Analysis of Saint Judas - 1594 Words

The analysis of James Wright’s Saint Judas Saint Judas was written by James Wright at the end of the 60s. Considering the format this poem can be regarded as a traditional Petrarchan sonnet with a rhyme of ababcdcdefgefg; however, the content of this poem and the way it was written is different. In this poem James Wright tried to mix the dramatic monologue with the Petrarchan sonnet, which is usually written in poet’s tone. Instead in this poem, the speaker is Judas: this enables the revealing of his thoughts and actions directly to the reader, so as to enhance his temperament and character. The first half of the sonnet starts with Judas’s intention to suicide:† When I went out to kill myself, I caught/ A pack of hoodlums beating†¦show more content†¦Readers are aware of this ambiguity. Here the heaviest flashback thoughts and the short-lasting issue set up a continuing contrast throughout the poem, which enchants its effect. Besides using certain rhythmic devices to create the fragrant timeli ne of the poem, James Wright also uses other rhythmic devices for different purposes. These details finally established a subtle rhyme scheme. For example, the only use of alliteration in the poem is third line’s â€Å"spare his suffering†, where the â€Å"suffering† seems to be really spared by its initial consonant sounds. In the thirteenth line, â€Å"flesh† and â€Å"flayed† connect the two sentences, enabling a much more smooth tone of the last sentence with a feeling of a tragedy ending. Some consonances are also interesting. Besides what have already been mentioned before, â€Å"victim beaten† in ninth line uses the â€Å"en† sound to imitate the stuffy voice of beating someone. Assonance is also used in the twelfth line â€Å" when I remembered bread my flesh had eaten†; â€Å" bread† here is used as a metaphor of Jesus, so along with this assonance, a relation ship between â€Å"bread† and â€Å"fleshâ €  is clearly shown. When talking about rhymes, what James Wright did also adds more subtlety to the poem. Usually in a sonnet a nice formatted rhyme is already enough; however, James Wright tried to add counterpoint relationship to end-rhymes, making the whole poem more complexShow MoreRelated An Analysis of Wright’s Poem Saint Judas Essay747 Words   |  3 PagesAn Analysis of Wright’s Poem Saint Judas      Ã‚  Ã‚   Upon reading the poem Saint Judas by James Wright, the reader quickly realizes that the poem deals with Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus twelve apostles.   The author describes Judas as going out to kill himself,(line 1) when he sees a man being beaten by a pack of hoodlums(2).   Judas quickly runs to help the man, forgetting how [his] day began(4).   He leaves his rope behind and, ignoring the soldiers around him, runs to help.   Finally, heRead MoreThe Nuns Priests Tale in the Canterbury Tales Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pagesfifty lines before returning to the plot, which only allows the reader time to remember that the drama taking place on the page is merely barnyard drama, and therefore no more dramatic than the ordinary. Combined with comparisons of a wild fox to Judas Iscariot and the person responsible for the sacking of Tory, the interjections only make the stylized action of the plot even more laughable. The random lengths of inordinate detail serve much this same purpose. At seemingly indiscriminate timesRead MoreMona Lisa and Last Supper3080 Words   |  13 Pagesreactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. From left to right: Bartholomew, James the Lesser and Andrew form a group of three, all are surprised. Andrew holds both of his hands up in a stop! gesture. Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form another group of three. Judas is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken back by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag of silver, given to him as payment to betray Jesus. Peter is holding a knife, which is pointed awayRead MoreCrucifixion And Resurrection At The Tomb And The Master Of Vyssi Brod s Crucifixion2306 Words   |  10 PagesCrucifixion and Resurrection Marys at the Tomb (Fig. 1) is the earliest to survive in an illuminated manuscript, and shows the Eastern form of the image at the time. There is a miniature of the Apostles choosing a new twelfth member (after the loss of Judas); this is not an event found in the Canonical Gospels (though it is mentioned in Chapter 1 of Acts) and is almost never seen in later art. The artist was trained in the classical illusionist tradition, and is a competent and practiced hand rather thanRead MoreThe Nature of Discipleship Essay example2397 Words   |  10 Pageshidden God can be seen in man and in the universe. Or, it can be the result [6] of systematized application and discipline on the part of the aspirant, producing a more rapid unfoldment of the power and life of the soul. In one analysis of discipleship, it has been defined as a psychic resolvent, which eats away all dross and leaves only the pure gold behind. It is a process of refining, of sublimation and of transmutation, carried steadily forward until at lengthRead MoreMarxism Within Blt5219 Words   |  21 PagesTheology of Liberation falls into a theological error when confessing that â€Å"(God) cannot be both for us and for the white oppressors at the same time.† If this is true than one may dare to say that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was not intended for Judas nor Pilot, two major characters in Christ’s life who stood against his ministry. â€Å"Black theology sees and experiences the spirit of freedom clearly on the side of the African American poor,†[15] adds Hopkins in light of Cone’s declarations. Read MoreCRM 1301 Midterm uOttawa Carolyn Gordon Essay10218 Words   |  41 Pages Torture people to get them to confess and name accomplices Confessional devices/Torture devices Inquisitional Chair: Made of iron, spikes to pierce the skin and would heat as well Iron Spider: Hung from ceiling Cat’s Paw: Scratch individual Judas’ Cradle: Hoisted above stool and released on it Strappado: Individual left to hand, dropped just of ground Heretic’s Fork: Sharp device around neck, pierce neck and chin The Rack: Body elongate The Headcrusher; Tighten head Witchcraft in context