Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Dalliance of the Eagles
In The Dalliance of the Eagles a man walks down a river road and sits down to take a rest. He then observes two Eagles as they intertwine in each other’s claws and then began to fall and let go of one another. What the man has seen are two Eagles which are mating. He has such an incredible imagination that every detail of the two eagles is brought out, which is why I like this piece of poetry so much. The first thing I noticed was the Imagery in the poem; he does such a great job of setting a picture in the readers mind. The description I like best is when the author says “The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel, Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling, in tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling”. Right away my mind begins to race as it sets an image of two eagles interlocked in one another’s claws diving towards a river. Whitman then ends the observation as he describes the air being “motionless” and then the Eagles fly “upwards again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight”. The description of the air being motionless adds that special touch to the image in my opinion.
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This was a very interesting poem to analyze. I could only imagine what it would be like to witness two eagles performing this spectacular air show. I also like how the author of this poem is just watching these eagles mate and describing the beauty in it. You are right the imagery of this piece makes it as though the reader is right there watching this happen. The most beautiful thing about it is that once the eagles perform this mating ritual they are officially mates for life. I can also see why eagles are the nation's symbol, everything about them is so majestic!
ReplyDeleteI believe Mr. Foster put into words what we were all thinking when we were reading “The Dalliance of the Eagles”. This was a very descriptive blog with details and vivid explanations. He puts himself out there in front of the whole class by stating what he likes and why he likes it when he says “Right away my mind begins to race as it sets and image of two eagles interlocked…”. Very brave of Mr. Foster. He included a steady diet of facts and opinions to make it interesting while still holding his validity.
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