Semester+2

1. //Problems with the Dictionary// by Luke Johnson (Each stanza contains 2 lines - every stanza are cut at different parts, and sometimes it is hard to follow the contents/meaning of the poem from the way the stanzas are separated; Interesting title and interesting start of the poem with a questioning voice initially attract the readers' attentions; Throughout the rest of the poem,the speaker utilizes mainly gives examples for three words: impossible, improbable, miracle and the sentences convey humor)

2.//The Existence of the World Is a Controversy// by John Estes (Written in familar voice using daily language and describes the momements in daily lives during when the speaker contemplates about life; Structurally, the use of capital letters for SIGNIFICANT LIFE initially captures the readers' attentions and hence effectively reveals the major theme of the poem)

3. //The Sound of It, Spring// by Elizabeth Gramm (A prose-like poem; Use figurative language - metaphor, simile - in comparisons add to descriptions; The speaker casts doubts and questions various things that happen in life and ends the poem in a commanding voice; The poem as a whole sounds like a soliloquy)

4. //Grief// by Elizabeth Barrett Browining (Very strong language and masculine imagery employed througout the poem - manliness can overcome grief? The speaker talks about grief as something that appear to be frightening and fearsome, but then portray someone whose dealing with the grief with even more power - standing like a 'monumental statue set' and watching grief 'itself crumble to the dust'; The masculinity emphasized in the poem conveys that a person should not feel any grievances)

5. //How Do I Love Thee?// by Elizabeth Barrett Browining (The speaker expresses love in various ways - first describes the depth, breadth, height of the love hence revealing the how great her love is, then the speaker uses various figurative language in describing her love - the comparisons effectivly convey the deep love the speaker wishes to convey; At the end of the poem, the speaker even mentions God - an absolute figure - in discussing her love, and that her love will be continued even after death - defying nature?)

6. //New Dress// by Anya Silver (The speaker personifies the dress and talks to the dress as if talking to a lover; The speaker treats the dress as a cloth, as a friend, and as a lover; The poem sounds like a secret confession of the speaker; Each stanza contains 2 lines - repetitive structures look organized, and the separations of sentences in each stanza flow smoothly)

7. //As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed// by Jack Prelutsky (Intresting title attracts the readers; Very simple organization - 2 stanzas each with 6 lines - the first stanza about Fred's behavior in the morning and the second stanza about his behavior at night; The structure makes the poem appear very organized and easy to follow + rhyme schemes AA BB CC is repeated, and a dialogue of the mother... Overall, humorous content and simple organization is notable)

8. //Thank you Ambrose// by Ivan Donn Carswell (Notable organization - 6 stanzas each containing 1 sentence, except for the last stanza which has another concluding sentence; Every stanza starts with "Thank you Ambrose", and the following lines are like the speaker's confessions of gratitude to Ambrose; The speaker starts expressing appreciation for something rather small - leavning the kitcehn door open, but puts a greater significance to it and as the poem progresses, the things that the speaker thanks for becomes bigger and more important)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">9. //O Captain! My Captain!// by Walt Whitman <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Poem divided into 3 stanzas, but all seem to follow a certain format; The first two stanzas start with calling for the captain but at the end of each stanza, the speaker acknowledges that the captain is dead; In the last stanza, the spekaer acknowledges the death of the captain from the beginning of the stanza, however, the speaker does not grieve or mourn openly; Instead, the speaker commemorates the captain with the great deeds that he committed)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">10. //No Doctor's Today, Thank You// by Ogden Nash <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(In the beginning of the poem, the spekaer describes his feelings using figurative langauge and comparing his emotions to various other things - using simile and metaphor; The repetition of 'euphorian' stresses the message the speaker wishes to convey about his state of mind this day; Interesting rhyme scheme near the end of the poem - 'flotsam/gotsam/jetsam/getsam' and 'Wurlitzer/Berlitzer' - renders a sense of humor)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">11. //Once in a While I Gave Up// by Sharon Olds <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The first line of the poem is its title - seems like storytelling; Npted use of figurative language throughout - metaphor is used quite often for more vivid comparison; Many 'c', 'k' strong sounds in describing opulent motions, and smooth sounds 'l' in describing joyful, calming moments)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">12. //To Wait// by Tedd Boss <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Structurally very unusual poem - more than 10 stanzas each containing 2 lines but each line only consists of at most 3 words - the poem is vertically stretched; Attention-grabbing strucutre, and the sentences are broken in the middle; Discusses a wide variety of topics; Rhyme scheme observed but there doesn't really seem to be a pattern; In many ways, a very untypical form of poetry)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">13. //Room// by David Biespiel <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Neat structure, 5 stanzas each containing 4 lines and occasional rhyme schemes present. Consistent use of enumerations - father, mother, child; the wall, the window, the door; the lips and eyes and skin. Repetition of similar concepts and the 'in's at the last line - 'the tremor of life flew in and in and in' strengthens the message.