Alice+Poems

 **1. The Road Not Taken** Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.  (about being at crossroads in life, and facing the deliema of making decisions on a regular basis. It is a good moral to follow, to not just take the easy way out. Like this line 14 :" Yet knowing how way leads on to way" It reminded me about how one decisions leads to another and how life just follows through on this unpredictable progression developed through sequence of decisions.)

**2. The Angle** William Blake (poem explores a child's experience growing up, and transitioning from a stage of innocence to develop individual strength. Imagery of darkness in contrast to a rosy morning helps illustrate the speaker's growth from fear. The religious reference to maiden refers to the idea of childhood, and the rest of the poem progresses through this cycle of life in which the speaker eventually becomes old with grey hairs. I liked how Blake described defense to fear as shields and armory.)

**3.When We Two Parted On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Six Year** George Gordon (Lord) Byron (Jan 22, 1824) (This poem was written by Byron shortly after the death of a close poet friend Shelley and daughter Allegra at the age of five. This was a very depressing and sad time and it is fully portrayed in his poem. Byron almost questions the point of his existence without having those he cares about to love. My favourite part is the beginning two stanzas, its interesting how he portrays the decay of leafs to the end of his own days.

//'Tis time this heart should be unmoved,// //Since others it hath ceased to move:// //Yet, though I cannot be beloved,// //Still let me love!//

//My days are in the yellow leaf;// //The flowers and fruits of love are gone;// //The worm, the canker, and the grief,// //Are mine alone!//

The short lines and the abab rhyme scheme helps create a strong form and link to the melancholy the speaker feels. It was suggested that Byron was engaged in bisexual affairs, perhaps this poem illustrates his sadness involved in such forbidden activities. The poem overall has a very depressing and sulky mood, and is encircled by the motif of tears and hearts which symbolize love.
 * 4. When We Two Parted** George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788-1824)

//In secret we met--// //In silence I grieve,// //That thy heart could forget,// //Thy spirit deceive// //If I should meet thee// //After long years,// //How should I greet thee?--// //With silence and tears.//

In this poem Byron describes the beauty and vision of a women's presence. He does not emphasize much on meticulous facial details but more so on her presence and how she holds herself in the light. I like how the third person narrative describes the women in the first four lines of the first verse, using a simile and enjambment. Also how he presents her to be the best of two opposites, darkness and light. He also uses true end rhymes throughout the entire poem to stress on words and link their importance, night and bright or skies and eyes.
 * 5. She Walks in Beauty** George Gordon (Lord) Byron

//She walks in beauty, like the night// //Of cloudless climes and starry skies;// //And all that's best of dark and bright// //Meet in her aspect and her eyes://

This poem is short and has a very regualr and simple structure. The basic theme that is present describes the natural occurance of decay and how through age, humans become more fatigued to partake in youthful and energy requiring activities. Its interesting how he starts every line with a conjunction such as usually, and, so, and though to to underline a bias for the speaker. It is obvious that the speaker does not want to give up on such youthful activities through the war like references like in line 3. Also in images of the moon and night, which will be repetitively appearing while age is always growing.
 * 6. We'll Go No More A-Roving** George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788-1824 **// ) //**

//So, we'll go no more a-roving// //So late into the night,// //Though the heart be still as loving,// //And the moon be still as bright.//

//For the sword outwears its sheath,// //And the soul wears out the breast,// //And the heart must pause to breathe,// //And love itself have a rest.//

//Though the night was made for loving,// //And the day returns too soon,// //Yet we'll go no more a-roving// //By the light of the moon.//

First Sight is one of Larkin's more uplifting poems. In the two stanzas he illustrates the birth of a baby lamb in a cold and bright cloudy setting. The atmosphere is enhanced by a "//bleating"// sound that fills a vast space. He talks about the youth's cluelessness about what is to come. The lamb is completely oblivious to what the forthcoming seasons are like because it is something that it has never experienced before. This poem reminded me of a question: how would you explain color to a person who has been completely color blind their whole life?
 * 7. First Sight** Philip Larkin

