Poetry Assignment Essay Example

Poetry Assignment Essay For this assignment I chose Death, Despair and Rebellion as my theme. Finding eight poems that were relevant to this theme proved easier than I thought. This is probably due to the fact that I was allowed to use one poet as a source for more than one poem; therefore, all but one of my poems are by the same poet. That poet being Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, and the other being Konai Helu Thaman. The titles of the poems were thus:Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ -A Sudden Chasm Of Ghastly LightI Am The Only Being Whose DoomStrong I StandSleep Brings No JoyDeathI See Around Me Tombstones GreyShed No Tears Oer That TombKonai Helu Thaman -My BloodI chose this theme because I had already read some of Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems, and she seemed to have a disposition towards death, despair and rebellion (hence my theme). Not all of the poems, at a glance, are easy to relate to the theme; you have to search for the underlying meaning, this is common throughout many of Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems. Fo r example, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poem Strong I Stand would, at a glance, fit a theme of rebellion, especially with the following lines:How mankind have fought with me,All the puny ways of menandHaughty men are nought to meIt is clear that she does not like living in a society where men have all the power, and women are oppressed. However, what is not clear about this poem is the despair she feels. I think Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ wrote this poem as way for her to free herself from a society in which she has no rights, no privileges; she wrote this poem to free herself from the despair she feels.Another of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems that deals with despair is I Am The Only Being Whose Doom. The underlying message of this poem, however, is slightly easier to determine; it is one of death. I think this poem was written at a time when Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ felt particularly lonely; she may have also felt suicidal hence the following stanza:In secret pleasure, secret tears,This changeful life has slipp ed away,As friendless after eighteen years,As lone as on my natal day.Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poem A Sudden Chasm Of Ghastly Light appears to have been written at a time of war, making it obvious that the poem is about death, however, there are certain lines that lead me to think that this poem can be related to rebellion, and despair as well. These lines are:And a long thundering through the nightProclaimed our triumph Tyndarums fall.AndI felt the full load of despairReturning to my breast again.A poem which is similar to I Am The Only Being Whose Doom is Sleep Brings No Joy, and it relates mainly to death and despair. Although, I think this poem was written when Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ actually wanted to die, whereas in I Am The Only Being Whose Doom it seemed as though she is expecting to die; this is shown in the last two lines of the poem:My only wish is to forgetIn the sleep of death.The next poem that I chose by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ was Death. Its title however, is contradictory, for it i s not about death, in its literal meaning, but more about the death of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s despair, hence I have used it as a poem of rebellion; Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is rebelling from her despair.The penultimate of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems that I chose is titled I See Around Me Tombstones Grey. It too deals with death and despair; it is a snapshot of a point of great pain and grief in Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s life. It depicts her walking through a graveyard where a person who meant a great deal to her is buried, it is also written as though the funeral has just passed.The last of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems, Shed No Tears Oer That Tomb, appears to be one of rebellion, however, the last few stanzas made me feel as though she held great animosity towards some man. This was the hardest of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poems to interpret.Thamans poem, My Blood, is one that follows a strict theme; one of straight out rebellion; he is rebelling against his brother who has become a fraud.(Parts Two And Three)Atta ched to this assignment is a collection of newspaper articles on the American terrorist attack. All the articles were copied from Internet news providers1. The articles appeared on the websites in a matter of hours after the attack and, subsequently, the journalists names were not included, probably due to hurriedness. I think they (the newspaper articles) relate to my theme very well. If you read between the lines you notice that the terrorists were rebelling against the idea of a world super-power (America). Obviously, there were many deaths, and of course, many people are in despair.There are many pictures throughout the included articles and they are all visual representations of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s poem A Sudden Chasm Of Ghastly Light. In fact, most of the pictures can be related to the first stanza:A sudden chasm of ghastly lightYawned in the citys reeling wall;And a long thundering through the nightProclaimed our triumph Tyndarums fall.The last line is quite powerful; Tyndaru m can be equated to the American government; the terrorists might well have been trying to bring about the end of America as we know it.