Poetry Analysis of "And the Sun Still Dared to Shine"
The Holocaust during orld ar II is one of the best documented and most horrendous periods of human existence. There have been other times in history where as many were senselessly killed in a short amount of time, but never have they been subjected to all of the horrors to which the Jews in the concentration camps were participants. A book of poetry by Peter Sheponik called "And the Sun Still Dared to Shine" was recently gathered to showcase free verse poetry written by survivors of the Holocaust. It is powerful book, filled with many themes that speak even more deeply to the horror and loss experienced during those dark years. This paper will look at three poems -- "In the Country," "Children of the Gas" and "Bread of Life" -- through which the theme of youth and the despair such…...

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Work Cited

Sheponik, Peter. And the Sun Still Dared to Shine. New York: Mazo Publishers, 2011. Print.

poetry analysis "True Love" Wislawa Szymborska "Acquainted Night" Robert Frost
Wislawa Szymborska's "True Love"

Wislawa Szymborska's poem "True Love" is initially likely to induce feelings related to simplicity and to the overall impression that love is overrated. However, upon second reading and a more in-depth analysis, one is probable to discover that the poet was concerned about putting across a more complex message -- one that relates to the benefits of love and that is meant to criticize individuals who are reluctant to accept that love provides people with a superior state of mind. Szymborska did not actually want to say that love plays a negative role in people's lives, as she actually wanted readers to acknowledge that the world is lost without true love. Furthermore, from her point-of-view, life would have very little excitement if it were not for the idea of love.

The principal question that the poet is interested in…...

Poetry Analysis of Thomas Hardy's "The Oxen"
The English poet Thomas Hardy wrote a seemingly simple piece titled "The Oxen" in 1915, as the industrialized slaughter of World War I raged throughout the European continent. Although the light tone and themes of holiday reverence and religious worship which are present throughout "The Oxen" suggest a sense of innocence, the poem actually represents the futile yearnings of a jaded old man in his seventy-fifth year, one who has long since abandoned the faith of his childhood despite a lingering affection for religious teachings. To understand the true meaning of "The Oxen," it is important to begin with an examination of its author's life and circumstances at the time it was written. As a young man, Hardy had aspired to a career as a priest working within the church which was so beloved during his childhood, but his educational experiences as a young…...

Poetry analysis of the works of Sylvia Plath and Robert Hayden about paternal love and affection reflects how fathers have become the symbols of brutal and cruel love for their children, stereotyping and marginalizing them in a society where mothers and women are favored as suitable guardians for their children. In Plath's "Daddy" and Hayden's "Those winter days," readers witness two opposing views of this theme -- where the former illustrates through an analogy of the hatred between Germans and Jews, and the latter, by expressing the unreciprocated love that fathers have for their children.
The father in Plath's poem is not dissimilar to Hayden's. In fact, both fathers are portrayed as silent, dominant, hardworking, yet tenacious in their character and attitude. However, what differentiates Plath's father from Hayden's is the expression of feelings that the former expresses, which is a mixture of hatred and awe for her father. Her hatred…...

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Works cited

Hayden, R. E-text of "Those winter days." Available at: http://www.thehellwithlove.com/poems/winterdays.htm.

Plath, S. E-text of "Daddy." Available at:  http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/sylviaplath/1388 .

This was achieved by using end rhymes, illustrated through the words, "me/be," "field/concealed," "roam/home," and "given/heaven," among others.
The choice of words in the poem also helped develop the over-all mood of the poem. The usage of traditional techniques in poetry such as end rhyming and balanced rhythm mirrored the rustic and provincial landscape of England, giving the reader the impression that the Soldier synonymously associated England, his country, as close as his home. The poem's traditional mood, in fact, appeals to the reader's tendency to look for balance and clarity; achieving these aspects highlighted the resolute character of the Soldier. Resoluteness was reflected in the fact that he remained proud, hopeful, and loving to his country despite the possibility that he could be killed in combat anytime. In effect, the Soldier in the poem was England's sacrifice, a dedication symbolizing patriotism and nationalism, in the same way that Brooke…...

poetry analysis was the notion of Jazz Poetry. This is a form that the author has strong hold of. The author does a good job of connecting the socio-historical context of time the poems were written to the type of poetry in general. That is to say that the author does a good job of realizing that the content of the poetry as well as the form of poetry were products of the times.
The author could have done a better job of strengthening the connection between Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. It was a good point to bring up how Whitman influenced Hughes, but their connection has the potential to go much deeper than that. Walt Whitman was a homosexual man, which was far more taboo in his lifetime than it is in 21st century America (for the most part). Hughes was an African-American man in a society controlled…...

