“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman, 2/23/12

“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Housman

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

REACTION

This poem is one that makes the reader realize just how short life is and how important it is to live life to its fullest. The poem is slightly melancholy in the fact that it was written to mourn the loss of a great athlete, but it is also happy in the sense that it is meant to celebrate the life of the athlete. The poem seems to be about death and it uses various figurative language devices. This poem is very easy to read and is all around a very well structured poem that it very interesting.

PARAPHRASE

When you won your big race, the whole town celebrated you. Today, however, the racers return, and we are laying you to rest. The glory of athletes does not last forever. Most of the time it fades faster than it came. Now that you are dead, you cannot see or hear the accomplishments of the people after you. Now you are dead, and your name has died as well. A lesson to all: before your name dies because you do, step out of the fame and defend your title. Live your life apart from just the races.

SWIFTT

Syntax/Word Choice- The rhyme and meter are also very important in this poem. The rhyme scheme is in AABB format, producing a then and now feeling. This is how it once was, and now this is how it is and how it will be. The meter is also important. Each line has eight syllables and when reading this poem, it seems to set a pace, much like the footsteps of a runner. This is important not only because the poem is about the life and death of a runner, but because it also shows the pace of life and life after death. It shows that life still goes on, and that life does not stop because of a death. In fact, life can erase any evidence of a deceased person's life. The author makes great use of words and phrases such as “The time you won your town the race” to show that the athlete was a great person who accomplished a lot. Wordsworth then uses phrases and words such as “before its echoes fade” and “The garland briefer than a girl's” to show that those living only briefly care about the dead and memory of such things quickly fades.

Imagery- In the poem “To an Athlete Dying Young,” Housman uses the repeated imagery of victory and death. Housman uses the image of victory when saying that the athlete “won your town the race” and he was a “smart lad to slip…” away from life and maintain his fame. Housman then uses the image of death when describing the athlete’s cemetery: “townsman of a stiller town.” Housman also uses various words having to do with burial. He also uses the image of a young athlete dying but being remembered and revered.

Figurative Language- There are two prominent literary devices used in this poem, personification and apostrophe. Personification can be seen in the lines "Eyes the shady night has shut" and "After earth as stopped the ears". Night cannot shut, and earth obviously cannot stop one's ears, it has no hands. Yet in this poem these two lines provide the reader with the feeling that death is a natural and peaceful bliss for this man, protecting him from seeing his glory fade and his fame forgotten. Apostrophe can be seen in the opening stanza "The time you won your town the race/ We chaired you through the market-place;/ Man and boy stood cheering by,/ And home we brought you shoulder-high." The speaker here is speaking to the runner as if he is still alive. By speaking in this manner throughout the poem, it feels as if he is reminiscing on the young man's life, and then reassuring him that dying young is better than dying after one's prime. This brings the reader into the poem, and makes them feel a connection to both the speaker and the young man.

Tone- Initially one might say that the tone of this poem would be saddening or depressing, but it is more of a mourning, celebratory tone. Housman is mourning the death of the athlete throughout the poem. The celebratory aspect of the tone comes in when Housman says “And silence sounds no worse than cheers”. This and similar quotes from the poem show that the people of the town are not just mourning the loss of a great athlete, but celebrating the great life that the athlete had.

Theme- The theme of “To an Athlete Dying Young” is the celebration of death. Housman makes it obvious that life doesn’t last long, neither does youth nor fame. As time goes on, these things will change. Life is a never ending race to achieve as much as possible before death. If one dies with achievements, they will be remembered and honored. This apparent in this poem because that is what this entire poem is, it is the author saying the athlete accomplished so much, is remembered, and is now dead. However, in being remembered, you lost everything because you died.

CONCLUSIONS

My initial reaction was very close to how I feel now. This poem was structured very well and is very easy to read. This poem is one that makes the reader realize just how short life is and how important it is to live life to its fullest. The tone of the poem is slightly melancholy in the fact that it was written to mourn the loss of a great athlete, but it is also happy in the sense that it is meant to celebrate the life of the athlete. The major theme of the poem is death. Housman also makes great use of various figurative language devices.

“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth, 2/23/12

“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth 

BEHOLD her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands                          
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:                                      
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill                              
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

REACTION
This poem was obviously written by someone from Scotland. The word choice is such that it conveys the dialect of the local region. This in turn allows the reader to have a general idea of where the poem takes place. Wordsworth also makes good use of exclamation marks and phrases to show the narrator’s strong emotions throughout the poem. The poem also makes great use of figurative language and imagery to give the reader the best understanding of just how amazing the girl in the poem’s song is and just how in tune with nature she is.

PARAPHRASE

Behold the Scottish girl alone in the field. She is all alone reaping the grain and singing to herself. Listen! For the entire area is overflowing with the sounds of her singing. Nothing in nature ever sang such a beautiful song. Will no one tell me what she is singing? Perhaps she is singing of bad things that happened in the past, or, maybe, she is singing of something more recent? Maybe it’s something bad that has happened and might again? Whatever the theme, she sang as though there was no end, and I listened without moving. As I left the music stuck with me in my heart.

