tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-601402750320174590.post7235039952383491352..comments2023-04-01T09:00:18.596-04:00Comments on A Poem A Day from the George Hail Library ~ Selected by Maria Horvath: Christmas Trees Burn in the Forest with Gilded FlamesGeorge Hail Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05296359504047895036noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-601402750320174590.post-76224857346929613792012-01-09T23:11:40.000-05:002012-01-09T23:11:40.000-05:00The background information about Mandelstam opens ...The background information about Mandelstam opens up a, perhaps unintended, new angle to the poem. <br />The juxtapostion of the cherished "Christmas trees" and the malevolent, yet awe-inspiring, "gilded flames" is particularly striking. <br />Similarly, the use of the language in "toy wolves" removes the villainy from the canines who seem more preoccupied with the fire than other, less-wholesome, activities. <br />In the second stanza, Mandelstam's use of language in the phrases "prophetic sadness" and "calm freedom" allow the reader to grasp the tone of the poem and character of the speaker. <br />The last line is particularly powerful, the imagery of the phrase "dead crystal vault" when describing a component of heaven is made eerie by the last words "laughing without end!" which imply a jeering or unfriendly nature when read in context.Charlie T.noreply@blogger.com