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">14. //A Lyric Day// by Robert William Service <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Generally very gay and joyful mood conveyed; Noted use of words and phrases that convey a very optimistic view of the world - world 'ripe with radiance and cheer/rich with gratitude and praise.' ABAB rhyme scheme conveys rhythm. The question marks - rhetorical question - followed by a strong answer conveys the poet's main theme of living to enjoy life, and the mentions relating to divinity adds to the joy that the poet experiences in the day full of music and lyrics.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">15. //Phoenix Lyrics// by Delmore Schwartz <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Interesting poem told from the perspective of a phoenix. The first part of the poem is full of oxymoron - nature=life=death, winter=spring, confusion=variety, experience=conclusion... These strange connections reveal that the speaker does not view the world as normal people do. In the second part, the mentions of time periods - hundred years, century - that are too long for a human being to survive suggests another abnormal perspective. The third part has notable use of visual/auditory/sensory imagery - light looks cold, we hear the first drums of autumn.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">16. //Our House// by Sarah Gorham <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very unusual structure, 10 stanzas in total - the first 9 stanzas each contain 2 lines and the second lines are indented, and the last line only has one sentence. Interesting comparison of the motehr and four children - descriptions using figurative language; mother compared to waterfall, pewter eye, moth... The untypical organization creates different rhythms when reading the poem.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">17. //Parole// by Alan Brownjohn <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Slighlty prose-like - longer sentences. The poem discusses an intersting topic - people who were just died (lately dead), that they still do exist beside us as they wish to stay with us for a longer period of time as they feel that we require their presence. However, the poet's choice to narrate the poem not in the perspective of the dead but from our perspective, referring to the dead using 'they' adds a sense of alienation from the world and indicate that they do not serve any role in this world any more. The longer sentences in the first two stanzas convey the unwillingness of the deads to leave the world, and our lingering attention towards them, but the short sentence in the last stanza reveals the quickness of forgetting them.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">18. //Within Shouting Distance of the Coosa// by R. T. Smith <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very long 1 stanza poem. Each sentence is very long - the first sentence continues with junctions 'where', 'and', 'when'... Noted personalization of natural elements - cicadas are complaining, wind was scatteringpollen. The descriptions convey the child's ingenuity, as the speaker is recalling his past. Descriptions of bee sounds alluding to holiness and directly referring to them as 'serenade' reveal that the speaker was affected by the nature a lot when he was young. Throughout the poem, the use of vocabulary plays a huge role in creating child-like perception of the world, as the speaker recalls his past experience during childhood years.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">19. //Gone// by Henrik Ibsen <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The first three letters THE are capitalized - catch attention. ABAB rhyme scheme cretes rhythm. Repetition of negative words - last, late, dark - convey the sadness the guest's departure has broguth. Enumeration of the places in the household - house, garden, street - lying tenfold gloomy adds to the sadness. At the last stanza, the '--'s convey that the speaker misses the guest's presence, and the following line, simply stating that 'she is gone' conveys that the speaker is trying to confront the reality which he avoids to acknolwedge.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">20. //With a Water Lily// by Henrik Ibsen <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(As with the other poems by Ibsen, the first word is always capitalized - SEE. This poem also has a very organized 4 line, 4 stanza structure and ABAB rhyme scheme which creates the rhythm. The last two stanzas have the same last words at the end of each line, adding to the rhythm.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">21. //Baby Charley.// by Sidney Lanier <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very rhythmic/lyrical poem. Every stanza ends with 'Baby Charley', and the first three stanzas excluding the 'Baby Charley' line all rhyme - creates rhytim, and flow of the poem. The poem mostly contains inverted sentences rather than natural-flow sentences - emphasizing the lyrical aspect of the poem.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">22. //What do animals dream?// by Yahia Lababidi <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Entire poem full of questions - each stanza contain one question on animals. The speaker questions whether animals live the same way as we do - dream about past lives/highly unusual events or actions that they do not dare carry out in their actual lives; daily activities of acquiring materials and foods; regret past events... The enumerations of questions appear to indicate the speaker's curiousity about animals, but these enumerations serve to convey the speaker's perceptions on human lives - the repeating cycles of dream, regrets, actions... The last sentence of the poem - 'Or is it merely a small dying a little taste of nothingness that gathers in their mouths?' convey how some people lead a meaningless lifem, in vain, and live for nothing.