Amelia Rogers Assignment 3

In “Piano,” D.H. Lawrence uses alliteration/consonance to create a nostalgic tone. This poem is about a man recalling and longing for his childhood, when his mother used to sing and play the piano with him. Lawrence uses the “s” sound to create the warmth and ease of the childhood he is recalling. The first line opens with “Softly, in the dusk…singing” (l. 1). Then he pictures his mother with “small, poised feet” who “smiles as she sings” (ll. 3-4). He is captured by memories of the “insidious master of song” (l. 5). This alliteration/consonance creates a smooth, easy flow to the poem, which helps portray the nostalgic, reminiscent tone of the man’s easy childhood. Lawrence also uses the “b” sound with “Betrays me back…to belong) (l. 6). This functions in the opposite way of the “s.” By creating a harsh sound, he conveys the deep, wistful longing for his childhood that creates a nostalgic tone.

“Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.” –Amy Lowell

Lowell says that art is all about sharing your emotions and expressing yourself. I believe people create art with the intention of sharing some emotion or idea that is so important to the person that it must be shared. Also, as Lowell says, art is about recording your response to the world around you. Art is a way to express one’s feelings about society, politics, culture, and people. I think art can be the most powerful way to express an opinion, and even change or at least affect other’s opinions.