Kubla Khan
...ess sea is a place that is deprived of light or life. The kingdom’s mere ten miles of rich land are enclosed behind a wall. The pleasure dome is evidence of how unnatural the place of Xanadu is. The second stanza describes the chasm, a deep crack in the earth that is hidden under the grove of cedar trees. Through contrasting ideas of nature and the first stanza, holy and enchanted are joined together. The chasm is used in comparison to a woman crying as the moon’s light becomes less and less visible. The power of the fountain is very apparent as huge boulders are tossed up with the water. In the third stanza, the river emerges. The garden seems like a simple place of peace and balance, but Khan hears a different message through the caves. The pleasure dome, a private domain, is threatened with the destruction of war. The dome is a contrast with sun and ice. The sun symbolizes all things good, but the ice is a symbol of death and destruction. The shadow of the dome represents his love of nature, balanced between her gentle beauty and power. The lines seem to continue as a song is heard from the fountain, which represents the power of nature. The caves symbolize the more gentle and mysterious character of nature (Kubla Khan n.pag). The narrator of the piece is introduced at the beginning of the final stanza as the speaker describes a vision "once I saw." The poet himself becomes the subject, as he recalls memories of a young girl. If the poet could recover the dream, he would be able to build with words what Kubla Khan had built in his kingdom. “And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair!” All the people are cautious of his flashing eyes and floating hair, and view him as a “holy dread” because of this vision. When he achieves his dream, he can taste Paradise (Coleridge Companion n.pag). The two parts of the poem, the first being the first through the third stanza, and the second being the fourth stanza, both show that the ruler cannot have control over forces of nature, just as a writer cannot over his imagination. Both parts show that Kubla Khan has built a pleasure dome, and Coleridge uses language to create his dream with words. Coleridge is able to show how he has the ability to create new worlds with his imagination (Kubla Khan n.pag). Figurative language and word choice are used to convey images from Coleridge’s imagination. He does this through the use of vocabulary, imagery, structure, use of contrasts, rhythm and sound devices such as alliteration and assonance (Kubla Khan n.pag). The author’s choice of words is effective mostly because of his mystery of images. Imagery is also important, because it allows Coleridge to express his imagination ...