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">23. //Touched by An Angel// by Maya Angelou <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(3 stanza poem, simple use of language, direct message - clearly convey theme: importance of love to the readers. The poem uses first person voice "We" to make the readers empathize with the contents of the poem. Personification of "love" adds to the powerful extent to which it influences peeple. Contrasting qualities of love -> while people are initially afriad of what love brings, eventually, love is the one thing that everyone needs, and is the only one that sets us free.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">24. //Élan Vital// by Denise Banker <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Enumerations of animals - their different actions convey change in the time; the entire poem is in one sentence, in one stanza - only 2 end-stopped lines serve as points for pauses; the continuing sentences make the readers focus on the flow of the poem and hence keep the reader's attention on the story that the poem is telling)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">25. //Baby Face// by Carl Sandburg <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Capitalized WHITE MOON initially grabs readers attention, and suggest that the 'white moon' is soemthing significant in this poem - appears throughout the poem to suggest the theme. Focuses on the shining and glowing aspects of the white moon, on the baby face - whtie moon is used to let the baby shine, motif of sacrifice.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">26. //First Day of Spring// by Matsuo Basho <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very short poem only composed of one sentence divided into three lines. Initially, it doesn't look like a poem, but the syllables have a rhythmic pattern. A very simple statement-like poem, but a message regarding reminiscence is clearly conveyed.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">27. //Lost Time// by Rabindranath Tagor <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Direct, simple, unconvoluted first-person narration; easy to understand. Sounds like a confession to God. The change from seeds to sprouts, buds, blossoms, and finally to flowers and fruits are similar to processes in our life - we start of as a baby, but we grow even when we forget the time is passing. The realization of the speaker at the end - In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers - reveal the natural passage of time that takes place regardless of our attention. The ends of the lines convey a rhythmic pattern.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">28. //Seven Women// by Vasiliki Katsarou <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The title is seven women, but the poem separated into 5 stanzas - ironic? Each stanza is composed of one sentence separated into 4 lines, and there is no punctuation to separate the stanzas, but only the i. ii. iii. iv. v. titles are used to distinguish them. The poem appears like a simple, short commentary of what the speaker sees women passing when he is sitting on a bench on a street.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">29. //Interpreting the Films// by Heidy Steidlmayer <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The entire popem is in one sentence, each line distingusihed by a comma. The poem is 17 lines long in total,hence when reading the poem, it doesn't really give a time for the reader to stop/breathe and really think about the contents of the poem. The poem narrates what is happening in enumeration, and progresses in the setting - kitchen to groceries, etc. and actions. Use of first person voice in the narration adds reality to the poem and makes the poem appear like a diary of one.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">30. //Elderly Craftsman at his Bench// by Thomas Kinsella <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The atmosphere created with the pace/rhythmof the poem and dictions - calm, soft - convey the calmness of the setting. The sentences are not very lengthy, thus allow the readers to stop at the end of each line and take a breath -> creates a rhythm. The speaker's interpretation of what he sees/imagines reflect not only his original thoughts, but his suggestions towards others about a recommended behavior when we sometimes recall out past failtures, unsuccessful attempts.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">31. //Bury Your Face in Your Hands// by Mark Strand <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Written in a prose format - seems like one short paragraph rather than a poem. The first person voice narration sounds like telling the readers a moral. Throughout the poem, while the contents seem to be just telling about important life lessons, vivid visual imagery also appears and change in the setting takes place. 'cross the river', 'wind', 'cold', 'haze'... the diction conveys the harshness of the reality and society, and the difficulty with which people would find in living this world. The title, which first approach the readers, seem to convey a helpful tip in dealing with the harsh world.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">32. //Early learning// by Richard Meier <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Contents are very appealing - applicable to the everyday lives of children and mother. The separation of four stanzas clearly mark the different events taking place; proceeding from the caring and attention the younger kid is receiving, the older kid wanting the mother's attention and so on. The poem generally narrates a story from a third person perspective inside their lives, with the use of daily languages that evoke a vivid image of children playing with mother.