Analysis
On the Subway
By: Sharon Olds
*****
The speaker describes the difference between him and a boy on the subway. He notices the way the boy is dressed compared to himself. He says the boy looks like a mugger. Is he afraid? I believe so. The tone in this spot makes me feel as if the speaker is fearing the boy on the subway because of the way that boy is dressed.Why do we do that? Why do we judge a person by the way they are dressed. Its like when you’re on the subway and woman clutches onto her purse when a scary looking guy walks by. This woman is fearing a person she doesn’t know. Why? I think because she is scared. Because society has become so messed up that we judge person because of what others have done. Because they look the same so people believe that they are the same. Its like judging all the dictators of the world because of Hitler's actions. Its like being judged because of where you come from or what you're origin has done or has believed to have cause. This reminds of how muslims are called terrorist because of 9/11. Why? People choose to blame everybody in the same category for the things a group of people have caused. Thats not fair. Then the speaker mentions whether or not if he/she should be afraid of the boy. He at first sees him as a boy who will take his things. He says he easily could. However then he notices that it shouldn’t be him fearing the boy when in reality he has been taking things from the boy his whole life. The food he eats, he has taken it away from the boys mouth. All of this because the color of the boys skin. Because the boy is black and the speaker is white. This reminds me of slavery. How slaves back then worked while white people took all the hard work that the slaves have done without anything being given to them. The speaker says “ There is no way you know how easy this white skin makes my life.”I think he is trying to say that being white has let him have advantages that the boy will never have. That the boy has to work harder than him to get where the speaker is. That even through his hard work he still wouldn’t be treated the same. This again reminds me of slavery. How the white didn’t get whipped or work while the black broke their back working for them. This isn’t fair we are all born human and yet because someone is born lighter than another they get treated better. Then in the ending the speaker says “Rich as the head of a seedling ready to thrust up into any available light.” I think this describes the goals and dreams of the boy. How this boy wants to thrive and prove to people that he is worth the same as a white person.
100 Bells
By:TARFIA FAIZULLAH
****
The speaker wrote this poem to show her emotion towards her traumatizing experience. The speaker had been raped. A stranger took advantage of her and their was no one to help her. Her dad was asleep and her mother didn’t care. For her mother would whip her. However her sister was there. Her sister tried to help and while the speakers innocence had been ripped away from her she ran to her sister not knowing what would happen. Her sister died. Her sister died trying to save her, however she failed to do so. The speaker ran and threw a glass box to him, but she missed and it hit the wall. She ran to the bathroom where she locked the door and felt dirty. She knew she was no longer pure and this made her believe she was a sinner. To punish herself, she shaved her head to show the horns she thought were visible. The speaker said that she wanted to be a man, so maybe when she shaved her man she also did it to look like a guy. This tries to show that guys are sinners and that they are the sign of bad. Also the speaker kept contradicting herself. For example she said “I didn’t scream, for I did not know better. I knew better.” I think she wanted to scream so she did, but she didn’t know what the consequences would be. However she knew that the guy would get mad if she called for help.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
By: Emily Dickinson
****
The poet wrote this poem to show the similarities between a bird and hope. At the beginning of the poem the speaker gives all the characteristics of a bird to hope. She describes how hope never gives up even if the person has lost hope. When I read the title of this poem it made me think that hope can be like a bird which reminded me of the story of Noah. When Noah and his family were on the ark, God told him to let out a bird to see if there was dry land. Every time he let out a bird it would always find a way back. Its like when you lose hope, hope always finds a way back to you. She explains that the storm that unsettles the “ little Bird ” would have to be terrifying and brutal. Hope is small and frail like a bird which can survive any aggressive storm. No matter how hard the situation was, the speaker says that hope was always with her. Regardless of the extreme conditions, it never once asked for anything in return.
Caged Bird
By: Maya Angelou
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show that white people have more freedom than colored people. In the beginning of the poem she says how the free bird claims the sky. Its like a white person claiming the world. When there was segregation, white people claimed the world since they believed they were superior than colored people. White people had more opportunities than colored people. When the speaker said that the caged bird had clipped wings to me it meant that a colored person has no privileges compared to a white person. The caged bird then sings about freedom just like a colored person thought about freedom when there was segregation. Even though segregation was abolished a while ago there is still racism happening during this time. People discriminate colored people giving white people the better jobs and income. The stanza about the caged bird singing about freedom is repeated again signifying that that is where the meaning of the poem lies. The whole poem is about colored people not having the same rights as white people. Colored people have barriers that cage them in while white people run free.