I thought that this poem was almost comedic when Larkin paralleled (the boys) and their dreams to reality. Especially in the opening and ending lines. The poem starts off with " //Boys dream of native girls who bring breadfruit, Whatever they are,"// and ends with a similar line but instead of "Boys" it becomes //"When old men sit and//". It was fun to read through the less regular rhyme schemes and the two-foot lines, especially since it seemed like there was a mocking tone to it.
 * 8. Breadfruit** Philip Larkin

The speaker talks about his/her own life as if it is separate form the rest of the world. Especially in the descriptions of the second stan za, " //Shovel-faces like penniesDown the back of the mind,Find voices coined toAn argot of motor-horns,And let the cluttered-up housesKeep their thick lives to themselves//". The metaphor of the coins explains how faces that he sees are not counted for with detail and are portrayed with a sense of indifference. I liked the image of the curtains and how their fast flying movement out the window contrasts with the "//slow sky//". The last three lines of the first stanza have no pauses and presents the idea of movement well. Also diction like flock and doves helps to further enhance the image.
 * 9. Arrival** Philip Larkin

Checked 18 September 9/15-25 KBoyce Good commentary, but collection needs to expand.

The language is very explicit, and the topic is exploited in a very blunt yet sincerely honest manner. The speaker describes him/herself as "And I'm the end result of all that fucking." and maintains a similar sinister attitude towards his/her birth, presenting a self loathing tone. The speaker is also a criticizer, still holding a bitter tone when describing the flaws that has been inevitably inherited from the parents. "//From Daddy sprung my inborn ribaldry//. //His crudeness destined me to be the same. A seedlet, flowered from a shity heap, I came, the crowning glory of his aim".//(1-4) The poet uses a abcb rhyme pattern in the first two stanzas to strengthen the argument, which is constantly reflective of the title of the poem. The language of the fourth line illustrates a very provocative images when the words "crowning" and "aim" are put into context of birth. This choice of diction contributes to the careless characteristics that the father portrays in terms of his attitude towards sexual activity. The final two lines of the poem includes an ironic twist with the metaphor of an oyster, "//Do what you will! This world's your oyster, Pet. But be forewarned. The sea might drown you yet//." linking the meaning of the words pet and yet with an off end rhyme scheme through an emphasis on assonance. And on a final note, the poet choses to end the narrative with speaker stating that karma will eventually take its toll on the careless.
 * 10.** **Fruit Don't Fall Far** Elsa Von Freytag-Lordinghoven Translation from German: Jill Alexander Essbaum

I really like the imagery presented in the poem; when the poet parallels the children to the fragility of the wind illustrates, for me, a nostalgic image of children running down the sidewalk turning backwards in laughter. There is also a motif of warmth and reoccurring images of different shades red. Overall the poem presents many beautiful images, usually involved landscapes to portray the distinctive characteristics of fall. This poem's central image evolves around the red and warm tones of autumn.
 * 11. The Children of Stare** Walter De La Mare

The watchers is a very sorrowful poem about two women watching the sea waiting, anticipating for a sign. It suggests the image of a mother and daughter in despair and full of melancholy waiting for someone important to return, perhaps the father. Braithwaite uses an extended metaphor paralleling the the two women to the sea. He emphasizes their loneliness with the vastness and the silence of the ocean. The four stanza structure is interesting and incorporates multiple end off rhymes such as roam, home, foam, and dome. The way the lines are threaded together creates a repetitive and soft rhythm that matches well with the overcast and heavy atmosphere of the poem.
 * 12. The Watchers** William Stanley Braithwaite

Two women on the lone wet strand (//The wind's out with a will to roam//) The waves wage war on rocks and sand, (//And a ship is long due home.//)

The sea sprays in the women's eyes— (//Hearts can writhe like the sea's wild foam//) Lower descend the tempestuous skies, (//For the wind's out with a will to roam.//)

"O daughter, thine eyes be better than mine," (//The waves ascend high as yonder dome//) "North or south is there never a sign?" (//And a ship is long due home.//)

They watched there all the long night through— (//The wind's out with a will to roam//) Wind and rain and sorrow for two— (//And heaven on the long reach home.//) **13. Soundings** Robert Wrigley The structure of the poem is composed as a single stanza with continuous lines of text. Being a contemporary poem written only in September of 2011, Wrigley seems to organize his ideas similar to a long thought processes. Parts of the poem seeme random and other at other parts the speaker seems to be distracted into talking about a new topic. The poem is about sounds and makes an interesting comparison, "which explains why all my thinking these days is in B-flat" to describe the state of the speaker through musical references. The speaker is also constantly being distracted by sounds that can be heard which leads to some spontaneity in the progression of the lines and topics. **14. The Beautiful Changes** Richard Wilbur This poem also incorporates many nature references through the imagery of the forest. Wilbur emphasizes nature's adaptability by comparing the beauty and abrupt way a forest changes season. He also parallels this phenomenon to a chameleon's ability to change colors and take on a new identity through camouflage, "The Beautiful changes as a forest is changed By a chameleon's tuning his skin to it;".

