Analysis of Sharon Olds, "Leningrad Cemetery, Winter of 1941".
In the poem, "Leningrad Cemetery, Winter of 1941," Sharon Olds describes a cemetery during World War II. The 900-day siege on Leningrad began in September of 1941 and there were countless casualties to be buried during that winter. During the winter the ground freezes and makes it next to impossible to dig the graves.
The winter of 1941 is described as, "that winter the dead could not be buried." The ground is too hard to dig and the gravediggers are over tired and over worked. The war has killed so many people that the gravediggers are too weak to dig and they are also very hungry because food is scarce during war.
The poem is vividly describing how horrible war can be. The language used in the poem is strong and descriptive. The corpses are .
described as being transported by children's sleds. This description shows how all innocence during wartime is lost. The sadness that this inflicts on the children will never go away, their innocence is lost forever.
The poem describes corpses wanting to be brought back alive. "A hand reaching out with no sign of peace." That line purely shows how these soldiers were not ready to die; they still had their lives to live. Our sadness as witnesses to the war is nothing compared to the sadness of the dead who cannot witness anything.
This poem symbolizes an important time in history. At the same time this poem can be used to describe the horror of all war. The war in Leningrad was a horr.
ible time and many lives were lost. Sharon Olds is trying to show us just how horrible war can be.
Operation Barbarossa was to begin in May, 1941. ... The largest military campaign in history finally began on June 21, 1941 at 3:15 A.M. ... On August 19, 1941 German troops surrounded Leningrad and by September 8th the German army had cut Leningrad off from the rest of Russia. ... Hitler decided to lay siege to Leningrad rather than taking it over. ... Hitler stopped operations for the winter. ...
Operation Barbarossa was to begin in May 1941. ... The largest military campaign in history finally began on June 21, 1941 at 3:15 A.M. ... On August 19, 1941 German troops surrounded Leningrad and by September 8th the German army had cut off Leningrad from the rest of Russia. ... Hitler decided to lay siege to Leningrad rather than taking it over. ... Hitler stopped operations for the winter. ...
This statement holds true, and is represented in Sharon Olds poem titled "Sex Without Love." ... Sharon Olds accomplishes this through her use of various poetic techniques which stimulate vivid images in the reader. ... Perhaps Sharon Olds had sexual experiences that were emotionally scarring. ... Sharon Olds continues by comparing them to "great runners," who very much like the ice skaters are somewhat detached from their sport. ... As the poem comes to an end, Sharon Olds reinforces the lack of partnership in this act of lust as she states, "the single body alone." ...
By 1941 Germany had already successfully invaded France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Holland and Poland and was engaged with British forces in North Africa. ... Just like Napoleon in 1812, Hitler's troops were confronted with the coldest winter in Russia for 50 years. ... And with the record winter that year, his men froze. ... Leningrad, one of the Germans main objectives came under siege in early September 1941. ... The supply runs, however relied on favorable weather and as the deadly winter set in they became fewer. ...
Napoleon's invasion to Russia took place in June 1812 and Hitler's invasion to Russia June 22, 1941 they both occurred during the early summer, Napoleon and Hitler's target was to capture Moscow. They both expected a quick victory so they did not prepare them selves for the harsh Russian winter. ... In September 8 Germans had surrounded Leningrad. Seeing that Leningrad would not surrender Hitler went to Moscow the capital of the Soviet Union, Hitler entered Moscow on October 2, 1941by December Germans had advanced to the border of Moscow. Soviet General Georgi Zhukov counteratt...
On the 22nd of June 1941 Germany invaded Russia, an invasion named: Operation Barbarossa. ... The Germans had lots of victories they seized three million of Soviet troops by the end of 1941 but as the Soviets retreated they 'scorched the earth' burning everything that could be useful resources for the Germans. ... This tactic refers back to Hitler's poor planning by splitting up his groups yet again giving the Germans a disadvantage yet to an extend this plan did work as the Army Group South did manage to get all the way to Leningrad. ... After Stalingrad the Red Army took o...
The birthday party for a seven-year-old boy, of course. While a child's birthday party might seem like an unlikely place to examine such dark notions, Sharon Olds, free verse poem, "Rites of Passage" does so in a powerful and unique way. ... One says to another How old are you? ... Because the stark and serious mood remains, even when the mother's attention turns to her own son, the poem becomes powerfully inconsonant in a way that is much more visceral and vivid than had Sharon Olds adopted a more connected tone. ... We could easily kill a two-year-old, he says in his...
In the poem "Sex without Love" by Sharon Olds, the speaker is confused about how people can engage in the act of intercourse without love. ... Olds compares the purist, to athletes who train their entire life to obtain that personal record or perfect orgasm. ... Olds isn't quite sure any human being can ever be satisfied with their best time (orgasm). ... Olds wants the reader to question his or her own view on love and how it ties the universe together. ... And Olds is hoping "love" is the best possible time....
The poem "Sex without Love" expresses Sharon Olds" personal thoughts and emotions about people who engage in sexual acts without being in love. ... Sharon Olds uses the repetition of words "come to the" (Line 8-9) to simulate an orgasm. ... It is another way Olds proves there are no emotions involved. In a short poem Sharon Olds makes it clear that she feels love should have everything to do with it. ... After a short analysis of the poem her images and word choice paint a clear picture of the point she wanted to get across. ...