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">33. //Spring Song// by Robert Louis Stevenson <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The combination of several imagery in describing the scene allows more vivid visualization. The poem begins with the description of the atmosphere as to be full of 'sun and birds' conveying the brightness and happiness that fills the scene, and in the following line, personifies the air. The brightness conveyed by the different image appearing in the poem 'birds', 'sun', 'spring', 'love' all correspond to the title of the song - 'spring song', which conveys a melody/tune sung by joyful/happy people in a bright atmosphere on a spring day.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">34. //The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls// by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(ABAB rhyme creates a rhythm. Darkness conveyed through several expressions: twilight 'darkens', sea-sands damp and 'brown', 'darkness' settles on roofs and walls. Detailed descriptions allow the vivid visualization of the scene. The transition from darkness to brightness is conveyed through the change in the atmosphere - while the rising and falling of the tide is kept consistent, the scenery changes -from darkness to the breaks of the morning, and sounds also contribute to creating the mood.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">35. //Red Balloon Rising// by Laurel Blossom <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very rhythmical poem divided into 8 stanzas. The red balloon seems to be a metaphor for a fading wish/dream which someone wants to hold onto, but cannot do so since the dream is out of reach. The use of first person voice makes it sound like a daily activity, thus making the subject feel more closer and familiar - failure is always nearby, and we always have to try to prevent it from occurring so easily.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">36. //Taos// by Jillena Rose <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very unusual subject of a poem - bones. The poem starts with directly stating the reason the speaker focused on the bones, rather than flowers. Continued reference to bones of animals, and comparison of bones within the speaker and those of animals allude to the similarity between humanity and all the animals. Significant since people often distinguish them from animals even though the general framework and structure is largely similar, and all life starts from that structure.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">37. //The Poor// by Roberto Sosa <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Short lines make the readers pause several times and thus create rhythm. Good mix of direct language and figurative language throughout the poem. The second stanza simply reveals the poors' wishes of being richer and living in good conditions, and the following stanzas describe their current lifestyle in metaphorical ways. The repetiion of 'unable to forget' the poor at the end of the poem reveals that the speaker wishes to emphasize that the poors are also part of our world, our lives.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">38. //Wells// by Samuel Amadon <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Lengthy poem, with significant use of the sign & to represent "and". The entire poem is in a one sentence and each line ends with end-stopped line, adding signifiance to the starting word of each sentence. In the poem, several major places and themes appear repeatedly as the poem describes an event in a narrative form. The indents at each second sentence also adds structural significance to the poem.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">39. //Good - Better - Best// by Ellis Parker Butler <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Intersting progression of the words from good-better-best in different situations. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each containing different themes of being good, better and best. The use of first person voice and quotes in each stanza adds to the explanations for the speaker's claims, and also explains the different situations and circumstances in which he is in. The ABAB rhyme scheme continues throughout the poem, and is most significant in the last stanza wehre (~ Kate St. Clair) in parenthesis is used to add to the rhyme.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">40. //A Black Man Talks of Reaping// by Arna Bontempts <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Use of extended metaphor adds meaning to the speaker's determination. Hyperbole used - scattered seed enough to plant the land in rows from Canada to Mexico shows the breadth and width of the speaker's feelings of determination. The 'but' immediately after the hyperbole however illustrates the reality. However, in the next stanza, the starting word 'yet' signifies another change, thus overall conveying general positive message.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">41. //Coffee & Dolls// by April Bernard <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The first stanza begins with detailed description of the primary setting. The general atmosphere surroudning the coffee shop is similar to the general life style of an individual - filled with interactions with other people, shelves full of stuffs. Then the change in the setting immediately follows - the second stanza describes more decorated and neat place with a sign COFFEE & DOLLS. The capital letters among all the small letters stand out - signifying the notable difference the coffee shop has, from other places. In the last stanza, the speaker expresses confusion towards the sudden change and enumerates what he/she misses - signified by the repeated use of 'I mean' before making each statements.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">42. //To A Daughter Leaving Home// by Linda Pastan <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The speaker's reminiscence of the first time her daughter learned how to bike is paralleled to the daughter now leaving the house. Each line is cut short, suggesting that the speaker is extremely sad and feels unable to continue speaking in a straightforward way. The description 'you grew smaller, more breakable with distance, pumping, pumping for you life' not only portrays the scene of the daugher biking away, but also her growing up from a child into a teenager - thus becoming more distant with the mother - and finally into a fully grown up, responsible for one's own life.