The fisherman was very unhappy. "what an unlucky man i am to have freed you! i implore you to spare my life." "i have told you," said the genius, "that it is impossible. choose quickly; you are wasting time." the fisherman began to devise a plot. "since i must die," he said, "before i choose the manner of my death, i conjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase? " "yes, i was," answered the genius. "i really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "that vase could not contain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in? i cannot believe it unless i see you do the thing." –“the story of the fisherman,” andrew lang how does the fisherman’s motivation move the plot forward? the fisherman’s determination to outwit the genius results in the climax. the fisherman fears dying slowly and asks a question that results in rising action. the fisherman makes a poorly worded demand, which results in exposition. the fisherman’s anger at the situation leads him to be fearless, causing the climax.

“tell me o swan, your ancient tale” by kabir “the swan” by rilke “spanish dancer” by rilke “your laughter” by pablo neruda “birthplace” by shaffarzadeh “it’s this way” by nazim hikmet “counting small-boned bodies” by robert bly choose two poems that you would like to write about. analyze each poem. study the perspective, or point of view, of the speaker in each of the two poems that you select for this assignment. consider these questions: who is the speaker in each of these poems? what is the speaker’s tone? is there a conflict? is there a message? what does each of the poems have in common? what is different about each of the poems? which literary devices are used in the poems? are these literary devices found in both of the poems? what does the speaker hope to achieve in each of the poems? how are these achievements/goals been met? directions: using the two poems of your choosing, write a clear, concise, two hundred and fifty word essay that compares and contrasts the two poems. make sure you include at least two of the following to support your thesis: tone, point of view, literary devices, and meter.