Charles Martin’s “Taken Up” Essay

Charles Martins wreakn Up is a verse that could instance two possible scenarios. This verse form merchantman be interpreted as cover a group of mint postp peerlessment on, meeting, and leaving with extraterrestrial beings. It could as intumesce as be a mortalified settlement of aspen guides that argon a time lag the insolate on a egressflow day. It is scripted in free meter that does non ache a specific occur of syllables per line. The poem consists of seven terza rima rhyming poesy stanzas, which displays the authors control over the free verse form. These stanzas be constructed simply by utilize the rhyme scheme a a a, b b b, and so on. This poem is pen in the deuce-ace person narrative and describes the interaction between popu gird and aliens. It could also describe the sentiment of a colonisation of aspen trees hold on a spring morning. The poem uses descriptive words so that iodine may good construct a visual scene with their mind. The poem pr esents the use of literary devicesimagery, alliteration, metaphors, and incarnation are most common.The poem was written in 1978 by the Ameri croupe poet Charles Martin, and could perchance capture the ideals of the American prevalent glossiness at the time. The Ros easy incident of 1947 gave rise to a multitude of thoughts regarding the possibilities of extraterrestrials coming to earth. On the other hand, the poem could simply be close beauty and keep as chaffern in nature. The opening lines of the poem possibly garnish the extraterrestrial idea as well as a colony of aspen trees hold for the sunrise on a spring morning. It beginsTired of earth, they dwindled on their hill,Watching and waiting in the moon start off untilThe aspens cedes quite utterly grew still,If we seize the poet is referring to people in this poem, these lines would exposit a group of people dwindled, or sitting, on a hill reflection upward towards out(prenominal) office.Line terce, The asp ens commits quite suddenly grew still could possibly refer to the repose before something big happens. This type of allay can be compared to the repose a contestant on Who Wants to be a Million circulatee? receives before k promptlying if he/she decently answered the question. But if we were to assume that the poet is referring to a colony of aspen trees, then it could be read practically diametricly. Because trees lead sun agility to nonplus by photosynthesis, they capacity be personified in the perceive that they dwindle in the moonlight darn they are watching and waiting for the iniquity to be over and the sun to rise. The third line illustrates thecalmness of a spring morning. Aspen leaves by nature easily clear the slightest breeze so this illustrates a tiresome silence or calmness.The succeeding(prenominal) three lines continue to illustrate some(prenominal) ideas of extraterrestrials as well as the aspen tree colonyNo longer quaking as the disc descended,Tha t glowing cycle per second of lights whose coming endedAll waiting and watching. When it getThe offset printing line reinforces the idea of silence or calmness because the quaking refers to the leaves of an aspen tree quaking, or rocking, back and forth. The disc descended could refer to a flying saucer, which was an idea of the American popular culture of what an alien space subterfuge competency look want.It might also be the moon going refine in anticipation of the sun rising, which brings the intent bounteous rays of light. Line two might illustrate the coming of the sun, glowing wheel of lights, and the closure of night, whose coming ended. It could also be compared with a wheel of lights, or a UFO. The third line, All waiting and watching. When it landed could refer to people waiting and watching this UFO land. On the other hand, it could represent that this aspen colony is personified in the consciousness that it is waiting and watching for the rays of sunlight whe n it landed arrestn the possibility of bearing to the saplings in the colony.The third stanza erstwhile again carries dualism in its linesThe ones within it one by one came forth,Stalking out awkwardly upon the earth,And those who watched them were confirmed in faithThe initiative line could illustrate the extraterrestrials one by one getting off the UFO. The for the first time line is followed by a descriptive line as people see them as stalking out awkwardly because it would be awkward to see something unused from outer space that might mother been proportionally dissimilar to a human. This first encounter with extraterrestrials would cause these people to be confirmed in faith. Their beliefs have now been confirmed t here are extraterrestrials in the universe. The other take on these lines illustrates a view of saplings, which came forth, or sprouted one by one growing awkwardly upon the earth in all the different directions that branches grow. These new trees were growi ng and the rest colony was confirmed in faith by their offshoot. They were ensured that a new generation of feel was growing among the colony.In stanzas four and vanadium it seems as if the extraterrestrial idea is clear what the poet is referring to, but it could very well be another reference to the aspen tree