By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

 His house is in the village though;   

 He will not see me stopping here   

 To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

 My little horse must think it queer   

 To stop without a farmhouse near   

 Between the woods and frozen lake   

 The darkest evening of the year.   

 He gives his harness bells a shake   

 To ask if there is some mistake.   

 The only other sound’s the sweep   

 Of easy wind and downy flake.   

 The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

 But I have promises to keep,   

 And miles to go before I sleep,   

 And miles to go before I sleep.                        

Freedom at last 
in this town aimless
I walked against the rush
hour traffic
My first day
in a real city
where

no one knew me.

No one except one
hissing voice that said 
dirty jap
warm spittle on my right cheek.
I turned and faced
the shop window 
and my spittle face
spilled onto a hill
of books.
Words on display.


 As I read this poem, I had to read it multiple times to understand the meaning I inferred from the poem. As I did my sketch notes, I highlighted words like “Freedom” and “aimless” to understand that Yamada was trying to imply she was exposed to a new world. The discrimination and name calling she went through is what gave her motive to create her work. Generally, Yamada experienced isolation and racism, on her “first day in a real city”. However, she used that discrimination to put her “ Words on display.” To give her readers an insight of her story.

BY CATHY SONG

He thinks when we die we’ll go to China.

Think of it—a Chinese heaven   

where, except for his blond hair,   

the part that belongs to his father,   

everyone will look like him.

China, that blue flower on the map,   

bluer than the sea

his hand must span like a bridge   

to reach it.

An octave away.

I’ve never seen it.

It’s as if I can’t sing that far.

But look—

on the map, this black dot.

Here is where we live,

on the pancake plains

just east of the Rockies,

on the other side of the clouds.

A mile above the sea,

the air is so thin, you can starve on it.   

No bamboo trees

but the alpine equivalent,

reedy aspen with light, fluttering leaves.   

Did a boy in Guangzhou dream of this   

as his last stop?

I’ve heard the trains at night

whistling past our yards,

what we’ve come to own,

the broken fences, the whiny dog, the rattletrap cars.   

It’s still the wild west,

mean and grubby,

the shootouts and fistfights in the back alley.   

With my son the dreamer

and my daughter, who is too young to walk,   

I’ve sat in this spot

and wondered why here?

Why in this short life,

this town, this creek they call a river?

He had never planned to stay,   

the boy who helped to build   

the railroads for a dollar a day.   

He had always meant to go back.   

When did he finally know

that each mile of track led him further away,   

that he would die in his sleep,   

dispossessed,

having seen Gold Mountain,

the icy wind tunneling through it,

these landlocked, makeshift ghost towns?

It must be in the blood,   

this notion of returning.

It skipped two generations, lay fallow,

the garden an unmarked grave.

On a spring sweater day   

it’s as if we remember him.   

I call to the children.   

We can see the mountains   

shimmering blue above the air.

If you look really hard

says my son the dreamer,

leaning out from the laundry’s rigging,   

the work shirts fluttering like sails,   

you can see all the way to heaven.

Poem Analysis: “Heaven”, by the title you could think its paradise after death but, in the beginning of the poem Songs son refers “Heaven” as China. Her song is bringing the notions of returning where his family came from. Her son hopes to find people to get involved with in China with the same characteristics as him.  Cathy has never been to China where her family is from. It’s a place she would love to go to learn more about her ancestry and her heritage and meet people there, like her son said to meet people with similar characteristics as them. Although she questions herself why her grandfather left China and came to America. Ideas such as isolation, identity, and freedom. Identity is shown through the family and the ancestry. Cathy has never been to China and her grandfather never returned. Her grandfather basically isolated himself from his country leaving no tracts of himself. An example of a literacy element shown through the poem often is China, it was a symbolism of heaven, because her son thinks that when everyone dies they go to China. Bringing identity and the ethnicity of their race. Cathy thought are rerouted to a historical time when a boy in southern China started his long journey to the United States to make a living at the gold mines and the railroad, indefinitely prolonging his stay. Switching back to the present, the poet muses that “It must be in the blood, this notion of returning. It skipped two generations, lay fallow, the garden an unmarked grave.” This realization, triggered by the innocent thoughts of a child, leads the poet to call to the children to look to where “we can see the mountains shimmering blue above the air.” Late much of the tone throughout the poem is desirous, wistful, and sorrowful. The poem begins with a neutral tone than shifts to a tone that is negative but ends on a positive note. 
http://napavalleyregister.com/opinion/letters/the-napa-high-indian/article_5644f4cb-7f17-53c8-8b86-9a05d76aab46.html this documentary showed how heritage culture and background isolated themselves from others to keep its self safe - samantha mata 

 By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

 And sorry I could not travel both

 And be one traveler, long I stood

 And looked down one as far as I could

 To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 Then took the other, as just as fair,

 And having perhaps the better claim,

 Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

 Though as for that the passing there

 Had worn them really about the same,

 And both that morning equally lay

 In leaves no step had trodden black.

 Oh, I kept the first for another day!

 Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

 I doubted if I should ever come back.

 I shall be telling this with a sigh

 Somewhere ages and ages hence:

 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

 I took the one less traveled by,

 And that has made all the difference.