SWIFTT:

Syntax-The four eight-line stanzas of this poem are written in a tight iambic tetrameter. Each follows a rhyme scheme of ABABCCDD, though in the first and last stanzas the “A” rhyme is off (field/self and sang/work).

Word Choice- Wordsworth uses words such as “Highland Lass” and “to-day” so that the reader, hopefully familiar with the dialect, realizes that the setting of this poem is in Scotland. He also replaces the v’s  in words with an apostrophe.

Imagery- Imagery is used throughout this poem to help give readers a better understanding of what is actually going on. The poet creates a comparison between "No Nightingale did ever chaunt More welcome notes to weary bands Of travellers in some shady haunt, Among Arabian sands." and "A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard In spring-time from the cuckoo-bird, Breaking the silence of the seas Among the farthest Hebrides." You cannot hear a nightingale in the Arabian Sands, and you cannot hear a Cuckoo-bird in the Hebrides. This comparison is used by the poet to explain to the readers, how beautiful the singing is.

Figurative Language- There is no use of simile in this poem as far as I can tell. There does happen to be irony, however. The irony stems from the title itself which presents the reader with the idea that the poem is about some lonely being, but as the reader we find the girl is not lonely at all, she is totally content in her reaping. Wordsworth also uses the metaphor of the girl sounding like a nightingale.

Tone- The tone of this poem is very calm, emotional, and peaceful. Wordsworth creates a very peaceful and calm scene of a girl reaping some sort of grain while singing a melancholy song. The narrator then becomes emotional and begins to exclaim things such as “O listen” and “Will no one tell me what she sings?”

Theme- One main theme is nature. Wordsworth used solitary characters to show how to be one with nature. The girl is compared to nightingales and cuckoo birds in a positive light, as though she is one of them, which shows her natural side. The "vale profound/ Is overflowing with the sound", and this also shows that she and nature are sympathetic to each other. Other themes touched on are those of loss shown when Wordsworth says, "some natural sorrow, loss or pain". Imagination is another theme, the song takes Wordsworth to the corners of the world, from "Arabian sands" to the "farthest Hebrides".

CONCLUSION

My initial reaction was not very far off. This poem was written by someone from Scotland. The word choice is such that it conveys the dialect of the local region. This in turn allows the reader to have a general idea of where the poem takes place. This allows for Wordsworth to create his great imagery in the poem. He also makes good use of exclamation marks and phrases to show the narrator’s strong emotions throughout the poem. The poem also makes great use of figurative language and word choice to give the reader the best understanding of just how amazing the girl in the poem’s song is and just how in tune with nature she is.

“Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, 02/14/12

“Ode to a Grecian Urn” by John Keats

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunt about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal - yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

REACTION

While reading this poem I believe that I actually fell asleep. The poem is very lengthy and well structured. The poem is obviously about a man looking at an urn. Keats uses great imagery to describe the scenes depicted on the urn, but does not dive into enough detail such that the reader is left with no room to image the urn for themselves. Keats also makes good use of figurative language. The man in the poem seems to be reflecting on the themes of time, nature, and innocence.

PARAPHRASE

The speaker addresses this urn that depicts a wild, romantic, intense scene. As he looks at it, he becomes captivated by what he sees. It's as if the pictures have life, and the speaker can imagine their intense feelings/actions. He's enthralled by the way his imagination is triggered by this scene he encounters on this urn, this piece of art. Since the images are alive in his mind, it's even sweeter than it would be if he were actually witnessing something or hearing music. Plus, there's something even more romantic in this frozen moment pictured on the urn. The scene he encounters will never change. It, therefore, will never be changed by time. In that way, he sees that the trees are "happy, happy boughs!" and the couple have "happy, happy love!" That is, it is perfect in its captured essence. By the end of the poem, the speaker relates the joy of this scene on the urn to the joy of his poem. He shows the readers how they, too can experience this frozen moment of joy. The message that both forms of art give to us is that "Beauty is truth, truth beauty". To understand this, you have to translate what "truth" means to you. To me, it's the essence of all that is real and good. And beauty, which comes from an encounter with art, is truth. "That is all...ye need to know." In other words, that simple fact captures this intense feeling that almost seems beyond words. Hope this is helpful.

SWIFTT:

Syntax- Each of the five stanzas in “Ode to a Grecian Urn” is ten lines long, metered in an iambic pentameter, and divided into a two part rhyme scheme, the last three lines of which are variable. The first seven lines of each stanza follow an ABABCDE rhyme scheme, but the second occurrences of the CDE sounds do not follow the same order. In stanza one, lines seven through ten are rhymed DCE; in stanza two, CED; in stanzas three and four, CDE; and in stanza five, DCE, just as in stanza one. As in other odes, the two-part rhyme scheme creates the sense of a two-part thematic structure as well. The first four lines of each stanza roughly define the subject of the stanza, and the last six roughly explicate or develop it.

