Sonata form

The holy sonnet ‘Since she whom I loved’ by John Donne paints God as a domineering and punitive lord who manipulates human life for self-satisfaction. The poem’s rhetorician is conflicted between his physical and spiritual love. Such a struggle creates tension between his sense of loss and hope that the decease of his lover was requisite for God’s plan. Nonetheless, an ambiguity penetrates the poem, suggestive of a subtle yearning. A tension infiltrates the poem whereby the speaker…

Aristotle wrote about tyrannical governments not because he wanted others to adopt this system but rather he wanted it to be abolished entirely believing tyranny was the uttermost corrupt form of government. Aristotle claimed “This tyranny is just that arbitrary power of an individual which is reasonable to know one, and governs all alike, whether equals or better, with a view to its own advantage, not to that of its subjects, and therefore…

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the saying says. “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron (George Gordon) is a poem about one woman in particular that the speaker is obviously enamored with. There is no mention of “love” nor “desire” in the poem and it seems that the speaker wants to make that point very clear. It appears more to be an ode to the amazing beauty of a particular woman. However, by the end of the poem it is almost as if the speaker is trying to convince himself that he does not…

Milton was only in adolescence when he wrote "On the Death of a Fair Infant Dying of a Cough" but he still managed to cram all manner of patterns into his poetry. One of these patterns was textual. In poetry, texture is defined as: "The "feel" of a poem that comes from the interweaving of technical elements, syntax, patterns of sound and meaning" ("Glossary" PG). Certainly, Milton is able to do all those things and his skills are exemplified in this particular early work. Milton's "On the…

The word Rede has a much longer history than the Wiccan Rede, which is what usually comes to mind when we hear the word. The Wiccan Rede can be summed up in eight words. “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”. But there are many different personal, work, individual, and family Rede that change with time and the course of life. Rede is commonly interchanged in modern day language with the word ethics and is much more complex than just these eight words. The meaning of the ancient word Rede is: advice…

Psalm 2: Bow the Knee and Kiss the Son Have you ever been in a situation that caused you to ask the question, “What is going on here?” Maybe it was a humorous moment of confusion, or maybe it was a serious moment of exasperation. Often in situation where it seems like chaos is in charge, we find ourselves wondering “what is going on?” As we look at Psalm 2, we must remember the role that Psalm 1 and 2 play in the Psalter. Both of these act like two great pillars, introducing and providing the…

Research Questions: How is identity affected by colonization and exile? This is the broadest concern of the proposed paper. How is poetry a vehicle for understanding identity under these conditions? There is a rich tradition of poets-in-exile; I have chosen Mahmoud Darwish as representative and his book Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? as the particular vehicle under question. How does the identity “Mahmoud Darwish” transform into a metaphor for Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation?…

Range Finding is composed of two stanzas, in which consist of unequal lines. (The first stanza consists of 8 lines, while the second stanza has 6.) This consists of 14 line breaks, individually standing alone and telling a story, yet there is no need to pause as if you were reading an end-stopped sentence. Each line Frost has written is a beautiful enjambment of its own. The overall shape of this poem is perceived from more of a conveying meaning rather than a verbal significance. *This poem can…

Cadence and rhythm. This is poetry at its mechanical essence. It was once thought that those who could not hear the flow and intonation of language could not possibly compose one of the most complex and labyrinthine forms of expression (33). Yet, they did, and they did well. By referencing some early poetic works, The Minstrel Boy by James Nack, and The Mute’s Lament by John Carlin, the absolute ability of deaf individuals is realized, as well as a sample of some of the intimate topics they…

There are always two sides to every story but when it is a part of history usually one side is being told and the other side is being interpreted. This is the case with Alexander the Great and whether he should be able to keep his title “the Great”. Two scholars Ian Worthington and Paul Cartledge have very different views and interpretations on Alexanders ruling as king, his achievements as general, and what it means to be great. The debate between Ian Worthington and Paul Cartledge is weather…