1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

I have been trying to do this for hours but I just can't think of anything, or anything I think of is kind of stupid or I think of a poem but I can't think of twenty things to do all twenty things on the list.
Is there anything I can do to stop the writers block, or figure out what to write about, or any ideas anyone has?
Here's the things I have to write:
Begin the poem with a metaphor.
Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession, or randomly throughout the poem.
Use one example of synesthesia (mixing of the senses).
Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
Use a word (maybe slang) you’ve never seen in a poem.
Use an example of false cause-effect logic
Use a piece of “talk” you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand.
Create a metaphor using the following construction: “The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun)…
Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
Make a persona or character in the poem do something he/she/they could not do in “real life.”
Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
Write in the future tense, such that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.
Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
Use a phrase from a language other than English.
Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification.)
Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that “echoes” an image from earlier in the poem.
The only thing I've got so far is I watch the sunlight dance on the water ( for personification )

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

Feel free to suggest whatever book. I am making good use of library genesis so I can get whatever I want.
I tried searching for articles myself on the negative numinous and although it seems like an essential concept to me I could find nothing. Maybe I just suck at researching.
I'm doing my MA thesis on Rudolf Otto and applying his work to the study of horror fiction. Example, one of the books I am citing is Haunted Presence: The Numinous in Gothic Fiction by S L Varnado. But where they focused on gothic horror, I'm looking at weird horror. So, authors like H P Lovecraft, and David Lindsay.
Rudolf Otto's concept of the negative numinous is mentioned ONCE in a footnote of Idea of the Holy. With this concept he is articulating an evil face of holiness: Satan, or wrath. But this concept exists elsewhere in that book. For example,
"The numinous only unfolds its full content by slow degrees, as one by one the series of requisite stimuli or incitements becomes operative. But where any whole is as yet incompletely presented its earlier and partial constituent moments or elements, aroused in isolation, have naturally something bizarre, unintelligible, and even grotesque about them. This is especially true of that religious moment which would appear to have been in every case the first to be aroused in the human mind, viz. daemonic dread. Considered alone and per se, it necessarily and naturally looks more like the opposite of religion than religion itself. If it is singled out from the elements which form its context, it appears rather to resemble a dreadful form of auto-suggestion, a sort of psychological nightmare of the tribal mind, than to have anything to do with religion; and the supernatural beings with whom men at this early stage profess relations appear as phantoms, projected by a morbid, undeveloped imagination afflicted by a sort of persecution-phobia. One can understand how it is that not a few inquirers could seriously imagine that 'religion' began with devil-worship, and that at bottom the devil is more ancient than God."
"How should it be logically inferred from the still 'crude', half-daemonic character of a moon-god or a sun-god or a numen attached to some locality, that he is a guardian and guarantor of the oath and of honourable dealing, of hospitality, of the sanctity of marriage, and of duties to tribe and clan? How should it be inferred that he is a god who decrees happiness and misery, participates in the concerns of the tribe, provides for its well-being, and directs the course of destiny and history? Whence comes this most surprising of all the facts in the history of religion, that beings, obviously born originally of horror and terror, become gods - beings to whom men pray, to whom they confide their sorrow or their happiness, in whom they behold the origin and the sanction of morality, law, and the whole canon of justice? And how does all this come about in such a way that, when once such ideas have been aroused, it is understood at once as the plainest and most evident of axioms, that so it must be?"
a quote from Numinous And Modernity by Todd A Gooch,
"Otto claims that, on the contrary, the origin of the gods must be sought in the unfamiliar and uncanny. It is precisely when the gods become too familiar that they begin to loose (sic) their religious power, as was the case, for example, in ancient Greece."
from Das Gefühl des Überweltlichen : (sensus numinis)
This is where Rudolf Otto gets weird and fascinating to me. This is what Gooch is talking about. To my knowledge this book by Otto is not available in English.
"Where the goddesses and gods became all-too noble and all-too charming and all-too human-like, belief in them was not at its highpoint, as one would have to assume according to the doctrine of anthropomorphism"
Here, Rudolf Otto seems to be saying that the negative numinous holds a privileged position in his evolutionary understanding of the numinous. And this is reflected in some parts of Idea of the Holy. In Idea of the Holy he argues mankind first encounters daemonic dread from evil nightmares but that pointing beyond themsevles we eventually arrive at the Christian God. This other book argues the opposite evolutionary trajectory. It is this trajectory that authors like Lovecraft and David Lindsay argue to be the true one.
