Analysis of “Flight-Path” by David George

by | Mar 12, 2024 | ENGLISH

Directions: Choose one (1) of the following three poems to write about for your final exam. I
suggest choosing the poem that you best understand and/or speaks to you on some level. Then
write a short, 1- 2-page essay that explains the theme and the various elements of poetry
used (rhyme, meter, form, figurative language, imagery, etc.)

Things of the Sea Belong to the Sea
The shell in my hand, no bigger than my fist,
Is closing down because it must exist.
Hinged like a drawbridge, its embattled gate
Guards the glow of its inner ornament—
The ghost of the oyster that activates the pearl—
The soul within, the world without the pale.
I run my fingers over its grooves and scars
Encrusted with lichen and barnacle and weed—
Medals won in combat, the outer war
It wages with the sea.
I feel the tide
Surge around my ankles—on every side
Suction, pressure, a tugging intensity
Heightened by the grip of what I hold in my hand,
Surrender gently, and step back up on land.
–David George
OPTION 3
Flight-Path
The bird against my window in the dark
Hit with a thud, like a thrown clod of earth,
But with a darker sound.
The click of its beak
Punctuated its passing, its last breath—
All it had time for, before a bone-breaking shock
Bounce it off and down to the kind of death
It didn’t expect from such a routine flight.
Even when frost paints my window white, they hit.
Like moths, or June-bugs, mesmerized by light,
They just can’t seem to re-align their sights
From what this was before it was a house.
Each time they hit, I wonder if it’s right
To squat where birds believe the sky is theirs—
And if, in fact, the sky is meant to be shared.
–David George

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


This question has been answered

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

 

Analysis of “Flight-Path” by David George

David George’s poem “Flight-Path” delves into the collision of birds against windows and the contemplation it provokes about the boundaries between human structures and the natural world. Through vivid imagery, figurative language, and a reflective tone, the poem explores themes of mortality, human impact on wildlife, and the conflicting notions of ownership and sharing in the environment.

Theme

The central theme of the poem revolves around the clash between nature and human-made structures, symbolized by birds colliding with the speaker’s window. This motif serves as a metaphor for the disruption of natural rhythms and habitats caused by human intervention. The poem raises questions about coexistence, responsibility, and the consequences of encroaching on the domain of wildlife.

Elements of Poetry

1. Imagery: The poem vividly describes the bird’s collision with the window, using sensory details to evoke a sense of sudden impact and mortality. The image of the bird hitting the window like “a thrown clod of earth” creates a stark visual contrast between the fragility of life and the harshness of its end.

2. Figurative Language: The comparison of the bird’s collision to a routine flight disrupted by a house conveys a sense of disorientation and tragedy. The speaker’s contemplation of birds mistaking the window for open sky symbolizes the loss of natural instincts and habitats in the face of human development.

3. Tone: The reflective and contemplative tone of the poem invites readers to ponder the implications of their actions on the environment. The speaker’s introspection about whether birds have a right to the sky underscores a sense of guilt and responsibility for disrupting the natural order.

4. Rhyme and Meter: The poem does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme or meter, allowing for a free-flowing structure that mimics the erratic flight patterns of the birds. This lack of formal structure reflects the unpredictability and chaos inherent in human-wildlife interactions.

Conclusion

In “Flight-Path,” David George artfully captures the collision between nature and civilization, prompting readers to reflect on the consequences of human encroachment on the natural world. Through poignant imagery and introspective narration, the poem highlights the fragility of life, the complexities of coexistence, and the need for greater awareness of our impact on wildlife. George’s work serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness between humanity and nature, urging us to reconsider our relationship with the environment and strive for harmony and respect in our interactions with the world around us.

This question has been answered.

Get Answer