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19th Sept 2013 THE POEMS Growth of Man like Growth of Nature by Emily Dickinson Growth of Man -- like Growth of Nature -Gravitates within -Atmosphere, and Sun endorse it -Bit it stir -- alone --

Each -- its difficult Ideal Must achieve -- Itself -Through the solitary prowess Of a Silent Life --

Effort -- is the sole condition -Patience of Itself -Patience of opposing forces -And intact Belief --

Looking on -- is the Department Of its Audience -But Transaction -- is assisted By no Countenance

The Gladness of Nature by William Cullen Bryant Is this a time to be cloudy and sad, When our mother Nature laughs around; When even the deep blue heavens look glad, And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?

There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren, And the gossip of swallows through all the sky; The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den, And the wilding bee hums merrily by.

The clouds are at play in the azure space And their shadows at play on the bright-green vale, And here they stretch to the frolic chase, And there they roll on the easy gale.

There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower, There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree, There's a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower, And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea.

And look at the broad-faced sun, how he smiles On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray, On the leaping waters and gay young isles; Ay, look, and he'll smile thy gloom away.

COMPARING THE TWO POEMS

Growth of Man like Growth of Nature By Emily Dickinson

The Gladness of Nature by William Cullen Bryant

SIMILARITIES

Nature is beautiful. Some elements in making nature beautiful are depicted in the two poems.

DIFFERENCES

Comparing men to nature The attributes needed to grow up Prejudice is portrayed

Nature and its beautiful surrounding The scenery explained in detail The setting is stated clearly

PERSONAL RESPONSE Growth of Man like Growth of Nature By Emily Dickinson I have chosen the theme of nature. The first poem is entitled as stated above. This particular poem is really trying to depict the differences and similarities of men versus nature. The tone for me is a bit cynical. In the first stanza, man in general (the persona) is compared to nature itself. There are elements that are essential to the growth of man and nature. The poet also stated that the atmosphere and the sun endorse it. This line is to reiterate the importance of the atmosphere and the sun in making man and nature growth. The second stanza, on the other hand tries to separate the two. Even though it is different, the trials and tribulations are more or less the same. To achieve something in life, bravery of one self is the key. Nature also cant rely on anything but them. The third stanza talked about what is needed. Effort and patience are important. Belief is also a needed attribute. The last stanza basically means that it is very difficult to grow. For men, they will always be judged with what they do in life. Men will grow mature with age. This can also be reflecting to nature. When certain circumstances are present, nature can blossom and thrive without any interference.

The Gladness of Nature by William Cullen Bryant For this particular poem, the poet writes in quatrain. This means that the poem has four lines and it is written in a way that the alternate line rhymes. The poet writes in a happy mood and tone. In the first quatrain, the poet asked a question Is it a time to be cloudy and sad . The poet wants to focus on nature (the persona). The happiness of nature. When nature is in full bloom, there is no reason why humans in generals should be in sadness. In the second quatrain, the poet further emphasizes the beauty of the surrounding. Further examples such as hang-bird and wren(small birds) and the chirpiness of swallow flying around strengthen the poets point. In my opinion, it is in the summer and it is a bright sunny day. The third quatrain is further trying to make the point across. The setting is most probably on a higher ground such as on a mountain top or hill and overlooking valleys and rivers and seas. The fourth quatrain talked about the other elements of summer. Strong winds and blossoming fruit trees is a typical sight in summer. The poet also sees a small river flowing to the sea. From the last quatrain, I can conclude that the poet most probably wrote or drew inspiration to write the poem in the early hours of a summer morning. The sun had just risen and the drop of moisture was slowly evaporating. The poet also insisted that when youre in sadness, despair or uneasy, you just have to look at the beautiful nature surroundings and you heart will be gay.

REFLECTION This particular task was not easy. Finding the right poem, the poet and the perfect theme is extremely difficult. Reading the poem is the painful bit. I read it twice and still I cant understand the poem. Using a dictionary, I tiptoed and began to understand the beautiful words sown into each poem. Further research into the web, I begin to understand the whole point of writing poetry. Poetry is beautiful. Anything can be portrayed in a poem. Preparation for this particular task took me about four days. Ive tried to search a book on poems alone but couldnt manage it. It would have been so much easier to just buy a book and depict the poem from the book. But, the World Wide Web is king when it comes to information on anything. I have managed to pick these beautiful poems. Organization of the task needs further research. I have to learn on how to analyse a poem. What is needed and what is necessary to do in order to strengthen the understanding of a particular poem. I think I had at least fifty percents more knowledge about poem than before this. This task was challenging and yet it was fun at the same time. I enjoyed this task very much.