Tennyson, “The Eagle”. Discussion Question: How is the solitary eagle’s strength emphasized in the first stanza? Does the reader “join” the eagle in the second stanza? How or how not?
The reader joins the eagle in his dive in the second stanza through the metaphorical comparison with a thunderbolt. Captivated by the bird’s masterful and exact description in the first part of the poem, the reader has no choice but to follow the eagle’s majestic fall towards the water. This is also achieved by the personification of the predator, as the author uses pronouns “he”, and “him”.
Swenson, “The Universe”. Discussion Question: Is this poem merely a witty game of repeating words or does it employ sound effects to sound effect? Consider especially lines 10-15 and 24-31.
In “The Universe”, Swenson uses the characteristic structure and patterns created by sound repetitions to emphasize some of the direct questions she wants to elaborate on. The poem suggests two outcomes: either the universe needs us, or it does not. Thus, the repetitive dualities in sounding point out the said idea: the assonance of the long “i:” and short “i” sounds (“we think”, “we must unspin”), the use of homophones (“because” and “be cause”). In lines 10-15, the internal structure of the phrase suggest only one possible way of intonation for it to make sense. Within six lines, the words “we think” are used four times, prompting the reader to contemplate on the questions Swenson gives. Similarly, in lines 24-31, the word “what” is used four times, demanding for answers.
McKenty, “Adam’s Song”. Discussion Question: Identify the sound effects at play. Consider especially the poem’s rhymes.
The use of rhymes is one of the key characteristic features of McKenty’s poem. The author shows the changes occurring throughout a person’s life, and uses slant rhymes at the end of each line to gain more attention to the meaning of the words rather than to their form. The final words of every pair of line appear to be perfectly rhymed if perceived by sight only. However, when read aloud, the unexpected dissonance makes the reader specifically consider the phrases in question.
Bishop, “Sestina”. Discussion Question: What event do you believe transpired to prompt the Grandmother’s guilt and sadness? Do you think the child knows more than she lets on? Why or Why not?
The scene described in Bishop’s poem clearly shows that a terrible loss happened in the lives of the grandmother and the child. Neither grief nor sorrow is directly expressed, however, through the repeating images of tears, rain, and the overall atmosphere we see the painful emotions experienced by the family. Judging by the child’s drawing, we can definitely say that she is fully aware of the loss. The “rigid house” and its “winding pathway” represent the feelings she and her family have to face. However, she believes the “clever almanac” predicted the Grandmother’s tears, suggesting the childlike attitude to the reality.
Roethke, “The Waking”. Discussion Question: Does the speaker fear death? Why or why not? Does the speaker seem to conform to the belief that once we deny the intellectual notion of life after death, of life beyond what we can feel, our perception of time must change? Would such an idea mean that “Always” loses its significance—because time is no longer thought of but felt?
The key line repeated throughout Roethke’s poem is a paradox, as it suggests waking to sleep. As the poem unfolds, the author adds to this phrase the meaning of life (waking) and death (sleeping). We understand that when we die we merely take part in the cycle of life, as this is an organic process determined by the Nature. Thus, the author does not fear death. The second line of the poem suggests that feeling fate rather than fearing it makes it easier to accept it; and as we realize further in the text, this “fate” is death.
In the poem, the author gradually accepts the notion of the death, pacing more and more slowly as the text goes, and wishing to live in the moment: “I shall walk softly there” (line 8), “I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow” (lines 6, 12, 18). Thus the time changes its nature as we feel it, and we do not need the concept of “always” anymore, as it is something that restricts our perception of time.
cummings, “l(a”. Discussion Question: What words form when you rearrange the letters horizontally? Does the first “l” of “loneliness” appear before or after the parenthesis? What is the only recognizable word on a line? Is there a point to having that word appear by itself as it does?
The letters of the poem by cummings form the words “loneliness” and “a leaf falls” shaped in a peculiar way. The first “l” of “loneliness” appears before the parenthesis, thus enclosing the second phrase inside the word’s body. The only recognizable word on a line is “one” which seems to convey the meaning of “one-ness” as a synonym of loneliness and isolation. This is also emphasized by the appearance of an“a” representing an indefinite article also showing the separation and singularity.
The “Sonnet” by Collins explains the basic concept of the named poetic form in a humorous and slightly mocking way. The author preserves the requirement of fourteen lines; however, the poem has two quatrains and one sestet, which is not typical for a Petrarchan sonnet described in the text. In his own poem, Collis dispenses with the rhyming, which traditionally is an inherent part of a sonnet. Thus the author’s take on this genre is that the basic principles of poetry writing could be neglected as long as the feelings conveyed by the poet are true.