Annabel Lee
By: Edgar Allan Poe
****
The poet wrote this poem to tell the story of their love. In the beginning of the story it felt like the poem would be about a fairytale love. The speaker says that they love each other and then goes on to say that they were young. Annabel Lee then became sick which led to the kinsmen taking her away from him. They shut her up in a tomb and then one night the sickness killed her. He blamed her death on the angels since he believed that they were envious of the relationship he had with Annabel Lee. The speaker then went on saying that their love was stronger than any other. Even stronger than the love between more older people indicating again their youth. He describes that demons nor angels will be able to separate his soul from hers. Every night he dreamt of the beautiful Annabel Lee. He saw her in the stars and in the moon. In the end of the poem he describes how every night he lies down next to his dead wife in the sepulcher by the sea.
Blackberry Picking
By: Seamus Heaney
***
I think the poet wrote this poem to show that everything beautiful must leave at some point. The blackberries were sweet and the poet felt a passionate desire for picking the blackberries. You usually feel this desire when something is beautiful. During the first stanza the poet describes how he picks the blackberries until his cans were full. Towards the ending of the first stanza the tone becomes creepy because he uses a simile showing that the blackberries on the top of all the green blackberries in the can looked like a plate of eyes. The speaker says that his hands were peppered with thorn pricks and his palms were as sticky as Bluebeards. In that line he uses another simile to compare his hands to Bluebeards hands. Bluebeard was actually a wealthy aristocrat who killed his wives. This indicates that the tone is still creepy. In the second stanza the blackberries rot. He describes them as a rat-grey fungus, the juicy stinking too. Towards the end of the second stanza it becomes sad since his canfulls of blackberries had rotted and he felt like crying. His once sweet blackberries had now became sour, indicating that beauty does not last forever. Everything beautiful must leave at some point but the last line shows that he still doesn’t understand that.
When You Are Old
By: William Butler Yeats
****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that during our youth one person will love us but we are blinded by all the fake sentiment of other people. When we can finally see, its to late since that person has lost its patience.
" When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;" (lines 1-4)
This stanza talks about a book which is a book that describes your youth,life. The last line refers back to your youth, since when you are young you have a soft look in your eyes.
" How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;" (lines 5-8)
In the second line of this stanza it describes how people will be jealous of your beauty or admire it. The last two lines of this stanza talk about how somebody will love you no matter how old you get. Will love you even when your beauty has disappeared. "And paced upon the mountains overhead/And hid his face amid a crowd of stars." (lines 11-12). These lines describe how love had lost its patience, it couldn't sit around and just wait till this person finally noticed. The tone of this poem is sad towards the end because the speaker describes how love had fled. The mood was sympathy because I felt pity for her since she was too late to notice that somebody had real feelings towards her, but when she did notice he wasn't there anymore.
I Hear America Singing
By: Walt Whitman
***
The poet wrote this poem to show us that the people who make up America have their own songs. The poet begins the poem stating " I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear." By this he is referring that the people who make up America are singing their unique songs.
" Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing," ( lines 2-10)
Each one of these people are singing their own song while doing their work. These individuals sing about the achievement of America. Each person sings their song proudly indicating that the tone of the poem is pride and joy. The mood was proud since that is what the poem made me feel while reading it. I was proud that all these people were the one's who created America into a strong civilization.
Be Kind
By Charles Bukowski
****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that we are afraid to speak up to our elders in spite of them being wrong.
" but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to see." ( lines 16-24)
These lines are telling me that because of age we see the world differently. The older people sometimes don't accept the new changes in our society. When the speaker says that they have lived out of focus it makes me think of a camera. How a camera is sometimes blurry and you need to adjust it so you can take pictures more clearly. So I believe that the elders are seeing the world blurry.
