Literary Analysis of Fisherman by Kurt Brown Essays - Fisherman

Literary Analysis of Fisherman by Kurt Brown Essays - Fisherman Literary Analysis of Fisherman by Kurt Brown English 100 Effective College English I Prof. Stef Donev April 27, 2012 Literary Analysis of Fisherman by Kurt Brown In Kurt Browns poem Fisherman, he reveals how life can be related to the action of fishing in the ocean. The poet tries to interpret how a man goes about his daily life fishing, with hope of trying to find something greater within him. He states this in the first and second lines of the poem, A man spends his whole life fishing in him for something grand.(1-2) He gives the reader the emotion and feeling of ones persistent journey to discovering their worth in life but even though hes on a search to finding this, he has his own self doubts about himself. He gives you the sense of agony, confusion, and courage in the writing. Brown also conveys how finding something grand within ones self is like catching a big fish. But there are some things shadowing that and are unexpectedly preventing the fisher from accomplishing the big catch. The poet is metaphorically trying to portray that no matter what you encounter day by day, to keep striving and never give up. In the first lines of the poem opens up with A man spends his whole life fishing in him for something grand(1-2), figuratively refers to men as fisherman. For that reason, the fisherman is trying to discover something greater within and is constantly finding a means to improve himself for the better. This goes to show how one must keep striving, and not worrying about how difficult the path may be. As you continue reading the poem, the line Its like some lost lunker, big enough to break all records (2-3), represents how the fisherman contemplates on an attempt to overcome other fishermans achievements and exceed to do greater than their accomplishments. The poet portrays the determination to do so and keep his hopes high, in order to become better than the rest. The fisherman struggles and lacks confidence in himself which the poet states in the lines He only felt the shadow of something enormous darken is life. Or as he? (4-5) Brown tries to embody that its quite intimidating how other people can be better but when encountering any adversity, you should not stop no matter how challenging it is. The fisherman tends to continuously doubt himself, for the fact that there are many others being more successful than he is, which shows in the line Maybe its the shadow of other fish, greater than his, the shadow of other mens souls passing over him(6-7) Hes also indicating after the witnessing others being more accomplished than what he has completed, his self-confidence began to sink, questioning himself if one day he can become successful with finding his worth in life. The poet then presents Each day he grabs his gear and makes is way to the ocean. At least hes sure of that: Or is he? (8- 9), emphasizing that the fisherman does not give up and continues, striving to keep searching but undoubtedly shows a non-stop feeling of frustrating uncertainty constantly questioning himself. Through out the poem, the poet asserts that the fisherman is always facing that prolonging emotion of disbelief. Consequently, the poet stresses the fact that we are always faced with disappointment but we have to overcome that fact and succeed. Giving up is not an option but to maintain your will and have an on going fight is what He shoves off, feeling the land fall away under his boots (12), is trying to imply by the writer. Thinking negative will never get you anywhere, but having faith in yourself will definitely become a factor for completing what needs to be done and increase self worth in themselves. When the positive thinking begin to ease, the hope also grows which connects to It could be today: the water heaves and settles like a chest Hes not far out. (14-15) But the man still inclines that he is troubled and not so sure about moving forward. Therefore, continuing through the poem, the writer suggests that after one day of not finding his self worth, he moves on to discover what his unknown desires are at another

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria The famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, called Pharos, was built around 250 B.C.  to help mariners navigate the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt. It was truly a marvel of engineering, standing at least 400 feet tall, making it one of the tallest structures in the ancient world. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was also solidly built, standing tall for over 1,500 years, until it was finally toppled by earthquakes around 1375 A.D.  The Lighthouse of Alexandria was exceptional and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Purpose The city of Alexandria was founded in 332 B.C.  by Alexander the Great. Located in Egypt, just 20 miles west of the Nile River, Alexandria was perfectly situated to become a major Mediterranean port, helping the city to flourish. Soon, Alexandria became one of the most important cities of the ancient world, known far and wide for its famous library. The only stumbling block was that mariners found it difficult to avoid the rocks and shoals when approaching Alexandria’s harbor. To help with that, as well as to make a very grand statement, Ptolemy Soter (Alexander the Great’s successor) ordered a lighthouse to be built. This was to be the first building ever built solely to be a lighthouse. It was to take approximately 40 years for the Lighthouse at Alexandria to be built, finally being finished around 250 B.C. Architecture There’s a lot we don’t know about the Lighthouse of Alexandria, but we do know what it looked like. Since the Lighthouse was an icon of Alexandria, its image appeared in many places, including on ancient coins. Designed by Sostrates of Knidos, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was a strikingly tall structure. Located on the eastern end of the island of Pharos near the entrance of Alexandria’s harbor, the Lighthouse was soon itself called â€Å"Pharos.† The Lighthouse was at least 450 feet high and made of three sections. The bottommost section was square and held government offices and stables. The middle section was an octagon and held a balcony where tourists could sit, enjoy the view, and be served refreshments. The top section was cylindrical and held the fire that was continually lit to keep mariners safe. At the very top was a large statue of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Amazingly, inside this giant lighthouse was a spiraling ramp that led up to the top of the bottommost section. This allowed horses and wagons to carry supplies to the top sections. It is unknown what exactly was used to make the fire at the top of the Lighthouse. Wood was unlikely because it was scarce in the region. Whatever was used, the light was effective – mariners could easily see the light from miles away and could thus find their way safely to port. Destruction The Lighthouse of Alexandria stood for 1,500 years - an astounding number considering it was a hollowed out structure the height of a 40-story building. Interestingly, most lighthouses today resemble the shape and structure of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Ultimately, the Lighthouse outlived the Greek and Roman empires. It was then absorbed into the Arab empire, but its importance waned when Egypt’s capital was moved from Alexandria to Cairo. Having kept mariners safe for centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was finally destroyed by an earthquake sometime around 1375 A.D. Some of its blocks were taken and used to build a castle for the sultan of Egypt; others fell into the ocean. In 1994, French archeologist Jean Yves Empereur, of the French National Research Center,  investigated the harbor of Alexandria and found at least a few of these blocks still in the water. Sources Curlee, Lynn. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Atheneum Books, 2002.Silverberg, Robert. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Macmillan Company, 1970.