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After the Flood is a well written poem about an individual looking down on the damage caused by a flood.

The observer takes a walk past the river and discovers its natural beauty as well as its incredible force to destroy. The poems main interesting aspects are the portrayal of the observer by the content of the poem, the role of the river in the poem and finally the mix of feelings which the poem arouses through its use of literary devices. The first significant thing which makes this poem good is the way in which the read can learn about protagonist of this poem. Firstly one can learn that the observer in the poem is bright. The observers analysis of the water level and the cause of its high level demonstrate that he can analyze and synthesize information. His intelligence is also connected to the location of the action in the poem. I walked to the Jersey side suggests that the observer is from Jersey which is on the East coast of the USA, a region associated with top schooling and stereotypically great universities like Harvard or Yale. . . .. The next impression which the reader gets is that the observer is very familiar with the area. There is an impression of warmth and security from the observer. This is achieved through his stories I remembered how and Two days before which illustrate that the observer has a long history with Jersey. The impression of warmth is also achieved by the choice of the word familiar which has the liquids l and r which create a flowing and mellifluous effect. Continuing, the reader gets an impression that the observer likes to compare the present with the past. This is visible in the poem when the observer states More quiet the swollen water seemed than I had expected and Now it seamed noisy again. These two quotes demonstrate that the river was quiet when the flood came but now, in the present, became loud again. The observer also makes the link between the past and the present by the use of imagery. When he talks about the flood he says swollen when he addresses the period after the flood he refers to a sea-gull. Through this use of symbolism he demonstrates that the flooded river was slow and large while the normal river is loud, rapid and alive just like the sea-gull. The second concept of interest is the significance of the river and its ability to tie the poem together. The title, being the first thing read, is an outline of the poem. It tells the reader the poem is about the time After The Flood. This title already ties the entire poem together and forces the reader to unconsciously search for presence of water in the poem. Afterwards the first stanza talks about the past. It mentions It had not been a bad rise, such as many remember. This intelligent leap back to the past allows the story to flow smoothly from past to present and, as later seen, back to the past to complete

the cycle. In the next part the observer is still in the past and analyses the sounds and visuals of the flood. The reader gets a suggestion that the past is quite unclear through statements like I felt I must surely remember and Exoticlooking. The past being distant and unclear is understandable and adds to the linkage of the poem. First the unclear past then following the clear and well remembered present followed by the unknown past. Following the past and the memories of the observer the reader is taken into the present. The observer suddenly sees and hears everything clearly. Now it seems noisy again and sea-gull creaking act on the readers senses and help them imagine the area. The final part of the poem, coming back to the past, asks the question What sort of drunken creature had passed there? This one, simple question gets the reader imagining all sort of things but as there is no answer to this rhetorical question the past of the drunken creature by the river side remains unclear. The last topic of interest making this poem a great piece of writing is the feelings it arouses through its literary devices as well as its story. Firstly the poem uses informal register. The poem is a grouping of feelings of a person who watched a flood in their area. This allows the author to portray a true image not covered up by the formality of a situation. The poem is divided into three basic parts. The past, present and again the past. These three parts are not only reflected in the tenses used by also the feelings that they arouse. The first past part makes the reader feel freshness and security. The morning it was over, the first words of the first stanza, already suggest a new beginning of some sort. Also the imagery of growth and youth adds to the fresh feeling. Two feet higher can be seen as a symbol of growth and a new beginning. The security in the first part of the poem is illustrated, as stated before, through the use of the word familiar. The second present part of the poem makes the reader feel scared. I personally believe that the observer is afraid of the changes after the flood. This is visible in other sounds coming over it and disappointed myself which suggest new, unfamiliar things as well as disappointment in the changes. The final past part of the poem makes the reader feel connected to the beginning of the poem, making it a complete package. The last line of the last stanza keeps the reader hanging, waiting for an answer, but somehow makes me feel secure because the drunken man is a completely different story, of no

interest to me as it is not related to what I have just read. Concluding this poem is a good piece of writing with three fascinating elements. The poem is divided into three distinct parts which all evoke different feelings with their different word choice, aural techniques and literary devices. The poem creates a fascinating image of the observer, it uses the river to tie the whole story in and finally evokes feelings which guarantee that the reader will remember the poem as a good one.

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