2.07 Practice essay 2 - Grade: 95 PDF

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Summary

The following poem, written by Edward Field, makes use of the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.* Read the
poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Field employs literary devices in adapting the
Icarus myth to a contemporary setting. ...

Description

The following poem, written by Edward Field, makes use of the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.* Read the poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Field employs literary devices in adapting the Icarus myth to a contemporary setting. Icarus Only the feathers floating around the hat Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore The confusing aspects of the case, 5 And the witnesses ran off to a gang war. So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply “Drowned,” but it was wrong: Icarus Had swum away, coming at last to the city Where he rented a house and tended the garden. 10 “That nice Mr. Hicks” the neighbors called him, Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suit Concealed arms that had controlled huge wings Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once Compelled the sun. And had he told them 15 They would have answered with a shocked, uncomprehending stare. No, he could not disturb their neat front yards; Yet all his books insisted that this was a horrible mistake: What was he doing aging in a suburb? Can the genius of the hero fall 20 To the middling stature of the merely talented? And nightly Icarus probes his wound And daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn, Constructs small wings and tries to fly To the lighting fixture on the ceiling: 25 Fails every time and hates himself for trying. He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically, And dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero; But now rides commuter trains, Serves on various committees, 30 And wishes he had drowned.

Field uses the sad tale of Daedalus and Icarus to tell the tale of the life of a fallen hero with references to our typical day to day life. Field uses understatement, rhetorical questions, understatements and imagery to add a deeper feel to the poem. Field uses various understatements in the poem when describing Icarus’ life and uses them to contrast it with the reader’s own. The opening lines of the poem themselves create a strong variation of understatement, “Only the feathers floating around the hat showed that anything more spectacular had occurred than the usual drowning.” Daedalus had created wings for him and Icarus to escape the wrath of Minos who was in the hunt for Daedalus. The wings made of wax and feathers, crumbled which eventually led to Icaru’s death. His greatest mistake. Flying too close to the sun. The quote explains how if the feathers had not been in the water, no one would have ever known that such a tragedy had taken place. The wings, such a powerful and amazing creation had been destroyed and the author gave it no importance whatsoever. The second device would be the imagery within this work. Each time he goes through a hardship, he becomes frustrated and regrets making an attempt at something in the first place. This imagery works well in the poem because the reader can imagine the wings being made, and they can even imagine the moments as the ultimate destruction of them happens as well. “And nightly Icarus probes his wound and daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn, constructs small wings and tries to fly to the lighting fixture on the ceiling: Fails every time and hates himself for trying.” Imagery aids the smoothness and the true meaning of this work. A “hero” gone wrong. Lines 20 and 21 are used to describe routine life. When no one is around he reflects on his past world, his past life and wishes upon it much like many have done throughout their life. Therefore that use of imagery is in place to help the reader empathize with Icarus and relate to his situation. Lastly, we see the use of rhetorical questions coming into action. During the creation of the wings, he finds himself questioning everything he once thought he knew. From his abilities as a being to his craftsmanship. “What was he doing aging in a suburb? Can the genius of the hero fall To the middling stature of the merely talented?” The drastic change from self-doubt to the overconfidence that led him to fly too close to the sun eventually led to his demise. Field's verse contrasts the life of the unordinary and the normal. Icarus is a character out of time and spot who uncovers that the unordinary in reality is constantly subdued in light of the fact that it is too luxurious to possibly be valid. That is the reason Icarus is constrained to work in mystery. For him this planet is a prison, so he can't gloat about his gallantry, or he will conceivably be secured....