**15. The Dialectics of Love** Robert Wrigley Thomas Mcgrath The Dialectics of Love The definition of Dialectics is a philosophical one being, the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions. This poem does though various analogies and often comparing the seasons to the stages of love. The poem is structured in three stanzas and numbered to provide a sort of chronology or separation of ideas. i really liked reading some parts of the poem just because the ryhm scheme sounded nice and worked well such as the first few lines, "Under barley leaf and clover, Lying cold, the faithless lover Learns at last an amity Which allows conformity."

**16. The Pumpkin** John Greenleaf Whittier The Pumpkin A five stanza poem with four couples, two consecutive lines of verse with end rhymes, in each stanza. The poet embraces the festivities that were loved and are still cherished by the male speaker as he describes the boyish childhood memories he has kept involving the season. The speaker reminiscer of these memories describes various smells images, and feelings in a nostalgic tone. The poem is filled with allusions, and smilies to the pumpkin especially in the final lines of the poem where the poet illustrates how he hopes his life will be cherish-able as the good memories infatuated with the autumn season. //And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,// //And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky// //Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!//

**17. October** Robert Frost October Overall i really liked this poem reads and how easy the worlds work with each other in a smooth flowing way. I think the abab end rhyme scheme contributes to the clam tone of the reader. Each line is relatively short with around seven words, however the pace of the poem seems to be rather slow. There is repetition of the first line, //O hushed October morning mild//, in line seven that disrupts the second abab rhyme pattern. Frost also describes the leaves of trees, how it will and could fall to create a sense of time in the poem.

**18. Another Reluctance** Annie Finch Another Reluctance This is a shorter poem, consisting of only four, four line stanzas. However the speaker is detailed in describing the small phenomenon of an chestnuts descending from a tree and falling on the ground. Finch manages to suggest idea evolving the circle of life, and the idea of an chestnut being an individual form of life or a type of offspring when she describes them, "finding room In air to open their old cases". It reminded me how every person, small compared to the overall population, strives to find their own place or some sort of universal recognition.

**19. First Love** Jan Owen This poem was really different from others, it is a contemporary work, because of the way it is so casually structured. There is one stanza and the lines are filled with brackets, and dialogue. This stood out to me because the speaker was talking in first person, describing how she fell in love with a man from an art history book, however she quoted herself saying "Eureka!" and in brackets the poet would add cute notes to what the speaker is thinking like, (I prayed no-one would hear). **20. The End of Landscape** Randall Mann What i found interesting about this poem is the way that it is structured. Each stanza is short and only composed of three lines, also a majority of the stanzas end with enjambments. This poem did not seem to follow any sort of traditional form and also included so i thought it seemed rather contemporary. I liked how he described the beauty of the landscape as manmade by describing it as a still life, like a drawing. **21. Soon the City** Liam Rector The first ting that struck me was the statement, "Now the pleasant purgatory Of spring is over". This paradox seem quite interesting because purgatory is considered a place that is a living hell. After doing some research, i found that another definition of purgatory is that it is a state of great peace even though the same source also stated that it is a place of great suffering. Perhaps it is to describe the anticipation and torture of waiting for summer to come. Overall the poem reads very fast because, not only is it short, each stanza is made of three lines with little punctuation. This could parallel to the brevity of the rest of the wait for summer, thus emphasizing the idea of soon.