A quotation from Timothy Beal from Religion And Its Monsters. This is the trajectory I am taking.
As personifications of radical otherness, monsters are often identified with the divine, especially conjuring its more dreadful, maleficent aspects. And experiences of horror in the face of the monstrous are often described in ways that suggest a kind of religious experience, an encounter with mysterious, ineffable otherness, eliciting an irreducible mix of dread and fascination, horror and wonder. Early on in religious studies, Rudolph Otto’s The Idea of the Holy (Das Heilige; 1917) recognized this affinity between religious experiences of radical otherness and encounters with the monstrous, describing the monstrous as an apt expression of the holy in all its aspects of overwhelming awe, wonder and dread—what he called the mysterium tremendum. The monstrous, for Otto, was a kind of monstrum tremendum, a dread envoy of the holy. Otto’s translator effectively captured this unsettling alloy of awe and horror in his use of the older English spelling of “aweful” that retains vertiginous combination of fascination and terror, attraction and repulsion. Thus we may recognize both conservative and subversive religious dimensions to supernatural horror and the monstrous. On the one hand, conservatively, they function to maintain order against chaos, to police the boundaries of the normal and the known by projecting otherness—within oneself, society and the cosmos—onto the monster and then blowing it away. In this way, they serve what Russell McCutcheon, Bruce Lincoln and other ideological-critical scholars of religion argue to be the primary function of religion, namely, the legitimation and sanctification of existing social and institutional structures of power and authority. As objectifications of otherness and anomaly, monsters serve to clearly locate and securely ground “us,” “here.” On the other hand, monsters of supernatural horror may also reveal an equally powerful subversive religious desire for dislocation and ungrounding, for the terrifying dimensions of holiness, in the face of which our own sense of selfhood and control is lost—a kind of ego annihilation in relation to radical otherness. In this way, monstrous horror testifies to the chaotic, disorienting dimensions of religious experience, which is not reducible to common mainstream representations of it in terms of goodness, beauty and human thriving.
A quote by David Lindsay, from A Voyage To Arcturus
"Maskull, though fully conscious of his companions and situation, imagined that he was being oppressed by a black, shapeless, supernatural being, who was trying to clasp him. He was filled with horror, trembled violently, yet could not move a limb. Sweat tumbled off his face in great drops. The waking nightmare lasted a long time, but during that space it kept coming and going. At one moment the vision seemed on the point of departing; the next it almost took shape—which he knew would be his death. Suddenly it vanished altogether—he was free. A fresh spring breeze fanned his face; he heard the slow, solitary singing of a sweet bird; and it seemed to him as if a poem had shot together in his soul. Such flashing, heartbreaking joy he had never experienced before in all his life! Almost immediately that too vanished. Sitting up, he passed his hand across his eyes and swayed quietly, like one who has been visited by an angel. 'Your colour changed to white,' said Corpang. 'What happened?' 'I passed through torture to love,' replied Maskull simply. He stood up. Haunte gazed at him sombrely. 'Will you not describe that passage?' Maskull answered slowly and thoughtfully. 'When I was in Matterplay, I saw heavy clouds discharge themselves and change to coloured, living animals. In the same way, my black, chaotic pangs just now seemed to consolidate themselves and spring together as a new sort of joy. The joy would not have been possible without the preliminary nightmare. It is not accidental; Nature intends it so. The truth has just flashed through my brain.... You men of Lichstorm don’t go far enough. You stop at the pangs, without realising that they are birth pangs.' 'If this is true, you are a great pioneer,' muttered Haunte. 'How does this sensation differ from common love?' interrogated Corpang. 'This was all that love is, multiplied by wildness.' "
From H P Lovecraft,
"This type of fear-literature must not be confounded with a type externally similar but psychologically widely different; the literature of mere physical fear and the mundanely gruesome. Such writing, to be sure, has its place, as has the conventional or even whimsical or humorous ghost story where formalism or the author’s knowing wink removes the true sense of the morbidly unnatural; but these things are not the literature of cosmic fear in its purest sense. The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain—a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space."
"Because we remember pain and the menace of death more vividly than pleasure, and because our feelings toward the beneficent aspects of the unknown have from the first been captured and formalised by conventional religious rituals, it has fallen to the lot of the darker and more maleficent side of cosmic mystery to figure chiefly in our popular supernatural folklore. This tendency, too, is naturally enhanced by the fact that uncertainty and danger are always closely allied; thus making any kind of an unknown world a world of peril and evil possibilities. When to this sense of fear and evil the inevitable fascination of wonder and curiosity is superadded, there is born a composite body of keen emotion and imaginative provocation whose vitality must of necessity endure as long as the human race itself. Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse."
