THE THEME OF DEATH IN EAVON BOLAND’S WORKS (BASED ON THE POEM «WINDFALL»)


  • Veronica Gaidar
Keywords: death, history, the deceased, hunger, disease, national tragedy

Abstract

The article deals with an attempt to reveal the theme of death in the poetry by a modern female Irish poet Eavan Boland on the material of her poem "Windfall". Her poetic works attract attention and encourage the explanation of their figurative identity. The creativity of this extraordinary author is extremely original and innovative. The poetic work analyzed has no rhymes. The rhythm and intonation are subordinatedto the main idea. Her poem is deep in content, from which the theme of life, death, and historical memory develops. The poetic language is not rich enough, but the use of some stylistic figures allows Boland to go beyond the scope of a linear household plot, deepen the subtext, and encourage the reader to seek out the new meanings of the poem. The images created by the poet are metaphorical; their understanding requires a certain reader's experience and the ability to decode metaphors and similes. The poem contains the theme of disease and death, as the female poet is worried about the realities of national history and modern times. Turning to the tragic pages of the past, the author depicts minor events and "little people." However, such external simplicity of the plot is deceitful. Under personal sketches, generalized paintings of the history of the people and human life itself are hidden. In the center of her aesthetics is a postmodern worldview. From the first lines Boland involves us in a dialogue, and until the last words does not let go, inducing an active intellectual and mental work. At the same time, poetry is filled with realistic details, which testify to her philosophical way of thinking. To sum up, Boland’s style is unique and she has innovative approaches to the coverage of the topic. Choosing the key image, the poet builds the whole poetic structure around it, skillfully choosing methods to fulfill the main idea. The breadth of problems that go beyond a certain age and acquire universal and philosophical understanding makes Eavan Boland one of the poets who create contemporary literature and pave the way for the twenty-first century poetry development.

References

1. Энциклопедия символов, знаков, эмблем / В.В.Андреева и др. – СПб., 2000. – 576 с.
2. Boland Eavan. Object Lessons: The Life of the Woman and the Poet in Our Time / Eavan Boland. – W. W. Norton & Company, 1996. – 272 p.
3. Mitchel J. The History of Ireland from Boland Eavan. Object Lessons: The Life the Treaty of Limerik to the Present Time / of the Woman and the Poet in Our Time / J. Mitchel. – V. 2., 1973. – P. 244–247.
Published
2018-10-07
How to Cite
Gaidar, V. (2018). THE THEME OF DEATH IN EAVON BOLAND’S WORKS (BASED ON THE POEM «WINDFALL»). Anglistics and Americanistics, (15), 106-112. Retrieved from https://anglistika.dp.ua/index.php/AA/article/view/168
Section
RELEVANT ISSUES OF LITERARY STUDIES AND STYLISTICS