...“The Chimney Sweeper” Fictional Poetry Analysis Stacy McGee Liberty University Eng 102 October 17, 2013 Thesis: The poem, “The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake depicts the life of a young boy being sold to sweep chimneys. This paper will give insight into the misery, mood and tones of the poem through the eyes of a young child as a chimney sweeper. Outline: I. Theme A. What is the theme of poem 1. Unkindness 2. Faith II. Setting A. Literal Setting 1. Metaphorical 2. Literal III. Mood A. Elements Contributing 1. Misery 2. Hope and Faith IV. Significance A. Is the title significant to content B. Job/Daily living The Chimney Sweeper deals with life in London in the 18th century. As of today, one would look at the narrator’s story as cruelty, child neglect or even child abuse. As we read the poem, we are going to take a look and dissect certain aspects of poem, such as the theme, setting, mood and significance of the title. To begin with, when reading the poem written in 1789 entitled, “The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake, the theme of the poem circulates around poverty, unkindness and faith. When looking at the poem from the poverty perspective, the narrator’s mother died when he was a young boy and his father sells him to be a chimney sweeper, when he was so young, he...
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...“Facing It”: A Poetry Analysis The Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. is a unique setting for Yusef Komunyakaa's poem "Facing It". Not only does the wall display the names of the American military troops who died in the war, the wall is made of polished stone so those who look at it can see their own faces reflecting off the names of the dead. By facing "it", the Memorial, the speaker also finds himself in the face of other "its", including his past as a veteran and his mixed feelings about the present. In Komunyakaa’s poem, “Facing It”, he uses imagery and metaphor to shed light on the psychological impact of war and loss. At the start of the poem, “Facing It”, Yusef Komunyakaa uses imagery to indicate his race in the first lines. He writes “My black face fades, / hiding inside the black granite" (lines 1-2). The word ‘black’ has been repeated twice in these lines, once to explain his skin color and the other in relation to the color of the war memorial. By Komunyakaa doing this he not only has made it known that he is an African American, but he also creates a connection between himself and the color of the memorial wall. He becomes one with the wall as he goes on to explain that his face “fades” and “hides inside” the granite. The outline of his face that allows him to be noticeable from the memorial vanishes, and he and the memorial have become one item. This coming together is not only on a general level, as his face goes "inside" the granite, but he is...
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...Analysis of “The Human Seasons” by John Keats This sonnet is written in the Shakespearean form and consists of three quatrains and a volta in the final couplet. In the first quatrain, Keats introduces the topic of the four seasons and then elaborates on the “lusty spring.” He finds this to be a healthy time of year where humans can easily enjoy the beauty around them. The spring symbolizes youth and childhood. The poet considers spring to be the start of the year like a childhood is the beginning of a person’s life. Yeats then transitions to autumn after the subject has “chew[ed] the honied cud of fair spring thoughts.” These thoughts of honey and spring soon dissolve as the subject’s health begins to diminish. Autumn represents the part of a human’s life when he leaves the prime months of spring and summer; people start to be unable to complete activities and jobs that they once could. Early autumn is represented in the second quatrain, and then the poem shifts to late November/early December in the third quatrain. These two months represent the last years of a human’s ability to function for himself. They consist of retired days of “idleness” where people will hopefully be “content” to look upon their past achievements. The couplet shifts the poem from fall to winter, thus shifting the subject from a living man to a dead one. Death is the “mortal nature” of all humans and cannot be avoided. Some lines of this poem are written in iambic pentameter, but others include an extra...
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...Dylan Patel Mrs. Vogt English 101-35869 Compare and Contrast 25 February 2014 Death, being the two poets themes, is addressed very differently in each of the texts. While the poet Dylan Thomas seems to organize death in a more emotional range of text, it is quite the opposite for Housman who applauds and glorifies death. The speaker of “To an Athlete Dying Young” is a fan of an athlete and someone who lives in the same town as the athlete. The more personal poem, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” speaks for a family member. The mood emphasized in Housman’s poem is a celebration of death, while the idea in Dylan’s poem is that death is something that you should fight until the very end because it is evitable. The mood of each poem is on two very different spectrums. One is a celebration and the other is a battle. Housman seems to be happy that the athlete who died in his poem was apart of the speaker’s life. Thomas seems to be very frustrated, upset and discouraged about death. The poet, Housman, gratifies the runner and his way of living through the hearts of the town’s people who watched him participate. The main influence for this poem seems to be not only the athlete, but also the audience that cheers on the athlete who has died at a very young age. The attitude towards death is upbeat, gay, and celebratory. There is a lot of anger, rage and misfit in Thomas’s poem. It is clear that the set of Dylan’s poem is death should be fought with tremendous fury...
