Poetry Research Papers Samples For Students

The poems, “Do Not Go Gently into That Night” by Dylan Thomas and “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson, deal with the theme of death. Both poets use figurative devices to compare and contrast their abstract views on death. Thomas rejects the idea of death, and implores his father to fight his impending death. On the other hand, the woman in Dickenson’s poem embraces death as she goes willingly into death’s embrace. In essence, there is no specific way to present poems that share the same theme. Each poet chooses unique ...

The two poems, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, by Emily Dickinson and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, by Dylan Thomas deal with the theme of death. Each poem looks at death in different ways. Thomas does not accept death readily, but implores his father to hold on to life. On the other hand, Dickinson accepts death calmly. Both poets make use of figurative devices such as metaphors, personification and alliteration as they explore their opposing views of the concept of death.

Dickinson creates the feeling that death has compassion and creates a contrast in how ...

Introduction:

On page 41 of “Gawain and the Green Knight” the poem speaks more of metrical romance. In this context the poet brings the theme of hunting and seduction. This is in relation to the frequently distinguished corresponding flanked by the three consequent hunting panoramas which are followed by the three seduction scenes. This clearly highlights the correspondence of the scenes that actually does arise when the lord goes out hunting. In this context the scene that does arise is the one which is illustrated by the lord rising early in the morning and goes deer hunting.

In these ...

Robert Hass born in 1941 in San Francisco is a contemporary American poet and has more often been referred to as a California poet; because sometimes his poems tend to have a West Coast based aura and theme. This poet has been recognized as the most celebrated and widely read contemporary English poet. His works don’t only include original writings, but he is also known as a critic and translator for the Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz and the Japanese haiku experts Issa, Buson and lastly Basho. His translation of Czeslaw Milosz from “Hymn” goes on to say: “There is no ...

When many people think of satire, they understand that it is a subversive approach to a certain social or political issue through the use of irony. Works like the Earl of Rochester’s “A Satire Against Reason and Mankind,” Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal or John Dryden’s MacFlecknoe all make fun of some perceived failing of its audience, whether it be the “Satire’s poking fun at rationalism and reason, Swift’s pointing out of the problems facing Ireland as a result of English ignorance, or Dryden’s ridiculing of his contemporaries’ inadequate literary criticism. However, to what end do ...

Rita Dove and Katherine Mansfield were not contemporaries, nor do they write in the same genre. But two works, one from each author, are worth comparing and contrasting since both have a similar underlying theme, which leads the reader to a contrary conclusion.
“DayStar” is a poem by Rita Dove that has to do with the life of a busy mother who is only able to leave her perpetual duties for an hour a day. Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” is about a woman who is an avid people watcher who uses her avid imagination to find meaning in every exchange happening in earshot ...

John Donne’s poetry reflects a deep image of religious elements and most of his sonnets are the combination of both Catholic and Protestant. In “The Flea” and “Show Me Dear Christ” John Donne also uses religious imagery. He expresses in implicit way this tactic. HHHHis early poem “The Flea” implies the concept of sexual love; furthermore, it exemplifies unconventional metaphor by which the flea bites two lovers, who are compared on the basis of sex. Moreover, we see a woman trying to resist sexual advances. The speaker with the help of the flea was trying to convince her that the ...

This paper is aimed to give a brief outline of Edgar Poe’s life and a short analysis of one of his famous poems ‘Annabel Lee’ to trace the main peculiarities of the author’s style.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most prominent figures in the American romantic literature of the second half of the 19th century. Apart from being a critic, an editor and a poet, he is considered to be a founder of the short story in its modern form. Edgar Poe came from the family of professional actors, who died three years after the poet’s birth, and ...

Analysis of “Riders to the Sea”

The poetic drama Riders to the Sea, written by John Synge, is a wonderfully lyrical and haunting drama about an Irish family and the relationship it has to the sea. Maurya, the matriarch of the family, loses the vast majority of her family to the sea, leaving her clinging to whatever hopes might be available to her that any of her family might still be alive. By making this play so poetic in tone, the presentationalism of Riders to the Sea draws the reader into the plight of the characters. Sunge’s low-key requiem shows the hardship of the Irish ...