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

From childhood’s hour I have not been 

As others were—I have not seen 

As others saw—I could not bring 

My passions from a common spring— 

From the same source I have not taken 

My sorrow—I could not awaken 

My heart to joy at the same tone— 

And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone— 

Then—in my childhood—in the dawn 

Of a most stormy life—was drawn 

From ev’ry depth of good and ill 

The mystery which binds me still— 

From the torrent, or the fountain— 

From the red cliff of the mountain— 

From the sun that ’round me roll’d 

In its autumn tint of gold— 

From the lightning in the sky 

As it pass’d me flying by— 

From the thunder, and the storm— 

And the cloud that took the form 

(When the rest of Heaven was blue) 

Of a demon in my view—

Littery analysis 
This poem is tittled "Alone" by just reading the tittle I get/got the general idea/theme of loneliness and isolation. 
The sum of the poem is edgar describing himself/his life on how he has seen the darkness in the world when I read it the poem gave me the idea of a pessimist and a person who was isolated from a young age. In the poem there was a big use of alliteration and imagery the one that expresses the idea of isolation is this quote "and all I loved, i loved alone" and "from childhoods hour I have not been as others were, i have not been as others were, - I I have not seen as others saw," this loneliness was brought from a young age. The author was always alone. 
The tone of this poem is vary dark and somber. Alone describes alot of dark and sad things that happened to poe's life, edgar describes how he was always alone and was isolated from Socity and looked down upon. The key words to help are "sorrow" "I lov'd Alone" "stormy life" "mystery" "torrent" and the rhyme scheme is AABB the rhymes rhyme but some times not in a rhyme sense but a visual one.

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?  

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp 

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

Literary analysis 
The poem is titled "A dream within a dream" once I read this tittle i thought of a sweet dreams but once I read the poem it was twisted to cruelty and darkness. The sum of the poem is of a parting of the speaker parting with some one and the author can not grasp the there parting. 
This is all described in first persons point of view. Poe uses alliteration imagery and personification. And is written in iambic rhythm. 
The tone of the poem is devastated contemplative and distraught and this is best shown with these words "while i weep " And "o god! Can I not grasp them with a tighter clasp"

 If I sign this

What will I be?

I am doubly loyal

to my American children

also to my own people.

How can double mean nothing?

I wish no one to lose this war.

Everyone does.

To change the world enough

you must cease to be afraid

of the poor.

We experience your fear as the least pardonable of

humiliations; in the past

it has sent us scurrying off

daunted and ashamed

into the shadows.

Now,

the world ending

the only one all of us have known

we seek the same

fresh light

you do:

the same high place

and ample table.

The poor always believe

there is room enough

for all of us; 

the very rich never seem to have heard

of this.

In us there is wisdom of how to share

loaves and fishes

however few; 

we do this everyday.

Learn from us,

we ask you.

We enter now

the dreaded location

of Earth's reckoning; 

no longer far

off

or hidden in books

that claim to disclose

revelations; 

it is here.

We must walk together without fear.

There is no path without us 

Literary Analysis

 As I read Alice Walker’s poem “To Change the World Enough”, I found out that this poem has no rhyme scheme, Walker did not use any meters and she uses simple words just as the poem “Expect Nothing”.  The mood of the poem is dark and angry. Walker feels like poor people are treated unfairly which reflect one of the ideas of the poem.  she writes “ In us this is wisdom of how to shares loaves and fishes…” (line 22-23) here, she promotes equal power between gender and class. Next, as I read through the poem, Walker also concerned about social class, she believes that end of war is near, and it’s time for the poor and rich to work together. She writes “ The poor always believe there is room enough for all of us; the very rich never seem to have heard of this…” ( line 17-23) here, she pointed out that the poor know how to share and rich just don’t.  Walker's purpose (theme) for this is that she wants everyone to work together and unity, she believes that unity is the only choices for peace.  She is frustrated because she thinks that time is running out and she wants everyone to "walk together without fear," which mean that everyone have to work together to solve this problem.
Moreover some of the literary element she uses are allusion, repetition, and visual imagery.  She writes “ Loaves and fishes” here, Walker refer to the bible without mention Bibble Mathew. Next walker used repetition “ we” in order to emphasize her ideas and theme as well as the structure of the poem. Also she uses visual imagery to show that if we want peace we have to walk together and can’t be angry at each others. 
link -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Walker#/media/File:Alice_Walker.jpg

Expect nothing. Live frugally 

On surprise. 

become a stranger 

To need of pity 

Or, if compassion be freely 

Given out 

Take only enough 

Stop short of urge to plead 

Then purge away the need. 

Wish for nothing larger 

Than your own small heart 

Or greater than a star; 

Tame wild disappointment 

With caress unmoved and cold 

Make of it a parka 

For your soul. 

Discover the reason why 

So tiny human midget 

Exists at all 

So scared unwise 

But expect nothing. Live frugally 

On surprise.

Literary Analysis - As I read the poem, I realized that the poem is simple and easy to read. The tone and mood of the are neutral and simple. Walker did not use any rhyme and complicated words, instead, she uses words that are pretty straightforward in order to emphasize the title as well as the messages “Expect Nothing. Moreover, my first impression of the title is lack of expectation, as what Walker said in the first stanza  “expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” Here, she explained that life should be simple and easy; we should enjoy every little thing and live our life to the fullest. Furthermore, as I get a deeper analysis, I realized that  Walker promotes a bigger idea which is independence and self- reliant. She believed that people should do their own things instead depend on others. She writes “Step short of urge to plead. Then purge away the need.” (L8-L9 ) I totally agree with Walker and these two lines are my favorite part of the poem. If we can do things on our own, why depends on others?  We should be thankful for what we have instead compared it with others. Life is simple, but sometimes we just make it more complicated. However, Walker also uses some literary elements such as metaphor, personification, and symbolism in order to emphasize the idea of simplicity. First, she uses metaphor to compare the heart as greater than a star in order to show tiny things can be the greatest. Next, she uses personification to compare things in the world which allows readers to have a better understanding. She writes, “wild Disappointment” (L13) and “make of it a Parka for your soul” (L15-16) here, she describes disappointment as wild and she says to uses the disappointment as Parka for your soul. According to Walker, parka means protection, which to protect the soul from suffering. Lastly, Walker also uses symbolism such as “small heart”, which refer to one’s ability and value.
link -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Walker#/media/File:Alice_Walker.jpg

In this poem , it describes some of the emotions that lead him to suicidal thoughts..*not finished

are getting banged up on a stuck nut.