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...Victoria De Jesús ENC 1102 65431 Mr. Suderman November 9, 2009 Word Count: 914 “Introduction to Poetry” Analysis “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins is a poem which uses an ample amount of imagery, words with connotations, and personification. Born in 1941, Billy Collins has since his time, been personified as the poet of poets, and has placed himself in the higher realm of fine poetry (“Billy Collins”). Collins’ poetry reaches beyond the common knowledge of poetry by stretching the general meanings of the English language and by forcing the mind to delve deeper to discover the true meanings of his works. Billy Collins undoubtedly withstands the title of a true poet. Above all, possibly being one of Collins’ most puzzling works of poetry to interpret is his “Introduction to Poetry”. Being one of his most recognized works, his poem is a perfect example of how he skillfully imbeds his feelings and meaning into his poems by painting numerable pictures and inserting small metaphors in which carry an unbearable amount of meaning. Upon initial reading, the meaning of this poem is unexplainable. What does Collins mean by his poem? Is it a teacher addressing his students on how to analyze a poem? By incorporating his use of imagery and other techniques, Collins guides the reader through the interpretation of his poem. There are many small messages in the poem, many of which Collins tells the reader what the poem means to the...
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...regard him as one of her most trusted friends, and she created in his image the lover whom she was never to know except in her imagination. It is also said that it was around 1812 when he was removed to San Francisco that she began her withdrawal from society. During this time she began to write many of her poems. She wrote mainly in private, guarding all of her poems from all but a few select friends. She did not write for fame, but instead as a way of expressing her feelings. In her lifetime only six of her poems were even printed; none of which had her consent. It was not until her death of Brights Disease in May of 1862, that many of her poems were even read (Chelsea House of Library Criticism 2837). Thus proving that the analysis on Emily Dickinson’s poetry is some of the most emotionally felt works of the nineteenth century. Miss Dickinson is often compared with other poets and writers, but unlike Shakespeare, Miss Dickinson is without opinions (Tate 86). Her verses and technical license often seem mysterious and can confuse critics, but after all is said, it is realized that like most poets Miss Dickinson is no more mysterious than a banker. It is said that Miss Dickinson’s life was starved and unfulfilled and yet all pity is misdirected. She lived one of the richest and deepest lives ever on this continent. It was her own conscious choice to deliberately withdraw from society into her upstairs room (Tate 83). She kept to only a few select friends and the storm, wind, wild...
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...Confessional poetry emerged in the United States in the 1950’s. It was the first time a poet told his or her story through their poetry. It often explored ideas that were thought of as taboo in those times such as mental illness, sexuality, and suicide. Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton were two famous confessional poets. They both also suffered from mental illness which is often expressed in their poetry. Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” and Anne Sexton’s “Her Kind” both use allusions and imagery to convey their emotions to the reader. In Sylvia Plath’s poem, there is an allusion in the title itself, “Lady Lazarus.” Lazarus refers to the biblical figure that was resurrected by Jesus Christ. It’s ironic that the speaker would choose a biblical reference when comparing it to her suicide attempt. Her ”resurrection” happened because she failed at taking her own life. Another allusion occurs at the end of the poem: “Out of the ash, I rise with my red hair, And I eat men like air.” She is referring to the phoenix found in Greek mythology. A phoenix is a long-lived bird that is frequently reborn. The speaker is obviously unhappy with life yet she uses allusions that represent a positive rebirth. The first lines of her poem state “I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it—“ referring to the fact that she has attempted to commit suicide at least once per decade. “The second time I meant to last it out and not come back at all. I rocked shut as a seashell...