" age is no crime
but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life
among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives
is." ( lines 33-42)
The poet believes that because they have aged badly, they have also wasted their life. He also refers to all the other people who have wasted their lives too, by judging and criticizing people instead of just agreeing with the world. The tone of the poem is solemn because he is telling us the reason why the world is so bitter. The mood of the poem is hopeless because elders are hardheaded, they don't change their opinions to easily.
The Metal Puppet
By: Jenni Kirby
***
The speaker feels sad when saying the words in the poem. " Please love me." ( line 11) I believe the speaker just wants to be loved.
" Don't look at my body
Look at my soul
Even though I am metal, I truly can feel
I am alive." ( lines 7-10)
She wants people to not look at her appearances, she wants people to pay attention to what's inside. "Metal” is referring to her as a creation with no mind of its own. She doesn't want people to take her for granted. Even though she is metal, she has feelings of her own. " I feel like a metal puppet in a human's arms." ( line 13) A puppet is usually controlled which makes me think that maybe she was controlled. This person was being tossed around not caring about her feelings, believing she had no feelings. The mood of the poem is sympathy since I feel pity towards her because nobody cares about her feelings.
Children's Rhymes
By: Langston Hughes
***
The poet wrote this poem to show us that white kids/people have more advantages than black kids/people. " I know I can't/Be President." ( lines 4 & 5) His color prevents him to become President and he knows that. " We know everybody/Ain't free." ( lines 9 & 10) This refers back to the unfair treatments towards African Americans. Even though now African Americans are free, they used to be slaves. These lines show that no matter how hard society tries to tell us that African Americans are treated equally,they are not. Again this shows that white people are more privileged.
" Lies written down
For white folks
Ain't for us at a-tall:" ( lines 11-13)
These lines are referring to the laws that solely benefit white people. He believes that these laws are lies since they don't benefit African Americans. Laws that are true would benefit both parties, black people and white people. " Liberty And Justice;/Huh! For All!" ( lines 14 & 15) These lines are sarcastic since it says that everybody has liberty and justice, but in reality only white people do. I believe he is mocking America since these are lines from the Pledge of Allegiance. Usually kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance to an American Flag in school in honor of America. This idea connects to the title since it involves children.
The Quiet World
By: Jeffrey McDaniel
***
The poet wrote this poem to show that some people know the importance of a limited amount of words. The government has given each person a total of one hundred and sixty seven words, per day. To me this is messed since people need to communicate with other people. This is a dystopian society since each person has only a small amount of words to use everyday.
" When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way." ( lines 7- 10)
He doesn't use the words. Doesn't take the amount of words he has for granted. He says that he is adjusting well to the new way which for me is a messed up way.
" Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn't respond,
I know she's used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe." ( lines 11-19)
He saved some of his words for her while she didn't save any for him. It seems like he loves her more than she loves him. To me it is ironic that they are talking on the phone since the whole reason that the government gave them an amount of words everyday was to get people to look into each other's eyes more. The tone of the poem is disappointed since I believe the poet is disappointed that his lover didn't save any words for him. I believe its also love since he still stays on the line. The mood is sad since they don't have an unlimited amount of words. In the end it becomes a quiet world.
Alone
By: Maya Angelou
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show that everybody needs someone no matter how much people say they don't.
" Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone." ( lines 11-13)
This stanza repeats itself indicating that this is where the importance of the poem is. It tells us that nobody can be alone forever. Sooner or later you will notice that you need somebody to survive.
" There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No,nobody
Can make it out here alone." ( lines 14-22)
She used the stereotype millionaires because they are usually portrayed as cold and emotionless people. They tend to only care about themselves. They believe that as long as they have power and money they don't need anybody else. Money and power is everything for them. The tone of the poem is hopeful since she wants people to notice that they need someone. The mood of the poem is optimistic because when somebody reads this poem they will notice that people are not always cold. They just need somebody because nobody can be alone.
OCD
By: Neil Hilborn
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that no matter how hard we try to make things perfect for others, sometimes they just don’t care. OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder which tends to make a person act in a specific way when something is not right.
“ But when I saw her, the only thing I could think about was the hairpin curve of her lips..
