the idea of either a ‘safe’ passage or a ‘rite of passage’ which are both commonly associated with the idea of growing up and transitioning from one experience and existence to another, either metaphorically or physically. Poem of the Atoms; Meetings Along the Edge; Starting Location: Poem of the Atoms. The rite invokes the fire deity Agni, brought to life through the fire, to bear witness to the celebration. Socrates - GLAUCON And thus, Glaucon, after the argument has gone a weary way, the true and the false philosophers have at length appeared in view. Privacy Policy // Credits and Acknowledgements. The extent to which sati was practised in history is not known with clarity. Talk to the Zen Master and choose to sit with him. Interpreture gives ‘An Easy Passage’ a difficulty rating of 4, meaning that it is deemed to be a relatively difficult poem. The other  Â, like Generals, they relax and get down to  Â. playing war, celebrating my son’s life. This is most notable with the reference to the “astrology column” and while some readers may view this reference positively, others would see it as demonstrating unrealistic hopes. While there is a wide variety of punctuation and extensive use of commas, the first sentence continues for nearly a third of the poem, and the final sentence for the last third, with only five sentences in total. Please refer to our e-safety suggestions and comment moderation policy. This poem is part of the set of prescribed poems that could be included in the Edexcel English Literature exam, meaning that it is important to study, understand and revise this poem. The bride throws fistfuls of rice to the fire as offerings known as homam. Each stanza is complex, so the message conveyed needs ‘space’ which five lines provide. These products narrator is ( e.g ’ collection the history of Western Classical.. 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