I'm so glad to hear that Gabby Cudmore has returned to wbhs!!
This poem is about a man's 30th birthday since he says "thirty today" and uses the trees as a metaphor for birthday candles. He says that there was "a momentary flash" as the sun set, also a metaphor for blowing out the candles. The speaker realizes that time goes by fast and 30 years have already passed him. "Yet there was time to wish" implies that he knows still has plenty of time ahead of him to live his life to the fullest while he still can.
When I first read this poem, I think I completely misinterpreted (sp fail) it. I thought it was about a man who was turning 30 and on his birthday he had a sort of near death experience where he "saw the light". I thought this because of the diction such as "flare" "sun" and the metaphor with the burning candles. Then when he says "a momentary flash yet there was time to wish" I thought maybe he was hoping for a miracle. However, after reading Al's I agree more with him. Now I see that the flash probably means that his life has gone by so fast and the fact he still had time to wish shows that life goes on. There is no punctuation at the end of this sentence, which made me think the speaker is trying to say life goes on. The tone is hopeful I think because the speaker is trying to show that there is still more to his life, even though he is turning 30.
I agree with Alex and Katie that this poem is obviously about a man who is turning thirty. He says "I saw the trees flare briefly like the candles on a cake" which is using a simile to compare the trees to candles on a cake. Imagery such as "flare", "candles on a cake", "momentary flash", and "the sun went down the sky" leave mostly bright warm picture. When he says there was "a momentary flash" I feel like that's the moment where he accepts the transition from 29 to 30. And then he says "yet there was time to wish" as if saying my younger years may be gone but I still have many years ahead of me.
I agree that this poem is about a man who is turning thirty. The diction used is hopeful, with the bright images of "trees flare", "the sun", "candles", and "momentary flash" used to exemplify the hopeful tone. In "The trees flare briefly", "flare" could mean that the beauty of nature intensifies to because he is old enough to appreciate it. The comparison to "the candles on a cake" emphasizes the years that he has lived and as his 29th year was quickly gone like "A momentary flash", the speaker appreciates life and realizes that even though time still goes on "As the sun went down the sky" marking an end to another day,"there was time to wish".
In this poem the speaker is relating the birthday candle to things outside. He describes the lit candles as, "the trees [that] flare," and describes blowing out the birthday candles as, "the sun [going] down the sky." I think that speaker chose to compare the birthday candles to these things to show how time passes, and it passes quickly like in a, "momentary flash."
I'm so glad to hear that Gabby Cudmore has returned to wbhs!!
ReplyDeleteThis poem is about a man's 30th birthday since he says "thirty today" and uses the trees as a metaphor for birthday candles. He says that there was "a momentary flash" as the sun set, also a metaphor for blowing out the candles. The speaker realizes that time goes by fast and 30 years have already passed him. "Yet there was time to wish" implies that he knows still has plenty of time ahead of him to live his life to the fullest while he still can.
When I first read this poem, I think I completely misinterpreted (sp fail) it. I thought it was about a man who was turning 30 and on his birthday he had a sort of near death experience where he "saw the light". I thought this because of the diction such as "flare" "sun" and the metaphor with the burning candles. Then when he says "a momentary flash yet there was time to wish" I thought maybe he was hoping for a miracle.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after reading Al's I agree more with him. Now I see that the flash probably means that his life has gone by so fast and the fact he still had time to wish shows that life goes on. There is no punctuation at the end of this sentence, which made me think the speaker is trying to say life goes on. The tone is hopeful I think because the speaker is trying to show that there is still more to his life, even though he is turning 30.
I agree with Alex and Katie that this poem is obviously about a man who is turning thirty. He says "I saw the trees flare briefly like the candles on a cake" which is using a simile to compare the trees to candles on a cake. Imagery such as "flare", "candles on a cake", "momentary flash", and "the sun went down the sky" leave mostly bright warm picture. When he says there was "a momentary flash" I feel like that's the moment where he accepts the transition from 29 to 30. And then he says "yet there was time to wish" as if saying my younger years may be gone but I still have many years ahead of me.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this poem is about a man who is turning thirty. The diction used is hopeful, with the bright images of "trees flare", "the sun", "candles", and "momentary flash" used to exemplify the hopeful tone. In "The trees flare briefly", "flare" could mean that the beauty of nature intensifies to because he is old enough to appreciate it. The comparison to "the candles on a cake" emphasizes the years that he has lived and as his 29th year was quickly gone like "A momentary flash", the speaker appreciates life and realizes that even though time still goes on "As the sun went down the sky" marking an end to another day,"there was time to wish".
ReplyDeleteIn this poem the speaker is relating the birthday candle to things outside. He describes the lit candles as, "the trees [that] flare," and describes blowing out the birthday candles as, "the sun [going] down the sky." I think that speaker chose to compare the birthday candles to these things to show how time passes, and it passes quickly like in a, "momentary flash."
ReplyDelete