Or the eyelash on her cheek--
the eyelash on her cheek--
the eyelash on her cheek.” ( lines 11-15)
In these lines he admires a woman he just met. When you have OCD you get no moment of silence. You're always thinking if you did something right, if you forgot something. You obsess over the littlest of things.
“ She loved that I had to kiss her goodbye sixteen times or twenty-four times at different times of the day.
She loved that it took me forever to walk home because there are lots of cracks on our sidewalk.
When we moved in together, she said she felt safe, like no one would ever rob us because I definitely lock the door eighteen times.
I’d always watch her mouth when she talked--
when she talked--
when she talked--
when she talked;
when she said she loved me, her mouth would curl up at the edges.” ( lines 24-36)
I guess love does that to a person, you forget about everything else and only think about making everything perfect for your lover. Except this was the beginning of the relationship. The part where she doesn’t find it annoying that he tries to make every moment perfect. That he obsesses over things too much.
“ But then... She said I was taking up too much of her time.
That I couldn’t kiss her goodbye so much because I was making her late for work...
When she said she loved me, her mouth was a straight line...
When I stopped in front of a crack in the sidewalk, she just kept walking...
And last week she started sleeping at her mother’s place.
She told me that she shouldn’t have let me get so attached to her; that this whole thing was a mistake, but...
How can it be a mistake that I don’t have to wash my hands after I touch her?” ( lines 51-59)
This is the part where love finishes, where his lover became annoyed with his OCD. Usually when you have OCD you have a fear of germs, but when he is with her he forgets about those things. I guess sometimes people lose interest. The tone in the beginning of the poem was admiring and passionate. Towards the end of the poem the tone is disappointed,broken and hopeless. The mood of the poem is love,sad, and sympathy.
Mother to Son
By: Langston Hughes
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that we never should give up no matter how difficult times can get. There are always those obstacles that get in our way but we should never let it stop us from achieving what we want.
" Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor--
Bare." ( lines 1-7)
To me crystal stairs symbolises an easy life. This Mother is telling her son that life hasn't been easy. The splinters,boards torn up and the places with no carpet are the difficulties she's been through.
" But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners," ( lines 8-11)
These lines tell us that the Mother has never given up, she has been climbing those stairs non-stop.
"And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now--
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’," ( lines 12-19)
The first 2 lines mean that even when there was no positiveness in her life she still went on. She is telling her son to never give up when things get hard. She never gave up and so she wants her son to do the same thing, never give up. The tone of the poem is ardent and persistent since she never gave up. The mood of the poem is determined since she is determined to get her son to never give and for her to never give either because she is still climbing.
A Poison Tree
By: William Blake
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that anger is poisonous, we believe we have control over it but in reality it can consume you. Anger can kill you and the person you feel anger towards. The tree symbolises his anger/wrath because anger can grow and also can a tree.
“ And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.” ( lines 5-8)
His fear is that he doesn’t know how far his wrath can go. He’s scared that he won’t be able to have control over his anger and the effects of what will happen. He was scared inside but he wore a facade to hide his fears. “ And it grew both day and night.” ( line 9) His anger kept on growing while he was losing control over it.
“ And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.” ( lines 13-16)
During the night his foe/enemy had fell into his plan. In the morning he was glad to see his enemy dead . That happiness was sinister,dark because he was happy that his enemy died. His worst fears had come alive, since he had lost control over his wrath. His wrath had killed him inside and had killed his enemy. The tone of the poem is dark since he was happy that his foe had died. The mood of the poem is intriguing because I was intrigued on how far he would take his wrath.
Sonnet 130
By: William Shakespeare
****
To me this poem was funny because usually in poems they admire their lovers but in this he doesn't admire his lover. In most of the lines he criticizes his lover.
" My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground." ( lines 1-12)
In all of these lines he says that everything else is better than his mistress. He says that the sun is better than her eyes and that her lips are not as red as coral. Dun means a dark color so he is calling her breasts dark. When he says that his mistress' breath reeks to me it has a bad connotation. When he said that he never saw a goddess go he meant that his mistress was never a goddess. A goddess floats with ease but his mistress just walked.
" As any she belied with false compare." ( line 14). To me this line means that in this whole poem he lied. His mistress is actually much better than what he made her seem like.