**22. My Soul is Dark** Lord Byron The first thing that i noticed was how this poem has an abab rhyme scheme. Lord Byron describes the sounds of a harp through alliterations, "And let thy gentle fingers fling Its melting murmurs o'er mine ear." focusing on the sound of his words to emphaize the purpose of sound to the speaker. **23. If You Forget Me** Pablo Neruda Structure wise, this poem can be considered a contemporary work, there are six stanzas that are all different in length. Some longer some shorter. The first stanza for example, only has two lines that read, "I want you to know One Thing". This statement sets a very serious tone for the speaker right away, which then changes to a preacher like tone as he/she explains his/her feelings.The speaker of this poem describes through various nature metaphors and personifications, his/her love for someone, and the best way to sum it up is the line, "my love feeds on your love, beloved". As romantic as these words might be, the speaker can also be characterized as a coward, and this can be seen in the fourth stanza, "If suddenly You forget me Do not look for me,For I shall already have forgotten you"

**24. Phenomenal Woman** Maya AngelouThere is a sense of repetition in the structure of this poem. The speaker lists reason why she is so desirable in four of the stanzas with lines of end rhyme. For example, " The span of my hips, The stride of my step The curl of my lips." The poem was funny to read because the poet was clever in playing with sound and words to create a speaker who is like-able yet overly confident in her appearance.

**25. A Dream Within A Dream** Edgar Allan PoeThe majority of this two stanza poem is written in couplets and end rhymes. The speaker's voice is very enthusiastic and he/she questions what the world we live in is with an almost crazed tone. The way the speaker is talking almost seems like he/she is speaking out loud to the air. The deepness of the content discussed in this kind of soliloquy reminded me Romeo when he was talking in paradoxes. I liked how the poet included the reference to sand, which connotatively symbolizes a basic material in creating life. This image of the speaker grasping at sand, i thought, was really effective in portraying the speaker's confusion and wonder about the purpose of existence or just life in general. **26. Is There Another Sky** Emily DickinsonThe first for lines follow an abcb rhyme scheme and there a few examples of first and second line end rhyme throughout the stanza. Although short the poem has a song sense of unity when read, maybe because of the repetition of some words. Overall liked the way the poem sounded as the speaker describe the image of a secluded and sacred forest. **27. Life Is Fine** Langston Hughes The first two stanzas are written in an abcb rhyme scheme. The speaker is narrating an experience in first person in an enthusiastic tone and goes through his actions in a very descriptive and list structured way. What i thought was interesting was how the speaker was able to sound optimistic and pessimistic at the same time in the lines, "So since I'm still here livin', I guess I will live on. I could've died for love-- But for livin' I was born"

**28. A Girl** Ezra PoundThis short two stanza poem presents a strong bodily image along with a strange juxtaposition to nature, especially a tree. The speaker talks metaphorically, about the growth of a tree from within his/her body in the first stanza. The first line describes how a tree enters the hand and the last describes how the tree has branched and grown out of the body. This might all symbolize the influence of an idea and its development inside a person. The line, "The tree has entered my hands", hands symbolizing reception, might suggest the transfer of an idea from one source to another. **29. To My Wife - With A Copy Of My Poems** Oscar Wilde The second stanza, "For if of these fallen petals One to you seem fair, Love will waft it till it settles On your hair." register as a metaphor for chances. If a pedal represents a person, then the speaker might be suggesting that if "you" love them then chances are the universe will lead "you" together. It also suggests the idea of a soul mate among a wide variety of people, using flower pedals as a metaphor to symbolize this karmic chance of finding love.

**30. To You.** Walt Whitman The first thing that caught my eye was how the first word of the poem was written in all capital letters, "LET us twain walk aside from the rest". This first line already suggests two different parties, a kind of separation between "them" and "us". The poem although brief, brings a strong sense of privacy, trust, and secrecy. **31. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening** R obert Frost Robert Frost uses end rhyme and couples to write about an unexpected journey to a snow covered woods. The speaker is illustrated to be surrounded privately by nature and is describes to be enjoying the tranquility that the cold season provides. Frost sets the serene, peaceful, and calm atmosphere through sound. He writes about a shake of bells and the sweep of wind. Overall it suggest the brief amount of time people have to enjoy a perfect moment, which is emphasized in lines, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep But i have promises to keep," **32. The New Poety Handbook** Mark Srand This is a poem about poetry. And the structure is in the form of a list. Each stanza starts with a number, and there are twenty one stanzas in total in chronological order. Each point in this "Handbook" also starts the same way. with "If a man...". Overall the poem is interesting because describes and almost criticizes the intentions of the poet. It can also be relatable to artists in general as Srand makes statements about the creative thinking process and almost critiques the idea of ideas.

