Hi! Please post a comment about the dichotomy that we discussed regarding Birney's duality of nature in "David." Since we ran out of time in class, you can copy what you've posted in your incomplete comments and paste them into new comments; I will then delete any incomplete posts that you have updated.
Remember: it's English, so edit prior to posting.
I think Earle Birney was successful regarding his intention of duality of nature, in the beginning, the scenery he describes is calming and beauiful Near the end of the poem we learn that it is the opposite.
ReplyDeleteAt first, in the poem “David,” there seems to be no duality of nature. Everything is “joy[full]” and “burst[ing]” with the beauty of nature. It’s not until David’s death that everything changes and turns to “slog[ing]” and “trod[ing]” in the hurtful and dangerous outdoors.
ReplyDeleteThis story has proven duality because even though the animals were nice and alert in the day and at night it was more unknown of what would be in the dark and what it would do, and the dangers were sharp rocks,very hight heights, and all the unknowns and thing you wouldn't think about. And the writer starts off talking about how nice the places they are going through are with there sounds, looks, feeling, and smell. The Dichotomy is Beautiful and Dangerous some times at the same time.
ReplyDeleteSometimes something can be so beautiful that it distracts you and then you don't see the danger that could be around you. For example I could be admiring a garden and be so distracted with it, I walk into a thorn bush, in a sense that is duality because the garden has two sides, the beautiful breath taking side and the thorny pain of prickles. In Earle Birney's poem I feel duality is shown when Bob "turned to look north At the glistening wedge of giant Assiniboine". He got so distracted by that view that he did not check his foot holds and therefor slipped. Fortunately for Bob, David caught him. Unfortunately for David his foot hold crumbled beneath him sending him hurling down a sheer cliff to a cold unforgiving rock ledge, thus leading to his death. In this example both sides of nature are shown, the unforgiving danger of falling and the beauty of the “giant Assiniboine” mountain. I feel that the duality of nature is shown all throughout this poem and that there are many more examples of duality in it. I have just chosen one example of it because it was the one that stuck out in my mind the most.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, so far. You can see that some people wrote more than others. It's not about the length of the comment; having said that, I want you to ensure that you take time to reflect so that what you say is meaningful. I like how some of you used quotations to support your assertions; others gave examples from the poem - both techniques add weight to your observations and help your reader to understand more clearly what your point of view is. If you can, it's also nice to try to connect to things that other student say in their posts.
ReplyDeleteAt first, in the poem “David,” there seems to be no duality of nature. Everything is “joy[full]” and “burst[ing]” with the beauty of nature. Everything seems to be gorgeous, especially to Bob who seems to be new to mountain climbing compared to David. So when Bob stops to stare at the "glistening wedge of giant Assiniboine," he becomes distracted and loses his foothold due to his inexperience. Luckily, David is there to save him but in his rush he falls himself. So, it’s not until David’s death that everything changes and turns to “slog[ing]” and “trod[ing]” in the hurtful and dangerous outdoors.
ReplyDeleteIn Birney's poem "David", the duality of nature is very obvious. The beginning of the poem takes the reader through the beauty and majesty of the mountains, appealing to the various senses of the reader. The sense of time wearing on throughout the poem gives much more meaning to words such as "slog[ging]", as fatigue goes hand in hand with extended periods of time. Towards the end of the poem the imagery starts becoming dark and slightly ominous, with certain sights giving off a deathly vibe. The poem "David" shows the dichotomy of the duality of nature masterfully.
ReplyDeleteThe duality of nature is evident in the poem "David" when it shifts from joyous an happy to grave and slightly depressing. I agree with Khoya that the shift definitely takes place after David's death. Before David dies, Bob was seeing things as "incredible", "alive" and with a gleam of admiration. After David dies, he begins to desribe things as "cold", "grave" and like all joy had left the mountain. Therefore, it's obvious that the shift occurs along with Bob's emotions.
ReplyDeleteThis poem expresses duality very well. In the beginning, only the beauty of nature is noticed. the scenery, the animals, and you can feel the excitement of the characters as they explore the forest, lakes and mountains. After David's accident, Bob's fear and emotion definitely shift his perspective on nature. Everything that formerly held beauty for Bob is now unknown, horrifying and frightening.
ReplyDeleteIn Earle Briney's poem "David" the duality of nature is shown in many different ways. At first Bob see the forest as cheery, happy and exhilarating place. However, when David falls the other side of nature comes out. Bob begins to notice the darker, dangerous side of the forest he did not see before he realized what can really happen out there.
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