(Part Four)ESSAY ONE:I See Around Me Tombstones GreyI see around me tombstones greyStretching their shadows far away.Beneath the turf my footsteps treadLie low and lone the silent dead;Beneath the turf, beneath the mouldFor ever dark, for ever cold -And my eyes cannot hold the tearsThat memory hoards from vanished years;For Time and Death and Mortal painGive wounds that will not heal again.Let me remember half the woeIve seen and heard and felt below,And Heaven itself, so pure and blest,Could never give my spirit rest.Sweet land of light! thy children fairKnow nought akin to our despair;Nor have they felt, nor can they tellWhat tenants haunt each mortal cell,What gloomy guests we hold within -Torments and madness, tears and sin!Well, may they live in ecstasyTheir long eternity of joy;At least we would not bring them downWith us to weep, with us to g roan.No Earth would wish no other sphereTo taste her cup of sufferings drear;She turns from Heaven a careless eyeAnd only mourns that we must die!Ah mother, what shall comfort theeIn all this endless misery?To cheer our eager eyes a whileWe see thee smile; how fondly smile!But who reads not through that tender glowThy deep, unutterable woe?Indeed no dazzling land aboveCan cheat thee of thy childrens love.We all in lifes departing shineOur last dear longings blend with thine;And struggle still, and strive to traceWith clouded gaze thy darling face.We would not leave our native homeFor any world beyond the Tomb.No rather on thy kindly breastLet us be laid in lasting restOr waken but to share with theeA mutual immortality.17 July 1841The above poem is one of Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s. It appears to have been written at a time when Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ felt particularly grief-stricken, as it is a poem about death and despairit shows Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ walking through a graveyard; and as sh e walks, she begins to cry (And my eyes cannot hold the tears). Although this is a poem about death, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ has not delved into the mechanics of death; instead, she is describing the damage that the loss of a person does. She is angry that Earth will not allow her to be comforted by the deceased; all she wants is to see the deceased one more time.Her aim in this poem seems to be to demonstrate how unfair life is, how unjust the death of a person is. The poem is written to make the reader reflect upon their own life, and to make them realise that one day it will all end.The choice of words used by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ are not entirely original on their own, however, I have not read enough poetry to comment on the style in which the poem is written. Although, I found that the words used were appropriate, and that they did communicate Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s feelings.The tone of the poem is hard to determine at first glance. Although, after reading it through several times, one can begin to realise that it has two tones, the first half of the poem is written in a sad tone; she is grieving the loss. The second half, however, is written in an angry tone; she is angry that this person has been taken from her life.There are images throughout the poem, but the most evocative image lies within the first seven lines:I see around me tombstones greyStretching their shadows far away.Beneath the turf my footsteps treadLie low and lone the silent dead;Beneath the turf, beneath the mouldFor ever dark, for ever cold -And my eyes cannot hold the tearsYou can literally see her walking slowly through a graveyard, with tears streaming silently down her face.The poem leaves the reader reflecting on their own life, and (if applicable) the loss of any persons in their own lives. It leaves a feeling of understanding; Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ was not understood in her own time, she did in fact became a recluse, but now, through her poetry, you can begin to understand some of the pain she w ent through.To some, the method in which Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ has communicated her grief is simple, to others it might be quite hard to ascertain the meaning of the poem; it is dependent upon the reader. I think the method used is very effective, although you do have to look at the poem, like any other poem, more deeply to discern the underlying message(s).My general impression of this poems success is a positive one, although some readers may find it hard to understand the full extent to which it must be understood.ESSAY TWO:Sleep Brings No JoySleep brings no joy to me,Remembrance never dies;My soul is given to miseryAnd lives in sighs.Sleep brings no rest to me;The shadows of the deadMy waking eyes may never seeSurround my bed.Sleep brings no hope to me;In soundest sleep they comeAnd with their doleful imageryDeepen the gloom.Sleep brings no strength to me,No power renewed to brave:I only sail a wilder sea,A darker wave.Sleep brings no friend to meTo soothe and aid to bear;They all g aze, oh, how scornfully,And I despair.Sleep brings no wish to knitMy harassed heart beneathMy only wish is to forgetIn the sleep of death.November 1837This poem, also written by Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, is about death, and despair. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is saying that she is so depressed and pained, that all she wants to do is to forget in the sleep of death. It is a poem about her dreams, dreams which obviously haunt herperhaps they are dreams of deceased people. This is shown in the third stanza:Sleep brings no hope to me;In soundest sleep they come,And with their doleful imageryDeepen the gloom.Her aim appears to be to confess her distress caused by the dreams to the reader. She feels surrounded by death; it follows her everywhere, even in her dreams.Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s choice of words for this poem are, yet again, not entirely original. They do, however, make it clear what she wants the reader to understand her despair and grief.The tone of this poem, like many of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s others, is sad, but also thoughtful. This poem was a way for Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to express herselfit is conceivable that she wrote this poem as a way for her to overcome her feelings.Unlike I See Around Me Tombstones Grey, this poem does not produce evocative images. You have to look at the words, and look for the hidden images, such as in the following stanza:Sleep brings no rest to me;The shadows of the deadMy waking eyes may never seeSurround my bed.The hidden image here being she can only see The shadows of the dead when she is asleep; hence the image of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in a disturbed sleep.The poem causes the reader to look upon their own dreams, and search for any hidden images within their own subconscious. It leaves the reader with an understanding, yet again, of Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s life.This poem probably has more success with a wider demographic of poetry readers, simply because the words used allow for even the simplest of minds to understand Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s feelings. Poetry Assignment Essay Example Poetry Assignment Essay There are 2 Poems about Seduction that we can compare. One is called The Seduction written by Eileen McAuley. It is about the seduction of a fifteen year old girl by a teenage boy, he has sex with her but ends the romance there leaving the girl pregnant and without help. It uses the scene of the river and the Birkenhead Docks to create a very sleazy and un-romantic atmosphere. The poem also shows the aftermath of the seduction and the effect that it has on the now pregnant girl. The other Poem is called To His Coy Mistress written by Andrew Marvell in 1681. It is about a man trying to seduce a girl presumably for sex but through words describing his endless love for her. It is all about love, lust, passion and how time is running out for them together. Unlike in the poem The Seduction we do not find out if the man is successful or not in seducing her. In To His Coy Mistress the main objective is to seduce the girl for sex. The poem is cleverly split up into three sections or verses. The first section/verse is about his endless love for her and is obviously aimed at persuading her that he is only interested in true love and that his intentions are honourable. He describes how he would spend an age at least praising every part of her and then says And the last age should show your heart, showing that if he had it then he would take all the time in the world to love her. The second section/verse talks about time and how it is catching up to them. Clearly he is rushing the situation which cannot be love, love would be worth waiting for and being patient for, whereas he is being lustful and wants everything now. He also slips up in the second verse mentioning the word lust instead of love And into ashes all my lust, he has now revealed to some extent that he is not totally honourable. We will write a custom essay sample on Poetry Assignment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Poetry Assignment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Poetry Assignment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Times winged chariot hurrying near is an example of this concept of time chasing after them and is also an excellent example of personification, describing time like a person. He is basically reminding her that she wont always be beautiful, Thy beauty shall no more be found is another example of this. And your quaint honor turned to dust, this is a quote that almost teases her into rushing herself. The graves a fine and private place, this is basically saying that shell be left alone with no-one to love her. The third section/verse tells us of what he wants to happen and how wonderful and amazing a time that they could have together. Despite this romantic image that he is trying to convey to this girl he slips up on many occasions showing that what he is feeling is not true love. Now let us sport us while we may, implies that he just treats this as a game and so is actually thinking lustfully. Like amorous birds of prey is another slip up for him because birds of prey swoop in for th e kill which subtly and accidentally suggests that this mans intentions are slightly dangerous and like the bird of prey he is just swooping in for the kill, i.e. he is just pulling out all the stops to seduce her into having sex with him. This Like amorous birds of prey statement is also a simile and effective one too. He does however make a romantic statement Let us role all our strength and all our sweetness into one ball, basically talking about his strength and her sweetness and how they should join together and become one. An excellent metaphor can be found in the first section, My vegetable love should grow, this is particularly effective because vegetables grow and have deep roots so hes basically saying that his love for her will keep on growing and has truly deep meaning, this subtly persuades her. The poem is written as a monologue from the man to the girl. The Seduction is split up into sixteen sections with the first eight talking about the seduction itself and the last eight sections talk about the consequences of the seduction i.e. she gets pregnant. The poem is written in a third person perspective and so is told like a story. With the fingers that stroked her neck and thighs