Blog 3 (Tone & Symbolism)

Sappho was an ancient greek poetess, born on the island of Lesbos. She was born between 630 and 612 BC, and died around 570 BC. She was exiled from the island of Lesbos to Sicily between 604 and 694 BC. Her name is the origin of the name sapphic which was applied to female homosexuality beginning in the 19th century. The reason why i chose this poem is because this poem was written a very long time ago and the fact that she was a lesbian poet caught my attention.

My definition of tone is the way you say something. If someone is speaking in an argumentative tone, that means their angry or looking for an argument. Tone can have a certain pitch or level to figure out how the person is feeling. When there is a specific type of tone you can feel it. Even through reading. In this poem the tone is very happy and delightful. The poet feels satisfied that she has that person in her life.

With symbolism you can refer to objects, people, or places to represent something else. It can be something that represents itself but means something else. In this poem she says "paler I turn than grass is." Sappho uses the pale color of grass to explain how she physically feels.

In conclusion I think Sappho is explaining in her poem is that you can be a very happy person when you have that special someone in your life. Sometimes you might feel empty when the person is not there or you cannot seem to find them. Sappho, to me, is describing a type of relationship. And when this relationship ends, she feels as if the world has come to an end. The person she is with is like a god in her eyes. In the third stanza she says "underneath my skin the tenuous flame suffuses." I think that line means that the flame is spreading and taking over her body. She can no longer hold it off. To me Sappho is portraying a relationship that goes from good to bad very quickly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:tone&ei=onCnS52BIYrWM7nfoYwI&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAgQkAE
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3Asymbolism