By: Sharon Olds
*****
The speaker describes the difference between him and a boy on the subway. He notices the way the boy is dressed compared to himself. He says the boy looks like a mugger. Is he afraid? I believe so. The tone in this spot makes me feel as if the speaker is fearing the boy on the subway because of the way that boy is dressed.Why do we do that? Why do we judge a person by the way they are dressed. Its like when you’re on the subway and woman clutches onto her purse when a scary looking guy walks by. This woman is fearing a person she doesn’t know. Why? I think because she is scared. Because society has become so messed up that we judge person because of what others have done. Because they look the same so people believe that they are the same. Its like judging all the dictators of the world because of Hitler's actions. Its like being judged because of where you come from or what you're origin has done or has believed to have cause. This reminds of how muslims are called terrorist because of 9/11. Why? People choose to blame everybody in the same category for the things a group of people have caused. Thats not fair. Then the speaker mentions whether or not if he/she should be afraid of the boy. He at first sees him as a boy who will take his things. He says he easily could. However then he notices that it shouldn’t be him fearing the boy when in reality he has been taking things from the boy his whole life. The food he eats, he has taken it away from the boys mouth. All of this because the color of the boys skin. Because the boy is black and the speaker is white. This reminds me of slavery. How slaves back then worked while white people took all the hard work that the slaves have done without anything being given to them. The speaker says “ There is no way you know how easy this white skin makes my life.”I think he is trying to say that being white has let him have advantages that the boy will never have. That the boy has to work harder than him to get where the speaker is. That even through his hard work he still wouldn’t be treated the same. This again reminds me of slavery. How the white didn’t get whipped or work while the black broke their back working for them. This isn’t fair we are all born human and yet because someone is born lighter than another they get treated better. Then in the ending the speaker says “Rich as the head of a seedling ready to thrust up into any available light.” I think this describes the goals and dreams of the boy. How this boy wants to thrive and prove to people that he is worth the same as a white person.
100 Bells
By:TARFIA FAIZULLAH
****
The speaker wrote this poem to show her emotion towards her traumatizing experience. The speaker had been raped. A stranger took advantage of her and their was no one to help her. Her dad was asleep and her mother didn’t care. For her mother would whip her. However her sister was there. Her sister tried to help and while the speakers innocence had been ripped away from her she ran to her sister not knowing what would happen. Her sister died. Her sister died trying to save her, however she failed to do so. The speaker ran and threw a glass box to him, but she missed and it hit the wall. She ran to the bathroom where she locked the door and felt dirty. She knew she was no longer pure and this made her believe she was a sinner. To punish herself, she shaved her head to show the horns she thought were visible. The speaker said that she wanted to be a man, so maybe when she shaved her man she also did it to look like a guy. This tries to show that guys are sinners and that they are the sign of bad. Also the speaker kept contradicting herself. For example she said “I didn’t scream, for I did not know better. I knew better.” I think she wanted to scream so she did, but she didn’t know what the consequences would be. However she knew that the guy would get mad if she called for help.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
By: Emily Dickinson
****
The poet wrote this poem to show the similarities between a bird and hope. At the beginning of the poem the speaker gives all the characteristics of a bird to hope. She describes how hope never gives up even if the person has lost hope. When I read the title of this poem it made me think that hope can be like a bird which reminded me of the story of Noah. When Noah and his family were on the ark, God told him to let out a bird to see if there was dry land. Every time he let out a bird it would always find a way back. Its like when you lose hope, hope always finds a way back to you. She explains that the storm that unsettles the “ little Bird ” would have to be terrifying and brutal. Hope is small and frail like a bird which can survive any aggressive storm. No matter how hard the situation was, the speaker says that hope was always with her. Regardless of the extreme conditions, it never once asked for anything in return.
Caged Bird
By: Maya Angelou
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show that white people have more freedom than colored people. In the beginning of the poem she says how the free bird claims the sky. Its like a white person claiming the world. When there was segregation, white people claimed the world since they believed they were superior than colored people. White people had more opportunities than colored people. When the speaker said that the caged bird had clipped wings to me it meant that a colored person has no privileges compared to a white person. The caged bird then sings about freedom just like a colored person thought about freedom when there was segregation. Even though segregation was abolished a while ago there is still racism happening during this time. People discriminate colored people giving white people the better jobs and income. The stanza about the caged bird singing about freedom is repeated again signifying that that is where the meaning of the poem lies. The whole poem is about colored people not having the same rights as white people. Colored people have barriers that cage them in while white people run free.
