Although the theme is the same, the poems display it in different ways, and express it through different writing styles, language devices and poetic structures. “Look Up” is a spoken-word piece that talks about society’s current obsession with the Internet and social media, and how they prevent people from having “real” interactions with each other.
The theme of isolation in “Look Up” comes from the social isolation present when people are using electronic devices instantly instead of physically communicating with others. The title of the poem is also its main message, to look up from your phone and computer, and live life to the fullest. “Look Up” is written in rhyming couplets, in the form ABA. Despite being a simple poetic form, these rhyming couplets are very effective in Turks poem. They make for a steady rhythm, which along with the easily understood words allows the message to be the main focal point.
The tone of “Look Up” is sad, and desperate, but hopeful as well, as it invokes a desire to change in the audience. The language is informal and uses colloquialism such as “till” and “bastard”. This helps the audience relate to the poem more, as it is less formidTABLE, which makes them more likely to agree with it. There are many language devices used in “Look Up” that contribute to its power. It is intended to convince, and uses persuasive language techniques. One of these is inclusive language such as ‘We” and “your”, as in this line, “Give people your love, don’t give them your “like”.
Inclusive language makes the audience feel as if the poem is directed at them personally, which helps them to connect emotionally with the words. Repetition is used in “Look Up” to enforce a particular idea or message in the viewers’ minds. This can be seen in the repeated use of the line, “Look up from your phone, shut down the display”. Turks poem also contains alliterations and similes; the former to add a musical quality to the words and to draw the audience’s attention, and the latter to contribute to the imagery of the poem.
An example of alliteration is this line, “You’re being productive and present not reserved and recluse”. An example of a simile is this phrase, “living like robots”. Turk is comparing humans to robots, which creates a picture of society. Paradoxes are used in the poem to emphasis social isolation. An example is he phrase, “l have 422 friends yet I am lonely”. Turk also uses click©s, to convey meaning in a familiar way. The click©, “Flee the nest”, IS a commonly used saying that refers to a child leaving their parents to become independent.
Turks poem targets people?s emotions. It appeals to the desire to fall in love, and have children, and be happy. It sends the message that using less technology will equate to these things happening, which is not necessarily true, but effective in inspiring people to listen to the message. Like this poem, and definitely find it relevant to my life. When first watched “Look Up”, t made me want to give away all my possessions and go join the Amiss or something, which is ironic because without “Youth” never would have seen the video.
Robert Frost’s “Stopping By The Woods On A Soon,no,’ Evening’ is a lyric poem. On the surface it is about a person’s struggle Of making the choice between staying overnight in somebody else’s woods or continuing on their journey, but is often interpreted as having a deeper meaning. It consists of four stanzas of four lines each, and has a rhyming scheme of BAOBAB. This pattern repeats until the last stanza, where the fourth line also rhymes with the first here, and is actually identical to the third. This rhyming technique creates a flowing effect, which helps to set the mood of the poem.
Because the last two lines of “Stopping By The Woods” interrupt the structure that the other verses have set, they stand out and become a main focal point. The title is straightforward, as it describes the action that is taking place. The tone of the poem is uncertain, weary, and thoughtful, while its mood is peaceful and melancholy. The theme of isolation in “Stopping By The Woods” is expressed through the physical isolation of the narrator from the rest of society. This can be deduced from phrases such as “his house is in the village though, he will not see me stopping here”, and “the only other sound’s the sweep of easy wind”.
Frost uses repetition of the poem’s last line, “And miles to go before sleep”, to make “Stopping By The Woods” more effective. This cements the line in the reader’s mind, which leads to further contemplation of its meaning. Frost also uses personification. The narrator gives human-like qualities to his horse in the lines “My little horse must think it queer”, and “He gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake”. In reality, his horse’s intentions and Houghton would be impossible to know.
This personification shows the social isolation that the narrator has experienced, as he has begun to relate to his horse as he would to another person. This poem is my favorite out of the three. I love the scene the words create in my mind, and it makes me feel so peaceful. What is really interesting about “Stopping By The Woods” is its ambiguity. Whether it is simply about a tired man wanting to rest in the woods for a night, or if it’s about something deeper, such as overcoming evil or contemplating suicide, the meaning is totally left up to the reader for interpretation.
The third poem is called “Alone”, by Edgar Allen Poe. It is based on Pope’s life, and is about the loneliness and angst that he has always felt. It changes tense; from past tense when the poet is reflecting on his past experiences, to present tense where he is still contemplating the reason for his existence. The theme of isolation in “Alone” is expressed through the metaphorical isolation that Poe feels, that, while not physically separated, he is different from the people that surround him, which renders him feeling distant and alone, as the poem’s title suggests.
The rhyming scheme of “Alone” is identical to that of “Look up”, ABA. Because the meaning of the poem is slightly ambiguous, the simple rhyme scheme allows it to be the main focus of the poem, which minimizes confusion for the reader. The sentences formed in “Alone” are often separated into different lines, which creates a feeling of continuity. The tone of “Alone” is sad, but not bitter. It as if Poe is accepting of how his life has been, as if he knows there is no point in feeling sorry for himself. The mood is somber and reflective.
Literary devices used in “Alone” include metaphors, parallelism, and imagery. An example of a metaphor in “Alone” is, “And the cloud that took the form… Of a demon in my view”. The demon shape that the cloud takes is a metaphor for how Poe has always been aware of the darkness and despair of life, which has prevented him from ever being truly happy. Parallelism is used in “Alone” to create consistency in rhythm or meaning such as in these lines, “As others were; I have not been, as others saw; I have not seen”.
