Symbol for death
The narrator in the poem “The First Snowfall” sits by the window and remembers his daughter who passed away not a long way back. The snow becomes an instrument used by the narrator to express his grief and pain but also to represent death. As the poem progresses, the snow is used exclusively in relation and with death and because of this we can argue it is a symbol used to represent it.
Symbol for happiness
In the first stanza of the poem “Auspex”, the narrator describes his hear as being the place where countless of birds find refuge. The presence of the birds is associated with summer and with a general sense of liveliness. As the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the birds are also used in this poem as a symbol, being used to suggest happiness and joy.
Darkness
In the poem “Above and Below”, the narrator compares mankind with the power of God and claims the two are extremely similar and more alike many would think. The narrator compares the jobs a person may do in their lifetime with the work done by the Creator. It is in this context in which the narrator mentioned the “darkness” which can make a person not want to work anymore. This darkness is used here as a symbol to suggest the problems a person may have to face at one point or another in their life and how these problems may change a person’s life in unimaginable ways.
Prairie and freedom
In the poem “Abraham Lincoln” the narrator describes the origins of the late president, the birthplace of the former president are described as being the prairie. The narrator also uses the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln to argue the reason why he was so keen on fighting for every person’s freedom. The prairie becomes a symbol in this context and it is associated with the need for freedom.
The poet as a middleman
One of the common motifs found in the poem is the idea that the poem is the only living person who can provide a link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The poet is described as having the capacity to understand both death and life and this gives the poet the extraordinary ability to act as a link between the two realms.