Annabel Lee
By: Edgar Allan Poe
****
The poet wrote this poem to tell the story of their love. In the beginning of the story it felt like the poem would be about a fairytale love. The speaker says that they love each other and then goes on to say that they were young. Annabel Lee then became sick which led to the kinsmen taking her away from him. They shut her up in a tomb and then one night the sickness killed her. He blamed her death on the angels since he believed that they were envious of the relationship he had with Annabel Lee. The speaker then went on saying that their love was stronger than any other. Even stronger than the love between more older people indicating again their youth. He describes that demons nor angels will be able to separate his soul from hers. Every night he dreamt of the beautiful Annabel Lee. He saw her in the stars and in the moon. In the end of the poem he describes how every night he lies down next to his dead wife in the sepulcher by the sea.
Blackberry Picking
By: Seamus Heaney
***
I think the poet wrote this poem to show that everything beautiful must leave at some point. The blackberries were sweet and the poet felt a passionate desire for picking the blackberries. You usually feel this desire when something is beautiful. During the first stanza the poet describes how he picks the blackberries until his cans were full. Towards the ending of the first stanza the tone becomes creepy because he uses a simile showing that the blackberries on the top of all the green blackberries in the can looked like a plate of eyes. The speaker says that his hands were peppered with thorn pricks and his palms were as sticky as Bluebeards. In that line he uses another simile to compare his hands to Bluebeards hands. Bluebeard was actually a wealthy aristocrat who killed his wives. This indicates that the tone is still creepy. In the second stanza the blackberries rot. He describes them as a rat-grey fungus, the juicy stinking too. Towards the end of the second stanza it becomes sad since his canfulls of blackberries had rotted and he felt like crying. His once sweet blackberries had now became sour, indicating that beauty does not last forever. Everything beautiful must leave at some point but the last line shows that he still doesn’t understand that.
When You Are Old
By: William Butler Yeats
****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that during our youth one person will love us but we are blinded by all the fake sentiment of other people. When we can finally see, its to late since that person has lost its patience.
" When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;" (lines 1-4)
This stanza talks about a book which is a book that describes your youth,life. The last line refers back to your youth, since when you are young you have a soft look in your eyes.
" How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;" (lines 5-8)
In the second line of this stanza it describes how people will be jealous of your beauty or admire it. The last two lines of this stanza talk about how somebody will love you no matter how old you get. Will love you even when your beauty has disappeared. "And paced upon the mountains overhead/And hid his face amid a crowd of stars." (lines 11-12). These lines describe how love had lost its patience, it couldn't sit around and just wait till this person finally noticed. The tone of this poem is sad towards the end because the speaker describes how love had fled. The mood was sympathy because I felt pity for her since she was too late to notice that somebody had real feelings towards her, but when she did notice he wasn't there anymore.
I Hear America Singing
By: Walt Whitman
***
The poet wrote this poem to show us that the people who make up America have their own songs. The poet begins the poem stating " I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear." By this he is referring that the people who make up America are singing their unique songs.
" Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing," ( lines 2-10)
Each one of these people are singing their own song while doing their work. These individuals sing about the achievement of America. Each person sings their song proudly indicating that the tone of the poem is pride and joy. The mood was proud since that is what the poem made me feel while reading it. I was proud that all these people were the one's who created America into a strong civilization.
Be Kind
By Charles Bukowski
****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that we are afraid to speak up to our elders in spite of them being wrong.
" but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to see." ( lines 16-24)
These lines are telling me that because of age we see the world differently. The older people sometimes don't accept the new changes in our society. When the speaker says that they have lived out of focus it makes me think of a camera. How a camera is sometimes blurry and you need to adjust it so you can take pictures more clearly. So I believe that the elders are seeing the world blurry.
