Mess Of Poems
Fire and Ice ***
BY ROBERT FROST Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. |
Analysis
Wow! I really like this poem. After reading “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost its made me think about the opinions that other people have and how they can affect someone. The speaker says, “From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire.” It makes me think that since he doesn’t know how the actual “world will end” he has to hear from others to see their perspective in the situation so he can choose a side. It shows that he gives his own opinions. He says, “I think I know enough of hate…” That lets me know that after realizing and seeing the different sides of “fire and ice” he finally gives his final say in what he will be choosing. The speaker also gives the difference between fire and ice, which that’s what helps him choose. When he says “destruction” it makes me think of something getting destroyed. In the poem he talks about the destruction of ice, which maybe in this case ice is the “enemy”. In the other hand when he talks about fire he goes in favor of it. He talks about it like a desire, which is something good, its something that he wants. Therefore I think that the speaker would’ve chosen fire because of all the positive things that he relates to. |
I Loved You ***
By: Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin I loved you, and I probably still do, And for a while the feeling may remain... But let my love no longer trouble you, I do not wish to cause you any pain. I loved you; and the hopelessness I knew, The jealousy, the shyness - though in vain - Made up a love so tender and so true As may God grant you to be loved again. |
I liked this poem because in just a couple of words the poet narrowed it down to explain how he loved that person. He shows all the trouble and the pain he went through just to tell that special person that he loves her. It seems to me at times that maybe she didn’t want to get “loved” by him and that’s why he is telling her all the reasons why he felt that way. He says “But let my love no longer trouble you I do not wish to cause you any pain.” Its really cute how he doesn’t want to hurt her by expressing how he feels, but it seems that she doesn’t want to hear that stuff from him any more. At the beginning when the poem starts it gives away that the couple are not together any more but he is showing what he still feels for her. Even if he is explaining that she made him happy, it looks to me that she isn’t buying it no longer. I feel that he is going through a hard phase because he says “The jealousy” which can mean that the one he used to love is with another guy and he cant stand it no longer.
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Couple at Coney Island ***
By: Charles Simic It was early one Sunday morning, So we put on our best rags And went for a stroll along the boardwalk Till we came to a kind of palace With turrets and pennants flying. It made me think of a wedding cake In the window of a fancy bakery shop. I was warm, so I took my jacket off And put my arm round your waist And drew you closer to me While you leaned your head on my shoulder. Anyone could see we'd made love The night before and were still giddy on our feet. We looked naked in our clothes Staring at the red and white pennants Whipped by the sea wind. The rides and shooting galleries With their ducks marching in line Still boarded up and padlocked. No one around yet to take our first dime. |
After reading this poem I thought it was so sweet and adorable how a person talks about their loved one. I find it cute that out there in the world there is someone that will actually take care of you. I think the speaker of the poem is the guy in the relationship. It might be the guy since he says, “While you leaned your head in my shoulder.” Its common sense to think that guys usually talk like that about a girl. He describes everything that they're doing from yesterday until the present. “It was early one Sunday morning… Anyone could see we’d made love.” I like poems that use description and show in a period of time how things have changed. I wonder if they’ve been together for a long time or just recently. I think probably for a long time since they seem to be pretty close and because he describes all the things he does for her. He says, “Went for a stroll along the boardwalk… I was warm, so I took my jacket off and put my arm around your waist. He shows all the actions that he is doing towards her and it seems that it gratifies her. Sometimes in this world people think it’s hard to find someone that will truly care about you but it only takes time to reveal their feelings.
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Invictus **
By William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. |
I think this poem was interesting but confusing at times. I did not understand why the poet chose to name this poem “Invictus” it doesn’t make sense to me. The mood of this poem is cold. I say this because the poet says, “My head is bloody.” I would imagine someone dead and all the blood rushing from the entire body up to their head, it is not something nice to picture but there must have been a reason to why the poet decided to do this. Throughout the whole poem it confuses you because it starts of by announcing that he is thankful with what god has given him. By the end the poets speaker is saying that he is who will manage his life, and no one else will do it for him. I wonder why he said that, was that happening before? I think it might’ve been happening because if not what else would he be talking about and relating himself to. Overall I think this poem was okay but if it showed more emotion I think it would give the reader a more interesting vibe.
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The Trash Men ***
BY Charles Bukowski here they come these guys grey truck radio playing they are in a hurry it’s quite exciting: shirt open bellies hanging out they run out the trash bins roll them out to the fork lift and then the truck grinds it upward with far too much sound . . . they had to fill out application forms to get these jobs they are paying for homes and drive late model cars they get drunk on Saturday night now in the Los Angeles sunshine they run back and forth with their trash bins all that trash goes somewhere and they shout to each other then they are all up in the truck driving west toward the sea none of them know that I am alive REX DISPOSAL CO. |
After reading this poem I think that the speaker keeps a close attention to what trash men do for a living, and that’s what I liked about it. I find it weird that he chose such a unique job to observe. He talks all this stuff about why he thinks its fascinating. But why would he choose this type of job to observe? He says, “ here they come these guys grey truck radio playing they are in a hurry it’s quite exciting.” I think that the speaker acted this way towards the trash men because it’s a job that not many people do, and it is something ordinary. I like that he shows the trash men in a daily bases, for example when he says, “they get drunk on Saturday night… they run back and forth with their trash bins.” This showed me that he has been keeping close attention to them for a period of time. I say this because if I saw trash men I wouldn’t get much out of that and it sounds like he looks at them daily to know more then many people. But how is he doing this? Does he spy on them? Do they notice? I am not so sure how he does all of it but I'm pretty sure that they don't know he exists. I think that because people that do this job have to do this every day, and they do not have time to think about anything else but accomplishing what they have to do around the city. For example when he says, “they are all up in the truck driving west…” This tells me that they don't have time on their hands to stop and watch everyone; they just do what they have to do. Another part that shows that the trash men might not know that he exists is when the speaker says, “None of them know that I am alive.” I mean obviously because if you are just staring at them without telling them then how can they possibly know. The world is too big for people to wander around trying to guess who’s looking at them, so that’s why they don’t do it. The observers would just keep noticing what people do and keep it to themselves.