**33. Touched by An Angle** Maya Angelou This poem describes the risks but also the value of love in three stanzas. In the first stanza, the speaker relates him/herself to the reader by starting off with "We, unaccustomed to courage", and unites their insecurities. The speaker then goes to describe how "we" are unable to be liberated without taking the risk to love. Overall the convincing and preaching tone of the speaker helps to portray the point that with pleasure comes pain, however love will "set us free" thus it is worth taking the risk to find love.

**34. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good NIght** Dylan Thomas The whole poem, which consists of six stanzas each written in three lines with the exception of the last stanza being four, is in an aba rhyme scheme. The poet also sticks to rhyming with "ight" in all of his end rhymes. The poem warns men of the risks of the night and also bring sup themes of the circle of life and aging.

**35. A Word to Husbands** Ogden Nash This poem is short and to the point. The speaker is explicit in confronting a truth and trying to give advice about marriages. I like how the poet uses everyday diction to make the point clear and the speaker sound serious but not pretentious, "Whenever you're right, shut up." The poem is in a way educational but also humorous.

**36. An Evening** Gwendolyn Brooks The poem begins with description of setting. Brooks illustrates the change of time, quickly, from sunset to darkness. The speaker appears melancholic about the end of summer, dreading that it lasted for such a brief period time. This also parallels to how the short the poem is and how quickly a slow setting sun changes to night. **37. As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed** Walt WhitmanFrom the title, one can guess that this poem might be more lighthearted and not so serious, perhaps even humorous. And it proves to be funny, the poet writes in couples, and rhymes bed with head and includes dialog saying, "Don't put it there, a head's no place for underwear!" There is also an ironic twist, as the writer states that as Fred goes back to bed, we would expect his underwear to go on his hips but the poem ends with, "Fred's underwear goes on his toes." **38. I Am Not Yours** Sara TeasdaleThe repetition of the word lost, and play with syntax in the poem suggests a sense of confusion for the speaker. The poet also describes this lost state or confusion when it comes to love with the inability to use one's sense, "My sense, leave me deaf and blind, Swept by the tempest of your love,". **39. Those Winter Sundays** Robert Hayden Reading this poem, i realized there were only five full stops in 14 lines. The speaker seems to be on a ramble about the labor his/her father takes on. The father is talked about in a good light. What was interesting was the alliterations in the fourth and fifth lines, "weekday weather made banked fires blaze."

**40. A Poison Tree** William Blake This poem consistes of 16 lines and four stanzas. Its interesting how the first four lines of the first stanza all start in first person, with "I". It describes the process of a person, perhaps a child, feeling anger towards another person. The young age of the speaker is suggested by the simple first person language, as the poet writes using simple speech patters like, "And it, and my, and he". **41. Still I Rise** Maya Angelou The first stanza almost sounds lyrical as the speaker stands up and demonstrates his/her toughness. The poem is very powerful, and this is shown with many strong statements, not only in the first few lines that start with "You may", but also through the confident tone of the speaker and the accusatory rhetorical questions like, "Did you want to see me broken?". Overall the speaker is presented in a very intimidating light. **42. Dream Deferred** Langston Hughes The whole poem, though short is consistent with questions about what a dream is. Some of the images the the metaphors illustrate are quite disgusting, for example, "Pr fester like a sore-- And then run?", however it makes the reader think and relate it to a dream and how a dream might be enlightening and evoke inspiration and then abrupt action.

//21 November 42/42-70// //A good collection with a lot of focus on structure in your analysis.//

This poem givs off a eerie feel with its juxtaposed rhetorical questioning of death and images of floating girls. The structure of the poem is very fluid and fast flowing with few full stops and an abundance of enjambments. The them of life itself and its progression is show in the open, especially in the lines that describe life to be a collective sequence of words. In that sense, the one stanza and loos structure choice does well in paralleling to this idea.
 * 43. Conversation ** Ai

Words, you say, young girls in a circle, holding hands,

and beginning to rise heavenward

in their confirmation dresses,

like white helium balloons,

the wreathes of flowers on their heads spinning,


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