Contrasting the Natural and Mechanical Worlds in Hathaways Oh, Oh Essa

Contrasting the Natural and Mechanical Worlds in Hathaways Oh, Oh The French poet and essayist Louis Aragon, in his Paris Peasant, wrote that dizzy is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error--we only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash (Aragon 18). Aragon storied that the populace is full of contrasts, and it is by means of those contrasts that we live and understand who we are and why we are here. Without an understanding of light, Aragon argues, we cannot understand what darkness really is. Or, without an awareness as to the fantasy of truth, one cannot possibly error, for the act cannot be defined. In William Hathaways poem Oh, Oh, the poet uses language, word choices, images, onamatopoeic descriptions, and even the title of the poem to define the intrusion of the mechanical harshness of the world into the carefree land of nature. The images, content, and focus of the poem change with the intrusion of the t rain. Before the protagonists girl notices the train, the two characters are concerned with the cows, grass, and simply ambling down a expanse lane. But, as soon as the train approaches, and as it passes, the characters are no longer concerned with nature. Rather, they suddenly begin dreaming of being president (11) and of wonderful, faraway places (14). This switch from the serenity of nature to the dreams of the world finally ends with the poems last line -- a punishment or at least a warning. The tranquil and self-possessed nature suddenly becomes filled with fifty Hells Angels (17). But, more than simply motorcycles waiting at a railroad crossing, Hathaway has personified the motorcycles creating the mechanical Hell... ...orld where two universes are defined through their contrast. Through his world choices, images, and even his title, we are transported to a picturesque country landscape with moo cows chomping daisies (2) and maple dappled summer sunlight (7). stand at a s tark contrast to this land is the lit headlight (8) of a passing train and growling ... Hells Angels (17). Hathaway, through his firm grip of language, has enter a poem that, through contrasts, gives us an understanding of both the natural and mechanical world in an attempt to show us how we can relish / eagerly to the road ahead (16-17). Works Cited Aragon, Louis. Paris Peasant. Oxford Oxford UP, 1926. Hathaway, William. Oh, Oh. The Bedford Introduction to Literature Leading, Thinking, and Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. 4th ed. Boston Bedford, 1996. 593-94.