It whirls in the egg whites. Among blacks and whites spread evenly. Inside the chicken

factory, the Falcon 7x, and under the bridge.

There’s death by taxi, by blood clot, by slippery rug.

Death by oops and flood, by drone and gun.

Death with honor derides death without. 

Realpolitik and offshore accounts

are erased like a thumb drive lost in a fire.

And the friendly crow sets out walnuts to pop under tires.

So let’s walk the ruins, let’s walk along the ocean

and listen to death’s undying devotion.

One of the poems I chose is titled “Death Gets into the Suburbs”. Just by reading the title, i got a general sense of the ideas to come. The suburbs are defined as  an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one. Suburbs, to me, symbolize normality, middle class, a close community, and an all around idea of what a typical life is like.

To sum up, the poem is describing death, who it affects, and the inevitability of it. Death is present in every part of our lives. This ranges from close family members to nearby wilting flower. Death itself comes in many forms. The poem expresses this through saying “There’s death by taxi, by blood clot, by slippery rug. Death by oops and flood, by drone and gun.” Death can strike at anytime and it doesn’t discriminate.

I felt that the tone of the poem was very accepting and straightforward. The straightforwardness of the poem was shown in the the description of the different types of death. This propels the idea of death taking on many forms. The last stanza expresses the tone of contentedness. Boisseau invites us to calmly walk alongside her and take in the existence of death. Death is something that can never be prevented. 

I noticed Boisseau’s use of repetition in the stanza that explains the forms of death. The word ‘death’ is said over and over again. I felt she used this to show the prevalence and overbearing presence of death in our everyday lives. Death is also given human movements when she writes 

"It sweats into the tongue and groove of redwood decks with a Tahoe view. It slides under the truck where some knuckles are getting banged up on a stuck nut. It whirls in the egg whites. Among blacks and whites spread evenly." This expresses the swiftness of death and how easily it can reach all of us.

is like counting stars. 

From the arbitrary constellations 

you pick out those the brightest. Then the others,

dimmer and dimmer, till you can't tell if they're real or only reflections 

from your eyes watering with the strain 

The body's memory is a poor thing. Ask the adopted child

who falls asleep against my steady heart,

 to lullabye in any language.

Between my first lover who was thin 

and my second who was and nostalgic, 

my arms remember little. Though, yes, 

there was one who had that sweet smell in his skin 

of a child who still drinks nothing 

but milk. A milk ladled out

by the Big and Little Dippers. If you look up

long enough into the night sky, 

It becomes sure of itself, and you left sure

whether you're lying on the lawn, skirt tucked 

against mosquitoes, a cigarette 

about to burn your fingers, or if you're falling, and the sky

is a net that can't catch you 

since, like everyone else, you are water

nothing can stop. So you lie on your bed, all night staring at the cracks in the plaster 

terrified of falling through. 

The poem I decided to analyze is titled “Counting”. What drew me in was the title of it. It's incredibly simple and leaves a lot of open space for the reader. Open space in the sense that its name doesn't completely give away the ideas included in this poem. 

The poem expresses the author's point of view on the idea of love. As many of us would agree, love is an experience. Those you fall in love with will forever stay with you. This can either be a good or bad thing. You'll remember all of them for all and whatever it is that drew you to them. The poem puts emphasis on expressing the idea that love is confusing. It's not something that is easily forgettable. It leaves us with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Love makes us feel like we're on top of the world and then when we least expect it,we come crashing down.

I felt that the theme of the poem was love and the loss of it. From this I gathered the ideas of confusion and lack of control. Boisseau writes, “The body's memory is a poor thing...and you less sure whether you're lying on the lawn...or if you're falling…” This moment in the poem gave off a feeling of confusion. Confusion about one's own perceptions and their own emotions. The poem states,“...you're falling and the sky is a net that can't catch you since, like everyone else, you are water nothing can stop…” These lines show the helplessness people feel towards the idea of love. “So you lie on your bed, all night staring at the cracks in the plaster,terrified of falling through.” Here, Boisseau further develops the idea of lack of control. She describes the image of someone lying on their bed hoping they won't fall. She shows that they're terrified of the emotions love can bring out in people. 

A few literary elements I picked up on were metaphors, similes, and illusions. Boisseau writes, “...you are water nothing can stop.” This metaphor is used to explain the feeling of hopelessness love create in people. “After a while, remembering the men you loved is like counting stars.” Here, she uses a simile to compare men, or those you loved, to the action of counting stars. The simile works to express the idea that love, and those we fall in love with, will always hold a special place in our thoughts. Boisseau also included an illusion to the Big and Little Dippers. This plays into the presence of stars and constellations. I tied this back to the feeling of lightness we experience when in love. 

What I liked most about this poem was the ending. I felt it did a good job at showing that love isn't always a smooth ride. It's something that can bring out the worst and best in us. 

  said the moon 

and the new day came 

the show must go on said the sun 

life does not stop for anyone 

it drags you by the legs whether you want to move forward or not

       that is the gift 

life will force you to forget how you long for them 

Your skin will shed till there is not 

a single of you left they’ve touched 

Your eyes finally just your eyes

not the eyes which held them

You will make it to the end 

Of what is only the beginning 

      Go on 

Open the door to the rest of it 

Analysis: 

At the beginning when I read the title I felt that the story would be about the limited time we have or just the time we do have. As I went on and read the poem I figured out that  it was really about how no matter what has happened to you or who has hurt you life keeps going in with time if you pick yourself up you will be exposed to new opportunities. There were some literary elements that really stood out like the personification, visual imagery, and symbolism.   When the poet says “rise said the moon “it was her using personification. When the poet said “the show must go on said the sun” it showed symbolism because the new day symbolizes a new beginning which is  basically what the whole poem was about. When the poet said “your skin will shed till there is not a single part of you left they’ve touched” that showed her using visual imagery. The tone of the poem was very uplifting ,empowering and motivational.  You can really notice the positivity in the poem because it’s very uplifting like when the poet said “you will make it to the end of what is only the beginning” or when  the poet said “open the door to the rest of it”.There is a shift in the poem and he makes the poem even more empowering and makes the reader feel strong it is when the poet says “you will make it to the end”.  The ideas I pulled out of this poem were definitely biorhythm ,self control ,and power.  Rupi kaur  used personification symbolism and visual imagery to depict how the bio rhythm of life with self-control can help you have power over your life to open doors to new opportunities. 

BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

- The main theme in this poem is that no matter what happens or what is thrown at Maya Angelou, she will always rise. It's really about self respect and confidence. Here she reveals how she will overcome anything with her self-esteem. She shows how nothing can get her down. Three ideas I saw where slavery, oppression, and history. Which they all tie together there was slavery in history and this poem is like a motivation that no matter what brings you down there is something that will motivate you to push through and rise. It is a reminder of the abuse of power by those who sit in government, the judiciary, in the military and in the police force. For the public, society it sends out a clear message of hope no matter the circumstances, there must always be hope to cling on to. Simile was shown for example in "but still, like dust I'll rise", the imagery was the picture of the rising cloud of dust in the mind.

BY MAYA ANGELOU

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied   

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

  - This poem uses metaphor an juxtaposition to express the idea that freedom is a natural state and knowledge of this fact cannot be undone by any amount of oppression, imprisonment or limitation of opportunity. In the poem, the free bird has power and "names the sky his own" while acting on inborn impulses to fly and float on the sky. The language and imagery surrounding the free bird is soft and also indicative of authority, innate rights and self-ownership. Three ideas were Angelou describes the joy that free bird takes in the soaring through the sky. The describes a bird that has been caged, its feet tied and wings clipped. The caged bird rails against its imprisonment. In spite of its fear, it sings of freedom.

ask what I’m doing or where I am and when the silence

 stretches like a lifetime between us I scramble to find 

questions to keep the conversation going. What I long to 

say most is. I understand this world broke you. It has 

been so hard on your feet I don’t blame you for not 

knowing how to remain soft with me. Sometimes I stay

 up thinking of all the places you’re hurting that you 

Will never care to mention. I come from the same 

aching blood. From the same bone so desperate for 

attention I collapse in on myself. I am your daughter. I 

know the Small talk is the only way you know how to 

tell me you love me. Because it is the only way I know 

how to tell you.

 Analysis: some people show love in different ways and it still might hurt others unintentionally. Communication is key! The literary elements are found in this poem were empathy, symbolism, and hyperbole. The quote that are used as an example for the hyperbole was "stretches like a lifetime” which is over exaggerated. "I understand this world broke you. It has been so hard on your feet I don’t blame you for not knowing how to remain soft with me “ is an example for the empathy the poet uses to really make the reader feel what she is going through. " the small talk is the only way you know how to tell me” is Symbolism and the phone calls are symbolic to their love that they do not physically show to each other. The tone is sad, negative ,and oppressive. The poet uses a shift to kinda change the subject and try to relate to her dad “ I am your daughter.” The ideas I pulled from the poem were desperation, desire, and detachment. Rupi kaur uses empathy, symbolism, and hyperbole to depict how The detachment the author feels creates a desperation for attention from the father that grows into a desire to be connected to her father. 

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

It was many and many a year ago, 

   In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know 

   By the name of Annabel Lee; 

And this maiden she lived with no other thought 

   Than to love and be loved by me. 

I was a child and she was a child, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

But we loved with a love that was more than love— 

   I and my Annabel Lee— 

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven 

   Coveted her and me. 

And this was the reason that, long ago, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling 

   My beautiful Annabel Lee; 

So that her highborn kinsmen came 

   And bore her away from me, 

To shut her up in a sepulchre 

   In this kingdom by the sea. 

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, 

   Went envying her and me— 

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, 

   In this kingdom by the sea) 

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, 

   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. 

But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

   Of those who were older than we— 

   Of many far wiser than we— 

And neither the angels in Heaven above 

   Nor the demons down under the sea 

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side 

   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, 

   In her sepulchre there by the sea— 

   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Littery analysis
Annabel Lee is a dark poem with hypnotic rhyme and song like rhyme. The overall theme of this poem is that true love is able to transcend death. The rhyme scene is ababcb there are in rhyming end words in each stanza. The letter is dum da da dum da da dum da dum . the ideas ate desire romance list innocent death. The poem overall is very Gothic and mystery's. The liary devices are imegry alliteration and repation .

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Romance, who loves to nod and sing, 

With drowsy head and folded wing, 

Among the green leaves as they shake 

Far down within some shadowy lake, 

To me a painted paroquet 

Hath been—a most familiar bird— 

Taught me my alphabet to say— 

To lisp my very earliest word 

While in the wild wood I did lie, 

A child—with a most knowing eye. 

Of late, eternal Condor years 

So shake the very Heaven on high 

With tumult as they thunder by, 

I have no time for idle cares 

Through gazing on the unquiet sky. 

And when an hour with calmer wings 

Its down upon my spirit flings— 

That little time with lyre and rhyme 

To while away—forbidden things! 

My heart would feel to be a crime 

Unless it trembled with the strings. 

