Poetry Blog #13

A Study of Reading Habits
By: Philip Larkin



This poem, throughout the first two stanzas is describing the adventures that one can have while reading a book. His use of descriptive words helps the reader visualize these adventures. He uses specific words in lines such as, " To dirty dogs twice my size," and "Evil was just my lark." These lines are catchy and help the reader become interested in the poem wanting to read more. 


At the end of the poem Larkin says in his last line, "Books are a load of crap." I find this very ironic because he spent this entire poem saying how great books are and how useful they can be to the imagination and to the avid reader. For this reason, the end of the poem almost felt as if it came to a halt and was very abrupt. 


The theme of this poem is that although we read about all of these fascinating and dangerous ideas in books that catch our attention and let our imagination run wild, that doesn't mean they are true. Books are not real and they get ideas in children's and adult's heads that can not come true and say things that will never be done.

Poetry Blog #12

365 Days a Year
By: Madison Condon

Pie is
sugary sweet,
mouth watering,
nose tingling,
delicious dessert.

Pie is bringing
family together.

Pie is celebrating
holidays.

4th of July has cherry.
Thanksgiving has pumpkin.
Christmas had apple .

Chocolate, Key Lime, Peach, Blueberry, Pecan & Cream
fill the other 362 days left in the year.

Poetry Blog #11

For the Sleepwalkers
By: Edward Hirsch

This poem is about what happens at night for a sleepwalker. It talks about the journeys they have and the willingness to leave their beds during the night. This poem is about how sleepwalkers put all their trust in themselves at night when they are still sleeping. They do things that they would not normally do during their waking hours. They make decisions that they are too afraid to make during the day with the watching eyes of others around. During the night, they let their heart do what they please leading them down the path that the truly want to go. 

At the end of the poem the author says, "We have to drink the stupefying cup of darkness and wake up to ourselves, nourished and surprised." These couple lines show that when the sleepwalkers wake up in the morning they have to wake up to their true self who is afraid to do what their hearts desire during their waking hours. They have to go back to normal and are surprised to hear what they have done during the long night. 

This poem is a good realizer that when our hearts desire something we should not be ashamed to follow our hearts during our waking hours and not be ashamed to follow our desires despite of what others think.

Poetry Blog #9

Acquainted with the Night
By: Robert Frost

In Frost's poem, Acquainted with the Night, he uses many forms of literature to help make his poem effective. He uses repetition of the phrase, "I have," at the beginning of each line in the first stanza. He also uses the same phrase in the second and fifth stanza. This repetition helps create a connection throughout the whole poem and gives it a sense of unity. He also uses past tense throughout the whole poem such as," I have been," or "I have passed," which tells you he is recurring a event or thought that has already occurred. Frost uses many descriptive words throughout his poem and that really helps get his point across.

The theme or meaning behind this poem is that even though things may happen or decision have been made, you must move on from the past. You need to not live in the past because it will only hinder and hold you behind. If you keep reliving those past events that are troubling you, then that is what your life will be centered around. If you continue to hold those grudges and linger on those not so good decisions then that's your choice, but the best option is to move on because you can't change the past.

Poetry Blog #8

I, Too, Sing America

I really enjoyed this poem by Langston Hughes. I found it really interesting that he responded to I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman. It was a very brave and risky thing for him to do, but he did it anyway. I like how he uses the title of Whitmans' poem in his own title and how he really makes you think after reading both of the poems.

Hughes poem is about the American Dream. Whitman made it seem like the dream is only achievable by the white man because he never said anything about the blacks in America. Hughes wanted the black man to be included in this rejoicing of America. He starts his poem with," I, too, sing America" and ends it with the same phrase giving a great introduction to what the poem is going to be about and a strong conclusion finalizing and summing up his strong statement.

In stanza three he says," Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes." He is not literally says that tomorrow he will be at the table, but is using it figuratively as in someday in the future he will be able to eat at the table with the whites because he will someday not be segregate against.

I really enjoy Langston Hughes. Every piece of his that I have read has really touched me. His use of strong words, repeating important phrases really has a powerful impact on me.

Poetry Blog #7

Inoculation

This was a very interesting historical poem. It talks about real people such as Cotton Mather and his slave Onesimus. This poem was written during the time period of the small pox scare. During this time they were experimenting with new ways to cure those who had become infected. They would actually inject some of the virus into those who had been infected to hope that it would boost the body’s immunity to the disease. Injecting some of the disease would also reduce the severity of the infection. Many people were afraid to try this new method because they didn’t know if it worked or no, so Donnelly wrote a poem about this controversial time.

There is also a little irony in the last two lines of this poem. It says, "She scratched my skin and I got sick, but lived to come here, free of smallpox, as your slave." His slave had small pox, but survived, but he had to come work for Cotton Mather. Onesimus is free of the small pox, but is not a free slave. I found that last line very amusing and thought it made the poem.

Identity Poem

As I walk down the hall,

to others I'm just another pretty face,

going through the motions of life.

Some may think they see who I really am,

but most just see that I am tall,

academic,

and like to run.

But it seems that no one ever sees who I truly am.

They don't know what I feel inside.

They don't know what it feels like to be me.

Always trying,

Always caring,

Always hurt.

I'm just another pretty face 

among the hundreds walking through the halls.