...Author Note This paper is being submitted March 9th, 2014 for Mr. Zimmerman’s ENC 1102 English II course. Poetry Essay Death. Death is the ultimate end of a living creature or a process. With death, once what was can never be again, just a mirror or similar shadow. Death is the final scene and emotional goodbye. Even though depressing, death is both necessary, and sometimes rewarding in a sense of cleanse and beginning of a new state. PARAGRAPH Mid-Term Break is a poem relating to my theme by the death of a young boy. This poem happens to capture the normal reaction to death, although shown differently by random people. The father taking it the worse, “In the porch I met my father crying – He had always taken funerals in his stride.” The boy was seemingly confused by death, and what it actually was to behold until the end of the poem. “He lay in the four foot box as in his cot. No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. A four foot box, a foot for every year.” A hard line to read as we learn in the end that he was a young boy, while his brother realizes that death is definitely not forgiving. He also notices that death is not always violent or shocking in appearance, but cold and unchangeable due to the pale and empty look of his brother. A very sad poem and challenging time for family and friends. PARAGRAPH Let Evening Come is a less depressing poem relating to death. It is more of a poem in acceptance of death, and reaffirmation that it is normal and ok. Death...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...Reading Between the Lines: Poetry is a mystery. Sometimes the reader must act as a detective and uncover the author’s true intentions through subtle clues in the writing styles and verbal cues. In Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess, the author employs interesting line breaks and enjambment to help the reader get a true sense of the Duke, despite the way the he portrays himself as an honorable, kind man who had no choice but to kill his young wife. The poem takes place in the sixteenth century and is loosely based on Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, whose wife met an untimely death. In this dramatic monologue the Duke is speaking to an emissary negotiating another marriage. Portraying himself as a good man, and a worthy candidate for a new young bride the Duke takes the emissary on a tour of his house. He shows himself to be a man of good taste by “modestly” showing his collection of art work. When arriving upon a painting obscured by a curtain the Duke begins to reminisce about his late wife; as he describes her he tells of her disrespect. She constantly disobeyed him and even went so far as to flirt with other men by smiling at them and accepting their gift. The Duke is a wronged man whose wife took advantage of his position and generosity. As the monologue progressed however, the Duke begins to show his true colors. When one digs a bit deeper and reads between the lines it becomes obvious that the duke is a very controlling individual; all of his actions give away his true...
Words: 863 - Pages: 4
...Passion has long been used as a central theme in many poems throughout time. It is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as "a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something". It also defines it as "a strong sexual or romantic feeling for someone". Symbolism is widely used by poets to relay these emotions. In the poem "Sexual Fire From Within" by Peter LeBuhn, the author uses a fire to present a vivid picture of the passion and desire he has toward a woman. Three elements are needed to start a fire. These are heat, fuel, and oxygen according to the National Park Service. That seems simple enough, but how does that apply to this poem? The author states in his own words that "Many words that are written and spoken are from real life and feeling. This is what I attempt to convey to the reader as I write, to pull the reader into the experience as I write." In this poem the author uses a fire as a symbol for the passion and desire that rage within him. The first element in starting a fire is an ignition source. "Heat comes first from the ignition source" as explained in the Fire Triangle by the National Park Service. It would seem that there is a fire ready to be started at any moment given the right ingredients. In this poem one ignition source is the poet's lover's touch. The first two lines of the poem affirm that. It clearly states, "There is a fire within us...that only needs touch to bring forth flame". This simple touch is the spark...
Words: 1097 - Pages: 5
...“The Truth Is” By: Linda Hogan The poem “The Truth Is” written by Linda Hogan manages to tell a story, her story of coming from a culture of mixed races or dual ancestry. With her father being a Chickasaw Indian and her mother of European descent, her internal struggle appears in this poem. While not easy to interpret, the voice of another person comes through when the writer uses the first person and later refers to herself by her own name “Linda, girl, I keep telling you” The use of the first person may also indicate that she suffers with her identity and who she is. Growing up in Oklahoma, and being a writer which focuses on feminist perspectives, and women’s lives and feelings, there is evidence of this dynamic in her writings for a constant hope that she should try to forget the past and live for today. Linda is clearly conflicted and this can be seen in the first stanza. She speaks often of hands and their lack of cooperation which points to her mixed race and an unsettled past. The left hand represents her father’s side of the Chickasaw tribe and her right hand represents that of her mother’s white background. The writer also speaks of falling in love too easily and sleeping in a twin bed which is a clear indication that she is single and alone. Along with her marital status, she writes as having no possessions or having empty pockets. However by the last line in the first verse we can see that having material possessions is not important to her as its love...
