“The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” Blog #6

“The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is an entrancing poem about a person’s connection to the sea.  The title itself contains so much of a symbol.  I see it meaning that no matter what happens during the day, or where we go, the tide will always rise and fall.  It’s almost something so comforting, you would want to think about it everyday just to know there is one stable and assuring thing in your life. One thing I noticed that Longfellow used was a sort of repetition at the end of each stanza. I feel this is used to enforce the deeper meaning of having something there for you at the end, regardless of what has happened. Also, the beginnings of the stanzas and the end of the stanzas have the same line. The poem follows an AA BB rhyme scheme with of the course the enclosing lines that are both “the tide rises, the tide falls.” This poem seems to have a very simple meaning and doesn’t really contain much literary technique. I get the feeling that Longfellow was a very simple man, and wrote to simply bring certain things to view.  I also noticed one line that was strictly personification. “The little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands.”  This line gives the waves human like characteristics by suggesting they efface footprints with soft white hands.  This also struck a bit of a memory for me! The very first time I learned about personification in school was by an example that described the ocean as having white hands.  I find personification being a very powerful way to describe something.  I really really love the way Henry Longfellow writes poetry. It touches the heart and is very comforting. J

Add a comment February 9, 2009

“To You” Blog #5

“To You” by Walt Whitman was a poem that was presented in class. I loved it so much that I wanted to do my fifth blog response to it.  When I first looked at the title of this poem, I immediately thought it was going to contain somewhat of a letter…a love letter to be specific. It just seemed as though it would focus on a romance during the war, or some type of old fashioned affair. However, I was completely wrong. This poem is so short and simple, yet so deep. It holds a message that I feel many of us keep in the back of our minds as we travel through life. It summarized how we pass so many people, yet we don’t ever say a word to them. Why not? This poem made me ask that question. I began to observe my life a bit and think about why this simple concept isn’t carried out in my life. I didn’t come up with any other answer except maybe that I’m shy, or too busy to notice. Whitman writes with such an observant eye and such a great deal of awe. This two-sentence poem contained one of life’s biggest questions. The question of why as humans we are afraid to confront people, or reach out to someone who looks like they need a friend to talk to.  Judging by his writing, Whitman seems to be a very down to earth poet who can take one observation of pretty much everyone in this world and write a poem about it to reach people.  It just amazes me and I feel it will continue to amaze me until this world makes a change.

Add a comment February 2, 2009

“The Sleeper” Blog #4

“The Sleeper” by Edgar Allen Poe was the poem I chose to analyze this week.  Before I had read this poem, the only other thing I had read by this poet was “The Raven.”  So I was kind of expecting the style to be somewhat the same, however I feel differently about that now.  One thing I do love about Poe is his way of describing things.  I love the line, “opiate vapor, dewy, dim exhales out from her golden rim.” I just think the way he puts emotions and thoughts into words in amazing.  He also uses a lot of personification like “the rosemary nods upon the grave and lilies role upon the wave.”  Just the image that brings to mind creates something so beautiful.  I also noticed the ryhme scheme Poe uses.  It seems to be the most common ryhme scheme.  It follows the pattern AA BB the whole way through.  I actually began thinking about how complicated it must have been for him to think of all the ryhming words considering the legnth of the poem.  That was another thing that I had noticed i had never seen before.  The legnth of this poem has got to be one of the longest poems I have ever read in my life! However, the way Poe writes turns the poem in to a story.  As you read you begin to put together a story of your own that fits the description the poem bleeds out.  This one to me, made me think about a girl out by herself and she’s lonely and maybe afraid.  It just amazes me how some poets have the ability to captivate you so much. I really like the 19th century poets!