Lovecraft finds spirituality emotionally real but intellectually false. He is self contradictory figure.
Ok so I realize this is long winded. But I am touching upon an ambiguity in Rudolf Otto's work that he greatly privileges daemonic dread as an essential feature of holiness. And weird horror like Lovecraft puts daemonic dread on a pedestal.
I'm looking for criticism of RUDOLF OTTO that addresses the weird importance he places on the spectral and daemonic dread in holiness. I'm looking to read more about this ambiguity that Timothy Beal touches on.
Another book I will be citing is The Terror That Comes In The Night by David J Hufford who describes the nightmare sleep paralysis phenomenon as numinous.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for both Vermis I & II!
This is a slightly longer follow-up to my previous post looking at the aesthetic and thematic similarities between Vermis II & Angel's Egg. This one is less about similarities and more just a general analysis of Vermis's world. Very interested in others' takes.
The Gods
The Gods of Vermis I and II are apparently a heterogenous mixture of giants, demons, possibly magicians, both corporeal and incorporeal. Their godhood appears to be purely due to the actions of humanity: "All demons were Gods once. It is man who puts crowns on our heads and holds axes over our necks" (Vermis II).
Some are also clearly mortal - Gurvek the Great's skeleton, for example, lies on a mountainside (likewise, Ghylak and Marko have corporeal bodies, though seem to have retained more power following their respective decapitations). In this way, the Gods resemble (though I doubt there is direct influence), those from Ranking of Kings.
The crucial thing about these Gods is that they do not offer any kind of apotheosis. They are on the same, crooked material plane as humanity. The Gods are cruel, fallible, suffer, and feel fear like humans. Any spiritual salvation they appear to offer is that projected on to them by us. It is a pre-New Testament theology.
Loneliness
The world of Vermis is a lonely one. Throughout the entire journey, you never meet a group of people (cf the desert city of Vermis II, bustling and isolated from the rot of Vermis I's world). I think this is clearly deliberate thematically. Each character is going through a personal, spiritual journey, the force of which is lost when characters start to rely on each other.
Nonetheless, personal connections remain critical to Vermis's picture of humanity. Just as crowds are very unuual, it is also extremely rare to meet individuals who are not connected, in some way, to another person. Indeed, the moment near the end of Vermis where you almost fall prey to the Infinite Mirage suggests all the 'playable' characters, regardless of whose 'flesh' you inhabit, are pursuing a lost person.
Darkness, Drives, and Identity
As far as I can tell, the underlying morality of Vermis is humanistic. That is, it is suspicious of fanatically pursuing dreams, ambition, and religion. I think Kipling's poem If - captures this sense well:
"...If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim..."
It is also, for that matter, similar to the original Nausicaa manga (available, legally, in full online), a central theme of which is a positive drive for life regardless of one's body or ailments. It is unsurprising Princess Nausicaa, the personification of this message, becomes a Christ figure. Note, also, the similarities in the style of armor in Nausicaa and Vermis I & II...
Those who are lost in Vermis tend to have given up this 'core' of self-control: they sought power; were greedy; fearful; religious zealots; delusional. Often they cannot face the reality of loss. Consider the offer near the end of Vermis I: you are invited to join the darkness, and in doing so will lose your individual identity and 'never be alone again.' Significantly, this ends the story before the well's illusion ends - you do not get to re-live more lives in the flesh because your spirit is gone.
An important aspect of Vermis is that characters are rarely broken, abandoning their bodies, for reasons outside their control. Of everyone we meet, the vast majority with terrible body-modification underwent it voluntarily: those bonded to their blades; those who cut off their limbs with the butcher's firstborn; those who worship Ketereth and become riddled with White Hives; those who worship Ghylak and decapitate themselves; (note, it is unclear if the Mad Pricker is voluntary in its suffering, hence its ambiguous light-dark status). It is a world filled with lonely travellers forced to make their own, spirtitually consequential decisions.
The Video Game Format
A. genius aspect of Vermis is its 8-bit digital aesthetic. To me, Vermis feels remarkably at-home in the 21st century online world. That is, its aesthetic and themes fit in well. This is a little unexpected given that it appears to draw much from medieval dilemmas of body and spirit in the face of suffering.
This is just a personal take, but I think Vermis feels appropriate because online life raises similar questions of physicality, the body, one's 'spirit' (or 'Ghost'), identity, individuality, loneliness, obsession, connection, and suffering. Within these debates, Vermis is not transhumanist art: Plastiboo denies a path to transcend suffering and loss through ego-death. Instead, they show that doing so, abandoning the material plane, will leave your rotting body entirely divorced from humanity, left to hurt and kill those who remain. In such a world, it is sometimes better to die bravely than it is to live as a waste of life itself.