Word Choice- Many of the words chosen here are meant to purvey the idea that the urn and the pictures printed on it are eternal. “Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,” the repetition of never is meant to show that the pictures are frozen in time, the lover can never reach his love. “For ever panting, and for ever young” is another example of this idea, where the lover is forever chasing and out of breath, and the girl will never age.

Imagery- The rhetorical questions at the end of the first stanza are meant to lead the reader to a description of what is painted on the urn. Grecian urns are painted with pictures, so he is saying there is a story of a chase and maidens and struggles stamped onto the urn. Throughout the rest of the story, the speaker describes the scenes on the urn. A chase scene and a sacrifice are brought up.

Figurative Language-John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a prolonged apostrophe to an ancient piece of Greek pottery on one side of which is the image of a maiden pursued by an amorous would-be lover. The situation presents a series of paradoxes rich in ambiguity. Keats does not use simile or metaphor in this poem.

Tone- The tone of “Ode to a Grecian Urn” is dignified and serious. This is exemplified in Keats’ use of language. Phrases such as, “What leaf-fring'd legend haunt about thy shape/Of deities or mortals, or of both,/In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?” show this tone.

Theme- “Ode to a Grecian Urn” has the themes of knowledge, culture, and innocence. The theme of innocence comes into play because the urn symbolizes innocence. It is never changing and is unaffected by the suffering and hardship that come with change. The theme of knowledge comes into play because the author is obviously in a melancholy mood and looks to the urn, thousands of years older than the narrator, for advice on what to do. The final theme or art comes into play because Keates goes so far as to suggest that the most powerful truths are to be found only in art.  

CONCLUSION

My initially reaction was not very far off. The poem is very lengthy. The poem was also created to be well structured. The poem is about a man analyzing, to a degree, an urn. Keats uses great imagery to describe the scenes depicted on the urn, but does not dive into enough detail such that the reader is left with no room to image the urn for themselves. Keats also makes good use of figurative language. The man does indeed reflect on the themes of time, nature, and innocence.

“The Wild Swans at Coole”, by William Butler Yeats

“The Wild Swans at Coole”, by William Butler Yeats

THE trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

REACTION

When first reading “The Wild Swans at Coole,” I felt at peace. Yeasts paints a vivid picture of magnificent animals taking the breath away from a young man in a beautiful setting. This gives a strong sense of awe and passion. The swans are perfectly harmonious, having synchronized flight and their swimming paths. I feel as though this poem must have only been written after the author witnessed some sort of spectacular event that caused some sort of realization.

PARAPHRASE

The trees look beautiful in the fall. Paths going through the woods are dry. In October around dusk, still water looks like the sky. On this full body of water and among the rocks are fifty-nine swans. I have come here to watch the swans for nineteen years. Before I could finish counting how many swans there were, they suddenly took flight and scattered away. I feel awed from watching this beautiful sight. I feel changed since the day I saw these swans take flight, their wings beating above me. Still playful, the swans swam in the pond, side by side, or fly in the air. The swans are happy. I wonder where they will travel to, whether from passion or conquest. But for now they are still swimming on the water, mysterious and beautiful. I wonder where they will build their nests. I wonder where they are when I awake some other day to find they are gone.

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- “The Wild Swans at Coole” is written with five six-line stanzas, each written in a roughly iambic meter, with the first and third lines in tetrameter, the second, fourth, and sixth lines in trimeter, and the fifth line in pentameter, so that the pattern of stressed syllables in each stanza is 434353. The rhyme scheme in each stanza is ABCBDD. The poem uses specific words to give a sense of nostalgia. Phrases such as “Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will,/Attend upon them still.” create such a nostalgia.

Imagery- The author uses the image of swans all throughout the poem. This image represents what could have been. The image of the swans is very vivid and makes the read feel they can see the swans. The author also uses phrases such as, “The woodland paths are dry,/Under the October twilight the water/Mirrors a still sky;/Upon the brimming water among the stones” to paint a vivid scenery for the reader so that they feel as though they are present in the setting.  

Figurative Language- There is no usage of simile or metaphor in this poem. However, Yeats uses rhetorical question toward the end of his poem. The narrator is not satisfied with the way his life is going and questions if he will die unsuccessful and without accomplishing any of his goals. There is also personification in Yeats’ description of the swans, which are beautiful and seemingly in love. The swans are able to fly away; they have freedom where the man is stuck in the same, monotonous life.

Tone- Yeats writes “The Wild Swans at Coole” with a tone that can only be described as depressed and pessimistic. In the poem, the narrator is not satisfied with where his life has been going. This accounts for the main depressed tone. The swans’ freedom brings an ache to his heart accounting for the pessimistic tone because the narrator now feels as though nothing can change his life.

