They are just unlucky, do not have the qualities to turn things in their favor. When you put the two halves of the sentence back together, the question acquires a whole new meaning, something along the lines of, "You'd have to be crazy to choose the life of a turtle unless someone was forcing you to." ... the question acquires a whole new meaning, something along the lines of, "You'd have to be crazy to choose the life of a turtle unless someone was forcing you to." At this point, you may be wondering who is asking the peculiarly loaded question in the first line of the poem. It's more like one of those pseudo-questions that are actually assertions in disguise, a sneaky way to vent a strong opinion (for example, "You're not really going to wear that outfit, are you?"). Turtle.

Although she is more than direct with the description of the turtle’s obstacles and hard life, an allusion can be found in the poem after a close examination.

He Lit a Fire With Icicles. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Lines 3 and 4 seem to confirm the hint of danger we detected in line 2. As we continue to read we are introduced to the turtle and its life ( the misfortunes it is doomed to). by Kay Ryan. by Kay Ryan.

© 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet. Discover all poems by Kay Ryan. I don’t think you could possibly write if you felt adjusted to your surroundings.” Line 1. Who would be a turtle who could help it?

Who would be a turtle who could help it? Because she keeps a low profile, she has been called an ‘outsider’ poet, a term she dismisses. Home to Roost. Its applications are limitless, something we can see in Kay Ryan’s poem “Turtle” where she talks about an animal, a turtle, and how misfortunate its life seems to be. An extended metaphor, and numerous symbols in Kay Ryan's ?Turtle? Summarized in this way, the poem sounds pretty ho-hum, but that's because we're leaving out the good stuff: all of the nifty words and images and metaphors that make this poem come alive with frustration and humor and sorrow and wonder. But why?

illustrates a poignant and very personal theme, while a morbid metaphor tells a timeless tale in ?My Son My Executioner? The turtle is or can be viewed as an image of the nature, natural world.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Our wizard scenario involves a choice, but if a witch got mad at you and turned you into a turtle, you wouldn't have any say about the matter.

Kay Ryan, who was named the sixteenth poet laureate of the United States in July, lives in Fairfax, California, where for more than thirty years she has taught remedial English part-time at the College of Marin at Kentfield. After that testy first line, this line comes as something of a surprise. In fact, the question doesn't even seem like a real question anymore. But then there's the second half of the question: "[…] who could help it?" to something edible. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Born in California in 1945 and acknowledged as one of the most original voices in the contemporary landscape, Kay Ryan is the author of several books of poetry, including Flamingo Watching (2006), The Niagara River (2005), and Say Uncle (2000). What an odd question!

", Consider the first half: "Who would be a turtle […]?" Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. A reflection on trajectory of my relevant written work this term. No, the qualities of the turtle present an allusion, they rather describe nature itself. You only need a thimbleful of information to summarize what happens in "Turtle." For a hungry teenager, a hard roll is an appealing snack; for a hungry predator, a turtle is dinner. In "Turtle" by Kay Ryan, what is the central figure of speech? My first guess is metaphor because the poem is comparing a person to a turtle. Poem. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Its applications are limitless, something we can see in Kay Ryan’s poem “Turtle” where she talks about an animal, a turtle, and how misfortunate its life  seems to be. In these lines, the speaker refers to "she," so now we know the turtle is a female. The turtle's progress is cumbersome, as she struggles to find food, escape injury, and avoid predators. Next Lines 5-13. You only need a thimbleful of information to summarize what happens in "Turtle." In the real world, of course, humans don't spontaneously turn into animals, so the question must be posing a fanciful scenario. Turtle (from poetry 180) Kay Ryan.

Her track is graceless, like dragging A packing-case places, and almost any slope Defeats her modest hopes.

Turtle Summary. So we should probably keep gender in mind as we continue to read the poem. toward the mean. The turtle's slow journey to find food is a gamble ("chances she must take"); she cannot survive without food, but the search for food also puts her at risk.