Add a comment January 26, 2009

“A Nursery Darling” Blog #3

For my third poem to analyze, I chose to read one by one of my favorite authors Lewis Carroll.  The poem was entitled “A Nursery Darling” and I chose this particular one because I read through it and it gave me such a strong sentiment of love for my mom.  The poem describes a child and their mother in the nursery and it seems as though Carroll has the infant narrating the poem.  Although the poem sounds nothing like how a child would speak, it does describe from the point of view of the child.  I noticed that with this particular poem of Carrolls, he has each stanza end with the same formatted closing. For example, the first stanza ends with, “In Love: for Love is Rest,” and the second stanza ends with, “At Home: for Home is Bliss.”  I really like this idea of closure because it brings forth a different way of looking at things like “love” or your “home.”  I also noticed that Carroll sets up his stanzas in order of what he wants to describe.  The first stanza is about “A mothers breast” and the second is about “A darlings kiss.” This poem just really touched me on a personal level.  My mom and I are really close and when I’m around her it is a bit like being “home.” I love the way all of Carroll’s writing gives the same feeling of closeness to something or helps the reader make a connection.  The description is amazing and the word choice brings the poem to life.  I had no idea Lewis Carroll was a 19th century poet but I’m so glad I got to analyze one of his poems!:)

Add a comment January 19, 2009

“The Road Not Taken” Blog #2

“The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost is a very common and well-known poem. In this poem the author seems to try and translate the feelings of humans overall and the choices we make throughout our lives.  It also brings forth the idea that the choices we make will affect how we end up living our lives. In the poem, Frost compares the views of a road that is worn and old and over traveled to one that is green with grass and a smooth path. So which one would a person choose?  The poem ends by saying the traveler chose the road less traveled. I feel that this poem has a very decent message for everyone to follow.  Not only does it help to point out that you should take the road less traveled, but it also makes you step back and look at your own life to see naturally which road you would take.  I found myself questioning how I live my life because many of us end up taking the road that has been traveled and we almost always follow that crowd. Robert Frost is also a mastermind at description. The way he will describe almost anything so beautifully reminds me of the way Emily Dickinson writes poetry. The both have such a talent for bringing nature to life and really drawing the reader in to see what their own eyes are seeing when they write the poem.  I love Frost’s style and how he helps to bring to mind the important lessons in life, which are also the things most overlooked.

Add a comment January 14, 2009

“With A Flower” Blog #1

“With a Flower” by Emily Dickinson is by far one of my favorite poems of all time.  In this poem there are quite a few obvious literary techniques and then a few that add to Dickinson’s personal style.  I would say the most noticeable and frequent technique is metaphor.  She loves to use comparison to bring out the true connection of the phrase.  One of my favorite examples from this poem is, “I hide myself within my flower.”  I know that this specific phrase is used as the theme/repetitive phrase, but it is one of my favorites because it can be interpreted in many different ways.  When someone reads an Emily Dickinson poem, there isn’t just one way to interpret it.  Depending on the person, she creates a personal story for every single reader.  I feel like when she talks about hiding in “her flower” it can mean something different to everyone.  Dickinson also has a way with mystery.  It feels as though you want to know exactly what she’s thinking when she writes or what her story is that goes along with a poem.  I tried to look for some kind of pattern in the stanza format, but there was no such luck.  I feel like Emily isn’t real big on the format of a poem, but focuses more on common thought.  I began to wonder what she was describing when she said, “the angels know the rest.”  Possibly a secret?  Personally I love this poem because of the ability to translate it in a way that relates to you.  She is an amazing poet and my personal favorite of all time.  

Add a comment January 7, 2009

6th Response “Those winter Sundays”

My sixth response is one to the poem entitled “Those winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. This poem is full of description of a father who works very hard without any praise.  I didn’t really understand the part about how he would be angry but I figure when someone works very hard and is not recognized for it then that would be pretty angering.  I really like how the author made this poem universal in the way that it can be interpreted in many ways.  I’m sure there are many people out in the world who feel like their work is never complete as well as recognized.  I mean I somethimes feel that way as well.  But the author did a great job describing the fathers hands as worn and cracked and aching.  This specific part kind of tugs on my heart because I can’t help but to think of why this father works so hard.  Does he support his children on his own?  After the description, it goes on to talk about driving out the cold…and gold shoes.  I’m not sure what this means because I can’t tell how it relates to the poem.  Then again, perhaps the gold shoes are what the father works to provide for the family.  The poem end with these closing words, “What did I know, what did I know Of love’s sustere and lonley offices?”  I can interpret this part as a misunderstanding of someone who is less apreciateive of this hard working father.  I really liked this poem and the contents of its message. Very nice 🙂

