Stanza

I chose to dissect “Apples and Water”, because as we discovered in last week’s discussion, it can have many different meanings. Consequently, after reading it at a slightly more surface level, I arrived at a more war-driven and less interpersonal interpretation. No matter the meaning a person arrives at, one of the key elements of this work is the hardships of the war. This poem also speaks of the juxtaposition of a youth’s innocence and hopefulness surrounding war and that of more experienced…

The speaker has a reason for stopping, it is because he is attracted by the dark beauty of the woods. In the final stanza, the tone is serious. Frost slows the pace of the poem down by taking long pauses and by repeating the third line. “But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep.” ((Frost, 1923, p. 767) The speaker has promises, which are obligations…

the woman he yearns for in the face. “For that he looked not upon her”, follows the classic Shakespearean format with “ABAB” rhyme scheme, has iambic pentameter, and ends with a couplet that is meant to emphasize the speaker’s misery. In the first stanza the speaker’s heavy heart is expressed through the second line,”to see me hold my louring head so low.” The line describes his appearance…

Who am I? One of the simplest and most common questions a person asks, yet it may be the hardest question to answer. The sheer complexity of it is enough to discourage anyone from even attempting to find an answer. Despite that, many will embark on a journey to discover themselves, whether it’s a twenty-one year old recent graduate who doesn’t know what they’re doing with their life, a man in his eighties whose contemplating the life he lived, or a young girl who has been sheltered away in a…

Which one should I choose? People always ask this question when they are making a decision. And there are infinite choices on the list in our life, such as should turn left or right when people drive, which college I should go to, choose a career field, or elect a President. Normally, people are likely to choose one that most common, which means the choice that the majority would like to choose. However, “The Road Not Taken” is a popular poem, which is written by Robert Frost who is an…

Ballads are narrative poems that are meant to be sung. Traditionally, ballads follow common characteristic and themes that identify them as ballads. Some themes found in ballads are unrequited love, heroic deeds, and humorous arguments. These themes differ from one another, showcasing that ballads are very diverse but can be identified. Alternatively, common characteristics found in traditional ballads are the rhythmic schemes, repetition, and narrative. Modern-day ballads still follow these…

Songs of Innocence, Blake’s anti-Deist perspective was emphasized by his rejection of empirical knowledge acquisitions methods—through human intellect and scientific reasoning—as a means of growing closer to God. Instead, in the poem’s final two stanzas, Blake accentuated the importance of theoretical knowledge accumulation—by the utilization of language and narratives—through poetry. Finally, Lyotard contended that “knowledge is situated in meta-narratives.” One can see how Blake…

mortality in the first two lines of the poem. “Because I could not stop for Death/He kindly stopped for me” the speaker insinuates that she realizes no one can escape death. Personification is used to give death a human form. In the first stanza the speaker uses personification to describe death. “He kindly stopped for me”. Death something that everyone eventually experiences; the…

As unemployment has been a common issue in Australian society for decades, it is not surprising that people’s opinions are diverse. Renowned late 20th century Australian poets Geoff Goodfellow and Bruce Dawe both discuss unemployment in their respective poems ‘Don’t Call me Lad Dad’ and ‘Doctor to Patient’. Although, both poets are peers of similar background, each presents unemployment in a different light. In order to create and enhance their differing messages, Goodfellow and Dawe both use…

Throughout history, few conflicts have been that horrific like the First World War. Being one of its combatants, the English poet Wilfred Owen was one of the first to question military propaganda which defended the old Latin proverb: “Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori”; meaning ‘it is sweet and glorious to die for one’s country’. With nothing else than words, he created a distinguished and innovative masterpiece that condemned the grandeur of war by picturing how cruel and deranged the…