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In lines 7-11 the speaker not only  focuses on the description of the turtle’s difficulties in life by using Enjambment, but he also compares it (the animal) indirectly to the human’s effects on nature, where nature is presented by the image of the unlucky turtle. Although  trees can grow from cracks in the concrete, they cannot defeat the human who constantly fills up those cracks. An unidentified speaker describes the mundane dangers and difficulties of a female turtle's life. Why is the turtle so unfortunate? As we can see from the excerpt: “even being practical,/ she is often stuck up to the axle on her way/ to something edible.”; the state, in which the turtle is, is similar to the image of nature and anthropological factor, which it has to deal with.

by Kay Ryan. Poem. To find out why, let's read on. A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet, She can ill afford the chances she must take In rowing toward the grasses that she eats. Unlean against our hearts.

Notice that it breaks neatly into two parts: the repeated word "who" is the subject of each clause, and "would" rhymes with "could. © 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. Poem.

15 September 2008 Tomorrow, I have to give a short, five-minute lesson that introduces the poem “Turtle” by Kay Ryan (retrieved from I initially thought the content of the poem was garbage. by Donald Hall.?Turtle?

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. When we first look at the poem we see a question (” Who would be a turtle who could help it?”), that not only states the tone of the lines to follow, but also expresses something else, something more deeply connected to the poem and its true meaning. Poem. ( Log Out /  For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13.

She is often referred to as a poetry “outsider” and underdog. With everything optimal. Also by Kay Ryan.

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Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. All in all, the poem not only reveals the allusion behind the misfortunes of a turtle, but also shows, as we can see in the final line (“Her only levity is patience, /the sport of truly chastened things.”), that the speaker, as a representative of every human being, is completely reluctant to even embrace the possibility of becoming a “turtle”. She can ill afford the chances she must takeIn rowing toward the grasses that she eats. Poem. Even being practical, By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. How to create a video lesson on Prezi Video and prepare for next year; May 27, 2020. Although she is more than direct with the description of the turtle’s obstacles and hard life, an allusion can be found in the poem after a close examination. describes the daily struggle of a turtle, which bears the curse of travelling with heavy shell. A Ball Rolls on a Point. No one wants to be a turtle or at least the speaker in the poem. I … May 28, 2020.

By Kay Ryan. Carrying a Ladder. The image of a turtle wearing a helmet (or wearing its shell like a helmet) to protect itself from predators is funny, in a cartoonish sort of way, especially with four little oars poking out beneath the helmet. Change ), she’s often stuck up to the axle on her way. These lines hearken back to line 2 in other ways as well.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. A soldier wears a helmet to defend against enemy attack.

Lines 1-4. 7 new things you can do with Prezi Video to support online learning “With everything optimal,/ she skirts the ditch which would convert /her shell into a serving dish.” Both the turtle and the nature are turned into victims of certain characteristics and factors. by Kay Ryan. Nature has always been a popular topic in literature, specifically in poetry, and despite the fact that its image has been used in many ways and for many different purposes in poems and literature throughout the centuries, it cannot be said that it has become a trivial image at all. “I think every poet is an outsider.

( Log Out /  The turtle's progress is cumbersome, as she struggles to find food, escape injury, and avoid predators. By Kay Ryan About this Poet Born in California in 1945 and acknowledged as one of the most original voices in the contemporary landscape, Kay Ryan is the author of several books of poetry, including Flamingo Watching (2006), The Niagara River (2005), and Say Uncle (2000). Is that fact significant? Poem. Atlas. Well, the poet didn't have to specify the turtle's gender; animals are typically referred to as "it."

If a wizard, for example, offered to transform you into a turtle (think of Merlin and Wart in. But these metaphors share a logical connection as well: both convey a whiff of danger.

by Kay Ryan. Because she does not live up to the standards of the speaker and therefore the humans? Whoever the speaker is, he or she seems to take a dim view of turtles. The speaker uses two quirky.