Analysis of the poem 'steam shovel' by charles malam

Charles Frederick Malam was an American Poet born in Vermont in 1906, who lived until 1981. His poem ‘Steam Shovel’ follows the rhyme scheme of AABCB and compares the steam shovel to a dinosaur.
Set on a work site, the steam shovel is a powerful and playful dinosaur which ‘chewed and grinned quite amiably’. Described by the use of imagery such as ‘iron head’, ‘white steam’, ‘jaws were dripping’, the author sends the message that the dinosaurs are not all dead.  

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the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

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there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”

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