With reading the tittle I thought it would be about rommonce or a relationship some sortof love. But once reading I came to realise that he uses a bird to describe love well he gives romance bird like characteristic. At first it is more of a reflection of love as a small like loving bird a pet bird like a perekeet. As it continued is changes to a big scary bord and that's the being of the shift . the oberal theme is that reality is not an innocent world filled with lovelennes it a harsh world. The shyme scheme and stricter is next and the structure is AABB the poem uses aiambic and tetrametter . and stressed syllables and the use of only musculin hyme and one case of internal rhyme. some litery elements are onomatopea symbolism alitteration. And the ideas are isolation romance cruelty and reality

Nicole Biles

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Nicole Biles

Literary Analysis-
When You Thought Me Poor is a free verse style poem, there is no rhyme nor structure. There are six stanzas. Each stanza shows a different stage of the overall story, each line is short so walker can get in her points. The tone of the poem change throughout each stanza, however, the overall tone is challenging and rebellious through to the racist society. She writes “my poverty was shaming. When blackness was unwelcome.” Here, Walker shows racism by use words such as “shaming” “ blackness” to emphasize their social status. Next, Walker use diction and details to show unequal in the society.  Walker’s choice of words “the miracle of fierce dreaming” (line 6-7 ) to provide readers a better understanding of the society that people only see what it want to see. Furthermore, she also points out how rich is expected to be rich, and the poor are supposed to be poor. she writes “inconspicuously wealthy, like your rich friends. Here “rich friends” refer to are the social majority which is unequal compared to the narrator. They are known as poor in the society because the society has predetermined who they are. Continually Walker begins to criticise the society by using rhetorical question to emphasize her point. She writes “ Blackness, who knows how?” (Line 19-20) here, she explains how people have to work so hard compared to other in order to gain their status in the society.
  The end of the stanza, Walker introduces a new theme- Fate. The narrator begins to wonder what is their plan for their new freedom. She writes “abject failure, in any case? Now that moonlight and night…”  she uses imagery to illustrate the shift after they gain protection through social equality.
Overall, Walker's main purpose is  to show how the society mistreated the black people and their disadvantage, and to fight for their right and equality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Walker#/media/File:Alice_Walker.jpg

We alone can devalue gold 
by not caring 
if it falls or rises 
in the marketplace. 
Wherever there is gold 
there is a chain, you know, 
and if your chain 
is gold 
so much the worse 
for you.

Feathers, shells 
and sea-shaped stones 
are all as rare.

This could be our revolution:
to love what is plentiful
as much as
what's scarce.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Walker#/media/File:Alice_Walker.jpg


Literary Analysis- 
When I first read the title of the poem, I thought the poem is focus on isolation and restriction, but as I further analyze the poem, I came to a conclusion that “We Alone” is  focus more on value and materialistic. It’s about how human put values on objects. Walker explains that people should love their family, friends instead of diamonds and gold. The main purpose of this poem is to emphasize the importance of love and the true value of life. Walker begins We Alone with a powerful statement to grabs the reader's attention and to emphasize her message to the society. Similar to her other poems, she didn’t use a lot of complicated words, instead her diction is much simpler compare to other poets. However Walker uses literary elements throughout the poem, first, she uses symbolism. Inline 5-6, she writes “wherever there is gold, there is a chain, you know” Here the chain symbolizes gold, which people don't realize the true value of it. Furthermore Alice also use irony when she writes about gold because gold is supposed to be something good, something has such high value; however, Alice describes gold as something bad, something that holds people down because of its value. Furthermore walker uses alliteration to emphasize the theme and to develop the tone of the poem. She writes “Feathers, shells, and sea-shaped stones, are all as rare” Line 12-13. The tone of the poem is hopeful and optimistic, because she hope that people will change their view on true value. 
    We Alone is one of my favorite poem, I totally agree with Alice Walker. People should appreciate everything they have and be thankful. But in today’s society, people are more materialistic, they are more into expensive objects instead of their family and friends. 

As we boarded the bus

bags on both sides

(I had never packed

two bags before

on a vacation

lasting forever)

the Seattle Times

photographer said

Smile!

so obediently I smiled

and the caption the next day

read:

Note smiling faces

a lesson to Tokyo.

Why should I volunteer?

I'm an American

I have a right to be

drafted.

floating with me inside. My sister's voice 

has sudden silver Contours through the phone, 

cranks, slopes, a stream that seems to be 

clattering over gravel. Not yet, the bubble says 

because it's disposition is to tease-

 iridescent, surface tension, aloft. 

This one will make the fence and keep on going. 

And then this moment, which moments from now 

will seem so strangely smooth, breaks into pieces

 

like a windshield, Square tears of safety glass 

raining down, a puddle of block type to set 

the newspapers of the dead. No more passage. 

His young doctor was wrong. There wasn't time 

enough to see my father again. 

Commentary:
One of the poems I chose is titled Bad News by Michelle Boisseau. From reading the title, I felt that the poem would have to do with ideas of negativity, darkness, and harsh realities. 

To sum up, the poem describes the experience of dealing with the death of a loved one. Particularly, the emotions someone feels when they are just told the ‘bad news’.

I noticed that she made use of literary elements like metaphors and personification. The bubble is an extended metaphor or conceit. It’s being compared to the feelings of despair when someone is given devastating news. The bubble is also personified when  the author writes “Not yet, the bubble says…”

I felt that the tone of the poem was very dark. It gave off feelings of uncertainty, distress, and submissiveness. The voice of the poem was very straightforward, serious, and passionate. The poet made an effort to express the  feelings of distress people feel when faced with difficult situations. The feeling of submissiveness and uncertainty came from  the lack of action taken by the speaker. They made no effort to avoid the despair caused by death. The poem didn't dance around the emotions caused by the loss of a loved one. It detailed some of the feelings felt by those who have had to deal with some ‘bad news’.