and the kisses that tastes of nicotine, there is nothing really enchanting about the boy that is trying to seduce the girl but As he brought her more drinks, so she fell in love, so she was falling in love the more drunk she became. Another phrase that demonstrates how un-charming, he should appear to be is He spat into the river, fumbled in a bag, its quite clear that this method of seduction is sleazy and un-romantic. He mutters Little slag, obviously he doesnt feel much if anything for her. The Mersey, green as a septic wound, is a sentence that helps create the sleazy, if you like dirty atmosphere surrounding the situation. It is also a good simile. And she ripped up all her My Guy and her Jackie photo-comics shows that she feels betrayed by the teenage fantasy, love stories that they contain, Until they were just bright paper, like confetti, strewn, this is ironic in a way because confetti is thrown at weddings which is clearly not going to happen here. The image of the High white shoes portrays the slag image and is a clever metaphor as she later broke the heels on these shoes in anger of the night and the slutty image that they represent. Stupid, stupid promises, only tacitly made, shows that she is ashamed because she actually fell into the trap that will cost her the quality of her life as it is clear that the father is no longer interested in her. Another thing that shows the shame is Than to have the neighbours whisper that you always looked the type, it helps to show the apparent awareness of how stupid she was but also that she isnt fully to blame. Unlike To His Coy Mistress his poem describes intricately the aftermath of the seduction of the girl itself. They are written differently and so the two poems discussed are different in a variety of ways. For a start To His Coy Mistress was written by a man (Andrew Marvell) in 1681 while The Seduction was written in the 19802 by a woman (Eileen McAuley). As said before The Seduction is written in a third person perspective and so is told like a story whereas To His Coy Mistress is written as a monologue, like a message from the boy to the girl and we are not told whether or not he is successful in seducing the girl. The boy described in To His Coy Mistress continuously uses the idea of love to aid him in his attempt at seducing the girl, whereas love is never mentioned in The Seduction. A distinctive difference is in the method of seduction that the boys use, in To His Coy Mistress words are the main method employed by the boy whereas in The Seduction the boy uses actions to seduce the girl. Despite these differences the poems are also very similar. They are both about the seduction/attempt ed seduction of a girl by a boy. Both use the image of water also, in To His Coy Mistress the River Ganges is used romantically and also the River Humber whereas the Mersey River is used in The Seduction to create a sleazy setting as it is green as a septic wound. Both poems are effective and they show two totally different methods of seduction. The Seduction is effective because it shows a story as well as a poem. I prefer To His Coy Mistress because it is an effective monologue and makes clever use of language and imagery. I like the metaphor My vegetable love should grow and the simile Like amorous birds of prey because I find it ironic that he makes himself look dangerous whilst trying to charm her. Although the inner message is lust it is still more enchanting and idyllic. Also it doesnt tell us whether or not the boy is successful or not in seducing the girl, which is good because it keeps you thinking and interested in the poem. Poetry Assignment Essay Example Poetry Assignment Essay Throughout the history of Ireland there has been violence and injustice. In the 19th century there was devastation inflicted by absentee landlords. They caused poverty-stricken settlers to resort to live in ditches or workhouse and it was not uncommon for people to emigrate to another country. However, in the 1970s small sinister political groups caused catastrophes with bombs. They led people to mourn for many loved ones. Although both these scenarios are different they brought about the same kind of torment to Irish society.Each of these situations is described in two moving and shocking poems. William Allingham describes a communitys horror in The Eviction of having to be thrown out of their home with nowhere to go. James Simmons portrays the situation of a bomb exploding during the 1970s and the hideous injuries and repercussions it caused. This poem is called Claudy. These poems make us feel the same emotions but go about creating them in different ways.The person who has bought over land (Paudeen Dhu) creeps behind the army because he is frightened. There is an irony that the houses were torn down by Catholics and not by Protestants who were regarded as the enemies. They were being betrayed by their own religion. The sheriff and his army were called churls. These were the lowest types of person in society. Allingham tries to make the soldiers in the army look alike as if they were all designed the same with no personal characteristics to give them individuality. This makes the army appear more menacing. I feel this is one of the sections of the poem William Allington describes well and makes a great comparison between the moving unit of the army and the scattered community. This shocks us how efficient and frightening the army is. There is very little visualization to be made in The Eviction but one very powerful image is delivered in the lineAnd ranks of polished rifles wetly shine.This is more powerful because there have been few phrases before this tha t appeal to out visual imagination. It also follows up the point that the soldiers do not have individual personality because