Birds have the freedom to go wherever they please, flying majestically through the air. Yet, they always find their way back to the vicinity of humans. Birds have a unique way of communicating to humans, whether it is by singing their beautiful songs or asking to be fed by the park. The poems, “Some Herons” by Mary Oliver and “The Oven Bird” by Robert Frost, exemplify the differing relationships between the speaker of the poem and the bird(s) in the poem. The seasons, specifically summer, play a crucial role in the development of each poem, as the setting of both poems is in the summer. “Some Herons” directly states: “It was summer” (Oliver 24) and further specifies the setting by saying, “It was only a few moments past the sun’s rising,…show more content… There is a sense of community in “Some Herons,” as the speaker of the poem and the heron “greeted each other, / rumpling their gowns, for an instant, / and then smoothing them” (Oliver 28-30). As the speaker and the heron enter the water, two more herons join them, and this community fishes together. The atmosphere created by the speaker and the herons is one of serenity and tranquility. Unlike the multiple birds found in “Some Herons,” “The Oven Bird” has only one bird, creating a sense of isolation from the speaker of the poem. The bird and the speaker both have worries and fears. Sitting on a tree during mid-summer, the bird sorrowfully sings about the passing of summer and coming of winter. In the same tone, the speaker expresses his worries and fears, as he asks: “The question that he frames in all but words / Is what to make of a diminished thing” (Frost 14). The speaker understands that life is short and ponders on what to make of the time he has left. The isolation of the speaker and the bird in “The Oven Bird” creates a dark and unpleasant environment, while the community found amongst the speaker and multiple birds in “Some Herons” creates that of…show more content… There is no particular form in “Some Herons,” but the shape can be interpreted as what happens when something splashes against the water. “The Oven Bird” is a sonnet with a rhyme scheme of a/a/b/c/b/d/c/d/e/e/f/g/f/g. The purpose of a sonnet is to solve a problem; the speaker’s problem is the lack of time. Although he does not have a precise answer, the speaker addresses the problem and ponders about his short, upcoming future. In terms of poetic elements, both poems share two specific poetic elements: personification and imagery. “Some Herons” personifies nature, such as the birds and the water, as the water is “touched by the wind” (Oliver 12). Personification allows nature to become alive, adding a peaceful effect to the poem. In “The Oven Bird,” the bird is given feelings and has the ability to talk. Imagery is used in both poems to describe nature and the changing of the seasons. “Some Herons” portrays the detailed rippling of the water and the harmonious interaction between the speaker and the bird, while “The Oven Bird” depicts the falling of leaves, indicating the change of fall to winter. The imagery helps the readers better understand the purpose of each poem by creating vivid images in the reader’s