Theme- The theme Yeats presents in “The Wild Swans at Coole” is that people should to make the most of their lives. The narrator in the poem is not satisfied with his life, and while seeing these swans he realizes that his life is not what he wants. Yeats tries to show that humans shouldn’t waste their lives away and then regret past decisions.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the poem I have realized that my initial reaction isn’t that far off. The autumn in the poem shows the man getting close to the end of his life. He has not accomplished his goals and is still unmarried at the age of 51. “The Wild Swans at Coole” compares a lonely man to mysterious swans. Every year the man goes to see the swans, but this year he goes with a heavy heart. The swans in the poem represent freedom. The man yearns for the freedom and simplicity that the swans’ lives include “The Wild Swans at Coole” is about fulfilling one’s dreams before it is too late, before they become mere dreams.

"The Oven Bird", by Robert Frost, 1/30/12

“The Oven Bird”, by Robert Frost 

There is a singer everyone has heard,
Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,
Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.
He says that leaves are old and that for flowers
Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.
He says the early petal-fall is past
When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers
On sunny days a moment overcast;
And comes that other fall we name the fall.
He says the highway dust is over all.
The bird would sing and be as other birds,
But that he knows in singing not to sing.
The question that he frames in all but words
is what to make of a diminished thing.

REACTION

This poem is really confusing. The author is obviously talking about a bird while he is writing this poem. The bird is also singing some sort of song. The poem is structured into one stanza and doesn’t seem to have an obvious rhyme scheme. The poem seems to have a hidden meaning and the image of the bird seems to be very complex.

PARAPHRASE

Everyone has heard this singer, a loud mid-summer and mid-wood bird, who makes tree trunks sound again. The singer says that leaves are old and that to flowers mid-summer is to spring as one to ten. He says the early petal-fall has happened when pear and cherry blooms have come down in showers to where on sunny days there’s a momentary overcast; and then comes the other fall that we call fall. He says the highway dust is over everything. The bird would be like other birds, but that he knows in singing not to sing. The singer poses the question of what to make of a diminished thing without words.

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- This poem is structured into one stanza. Frost uses long, complex sentences utilizing commas and semicolons. Frost has no structured rhyme scheme in this poem. Frost uses certain words throughout the poem to emphasize the setting and the specialness of the bird. Frost uses the words mid-summer and mid-wood to give the reader a time and location special to the poem. He then uses the phrase “The bird would sing and be as other birds,” to show that the bird is special and not like others. Frost also uses certain words such as “overcast,” “fall,” and “dust” to set the tone of the poem. Frost utilizes phrases such as he says or he frames to emphasize the unnatural sound of the ovenbirds call.

Imagery- Frost uses the image of a bird singing during mid-summer in the middle of the woods through the duration of the poem. The bird image is shown best in the second line when Frost says, “a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird”. The singing part of the image is best shown when Frost says, “that he knows in singing not to sing”.

Figurative Language- Frost uses a few examples of figurative language in “The Oven Bird”. For example, he uses simile when saying “Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten”. Frost also uses personification when he says that the bird has the ability to create complex thoughts at the end of the poem. Frost also uses overstatement when he says that the “pear and cherry bloom went down in showers”.

Tone- The tone of this poem is melancholy. The beginning of the poem starts off only slightly melancholy, but towards the middle and end of the poem the tone is strictly melancholy. Phrases such as “And comes that other fall we name the fall” and “what to make of a diminished thing” paint this tone very clearly.

Theme-The main theme of this poem is ovenbird’s song. This song is one as Frost says that asks “what to make of a diminished thing.” This is important because Frost is trying to show that all good things must end. He shows this by the image of the cherry blooms falling to the ground and the transition from summer to fall.

CONCLUSION

My initial reaction is not very different from my analysis. This poem is very confusing until it is reread under the correct pretense. The author is discussing a bird in this poem. The bird is also singing some sort of song. The poem is structured into one stanza and doesn’t seem to have a rhyme scheme. The poem seems to have a hidden meaning and the image of the bird seems to be very complex. This meaning is that all good things must come to an end so why should we sing about something that must end?

“Telephone Poles”, by John Updike, 1/29/12

“Telephone Poles”, by John Updike

They have been with us a long time.
They will outlast the elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees
In his search for game,
Run through them. They blend along small-town streets
Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.
Our eyes, washed clean of belief,
Lift incredulous to their fearsome crowns of bolts, trusses, struts, nuts, insulators, and such
Barnacles as compose
These weathered encrustations of electrical debris¬
Each a Gorgon’s head, which, seized right,
Could stun us to stone.
Yet they are ours. We made them.
See here, where the cleats of linemen
Have roughened a second bark
Onto the bald trunk. And these spikes
Have been driven sideways at intervals handy for human legs.
The Nature of our construction is in every way
A better fit than the Nature it displaces
What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter,
Unscrambled, is English? True, their thin shade is negligible,
But then again there is not that tragic autumnal
Casting-off of leaves to outface annually.
These giants are more constant than evergreens
By being never green. 

REACTION

This poem is depressing and instills a certain fear into its reader. The poem creates an image of these telephone poles as some sort of monster. The poem seems to focus on how man has created something that totally contradicts the nature from which it was made. This contradiction is a major theme of the poem and it is shown in various images throughout the poem.

