Poetic Devices 10/19/10

   Arthur Miller did such a very good job to convey the overwhelming emotion of the meeting between Elizabeth and Proctor in Act IV. There were various feelings of emotions portrayed in this one scene. There is the emotion of resentment, forgiveness, love, care, passion, sadness acceptance, and despair all at the same time. So how was Miller capable of taking all these emotions and assembling them? He used Poetic devices(.http://poetrycool.tripod.com/devices.htm this a link that defines each poetic device.)One of the main devices that Miller used was Imagery. This type of device is composed of words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any combination of senses. This is shown when Elizabeth is explaining to John how it is that Giles Corey died. She tells John that great stones were laid upon is chest. That connects to our senses because we can assume that stones are heavy and that our chest has ribs, which could start breaking with pressure. That is not a very pleasant image to think about, but it lets us see the pain that Giles must have gone through. This is important because it shows John the consequences to whether he chooses to confess or not. Arthur Miller shows a strong message in this section. What he showed is that no matter what happens, there are always going to be emotions and feelings involved. John and Elizabeth were going through a lot, but they were still able to show how they felt for each other. We are humans and having feelings is what makes us exactly that. Nobody can be emotionless because that would make them a rock; lifeless.This section in the book started to remind me of myself.
     There are some poetic devices that I found in the book that will further show some images or themes in the play. For example in the play Proctor tells Hale "I like it not that Mister Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it." The part where Proctor says that he sees no light of God in that man, meaning Parris. That is a poetic device because it uses the term light of God. this shows that the theme is that many men back then used God as an excuse for everything they did, even if it was the worst thing that they have done. Another poetic device I found is "Believe me, sir, if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole green world from burning. Let you rest upon the justice of the court; the court will send her home, I know it…" This poetic devices says that if rebecca Nurse is accused then the whole world should mine as well be accused because Rebecca nurse was one of the nicest women in Salem. Another poetic device found in this quote is that Hale says that the whole green world will be burning. We know that the whole world is not green, only some parts are. But he gives the reader an image of the world and lets us imagine the green part of the world burning. Of course he doesn't mean it literally. It is a metaphor that is trying to explain that Salem and the courts are going insane for accusing Rebecca Nurse of witch craft.
    I am being overwhelmed with emotions as of right now. School has taken up a lot of my time, and that has added a lot of stress in me. The stress then turns in to anger. I am also very happy because my mother is expecting a baby. That of course makes me very excited for my family. We are all so eager to meet the baby. I am so anxious also because of the HSPAS and the SAT's. So that makes me feel afraid, I don't know if I will do fine or not and the rest of my future basically depends on these two tests. There are many other things out there that add a variety of emotions to me. It is very hard to deal with them so I can only imagine how hard it is for an author to try to smash up all the emotions into one act.