I noticed an abrupt shift in the second stanza. The first stanza focused on what was happening in the moment and the second stanza shifted to the emotions being  brought up because of the situation. I felt that this shift could symbolize the sudden and quick change of emotions that a  distressing situation can cause.

From the poem, I gathered the ideas of grief, death, and lack of control. Grief is shown throughout the whole experience that the speaker is facing. They have to deal with the rush of emotions after being told about  the passing of a loved one. Lack of control is shown when Boisseau writes “And I'm caught in the bubble now…” This line expresses the feeling of being trapped and surrounded by despair. 

You can really tell Wilde admired his sister’s beauty in the second stanza and feels destroyed of what has become of her. Her once “bright golden hair “ is now “tarnished with rust” and while she was “young and fair” she has now “fallen to dust”.This is very raw of Oscar Wilde to do, he is acknowledging the ugly truth of what has become of his sister. 

  The third stanza for me really speaks to me on how young and innocent his sister was, he compares her to snow which implies her purity and then he goes on to say “she hardly knew she was a woman, so sweetly she grew” that right there lets you know that her death was before her time. Which provokes more sorrow in anyone who has lost a person they love, especially if it was before their time .
Another very important aspect, Oscar Wilde implies is The effect it has on those left to mourn the death of a loved one. This shift is notable in the finale two stanzas, He no longer describes his admiration of his sister, instead he goes on to say what is left of the situation. Oscar wilde may “lie on her breast”  but he knows he vexes his heart alone. My understanding of this stanza is that he is acknowledging his sister is gone and isn't coming back. Oscar Wilde also acknowledges that there is nothing he can do, when he finishes the poem with “ all my life's buried here, Heap earth upon it.”. This poem is great poem that provokes many feeling of sadness and lost potential, Oscar Wilde was able to show how death can affect the person who has lost their life and also how it affects the people left to mourn them which is rarely done. 

The Poem begins by taking us back to the day they tied the knot “sit closer love: it was here i Trow / I made that vow. “  Assuming this is a conversation with her husband she’s trying to bring back the moment they made a life changing decision,these were the happy times, the times when things seemed promising. 

The second stanza, shows that the couple thought their love would last forever , “As long as the sea-gull loved the sea, As long as the sunflower sought the sun,” this simile makes their love for eachother seem unbreakable, never ending. However I noticed a shift, when the speaker says, “Dear friend, those times are over and done, Love's web is spun.” Her referring to her husband, as a “dear friend”  shows thats while those feeling may be long gone, she still has a sense of respect of what was of their relationship.

 I also got a sense of  the speaker wishing the best for what the future holds for her husband,  instead of hoping he lives a miserable life, she keeps him optimistic by saying “look upward where the white gull screams,/What does it see that we do not see?” I get the sense that the speaker wants her husband to do some exploring in hopes of finding his true self . This being an Oscar wilde poem , I can only assume self discovery and authenticity, has something to do with why their relationship didn't work out. 

The last two stanzas really speak to me the, speaker shows that although they may not be the right one for each there’s someone out there that will love you for you . The speaker acknowledges that they have done everything they can to try and make things work, But sometimes what's best is letting go. 

The last two couplets are my favorite, “I have my beauty,--you your Art,/ Nay, do not start,/ One world was not enough for two/ Like me and you. “ It ties everything so beautifully, it shows how love is bittersweet and it also reassures that these two will be just fine on their own.

I dance on all the mountains
On five mountains I have a  dancing place
When they shoot at me I run
To my five mountains

Missed a last shot
At the buck, in twilight
So we came back sliding
On dry needles through cold pines.
Scared out a cottontail
Whipped up the Winchester
Shot off its head.
The white body roles and twitches
In the dark ravine
As we run down the hill to the car.

Deer foot down scree
Picasso's fawn, Issa's fawn,
Deer on the autumn mountain
Howling like a wise man
Stiff springy jumps down the snowfields
Heads held back, forefeet out,
Balls tight in a tough hair sack
Keeping the human soul from care
On the autumn mountain
Standing in the late sun, ear flick
Tail flick, gold mist of flies
Whirling from nostril to eyes

Home by night
Drunken eye
Still picks out Taurus
Low, and growling high:
four point buck
Dancing in the headlights
on the lonely road
A mile past the mill-pond,
With the car stopped, shot
That wild silly blinded creature down.

Pull out the hot guts with hard bare hands
while night-frost chills the tongue and eye 
The cold horn bones.
The hunter's belt
just below the sky
Warm blood in the car trunk.
Deer smell,
the limp tongue.

Deer don't want to die for me.
I'll drink sea water
Sleep on beach pebbles in the rain
Until the deer come down to die
in pity for my pain.

...................................................

Even though I may be a very "set in stone" kind of person, I enjoy seeing things from the opposite perspective. Doing this allows for an expanded point of view and for conversations that further both individual's mindset. Being an avid hunter and outdoorsman, reading and studying this poem definitely intrigues me and makes me think. The main aspect of the poem that jumps out at me is Snyder's use of explicit and graphic imagery. From experience, everything noted is accurate and the details are precise. It's clear that Snyder has seen firsthand what he describes and uses these points to further his argument. Snyder is an avid environmental activist and humanitarian with a in-depth knowledge of the natural world. It's clear that he writes this poem in order to show how human's actions affect wildlife and ultimately leave a negative impact on the world around us. This is evident through his shift from both the deer's point of view to the hunter's point of view. This allows for the reader to both identify with the hunter's excitement, as well as the deer's suffering.The deer is portrayed almost as another human through the use of personification in the first stanza, which is, I'm sure, Snyder's way of having the reader connect with it on a personal level and intensify the feelings felt toward the hunter. Another interesting shift is that present in the final stanza. Snyder begins to use the first person point of view for himself, describing the actions, be them not literal, he would do himself. Overall, I greatly enjoyed breaking this poem down and seeing its heavy undertones of human interaction with nature and the negative effects it has. His uses of imagery and personification are evident in many of his poems and he uses them masterfully in order convey his ideas and most certainly should be studied by students to further their descriptive writing skills and help them build thought provoking arguments that can stand up to another's criticism.