Words: 1405 - Pages: 6
...In the Midst of Life Comparisons After comparing the two translations of “In the Midst of Life,” I have discovered many differences and similarities. The two versions I am comparing today are by Czeslaw Milosz and Adam Czerniawski. Overall, I loved the general meaning and concept of the poem. I really liked the focus on the value of life and how the poem expressed the simple needs that we have as humans. The poem reads very simple but is actually pretty complex. Conclusively, I liked the second translation of the poem better, which was written by Adam Czerniawski. Today I will be comparing the word choice and phrasing of the two translations. The first translation that I will be talking about is actually called, “In the Middle of Life,” by Czeslaw Milosz. Right off the bat the first thing I noticed was the tense that he used. He uses words like: created, constructed, etc. Initially, I thought he was using past tense and referencing himself. This was the only factor about this translation that I found confusing because later on he actually starts talking in present tense. For example, “this is a window I was saying.” Another reason why I found this translation interesting was the word choice and usage. A lot of the words that are used are typically words that we would not regularly use today in this day and age. This makes me think that the poem is overall more difficult to understand. For example he uses the word “genocide” as opposed to “murder.” When considering translations...
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
...Luccien Fitzpatrick Krista Keyes ENG-1020-130989 24 February 2016 Poetry Analysis : Richard Cory “We can never judge the lives of others because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation.” The quote by Paulo Coelho sharply describes Edwin Robinson’s main theme in the poem “Richard Cory.” Richard Cory is about a man who is seen as perfect being with an ideal life. The shock comes at the end of the poem in which Richard Cory commits suicide one night for presumably no reason at all. In Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” convey his view on outward appearances through repetition, hyperbole, and imagery to show the people are not what they always seem to be. First, Robinson characterizes Richard Cory as someone who is great and perhaps flashy. For example when the narrator show the perception the other citizen from just his walk Cory, the author writes, that “he glittered when he walked” it stand to reason that the author’s use of hyperbole in this instance is to clearly depict Cory as someone who people look towards as a person that as it together. The Narrator’s use of the word “glittered” which meant to shine with a bright suggests that the other citizen may see Cory as something like a sun or a star as people take notice of those object but are often seen as unattainable. Because of this hyperbole, some readers may believe Cory to be of stature and well put together which was the desired effect of Robinson. Second, the author shows that Cory is not just putting...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
...“The Echoing Green” and “The Eolian Harp” “The Echoing Green” is a poem written by William Blake. It was taken from Blake’s Songs of Innocence, and is also a pictorial poem of Blake’s. In this poem, the poet describes a happy country side view where the arrival of spring is welcomed by sunny skies, and ringing bells. It takes place on an ideal day in the British Isles. Blake uses the theme of innocence and peace throughout the poem. The theme plays out here when Blake states that the skies are happy, the children are playing, and the ’old folk’ who reminisce about their own childhood. This poem is a symbolic and draws a contrast between youth and old age. The spring symbolizes the youth and the children. Morning is the beginning of life and dark evening is the end. The poet symbolizes the innocence of children with birds. The birds are happy and they sing; mocking the children. ’Nest of birds’ symbolizes peace. The poem could be attributed to the life of a person-birth, life, death. Birth being the morning, life being the kids playing, the routines throughout the day, and men reminiscing, and lastly death being the end of the day when all goes dark, and quiet smothers the earth. “The Eolian Harp”, is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Inspired by the peaceful music being played by wind this poem was written for his wife, Sara, while visiting a house of his in Clevedon, Somersetshire. The theme in this poem is also peace, as well as innoncence...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...The poems Opportunity are both focused on taking opportunities when they are given to you. The ways this theme is represented in each poem is very different. For example in the poem Opportunity by John James Ingalls the poem seems to be written from the perspective of opportunity. They way this is represented s how it says “ ‘MASTER of human destinies an I.. “ This poem talks from first person POV and I think the person talking is Opportunity. In this poem Opportunity Opportunity is given a voice, a way to express itself. This is a demonstration of personification. I think that the subject in the poem Opportunity by John James Ingalls is Life, because it tells how life or opportunities can pass you by and that you should take them when you have a chance. The tone and mood of this poem is possibly anger or regret for the people that weren’t brave enough to take the opportunities that were brought to them in their lives. The way this might be demonstrated is the way it says “Save death; but those who doubt or hesitate, condemned to failure, penury, and woe, seek me in vain and uselessly implore. I answer not, and I return no more!” Opportunity by Edward Rowland Sill is yes, about opportunity, but the way that the title is weaved into the poem is very different than the other poem Opportunity. This poem is from the POV of someone who witnessed this great battle or dreamed of it. The way we know this is because the first sentence in the poem is “ This I beheld, or dreamed it in...