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">43. //The Happiest Day// by Linda Pastan <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Poem describes a very peaceful, happy, and joyful day but also contains several allusions to tragedy and thus convey irony. While the description of the speaker's parents start with positive atmosphere, in good scenery, the speaker describes her realization that they would be torn down later. Then the simile of the sleeping children to fresh flower not only refers to the beauty, but also the fragility of both, again implying something slightly negative. Then the speaker goes onto confess her true feelings through describing the circumstances in which she was in - prose-like narrative portrays the settings very well, and thus it's really easy for the readers to comprehend the speaker's feelings.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">44. //The Friend// by Marge Piercy <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The interaction between two friends as described in the poem is not mutualisitc - rather, one is more dominant, ordering the speaker to carry out each different action, in each stanza. Each line is quite short, and are end-stopped lines thus adding to the direct voice the friend of the speaker uses when telling her what to do. However, the last sentence 'Have you cut off your hands yet?' that seems to be said by the speaker suggests that mutualistic interaction does indeed exist betweeen the two people, as they are 'friends.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">45. //Timetable// by W. G. Sebald <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Intersting organization of timetable not based on study/work schedule, but based on meals -> natural part of human life, but people often do not organize their days by this common natural cycle. Enjambment used for all the sentences - creates rhythm, and pauses mark the end of each sentence. Intersting figurative language used.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">46. //Tulips// by A. E. Stallings <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Figurative language used throughout the poem to describe the tulips - tulips are personified at some points when discussing their 'hearts', but also are perceived as flowers when discussing their 'petals' falling. The rhyme scheme used is ABBA - the middle two lines in each stanza serve to provide further explanation of the first line, hence act as supporting evidence, then the final sentence provides the summary + connecting sentence for the next stanza. Hence, the four lines in each stanza are well organized.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">47. //Sea Shell// by Amy Lowell <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(First line starts with calling 'sea shell' twice and then the use of personification follows. Vivid imagery of the sea - ships, sailor men, parrots and tropical trees. The personification of sea shell into something that can sing, and the enumeration of various aspects of the sea/ocean which people cannot explore easily, reveal the speaker's dream to explore the unknown mysterious yet beautiful parts of the sea. While the speaker mostly lists the objects that he wants to hear about, the adjective "great" in front of the "green caves" conveys that the speaker respects the sea's greatness/beautiful nature to a great extent.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">48. //Bleezer's Ice Cream// by Jack Prelutsky <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Very unusual poem - first stanza provides the speaker's introduction of himself as an owner of an ice cream store and then praising of the taste of his own ice creams. Then the next stanza containing 28 lines all describe the different flavors that the ice cream store contains. All the flavors are capitalized and the simple enumeration attracts the reader's attentions. In addition, the list of flavors contain AA, BB, Cc, DD, ... rhyme scheme which creates a rhythm for the readers of the poem. The final stanza, restating the greatness of the tastes emphasizes how good the ice creams are - while the poem does not really seem to contain real significant meaning, it attracts the reader's attentions.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">49. //After great pain, a formal feeling comes// by Emily Dickinson <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Intersting emphasis on certain words, noted by capitalization. figurative language is used throughout the poem (first letter of the two objects being compared usually capitalized). the main message of the poem, as explicitly stated in its title, is that after great pain, a sense of tranquility, contentness dominates and then the person is likely to forget the feeling of pain. the speaker directs the readers to think of snow - effective use of simile in comparing the change in feeling, to the change in the state of snow - from chill to stupor, then letting it go.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">50. //An Evening// by Gwendolyn Brooks <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The two stanzas convey different feelings; first stanza, while the visual imagery is rather gloomy, as the sunset is cloudy and the hills are 'sad', the description of stars as shining 'diamonds' and the presense of 'love' in the evening still convey a sense of positiveness. however, in the second stanza, all these come to an end as directly stated, the 'end' of a summer day, and sweet love 'dead'. 'scarcely a tear to shed' and 'hardly a word to say' also convey that the evening is dominated by a sense of sadness that it cannot act properly. structural organization of this poem is visible in ABBA rhyme scheme, and three lines that end with semicolon, followed by a last line that contain 'love' and ends with a period.