Walking Around by: Pablo Neruda

Theme for both poems: Reflections and Emotions

The poem, Walking Around, dramatizes the conflict between man vs. society, particularly this conflict relates to the speakers thoughts and emotions. From Pablo Neruda, the speaker tries to be a “man” but remembers how difficult his past has been. “It so happens I am sick of being a man.” In the poem currently the speaker takes a walk through the city while observing his surroundings and compares it with the life of a woman, but in general reflects about societies way of living. The poem clearly stresses that the speaker is tired of living in the world around him.

However, the poem begins with several examples of why and what stresses the man of being a “man.” For example, “The smell of barbershops makes me break into hoarse sobs,” which portrays why he is sick of being a man. The fact that the poem is an example of Vanguard Literature, Walking Around highly demonstrates the influence of surrealism because it does not consist rhyme, but instead expresses the feelings and emotions of the man written in free verse.

Although the poem addresses a variety of examples of the speaker thoughts it does not contain any rhyme visually the poem still consists of figurative language. For example, anaphora when it says “ It so happens that I’m tired of being a man.” and “The only thing I want is…” but there is still other examples of repetition in the poem. The music device simile also shows when the speaker says, “That’s why Monday, when it sees me coming with my convict face, blazes up like gasoline and it howls on its way like a wounded…” because it is an example that he feels like a prisoner because he can’t escape from his everyday life. Lastly, metaphors are addressed in the poem when he mentions, “It so happens I am sick of being a man” not only it is the most important theme, but because he remembers how difficult his past has been especially when he worked a lot on comparison with the woman that only painted their nails.

The overall point of Neruda’s poem is to understand everything that is in the mind of the speaker. When he mentions that he is tired of technology and that to see movie theaters, merchandise, and elevators proves that he is tired of all inventions made by humans. It seems that that the humans do not appreciate the beauty of nature through point of view because they have been over thrown with factories and buildings.

By the end of the poem the speaker seems to believe that humans have lost their individuality because all the people want is to have what other people have. Being that the speaker grew up in the wilderness explains why he misses his past. Although, disappointed of the new inventions and the destruction of nature and man itself the speaker is tired of living in the world around him.

Evening Solace by: Charlotte Brontte

The poem, Evening Solace, dramatizes the conflict between the speakers current vs. past emotions. From Charlotte Bronte, it introduces the speakers emotions and thoughts by reflecting the his or her life and how the person tried to move on with life. Unfortunately, the Evening Solace expresses gloomy emotions such as when it mentions the speaker is dealing with loneliness, “But, there are hours of lonely musing…On evening shade and loneliness.” After describing the solitary moments in a silent evening reflecting about its past it stilled continued in detail the grief and sensations the speakers heart was going through. “And feelings, once as strong as passions, Float softly back- a faded dream; Our own sharp grief’s and wild sensations; The tale of others’ suffering seem, Oh! When the heart is freshly bleeding, How longs it for that time to be, When through the mist of years receding, Its woes but live in reverie!”

However, the poem first begins clearly stating that human heart is so strong and capable of containing so many emotions, but its not always as strong to contain all the pain especially because the speakers feelings keep on coming back from its past which caused him to suffer such as the “evening” he began to remember. The form the poem is written highly shows a rhyme scheme such as ababcdcdefefghgh. The fact that the poet choose to write in the style gave it more feeling and a easier way to understand the speakers thoughts, emotions, and surroundings.

Evening Solace’s rhyme scheme and examples of the speakers current emotions, the poem also contained figurative language. For example, personification when it says, “Our own sharp griefs and wild sensations” and “Feel no untold and strange distress.” Lastly, enumeration is also shown when it lists what the human heart contains such as, “The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures.”

The overall point of Bronte’s poem is to describe a feeling of loneliness through out a person thoughts, feelings and emotions through poetic language. Being that the speaker had been through so much it seem that by the end of the poem the speaker wished death and wants to leave the loneliness of earth hoping to find a better outcome, “To solemn thoughts that soar to heaven, Seeking a life and world to come.”