Eng Midterm Poetry Context

Front 1

The Chimney Sweeper--William Blake

Back 1

Boy narrates about how his mother died when he was young and his father sold him when he was young; Tom Dacre

Front 2

The Tyger--William Blake

Back 2

Narrator asking the Tiger questions about existence

Front 3

The Garden of Love--William Blake

Back 3

Narrator goes to the Garden of Love; Gates were locked; flowers were replaced by graves

Front 4

London--William Blake

Back 4

Narrator speaks of wandering through the city; points out the sorrows of people

Front 5

Ozymandias--Percy Bysshe Shelley

Back 5

Speaker recalls having met a traveler "from an antique land," who told him a story about the ruins of a statue in the desert of his native country. Two vast legs of stone stand without a body, and near them a massive, crumbling stone head lies "half sunk" in the sand. The traveler told the speaker that the frown and "sneer of cold command" on the statue's face indicate that the sculptor understood well the passions of the statue's subject, a man who sneered with contempt for those weaker than himself, yet fed his people because of something in his heart

Front 6

Constantly Risking Absurdity--Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Back 6

Acrobat metaphor; written like decending steps

Front 7

To Be the Verse--Philip Larkin

Back 7

Mum and Dad poem; talks about how they fucked up and fuck you up; message to not have kids

Front 8

A Study of Reading Habits--Philip Larkin

Back 8

Books saved him as a child; his right hook saves him later; final line: books are a load of crap

Front 9

Advice to My Son--Peter Meinke

Back 9

A list of recommendations on life for his son; always enjoy life

Front 10

The True Story of Snow White--Bruce Bennett

Back 10

Darker side of the fairy tale; very recognizable

Front 11

Our Room--Molly Peacock

Back 11

Teacher talking about her alcoholic father to her students; classroom becomes lonely when talking about our homes

Front 12

Plus C'est la Mem Chose--Katherine McAlpine

Back 12

Translated to: The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same; Lines Written upon Chaperoning the Seventh Grade Dance; girls are dressed up loooking like women; boys go to ask them to dance but they're in the bathroom

Front 13

Hazel Tells LaVerne--Katharyn Howd Machan

Back 13

Negro language; frog comes out of the toilet and speaks of becoming a princess and ball; flushes him down after asking for a kiss

Front 14

My Wicked Wicked Ways--Sandra Cisneros

Back 14

Narrator is looking at a photograph of her as a child with her mother and father; speaks of a woman not there, doesn't come til later; she will turn out bad

Front 15

Daddy--Sylvia Plath

Back 15

Nazi father

Front 16

There Is a Girl Inside--Lucille Clifton

Back 16

Randy girl inside of an old woman; green tree metaphors

Front 17

Sonnet--Billy Collins

Back 17

Poem written about how sonnets are made; don't focus too much on them

Front 18

Oranges--Gary Soto

Back 18

Story of little boy walking with a girl; pays with an orange for her candy; Gave her the candy at the doorstep and peeled his other orange

Front 19

Musee des Baux Arts--W.H. Auden

Back 19

Poem about Pieter Brueghel's painting "Icarus"

Front 20

In Goya's Greatest Scenes--Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Back 20

Poem about Francisco de Goya's painting "The Third of May, 1808, Madrid"

Front 21

The Starry Night--Anne Sexton

Back 21

Poem about Vincent van Gogh's painting "The Starry Night"

Front 22

To His Coy Mistress--Andrew Marvell

Back 22

If we had enough time, I'd adore every part of your body for ages; but we dont, so lets get it on before its too late

Front 23

nobody loses all the time--e e cummings

Back 23

Gramatical errors; story of his uncle sol and his quest to start animal farms

Front 24

A Semi-Revolution--Robert Frost

Back 24

Narrator advocates revolution; but not full, because the result is the same as the problem

Front 25

After Apple-Picking--Robert Frost

Back 25

Long poem; narrator talks about what he is doing when he is done picking apples

Front 26

Nothing Gold Can Stay--Robert Frost

Back 26

Goldness doesn't last

Front 27

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening--Robert Frost

Back 27

Man on his horse stops between a frozen lake and the woods; narrator has to go on before he dies

Front 28

Design--Robert Frost

Back 28

Narrator finds a spider and its prey?