Poetry is many things and has been defined in many different ways. Robert Frost has created the definition in which poetry is “a way of remembering what it would impoverish us to forget.” This definition has a lot of truth to it, as there are many poems which compliment it well. I will be applying this definition to three different poems and explaining how each of the poems fit Frost’s interpretation. The poem “Ghosts” by Mary Oliver is a perfect example of Frost’s definition. The poem’s context portrays the negative effects that have taken place during the settling and domestication of North America. This poem embodies Frost’s definition because it would impoverish us to forget the atrocious acts we committed when the settlers settled North
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This one poem brings up many topics in our history as well as today’s society such as domestication, genocide, the circle of life, and evolution. Repetition is also prominent in this poem and used as a way of getting the point across that if we repeat our actions from the past, we will suffer the consequences. The poem also uses an allusion to the “Ghost Dance” which is an important poetic device because it allows us to understand the poem in more depth through a historical event. The overall theme of this poem is about the circle of life and being surrounded by “ghosts” and what they have left behind on this earth to remind us of the past. This helps with the perception of poetry because it allows us to understand our actions of the past and how they have led to some negative effects along with why we shouldn’t forget these past …show more content…
This poem is quite peaceful in the sense that Collins is very removed from the actual event and shies away from using words such as death, terrorism, victims, twin towers, etc. His use of alphabetized names adds depth to the overall perception of the poem because it represents how the names would look in a obituary or head count. Metaphors and Similes such as “Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears” are used in this poem to allow the reader to fully grasp and understand the picture that Collins is painting. These figures of speech help to set the overall theme about how life goes on, but at the same time it is also about remembering the events of 9/11 and the understanding that the people who died weren’t just names in an obituary. This relates to Frost’s definition of poetry because Collins represents the definition in a very literal way through this poem, which is meant for us to remember the lives that were taken during the attack on the World Trade Center. The devices used in this poem strengthen the reader’s perception of poetry because it allows us to capture a picture in an genuine way and connect it to something more deep within the poem, such as the theme.
Finally, Dudley Randall’s poem “Ballad of Birmingham” is the last poem that I will be relating to Frost’s definition. Randall’s poem depicts the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 1960’s. This
This one poem brings up many topics in our history as well as today’s society such as domestication, genocide, the circle of life, and evolution. Repetition is also prominent in this poem and used as a way of getting the point across that if we repeat our actions from the past, we will suffer the consequences. The poem also uses an allusion to the “Ghost Dance” which is an important poetic device because it allows us to understand the poem in more depth through a historical event. The overall theme of this poem is about the circle of life and being surrounded by “ghosts” and what they have left behind on this earth to remind us of the past. This helps with the perception of poetry because it allows us to understand our actions of the past and how they have led to some negative effects along with why we shouldn’t forget these past …show more content…
This poem is quite peaceful in the sense that Collins is very removed from the actual event and shies away from using words such as death, terrorism, victims, twin towers, etc. His use of alphabetized names adds depth to the overall perception of the poem because it represents how the names would look in a obituary or head count. Metaphors and Similes such as “Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears” are used in this poem to allow the reader to fully grasp and understand the picture that Collins is painting. These figures of speech help to set the overall theme about how life goes on, but at the same time it is also about remembering the events of 9/11 and the understanding that the people who died weren’t just names in an obituary. This relates to Frost’s definition of poetry because Collins represents the definition in a very literal way through this poem, which is meant for us to remember the lives that were taken during the attack on the World Trade Center. The devices used in this poem strengthen the reader’s perception of poetry because it allows us to capture a picture in an genuine way and connect it to something more deep within the poem, such as the theme.
Finally, Dudley Randall’s poem “Ballad of Birmingham” is the last poem that I will be relating to Frost’s definition. Randall’s poem depicts the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 1960’s. This