Wherefore my cheeks before their time are wan,
For very weeping is my gladness fled,
Sorrow has paled my young mouth's vermilion,
And Ruin draws the curtains of my bed.

But all this crowded life has been to thee
No more than lyre, or lute, or subtle spell
Of viols, or the music of the sea
That sleeps, a mimic echo, in the shell.
.................
...............................................
“My Voice”, which is the 59th sonnet included in Oscar Wilde’s collection titled Poems, can be seen as continuation of “Her Voice” (which i wrote my last padlet post on). While Her Voice comes from the woman’s point of view, “my voice” is from the other side of the conversation, the husband. 

The poem begins by recapturing the essences of their relationship and the passion for one another that seemed to be mutual. The first two lines , “WITHIN this restless, hurried, modern world/ We took our hearts’ full pleasure—You and I,” i got a sense of their being a lot of chaos, or odds against this couple, however this is from the year 1881, and the modern world Oscar Wilde writes about isn't all that modern. Despite my opinion, I do get a sense of the love that he writes about, what stuck out to me is the separation of “you and I” from the rest of the line, It adds emphasis to the emotions the writer felt about their relationship. I almost want to compare it to a bonnie and clyde relationship where it's just the two of them against the world.

Though the stanza starts about the love and passion these two had for each other, there is a quick and sudden shift, the writer is now talking about how things are over and the journey is no longer a quest for adventure. The last two lines of the stanza read, “And now the white sails of our ship are furled,/ And spent the lading of our argosy. The writer uses the ship as a symbol or representation of their relationSHIP. In context the writer says that the ship is back on land, no longer in use, similar to the feelings his partner has lost for him .

The second stanza which uses lots of diction, creates an image what effects are emplaced on the writer. His happiness is gone and the reason to live is no longer, he looks ill and almost lifeless.. His sadness or his broken heart has taken a toll on his physical appearance. I feel as though the writer had a harder time than the person he is addressing.My understanding is confirmed in the third stanza which says that the wife or girlfriend will only see this as a “subtle spell/Of viols, or the music of the sea/That sleeps, a mimic echo, in the shell.”. The writer is clearly shattered by the fate of the relationship, he saw more and probably wanted more but his partner is unaffected, to her this is all just a moment is the chaotic life they live. 

This being a continuation of “Her Voice” really makes me happy, it shows something that we rarely see from men: emotion. This is one of the instances where the women is the strong one, who is able to overcome, while the man is left broken and incapable of moving on.  #isOscarWildeafeminist?

 I am the darker brother.

 They send me to eat in the kitchen

 When company comes,

 But I laugh,

 And eat well,

 And grow strong.

 Tomorrow,

 I’ll be at the table

 When company comes.

 Nobody’ll dare

 Say to me,

 “Eat in the kitchen,”

 Then.

 Besides,

 They’ll see how beautiful I am

 And be ashamed—

 In the poem I , Too by Langston Hughes it shows meter , tone , and symbolism. Throughout the poem it uses ''I ' repeatedly in which i though was repetition. The first line of the second stanza states "I am the darker brother" which means he may be African American, but he is still an American. The following five meters state "They send me to eat in the kitchen. When company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong". The use of "I'' again is showing that African Americans do not worry about what is being done, but how they are growing stronger as segregation continues, knowing soon they will be equal. So this is related to freedom in a way?..

I've got the children to tend 
The clothes to mend 
The floor to mop 
The food to shop 
Then the chicken to fry 
The baby to dry 
I got company to feed 
The garden to weed 
I've got shirts to press 
The tots to dress 
The can to be cut 
I gotta clean up this hut 
Then see about the sick 
And the cotton to pick. 

Shine on me, sunshine 
Rain on me, rain 
Fall softly, dewdrops 
And cool my brow again. 

Storm, blow me from here 
With your fiercest wind 
Let me float across the sky 
'Til I can rest again. 

Fall gently, snowflakes 
Cover me with white 
Cold icy kisses and 
Let me rest tonight. 

Sun, rain, curving sky 
Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone 
Star shine, moon glow 
You're all that I can call my own.
-The rhyme scheme throughout ‘Woman Work’ is not constant. The first stanza consists of seven pairs of rhymed lines in the pattern AABB and so on. Since these lines are short and quick in nature, they create an impression of breathlessness in the reader’s mind, as if the woman has no time to pause between her various household chores if she is to complete them within the required space of a single day. The next more stanzas are written in free verse, and create a more calming effect.The primary concept of “Woman Work” is the idea of that the social and cultural responsibilities of being a woman might have to be balanced with the construction of space that could be a “room of one’s own.” The Woolf reference is quite deliberate as she sought to create a “space” where women could construct and live in a realm that was separate and distinct from male patriarchal society.

that comes to so little. As you might over apples 

Shaded out by maples, or over the failure 

of a brother who had such promise. 

The rest of the farm was long ago to subdivided, 

but few living there know the orchid. In spring 

the boughs hang like thousands of shredded shirts 

left on a line through winter. In fall

 

there's hardly a bushel of apples to pick 

Where wisteria blooms across barbed wire, 

the grounds begin. you've got to remember: gargoyles 

and gardens clipped into clubs and hearts, 

in architecture for people who think madness 

a Rosetti romance. I was cutting through 

when I ran across them. They're neat as Arlington graves- 

you'd have noticed once- 

but only numbers up to twenty. Then down the rows 

the numbers start over. The woman who took a razor 

to her clothes after the Millfied mine 

collapsed like a rotten floor, her husband inside, 

could be mistaken for the soupy-eyed son 

of Ruthie McAllister, raped by her uncle, or confused 

with any number of those brought in from seven countries. 