The parallelism is in the identical line beginnings. Imagery is a major part of “Alone”. The strong descriptions of nature and colors create a vivid picture in the readers mind, as in this line, “From the sun that round me rolled, in its autumn tint of gold. ” Imagery is also used in he poem’s metaphors, such as in this sentence, “l could not bring my passions from a common spring”. In this case, spring is a metaphor. Obviously people do not obtain their interests from a pool of water, but this line uses imagery to form this picture in one’s head.
To round off the theme of isolation, I wanted to analyses a poem specifically on feeling alone even when surrounded by others. At first, I didn’t want to choose this poem because I found it hard to understand. The more I read it though, the more liked it. I think everyone can relate to feeling like they don’t fit in sometimes, which is essentially what “Alone” is about. Although it is a little depressing, it makes you think more in depth about life and social structure, which is important to do sometimes.
Look Up- Gary Turk have 422 friends yet I am lonely speak to all of them everyday yet none of them really know me The problem have sits in the space in-between Looking into their eyes or at a name on a screen took a step back and opened my eyes looked round and realized This media we call social is anything but when we open our computers and it’s our doors we shut All this technology we have its just an illusion Community, companionship, a sense of inclusion When you step away from this device of delusion
You awaken to see a world of confusion A world where we’re slaves to the technology we mastered Where information gets sold by some rich, greedy bastard A world of self-interest, self-image, self-promotion Where we all share our best bits but leave out the emotion We’re at our most happy with an experience we share But is it the same if no one is there? Be there for your friends and they II be there too But no one will be if a group message will do We edit and exaggerate, crave adulation We pretend not to notice the social isolation We put our words into order till our lives are glistening We don’t even know if anyone is listening
Being alone isn’t the problem let me just emphasis If you read a book, paint a picture, or do some exercise You’re being productive and present not reserved and recluses You’re being awake and attentive and putting your time to good use So when you’re in public and you start to feel alone Put your hands behind your head, step away from the phone You don’t need to stare at your menu or at your contact list Just talk to one another, learn to co-exist can’t stand to hear the silence of a busy commuter train When no one wants to talk for the fear of looking insane We’re becoming unsocial, it no longer satisfies
TO engage with one another and look into someone’s eyes.
We’re surrounded by children who since they were born Have watched us living like robots and think it’s the norm It’s not very likely you’ll make world’s greatest Dad If you can’t entertain a child without using an pad When I was a child I’d never be home I’d be out with my friends, on our bikes we’d roam I’d wear holes in my trainers and graze up my knees Or build our own clubhouse high up in the trees Now the park is so quiet it gives me a chill See no children outside and the swings hanging still There’s no skipping, no hopscotch, no church and no steeple We’re a enervation of idiots, smart phones and dumb people So look up from your phone, shut down the display Take in your surroundings, make the most of today Just one real connection is all it can take To show you the difference that being there can make Be there in the moment as she gives you the look That you remember forever as when love overtook The time she first held your hand or first kissed your lips The time you first disagreed but still loved her to bits The time you don’t have to tell hundreds of what you’ve just done Because you want to share this moment with just this one. The time you sell your computer so you can buy a ring
For the girl of your dreams who is now the real thing The time you want to start a family and the moment when You first hold your little girl and get to fall in love again The time she keeps you up at nights and all you want is rest And the time you wipe away the tears as your baby flees the nest The time your baby girl returns with a boy for you to hold And the time he calls you Granddad and makes you feel real old The time you take in all you’ve made when you’re giving life attention And how you’re real glad you didn’t waste it by looking down at some invention The time you hold your wife’s hand, sit down beside her bed. You tell her that you love her, lay a kiss upon her head. She then whispers to you quietly as her heart gives a final beat That she’s lucky she got stopped by that lost boy in the street But none of these times ever happened.
You never had any of this When you’re too busy looking down, you don’t see the chances you miss So look up from your phones, shut down those displays We have a finite existence, a set number of days Don’t waste your life getting caught in the net because when the end comes, nothings worse than regret am guilty too Of being part Of this machine this digital world we are heard but not seen here we type as we talk and read as we chat where we spend hours together without making eye-contact So don’t give in to a life where you follow the hype Give people your love, don’t give them your “like” Disconnect from the need to be heard and defined Go out into the world, leave distractions behind Look up from your phone, shut down the display Stop watching this video, live life the real way. Look Up Notes Isolation is social isolation due to technology use Alliteration- prod active and present not reserved and recluse Colloquialism- Repetition- Look up from your phone Simile- living like robots Paradox- I have 422 friends yet am lonely Tone is sad, desperate, but hopeful. Poem is ironic, but inspirational. Stopping By The Woods Notes Lyric poem Rhyming scheme BAOBAB Beautiful imagery Personification of horse- my little horse must think it queer Repetition of last line to make it stand out Isolation is physical, geographical isolation.
Ambiguous meaning Alone Notes Lyric poem with rhyming scheme of ABA Mood is peaceful and melancholy Imagery used to set a picture Metaphors used- the cloud that took the form Of a demon in my view Isolation is feeling alone while around others Lines separate sentences which creates continuity Depressing poem but makes you think Stopping By The Woods On a Snow,y Evening- Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before sleep, And miles to go before sleep.