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">51. //Success is counted sweetest// by Emily Dickinson <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Clear message that success is hard to earn, but it is very easy to be defeated by someone else who has succeeded him/herself and won over me. the first stanza talks about how hard it is to achieve success - using a meataphor and comparing success to a nectar, speaker directly states that 'to comprehend a nectar requires sorest need'. then the poem reveals the unpredictability of success as stated in the second stanza that '[no one] can tell the definition so clear of victory'. however, in the thrid stanza, the speaker then conveys that 'defeat/death', on the contrary, is very easily confronted.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">52. //The Beach at Big Salt// by Jessica Goodfellow <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Focused on the shapes of natural elements - the natural curves/parabolascircles of waves, sand, spaces... these shapes cannot be confined within straight lines; they posess power to encompass all the emptiness, and follows the natural cycle. allusions to babies' shape inside the mothers' wombs and a seahorse convey that there is no need to interrupt/disturb the natural cycle of events)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">53. //On the Past// by Marvin Glasser <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(First person voice makes the poem sound like a confession. short sentences in the first stanza set a rhythm for the poem, but the following stanzas contain longer sentences - change in structure reflect the change in the discussion. rhetorical questions adds inquisitive voice to the reflection on the past. calm tone at the last stanza conveys the realization/understanding on life.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">54. //Fast Rode the Knight// by Stephen Crane <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Short poem, but tells a story of the knight riding a horse, to save his lady. good color imagery - soldiers with swords are described as "Men of steel flickered and gleamed like riot of silver lights", shiny silver, all gathered as described as shining like "riot" emphasizes the mood at war. then the "gold of the knight's good banner" positions knight in a higher place than the other soldiers, since gold is even brighter than silver, and is very expenive)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">55. //Chirstmas Is a Time for Love and Fun// by Nicholas Gordon <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A 19-line poem full of figurative language. the speaker first defines chirstmas in the first stanza, then explains these definitions using metaphors and similes in the following stanza. each poem has contrasting situations appear - first, negative aspects of life such as "lonely sighs", "fire of anguish", "hatred", "sadness", "ignorant"... however, in the same stanza, these negative features are all conquered by the happiness, love and fun Christmas bring.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">56. //Merry Christmas, Sweetheart!// by Judy Burnette <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(3 stanza poem, each stanza with 4 lines. direct sentences/voices - sounds like a confession. use of inverted sentence - 'with you is where I want to be' stresses the importance of the speaker's lover 'you'. repetitive phrase 'I have given you [part of me]' expresses the speaker's affection and dedication towards the lover. in the poem, Christmas is established as a time when lovers should be together)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">57. //The End of the War Gave Us// by Charles Fort <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">('The end of the war gave us light in the roots of trees' and several other lines are repeated few times in the poem. The poem is all repetitive, the same line appearing again, but the position of the lines/sentences are different each time in different stanzas, thus putting the focus on different parts of the sentence each time and hence leading the readers' close attention to the use of language in the poem. The use of metaphor and simile allow vivid visualizations of the aftermaths of the war.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">58. //A Ball Rolls on a Point// by Kay Ryan <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Good use of metaphor in describing the pressure and stress under which the people live in. Vivid descriptions of the settings help visualization - green baize, aural tack, fibrous jungle... Simple and short language allows easy understanding/impression which enables the readers to perceive the setting easily. Enjambment is used several times and different points at which the lines finish create rhythm.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">59. //Granny Is// by Valerie Bloom <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A first-person perspective child narrative poem. Child-like use of language used in telling the poem adds to the child's perception of grandmother. Repetitive structure, each stanza stating with 'Granny is', followed by various descriptions. While the grammar is incorrect for the most part and many slangs appear in the poem, this adds reality to the child's perspective of the poem. Daily events/objects appearing in the poem conveys that the child sees grandmother through her actions. Seemingly unintended use of figurative language adds to child's perspective, as children are often unaware about their use of figurative language while effectively using them to convey their pure impression of the things they see/perceive.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">60. //Hairless// by Jo Shapcott <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The poem begins with a rhetorical question which is then followed by an answer that conveys the main message of the poem - being bald is nothing to be ashamed of; it shows a natural state and thus reveals humanity with transparency. First person pespective and confession-like tone adds to the speaker's sincerity in celebrating being bald. The account of a hairless woman cleaning and various descriptions that the speaker enumerate as to reveal her greatness, reveals that the speaker considers purity and nature to be very important.