Birds of Joy and of Death are Poetic Symbols - 737 Words

Symbols are present in every aspect of society today. People use them in language, art and even love. Symbols within stories of the past are some of the most complicated to interpret because of the complexity in which they are made. Poetic symbols are even more difficult, because the writing is harder to understand than an actual story. Poetic symbols can have quite a bit of meaning as well. As Robin Skelton says, â€Å"The way in which images are presented to the mind of the poet, and their different kinds and functions, are important matters which we must examine in some detail.† (Skelton). In both stories, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, the symbolic message takes the form of a bird. A comparison of the symbolic meaning of the individual birds is needed to further understand what message the author intended to display within each story. In both tellings, the birds’ coming signifies a change. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the albatross comes and suddenly a path opens up in the ice in front of them, conveniently letting them escape from sudden death. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is quoted as saying, It ate the food it neer had eat,/And round and round it flew./The ice did split with a thunder-fit;/The helmsman steered us through! (Coleridge). On the other hand, in The Raven, it signifies the coming of loneliness and death. The man in The Raven sees the bird as a devil or demon, there only to cause him strife.Show MoreRelatedWhitman Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking1536 Words   |  7 PagesWhitmans Poem Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking, is not, at first glance, an obvious love poem. Most readers would probably consider this a tragic poem about death and love lost. In spite of the fact that the poem is about intrinsically sorrowful events, or perhaps because of it, Whitman is able to capture a very unique and poignant portrayal of love. 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