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The Rose that Grew from Concrete ***
By: Tupac Shakur Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. |
I really liked this poem because I thought it was straightforward and it made me think. The speaker talks about a rose that grew in concrete. I found it bizarre that this would happen because it rarely does. When the poet said “Proving nature’s law is wrong it learned to walk without having feet.” This made me think of when wind makes a dandelions petals come off and fly around all over the place until it lands in the ground once again. I wonder what he was trying to connect when he said that? I think he meant that some people might think different stuff about a person and sometimes people prove themselves wrong and show who they truly are. I find this poem having a hidden message within it. The poet doesn’t make it clear who he is talking about, so he connects it to a rose. But why a rose? Why not a different object? Maybe because the person he is talking about resembles something beautiful like a rose. Maybe the person is someone totally ordinary and that’s why he says “The rose that Grew from Concrete.” Because since it’s not something typical for a rose to grow there then he might be trying to indicate that this person is not the same as others in this world. In the end when the speaker says, “Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.” Why didn’t people care? Do people think the rose growing in concrete can be seen anywhere? I think that people might not care because its something that can happen at any time, at any place so people don’t put interest. Even though its something not that extraordinary I think people should take time to observe it because its something that doesn't happen all the time.
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Confession ***
BY Bruce Lansky I have a brief confession that I would like to make. If I dont get it off my chest I'm sure my heart will break. I didn't do my reading. I watched TV instead-- while munching cookies, cakes, and chips and cinnamon raisin bread. I didn't wash the dishes. I didn't clean the mess. Now there are roaches eating crumbs-- a million, more or less. I didn't turn the TV off. I didn't shut the light. Just think of all the energy I wasted through the night. I feel so very guilty. I did a lousy job. I hope my students don't find out that I am such a slob. |
I really liked this poem because instead of being in the student’s point of view the speaker does it in the teachers. At first I was like damn is it really like this for teachers? I mean this usually happens to students like he says, “I didn’t do my reading, I watched TV instead.” That is something that happens to kids that do not like doing their homework. But this time the poet is saying the bad things that the teacher did. I find it interesting that the poet chose to do this in the point of view of a teacher because it’s not something usual to happen. It makes me think that the poet might be a teacher. I think that because how does he know what the teacher did at home? He might be talking about himself and instead of telling the students he decided to write a poem. I like how the poet explains quickly in such a brief poem all the things they did. He says, “I didn’t wash the dishes. I didn’t clean the mess… I didn’t turn the TV off. I didn’t shut the light.” It shows that the teacher instead of focusing on work, decided to take some time off but it lead to not accomplishing their stuff. At the end when the poet says “I feel so very guilty. I did a lousy job. I hope my students don’t find out that I am such a slob.” I wonder why the teacher feels so guilty, its not like they would find out. It can probably be that there might be consequences after, for example he says “Now there are roaches eating crumbs- a million, more or less.” Maybe the teacher knows that once she doesn’t accomplish the work there will be more to it and it might affect people/students. No wonder that the poem is called confession he probably wants to tell his students what happened that night before they find out themselves. But I mean it’s not such a big deal you can slack off once right? Maybe sometimes people don’t like slaking they prefer getting their work done on time.
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Mid-Term Break**
By: Seamus Heaney I sat all morning in the college sick bay. Counting bells knelling classes to a close. At two o'clock our neighbors drove me home. In the porch I met my father crying-- He had always taken funerals in his stride-- And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow. The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram When I came in, and I was embarrassed By old men standing up to shake my hand And tell me they were 'sorry for my trouble,' Whispers informed strangers I was the eldest, Away at school, as my mother held my hand In hers and coughed out angry tearless sighs. At ten o'clock the ambulance arrived With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the nurses. Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple, 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. |
After reading this poem I thought it was okay. I liked that it showed the problems that appeared out of nowhere. At first I thought what is this poem about? It confused me a little in the beginning when he starts to talk about being in college and directly it spins of to someone that died. I thought it was dramatic how it all happened. The speaker says, “I sat all morning in the college sick bay… In the porch I met my father crying-.” It could be someone close to his family since the father appeared crying. Maybe the poet is the kid who was affected. I think this because throughout the poem they give so much description to what is happening around him. He says, “When I came in, I was embarrassed by old men standing up to shake my hand and tell me they were sorry for my trouble.” In the poem I think it’s someone that's there all the time and knows every move of the person. Also because the poet keeps repeating the word “me” and “I” so that was a clue to know that the poem is explaining what happened to him. The poem got confusing when he was talking about the corpse and the ambulance arriving. Who died? How did they die? None of those answers are giving but I think its because this might be a poem describing his experience to what happened and the answer is yet to be found.