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

Tissue
Polysemous title- Tissue • Tissue- paper + skin (human life is fragile [criticises arrogance, encourages us to protect]) • Also paper (not alive) + skin (alive)- criticises monotony of life, not really living • Tissue paper- found in bibles and holy texts, but fragile (overinflated importance of identity causing wars and discrimination, really it’s very fragile and identity isn’t real, we’re all just people (tissue as in skin)) • Tissue- used to wipe away tears, togetherness can reduce suffering • Tissue- medical term for deep skin- poem shows deeper nature of humans and our potential for goodness, can be wounded and damaged by outside influences but can always heal
"Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things" - reference to religious texts paper, light as Jesus and Allah (power of religion) - or coexistence with nature (Dharker is a Muslim Calvinist)
Enjambment- freedom, lack of control of humans, rejecting constraints
Free verse- same thing
"Let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths" - power of nature, criticism of authority, weakness of humans- “break” violent personification, destroying authority, daylight + break = sunrise + hope
"The sun shines through their borderlines" - nature overcomes human segregation identity, criticism of war, power of nature) sibilance shows power, “their” still shows separation, criticise that
"fly our lives like paper kites" - childish metaphor, mocking control of money over life (criticism of authority)
"the back of the Koran" - “the” repetition shows importance, “back” shows it is hidden/shunned by society, still holding onto identity
"Transparent" - repetition, criticism of dishonesty of authority
Exposure
"Merciless iced east winds that knive us" - personification of wind shanking people (first line not about war but nature- more significant) (power of nature)- subtle sibilance (just as dangerous as bullets but most people don’t realise)- Germans were in the east, but the only thing from there is wind
ABBAC rhyme, structure is built only to be taken down (tension of soldiers expecting fight but let down)
Pararhyme- unsatisfying for reader, reflects how the soldiers are always nervous but never get to chill
“What are we doing here?” Rhetorical question to criticise authority, or actual question to show PTSD confusion, can be asking what they are DOING or why they are HERE
"For love of God seems dying" ok 1. The soldier's love of God is dying 2. God's love for the soldiers is dying 3. To show love of God, you should die
"forgotten dreams" - juxtaposition, loss of hope, forgotten dreams on purpose to be less sad? war made them forget? “forgotten” disassociated from PTSD, “dreams” as happiness from the past that seems unreal
“a dull rumour of some other war" reference to the Bible and Armageddon, metaphorical end of the world for the soldiers be suffering "sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence" - sibilance represents sound of bullets, jolting reader out of relative lack of noises, feel like soldiers
Epistrophe "but nothing happens" cyclical structure, stuck in suffering
“we” “us” “our” collective pronouns, shared experience, comradeship, loss of identity, relatable to all soldiers
Kamikaze
Title- single word, only military rank- only seen as a kamikaze pilot by others
Structure- 6 lines per stanza but free verse and lots of enjambment- conflict between control and freedom (military/social expectations/duty vs love for family/nature/memories/life)
Constant shifts between first person and third person- disconnect from family due to shame
“Her father embarked at sunrise” -sunrise as power of nature + Japan’s military flag- conflict
“a shaven head full of powerful incantations” -incantations are deliberately vague- orders from military? prayers? inner conscience against it? It’s “powerful” tho and influences him, and it’s “full” showing his distress, shaved head like most kamikaze pilots
“green-blue translucent sea” beautiful imagery, “translucent” shows how things are unclear but getting clearer- nature helps him decide what to do
Describes fishes “like a huge flag”- patriotic semantic field shows brainwashing, but reduces as the poem goes on, simile shows how he is starting to disconnect and change his mind,
also as “a figure of eight”- shows thoughts of pride and prosperity-
“The dark shoals of fishes/flashing silver as their bellies/swivelled towards the sun” - • sibilance shows ocean noises and beauty, “dark” -> “flashing silver” things get brighter and easier to see- knows what to do thanks to nature • “Silver”- medals he would have gotten for being a kamikaze pilot, but true reward is in nature • “Sun”- represents beauty of nature and also Japanese flag- conflict but now there’s also nature in the mix • Belly up- death on his mind
“bringing their father’s home safe/-yes, grandfather’s boat- safe” repetition of “safe” shows reason to come back- wants to return to family, memories