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">61. //She Had More Friends// by Joanne Burns <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(No use of punctuation - when read aloud, just soundes like a simple words for a conversation. Unclear reference to 'she' is ambiguous, but could refer to the general public. 'Leaving [many friends] parked on a cliff edge' with a control of the truck in her hand seems to suggest the reality of the world: those with power, who have many people under them, willing to be used as sacrifices, often control these powerless people with their authority, while always putting the powerless' lives in danger.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">62. //Earth Cries// by Jean 'Binta' Breeze <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Repetitive, simple structure with most lines stating that the earth cries for something, follwed by an explanation for the cries. The continuous negative phrases explaining that 'she doesn't cry' and the reasons, until the last 4 lines where the true reason for the crying is revealed, builds interest to the readers for why the poem's title is 'earth cries', and what the reasons are for the title written. No use of punctuation makes the poem seem like lyrics, with rhythms created, especially with iambic pentameter that appear quite often throughout the poem.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">63. //from The Domestic Sublime// by Chris Wallace-Crabbe <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The title, which at first appears very ambiguous and obscure, is a perfect summarization of the message that the poem conveys. The first stanza describes a man simply pondering upon where to start shaving - a very common but useless/unnecessary process of thinking that people often spend time on - and then expands on the second stanza that the combination of people's thoughts invested in decision making comprises the common life of the people, but these processes are often useless and unneeded, and only play a role as to delay the important moments in life.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">64. //A Song in the Front Yard// by Gwendolyn Brooks <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A poem told from a perspective of a girl from a noble family background; who has been half-forced to lead a very chaste and virtuous life but now wants to escape the boring routine and experience the real world. The divisions of stanzas clearly separate each message. The first stanza explains the speaker's identity, the second stanza states her wishes to go to the areas where the lower parts of the status reside, the third stanza enumerates the various activities which the speaker always peceived to be exciting, and the fourth stanza contains the girl's unbiased perception of the poor. This poem shows that people often judge the others wrongly through basing their judgements solely on social backgrounds of the people - the girl suggesting opposite opinions convey that there is a need to be more careful in making interpretations about the others.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">65. //Outgrown// by Penelope Shuttle <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Juxtaposition used notably throughout - feelings of seeing the outgrown, worn clothes and shoes of the speaker's daughter makes the speaker to feel both happy and horrible - a mixed feeling. Then the next stanza begins with another juxtaposition - to see the girl having outgrown the speaker is both a freedom and a prison -> successfully conveys what most parents would feel about their children growing. Both happy that they have now grown up to be responsible and proud grown-ups, while sad/scared that they are no longer always with the parents. I heard about these mixed feelings that my mom feels about me growing up, thus can sympathize with the speaker more closely from my direct experience of hearing the account.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">66. //Solitude// by Caroline Caddy <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Good use of figurative language throughout to describe the presence of 'solitude' in everyone. The poem has a quite unusual structure, and lines are not spaced equally - start at different points, thus adjusting the readers' focuses to different parts of the sentence. The enumeration of careers that people would easily find solitude in the first stanza initially introduces the topic, and further metaphor and simile describing solitude allows easy understanding as the presentation of solitude is associated with daily activities and objects that are easily seen.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">67. //Someone Kissed Me// by Jan Kemp <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(The speaker initially makes a statement that someone kissed [her]. However, the following enumeration of questions show her uncertainty regarding the kiss. The first question, ended with a question mark, shows the speaker's uncertainty, then in the following stanza, a question stated in an enjambment form shows even more ambiguity as the speaker seems to be reluctant to ask the question. The two parts of each question juxtapose the innocent, pure side of the speaker and a more grown-up, understanding adult side of the speaker, thus the language reveals the speaker's characteristics.)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">68. //The Sloth// by Theodore Roethke <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(A funny, neatly structured poem - appears to be targeted for young children. Three stanzas in total; every stanza has a different rhyme scheme, and the rhythm each line is similar every time, thus there the combination of the rhyme scheme and the syllables creates a merry rhythm - which the children would find interesting. Very realistic descriptions, but phrased in fairy tale-like way, thus effective in targeting the young.)