colony. genius must return abstractly to kink out dual meanings in the spare-time activity linesMysterious voyagers from outer space,Attenuated, well-heeledshreds of laceSpun into seeds of the sunflowers rotate lookLight was their run-in, spanning mind to mindWe come here not believe what we find quite a little it be your desire to leave potThe bass voyagers are extraterrestrials from outer space who are attenuated, or made slim, but have a huge face like that of a sunflowers spinning face. These lines help to keystone a picture of what an extraterrestrial might look like. At the time, in American popular culture the thinning or attenuated physique of the alie n with a huge sunflower like face was comm nevertheless used as the token for extraterrestrials. The golden may be descriptive of a really bright light that one may associate with extraterrestrials. wherefore in the next line the extraterrestrials speech was light, or low tone, which may quiet that no harm would come to those encountering this.The next two lines of the fifth stanza are written so that one may think an alien was talking about purpose people whom they are not believing would want to desire to leave behind the earth. Or, it could be that the mysterious voyagers are the rays of light beaming on the earth from outer space where the sun is. The goldenshreds of lace is descriptive of the golden rays of life giving light that the sun produces. The rays are golden in color and as delightful as lace. The rays of light allow the seeds to grow into the saplings of the aspen colony. The suns light that was spanning from mind to mind could illustrate personification in that the light was spanning from sapling to sapling, or seed to seed, giving separately the undeniable fuel for growth. The last two lines are lines of questioning. Do the saplings really want to leave behind the earth from where they began?The next stanza again questions both the colony of aspens as well as the people desiring to leave with the extraterrestrialsThe earth, which those called angels bless,Exchaning premium for void?And in a individual(a) voice they answered Yes,The line exchanging amplitude for vacancy could suggest the question of why would these mankind leave this earth full of everything they need for life for a life in the emptiness of outer space? Likewise, these lines could be asking a question to the aspen saplings. Do the saplings really want toleave the amplitude of the earthly body for the emptiness of the air above show?Both parties answered Yes states that the people want to leave earth as well as the saplings scatty to grow from the earth and in a se nse leave it as well. It is almost as sustenance is being interpreted from both people and the colony. People do not get through well for long in an environment without oxygen, such(prenominal) as outer space. Likewise, aspen trees only live for a dead amount of time above ground (40-150 years) while there root formation in the earth can survive for far longer (up to 80,000 years). (Wikipedia)The final stanza of this poem finishes off the dualism seen throughout the poem disagree of human melodies all blentTo the unearthly wring of their assent.Come then, the Strangers said, and those that were taken, went.The first line refers to a discord, or disagreement among human beings whether or not to make the conclusion to take the assent into space. The extraterrestrials tell those who judge to go to come then and those who did not disagree with them went. On the other hand, the saplings are in strain of their assent meaning that sedateness is working against the samplings that ar e stalking out awkwardly causing strain on their assent higher and higher into the emptiness of the air. The saplings want to continue this growth and the strangers can be compared to the sunlight that allow for growth to happen. The strangers supplied the saplings with the sunlight needed to be taken into the air.This poem can definitely been seen as a parallel between a human existence, and a non-human existence such as an aspen colony. How would a sapling or tree contradict to the sun flooding its life giving rays of light upon the earth each day? How would a person react to a UFO filled with extraterrestrials wanting to take you take you with them to outer space? Are such reactions natural on both parts? Does a sapling finalise whether to become a tree and leave the ground from which it was once buried and only a seed?Likewise, does the human decide whether to leave its earthly home in search of the exploration of extraterrestrial life? These questions cannot be answered by th e poem, but they do give rise to the idea of decision making. Sometimes inlife you are presented with issues that require decisions, and sometimes the decisions have already been made for you. The important thing is that once a decision is made, whether by you, or someone else, that you represent your decision personally, and try from it if the results do not turn out the way you expected.ReferencesMason, David. Western Wind. New York Mcgraw-Hill, 2006.Wikipedia. Wikipedia, the detached Encyclopedia. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen Retrieved on 10-07-2007. Last modified 10-04-2007.