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If You Forget Me **
By: Pablo Neruda I want you to know one thing. You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if I touch near the fire the impalpable ash or the wrinkled body of the log, everything carries me to you, as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me. Well, now, if little by little you stop loving me I shall stop loving you little by little. If suddenly you forget me do not look for me, for I shall already have forgotten you. If you think it long and mad, the wind of banners that passes through my life, and you decide to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots, remember that on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land. But if each day, each hour, you feel that you are destined for me with implacable sweetness, if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me, ah my love, ah my own, in me all that fire is repeated, in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten, my love feeds on your love, beloved, and as long as you live it will be in your arms without leaving mine. |
After reading this poem, I think its something thoughtful that a person would say something so deep to their loved one. The poet talks about someone who lost their loved one and he says what will happen if they forget them. I noticed that he uses some of the 5 senses to show his feelings. He talks about that one person who changed his life and now they’re gone. I wonder what was the cause of them drifting apart? Maybe he did something that she didn’t like or he might’ve not been loyal to her, and that’s why she left. I think it’s adorable how he talks about her and what he’ll do to remember her but it seems that she won't do the same. He says, “If little by little you stop loving me I shall stop loving you little by little.” It makes me think that he keeps on looking for her but maybe she’s had enough of his pleading to get her back. But why doesn’t love always spark in some relationships? I think that to be in a perfect relationship you had to be honest to one another and probably that's something that wasn't 100% completed between them. In the end it seems that he will just be waiting until she stops rejecting him. He says, “But if each day, each hour you feel destined for me… In me nothing is extinguished or forgotten.” He reacts in a positive way saying that he still has hope for them both to reconcile. But what is a perfect love without mistakes? Doesn’t everyone do them? Doing mistakes is what makes people humans so I think that what happened between them is part of life.
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As I Grew Older**
By: Langston Hughes It was a long time ago. I have almost forgotten my dream. But it was there then, In front of me, Bright like a sun-- My dream. And then the wall rose, Rose slowly, Slowly, Between me and my dream. Rose until it touched the sky-- The wall. Shadow. I am black. I lie down in the shadow. No longer the light of my dream before me, Above me. Only the thick wall. Only the shadow. My hands! My dark hands! Break through the wall! Find my dream! Help me to shatter this darkness, To smash this night, To break this shadow Into a thousand lights of sun, Into a thousand whirling dreams Of sun! |
I didn’t really like this poem, I guess maybe because it didn’t really connect to me in any way. It’s talking about a dream and that the person hopes for it to come true, but they do not say what it is. Since the title is As I Grew Up, I thought that it could probably be a dream that hasn’t come true yet. In the beginning when it says “And the wall rose… I lie down in the shadow.” It got me confused because what is the shadow? Is he trying to say that there was something that didn’t let him reach his dream? I think it could be something bad which does not let him accomplish his desires. He says, “My dark hands break through the wall find my dream! Help me shatter this darkness.” This showed me that it’s something that has been holding him back. But what is exactly the shadow? Maybe it can be bad people doing all they can to make his dreams shatter. He relates the sun to being his goal and his shadow being something that brings him down little by little and he can’t get out of it. I thought this poem was a good example of people fighting for what they want and not to letting things crush you. Although aren’t dreams wishes that can get accomplished? If they are people should always fight to make it reality.
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Children's Rhymes***
By: Langston Hughes By what sends the white kids I ain't sent: I know I can't be President. What don't bug them white kids sure bugs me: We know everybody ain't free. Lies written down for white folks ain't for us a-tall: Liberty And Justice-- Huh!--For All? |
After reading this poem it made me think about life back then when slavery was happening. I didn’t really like it since it was talking about “history” I guess but I mean I think it was okay. I think that the speaker is a black person during that period of time. He is observing what “white kids” don’t like. He is saying, “I know I can’t be president.” Which makes me think that he might be someone like Martin Luther King Jr. or somebody that was influenced by him to change what was happening. I think he might want to change how life was for African Americans, since life was not fair at all. He says “Lies written down for white folks.” It makes me imagine that all adults did is lie about dark skinned people, they would fill kids minds with stuff that wasn’t true. I wonder why they even did it, it was all cruelty. Its something hard to take in when he said “We know everybody ain’t free.” He even says it! No African American was free back then and they didn’t have a say in anything. Wasn’t America supposed to be a free country? “Liberty and Justice” is what people thought America represented for everyone but in that period of time it was not true. Then what exactly was Liberty back then if no one had it? Life was not fair and white people didn’t care.
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Sonnet 60 ****
By: William Shakespeare Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end; Each changing place with that which goes before, In sequent toil all forwards do contend. Nativity, once in the main of light, Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d, Crooked elipses ’gainst his glory fight, And Time that gave doth now his gift confound. Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow, Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth, And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow: And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. |
I think this poem was all right. I didn’t like that it had a
lot of description, but I mean that’s how William Shakespeare writes. In some
parts it got me confused but I used the technique of substituting in words.