“a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous.” • first mention of danger = power in the whole poem, danger to the mission as it causes the pilot to have doubts, true power is in nature and memory • First full stop in the poem and lots of commas- makes us stop and think like the pilot about what he’s abt to do
“laughed” “loved” at the end of the poem- all in past tense- nothing left for the soldier
“we too learned to be silent”- “learned” should be positive but contrasts with what they learnt- criticises how they were taught shame by the older generations- but it’s said in first person, the daughter is criticising this and teaching her children not to think that way
Poppies
Title- honours and grieves dead soldiers, short single word title shows full intent of the poem and how the mother’s life is consumed by grief
Dramatic monologue- emphasis on the domestic impact and how the soldier isn’t present in the poem
Free verse, enjambment- chaotic, lack of control over the son, distressed
Domestic + military semantic fields- life has been ruined by war
“Spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade of yellow bias”- mix between war + domestic • “spasms” and “red” is injury and pain- mother is worried or is hurt by letting go (spasms is involuntary muscle action- involuntary letting go), • “paper” is the fragility of the son • “blockade” is military language showing her worry abt the conflict, how she wants to “block” her son from going into the military • “disrupting” the fabric - the son becoming a soldier disrupts the peace or she is trying to disrupt him from going to war
“The dove pulled freely against the sky, / an ornamental stitch”- dove represents peace and grief- she and her son is at peace with death, “pulled freely” is an oxymoron- inner conflict with grief or letting her son go, the comma shows a pause to reflect on the grief, the “ornamental stitch” metaphor for the mother (pretends to hold it together)
“I was brave”- takes down ideas of just the soldier’s bravery but also the mother’s, but past tense shows current weakness from grief
“Sellotape bandaged around my hand” • Bandage shows wounds • Sticks them together one last time- cat hairs are removed, no more reason to stay • Claustrophobic feeling- stuck in the domestic role, can’t go and protect the son
“Blackthorns of your hair”- religious connotations of Jesus on the cross, sacrificed for the country- metaphor for the son
History Boys
"Enemy of education" war metaphor and alliteration, opposition between true understanding of literature and grades only used shallowly “Cheat’s Visa”
"a fact of life" indisputable and unchangable, in opposition with Irwin's views on history (truth does not matter to him until now?)
Drummer Hodge: Intertextuality, Tom Hardy (the poet) represents Hector, sympathising with the ordeal of the youth, Drummer Hodge represents the Boys, thrown into the chaos of life without proper guidance
"She's my western front" war metaphor objectifies Fiona, personal pronoun further expresses how women were seen as objects to be owned
“... all the other shrunken violets you people line up" [you people] segregates gay people, [shrunken violets] derogatory language
"Some of the literature says it will pass" looking to literature for solace and comfort during a sexuality crisis
"All literature is consolation" Dakin changes his mind on literature symbolising him changing to Irwin's side. No need to look for solace in literature when he can pursue Irwin
Parallels with "all knowledge is precious" from Hector - A.E. Housman, one of the first intertextualities and used in the intro to establish his character
“cunt-struck” “a cunt”- Mrs Lintott repeats the colloquialism “cunt” twice, to describe Dakin as “cunt-struck” and Headmaster as “a cunt”. This is the hardest swear in the play and is used show that it wasn’t a slip of the tongue, and to break down stereotypes of women being gentle and passive
“history is women following behind with the bucket” - her big scene about women in history at the end of the play (which is typical for Alan Benett’s plays such as “Kafka’s Dick”) so it would be recent and stay in the audience’s mind when the show ended
Irwin intro as politician in the future "etc., etc." while talking abt freedom- that man gives no fucks about freedom really, just waffling on (first impression for the audience too!!)
Parallel with Holocaust debate- Lockwood uses the SAME EXACT PHRASE while talking abt how the holocaust was bad, (dismissiveness of mass genocide? in this education system? it’s more likely than you think) then goes on to argue that they should be unique with their arguments- Irwin passed on thr mindset even on such an important subject
Hector is set up to be looking cool and all (motorcycle scene dramaticness, greek name connotations, fav teacher) but is absolutely uncool when we get to know him- purposeful? "studied eccentricity" and all. clinging onto youth?
Posner is actually rather helpful as the "dictionary person" bc i doubt the audiences know what "otiose" means
SCRIPPS IS THE MOST RELIGIOUS ONE AND CLOSEST TO POSNER it can dismantle the idea that religion is against queerness
Irwin didnt know how nietzche was pronounced bc from what we know of him he would call Dakin out on that