the are described by functions yet the people have names. Another great metaphor delivered by William Allington. He saysOn the wet grounds the hissing coal expires;This is a metaphor of the community and their lives. It symbolises the extinction of their community.Claudy has a similar irony in it that innocent Catholics died at the hands of Irish nationalists in an act of terrorism. During the poem we expect the bomb to go off at any moment. The rhythm is almost like a ticking bomb. The poem describes thoroughly individual shops and people in the town so it is very personal. Once the bomb goes off the rhythm of the poem is killed. After the bomb we are introduced extensively into the injuries of individual people. The poet seems to tell the whole poem with no emotion until he has given up his struggle to hold back his emotion by sayingAnd Christ, little Kathe rine Allen is dead.The poets give the poems distinct rhythms. The Eviction has a slow and methodical rhythm to it. William Allington gradually tells the poem moving through each paragraph describing each incident almost consistently with the rhyme scheme AABB. This is partially what makes this poem quite lengthy. On the other hand Claudy has quite a lively and bouncy rhythm to it. The poem is told quickly with each stanza having a descriptive purpose. Unlike The Eviciton, Claudy is written in stanzas. The verse paragraphs make The Evicition have a slower rhythm to it. Claudy does not have a set rhyme scheme like The Eviction. One reason Claudy has a swift flowing motion is because of enjambement. It is also delivered with calm objective commentary until the final stanza. The way the both are delivered shock us. The Eviciton has its slow rhythm, which helps the poem sink in. Although the way the more jaunty Claudy conveys the tragic incident strikes us quickly with the horrific facts of the poem.The towns in which these atrocities occur are portrayed to us in very different ways. Ballytullagh is described as raw and chill which makes us feel as though there something bad is going to happen. The description of the tow had a metaphor in it. There is a fog enclosing the town, which is a metaphor for the grim, uncertain future the evictees have. The description of the grim town gave us a moving effect. This makes us less shocked when the awful event happens. However, Claudy is described as though life is peaceful and happy with no problems. The name of the poem acts as an ironic counter weight to the description of the town because we recognize the poem is about political violence. The actual writing in the first stanza does not give away how shocked or moved we may feel later in the poem.Both poets describe different happenings in detail. In The Eviction William Allington describes in detail the community and the people who are administering this eviction upon the settlers in Ballytullagh. He describes in detail how the army of men came and evicted the people. This put fear in many readers minds and made them weary of what was to happen. He goes into detail about the togetherness of the community. Yet James Simmons likes to describe the horrific injuries inflicted on innocent people by the car bomb. He also likes to describe individuals throughout the poem. Both these shock and move us because the injuries are so descriptive that we can visualize them and the names shock us because it helps us think that the bomb actually happened and affected real people.In The Eviction a lot is left to the imagination by not giving much visualization in the poets words whereas in Claudy much of the poem is in shockingly, scary detail. With phrases likeAn old ladys legs are ripped off it does not leave much to the imagination.The soldiers in the poem shocked me a lot. The way they were described made them appear to me as a wall of intimidation. They dominat ed the situation in The Eviction by being like this. As no one would want to fight with them. They were a visible force in the poem. This differs to the bombers were we see the repercussions of their actions more than we see them. The bombers form a more sinister picture of themselves because their actions had such disastrous results.The sufferers in Claudy had to suffer with pain and life long injuries, which will leave them scarred. They maybe disabled or maybe losing a limb and having to live in a wheelchair. They would not be independent; they would have to rely on other people to do things for them. Also the people in the village of Claudy do not seem to group together in their time of need considering that in Ballytullagh they remained as a unit functioning together to help one another. People from the shattered village of Ballytullagh will have to cope with poverty and homelessness. They will have to beg for food and live on scraps if even that. They have decided whether to g o to a workhouse or not. A workhouse could result in illness, especially for the older ones who are already weak. The unity of the community in Ballytullagh moved me because they could group together and help each other. It also shocked me that Claudy did not. The main problem Claudy have to deal with is the loss of loved ones but in Ballytullagh they will have to deal with homelessness and the likely hood of death within their community.Although it was easier to relate to Claudy because it was a real event both poems have moved and shocked me. I find it hard to distinguish which poem shocked or moved me more. Both poem are compelling poems and make you feel the distress within them. Claudy strikes us with is direct style in which it delivers its information while The Eviction drags us into the emotion of the poem with its narrative technique. Overall these were two immensely written poems which will always make a reader feel the emotion within them.