PARAPHRASE

They’ve been with us for a long time; they will outlast the elm trees. Our eyes, like the eyes of someone hunting for game, run through them. They blend along small town roads like giants that have faded into myth. We look up in disbelief and fear at the bolts, trusses, struts, nuts, insulators, and other parts that compose these electrical machines—each Gorgon’s head at the top of the pole could kill us. Yet they are made by us, and the spikes in the sides of them are made for men to climb on. The Nature of our construction fits the area better than the real Nature. What other tree could u climb that you could here, when unscrambled, English? They cannot provide shade, but they don’t cast-off leaves in the fall. These poles are not consistent than trees because they are never green.

SWIFTT:

Syntax- The author uses one stanza for this poem. Updike also uses very complex sentences separated by commas and dashes. The author also uses question marks in this poem. The poem seems to have no meter and is apparently a free verse poem.

Word Choice- The author uses words in such a way as to stress how unnatural the telephone poles are. For example, Updike capitalizes the word “Nature” to show that he is specifically talking about nature as though it were its own being. Updike also chooses specific words to show exactly just how much the telephone poles contradict nature.

Imagery/Figurative Language- The author uses a vast array of imagery and figurative language throughout the poem. The author uses similes throughout “Telephone Poles.” The first use of simile is when the author says “Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees/In his search for game,” and continues to use similes elsewhere. This initial use of similes creates the image of a modern day person with their eyes looking like that of a savage. Updike also uses allusion when referring to the “electrical debris” of the telephone poles as “a Gorgon’s head.” This creates the image of the electrical debris being a massive Gorgon’s head at the top of a telephone pole. The author also uses the image of the “birds’ twitter” to represent the words spoken over the phones, and also uses the image of the telephone pole as a tree that never losses or gains leaves to represent how much the poles contradict nature.

Tone- The tone of this poem is gloomy and surreal. The poem is both gloomy and surreal because throughout the poem Updike creates a grand image of the telephone poles as these larger than life giants which contradict nature. This is show brilliantly when Updike says, “They blend along small-town streets/Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.”

Theme- The major theme of “Telephone Poles” is how these telephone poles have become something more than just telephone poles. This is a theme throughout the poem demonstrated when Updike says the poles are “Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology” It is then repeated when Updike says, “The Nature of our construction is in every way/A better fit than the Nature it displaces”.

CONCLUSION

My initial reaction was not far off from my reaction to the poem after analysis. The poem has a somewhat depressing tone, but it instills more of a feeling of awe instead of a feeling of fear into the reader. The poem does create the image of the telephone poles as larger than life, but not necessarily as monstrous. The poem does centralize around how man has created these things that have taken on their own mythological-like identity, and it uses various images to show this.

“On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High”, by D.C. Berry, 1/25/12

“On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High”, by D.C. Berry 
 

Before

I opened my mouth

I noticed them sitting there

as orderly as frozen fish

in a package. 

Slowly water began to fill the room

though I did not notice it

till it reached

my ears 

and then I heard the sounds

of fish in an aquarium

and I knew that though I had

tried to drown them 

with my words

that they had only opened up

like gills for them
and let me in. 

Together we swam around the room

like thirty tails whacking words

till the bell rang

puncturing

a hole in the door

where we all leaked out 

They went to another class

I suppose and I to home 

where Queen Elizabeth

my cat met me

and licked my fins

till they were hands again.

REACTION

This poem is very odd to say the least. It is obviously about a teacher or some author reading poetry to a group of high school students. The poem seems to show how the teacher and the students become immersed in the poetry and read it until the bell rings. Once the bell rings, the students leave the room, supposedly still immersed in the poetry and head to another class. The teacher/author goes home where his or her cat licks his or her hands. This poem is written in a structure that is more modernistic, and it utilizes modern language.

PARAPHRASE

Before I opened my mouth I noticed the students sitting there in an organized manor as is they were packaged. Slowly I began to become immersed in the poem, though I didn’t notice it until I began to hear the sounds of fish in an aquarium and then I realized that I had tried to overwhelm them with my words and that they had instead opened up to the words and let me in. Together we went on a trip with poetry like thirty little fish all contributing until the bell rang and caused all the students to leave and go to another class. I then went home and let me cat lick me until I came back to reality.  

SWIFTT

Syntax- The author uses very long, run-on sentences with only three periods throughout the entire poem. The author also does not use any commas or other forms of punctuation except for period.

Word Choice- The author chose to use the word “till” instead of until or ‘til. This is important because that is technically a form of slang which the author would have to use when talking to a teenage audience. The author also chose to use very simplistic words in this poem so that they would be understandable to modern teens.

Imagery- The author uses the image of an aquarium full of fish for most of the poem. The author does a fantastic job of making the reader feel as though they are the person reading poetry to a high school class. The author also makes use of imagery to make the reader feel as though they are being transformed into a fish and swimming.

