<span>The overall tone of the poem is melancholy. Tennyson
conveyed this tone by using descriptive words which depict the downcast background
and lonely situation of the characters. He
was able to dramatize every aspect of the poem by using symbols to express its mood. Despite the Lady of Shalott's acceptance of being a prisoner in her own kingdom, she managed to be patient because of her desire to finish her woven piece to show her devotion to her loved one.</span>
in Joy Harjo's "New Orleans", the line "beaten silver paths" refers to the streets of such city. She remembers of certain Spanish conqueror, De Soto,who came to this lands searching for, and constantly states that he wouldn't find it here. Maybe is a mock to that fact.
The "silver blades and crosses" refers to the sword and crucifix of the conqueror, who drawn in the Mississippi river which dreamt of those items. Maybe this means that the streets of New Orleans were made of the things and dreams of the many conquerors who came to that land in search for gold and failed.