Words: 468 - Pages: 2
...There are many different types of poems that I have been introduced to this year including, Haiku’s, scent memory poem, art inspiration poems. One day during class we went to the front of the school and were told to find a piece of art that we liked, there didn’t have to be a reason why we just found one and sat in front of it. We wrote down phrases, or words, to describe exactly what we saw. What was literally right in front of us and what we assumed was there. When looking at these words I realized that poetry comes from random observations of the world around us. Finding the perfect words to describe what we see, what we don’t, and putting them together. Poetry allows us to dive into other people's minds. It allows to feel what they feel, see what they see. My poem, A Caged Bird, is based on the picture I saw, two feet hanging down from a porch looking out on a meadow around them. As I looked around it and described the words, I wrote “hopeful” and “exploring”. When I looked at it all I could think about was where I was going, what is beyond the meadows. What people are thinking about as they are searching throughout the places they are in. Those two words are what I drew inspiration from for...
Words: 1131 - Pages: 5
...I utilized the literary devices of personification and repetition. Repetition is often used to create rhythm within a poem, providing structure as well as ultimately changing the way in which the poem is perceived. In my verb-heavy poem, repetition is used to emphasize the rhythm which I experienced once “I woke again” every day “And I continued / My routine.” Rhythmic language within Yours Truly was primarily meant to create a sense of urgency in the speaker’s life as well as aid in visualizing the emotion of entrapment. The speaker is tired of routine, tired of the constant struggle they face within an environment in which they’re constantly being commanded what to think. Silent protests, used as validation for the silence they sit in. Silent...
Words: 324 - Pages: 2
...Poetry essay Both William Shakespeare and Cristiana Rossetti present love as a hard felt, powerful emotion. Both poets also refer to the theme of death in both their both poems ‘Remember’ and ‘Sonnet 116’. However Shakespeare presents love in a much more positive way where as Rossetti presents the theme of loss throughout. William Shakespeare presents the Theme of love as eternal despite the impediments that may be faced over time such as the loss of a partner and the fading of external beauty through aging; the emotion remains robust. This is implied when Shakespeare personifies death through referencing the Grim reaper’s “Bending sickle” Connoting that beauty is fading upon the upcoming of death however “love alters not” implying love’s strength through time as resolute. Whereas Rossetti refers more to the theme of grief and presents the idea of love when faced with loss and change as transitory. This is connoted when the Persona says that it is “better to forget” when what appears to be directing her partner. Suggesting that the inevitability of death and the change it brings will break the ties of love despite its strength. Both poets use personification when referencing death. Shakespeare personifies death twice within the third quatrain using fairly harsh, frightening imagery: “the edge of doom”. This suggests the persona views death’s inevitability as negative, which juxtaposes the poems theme throughout being love’s continuous strength despite unavoidable...