" age is no crime
but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life
among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives
is." ( lines 33-42)
The poet believes that because they have aged badly, they have also wasted their life. He also refers to all the other people who have wasted their lives too, by judging and criticizing people instead of just agreeing with the world. The tone of the poem is solemn because he is telling us the reason why the world is so bitter. The mood of the poem is hopeless because elders are hardheaded, they don't change their opinions to easily.
The Metal Puppet
By: Jenni Kirby
***
The speaker feels sad when saying the words in the poem. " Please love me." ( line 11) I believe the speaker just wants to be loved.
" Don't look at my body
Look at my soul
Even though I am metal, I truly can feel
I am alive." ( lines 7-10)
She wants people to not look at her appearances, she wants people to pay attention to what's inside. "Metal” is referring to her as a creation with no mind of its own. She doesn't want people to take her for granted. Even though she is metal, she has feelings of her own. " I feel like a metal puppet in a human's arms." ( line 13) A puppet is usually controlled which makes me think that maybe she was controlled. This person was being tossed around not caring about her feelings, believing she had no feelings. The mood of the poem is sympathy since I feel pity towards her because nobody cares about her feelings.
Children's Rhymes
By: Langston Hughes
***
The poet wrote this poem to show us that white kids/people have more advantages than black kids/people. " I know I can't/Be President." ( lines 4 & 5) His color prevents him to become President and he knows that. " We know everybody/Ain't free." ( lines 9 & 10) This refers back to the unfair treatments towards African Americans. Even though now African Americans are free, they used to be slaves. These lines show that no matter how hard society tries to tell us that African Americans are treated equally,they are not. Again this shows that white people are more privileged.
" Lies written down
For white folks
Ain't for us at a-tall:" ( lines 11-13)
These lines are referring to the laws that solely benefit white people. He believes that these laws are lies since they don't benefit African Americans. Laws that are true would benefit both parties, black people and white people. " Liberty And Justice;/Huh! For All!" ( lines 14 & 15) These lines are sarcastic since it says that everybody has liberty and justice, but in reality only white people do. I believe he is mocking America since these are lines from the Pledge of Allegiance. Usually kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance to an American Flag in school in honor of America. This idea connects to the title since it involves children.
The Quiet World
By: Jeffrey McDaniel
***
The poet wrote this poem to show that some people know the importance of a limited amount of words. The government has given each person a total of one hundred and sixty seven words, per day. To me this is messed since people need to communicate with other people. This is a dystopian society since each person has only a small amount of words to use everyday.
" When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way." ( lines 7- 10)
He doesn't use the words. Doesn't take the amount of words he has for granted. He says that he is adjusting well to the new way which for me is a messed up way.
" Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn't respond,
I know she's used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe." ( lines 11-19)
He saved some of his words for her while she didn't save any for him. It seems like he loves her more than she loves him. To me it is ironic that they are talking on the phone since the whole reason that the government gave them an amount of words everyday was to get people to look into each other's eyes more. The tone of the poem is disappointed since I believe the poet is disappointed that his lover didn't save any words for him. I believe its also love since he still stays on the line. The mood is sad since they don't have an unlimited amount of words. In the end it becomes a quiet world.
Alone
By: Maya Angelou
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show that everybody needs someone no matter how much people say they don't.
" Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone." ( lines 11-13)
This stanza repeats itself indicating that this is where the importance of the poem is. It tells us that nobody can be alone forever. Sooner or later you will notice that you need somebody to survive.
" There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No,nobody
Can make it out here alone." ( lines 14-22)
She used the stereotype millionaires because they are usually portrayed as cold and emotionless people. They tend to only care about themselves. They believe that as long as they have power and money they don't need anybody else. Money and power is everything for them. The tone of the poem is hopeful since she wants people to notice that they need someone. The mood of the poem is optimistic because when somebody reads this poem they will notice that people are not always cold. They just need somebody because nobody can be alone.
OCD
By: Neil Hilborn
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that no matter how hard we try to make things perfect for others, sometimes they just don’t care. OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder which tends to make a person act in a specific way when something is not right.
“ But when I saw her, the only thing I could think about was the hairpin curve of her lips..