Molito, “Reflections in Black and Blue”. Discussion Question: Why does Molito break her stanzas where she does? What does such structure convey?
Molito divides her poem into three stanzas each describing a different period in her life. The division is logical as each part represents a question she asks her beloved about how he perceives her at different ages. The first stanza sets the general idea of the poem and serves as an introduction. The second part shows how gradually the author’s “blue eyes” start “fad[ing] to grey”. The third stanza does not end in a question mark because for Molito these are the words of acceptance and of confidence: “you say you love me / still love me the same / when my black falls out / and my blue is grey”.
Cavafy, “The City”. Discussion Question: Do the stanzas present something like a point-counterpoint argument? Whom is the speaker addressing? Does it matter?
In Cavafy’s poem, the stanzas do appear to be written as a two-sided discussion. The first person (“you”) believes that changing a place of living might help him or her to improve the life in general. The speaker retorts this does not depend on the location, but on the person itself: “Now that you’ve wasted your life here, in this small corner, / you’ve destroyed it everywhere in the world” (lines 15-16). The identity of the speaker’s interlocutor cannot be determined, thus is can be both a different person, and the narrator himself, unsure about his life, his heritage, his identity and his convocation. It does not really matter whom the speaker is addressing because the emotional experience he describes in fact relates to him.
Meinke, “Advice to My Son”. Discussion Question: Is the speaker advising his son about more than food and flowers? If so, what do the various plants and the bread and wine symbolize? How is the speaker’s advice about them related to the more general advice about living?
In the discussed poem, Meinke appears to be a master of symbolism and allegory. That is why the main point of the poem is not comparing food and flowers, or bread and wine, but rather the practical and the idealistic, the physical and the spiritual. The advice is not to prefer one side of life to another, but to be able to reconcile them and choose which one is more needed at the moment. For example, when the author says “between the peony and the rose / plant squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes;” it can be understood as a recommendation to strive to aesthetically enjoyable things, but not forget about necessities of everyday life. In the advice to “always serve bread with [] wine, [b]ut [] always serve wine” Meinke recommends never to lose touch with reality, but keep positive and humorous attitude.
Eliot “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”. Discussion Question: Why does the speaker compare the “evening [] spread out against the sky to “a patient etherized upon a table”? What mood does the speaker establish in the third stanza? Is the speaker physically attractive? What evidence attests to his NOT being physically attractive? Interpret lines 83-84. Does line 104 explain why the speaker uses as many symbols as he does?
In Eliot’s poem, the comparison of the evening to “a patient etherized upon a table” (line 3) contributes to the overall feeling of sterile and deathly atmosphere, and also of blankness and emptiness, as the patient in such a condition would not feel or think anything. This phrase can also relate to Prufrock’s paralysis and inability to act. The similar mood is described in the third stanza. There is also a feeling of desperation and feebleness, as the yellow smoke is unable to enter the fashionable room and has to stay pathetically outside, alluding to the character’s both avoiding and wanting women’s company.
Being an indecisive and vulnerable man, in his mind Prufrock remembers the comments others make about his appearance: “They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!” (line 41), “They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!” (line 44). However, we cannot confirm the speaker’s non-attractiveness, as we can see him only though his own eyes and the other people’s remarks that he passes on to us.
Lines 83-84 refer to Prufrock’s thoughts about death, with further mentioning of “the eternal Footman hold[ing his] coat” (line 85). The phrase “I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker” signals his inability to find the reviving spark in his life, and has no longer any passion left. Apart from the Prufrock’s fears about social failures and general insecurity, this is the start of his reflection on his nearness of dying.
The phrase “It is impossible to say just what I mean!” (line 104) suggests Prufrock’s desperation and confusion about his life. He cannot say what he feels as he seems to lack the necessary means of expression.
Komunyakaa, “Facing It”. Discussion Question: Isn’t line five contradictory? Why does the speaker wait until line 11 to identify the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as his central location?
In Komunyakaa’s poem, line five could be called contradictory it is did not describe a person deeply split by a war experience. Standing in front of the Memorial, the author is overwhelmed by emotional experience, being both “stone” – restrained, strong and solid, and “flesh” – fragile, vulnerable and human. This dual nature of his helps to convey another meaning: Komunyakaa identifies himself with the fallen soldiers, who are “stone”, or dead, and realizing his own mortality. But seeing other figures at the Memorial, he remembers his being “flesh”, or alive. The author does not reveal his location until line 11 to better show the significance of this place. He is immersed in his feelings and in the meaning of the Memorial, and just when the reader is most anxious to know what has caused such emotions, he identifies the location, as if he suddenly finds himself standing there.
