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After the Flood is a well written poem about an individual looking
down on the damage caused by a flood. The observer takes a walk past
the river and discovers its natural beauty as well as its incredible
force to destroy. The poem’s main interesting aspects are the portrayal
of the observer by the content of the poem, the role of the river in
the poem and finally the mix of feelings which the poem arouses through
its use of literary devices.
The first significant thing which makes this poem good is the way in
which the read can learn about protagonist of this poem. Firstly one
can learn that the observer in the poem is bright. The observer’s
analysis of the water level and the cause of its high level demonstrate
that he can analyze and synthesize information. His intelligence is
also connected to the location of the action in the poem. “I walked to
the Jersey side” suggests that the observer is from Jersey which is on
the East coast of the USA, a region associated with top schooling and
stereotypically great universities like Harvard or Yale. . . .. The
next impression which the reader gets is that the observer is very
familiar with the area. There is an impression of warmth and security
from the observer. This is achieved through his stories “I remembered
how” and “Two days before” which illustrate that the observer has a
long history with Jersey. The impression of warmth is also achieved by
the choice of the word “familiar” which has the liquids “l” and “r”
which create a flowing and mellifluous effect.
Continuing, the reader gets an impression that the observer likes to
compare the present with the past. This is visible in the poem when the
observer states “More quiet the swollen water seemed than I had
expected” and “Now it seamed noisy again.” These two quotes demonstrate
that the river was quiet when the flood came but now, in the present,
became loud again. The observer also makes the link between the past
and the present by the use of imagery. When he talks about the flood he
says “swollen” when he addresses the period after the flood he refers
to a “sea-gull.” Through this use of symbolism he demonstrates that the
flooded river was slow and large while the normal river is loud, rapid
and alive – just like the sea-gull.
The second concept of interest is the significance of the river and
its ability to tie the poem together. The title, being the first thing
read, is an outline of the poem. It tells the reader the poem is about
the time “After The Flood.” This title already ties the entire poem
together and forces the reader to unconsciously search for presence of
water in the poem. Afterwards the first stanza talks about the past. It
mentions “It had not been a bad rise, such as many remember.” This
intelligent leap back to the past allows the story to flow smoothly
from past to present and, as later seen, back to the past to complete
the cycle.
In the next part the observer is still in the past and analyses the
sounds and visuals of the flood. The reader gets a suggestion that the
past is quite unclear through statements like “I felt I must surely
remember” and “Exotic-looking.” The past being distant and unclear is
understandable and adds to the linkage of the poem. First the unclear
past then following the clear and well remembered present followed by
the unknown past.
Following the past and the memories of the observer the reader is
taken into the present. The observer suddenly sees and hears everything
clearly. “Now it seems noisy again” and “sea-gull creaking” act on the
reader’s senses and help them imagine the area.
The final part of the poem, coming back to the past, asks the
question “What sort of drunken creature had passed there?” This one,
simple question gets the reader imagining all sort of things but as
there is no answer to this rhetorical question the past of the drunken
creature by the river side remains unclear.
The last topic of interest making this poem a great piece of writing
is the feelings it arouses through its literary devices as well as its
story. Firstly the poem uses informal register. The poem is a grouping
of feelings of a person who watched a flood in their area. This allows
the author to portray a true image not covered up by the formality of a
situation. The poem is divided into three basic parts. The past,
present and again the past. These three parts are not only reflected in
the tenses used by also the feelings that they arouse.
The first “past” part makes the reader feel freshness and security.
“The morning it was over”, the first words of the first stanza, already
suggest a new beginning of some sort. Also the imagery of growth and
youth adds to the fresh feeling. “Two feet higher” can be seen as a
symbol of growth and a new beginning. The security in the first part of
the poem is illustrated, as stated before, through the use of the word
“familiar.”
The second “present” part of the poem makes the reader feel scared.
I personally believe that the observer is afraid of the changes after
the flood. This is visible in “other sounds coming over it” and
“disappointed myself” which suggest new, unfamiliar things as well as
disappointment in the changes.
The final “past” part of the poem makes the reader feel connected to
the beginning of the poem, making it a complete package. The last line
of the last stanza keeps the reader hanging, waiting for an answer, but
somehow makes me feel secure because the drunken man is a completely
different story, of no interest to me as it is not related to what I
have just read.
Concluding this poem is a good piece of writing with three
fascinating elements. The poem is divided into three distinct parts
which all evoke different feelings with their different word choice,
aural techniques and literary devices. The poem creates a fascinating
image of the observer, it uses the river to tie the whole story in and
finally evokes feelings which guarantee that the reader will remember
the poem as a good one.
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