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...Whalin Malan English 1 Honors May 31, 2014 Poetry Analysis #1 An Analysis of “A Study of Reading Habits” by Philip Larkin “A Study of Reading Habits,” by Phillip Larkin is a short poem about a male character that goes through the three main stages of life and reads specific books during these times. The narrator experiences life first as a child, then a teenager, and finally an adult. The books he chooses to read express how he has changed during each stage. The author’s use of symbolism, irony, and imagery help to convey the theme that ignoring reality only makes life harder to deal with. “When getting my nose in a book/Cured most things short of school” (Larkin). In the first stanza Larkin describes a boy who uses books as a way to escape reality so that he does not have to face the harshness of life. In lines 5-6, the author uses symbolism. “deal out the old right hook/ to dirty dogs twice my size” (Larkin). It represents the speaker’s imagination while reading books. It shows that he is still a child. “The alliteration of ‘dirty dogs’ is symbolism of the persona’s bullies” (Sophtaytay). The speaker is using books to imagine beating those who bully him in the real world. “No man who was a professional librarian throughout his life… would make the statement that concludes the poem: "Books are a load of crap."” (Wood). It is ironic that an author would refer to books as “crap.” This shows that Larkin is not the speaker. It also shows how dramatically the speaker...
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...An Analysis of Indian Sensibility in Nissim Ezekiel’s Poetry (On the basis of the analysis of Night of the Scorpion, The Patriot, The Professor and Jewish Wedding in Bombay) Nissim Ezekiel is one of the most celebrated poets of the postcolonial Indian literary history. He has wielded great influence as a leading poet, editor and an occasional playwright. He’s applauded for his subtlety in exploring common mundane themes in a comic light. His poetry lacks the nationalistic fervor that was common to the poems released during that time. His poetry objectively analyses the Indian scenario without taking any political stance. He constantly ridicules the Indian sensibilities with hopes of bringing about a change through his words. Ezekiel has strived to create authentic Indian flavor by using ‘Indian English’ in all his poems. He stresses on the common mistakes committed by Indians, such as the usage of the present continuous tense in place of simple present. This is evident in this little excerpt from his poem, The Professor, “We are keeping up. Our progress is progressing. Old values are going, new values are coming. Everything is happening with leaps and bounds.” He ridicules the irony that a professor lacks the command over the language he uses to teach his subject. He also mocks the Indian habit of literal translation of the native language to English with the same structure and tone. This excerpt from “The Patriot” is clearly evident of the same, “How one...
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..."The two giants of 19th-century American poetry who played the greatest role in redefining modern verse are Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson" (Burt). Both poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are considered as the founders of today’s modern American poetry that are tried to revalue the poetry of the last century. Sooner or later, but they succeeded. They put the keystone of the modern American poetry which drifted in the breeze. The poetry has been redefined in a way to be able to get to the modern society's cultural level. The modern poetry becomes more discreet and it uses the topics of everyday life spiced with emotions. The emotions of the human being began to depict a higher quality. By the poets, so to speak, the mankind adjusts to...
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...Percy Bysshe Shelley`s Poetry Analysis Shelley’s poetry covers a variety of themes from extreme joy and ecstasy to brooding despair. Themes such as restlessness, protestings against the power, an interesting relation with nature, ideal love, and a spirit seeking for freedom. I chose death as the theme to analyse because I like to read poems about death, it is interesting how death is interpreted and what the poet thinks about after-death and other death-related philosophical questions. Many of these poems are really depressing and sad such as “ A Dirge“ and “Adonais“ and while analyzing Shelley’s work, it also makes you understand what is going on in Britain and Europe during Shelley’s lifetime. Firstly, I am going to analyze Shelley`s poem “A Dirge“: A Dirge Rough wind, that moanest loud Grief too sad for song; Wild wind, when sullen cloud Knells all the night long; Sad storm whose tears are vain, Bare woods, whose branches strain, Deep caves and dreary main,-- Wail, for the world’s wrong! A dirge means a song that is sung at a funeral, so the title is already very depressing and creating a sad feeling or loneliness because someone is passing away. The two first lines create an image of a really bad day and I would even imagine the image at a funeral. The author describes one image of nature, the winds moaning, the sullen clouds, the sad storm, the vain tears, the bare woods, the branches straining, the deep caves, the dreary main, upon another to make...