Afterwards it did make sense and it made it easier to understand. In one part
when he says, “Nativity once in the main of light.” I wonder what he means by
it? I thought it could probably be Christmas and since god was the main focus
during that time. I got that out of the word nativity because most
Catholics use it during the Christmas season. I didn’t get much out of the poem
since he uses so many poetic words. How does Shakespeare know that it will
connect perfectly? Did everyone talk like this back then? I think the answer is
probably yes, because this type of the poem was written in probably in the
1600s and like most people say its “dead white guy poetry.” In the middle what
did he mean by “Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth.” I tried
paraphrasing and thought that it might mean time to fix. But fix what? Which is
something I don’t quite understand it. The type of descriptive language they
had can mean simple things but when I paraphrase it, it doesn’t sound right.
Maybe Shakespeare can write so many different things and everyone will
interpret something different, since we all don’t think alike.
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A Dream Within A Dream***
By: Edgar Allan 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? |
I didn’t like this poem so much since it was really poetic. At first I noticed that the speaker uses a sweet tone with the person. He says, “Take a kiss upon the brow!” I thought it was a sweet type of tone because the word kiss gave it away. It’s the type of word that people use when couples are together. Overall I thought this poem was all right since I don’t like so much poetic words since they confuse me. I was getting confused at times because of the way they compare stuff to words I do not usually hear or use. Like what did he mean when he said, “I stand amid the roar of a surf-tormented shore.” I thought it meant that since shores of an ocean are sometimes harsh he compared it to a loud roar, which is also harsh. When I read the title of the poem in the beginning I thought it was going to be more of a poem that talks about dreams but then it started twisting, to connecting dreams to other stuff. One thing I did like is that they show the feelings of the speaker by using exclamation points. When I read it, it made me say it in the tone of how the poet must have written it. Another thing I thought was interesting was in the end when he says, “Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?” It let me thinking for a while since sometimes what people think can be dreams inside another one and maybe they are just living a fantasy that they are imagining. Maybe that’s how life works, we live our lives within a dream and maybe that’s why some things don’t come true.
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Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep***
By Mary Elizabeth Frye Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die. |
I think this poem was all right, because it’s simple and easy to understand. I noticed at the beginning that the tone the speaker uses is demanding but throughout the poem it changes to a more gentle tone. I think the speaker is talking to someone they cared about. The poet says, “Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there.” It’s telling the person to not stand there and cry for them because it won't do them any good. It’s interesting to me that he describes himself as many different things in the world. For example he says, “I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain.” I thought of this in the way that he is showing all the stages that he got to live through. Its like he chose each season but described himself differently in each one. It got confusing when he said, “I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.” I don’t understand what does he mean by he will be a swift uplifting rush? I thought it could probably mean that he was a swift of air. Maybe because in the next line he says, “Of quiet birds in circled flight.” That made me think of planes and how fast they go, since planes are like a “rush of wind” he might’ve been describing himself as something rapid. The tone changes to more gentle, but still is direct to the person. By the end of the poem he relates himself to something more peaceful and tranquil. He says, “I am the soft stars that shine at night.” Describing himself to something in the sky is something really beautiful and many people agree. I think that at first he wanted to be direct to the point, for people not to miss him and then he gets calmer showing the other side of him. In the end he repeats the first line again, maybe to be more direct and leave it clear. He says, “Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die.” It leaves people thinking and wanting to know where he actually is but I think that maybe that’s why he wanted the person to know to not stay their crying because after all he was never really there.
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Sonnet XL: Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all**
BY William Shakespeare Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all: What hast thou then more than thou hadst before? No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call-- All mine was thine before thou hadst this more. Then if for my love thou my love receivest, I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest; But yet be blamed if thou this self deceivest By wilful taste of what thyself refusest. I do forgive thy robb’ry, gentle thief, Although thou steal thee all my poverty; And yet love knows it is a greater grief To bear love’s wrong than hate’s known injury. Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows, Kill me with spites, yet we must not be foes. |
I think this poem was confusing. I thought at the beginning it was calmly demanding. The poem talks about a girl breaking a guys heart but he sends a message that he doesn’t care. He says, “Take all my loves, my love, yea take them all.” He is demanding his loved one to leave and that he won’t care if she left. He knew from the beginning that she was a gold digger, and the reason she wanted to be with him was because of his money even though he was blinded by his emotions. I also thought it was interesting to how he shows that sometimes love can be an injury. I got confused when he started saying “Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well show.” Did he mean that she would notice the desires he had for her? I think this because lascivious means desires and the last two words he says that it will be well shown. That’s how I interpreted it since in the whole poem he talks about wanting to be with her but she preferred to be with another guy, which is the foe of the speaker. In the end he says, “Kill me with spites yet we must not be foes.” I thought that he might’ve said this because since the girl cheated on him with his foe, which is enemy, he felt betrayed. I think he said this in a harsh tone because no one really wants to be killed but he is just saying it because he feels like they just laughed at his face. No one in this world wants to be betrayed and especially with your enemy because that just makes the problem worse.