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

1. Imagery: Creating vivid mental images through descriptive language.
   
2. Metaphor: Using figurative language to imply a comparison between unrelated things.
   
3. Simile: Drawing comparisons using "like" or "as" to highlight similarities.
   
4. Rhyme: Employing words with similar sounds at the end of lines.
   
5. Meter: Organizing lines with a rhythmic pattern, often in syllabic beats.
   
6. Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
   
7. Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words for musicality.
   
8. Personification: Assigning human characteristics to non-human entities.
   
9. Symbolism: Using objects or concepts to represent deeper meanings.
   
10. Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
    
11. Repetition: Emphasizing ideas or emotions by repeating words or phrases.
    
12. Free Verse: Unrestricted by traditional poetic structures like rhyme or meter.
    
13. Stanza: Grouping lines together to form a distinct unit within a poem.
    
14. Theme: Central idea or underlying message explored in the poem.
    
15. Tone: The poet's attitude or emotional stance toward the subject.
    
16. Connotation: The emotional or cultural associations attached to words.
    
17. Irony: Presenting ideas in a way that signifies the opposite of the literal meaning.
    
18. Allusion: Referencing another work, person, or event to enrich meaning.
    
19. Syntax: Arrangement of words to create specific effects or convey emotions.
    
20. Diction: Careful choice of words to convey a particular meaning or atmosphere.
    

Previous post

A renowned talent

Object of his lust, more often than not, was to be found in the Nemil beauty sitting languidly upon the other side of the fire (and if temptation burns where else would she be?). Purse Snippet was a dancer and orator famous across the breadth of Seven Cities. Need it be even said that such a combination of talents was sure to launch spurting enthusiasm among the heavy-breathing multitudes known to inhabit cities, towns, villages, hamlets, huts, caves and closets the world over?

Last week ended with a description of Calap Roud's creepy and very unsubtle lusting after women. And here we get one which seems to attract his attention more than anyone else in this company. It's a very smooth transition. It is also worth noting that she is the "object" of Calap Roud's lust, a very literal instance of objectification. Of course Calap Roud wouldn't be interested in her for her personality because he isn't interested in anyone's personality but his own.
Purse Snippet is Nemil, which is in the Seven Cities. This, along with her being famous specifically in the Seven Cities, supports the notion that we are indeed located somewhere on that continent. Her name is certainly interesting, but I think it's better to wait until the second part of her introduction to discuss it.
She sits languidly, which indicates that she is not overly worried about their state of affairs. And she sits on the other side of the fire to Calap Roud, which I don't think is a coincidence. She wants nothing to do with him. It also indicates that she is the opposite of Calap. Remember, we're still not done with the circle/soul metaphor. That she sits opposite Calap also means that he sees her through the flame, as Flicker points out, as he makes her into a personification of temptation. To Calap it's as if she's within the flames, burning bright.
After that long(ish) and meandering sentence we now get a very simple sentence, stating in plain language who she is. She's a dancer and orator, and she's famous in the Seven Cities. Again, this is Flicker changing his language to me much more easily parsed when he is giving us simple facts.
And then he switches right back to the more ornate style as he describes the effects of those simple facts. This is of course Flicker engaging in his trademark hyperbole, while simultaneously establishing her as a sex symbol. Everyone in the world¹ knows her.
The "spurting enthusiasm" is yet another very thinly veiled euphemism, this time for ejaculation. That the multitudes are "heavy-breathing" also supports that. I also love this tally of all the places where such multitudes are found, starting with cities, then getting progressively smaller until we're at a single closet. I also think it's very funny that near the end we're also getting more primitive, with hamlets, then huts, then caves, before going back into something much more advanced, which is a closet.

