English poets

John Donne’s metaphysical poem written in 1600’s follows an intricate love poem that is both humorous and playful. Donne uses a range of poetic techniques but his most influential is the continued conceit of the sun that is continued throughout the poem. Through this he is able to introduce an outrageous idea, that he is better than the sun, his woman is “all the states” and he is “all princes.” Donne uses his intellect throughout the poem to justify his claims, especially focussing on the idea…

During the romantic era, There were poets like William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley, who used their lives as inspiration.William Wordsworth is considered the father of modern romantic literature. While Shelley paid a tribute to William Wordsworth, however it was more of a look where you are now. Both poets used themes, symbols, and characterization to get their thoughts across. “To Wordsworth” was written by Shelly and “I wandered lonely as a cloud” by Wordsworth. To begin, there are…

Donne’s ‘The Flea’ was first published posthumously in 1633 and is a metaphysical poem. The poem has two main themes intertwining throughout; the theme of love and erotica, and the theme of religion and sacrilege. Due to the fact the poem plays hosts to both of these themes, we can infer from the beginning that due to the publication date, sex and religion were far closer linked together during the 1600s than they are today, therefore this inclusion of both of themes could reflect the thematic…

Closure in Lycidas What is the right response to death? How and to what extent should we mourn the ones we love? When John Milton's college friend, Edward King, drowned off of the Welsh coast 1, Milton wrote Lycidas in memoriam. A pastoral elegy, the poem represents King as the lost shepherd Lycidas and uses agricultural imagery to portray loss. The majority of the poem is spent highlighting the irrevocability and completeness of death, that is until lines 165-168: "Weep no more, woeful…

Emily Dickinson, an introverted American poet with epilepsy, wrote her way into the world of literature in a distinctive and intriguing manner. Her words, while often unrhymed, have left a perpetual ringing in the minds of her readers. Her poems will forever provide them with wonder, however, one may find themselves speculating about what influenced Miss Dickinson to write her poetry the way that she did. Richard Wilbur, an American poet, described Emily Dickinson with the following quote; “I…

Comparing and contrast of “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa’s Waltz” In describing “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke we see that both are reflecting on a childhood experience with their fathers. There is a showing of compassion and understanding in both poems yet fear is also described. The speakers are reflecting back on a past childhood memory with their fathers but we do not understand if they are pleasant or resentment. Although they deal…

a British poet who lived in 17th century. His poems cover a wide variety of themes: from the love to politics and nature’s role in people’s lives. Marvell often used exalted topics/ However, he chooses different approaches compared to other famous poets like William Wordsworth who was born and worked hundred years after Marvell’s death. The last author often covered metaphysical motifs like his experience as a cloud that saw a filed of daffodils during its everyday trip. While many poets were…

In 1633, John Donne published a metaphysical poem titled The Flea. This poem consists of an erotic theme where a flea is used as a metaphor in order to demonstrate the affair between the speaker and their lover. In the same year, The Altar was published by George Herbert. This poem illustrates the religious notion of how one must sacrifice themselves to God through the use of an altar. In the following, The Flea and The Altar will be compared and contrasted in terms of the physical shape of the…

Yeats’s poem ‘’Leda and the Swan’’ and Dorothy Hewitt’s ‘’Grave Fairytale’’ have content that is both mythological and violently sexual. In Yeats’ poem the speaker retells a story from Greek mythology. It is that of the rape of Leda by Zeus. In Hewitt’s poem, the speaker creates a new version of Rapunzel’s fairytale. This essay will discuss the relationship between mythology/ folklore, violence and sex through the analysis of both poems. In Yeats’ poem, the speaker resents the rape scene,…

In every American household there is the ultimate goal to achieve the “American Dream”. And every household holds a different version of the “American Dream”. But what is the proper version of the “American Dream”? How can we achieve it? Who has access to it? For the majority of people, myself included, one would argue that the “American Dream” is to utilize the system of capitalism, to achieve financial success, materialistic belongings, have a family and to be healthy and stable when retired.…