Literary Analysis of The Dancing Bear and Planting a Sequoia free essay sample

Analysis of William Frederick Witherington’s short story The Dancing Bear 1. The initial impression gathered from the passage is bizarre and very dreamlike, perhaps chiefly because it is an excerpt from a novel or a larger literary work. Upon further analysis, the passage develops an eerily violent tone. The events appear to take place in the home of Dieter Bethge, during a stormy night while he is sleeping. Immediately the rain is described as falling with â€Å"sodden fury†, introducing the negative tone. Shortly after this description, Mrs. Hax adopts the persona of an animal stalking its prey. She â€Å"methodically trimmed the glass out of the frame† eerily without emotion, despite the fact that she is on her way to cause harm to Dieter, as what can further be assumed by her act of â€Å"comitt[ing] her injuries in advance to Bethge’s head†. The â€Å"atonal ringing† promotes the eerie feeling further. We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of The Dancing Bear and Planting a Sequoia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There is no pureness or musicality in atonal ringing; it is an unsettling sound. The uncomfortable feelings of the first paragraph, along with the unnatural and uncomfortable falling of Mrs. Hax from the basement window, are drastically contrasted against the natural, peaceful description of Bethge’s dream. The â€Å"perfect, graceful dance† performed by the bear caused him â€Å"great peace rather than alarm†. The two paragraphs that describe his dream are completely peaceful, and then the following paragraphs seem to shift â€Å"from dream to the sharp, troubling present†. The paragraph which begins with â€Å"He tried† sets a weirdly relaxed mood despite the tension of the situation. It almost reflects the â€Å"perfect, graceful dance, performed without a hint of the foppishness or studied concentration that mars the dance of humans† that was performed by the bear in his dream. There are no harsh word used in this paragraph other than the word â€Å"striking†, but there was no blood gushing or limbs snapping, his mouth only â€Å"filled with something warm and salty†. The blood was â€Å"singing in his veins†. The following paragraph harshly describes Dieter struggling to his feet, â€Å"beat[ing] his way into the roar of the shadows†. Again, after the paragraphs describing Dieters dream end, the passage is written in a dreamlike manner. It seems that Bethge mistakes Mrs. Hax for the dancing bear, which is strange because her actions in the first paragraph are nothing like the graceful actions of the bear, and she does not want to â€Å"fold him onto the fragrant, brilliant fur† in a warm embrace but rather harm him. Analysis of Dana Gioia’s Poem Planting a Sequoia 1. (b) The tone of the Planting a Sequoia prose passage is reflectively melancholy. It is not one of pure agonizing sadness, yet there are underling depressing qualities to the author’s words. The purpose of the passage is to describe the death an individual, presumably the first born son of the narrator. The narrator is speaking to the Sequoia that he is planting. Each of the stanzas switch from a mood of death and a mood of life. The â€Å"rain blacken[ing] the horizon†, the â€Å"dull gray† skies and the â€Å"old year coming to an end† all work together to create the melancholy mood. The following stanza switches to a newer and livelier mood, including the celebration of the first son’s birth, earth having more â€Å"life to bear†, the description of a â€Å"green sapling rising among the twisted apple boughs† and the â€Å"promise of new fruit in other autumns†. The â€Å"promise of ne fruit† describes the symbolic purpose of the tree. Although a life is lost, there is hope for future â€Å"fruit†, or life in the future. The third stanza begins with the words â€Å"but†, marking another clear shift. The setting goes back to the present â€Å"cold† reality of the planting of the new tree, and the surrender of â€Å"all that remains above earth of a first-born son†. The next stanza shifts back to the promise of care for the tree, and the comforting life it will live â€Å"bathed in western light, a slender shoot against the sunset†. The last stanza, as what has been repeated, shifts back to the cheerless purpose of the tree. The stanza is heavy with dark words and descriptions as the narrator described a time where â€Å"his unborn brothers [are] dead†, â€Å"the house [is] torn down† and â€Å"his mother’s beauty [is] ashes in the air†. The tree was planted â€Å"keeping the secret of [it’s] birth†. While everything that once was family vanishes as â€Å"ashes in the air†, the tree will remain as a representation of a life left unlived. It is a bittersweet poem. The narrator is able to celebrate the life of a new tree in a way and possible life to come, yet he mourns the life of a lost son. The fact that the narrators speaks to the tree demonstrates the responsibility that the tree has and the grief the narrator feels. It is closure for him. He is personifying the tree with a part of himself, so while he is speaking to the tree, all he says are words that are meant to comfort himself with the idea that this son will never be forgotten.