Or the eyelash on her cheek--
the eyelash on her cheek--
the eyelash on her cheek.” ( lines 11-15)
In these lines he admires a woman he just met. When you have OCD you get no moment of silence. You're always thinking if you did something right, if you forgot something. You obsess over the littlest of things.
“ She loved that I had to kiss her goodbye sixteen times or twenty-four times at different times of the day.
She loved that it took me forever to walk home because there are lots of cracks on our sidewalk.
When we moved in together, she said she felt safe, like no one would ever rob us because I definitely lock the door eighteen times.
I’d always watch her mouth when she talked--
when she talked--
when she talked--
when she talked;
when she said she loved me, her mouth would curl up at the edges.” ( lines 24-36)
I guess love does that to a person, you forget about everything else and only think about making everything perfect for your lover. Except this was the beginning of the relationship. The part where she doesn’t find it annoying that he tries to make every moment perfect. That he obsesses over things too much.
“ But then... She said I was taking up too much of her time.
That I couldn’t kiss her goodbye so much because I was making her late for work...
When she said she loved me, her mouth was a straight line...
When I stopped in front of a crack in the sidewalk, she just kept walking...
And last week she started sleeping at her mother’s place.
She told me that she shouldn’t have let me get so attached to her; that this whole thing was a mistake, but...
How can it be a mistake that I don’t have to wash my hands after I touch her?” ( lines 51-59)
This is the part where love finishes, where his lover became annoyed with his OCD. Usually when you have OCD you have a fear of germs, but when he is with her he forgets about those things. I guess sometimes people lose interest. The tone in the beginning of the poem was admiring and passionate. Towards the end of the poem the tone is disappointed,broken and hopeless. The mood of the poem is love,sad, and sympathy.
Mother to Son
By: Langston Hughes
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that we never should give up no matter how difficult times can get. There are always those obstacles that get in our way but we should never let it stop us from achieving what we want.
" Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor--
Bare." ( lines 1-7)
To me crystal stairs symbolises an easy life. This Mother is telling her son that life hasn't been easy. The splinters,boards torn up and the places with no carpet are the difficulties she's been through.
" But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners," ( lines 8-11)
These lines tell us that the Mother has never given up, she has been climbing those stairs non-stop.
"And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now--
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’," ( lines 12-19)
The first 2 lines mean that even when there was no positiveness in her life she still went on. She is telling her son to never give up when things get hard. She never gave up and so she wants her son to do the same thing, never give up. The tone of the poem is ardent and persistent since she never gave up. The mood of the poem is determined since she is determined to get her son to never give and for her to never give either because she is still climbing.
A Poison Tree
By: William Blake
*****
The poet wrote this poem to show us that anger is poisonous, we believe we have control over it but in reality it can consume you. Anger can kill you and the person you feel anger towards. The tree symbolises his anger/wrath because anger can grow and also can a tree.
“ And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.” ( lines 5-8)
His fear is that he doesn’t know how far his wrath can go. He’s scared that he won’t be able to have control over his anger and the effects of what will happen. He was scared inside but he wore a facade to hide his fears. “ And it grew both day and night.” ( line 9) His anger kept on growing while he was losing control over it.
“ And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.” ( lines 13-16)
During the night his foe/enemy had fell into his plan. In the morning he was glad to see his enemy dead . That happiness was sinister,dark because he was happy that his enemy died. His worst fears had come alive, since he had lost control over his wrath. His wrath had killed him inside and had killed his enemy. The tone of the poem is dark since he was happy that his foe had died. The mood of the poem is intriguing because I was intrigued on how far he would take his wrath.
Sonnet 130
By: William Shakespeare
****
To me this poem was funny because usually in poems they admire their lovers but in this he doesn't admire his lover. In most of the lines he criticizes his lover.
" My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground." ( lines 1-12)
In all of these lines he says that everything else is better than his mistress. He says that the sun is better than her eyes and that her lips are not as red as coral. Dun means a dark color so he is calling her breasts dark. When he says that his mistress' breath reeks to me it has a bad connotation. When he said that he never saw a goddess go he meant that his mistress was never a goddess. A goddess floats with ease but his mistress just walked.
" As any she belied with false compare." ( line 14). To me this line means that in this whole poem he lied. His mistress is actually much better than what he made her seem like.