The Great Scarf of Birds
Poetry is structured in several different ways. Much of the author’s way of writing converges the reader into knowing how to interpret the writing. John
Updike is on an artificial man-made field (the golf field), and this foreshadows his eventual realization of his detachment from nature. He is playing at Cape Ann in
October, and analyzes the nature around him. At the end of the poem, he states that after viewing this unforgettable imagery, his heart had been lifted. He talks of how the nature upon further analyzing, has become less marvelous, and the speaker’s concluding response is highlighted by the poem’s strong use of remarkable organization, insightful diction, exhilarating figurative
This simile is comparing the color of the leaves of the maple trees to apples. The transparent elm trees represent empty trees as they dance by the wind, waving around displaying the sky. Updike compares the “cloud of dots” (Line 16) to a flock of birds. Using this form of simile, he compares the vivid world that engulfs all these views of nature, and condenses it into a view in a fresh and colorful environment.
A scarf symbolizes something that is being covered. As his heart lifts at the conclusion fo the poem, so does the scarf, and he realizes that although if looked at closely there are imperfections, he looks past them to see the bigger and better picture. “Swinging vases full of sky” (Line 8). He uses imagery to enhance the significance of how the trees move, to help the reader understand what is happening in the poem. Using proper figurative language, Updike has twirled the poem from positive to negative, and then presented the reader that through his proper use of figurative language his heart has been lifted. The descriptive imagery helps the reader a great deal, and indicates its significance in literature. The Scarf of Birds by John Updike uses many descriptive forms to help the author tell his audience his conclusion about nature. He realizes that from a distance everything looks good and peaceful, but once closely examined, everything is slightly different. He goes on to understand that single issues that represent the