"Echo" is a poem written by Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet known for her religious and devotional works. The poem explores the theme of loss and the enduring power of memory through the metaphor of an echo.
In the opening lines of the poem, Rossetti introduces the idea of an echo as a voice that repeats the words of others, but "dies away" when the sound that caused it has ceased. This serves as a metaphor for the way that memories and emotions can linger long after the events or people that sparked them are gone.
The speaker of the poem laments the loss of a loved one, saying that their absence feels like a "silent desert" and a "vacant nest." They wonder if their loved one can still hear them, even though they are no longer physically present. This longing for connection and the fear of being forgotten is a common theme in Rossetti's poetry, and it is evident in the speaker's words.
As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the way that echoes can be both comforting and unsettling. On the one hand, hearing an echo can feel like a reassuring presence, a reminder that someone or something has been there before. On the other hand, an echo can also be a source of loneliness and longing, as it is a reminder of what is no longer present.
In the final stanza, the speaker speaks directly to the echo, asking it to "whisper low" the words of their loved one, as if they were still there. This serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of memory and the ways in which it can continue to shape our thoughts and feelings long after the people and events that inspired them are gone.
Overall, "Echo" is a beautifully crafted poem that explores the theme of loss and the enduring power of memory through the metaphor of an echo. Rossetti's use of language and imagery is evocative and moving, and the poem speaks to the universal human experience of loss and the desire to hold onto the people and memories that we hold dear.
Woman hollering creek sparknotes. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros Plot Summary. 2022
Soon, much to her surprise and relief, Cleófilas hears the long forgotten sound of laughter coming from her own lips. In story of Woman Hollering Creek, Cisneros has used several symbolisms to portray and demonstrate how women are powerless whenever trapped in a relationship that is very abusive to them. The first time she crosses the creek with Juan, she laughs when he tells her its name. Graciela asks Felice if she can help, asking her to drive Cleófilas and Juan Pedrito to the Greyhound station San Antonio so they can board a bus bound for Mexico. What to read after Woman Hollering Creek? Though they are subtle, they are of great importance, the most obvious being pigeons and hawks.
"Woman Hollering Creek" by Sandra Cisneros
The children in these pages are striving to understand many things at once: social class, sexuality, cultural and national identity, religion, and attraction. She introduces the neighbors which were depressing names when she was not happy and lonely in her marriage. She thinks about how she used to expect that her love life would be like the ones she sees played out onscreen, which are passionate and perfect—at the same time, though, she notes that even the telenovelas seem to have taken on new solemnity, and each episode gets sadder and sadder. The weather and specific objects in nature are two symbolic representations used consistently throughout the novel. Lannan Literary Award, the American Book Award, and of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the MacArthur Foundation. They come to inhabit the edges of communities where the contact of divergent cultures produces hybrid races, languages, and cultures.
Woman Hollering Creek Themes
For example, when she describes in her imagination the same house as always, nothing new the faded housecoat was just in the same position where she had left it in the bathroom. She is paying for it herself and living on her own. The pain all sweet somehow. Moreover, this symbolic border is so powerful, however natural it may seem. Never had the slightest though wink up her mind that things change in life, her conflict was what she wanted was not coming, a happy life is what she had thought all her life. Finally, a health care worker notices Cleofilas's bruises during a prenatal visit and offers to help her escape. She lacks self-definition throughout the story, especially when she gives in to the demands by her husband, especially when she is lacking passion in the relationship.