Dennis Scott: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Dennis Scott: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Blaming others

One of the common motifs found in the poem entitled "The never ending blame game’’ is how blaming others has no positive outcome. The narrator is enraged at those who chose to behave in such a manner and he criticizes them for their actions and attitude.

The spider

The spider is the most important symbol in the poem "Uncle Time’’. The spider is a personification of Time and he is capable of entering every house and "infecting’’ people. Thus, the spider is used here as a symbol that transmits the idea that no one is safe from the effects of the passing of time.

The old woman

Another important symbol appears in the poem "Uncle Time’’ when the narrator mentions a woman who during the day is young and vibrant and then who turns old and shriveled the next day. The woman is used here as a symbol for the passage of time. It also transmits the idea that we are sometimes unaware of the passage of time until we actually see ourselves grow old.

Symbol for confinment

The poem "Uncle Time’’ ends with the narrator mentioning how the spider wraps its webs around the house in which the narrator is and how this causes grief for those inside. The spider web is used here as a symbol for confinement and also to suggest how no one can escape from the passing of time.

Symbol for uncertainty

In the poem "Marrysong’’ the narrator talks about the shadows made by trees and how those shadows change as the sun moves. The shadows are compared here with the love experienced by the man and is also used as a symbol to transmit the idea that the man is uncertain by the love offered by the woman with whom he is in a relationship.

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