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What to Wear Where **
BY J. Patrick Lewis When I was a boy In Looziana, We wore blue jeans And a red bandanna. My folks moved up To the state of Maine, We wore duck shoes In slicker-suit rain. My folks moved down To the state of Texas, We wore brand names Like Lazy X’s. Now that we’re living It up in Vermont, We wear pretty much Whatever we want. |
I didn’t really like this poem because it did not have an interesting topic. Overall this poem is describing what people wear in the different cities the parents chose to move to. The poet uses a calm tone. There aren’t a lot of precise words; there are mostly common words. It shows all the different types of clothing each city wears and then the speaker gives the result of what the person chose to wear. For example he says, “When I was a boy In Looziana, We wore blue jeans and a red bandanna.” This is what the person realizes at first. It shows the progress throughout the states that they visit. At first I thought it was a funny way of writing Louisiana but I thought the poet must have just wanted to make it look funny to catch the persons attention. I didn’t understand when he said, “We wore brand names like lazy x’s” What does he mean by that? Maybe he’s trying to relate to a cheap brand of clothes that most people wear in Texas. In the end it shows the state they finally chose to stay in and what they wear. He says, “Now that we’re living It up in Vermont, We wear pretty much whatever we want.” It seems to me that people in Vermont don’t really have a style or trend that they all wear. I thought it was weird how in every state he realized they wore the same things but now things in Vermont are different. Its good to be unique, that’s what makes people themselves. If everyone is the same it would just be boring.
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We Wear the Mask **
BY Paul Laurence Dunbar We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask! |
I think the poem We Wear the Mask was okay, although it made me feel madly irritated because of what people think. In this poem it talked about what people see in the outside of the person but not how they truly are. The speaker talks the truth since when random people take a look at you they judge you by what they see and not by whom you really are. For example the speaker says, “We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes.” He describes what people do; they pay more attention on the looks of a person. I think people should not do that because that makes people not realize who they really are, it hides their true personality. Its something stupid people do but we are humans and that’s how we are. The tone the speaker uses throughout the poem is dramatic because he says everything straightforwardly. It seems to me that he does not care about the way he describes what he thinks, he just writes what's on his mind. I didn’t understand when he said “And mouth with myriad subtleties.” I thought it could mean offending someone because since people don’t see who someone is behind the mask they just talk about what they see. In the second stanza he says, “In counting all our tears and sighs?” I thought the speaker tried to symbolize that people occasionally only pay attention to others when they are in their bad times. People would usually just look at their bad moments and judge them by that; they don’t really get to know them. I think that people should not judge others by their material things or their looks. They should care about who they really are and not what's behind the “mask”. The message that the speaker is trying to prove in the last stanza is to let people think what they want because what matters in life is who you really are and no one can change that.
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The Archipelago Of Kisses ***
By Jeffrey McDaniel We live in a modern society. Husbands and wives don't grow on trees, like in the old days. So where does one find love? When you're sixteen it's easy, like being unleashed with a credit card in a department store of kisses. There's the first kiss. The sloppy kiss. The peck. The sympathy kiss. The backseat smooch. The we shouldn't be doing this kiss. The but your lips taste so good kiss. The bury me in an avalanche of tingles kiss. The I wish you'd quit smoking kiss. The I accept your apology, but you make me really mad sometimes kiss. The I know your tongue like the back of my hand kiss. As you get older, kisses become scarce. You'll be driving home and see a damaged kiss on the side of the road, with its purple thumb out. If you were younger, you'd pull over, slide open the mouth's red door just to see how it fits. Oh where does one find love? If you rub two glances, you get a smile. Rub two smiles, you get a warm feeling. Rub two warm feelings and presto-you have a kiss. Now what? Don't invite the kiss over and answer the door in your underwear. It'll get suspicious and stare at your toes. Don't water the kiss with whiskey. It'll turn bright pink and explode into a thousand luscious splinters, but in the morning it'll be ashamed and sneak out of your body without saying good-bye, and you'll remember that kiss forever by all the little cuts it left on the inside of your mouth. You must nurture the kiss. Turn out the lights. Notice how it illuminates the room. Hold it to your chest and wonder if the sand inside hourglasses comes from a special beach. Place it on the tongue's pillow, then look up the first recorded kiss in an encyclopedia: beneath a Babylonian olive tree in 1200 B.C. But one kiss levitates above all the others. The intersection of function and desire. The I do kiss. The I'll love you through a brick wall kiss. Even when I'm dead, I'll swim through the Earth, like a mermaid of the soil, just to be next to your bones. |
I really liked this poem because of the way the speaker expressed him self. In The Archipelago Of Kisses by Jeffrey McDaniel he constantly repeats the word kiss. The poem is talking about all the great kisses there is. He describes them in a point of view of a teenager. For example he says, “ When you’re sixteen it’s easy, like being unleashed with a credit card in a department store of kisses. There’s the first kiss. The sloppy kiss. The peck…” This showing that when you are a teenager there are several kisses that you and your boyfriend share with one another. I think its interesting the poet did this, it is like he is showing us how his first kisses went. The whole tone of this poem is romantic since they talk about love and kisses. It made me feel that there is a type of love out there that many people can receive. He says, “The I’ll love you through a brick wall kiss.” This shows that no matter where two people are standing they will both find a way to stay connected. The poet indicated the good things when people are in a relationship and the bad ones. The good side is when a person is in love and the other side is when someone is cheating on you. I think the reason the poet emphasizes a lot in the word kiss is because some kisses can mean the world to a person and that is why when you find love at first sight people think he/she is the one. When McDaniel said, “So where does one find love?” I think it takes time for someone to find the right person. People just have to wait for someone who will change them for good because if they don’t there relationship will fall apart, like he said, “Kisses become scarce… A damaged kiss on the side of the road.” When people get their heartbroken they are not in the right position at the moment. People have to find the one who will change them forever.
