StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Dressage by Loma Crozier - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In Lorna Crozier’s “Dressage,” the poet skillfully uses variation in tone to heighten the effect of the poem on the reader. At the start of the poem, Crozier adopts the matter-of-fact tone of a story teller: “After years in the ring / the white stallion / was put out to pasture with the mares” (1-3). …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.4% of users find it useful
Dressage by Loma Crozier
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Dressage by Loma Crozier"

Download file to see previous pages

As she goes on to bring the old trainer into the picture, the tone changes into one of nostalgia for the past. Crozier now voices her compassion for the frailty of old age: the old man, “tugged from sleep / by his own marrow aching, limped to the meadow” (9-10), in search of comfort. The poet then assumes a tone which evokes intimacy, and togetherness: the man and the mares stand “almost touching” (Crozier, 25). Crozier then ends on a note of exhilaration, as the reader watches “the stallion in his beauty / slowly dance” (30-31).

The overall tone evokes an emotional response of tenderness from the reader.Crozier effectively highlights the similarities between the stallion and the old trainer. Obviously, there is the similarity of gender: man and stallion. The stallion is old, with his “knees and forelock stiff” (Crozier, 5). The man, sharing the stallion’s physical infirmities, “limped to the meadow” (Crozier, 10). The poet emphasizes that the ravages of old age have deeply penetrated the physique of both the horse and the man.

Man and animal are old ‘to the bone.’ In the case of the stallion, “what was light in his bones turned to clay” (Crozier, 7). Likewise, the man is kept awake by “his own / marrow aching” (Crozier, 9-10). The stallion and his trainer face old age together. The man and the horse are inextricably linked by the years of ‘dressage’ which they have shared. The stallion’s dance is but the expression of his trainer’s emotion: “Something seemed to grow from his longing” (Crozier, 19). . The old trainer seeks comfort from the presence of the horses: the image of “balm lapping over him / a warm and healing stream” (Crozier, 13-14) metaphorically evokes the picture of a soothing ointment, or the flow of warm water, healing a wound.

Here, it is the internal wounds of the man’s psyche which are being healed by the presence of his beloved horses. Again, Crozier uses the simile “graceful as wind smoothing / the blue of flax or a woman’s fine hair” (17-18) to convey the beauty of the stallion’s dance. The reader is reminded that ‘dressage’ resembles ballet in the grace of its movements. The poet uses literal and figurative imagery to paint pictures in the reader’s imagination. “Dressage” is written in free verse.

Its open form does not conform to any traditional structure. The lines and stanzas vary in length and meter. The first two stanzas comprise of seven lines each. The stanzas demonstrate a solidity, which organizes the narrative content of the poem’s beginning and are suited to the story-telling tone. The lines are more or less similar in length. The only line which is obviously short is “the white stallion” (Crozier, 2). This makes the line stand out by itself, and makes the subject of the poem prominent.

It emphasizes the importance of the horse. The last two stanzas differ, having four and eight lines respectively. Here again, the single-word line, “watched” (Crozier, 29), makes for emphasis, and makes the reader aware of being a spectator at the dance. The third stanza comprises of five lines. This stanza links the first and second halves of the poem, and plays the role

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Dressage by Loma Crozier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1445025-dressage-byloma-crozier
(Dressage by Loma Crozier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1445025-dressage-byloma-crozier.
“Dressage by Loma Crozier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1445025-dressage-byloma-crozier.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Dressage by Loma Crozier

Analysis of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

The author answers the questions concerning Cold Mountain novel by Charles Frazier.... The author describes Inman's thoughts of war and explains why Frazier has Inman's anti-war sentiments oppose to Mrs.... McKennet's view.... The author also describes why Frazier has Inman read Bartram's Travels....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

Disruptive Behavior of a Child with Autism by Shannon Crozier

The article “Disruptive Behavior of a Child with Autism" by Shannon crozier” discusses and goes into great detail about the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of using social stories as an intervention method for children with autism.... A Social Story is a simple, easy-to-follow story....
2 Pages (500 words) Article

The Holiness of Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama is one of the famous names of the world and well known political leader in Tibet who has strived to make Tibet a democratic and independent state from China.... He is a teacher or mentor of the Gelug School.... His name is the amalgamation of Mongolic word and here… So the full meaning stands ‘Ocean of Wisdom'....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

Ken Frazier Case Study

The most significant demonstration of Ken as an effective crisis leader occurs when he successfully defended the company against various lawsuits for alleged distribution of the drug Vioxx that caused a heart attack.... Despite being an attorney, his exceptional performance and… Basing the argument on the potential effect of such allegation to the companys future, a time curbing the spread of the claims was the most decisive action....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Dalai Lama Teachings

Buddhists have the same rights, whether believers or pagans, beggars, rich, poor, educated or uneducated.... The differences that come from people's secondary levels result… Yles indicates that Buddha Shakyamuni's whole life was full of motivation from sentimental human beings.... This meant that his concern was for everybody and not the Buddhists only. Yles comments that religious Dalai Lama indicates that religious followers do not practice Buddha teachings, prayers, and guidance....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

What Lead to Failure the Co-Branding Alliances

The choice of the paper “What Lead to Failure the Co-Branding Alliances” assumes significance considering the fact that organizations are largely resorting to co-branding strategies so as to sustain the effects of competition and to ensure a sustainable and co-operative future for them....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Saint Rose of Lima

This essay discusses the story of St Rose of Lima.... St Rose is a reminder that material things are only temporary, but that the eternal work of saving souls is ultimately much more important.... The writer of this essay often thinks of her when there is too much temptation in the luxuries of our world....
2 Pages (500 words) Book Report/Review

Gandhi and Dalai Lama

This paper ''Gandhi and Dalai Lama'' tells that while Gandhi seems to have achieved success through non-violence in the political and social context, Dalai Lama is yet to achieve it.... nbsp;Yet there have been sizable examples, where application of nonviolence has brought favorable outcomes during fights for social justice....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us