Figurative Language- The author makes great use of metaphors. The first metaphor is of the students being like frozen fish in a package with represents how rigid they are. The author also uses hearing bubbles in an aquarium as a metaphor for the murmur of the students. The last two metaphors are the hole through the door and the author’s cat licking his “fins till they were hands again.” The author also uses simile when describing how the students open up like gills.

Tone-The tone for this poem is playful. The author starts out by essentially making a joke about the students being rigid like frozen fish. The author then uses a metaphor that was described in such a way that it is becomes playful.

Theme- The theme of this poem is education and a journey. The journey comes in when the author has to take the students from a rigid state about poetry to a more open state. The education theme comes into play because the author is teaching the students about poetry.

CONCLUSION

My initial reaction was not far off at all. This poem is very odd. Obviously some guest speaker has come in to read poetry to a group of high school students. The poem seems to show how the teacher and the students become immersed in the poetry and read it until the bell rings. They students also go on a journey with the speaker while reading the poem.  Once the bell rings, the students leave the room, supposedly still immersed in the poetry and head to another class. The speaker goes home where his cat licks his hands. This poem is written in a structure that is more modernistic, and it utilizes modern language.

"War is Kind", by Stephen Crane, 1/25/12

“War is Kind’, by Stephen Crane

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom--
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!

REACTION

This poem is very paradoxical. The title in itself presents a paradox, because there is no possible way that war is kind. The poem is very depressing and borderline disturbing. The entire poem is entirely about the author telling random people that they should not weep for their loved one who died because war is kind. This leads to the assumption that this statement “war is kind” is simply a sarcastic statement meant to moreover show the author’s disgust with war.

PARAPHRASE

Don’t cry girl, because your lover died. War is kind. Loud sounds of the regiment, little men who thirst for a fight, these men were born to drill and die. An unexplained glory engulfs these men. The god of war is great and his kingdom is a field with thousands of corpses. Don’t cry baby, because your father falls in the trenches shot in his breast, breathes for air, and dies. Don’t cry. War is kind. Flag of the regiment, an eagle with a crest of red and gold, these men were born to drill and die. Show them the virtue of slaughter, make is clear to them the excellence of killing and of the battlefield with thousands of dead bodies. Mother whose heart was her son, don’t cry. War is kind!

SWIFTT

Syntax/Word Choice- Crane structures his five stanzas in such a way that they are all between 4-6 lines. The poem is structured into parable-like stanzas. Crane uses specific words to describe the gore of war. Also, he chooses his words to show how humans say war is kind and just, but in reality it is not. The repetition of the phrase “war is kind” is meant to emphasis this.

Imagery- The imagery in this poem could not be any more apparent than it is. Crane uses the image of a regiment going to train, fight, and die on a bloody battlefield filled with thousands of rotting corpses. Not only does he do this, but he also gives an ultra descriptive image of a man dying when he says “Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,/Raged at his breast, gulped and died…” Crane also goes on to describe the flag of the regiment and to briefly create the image of a woman (lover), baby, and a mother crying over the loss of their significant male figure.

Figurative Language- Crane uses simile when referring to how the mother’s heart “hung humble as a button.” Other than the one use of simile, there is no apparent use of any other types of figurative language.

Tone- The tone of this poem is gory, depressing, and sarcastic. The poem is depressing from the mention of all of the loved ones crying for the one they lost. The poem is gory in the vivid death scenes Cranes uses throughout the poem. Lastly, the poem is sarcastic because Crane obviously makes the remark “war is kind” as a sarcastic gesture to show just how unkind war really is.

Theme- The theme of this poem is the effects of war. Crane throughout the poem is explain how war has killed many men and tells them their loved ones not to cry for them because “war is kind.”

CONCLUSION

This poem presents a paradox in the beginning of the poem. The title in itself presents a paradox, because there is no possible way that war is kind. The poem has very depressing and borderline disturbing images throughout. The poem is about the author telling the loved ones of the deceased that they should not weep for their loved one who died because war is kind. This leads to the assumption that this statement “war is kind” is simply a sarcastic statement meant to moreover show the author’s disgust with war.

“Musee des Beaux Arts”, by W. H. Auden, 1/18/12

“Musee des Beaux Arts”, by W. H. Auden

About suffering they were never wrong,
The old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position: how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

REACTION

This poem is the epitome of depression. The author discusses nothing but pure suffering and its place in mankind. The author must be looking at a painting from the master painters of the Renaissance or from some other time period. There seems to be no obvious rhyme scheme to this poem. The author does a great job alluding to the story of Icarus. Throughout the entirety of this poem the reader cannot shake the feeling of sadness.

PARAPHRASE

The old Masters were always right about suffering and they understood its place in mankind well; how it happens while nobody is paying attention. They understood that while the older people are happily waiting for the birth of a child, there must be a child who doesn’t want that child to be born. The Masters never forgot that even martyrdom must run its course even out of the mind of others, in some dirty spot where dogs are dogs and the torturer’s horse scratches its butt on a tree. In Pieter Breughel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus," for instance everything simply turns away from disaster; the plowman may have heard the splash but it’s not important to him; the sun shone on the man and on the ship that must have seen Icarus fall, but had somewhere to be so it sailed calmly away.