Words: 285 - Pages: 2
...I. LESSON FOUNDATION Lesson Title: Let’s Write a Cinquain Lesson Number w/in Unit: 1 Unit Title: Poetry Grade Level(s): 3rd grade Time Allotted: 45-50 minutes Subject Area(s)/Subject Content Explanation: Writing Standard(s)/Anchors: 1.4.3.A: Write poems and stores. • Include detailed descriptions of people, places and things • Include literary elements 1.5.3.B: Develop content appropriate for the topic • Gather and organize information, incorporating details relevant to the topic • Write a series of related sentences or paragraphs with one central idea 1.5.3.C: Organize writing in a logical order • Include a recognizable beginning, middle and end Essential Question(s): How can you distinguish the differences between a cinquain poem and other poems? What patterns can you identify in cinquain poems? Instructional Objective(s): Given instruction on how to write a cinquain plus examples, 3rd grade students will be identify the patterns in a cinquain...
Words: 1001 - Pages: 5
...Poetry Essay COURSE # and TITLE ENGL 102: Literature and Composition SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT Spring B 2011 WRITING STYLE USED Turabian Thesis “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a lyrical poem in which the emotion, symbolism, and certain rhythmic patterns are used to emphasize the thematics of the poem and the message the speaker is trying to deliver by writing it. Outline I. Introduction a. “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost II. Theme a. Literal: i.e. “fork in the road” as an actual path b. Symbolic: i.e. “fork in the road” as a contemplated decision III. Mood of the speaker a. Uncertain at the opening b. Satisfied with the conclusion in the statement, “and that has made all the difference” IV. Symbolism a. Christian perspective b. Choice between good and evil V. Rhythmic patterns a. Assonance b. Alliteration c. Consonance VI. Conclusion Poetry Essay In order to acceptably examine a poem, the reader must be able to interpret the representation and significances in what the poet has written it. Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” is a lyrical poem in which the emotion, symbolism, and certain rhythmic patterns are used to accentuate the thematic of the poem. It also helps to interpret the message the author or presenter is trying to send by writing it. Poems often times will have an actual, literal meaning as well as an unseen, symbolic, fundamental meaning that the speaker is trying to express to the reader. For example, in this poem...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...Cause and Effect Assignment Poem: Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face By Jack Prelutsky Be glad your nose is on your face, not pasted on some other place, for if it were where it is not, you might dislike your nose a lot. Imagine if your precious nose were sandwiched in between your toes, that clearly would not be a treat, for you'd be forced to smell your feet. Your nose would be a source of dread were it attached atop your head, it soon would drive you to despair, forever tickled by your hair. Within your ear, your nose would be an absolute catastrophe, for when you were obliged to sneeze, your brain would rattle from the breeze. Your nose, instead, through thick and thin, remains between your eyes and chin, not pasted on some other place-- be glad your nose is on your face! Analysis: “Be Glad Your Nose is On Your Face” is a humorous cause and effect poem by famous children’s poet Jack Prelutsky. It vividly describes moving “your precious nose” to other parts of your body and the amusing results. In his poem, Perlutsky writes, “Imagine if your precious nose, were sandwiched in between your toes, that clearly would not be a treat, for you’d be forced to smell your feet.” (5-8) While the poem seems to be simple and straightforward, it has an important message. Be happy with who you are. Perlutsky make this point in his poem with, “Be glad your nose is on your face, not pasted on some other place, for if it were where it was...
Words: 339 - Pages: 2
...07/08/15 Poetry essay ENG4U-42 A Dream within a Dream By Edgar Allen Poe Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow-- You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand-- How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? Analysis My initial glance through this poem I realise that the poet is not really talking about a dream. He compares life metaphorically to a dream within a dream. The structure of this poem is not a standard rhyming pattern which halts the reader in order to absorb what is being said. The poem consists of nine couplets and two triplets. The opening stanza, for example, begins with a triplet, then shifts to couplets and the second stanza shifts from couplets to triplet in the middle then shifts back to the original pattern. The poem expresses the poet’s frustration of the uncertainty and temporariness of life and people. He compares life and dreams because when we dream, it seems so real but when we are awakened by the roar of life...
Words: 1001 - Pages: 5
