Explanation of metaphors

Explanation of metaphors

Hey Ms Adams, just thought I would try to explain my poems a little

My poems are using strong metaphors in the form of symbols of nature that are personal to me, they influence the way I reflect upon music, this is what inspires me to write.

I have decided to explain the meanings of some of these symbols.

The Garden:  this a world of the soul that all other symbols exist within, the moths, roses of red etc (except for the moon and sun, which relate to reality), the garden is a place within the mind that exists outside of reality, it is a land where the evil are painted a deserving portrait, I often compare the garden to Eden, although when I am doing this I am in no way trying to reflect religious views, this is only a way of describing paradise. The garden is a place of music, the heaven of music.

The moth: this is often used as a symbol of Beethoven, although the moth can be anything that is considered as “ugly”, or pathetic, either in “the real world” or by what is considered beautiful in the real world (the butterflies of blue etc), I often use this as a symbol of Beethoven because he was considered to be an ugly man, and was made to feel alone and treated badly by his father, the moth is a symbol of beauty on the inside.

The god of Violets: this is my name for Beethoven; I call him this because I associate Beethoven’s music with the color blue of violets.

The god of Roses: this is the name I have chosen for Mozart, because I associate his music with the red of roses. (P.S, Beethoven is my favorite of the two composers)

The Butterflies of Blue and Roses of Red: these are the symbols I use to describe the imposters of “Truth and Love”, because roses and butterflies are considered beautiful in reality, I chose for them to represent cynical morals within my poems, also the butterflies of blue fit in with the moths symbolic meaning, this is because moths and butterflies are similar except only moths are considered ugly and butterflies beautiful. If I where to call someone a blue butterfly or red rose in a poem, than I am describing this person as beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside in reality. In no way do roses of red relate to Mozart the god of roses.

The owl: the owl is my symbol for knowledge and the soul of music, it is similar to the holy ghost from the Christian faith, except only related to music. It is something which people can attain like enlightenment from Buddhism, Beethoven and Mozart can literally go into your musical soul through the spirit of the owl, often I describe the owl as singing, this is because one needs to hear the voice of the owl to become musically enlightened.(one needs to hear the voice of god “Beethoven, Mozart” to attain the holy spirit) Sometimes I refer to  the owl as,  “the bird of purity, symphony etc”.

The trinity of symphony: this is my musical version of the trinity from Christianity, it consist of Mozart (The god of Roses), Beethoven (The god of Violets) and the owl (the Holy Ghost). The reason that I use a Christian idea or principle in my poems is to express that music is like religion to me; That Mozart and Beethoven are not just men, but gods of music. In no way does this reflect my religious views, about Christianity or any other religion. I will state now before going any further, that I am not religious, and that the symbols within my poems with religious ideas are used in a metaphorical and not literal manner. I say this so I don’t sound like a crazy person who thinks Beethoven is literally god, although I do think he is like god in a philosophical way, but that’s a whole new can of worms.

The sun: A symbol of the heat of reality, when I compare something to or talk about the sun, I am referring to it In reality, I use the sun as this symbol because of the heat and uncomfortable feeling that the sun has on us on hot days, also because the sun is what wakes us every day, it takes us from our dreams and places us into the real world.

The moon: A symbol of the hidden beauty of music that lies inside reality, (unlike the owl which is the SOUL of music OUTSIDE reality which people can attain, like becoming enlightened in Buddhism.) Hiding from the sun which stands for  the dark side of reality, the moon must stay away and only come out at night when the sun is gone, this is because the world (being portrayed as dark, depressed and doomed)  is busy and has no time for music, although those who are patient and wait until it is dark can understand and see the glory of the moon, meaning those who are patient and forget about all stuffed up unimportant  !%$#(money, fame, greed in general) in the world, will understand and learn about the music which is beautiful beyond anything from within there world, The moon is a symbolic reason for us to want to live in this reality. It is the coming of the power of music.

Sorry Ms Adams if that made no sense; the symbolism of the moon is hard to explain in writing.

The crow: This is a symbol of pure evil, this is a creature that lives in “the garden” The crow is the absence of symphony, a symbol of hell on earth.

Midnight: This is the symbol for music being in power, because during midnight the moon is always in the sky and the sun has gone away. Midnight is when the voice of “the owl” can be heard, I chose midnight for this meaning because of the mystery and strange beauty that the night has, it is a time where all the shops, banks, schools, cars, shut and stop for the day, it is a time where you can go for a walk and you won’t see anybody, the world can be yours at midnight, also music brings out more emotion at midnight, parts of Beethoven’s 4^th become absolutely horrifying to listen to when its dark.

(Midnight and moonlight are what connect reality to the garden, the world of reality to the world within our minds) while the moon is a symbol from only within reality, midnight applies both too the garden and reality.

The use of multiple languages: while this can sound interesting, the real reason I use other languages is symbolic of speaking in tongues, it’s like when the Christians talk to god in strange languages, when I use other languages in my poems, I am trying to express a kind of musical revelation of some sort.

There are more symbols and metaphors: The trees, the sword etc, but I won’t go into them yet, as they are far more ambiguous. And trying to explain them would be impossible for me to do in writing.

The reason I write this is just to explain that while my poems may seem random with ideas that don’t make sense, there is a meaning behind EVERYTHING, although sometimes they aren’t written down that well, it is my use of language skills and not ideas that limits me.   I DESPERATLEY NEED HELP WITH STRUCTURE, sometimes I feel as if the poems are all sloppy.

Thanks for all the help with setting up this page, and helping me with my writing.

Sorry if I didn’t explain myself well, it’s just hard to describe some of those meanings in writing

David Westlake

P.S  I have explained some of my symbols and metaphors, but i havent shown the ultimate meanings of my poems and how they relate to the world.