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Still I Rise ****
By Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries. Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard 'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin' in my own back yard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history's shame I rise Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise. |
I liked this poem because of the way it described how the person would still rise even if there were things trying to bring them down. I think the poet’s speaker is someone sassy and is telling everyone what will happen in a direct tone. The speaker says, “Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom?” This gave it away that the speaker is someone who likes to think that she is the best thing out there. Throughout the poem it asks rhetorical questions that probably she wants the person to answer. They are asking thin questions that can get answered easily. I noticed that there are a few figurative words, which compare things to nature. I think that what the speaker meant by “You may shoot me with your words.” is that even though you tell that person the baddest things to offend them they won't care at all, because there are other things that they care about. In the seventh stanza when he says, “Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise that I dance like I’ve got diamonds at the meeting of my thighs?” I thought it meant that she does not care about what others think, she even expresses herself telling the whole world like if she were proud. I think overall this poem means that even though there are obstacles that can bring you down there is always a way to rise once again to what you were before. The repetition of the word I rise indicates that if someone makes her back down she will get up once again and keep fighting. I think it’s something intelligent that she chose to keep on fighting for what’s right because many people just stay there waiting for someone to help them.
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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening **
BY Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. |
In the poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost the mood was set by the diction that was used. Robert Frost indicated that even if the woods are a dark and shallow place you could still find the beauty in it. He says, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep.” People can sometimes think that woods are a scary place to be in but when Frost connects it to a snowy evening he makes it sound beautiful, cold, and if it were winter. I wasn’t sure when he said, “My little horse must think it queer.” I thought it could mean strange because when he says “...To stop without a farmhouse near.” Sometimes people think things are odd when they don’t do their “daily ritual” and maybe stopping by a farmhouse is something that the horse did regularly. In the third stanza its interesting how he describes snow in a different word. He says, “Of easy wind and downy flake.” People usually say snowflakes; probably he wanted to make it sound more interesting instead of using the same word everyone uses. In the last stanza he says, “But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” The mood of that part was trustworthy because he chose keeping a promise instead of admiring and staying in the woods. It indicated that the poet’s speaker is someone that can be trusted at any time and they won’t betray you. I think the repetition of the line “And miles to go before I sleep.” shows that he will keep on going with the promises and will travel as far as he has to go.
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The Lost Generation *****
By: Jonathan Reed I am part of a lost generation and I refuse to believe that I can change the world I realize this may be a shock but “Happiness comes from within.” is a lie, and “Money will make me happy.” So in 30 years I will tell my children they are not the most important thing in my life My employer will know that I have my priorities straight because work is more important than family I tell you this Once upon a time Families stayed together but this will not be true in my era This is a quick fix society Experts tell me 30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce I do not concede that I will live in a country of my own making In the future Environmental destruction will be the norm No longer can it be said that My peers and I care about this earth It will be evident that My generation is apathetic and lethargic It is foolish to presume that There is hope. |
Sometimes life is not the way it seems. People usually think one way about how life works but others can think differently. Jonathan Reed’s poem, Lost Generation, captures the reality of how the world really works. With the use of diction and tone, Reed indicates that people think life will turn out to be the way others say but it doesn’t turn out that way all the time.
Reed’s speaker begins the poem by straightforwardly saying, “I realize this may be a shock.” The speaker’s choice of words suggests that what he will be announcing throughout the poem will be something big that will leave people impacted. It is as if the speaker is preparing the reader to make sure they will take his opinion in a positive way. The tone is gentle and careful towards the reader, it recommends the reader to watch out for what is coming because it can leave them surprised. However, in the lines that follow, the speaker’s tone changes, signifying that what the speaker is going to say will leave them mind blown. Starting with the lines 5-9 the speaker’s tone changes from gentle and careful to being frank: “Happiness comes from within.” Is a lie, and “Money will make me happy.” So in 30 years I will tell my children they are not the most important thing in my life. The speaker is being direct to the reader by letting them know that every thing people say is a lie. He indicates that while people say one thing others believe it and it’s affecting the way normality is. People are saying that when they reach their maximum lifestyle they will be happy with what they have and they will no longer care about others (children etc.). Usually humans have a place for all of that but the responsibility of having a child is what comes first. The speaker identifies that with all the lies people are getting, they are starting to believe it and not live by how life really works. As the poem progresses, the speaker grows more frank on how he is realizing that people think