Tu Fu Mockingbird and Rain

Tu Fu

(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/tu-fu)

Mockingbird

What! Is the mocking bird come?

The Spring, he comes to say,

The Spring is here today.

All sounds, all words he knows.

His feathers preen how he will,

He is the same bird still.

Where flowers most thickly screen,

Difficult to be seen,

His varying notes deride

The topmost boughs between.

If out of time he chide.

Lo! slander at your side! 

(http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-mockingbird-2/)

Summary of Mockingbird: The Mockingbird is about a man who witnesses a mockingbird sing and that he loves the sound the mockingbird makes. The speaker also yearns to hear the mockingbirds sweet music but it has hidden in the thick flowers.  The Speaker is someone who has witnessed a mockingbird.

Analyzation of Mockingbird: “Where flowers most thickly screen” is an example of imagery that talks about how the flowers are thick and they protect the mockingbird while it sings. “His feathers preen” is an example of imagery that shows the condition of the bird's wings while it is singing and shows how elegant the bird’s wings are. “Lo! slander at your side” is an example of a symbolism because the slander description could be used as a description of the bird and how it mocks people but it could also be about how people mock on and other to seem smarter and more appealing to others.

The tone of Mockingbird: The tone of Mockingbird is happy cheerful and merry. You have the imagery of flowers and the sounds of the sounds that the mockingbird makes to help with this tone. You also have descriptions of the speaker wanting to hear more of this cheerful bird sing.

The tone of Mockingbird: The tone of Mockingbird is happy cheerful and merry. You have the imagery of flowers and the sounds of the sounds that the mockingbird makes to help with this tone. You also have descriptions of the speaker wanting to hear more of this cheerful bird sing.

The theme of Mockingbird: The theme of Mockingbird is that there is always two sides to something. We see this with how we start out with positive influences because spring is here and we hear the song of the mockingbird. The towards the end of the poem we have a more negative opinion of the mockingbird with how it slanders. This show how with everything there are two sides to it. The bird who is merry and sings for people then the bird that mocks and makes fun of people. 

Other Aspects of Mockingbird: In the poem Mockingbird we can see the theme being expressed in the how the stanzas are laid out in the first stanza we have the description of the singing of the bird and how nice the mockingbird is. Then in the second stanza, we get the bird that is rude and mocks people. Showing through this change in tone the theme of the poem. The poem also makes use of rhythm having an almost song like composure to itself. Then as we move on towards the second stanza the song goes away and moves towards the sounding of a person telling a story but almost having to sing in it. In Mockingbird, the poet makes alliteration in the first stanza with spring, spring and sounds to give the first stanza the illusion of rhyming. Then in the second stanza loses it completely for a more standard poem format to show again that there are two sides to everything. 

Rain

Roads not yet glistening, rain slight,

Broken clouds darken after thinning away.

Where they drift, purple cliffs blacken.

And beyond -- white birds blaze in flight.

Sounds of cold-river rain grown familiar,

Autumn sun casts moist shadows. Below

Our brushwood gate, out to dry at the village

Mill: hulled rice, half-wet and fragrant 

(http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rain/)

Summary of Rain: Rain is about how in everything there is dark and light and how everything has a good and bad in everything. That there is always something good to come eventually out of every evil. The speaker is someone who has witnessed all of these events and is reflecting on them. 

Analyzation of Rain: “white birds blaze in flight” is an example of imagery that shows how the birds fly and how they look instead of saying they flew he says they blaze in flight. “Autumn sun casts moist shadows” is an example of imagery that shows the shadow of the sun this shows us that in all things there is a dark and light aspect. “white birds blaze in flight” is an example of symbolism because the birds represent the good in things we can think of them similar to the sun, and the birds (good) follow the rain (bad) showing us the cycle of good and evil and how in all good things there is bad and in all bad things there are good but we have to push forward knowing there is good to come in the future. 

The tone of Rain: In the rain the tone is very calm and peaceful with words like “clouds darken” and “sounds of cold-river rain grown familiar”. These all help with the tone that is peaceful, but there are also some words that hint at a more evil tone which goes back to how in this poem there is good and bad in everything “Broken clouds darken after thinning away”, “purple cliffs blacken”, “Autumn sun casts moist shadows”. The poet seems to move back and forth from good calm words to more evil and stressful words. 

The theme of Rain: The theme of rain is in all things there is good and evil. This is shown everywhere in the poem with how the tone is both good and evil using positive and negative words throughout the poem to show the theme. This theme is very cliché but when this poem was made it wasn’t very cliché and he goes about it in a different way that most people wouldn’t expect. The poet uses examples from nature like bird and clouds instead of how normally it is portrayed as yin-yang sun and moon. He has an example that has to do with the sun but the moon isn’t it’s counterpart the poet uses the example of sun and shadow in the poem that shows more of how the evil changes and moves instead of being in a cycle of a sun and the moon. 

Other Aspects of Rain: Rain to me seems to lay out like a path or trail. You follow each line getting little bits of information and little bits of imagery throughout the first stanza. Then you reach the second stanza and you get a little bit more imagery that hints to you that you’re almost done then at the end of the poem it talks about how you have reached your village and that rice is there ready to be cooked. The Rhythm of Rain is very slow and seem to be in a somber voice of an elder telling you a story that you have listened closely for if you want to hear the whole story. Rain also has a small sense of consonance even though it doesn’t repeat specific words in the poem but the theme of nature is used multiple times with the poet's word choice. 

Facts 5:

•One of the greatest Chinese poets during the Tang dynasty 

•Studied to be a civil worked but failed and became a servant like his father 

•Traveled many years before he became a poet and many of his early poems talk about his travels

•Tu Fu is often described as a poet-historian, and his works convey the emotional impact and import of political and social issues and register a range of private concerns, trials, and dramas

•Tu Fu petitioned the government for an official position and was appointed registrar in the crown prince’s palace though the An Lushan Rebellion of 755 prevented him from occupying the post

(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/tu-fu)