Verified Document

Singapore By Mary Oliver In Term Paper

As contrasted with "Singapore," the poem "In Creve Coeur" by Rosanna Warren symbolizes "our tarnished, everyday, ramshackle world of loss, anguish and sacrifice," much like the tone of "Singapore." As a poet, Warren "inhabits... A realm of classic purity, and in some of her best, most moving poems... dwells in both regions at once... " ("Rosanna Warren," Internet). One of the most obvious similarities between these two poems is that both are in an urban setting with the events described in Warren's poem set in the city of Creve Coeur in Missouri. However, this setting is contrasted against Oliver's poem with its Asian setting, being the city of Singapore in Malaysia. Overall, the tone of Warren's poem is one of death, symbolized by the unconscious baby taken from a burning house by a fireman.

The imagery in this poem is quite similar to that found in "Singapore." First of all, the focus is upon a fireman of Creve Coeur who is photographed by the narrator ("an amateur photographer") as he brings the lifeless and naked body of a baby from a burning house. Oliver compares this baby to laundry "pulled too soon from the line," meaning that like wet clothes, the baby is limp and rag-like ("rag of body"). The image of the baby cuddled in the arms of the fireman is a "huge, dark, crumpled embrace" and the baby itself,...

The narrator then takes a picture of this event which wins a prize, yet the baby fails to respond to the fireman's efforts to bring her back to life. Thus, all of this imagery conveys the idea that life is full of "loss, anguish and sacrifice."
And much like Oliver's "Singapore," Warren's poem stresses a pattern of contrasting images and symbols -- the fireman "bent low" as he cuddles the baby in his arms after taking her from the burning house; the baby's hair "stands out like flame," a metaphor for fire; the baby is also a "ghost," a possible reference to her impending death from smoke inhalation. But most surprisingly, this poem relates that the fireman has done this type of thing many times in his career, much like the woman in the airport in Singapore who has washed ashtrays in the toilet an untold number of times.

Bibliography

Mary Oliver." Poets.org. Internet. 2007. Retrieved at http://www.poets.org/poet.php / prmPID/265.

Rosanna Warren." Poets.org. 2007. Internet. 2007. Retrieved at http://www.poets.org / poet.php/prmPID/188.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Mary Oliver." Poets.org. Internet. 2007. Retrieved at http://www.poets.org/poet.php" target="_blank" REL="NOFOLLOW" style="text-decoration: underline !important;">http://www.poets.org/poet.php / prmPID/265.

Rosanna Warren." Poets.org. 2007. Internet. 2007. Retrieved at http://www.poets.org / poet.php/prmPID/188.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Singapore Is a Small Asian State That
Words: 765 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Singapore is a small Asian state that has made tremendous progress in the last decades in economic and financial terms and is one of the most attractive countries to invest in. The government has strongly promoted an administrative model with reduced governmental involvement, liberalizing sectors and encouraging foreign investments. As a consequence, the country scores highly in all or most of the reports that analyze the ease of doing business. Singapore

Singapore Has Long Built Its Economy on
Words: 1972 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Singapore has long built its economy on its strategic positioning for trade. The country is now home to the world's second-largest container port according to the World Shipping Council (2013). The country's position as a leading trade makes it a natural place to find solutions to global supply chain issues, and has also encouraged a significant amount of foreign direct investment in the country. Foreign companies have set up shop

Singapore's Government Is Best Described
Words: 879 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Singapore has no capital gains tax, no estate duty, a one-tier tax system, low corporate taxes, low personal taxes, and also a low Goods and Services Tax (GST). In spite of Singapore's low tax collection rate, and in spite of the fact that Singapore has no natural resources, the country remains one of the richest in the world. Singapore has no foreign debt, high government revenues, and a "consistently positive

Singapore Mncs Singapore As a Destination for
Words: 3294 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Singapore MNCs Singapore as a Destination for Multinational Corporations (MNCs) Today, the Southeast Asia region have emerged as a collective of conflicting and developing states to serve as a global hub for international business operations. The continually growing emphasis on globalization and trade liberalization between the western and eastern spheres is having a determinant impact on the outlook for such nations as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. And most particularly, as Southeast

Singapore Airlines Has Built a Reputation As
Words: 1243 Length: 4 Document Type: SWOT

Singapore Airlines has built a reputation as one of the best service providers in the airline industry, and has made this reputation an integral component of its marketing strategy (Skytrax, 2012). The company scores five stars and is one of just a handful of airlines in the world to do so. In order to achieve service excellent, Singapore Airlines draws on a number of strengths. The company has cultivated strengths

Singapore Transnational Issue in the Country Type
Words: 2719 Length: 9 Document Type: Book Report

SINGAPORE TRANSNATIONAL ISSUE IN THE COUNTRY Type of Governmental Structure in Singapore Singapore, a sovereign republic; officially termed Republic of Singapore, is governed under the constitution of 1959 as amended, utilizes a parliamentary form of government. [footnoteRef:1] Administrative Divisions of Government in Singapore [1: "Singapore." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. The Gale Group Inc. (2008). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1E1-Singapor.html (accessed February 11, 2011).] The people elect the president, head of state, is for a six-year term. The president,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now