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- The author uses very complex and long sentences in this poem. The poem itself is a free verse poem and does not have an apparent rhyme scheme. The author chooses the words for this poem carefully as to create an ominous feeling throughout the poem. The over use of the word “suffering” is there to ensure that the reader never forgets the focus of the poem. The words and sentences are also chosen in such as manner as to create the illusion that the poem is in itself the author’s as he looks out onto these paintings done by the Masters.

Imagery-The author does an exquisite job with imagery in this poem. When the author discusses the times human suffering takes place the reader truly feels as though they are suffering with people all around and no one person is paying attention. Later, the reader is drawn to the image of “skating/On a pond at the edge of the wood.” Then, the reader pictures a martyr suffering in a corner while a dog is doing dog things and the torturer’s horse is scratching its butt. Finally, the entire last stanza is an image strong enough for the reader to envision Pieter Breughel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus"  having never seen the painting.  

Figurative Language- There is no apparent use of figurative language in this poem.

Tone- The tone of this poem is depressing and ominous. The author is constantly discussing suffering and its place in mankind. The author discusses a torturer at one point and the painting of the fall of Icarus.

Theme- The theme of this poem is suffering. The entire poem is based on the idea that a man is looking at paintings by the Masters and in them he sees the epitome of human suffering. This is made apparent in the opening lines when the author says “About suffering they were never wrong…”

CONCLUSION

My initial stance on the poem was not far off in the least. This poem is the epitome of depression. Suffering and its place in mankind is the main theme of this poem.  As it turns out, the poem is written as though it were the thoughts of a man looking at paintings done by the Masters. There is no obvious rhyme scheme to this poem. The author does a great job alluding to the story of Icarus.

"The Tyger", by William Blake, 1/12/12

“The Tyger”, by William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

REACTION

This poem is somewhat ominous and invokes a little fear. As in Blake’s “The Lamb” the narrator asks tons of questions. The imagery in this poem is outstanding and makes the reader truly feel as though they are looking at a tiger and seeing its burning eyes in the night. The poem in itself asks a very important philosophical question that many people even today struggle with.

PARAPHRASE

Who created you, what kind of divine being could have created you? Where could your fiery eyes have come from in this universe? Who would dare to take this much fire and put it in your eyes? What sort of being or craftsmanship would have been required to make your heart this way? What dreaded person would continue once that dark heart began to beat? What blacksmith would have created you and what tools would be necessary? Once the tiger was created how must the creator have felt? Did he smile when he thought of his work? Could this possibly be the same being who created the lamb?

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- Blake uses very descriptive words throughout the poem. He also uses tons of questions marks throughout the poem. Blake also intentionally starts the poem with an exclamation in order to show the fear the narrator sees. The narrator also spells the word tiger as tyger in order to show that it is not a real tiger.

Imagery- Blake uses the image of the tiger “burning” to convey the way the tiger appears to the author. The author uses the phrase “fearful symmetry” to convey that the tiger has a look about him that invokes fear. The eyes of the tiger are then described as “fiery” which allows the reader to envision reddish-orange eyes staring back at themselves. All of this imagery is used to convey how scary, fierce and demonic the tiger appears.

Figurative Language- There are not similes in this poem by William Blake. The poem is however, like “The Lamb”, representing the tiger as a demonic figure.  

Tone- The tone of this poem is fearful and menacing. The poem starts off with the narrator exclaiming that a tiger is near. The narrator continues on in the poem to stress that he is scared of the tiger’s fiery eyes. The tone is also menacing, due to the way in which the tiger is described.

Theme- The theme of this poem is the philosophical question of “can the creator of good also be the creator of evil?” At the start of the poem, and for most of the duration of the poem, the narrator talks about how evil the poem is. Finally, at the end of the poem the is a question is stressed when the author asks “Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”

CONCLUSION

My initial response to this poem was not far off from the truth. The poem is ominous and invokes fear. The narrator asks tons of questions as in Blake’s “The Lamb”. Blake uses an outstanding imagery and makes the reader truly feel as though they are looking at a tiger. The imagery is so vivid that the read can see its burning eyes in the night. The poem in itself asks a very important philosophical question that many people even today struggle with.

"The Lamb", by William Blake, 1/12/12

“The Lamb”, by William Blake

  Little lamb, who made thee?

   Does thou know who made thee,

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed

By the stream and o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

   Little lamb, who made thee?

   Does thou know who made thee?

   Little lamb, I’ll tell thee;

   Little lamb, I’ll tell thee:

He is callèd by thy name,

For He calls Himself a Lamb.

He is meek, and He is mild,

He became a little child.

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are callèd by His name.

   Little lamb, God bless thee!

   Little lamb, God bless thee!