There's no use pitying  those under unmarked stones-

 the retarded were rarely named anyway and the insane died 

Into other selves. And why blame the families? 

who would want to drive all the way from Gallipolis 

or Letart Falls to see the brother 

who couldn't know you? The dying farm’s enough worry. 

The final poem I chose was titled “Mental Hospital Graveyard”. Just by reading the title, I felt that the poem was going to include ideas of mental issues, death, sickness, health, mistreatment, and society. Particularly, how all of this relates back to mental illnesses.

Some literary elements I picked up on were similes and metaphors. As is stated in the text, “In spring the boughs hang like thousands of shredded shirts left on a line through winter.” This simile works to set the tone of the poem and to provide a description of the farm. The tone comes off as dark, depressing, and reflective. Its focus on ideas of abandonment which give off a very melancholy feeling. The poem states that, “You might become sentimental over that starry atmosphere that comes to so little. As you might over apples shaded out by maples, or over the failure of a brother who had such promise.” This metaphor expresses the emotions of those who have loved ones who are suffering from mental illnesses. It compares apples being shaded out by maples to the failure of a brother. The metaphor gives off the feeling of ‘what could have been’. It develops ideas of regret and hope. I felt that the emotions being expressed in the poem also mirror society's perception on mental illnesses. Society tends to cast a shadow on issues like this. I think the last stanza does a good job at  detailing these  ideas. The author encourages/ forces the audience to question their own  thoughts on mental illness. She closes up with ideas of abandonment and importance. 

I chose this poem mainly because of the title. Mental health is a controversial topic that I find to be very interesting. The use of the word ‘graveyard’ only worked to further grab my interest. This brought up ideas of death, particularly death in / from mental hospitals. This conclusion led me to think about mistreatment in mental hospitals and by those who simply don’t understand the struggles mentally ill people go through.

Big barges full of yellow hay
Are moored against the shadowy wharf,
And, like a yellow silken scarf,
The thick fog hangs along the quay.

The yellow leaves begin to fade
And flutter from the Temple elms,
And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.

.........................
This poem awakens the inner hipster in me, that drinks caramel lattes and takes pictures of flowers for instagram. Oscar Wilde’s mission with “Symphony In Yellow” is to show visual imagery in the beauty nature, and the world has to offer. This poem creates a painting of what Oscar Wilde views instead of showing action, he describes the world around him.

In the first stanza the poet describes a bus that “crawls” like a yellow butterfly . The use of “crawls” in this simile, gives the poem a very calm and soothing tone. It almost slows down the fast moving world around us. The bus isn't going at a fast pace instead the bus is crawling gently like a butterfly . In this case a yellow butterfly, yellow is one of those colors that ignites many feelings and ideas. When i think of the color yellow I can't help but to think of the warm sun and beautiful sunflowers that spring brings. All very happy connotations that I associate with yellow.  

The second stanza carries the same feeling evoked by the color yellow. “Big barges full of yellow hay / Are moored against the shadowy wharf” once again Wilde uses action words such as “moored” to show the simplicity and natural state of the water the hay is crossing. Further Along Wilde evokes feeling of security, and protection when he says “like a yellow silken scarf,/The thick fog hangs along the quay.” This fog is not the fog we’re used to, this fog is not used to describe something negative, instead Wilde compares it to a yellow silken scarf . The use of the words “silken” and “hangs” continues to enrich the description of the scenery. 

The third and final stanza brings us to the exact place the writer is standing. It bring everything together, we finally realize the writer is standing in front of the Thames River, which he describes as “a pale green” who “lies like a rod of rippled jade”. The final stanza shows the big picture compared to the tiny details we saw in the first, two stanzas. 

Oscar Wilde’s subjectivity of detail allows for a journey of bright yellow and fresh air, the larger picture however is refreshing and ignites creativity in the reader. Or atleast me . 

big enough for a weekend getaway 

I am the town surrounding it 

the one you’ve never heard of 

but always pass through

for I make bridges tremble 

I am not street meat I am homemade jam 

thick enough to cut the sweetest 

thing your lips will touch 

I am not police sirens 

I am the crackle of a fireplace 

I’d burn you and you still

 couldn’t take your eyes off me 

cause I’d look so beautiful doing it 

you’d blush 

I am not a hotel room I am home 

I am not the whiskey you want 

I am the water you need 

don’t come here with expectations 

and try to makes vacation out of me 

         ANALYSIS 

This poem is meant to empower and to show self-worth. This poet constantly defends how she isn’t just anyone to emphasize her value over herself. She isn’t just going around with everyone she has morals and is the real deal. the literary elements I found in this poem were conceit, metaphor, and diction. Pieces like “I am not street meat I am homemade jam” show how there are metaphors. “Did you think I was a city” is one of the many quotes I could’ve used as the use of the city is an extended metaphor or conceit in the poem. “I am the water you need don’t come here with expectations and try to make a vacation out of me” shows her diction. I found the tone of this poem over all being very empowering and uplifting. “I am the water you need” is very uplifting as many people don’t have that power to say that. “I’d burn you and you still couldn’t take your eyes off me” shows her empowering words and how she gives off that feeling of empowerment. “I’d look so beautiful doing it you’d blush” she is so assertive giving that positive energy to her readers to make sure they feel that way after they read her poem. The shift in this poem was from I am not to I am. “ I am not the whiskey you want I am the water you need. The ideas I found were self-worth, power, identity,and  importance. Through the use of diction,conceit, and metaphor rupi kaur in this poem depicts how knowing the importance of your self-worth gives you power in knowing your identity.