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Summary English coursework on poems comparison
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this coursework gained 28/30 in IG English. it compared two poems: "The Bright Lights in Sarajevo" and " Still I Rise". hope it helps.
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Explore how the theme of hope is presented in “Still I Rise” and “the BrightLight of Sarajevo”
Both “The Bright Lights of Sarajevo” and “Still I Rise” express the theme of
hope while they approach that motif in different ways. Maya Angelou presents
an impassioned declaration brimming with hope and confidence that prejudice
and injustice against black people will ultimately terminate. Tony Harrison, on
the other hand, describes the romance against the backdrop of suffering
taking place in Sarajevo during the war, which serves as a beacon of hope.
In terms of the theme, both poets inject a sense of hope into their poems. For
Angelou, it is the hope for the whole black race including herself to gain their
equal rights. For Harrison, it is the hope for the people who lived in Sarajevo
to get rid of the shadow of the war and also, enjoy love. The persona in
Angelou’s poem speaks in first person ebulliently and mockingly. She does not
only speak for herself but also express the voice from the whole race, to a
particular group of people, generally considered as white racists and
oppressors. Her mood is accusatory yet full of hope. Usages of rhetorical
questions reflect her anger and continual stress of “still I will rise”
demonstrate her absolute confidence on her cause. Harrison, on the other
hand, writes as an observer who focuses on a young couple, and a storyteller
who brings readers back to the brutal war. He remains low-key in the poem as
he presents himself to be visible to the readers by applying first person for a
limited amount of times. The persona’s mood is eventually hopeful even
though a more mournful tone was to be noticed via the description of battle’s
scars and everyday hardship that people suffers from. Nevertheless, he
seems to be impressed by people’s optimism and desire to love under the
harsh environment. References to love in various ways act as a a more
concrete manifestation of the theme of hope.
When it comes to form and structure, Angelou’s poem has 9 stanzas in total
with a visible change in stanzas 8 and 9 in which the usages of “you” and
rhetorical questions decrease to none. The focus shifts from mocking white
racists to recalling the dark history of slavery and her determination of
carrying/following through with her cause of gaining equal rights. Most lines
start with “I rise”, which is in present tense instead of future tense, as is the
case with “I’ll rise” in the first 7 stanzas, conveying a sense of certainty,
assertiveness, and action. At the end of the poem, a repetition of the phrase
“I rise” contributes significantly to a cumulatively stronger rhythm, making it
sound unstoppable and triumphant. Her intentions in the first 7 stanzas are
different so she shapes them in various ways. Stanzas 2, 5 and 7 share the
same structure with a rhetorical question in the first line and a simile in the
third line which all contain sarcasm and confidence of her race. Stanzas 1 and
6 also run in parallel as they both include lines starting with “you may” and
, extravagant metaphors or similes at the end. These two stanzas echo each
other over a distance, reflecting the persona’s aggressiveness and resolution
to commit to her liberating cause.
Harrison’s poem has five stanzas in total. Stanzas 2, 3 and 5 mainly focus on
the romance between young couples, while stanzas 1 and 4 pay more
attention to the hardship during the war as well as the brutal history of
violence and bloodshed in the city. The alternating structure creates a stark
contrast between the desperation brought about by the war and the warmth
and tenderness typical of young lovers. Yet it is made clear that the latter will
ultimately triumph over the former, thus imbuing (imbue sth with) the poem
with a strong sense of hope.
Besides, enjambment is used in both poems to bring out the theme of hope.
In Angelou’s poem, enjambment is used in the ending lines of stanzas 2, 5, 7,
leading up to an unexpected exaggeration. For instance, the last two lines of
stanza 2 read, “oil wells -- pumping in my living room”. Here “my living room”
is the least possible place to have “oil wells”. Yet this paradox works to lend
force to the persona’s overflowing pride, optimism and hope. Enjambment can
also be found in Harrison’s poem. Stanza 2, which is mainly concerned with
dates between young lovers, makes use of enjambment several times, such
as “except as one of the flirtatious ploys--when a girl’s dark shape is fancied
by a boy’s.” The use of enjambment in such cases creates suspense and
strengthens the sweetness and romance of the dates, thus giving vivid
expression to the theme of hope.
Rhyme in both poems also contribute to the build-up of hope. Angelou uses a
uniform rhyme scheme of ABCB from quatrains 1-7. For stanzas 8-9, the
scheme changes from abcb to abcbdd and ababccddd. Overall, the neat and
tightly-knit rhyme scheme gives a sense of fluency and easiness to readers,
making them believe that her cause is well-prepared and will be accomplished
smoothly. Harrison, however, writes lines with unequal lengths while a rhyme
scheme of rhyming couplets exists, showing some retained order amongst
chaos of war, bring forth a sense of hope.
Both poems utilize a myriad of rhetorical devices. Repetitions play very little
role in Harrison’s poem. However, large numbers of this device are used by
Angelou. In stanza 6, the anaphora of “You may” is followed by phrases
“shoot with words”, “cut with eyes” and “kill with hatefulness”, which share
similar patterns of metaphor. This repetition expresses aggressiveness and
mockery from the writer, also her fearlessness against the oppressors with a
purpose of accusing their racist ideas. At the end of stanzas 1 and 6, the same
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