differently now a days. The speaker grows more frank by letting people know that this world is not working as it used to be. Often people would follow how others are living their life but here they have chosen to do whatever they feel like. The speaker directs all he is saying towards the people that are choosing to live differently. He indicates that this is not the way people should live. The speaker says: “Once upon a time Families stayed together but this will not be true in my era This is a quick fix society Experts tell me 30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of my divorce.” (16-22) The speaker explains how life used to be and how it is turning out to be after a dramatic change. He expresses him self by showing the way life should really look like and how it is going to turn out. I find it weird how he mentions experts, how are people predicting this is going to happen? Is there a way to stop it from happening? I think that it’s already meant to happen but maybe there can be a way to undo what is going on. The use of diction the speaker chose, expresses that he is concerned on what will happen to the world because he says, “It is foolish to presume that there is hope.” I guess he was hoping for a change but because of the way people are handling this situation they are contradicting his word of changing what is going on. In the poem Lost Generation, Reed explores society’s influence on a change that can affect many people. The speaker’s reaction towards the drastic change makes the tone and diction become stronger throughout the poem. The tone and diction make the mood for the reader surprised because of the way the speaker decided to connect everything together. |
In Cities, Be Alert*****
BY Annie Finch You may hear that your heartbeat is uneven and let new tension climb around your shoulders, thinking you've found the trick for going mad. But try to keep a grip on where you are. Remember: all around you is pure city; try to stay alert. On the wide streets, so empty late at night, streaking in glass, the color of an alley, or the fall of a sideways flicker from a neon sign may utterly and briefly disconcert you-- but as you go, you'll find that noise is worse. Prepare for noise. But never scream. Even tensing ears too far in advance can sharpen sirens, and as for horns. ... When you're back to your normal rhythm after such encounters, just try to stay alert. You'll never know exactly who is coming up behind you, but the sudden movement of pedestrians will finally, of course, be what disarms you. |
People will always find trouble anywhere they go. People such as parents teach younger ones how to manage their life outside- in the real world. Its all part of being humans, we all have to learn how to live our lives outside of our parents nest. Annie Finch’s poem, In Cities Be Alert, shows that sometimes people get scared with the thought of growing up and starting to live in the real world. Through diction and tone, Finch illustrates that part of growing up is to be careful with your surroundings because not everything is what it seems.
Finch begins her poem candidly showing how the person feels. For example she says, “You may hear that your heartbeat is uneven.” The speaker shows that with the thought of leaving and learning to live on her own she is already startled with the idea. Having your heartbeat uneven shows that people are nervous to what will happen. She probably has never taken a huge step like this one before. The tone is light and calm, the speaker views this as something usual that it can happen to anyone. However, in the stanzas that continue afterwards the speaker’s tone changes into more instructive showing that at all times she has to stay alert and be careful. In the second stanza, the speaker’s tone changes from light and calm to informative and direct. For example, when she says, “Remember: all around you is pure city; try to stay alert.” The speaker is informing the person to be sure that even if its a glamorous place they have to be cautious with their surroundings. Occasionally people in a new place would get distracted with all the things a place has to give but, if thats the case people have to be watchful of themselves. I wonder how the speaker feels? Are they stressed out or calm? The speaker seems concerned by not knowing how the person will do by herself. Its like when a mom lets their child out with friends without their supervision. As the poem advances the speaker turns more directing, and instructive. In the last two stanzas, the speaker continues being instructive to the person who is learning to live on their own. The speaker shows this by making sure that she is being careful: “When you're back to your normal rhythm after such encounters, just try to stay alert. You'll never know exactly who is coming up behind you, but the sudden movement of pedestrians will finally, of course, be what disarms you.” The speaker directs it at the person to make sure that she is receiving all her suggestions. She gives all the reasons to why she should be careful in a big city. The speaker is giving advice like the ones parents give to their children, to watch out for people because you never know who they really are. I wasn’t so sure when she said “what disarms you” I thought it meant when something weakens you. I paraphrased it and it did made sense, since sometimes pedestrians can be dangerous if they do anything to you, thats what will make you weak. This does actually happen in the real world so perhaps that is why the speaker included it to make sure the person is open eyed. In the poem In Cities Be Alert, Finch describes all the ways that people should be careful when they are discovering a new place. The speaker's tone and diction indicates that people should be attentive to what goes around them. She shows the positive things to a city but at the same time the ways it can affect certain people. The repetition of “just try to stay alert” suggests to the person to be thoughtful of what’s happening because at any time and at any place anything can happen. |
Dreams ****
By Langston Hughes Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. |
People have to learn to accomplish their dreams. Part of being a human is to have many dreams and believe that you can reach them. Langston Hughes’s poem, Dreams, indicates that people have to hold on to their most precious dreams and to make them become reality. Through the used of diction and tone, Hughes indicates that people have to learn to accomplish their dreams because if they don’t they will be devastated and broken.