Add a comment November 28, 2008

5th response “I thank you god”

“I thank you god,” by Robert Hayden was a surprisingly touchy, but wonderful poem.  I was sitting here at 10:00 at night, just after I finished all of my other homework.  I thought I had better do my blog now in case I lose track of time the rest of this week.  Today was a long day…and I start word tomorrow..and i’m way tired..and don’t get enough sleep. So I decide to read my poem for the week.  I flipped to the back of my poetry packet and come to this one. Farily short it was in legnth and looked easy for my tired eyes to read.  By the end of the poem, I was just about in tears..no joke.  I can not belive how a just the right words put together can all of a sudden mean so much.  This poem was pretty much a prayer about all the things we overlook throughout our busy days.  It mentions the “leaping green trees” and the “blue true dream of sky.”  Then it goes on to say how this person was dead but now has eyes awakened to see this beauty.  I began to realize and ask myself how I live my life.  Do I act as though I’m dead to everything natural? Do I not appreciate the things that might not one day be here?  I’m so terrified of getting this gift of natural beauty grabbed away from me..and I would barley even know because I don’t take the time to look anyways.  It was practically fate I read this poem tonight because for one, i feel better, and for two I feel as thought I had a revelation.  Something clicked and I noticed how lucky I am to have the things I do, and to have a world to walk out into everyday. I can go see it whenever I want to..no charge at all, and it never closes.  I don’t want to be dead to this anymore! I want to walk out in the morning and watch for just 5 seconds to catch a glimpse of the things I miss rushing around my busy life. I would reccomend you do it to 🙂 Have a happy life!

Add a comment November 18, 2008

4th response “The Snow Man”

For my third response I decided to read that poem “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens.  I be quite honest, the only reason I chose this poem was because of the title.  I love winter and get reall excited when the christmas, snow, winter time comes around.  Then i read the poem and got a bit of a different view on the poem.  It began to talk about how snow men just sit all day and do nothing for themselves, yet they watch all the people around them.  This wasn’t really revealed until the end though.  In the begining, it decribed winter. That was my favorite part! I could just picture the snow and the ice covered juniper trees.  I loved how the snow man was described as “the listener who listend in the snow.”  Then I got a little side tracked and began to think about my childhood with snow men.  I tried to focus on english and analyzing the poem but I couldn’t help but to make a connection as well.  When my sisters and i were kids, we would be out in the yard at the first snow fall.  Sometimes my dad would be home that day or weekend and he would come out into the snow with us.  We would spend all day together making forts out of multiple snow balls and then build a snow man right in front to be the ultimate guard to our fort.  I love these memories and they always become refreshed in my mind when the first snow flake falls every year.  I can’t help but to think about how different things are now and how there will probably be no more memories like these.  I guess thats life… and now I will just have to be the listener in the snow while kids live up their memories.

Add a comment November 11, 2008

3rd response- “A work of Artifice”

Hello hello! For my third blog I chose to read “A work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy.  This poem had a very catchy title and that’s actually why a chose to read it.  It was much like another one I had read.  This one also described the life of a plant and how it symbolizes we as people.  It begins by describing how this tree is so mighty and huge, but then is detroyed by lightning.  A simple gardner then took the tree in and nursed it to health.  I think the begining of this poem represents how humans try so hard to be the biggest and baddest but usually end up crashing and failing from too much power.  Then the gardner puts the broken tree in a pot where it has different creatures as its company.  This section relates to how in life, we end up failing and then someone simple comes along and picks us up and shows us that being ordinary is being successful in a way.  The end of the poem describes how the tree ended up growing again, not being as big as it used to, but it is content with what it is.  This poem was very eye opening because it describes a true life even that happens with everyone.  I feel that this author has a very unique style in the sense that she aims to make people think.  The poem made me think in depth about my life and if what I aim for is what will benifit me later on. I hope that in my life, I don’t end up crashing and failing just because greed won me over.

Add a comment November 5, 2008