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“The power of poetry lies in its use of language” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to at least TWO poems you have studied. To a large extent, language such as metaphors and oxymorons provides poetry with power. This so-called ‘power’ is the poem’s ability to communicate a message and the strength of this message. The poems, “London” by William Blake and “No Ordinary Sun” by Hone Tuwhare, contain examples of language that make poetry such a powerful medium for the transmission of ideas. In “London”, the narrator describes a city in sadness and “woe”. Deep into Blake’s poem, the second stanza offers a powerful use of language, a metaphor: “mind forged manacles”, which compares the mental capacities of the individuals being trapped in the same fashion as prisoners are trapped by chains and shackles. It is here that Blake’s metaphor provides power to his poem, as it communicates this strong message of a trapped society, help captive by their minds. This message is so powerful that it makes us think of Plato’s “Cave Allegory”, where the captives are completely unaware of the truth and are held back by the false stories presented by the projectionists. Again, this links to societies that are trapped because all they know and all that has been projected is fear. From this, the power of poetry, indeed, lies in its use of language, a case being this metaphor. To continue with this example, Blake employs a shocking, grotesque and utterly horrible oxymoron in the final stanza: “blights in plague the marriage hearse” The power of poetry is also explained here; the oxymoron emphasises the idea that the father’s adultery has infected his wife and “new-born” with the “harlot’s curse” – syphilis. Blake is able to effectively communicate his message about the complete lack of freedom individuals have, a case being the baby, who is to die not for its own choices but because of his or her father. This is powerful as it links to Shakespeare’s loyal character, Edmund from King Lear, who is called a “bastard” and “base” and lives a life of turmoil because of his father’s “lusty stealth of nature”. Edmund is trapped with the title of “base” and this is completely out of his control – a powerful message. Overall, if such a well communicated and a strong message is able to be coined from this poem, then, once again, the power of poetry lies in its use of language. Furthermore, “No Ordinary Sun” contains a narrator – through apostrophe – begging to a tree to resign and “let your arms fall”, because the “radiant ball” will be victorious. Tuwhare, in his third stanza, introduces the metaphor, “wreathed with delightful flight of birds”, which indicates that the birds – compared to beautiful flowers – is no longer present on the tree because of the nuclear fallout. Clearly, the idea that the nuclear testing and warfare is not only affecting its victims but also the very beauty of nature is easily seen. This idea is powerful because we are brought back to the pictures of land in Japan – home to make beautiful environments – being completely bare and ugly since the nuclear bombing has caused this. Such a strong idea proves that the power of poetry lies in its use of language. To further labour this point, another metaphor is used by Tuwhare in his forth stanza, “the fading green of your magic emanations shall not make pure again”. The metaphor expresses the idea that the source of life for the vast ecosystem is destroyed by the nuclear fallout, possibly resulting in the subsequent deaths of everything else in nature. This strong idea further extends the effect of the nuclear bomb’s aftermath on nature as it slowly cripples and destroys it. We further see what man is doing to nature, not only in the aspect of nuclear bombs and testing but other slow inducers of death, pollution. Tuwhare poem is also powerful because it is able to address the environment situation at present, making the statement that the power of poetry lies in its language more and more true. Both poems contain language that creates strong and well communicated ideas, which in essence provides the poem with power. In “London”, the idea of a fully trapped society is explained by the metaphors and oxymorons used. Secondly, the poem, “No Ordinary Sun” contains two metaphors that also explain the consequences of nuclear warfare on nature let alone the intended victims. With this in mind, Robert Frost’s words proven: “a poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom”.