Hughes’s speaker starts of the poem by straightly saying, “Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die.” The speakers use of the words “If dreams die.” Suggests that if people do not get to accomplish their dreams, dreams will die and become just a thought. It is as if the speaker is talking about himself and reflecting on what has happend to him, and he wants to make sure it won’t happen to any one else. The tone is blunt indicating that people have to be able to chase after their dreams and accomplish them. Despite, in the lines that follow the speaker’s tone turns more instructive. Starting with the lines 2-4 the speaker’s tone changes from blunt to instructive. For example when s/he says, “For if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” The speaker is showing that if people do not get the chance to make their dreams come true, they will eventually die and people won’t be able to accomplish them any more. Usually it’s a human’s instinct if they have a dream they will do anything to reach it but, the speaker seems concerned for people that don’t have those expectations. The speaker’s tone suggests that he is pushing people to make their dreams a reality. As the poem progresses the speaker turns more instructive to make sure people follow his advice. Towards the ending of the poem the speaker keeps his tone of instructive. The speaker says, “Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.” The speaker grows more instructive towards the reader to make sure that they have to take his suggestions to realize their dreams. He says this because occasionally when people don’t follow their dreams they will feel that they did not work hard enough, and they will feel left out and lonely. The speaker directs his instructiveness towards people that feel that they won’t be able to make their dreams come true. He suggests that any dream can come true but people have to put their own effort on it also. In the poem Dream, Hughes explores that everyone should try to make their dreams come true and that they should do it fast. The speakers change in tone and choice of words depicts that sometimes people fear that they will not be able to make their dreams a reality but people have to try hard so it can come true and that will become a true accomplishment. |
A Poison Tree****
By: William Blake I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine. And he knew that it was mine, And into my garden stole When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree. |
Sometimes life is not what you thought it would be. As humans we sometimes make mistakes and it can often affect certain people with the actions we make. William Blake’s poem, A Poisson Tree,shows that people can be different then what they seem. With the help of tone and diction, Blake indicates that even if you are friends with a person they won’t always be friendly all the time.
Blake’s speaker begins the poem by straightly saying, “I was angry with my friend.” The speaker’s choice of word “angry” suggests that they are mad with someone because they probably did something that offended them. It is like the speaker is not afraid to show the anger he has with this friend of his. The tone is dramatic because of the way the speaker decided to start right away with a problem. Though in the stanzas that follow the speaker changes to accusing his friend by the way he is expressing himself. Beginning with the third stanza, the speaker’s tone changes from dramatic to accusing. For example when he says, “And my foe beheld it shine. And he knew that it was mine.” The speaker accuses his foe that he has stolen something that belongs to him. It seems like its an object that he really adored for him to be accusing his friend for just an apple. It doesn’t make sense to why the speaker would be fighting for an apple he grew. It is not something that can be life or death, so why care for it so much? Probably that apple had significance towards the speaker and it might’ve been personal. The speaker’s accusations turn stricter and it feels like he would do anything to have it back by his side. In the last stanza the speaker shifts his tone of accusing to pleased. He says, “And into my garden he stole when the night had veiled the pole; in the morning I see my foe outstretched beneath the tree.” The speaker seems thankful to see that his foe is now dead. It is like if the weight is lifted of his chest because what “his friend” did to him was unforgivable. Sometimes when people do anything like this in the real world for just a simple thing they would either feel completely terrible about it or happy. In this case at least the speaker seems content that everything turned out the way he wanted it to be. In the poem A Poison Tree, Blake explores that when people steel an important object of a person anything can happen. The reaction of the person towards his foe made him take some bad actions but in the end he felt happy with what he got to accomplish. |
The Quiet World ****
By: Jeffrey McDaniel In an effort to get people to look into each other's eyes more, and also to appease the mutes, the government has decided to allot each person exactly one hundred and sixty-seven words, per day. When the phone rings, I put it to my ear without saying hello. In the restaurant I point at chicken noodle soup. I am adjusting well to the new way. Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly say I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you. When she doesn't respond, I know she's used up all her words, so I slowly whisper I love you thirty-two and a third times. After that, we just sit on the line and listen to each other breathe. |
Sometimes the actions a society takes can affect many people but they can get through it. Part of being a human being is to go through the actions a society makes you go through. Jeffrey McDaniel’s poem, The Quiet World, captures the struggles a person can go through when society makes a drastic change. Through the use of diction and tone, McDaniel illustrates that human beings can get passed a dramatic change in their life.
McDaniel’s speaker begins the poem by announcing, “The government has decided to allot each person exactly one hundred and sixty-seven words, per day.” The way of beginning a poem by starting of with a problem indicates that there will be several things that lead to getting passed it. It seems crazy to think that a government can make this type of decision. I don’t think this can be possible but the speaker of McDaniel makes it seem easy for people to handle. The tone used is dramatic because it seems impossible and something that probably people are desperate to stop. Though in the stanzas that follow the speaker’s tone changes to hopeful and loving. In the third stanza the speaker indicates that since they have a maximum limit of words, he saves his last words for his loved one. He says, “Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly I say I only used fifty-nine today I saved the rest for you.” It’s something really sweet for a person to do for someone they really love. This shows that he/she really cares for their loved one and that no matter if they don’t have enough words they’ll save their last ones for them. Usually in a relationship the two people call each other and say their last words before sleeping. In this poem they take that example but they put it in a more dramatic way by showing that people in that society have a limit of words. As the poem advances the speaker keeps talking about their loved one and how they react, though the speaker keeps the same tone. During the last stanza the speaker realizes that his loved one has used up all of their words but they still feel the same way for each other. The speaker says, “When she doesn’t respond, I know she’s used up all her word, so I slowly whisper I love you.” I wonder what his/her loved one used up their last words on, because it seems they might not care as much as them. I think that since they have such a small amount of words to use in one day, this person uses it wisely and chooses to do much more with her choice of words then to say something to their loved one. In the poem The Quiet World, McDaniel indicates how having a problem affects people daily. The tone and diction of this poem suggests that even though there is a problem people can still get through it, you just need to be strong and know that everything will be all right. |