CicadaAmong all the temperate seasons that we have all year round, summer is the hottest. It falls between spring and autumn. The days are longer, which means we see more sunlight in the summer than in the winter (Robert). With summer comes many different insects that were hiding in winter because it is very cold, and just like humans, who usually don't like the cold, not even cicadas. The insect we see or hear most in summer is the cicada. With summer the cicadas arrive, their noise comforts us and makes summer come alive. On summer nights the cicadas swarm around us with a loud and almost relaxing sound. When summer comes, we bring with it the not-so-peaceful but cute little insect. I think the theme of this poem that Sappho is trying to portray is that cicadas are just like people in the summer, they love life and go out to have fun. In verse 1 Sappho opens with “flaming summer,” which sends great images into the reader's brain. It takes the individual reading the poem back to a really hot summer day that the reader experienced. When it's so hot outside that all we want to do is jump into a big pool, drink a cup of ice-cold water, or even eat a frozen popsicle. It brings human beings out of our shell. Summer is the time of year when we open up and feel great happiness. Just like the cicada literally coming out of its shell, or even when the cicada makes noise, we can tell that it is happy. He is loud and cheerful, letting other little creatures know he is there. In the middle of the poem, Sappho is trying to engage the reader in the moment of summer time. The season when we feel pure happiness and joy. It shows that... middle of paper... days at work where I dreaded being outside, where all I wanted was air conditioning and some ice water. It takes a great poet to show such grand imagery and be able to bring the reader back. It shows us that not only do humans appreciate summer, but even the smallest things we don't think about on a daily basis feel the same. Cicadas are just like humans in that they enjoy the summer and show their happiness through verbal or nonverbal communication. Sappho is trying to portray that summer is the best time of the year and does a great job of making the reader believe it. ^ Ball, Sir Robert S (1900). Elements of astronomy. London: The MacMillan Company. P. 52. ISBN 978-1-4400-5323-8. Sappho. "Cicadia." Sweet Bitter Love: Poems by Sappho Trans Willis Barnstone. Boston: Shambola Press, Inc, 2006.