REACTION

There is a heavily religious tone to this poem. The narrator appears to actually be talking to a lamb. There are seemingly very iconic religious symbols being used in the poem. The narrator also seems to admire the little lamb.

PARAPHRASE

Little lamb, who made you? Do you know who made you, gave you life, and allowed you to eat by the stream and over the meadow; gave you a coat of wool; gave you a tender voice, making all the valleys happy? Little lamb, who made you? Do you know who made you?

Little lamb, I’ll tell you; He is called by your name, for He calls Himself a Lamb. He is meek and mild, and became a child. I’m a child, and you’re a lamb; we are called by His name. God bless you little lamb.

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- In this poem, Blake intentionally indents his initial questions to the lamb, and other parts of the poem where he is directly speaking to the lamb so that those parts stand out from the rest. When Blake refers to God in the poem he capitalizes the first letter of the name God is called by to make it distinguishable. This is also intentionally done to allude back to the Bible where God is referred to as He. Blake uses a variety of complex and simple sentence structures in order to both pose the questions asked and to answer them. The first stanza is primarily comprised of the questions (often rhetorical) to the lamb. The second stanza is the reply filled with statements and exclamations.

Imagery- This poem uses the image of a lamb all throughout the poem. Blake is very descriptive when he describes the coat of the lamb by saying, “Softest clothing, woolly, bright”. Blake also invokes the senses when he says the lamb has such a “tender voice”.

Figurative Language-There are no similes in this poem, and there are very few actual uses of figurative language, but the entire poem is about comparing the lamb to Christ.

Tone- The tone of the poem is happy, inquisitive, and religious. Blake is constantly asks questions throughout the first stanza, such as “Little lamb, who made thee?” The lamb itself in the poem is a symbol of Christ and throughout the second stanza Blake does a fantastic job of showing this.

Theme- The major theme of this poem is the comparison of the little lamb to Christ. It is apparent from the simple use of the religious symbol of the lamb in the poem and the fact that Blake states that the lamb and He share the same name. Another lesser theme is a reflectance on the human state. Blake is posing questions in the beginning that are meant to make the read reflect on them and pose the same questions internally.

CONCLUSION

I feel that my initial reaction was not far off from reality. There is no denying the heavily religious tone of this poem. The narrator does seem to actually be talking to a lamb. Blake uses several iconic religious symbols in the poem. He also uses the characters in the poem to compare to these religious symbols.

“Siren Song”, by Margaret Atwood, 1/10/12

“Siren Song”, by Margaret Atwood

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.

REACTION

This poem is inevitably comical. It is essentially the one of the Sirens luring in an innocent man so that he falls to his death. The way the sentences are structured and the choice of words leads the reader to believe that something ominous is about to happen, but it is rather unclear what that thing is. The poem draws in the reader in such a way that he or she wants to know what the secret is at the end of the poem. The last stanza gives the poem its sinister comedy when one is led to assume the siren finally lures the man to his death.

PARAPHRASE

This is the song everybody want to know, it’s irresistible; it’s the song that makes men jump overboard to their death when they know it will happen, that’s why nobody knows it because all who hear it are dead and other don’t remember it. I’ll tell you the secret, but if I do will you get me out of this disguise? I don’t like sitting here on this island looking perfect and unreal along with these two idiots, I don’t like singing this song, it’s fatal and valuable. I’ll only tell you the secret. Come here. This song is a cry for help, help me! You’re the only one who can help, you’re special. Finally, the song is boring but it works every time.

SWIFTT:

·         Syntax/Word Choice- The author used a very complex sentence structure that emphasizes colons to separate the sentences. The author also chooses simplistic words that most people today would understand, but at the same time uses some words that allow the poem to seemingly be written in a time prior to its publication.

·         Imagery- The author uses imagery throughout this poem. The use of the phrases “beached skulls” and “squatting on this island looking picturesque and mythical with these two feathery maniacs” along with many others in the poem allows the reader to feel they are a real person standing on a boat looking onto an island with beached skulls and three beautiful woman/bird-like figures staring back at him singing to him.

·         Figurative Language- This poem has an apparent lack of any figurative language. Through the entirety of the poem there was no figurative language.

·         Tone- The tone for this poem is seemingly mocking and alluring. Throughout the poem the speaker is essentially luring in a victim into a trap to kill the victim, while in essence mocking the victim. This is seen in the opening line, “This is the one song…” showing that the speaker is mocking the listener by saying this song I am singing you now is the song that will kill you and you will fall for it.

·         Theme- As with all Greek mythologies we see the theme is a lesson. To not allow yourself to be lured in by something or someone that is really trying to do you harm.

CONCLUSIONS

The poem was not intentionally comical as initially stated. The poem is meant to be more of a warning that if you are tempted there are massive consequences. I was correct in assuming that one of the Sirens is luring a man into coming to see her only to find out that the man dies. The poem was designed to luring the listener to come towards the Siren, but it is also supposed to mock the person the poem speaks of that actually comes toward the Sirens.