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References:

Poem Hunter. (2013). Langston Hughes -- All Poems. Web, Available from:   2013 March 12.http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/ .

These differing attitudes come into clearer focus in their more autobiographical poems. Baraka's "Leroy" shows his yearning for the black heritage that he sees being passed down to him through his mother and through him to the next generation of African-Americans. The poem is far more intimate than "Fresh Zombies." The title, Baraka's given name, announces the poem as a self-study, and the use of the first person voice makes the reader feel as if he is privy to a private thought. Baraka sees his mother "carrying life from [his] ancestors" (4) and, with it, knowledge -- not just any knowledge, but "the strong nigger feeling" (5). He is not describing the human connection to the human past, but the black connection to the black past, one that has been infected with "bullshit rotten white parts" that need to be expunged (14).

Soyinka, on the other hand, offers in "Civilian and…...

hyming in Poetry
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Poetry Analysis of "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Sonnet 73" by William Shakespeare

In poetry, the element of rhyming is an essential tool used by poets in order to provide their audiences further reiteration of the subject or theme discussed in the poem. hyming becomes an effective tool for reiteration of a message because it usually functions as an element of rhythm, thereby giving the poem a distinct flow in accordance to the tone of the poem. Technically defined, rhyming is "the likeness of the terminal sound of words, frequently used in versification either at the end of a line of a verse or within the line" (Microsoft Encarta 2002). Apart from providing a characteristic flow to the poem, rhymes are also effective in providing continuity in thought, making the audiences in line with the poem's message and main idea.

In order to understand fully how rhyming is…...

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References

Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabel Lee." Available at http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/poe/works/poetry/annabel.html.

Rhyme." Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002. Microsoft Inc. 1998.

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 73." Available at  http://stellar-one.com/poems/shakespeare_william_-sonnet_73.html .

Allen Ginseng was a popular poet of the Beat Generation, a non-conformist free thinker who belonged to a group of people who dared to express his ideals and change mindsets.
The post-orld ar II period was characterized by unreasonable, blind faith in the institutions of America, a faith that accepted everything without questioning. This was because after having been on part of the allies during the war and having won it, lent America many economic benefits on the back of which America increased its might in world. At the outcome of the war, America was in a much stronger position among the allies as they had been spent militarily and economically in winning the war. Therefore, America was at its peak as a superpower after the ar, and its own people had developed unwavering trust in their country and its leaders, being patriotic to the extent of not being able to…...

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Works Cited

Carter, David. Allen Ginsberg: Spontaneous Mind. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

Ginsberg, Allen. Howl . 1956.

McChesney, John. "After 50 Years, Ginsberg's 'Howl' Still Resonates. 10 November 2009. 28 January 2012 .

Ozymandias
Biography

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1827) was born in Sussex, England and attended Oxford University. However, he was expelled due to his political activism and spent several years campaigning against political injustices. His first marriage failed and Shelley then met and married Mary Wollstonecraft, author of Frankenstein. Shelley was good friends with fellow poet Lord Byron. Shelley drowned in a boating accident and was buried in Rome.

Analysis of "Ozymandias"

The speaker meets a traveler who tells him about the ruins of a large statue of an Egyptian pharaoh. The legs and head of the statue lie half-buried in the Saharan sands. The face appears imposing and grim. However, the sculptor, aware of the irony that the statue would far outlive the glory of the king, etched onto the stone the words, "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Now all that remains of the king's…...

Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, is an exercise in self-proclaiming metaphoric style. The intent of the sonnet is to show off the writer's skill at turning words and not the expressed topic of the poem, the ability to use every summer-related metaphor he can to discuss not his love, perhaps, but the subject of his expression. While many interpretations of this sonnet assert that it is a love-poem, that it is a dedication or ode to a specific woman, it can be clearly stated that the poem is not about love, but about the central metaphor itself - as though the subject is simply an exercise. As an exercise in the use of metaphor to describe the objectified woman at the center of the work, Sonnet 18, is perhaps the primary archetypal demonstration of overdone, syrupy, and quite saccharine expressions that are likely to appeal to the "hopeless" romantic.
Sonnet 18, takes place…...

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References

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." Online. Internet. Avail:

  Info Acc: 4 Nov, 2007.http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html .

Langston Hughes' Poem "Madam's Past History"
The poem "Madam's Past History" is about a black woman asserting herself, remaining strong, and forcing people to show some respect for her, despite how society places her. In the voice of Madam Alberta K., she is showing that she will appear strong to the world, no matter what she has to do. In the end, Madam Alberta K. only has her pride and she defends it fiercely.

The first major point in the poem is that she makes everyone refer to her as Madam. As she states in the first verse, "The Madam stands for business. / I'm smart that way." In these lines, she is showing her reasoning for making everyone call her Madam, which is that it makes her appear strong and business-like. This business-like approach also suggests that she does not want to allow anyone to see any sign of frailty…...

Adults naturally seek ways of protecting their children from harm, but overprotectiveness often backfires. Children who do not learn the truth about the world from a trusted adult may grow up ignorant or lacking the psychological resilience to face life’s challenges successfully. Both Richard Wilbur and Billy Collins write about different ways adults overly protect their children. Although their poets use different poetic devices, motifs, and symbols, both of these poems share a common theme showing that children do best when they learn how to confront their fears, not run from them. Although Wilbur and Collins use different poetic devices, the poets both achieve their goal of decrying overprotective adults. Wilbur uses an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme in “A Barred Owl,” which makes the poem read remarkably like a childhood nursery rhyme that perfectly parallels the eerie subject. On the other hand, Collins employs a free verse style, which makes more sense…...

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Works Cited

Collins, Billy. “The History Teacher.”

Wilbur, Richard. “A Barred Owl.”

oad not Taken, obert Frost uses the setting, mood, and characterization to help illuminate the theme of choice symbolized by the road not taken.
The poem uses various literary devices to describe choice.

The poem is set in the woods, where two roads diverge.

The setting is symbolic.

The roads represent choice.

The poem has a contemplative mood.

Each of the choices is appealing

The traveler knows that choosing one road means choosing not to follow the other road.

The poem has a complex structure with:

Four five-line stanzas;

ABAAB rhyme structure;

Iambic tetrameter; and D. The use of some anapests.

Frost uses an unnamed narrator in the poem

A. Old enough to have made choices

Not an old person because the narrator expects to age

Poetry Analysis: The oad not Taken by obert Frost

In The oad not Taken, obert Frost uses the narrator's voice to describe a man looking back at his life and contemplating his choices. The narrator describes a pivotal decision-point…...

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References

Frost, R. (1916). The road not taken. Retrieved May 19, 2014 from Poetry Foundation website:

 http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173536

Fern Hill (Dylan Thomas)
The "Poetry Explications" handout from UNC states that a poetry explication is a "relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationship of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem."

The speaker in "Fern Hill" dramatically embraces memories from his childhood days at his uncle's farm, when the world was innocent; the second part brings out the speaker's loss of innocence and transition into manhood. This explication will identify and critique Thomas' tone, imagery (including metaphors) and expressive language (as it contributes to the power of the poem). ("Fern Hill" uses 6 verse paragraphs; there are 9 lines in each paragraph.)

"Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs / About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green / the night above the dingle starry / time let me hail and climb / golden in the heydays…...

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Works Cited

Bible Meanings. (2011). Lamb. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from http://www.biblemeanings.info/words/animal/lamb.htm.

Cox, C.B. (1959). Dylan Thomas's 'Fern Hill.' The Critical Quarterly, 1(2), 134-138.

Thomas, Dylan. (2012). Fern Hill. Academy of American Poets. Retrieved December 9, 2012,

from  http://www.poets.org .