A singular beauty

Lithe was her smile, warm her midnight hair, supple of tongue her every curvaceous utterance, Purse Snippet was desired by a thousand governors and ten thousand nobles. She had been offered palaces, islands in artificial lakes, entire cities. She had been offered a hundred slaves each trained in the arts of love, to serve her pleasure until age and jealous gods took pleasure away. Lavished with jewels enough to adorn a hundred selfish queens in their dark tombs. Sculptors struggled to render her likeness in marble and bronze, and then committed suicide. Poets fell so far inside their poems of adoration and worship they forgot to eat and died at their garrets. Great warleaders tripped and impaled themselves on their own swords in pursuit of her. Priests foreswore drink and children. Married men surrendered all caution in their secret escapades. Married women delighted in exposing and then murdering their husbands with ridicule and savage exposes.

We've had a few instances up until now where Flicker uses a deliberately wrong word when describing something. Here he turns it up to 11. "Lithe was her smile". A smile can't be lithe, but Purse is, and her smile reflects that. "Warm her midnight hair". While hair can be warm, it's certainly a strange way to describe someone's hair. We do learn that her hair is dark, but here I think the word "warm" actually applies to the aforementioned smile. I think Flicker is more affected by her charms than he'd care to admit, hence him getting his words all jumbled up.
"Supple of tongue". Again an unusual word choice, but you can read this as her being a skilled speaker, and particularly adept at playing to the whims of her audience. He's clearly talking about more than just her tongue, but I think there is a double meaning at play here. And "curvaceous utterance" is the most overt one, just to nail home which organ Flicker is thinking with.
Then we are bombarded with description after description of all the powerful people attempting to claim her and artists trying to merely depict her. I think this is similar to what he did with the Chanter brothers, where he invented this absurdly over the top backstory for them to emphasize how bestial they were. Here he is doing the same but to show how beautiful Purse Snippet is.
For one, I doubt there are a thousand governors in all of Seven Cities. I'm sure there are at least ten thousand nobles, but that would surely be most of them. Then we get the listing of offerings that get increasingly absurd, mirroring the list in the previous paragraph with the progressively smaller habitations. It culminates in her being offered a hundred pleasure slaves to serve her for the rest of her life. And notice that even the gods are jealous of her.
And then, finally, she is given jewelry fit for a hundred queens. And notice that these queens are placed in dark tombs. This, along with the preceding comment about her aging serve as a reminder of the transience of beauty. Flicker knows this, and presumably Purse does as well.
Notice also how this has all been in the passive voice. I haven't talked a lot about voice up until this point (and perhaps I should have), but the use of the passive voice here seems very deliberate. She is not asking for this, it's all imposed on her. But when we start discussing the poor artists trying to capture her beauty, we switch to the active voice, but we also switch our point of view to said artists, meaning we're still not placing her in an active role. She is simply an object, which is how Flicker first introduced her. I'm looking forward to examining Flicker's/Erikson's treatment of Purse Snippet.
But let's back up a little bit and talk about those artists. We are led to believe that her beauty is so singular that sculptors can't capture it and kill themselves because of their failure. The poets don't seem to fail, but they get so absorbed in their poetry that they die of starvation. I love that they die at their garrets², but not in their garrets. They don't just happen to be there, it's more like they're posted there. It's not that the poets live there, it's that they have to be there when composing poetry.
Then you have great warleaders tripping (the last thing you would expect of a warleader) and die in the process, because of course they fall on their swords. The priests certainly catch some heat there, as they are noted to "swear off alcohol" which they should not be doing in the first place "and children", because of course. We know that Erikson is no fan of organized religion and it seems that neither is Flicker.
Finally we get a mentioned of married men, who abandon all caution when pursuing Purse, and their wives who surprisingly don't seem upset, but rather seem to be enjoying a chance to publicly scorn and ridicule their husbands. Perhaps because of how optimistic their men were, to think that they would have a chance with Purse. I want to note that I don't think they are actually murdering their husbands. It seems to be purely verbal.
That was something, but we're not done yet with our Purse Snippet. Next time we'll be finishing up her introduction. See you next week!
¹ Notice how he uses "the world" here instead of just "the Seven Cities"? This implies that her world is just the Seven Cities, even further supporting the theory that we are there.
² In this instance probably referring to a room in an attic
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