Stanza and Imagery in Immortality

 Arya Pratama Rezanova

11619080

4SA01

“Immortality” by Clare Harner (1934)

Do not stand

By my grave, and weep.

I am not there,

I do not sleep—

I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.

Do not stand

By my grave, and cry—

I am not there,

I did not die.

Stanza & Imagery  analysis of the poem:

1. Stanza:

Stanza is a division of the poem grouped together and set apart from other stanzas in the poem either by a double space or by different indentation. In this poem, the writer used 4 sets of quatrain for the poem.

1. 
   

Do not stand (A)

By my grave, and weep. (B)

I am not there, (C)

I do not sleep— (A)

2. 
   

I am the thousand winds that blow (A)

I am the diamond glints in snow (A)

I am the sunlight on ripened grain, (B)

I am the gentle, autumn rain. (B)

3. 
   

As you awake with morning’s hush, (A)

I am the swift, up-flinging rush (A)

Of quiet birds in circling flight, (B)

I am the day transcending night. (B)

4. 
   

Do not stand (A)

By my grave, and cry— (B)

I am not there, (C)

I did not die. (A)

B. Imagery

Imagery is a literary device used in poetry, novels, and other writing that uses vivid description that appeals to a readers’ senses to create an image or idea in their head. Through language, imagery does not only paint a picture, but aims to portray the sensational and emotional experience within text.

1. Visual Imagery

Visual Imagery is when the writer intends the reader to imagine what something the author sees. Whether it is a shape, color, size, pattern, brightness, etc. In this poem there are a few examples of how the author implemented visual imagery into the poem.

• 
  

“I am the diamond glints in snow”

This line here shows that the writer wants the reader to imagine what a diamond glint in the snow to look like.

• 
  

“I am the sunlight on ripened grain,”

This line here shows that the writer wants the reader to imagine how a sunlight on the grains looks like.

• 
  

“I am the gentle, autumn rain.”

This line here shows that the writer wants the reader to imagine how the rain would look like in autumn, and how it is a gentle rain.

2. Auditory Imagery

Auditory Imagery is when a writer of a poem wants the reader to be included in hearing what the writer wants them to hear. This includes all sounds or even silence.

• 
  

“Of quiet birds in circling flight,”

This line here we can see the writer describe the sound of birds that's quietly flying.

Pengkajian Puisi

Arya Pratama Rezanova

11619080

4SA01

“Immortality” by Clare Harner (1934)

Do not stand

By my grave, and weep.

I am not there,

I do not sleep—

I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.

Do not stand

By my grave, and cry—

I am not there,

I did not die.

Figurative Language analysis of the poem:

1. Metaphor

A metaphor is a comparison between 2 things that has no correlation without a conjunction

This poem uses metaphor because the author compared themselves when they pass away with things that has no correlation, for example:

“I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.”

Here, they compare themself with the wind, snow, sunshine and rain. Things that don't have a correlation with a human form. 

2. Anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of words or phrases in a poem to create an artistic effect or to emphasize certain words/phrases.

In this poem, it can clearly be seen that anaphora is used from top to bottom. The words “I am” and “I am the” to emphasize that when they’ve passed away, they haven’t gone away forever.

3. Paradox

A paradox is a contradiction that resolves to reveal a deeper meaning behind a contradiction.

In this poem, we can see the author use contradiction in here:

“By my grave, and cry—

I am not there,

I did not die.”

The contradiction here is that the author said “by my grave”. You’d usually think that if someone is in a grave they’re dead, but the author said they didn’t. 

The paradox we can understand if you read the entire poem. As you can see from the poem title what the author truly means is that; even if they did die they will always exist in one way or another, as well in the lines: 

“I am the thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle, autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush,

I am the swift, up-flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight,

I am the day transcending night.”

They say that they exist in the world around them even after they died. Meaning that in some way, they didn't completely die.