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...Gantuah 2 Carl Gantuah Professor Thompson ENWR 106 March 9th, 2015 Tarnished Gold Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African- American female poet to win the Pulitzer Prize and went on to serve as the U.S Poet Laureate from 1985-1986. Among Brooks’ many works is the short poem; “We Real Cool” which sums up the reality that youths will have to face if they lose school. “We Real Cool” was written during the Civil Rights Movement in 1959, a period of great segregation. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to segregate schools in the case of Brown vs Board of Education, however segregation was still prominent in society and this frustrated many African- Americans. Aside from separation, the effects of Segregation caused a lot of black youths to lose sight of their role in society and what it meant to have a bright future. By being told that they do not belong numerous times, being victims of prejudice and being treated as inferior they began to impact their outlook on life. Consistently being told that they have no future led youths to believe that it was nothing more than a false pretense, as seen in the boys who seem to be struggling with identity. Anyone who has ever played hooky can relate to “We Real Cool”, instead of attending school seven young men decide to hang out at a bar and play pool. Brooks is attempting to send a message through her poem and she accomplishes this through the use of symbolism and word choice. According...
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...patterns and rhyme, and writes the poem in free verse so that it feels more like a genuine letter to her husband. Doing so allows Pound to draw the reader directly into the solitude of the wife without having to overcome the barrier of an overly structured presentation. In the midst of long sentences, the two shorter ones draw significant attention to the emotional impact that nature has on the speaker. When speaking of the changing season, the falling leaves and the paired butterflies, the speaker remarks, “They hurt me. I grow older” (Pound 25). These sentences capture the attention of the reader as the poem reaches its climax in which the wife acknowledges her despair for the long absence of her husband. By abandoning the rigid form of poetry, Pound allows the reader to feel the sorrowful emotions of the wife. The sorrowful state of the wife also affects the way that she views the natural world. The early transition of autumn reflects her isolated mood while waiting for her husband. She notes that “the leaves fall early this autumn” and “[different] moss is grown [and is] too deep to clear away” (Pound 20-21). Instead of taking pleasure in the coloured mosaic of fallen leaves, the speaker sees them as a sign of decay and isolation, indicative of her loneliness. The moss illustrates the sorrow that she...
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...Poetry analysis Shall I Comepare Thee (Sonnet 18) By William Shakespeare Before William Shakespeare died, he managed to write 154 sonnets Out of all 154 sonnets the most famous and well-known is Sonnet 18, which this paper is going to be about. Because the sonnets written by William Shakespeare, was so beloved, all of Shakespeare’s sonnet-heritage is being called Shakespearean sonnets. There are different indicators that, helps to define a sonnet. First of all ‘Shall I Comepare Thee’ consists of fourteen lines, where the eight first lines called the octave presents which aspects the poem will regard. The last six lines called the sestet gives a personal view of what the poem really is about. ‘Shall I Comepare Thee’ is divided by three quatrains followed by a couplet and has the traditional characteristic rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet: abab cdcd efef gg. The metrical aspect of sonnet 18 is that the poem got written in iambic form with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. The sonnet has five feet in each line and therefore it is under pentameter. For example if the 2 first lines in Sonnet 18 should be divided into the rhythm of five in stressed and unstressed syllables it would look like this: The stressed syllables, is the ‘green’ ones and unstressed syllables is the ‘red’ ones. Shall I - compare - thee to - a sum - mer’s day? Thou art - more love - ly and - more tem - perate. Shakespeare starts the poem with the question...
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...Jack Saindon English 201-046 Essay #2: Poetry Analysis In Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” (154), he talks about his father whom he never appreciated as a child, but looks back now to understand the depth of his love. The story entails the author speaking of his past as a child, where his father would light all the fires in the house, early in the morning after a tough work week. He says, “then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather” (154). This went unappreciated by anyone in the family, including the author; “No one ever thanked him” (154). Once the rooms were warm, his father would call him, only for the author to return not the thanks he properly deserved. In his poem, Hayden uses contrast to illustrate the relationship between him and his father. The temperature of the house and outside, symbolize their relationship. His father goes out in the “blueback cold” to make the house warmer, to make “banked fires blaze” so that his child can wake up in a nice warm temperature. He says, “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking”(154). Despite his effort, the author treats his father with just as much coldness as the climate they live in, even at the sight of his shoes cleaned. Hayden writes, “Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well.” (154). His father created literal warmth for him, but he did not warm up his father’s heart emotionally in return with love. In the last two lines...
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