The Cockroach By Kevin Halligan Essay - 1834 Words

Born in the early 1960’s, Kevin Halligan was a Canadian poet who explored different parts of the world from a very young age on. The Cockroach, which is one of his most famous works, is a potential reflection of his experiences and the insights he has gained as an individual, while embarking on a journey of self-actualization. Through the cockroach, we get to see a sense of uncertainty, and a difficult process of contemplation that Halligan undergoes before realizing something that is crucial in his period of existence. Halligan takes us on a journey, which centralizes upon a vital character, a mere cockroach. We see this central body embark on a journey where he finds his true self and establishes a purpose for his life. A feel of positive existentialism is felt across the poem, and the reader is constantly questioning the purpose of every move made by the cockroach. The key instrument Halligan uses in order to emphasize further on his personal thoughts and this strong story is the use of his uniquely grasping diction. Just like any other poem, diction plays a key role in setting a tone and sending across a message to the reader. In order to effectively use diction, a poet must be clearly aware of the purpose, or the story that he or she is intending to put across. To a great extent, the relevant themes of self-realization and existentialism are brought out through the effective and efficient use of diction in Kevin Halligan’s The Cockroach. Halligan does so brilliantly inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Kevin Halligan s The Cockroach1975 Words   |  8 Pages This essay examines the question ‘To what extent does the use of diction highlight significant themes of self-realization and existentialism in Kevin Halligan’s The Cockroach?† The essay first off addresses the influences on the poet, Halligan himself, which would have led him to encounter trials and tribulations in his life. The idea of a journey, a process of learning is established further on. The concept of self-realization is then linked into how this poem is a perfect mirror of the real lifeRead MoreConcerns about Human Conditions in Poems, Summer Farm and The Cockroach by Poets Norman MacCaig and Kevin Halligan851 Words   |  3 PagesThe poets Norman MacCaig and Kevin Halligan express their concern about the human condition in the poems ‘Summer Farm’ and ‘The Cockroach’. As they investigate the role and identity of the individual, the theme of self-reflection is revealed. The title of the poem ‘Summer Farm’ is rather misleading. At first look, it brings us a feeling of warmth and good memories, which are usually related to the summer. ‘Farm’ evokes the same effect with the addition to the visual imagery of animals and natureRead MoreThe Cockroach by Kevin Kalligan1006 Words   |  4 PagesKevin Halligan was born in Toronto, Canada in 1964. He regards himself as an Anglophile and has spent long periods of time living in England, but has also travelled in Asia, where this poem, ‘The Cockroach’, was written. ‘The Cockroach’, is a short passage of a cockroach and how it made its way around a room, moving in lines and loops. It uses many different forms of imagery to depict the cockroach giving it emotion and character. In this poem he apparently focuses an intense concentration on anRead MoreLiterature Marking Scheme9477 Words   |  38 PagesDifferent History’ Gerard Manley Hopkins, ‘Pied Beauty’ Allen Curnow, ‘Continuum’ Edwin Muir, ‘Horses’ Judith Wright, ‘Hunting Snake’ Ted Hughes, ‘Pike’ Christina Rossetti, ‘A Birthday’ Dante Gabriel Rossetti, ‘The Woodspurge’ Kevin Halligan, ‘The Cockroach’ Margaret Atwood, ‘The City Planners’ Boey Kim Cheng, ‘The Planners’ Norman MacCaig, ‘Summer Farm’ Elizabeth Brewster, ‘Where I Come From’ William Wordsworth, ‘Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge’ Songs of Ourselves: The University