The figurative language here ( ‘A tree my baby brothers could lean on’ and ‘the raft that helps carry them over this life’s rough rivers’) Tells me that the writer of this poem is needed to be a ‘breadwinner’ for the family. This can be enforced by the fact that the poem states the family only consists of ‘Mom and us kids’, The author is now tasked with duties such as caring for his baby brothers once his mother is no longer able to. Families without 2 parental figures is normally very straining to the kids and the single parent, only the strongest can withstand the onslaught of caring for kids. Thus letting me know that the meaning of this poem is that family needs to be there for each other because no one else would.
The main topic of both poems written by Denise Levertov is war, however said theme is portrayed in a unique way.
In 'Life At War', Levertov depicts war as the most terrible event to ever take place. Her choice of wording the poem really creates an impact, the poem begins with 'disasters numb within us' implying she feels powerless and a slave to situation, throughout the poem she uses glum phrases such as 'lumps of raw daugh' and 'formless lumps'.
However in 'Overheard Over S.E Asia' the tone of the poem is bright and the situation is portrayed in a lighter manner. She uses phrases such as 'rich seas', 'bamboo thickets' and 'whisper of sequins' all of these awake feelings of peace with the word.
Hope this helps!
Answer:
This is an example of pathos! Pathos is a rhetorical device which appeals to the emotions. By having the audience imagine a sad scenario such as this one, the author is employing pathos.
