Poetry Analysis Essay Examples, Lecture notes of Poetry

Download Poetry Analysis Essay Examples and more Lecture notes Poetry in PDF only on Docsity! Ballad of Birmingham is the author of the poem that revolves around a little girl who would like to go downtown to take part in a freedom protest. Her mother, however, says that she cannot go because of the dangerous conditions outside. Her mother instead tells her to go to church despite the little girl's constant explanations that she would not be alone. Defeated and in a show of respect for her mother, the little girl gets dressed and goes to church. Her mother is contented that she would be fine at the church. Sooner her mother hears of an explosion that sets her racing downtown in search of her daughter. Unfortunately, she finds her daughters dress and shoes in the piles and rubbles. She is left wondering where her daughter is. The author employs the use of imagery in most parts of the poem to trigger the emotions of the readers concerning the innocence of the little girl and the gravity of the explosion. The imagery serves to create a memory in the readers’ minds that are left forming the images after reading the whole poem. The first use of imagery occurs in the second stanza, second and third lines. The little girl’s mother describes the nature of the streets which are, in her opinion dangerous for a little girls life “…dogs are fierce and wild.” The little girl’s mother is worried that the girl could lose her life to the guns, or get arrested as a result of the march for freedom “…and clubs and hoses, guns and jails.” The imagery used in the third line depicts how the government through the police dealt with protesters. The line shows that the police would use clubs, hoses, and guns to thwart the protests. The police also could arrest the protesters and take them to jail. The readers thus form the image of how the police dealt with the protesters that eventually appeals to their emotions. Poetry Analysis Essay Examples Another instance of imagery is in the fifth stanza, particularly for emotive purposes. The poet writes that the little girl “…bathed rose petal sweet” to display the girl as young and innocent. Although the previous stanzas portray the little girl as mature, the quotation reminds the reader that the girl is little and innocent, vulnerable to march for freedom. The quotation moreover portrays the little girl as delicate and defenseless against the danger and evil that lie outside. The little girl also has “… drawn white gloves on her small brown hands” to display more innocence. The little girl’s defencelessness and vulnerability add emotion to the poem. Finally, another instance of imagery is found in the sixth stanza. We are told that the little girl's mother's eye “…grew wet and wild, as she raced through the streets of Birmingham” after hearing the explosion. Instantly the reader understands the tension that befalls the mother because of her conclusion of her daughter’s death. The reader forms the image of the mother, with her eyes wet and wild. The line appeals to the readers' emotions in addition to giving them the memory of the traumatic events that followed the explosion. The poet moreover describes how the mother searched for her daughter in the rubbles frenetically “…through bits of glass and brick.” In a moment the reader forms the image of the effects of the explosion thus concluding that the girl has lost her life. The poet effectively employs the use of imagery to appeal to the memory and emotions of the readers. The reader has deliberately chosen and used descriptive words to present the imagery that instantly enables the reader to form the pictures with relative ease. Example By essaypro.com emotion of the entire poem is liveliness and love. “One Boy Told Me” is one of the many poems that Nye has contributed to literature. However, it is no different from the others where Nye attempts to create a meaningful life and grasps its meaning for the readers. This particular poem is one that the human lives are defined by metaphors. Example By essaypro.com Hilda Morley’s ‘Winter Solstice’ is an overt poem primarily aimed at describing a winter solstice. Correspondingly, the author has dotted the poem with descriptive words meant to create a mental picture of a solstice in a reader. I actual sense, winter solstice is a descriptive term for the shortest day and longest night of a year. In the poem, Morley (1983) elaborately expresses intricate emotions that enliven to actual meaning of a winter solstice in a reader. Figuratively, the author, through the poem, paints the picture of time of the year (or a season) when a person ought to re-evaluate the whole reason for the their existence including such associated elements as fear, concerns, successes, sadness, happiness, and even sadness. From the author’s presupposed perspective, it suffices to say that the cold and long distance between the earth, sun’s light, and the moon will always be larger than life in its entirety. In this respect, it is clear that despite the direction of the analysis (figurative or actual), the elements of the poem and the overall meaning will remain more or less similar. The use of various literary elements and poetic devices ensures that ‘Winter Solstice’ is both entertaining and informative. The following discussion delves deep into the poem in a bid to deconstruct its general structure and unearth the literary devices and elements therein. Perhaps the most striking feature of this poem is its unique structure and layout. According to Conniff (1993) the entire poem is more of a free verse that ignores the most basic of poetic rules and standards. In particular, it does not follow any definite rhyme scheme or pattern of syllables, making the overall rhythm irregular and unpredictable. While that may look like a mere preference of the author, it could figuratively signify the mood and nature of a winter solstice. It is during this time that people take a time off their busy schedules, free from the social rules, regulations, and standards, to relax and rethink their lives. As such, just like the Example By essaypro.com ‘Winter Solstice’ by Hilda Morley structure of the poem, everyone ought to remain ‘free’ in a way. Hilda Morley’s ‘Winter Solstice’ is truly transcendental in nature. In spite of the irregularity of the poem, it entails a variety of stylistic devices including repetition, alliteration, and personification among others. In the first line for instance, ‘Cold Night Crosses’ has two consonants repeated at the beginning of the three words consecutively following each other which exemplifies alliteration. Moreover, ‘cold night,’ though inanimate, has been given a human or animate characteristic of ‘crossing.’ Finally, the word ‘very’ and the phrase’ it is…’ have been repeated throughout the poem. Aside from the stylistic devices, the poem generally signifies the birth of the sun given that a winter solstice happens on a day of the year that is the darkest. On this note, the sun could be interpreted to signify light (a brighter future or the possibilities). Extrapolating the poem gives a notion that it alludes to the start of a new life or a new beginning after a lost hope. The words ‘(the dance unmoving)’ are particularly special to the poem since they denote, figuratively, that the past troubles no longer matter; it is the future that and its prospects that do. Despite the deeply inscribed teachings from the poem, the author has managed to craftily attain the balance between information and entertainment that has always proven to be an uphill task for most poets. In conclusion, the poem has both overt and covert meanings. Nonetheless, the meaning remains similar as brought out by the wide spectrum of stylistic devices and structure used in the poem. __________ Conniff, B. (1993). Reconsidering Black Mountain: The Poetry of Hilda Morley. American Literature, 65(1), 117-130. Morley, H. (1983). ‘Winter Solstice’ in To Hold in My Hand: Selected Poems, 1955-1983. Rhinebeck, NY: Sheep Meadow Press. Example By essaypro.com