Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Free Essays on Ode On A Grecian Urn

Ode on a Grecian Urn Summary In the first stanza, the speaker, standing before an ancient Grecian urn, addresses the urn, preoccupied with its depiction of pictures frozen in time. It is the "still unravish'd bride of quietness," the "foster-child of silence and slow time." He also describes the urn as a "historian," which can tell a story. He wonders about the figures on the side of the urn, and asks what legend they depict, and where they are from. He looks at a picture that seems to depict a group of men pursuing a group of women, and wonders what their story could be: "What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? / What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?" In the second stanza, the speaker looks at another picture on the urn, this time of a young man playing a pipe, lying with his lover beneath a glade of trees. The speaker says that the piper's "unheard" melody's are sweeter than mortal melodies, because they are unaffected by time. He tells the youth that, though he can never kiss his lover because he is frozen in time, he should not grieve, because her beauty will never fade. In the third stanza, he looks at the trees surrounding the lovers, and feels happy that they will never shed their leaves; he is happy for the piper because his songs will be "for ever new," and happy that the love of the boy and the girl will last forever, unlike mortal love, which lapses into "breathing human passion," and eventually vanishes, leaving behind only a "burning forehead, and a parching tongue." In the fourth stanza, the speaker examines another picture on the urn, this one of a group of villagers leading a heifer to be sacrificed. He wonders where they are going ("To what green altar, O mysterious priest..."), and where they have come from. He imagines their little town, empty of all its citizens, and tells it that its streets will "for evermore" be silent, for those who have left it, fro... Free Essays on Ode On A Grecian Urn Free Essays on Ode On A Grecian Urn Ode on a Grecian Urn Summary In the first stanza, the speaker, standing before an ancient Grecian urn, addresses the urn, preoccupied with its depiction of pictures frozen in time. It is the "still unravish'd bride of quietness," the "foster-child of silence and slow time." He also describes the urn as a "historian," which can tell a story. He wonders about the figures on the side of the urn, and asks what legend they depict, and where they are from. He looks at a picture that seems to depict a group of men pursuing a group of women, and wonders what their story could be: "What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? / What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?" In the second stanza, the speaker looks at another picture on the urn, this time of a young man playing a pipe, lying with his lover beneath a glade of trees. The speaker says that the piper's "unheard" melody's are sweeter than mortal melodies, because they are unaffected by time. He tells the youth that, though he can never kiss his lover because he is frozen in time, he should not grieve, because her beauty will never fade. In the third stanza, he looks at the trees surrounding the lovers, and feels happy that they will never shed their leaves; he is happy for the piper because his songs will be "for ever new," and happy that the love of the boy and the girl will last forever, unlike mortal love, which lapses into "breathing human passion," and eventually vanishes, leaving behind only a "burning forehead, and a parching tongue." In the fourth stanza, the speaker examines another picture on the urn, this one of a group of villagers leading a heifer to be sacrificed. He wonders where they are going ("To what green altar, O mysterious priest..."), and where they have come from. He imagines their little town, empty of all its citizens, and tells it that its streets will "for evermore" be silent, for those who have left it, fro...

Monday, March 2, 2020

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me

9 Tips from Writing a Query a Day How Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, and a Writer Inspired Me As a freelance writer, I dislike when editors don’t respond to a query. That frustration hampers my marketing, deterring me from sending queries to major markets very often. My list of feature article ideas sat unused for a long time, longing for homes. Until now. Last month I stumbled onto a writer’s blog about making querying a numbers game where they suggested a class entitled â€Å"30 Queries in 30 Days.† That same day I read Jerry Seinfeld’s approach to productivity: Mark an x on the calendar every day you’ve finished your task, and never break the chain. (SEE: Mridu Khullar Relph mridukhullar.com/ecourse-30-days-30-queries ) Soon I was cranking up Fleetwood Mac’s song â€Å"The Chain† and establishing my calendar. As the band echoed â€Å"You must never break the chain,† I looked at February. Can I write 28 queries or submissions in 28 days? Did I need a class or should I just buckle down? I chose the latter. Here’s what I learned from writing a query a day for a month: Ideas breed more ideas. Ever just brainstormed? The same creativity applies with queries. I started February with a list of 28 ideas, but ended with 40. As I would work with one query, I would think of another idea. Build it, and they will come. Surprise! I heard back from some national markets. If they said no, they said why. They consider professional queries. I have a journalism degree, worked at a CBS affiliate in college, and wrote for a federal agency’s press office for a decade. As a freelancer, I’ve had articles and essays published in locals, regionals, trades, anthologies. With clips and a website, you build infrastructure - voila, your last paragraph of a good query. He’s just not that into you. When the editors don’t respond? Face the fact your idea is not for them. They know their readers better. Or they’ve run something similar. Follow-up, then target the next market and revise. Your email works! Whenever I didn’t get an answer from a sporadic query, I wondered if my email was working or was considered spam on the other end. However, once I regularly sent queries daily, using the premise it’s a numbers game, I got more responses. (Though most haven’t responded yet.) The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. Because you’re rushing to tailor a query Your paid subscriptions to freelance newsletters are worth it. I checked MediaBistro, TOTAL FFW, ASJA, and Freelance Success archives. Checked Writer’s Digest/Writer’s Market and the magazines masthead to get a editorial contact or email formula. A little help from your friends. When I emailed a writer-friend because she had written for a magazine I was querying, she warned me of issues there. Be helpful with other writers, and they’ll reciprocate. You’ll experience â€Å"rejectance.† Another writer-friend coined this term about acceptance in a rejection. Some editors asked for more ideas from me. Another editor gave me the lowdown on recent changes there. Some explained exactly why they couldn’t use it. Helpful rejections = rejectance! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I heard some no’s. I was also asked to give away an article for free (no). When a door is closed, open a window; re-work it for another market. A February rejection is a March submission; think follow-up opportunities. While I wish I could say I have 28 yesses in my inbox, I cannot. But as I await answers, I’ve beaten procrastination, released ideas, gained editorial contacts, generated leads, and felt productive marking an x on each day of my calendar. â€Å"Never break the chain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or yada yada yada. Thanks, Jerry.