Introduction

The periscope of the letter of the Ephesians is a battle cry from Apostle Paul that was originally written to expound on the spiritual needs facing the people at the church of Ephesus. The book of Ephesians generally aims at answering the question in regard to how the Christian church ought to look like and how the members of the church should behave. In fact, Ephesians 1: 1-14 acts as the primary event that portrays the doctrine of theistic determination referred to as Calvinism. Apart from the books of Roman 9 and John 6, it is one of the principle ...

Frances Harper is one of the famous African-American authors from the nineteenth century. She has written various literary works such as poems, stories and, essays revolving around themes of racial pride, female self-esteem and, equal rights . In general, Frances has used her talent of writing, hence her literature, as her way of protesting against evils of society.
Likewise, The Slave Mother, by Frances Harper portrays the horrors and brutalizing nature of slavery. Unlike other literary works chosen for the assignment, this poem in particular describes the psychological and emotional pain resulting from slavery and separation. The poem is ...

Presentation and evaluation of three critical approaches to the poem ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell – Analysis of each one of these approaches according to the socio-historical context of the era in which each approach was developed – Reflections drawn upon these three approaches and personal conclusion upon their validity
[The author’s name]

Abstract

This research paper will present you with three critical approaches of the existing ones as far as the analysis and interpretation of the poem ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is concerned. The poem was written by Andrew Marvell in the 1650s, which is a literary period ‘ ...

Introduction

Oscar Wilde lived a short life: it was shortened, blighted and humiliated - social hypocrisy, the letter of the law and the arrogance of decadent behavior of the poet.
Oscar Fingal (according to some sources - Fringal) O'Flaherty Wills Wilde was born on October 6, 1854 in the family of Sir William Wilde, Dublin ophthalmologist with the world-famous author of dozens of books on medicine, history and geography. "The dirtiest man in all of Ireland" this was saying about him. However, in England, he was appointed court surgeon, and later made a lord. In Stockholm, he was given the Order ...

William Blake was a famous English poet and painter largely unrecognized during his lifetime, unfortunately. However, as time went by, the society recognized the value of Blake’s writings. Today, William Blake is known as a substantial figure in the history of poetry and arts of the Romantic Age. His poetry is characterized by contemporaries as prophetic and insightful (Clark and Whittaker 91). The ideas Blake presented in his poems were far beyond the understanding of his contemporaries; the poet was ahead of his time. William Blake lived his life as a foreteller contributing to cultural diversity of England in particular and ...

Importance of Love in Love is Not All and Since feeling is First

“Love” is probably the most frequent and debatable topic as being identified in the arena of poetry. The majority of the best and extremely renowned poets have presented expressed their thoughts regarding love by means of their poems. It is the actual reason that makes the poetry rich and unique. Many of the poets portray the same issue, but they convey its significance with an entirely different viewpoint. Every poet explains love through his unique style and communicates his emotions and concepts involving love in an entirely imaginative and impressive way. There is an example of two poems written ...

AP English IV BLOCK

Imagery in Ben Jonson’s “Song: To Celia”
Ben Jonson was one of the most popular poets of the Renaissance period in England, and he became famous during his lifetime and was awarded the title of the Poet Laureate of England. He remained remembered as a writer consistent in his inconsistency, and varying in his images as a Jacobean Jonson, Regency Jonson, and Romantic Jonson – a diverse and multi-dimensional product of his age (Lockwood 10). Though Jonson was most famous for his comedies and plays, such as Volpone or the Fox, The Alchemist, etc., he is also credited for writing lyrical ...

Scholars and acolytes of Gertrude Stein prefer to refer to her as "The Mother of Us All" as the attribution of her last dramaturgical opera inspired by the figure of the American feminist Susan B. Anthony. This definition would suggest a bond of deferential respect and intimate cultural affiliation by certain groups of writers and critics positioned on the edge of the traditional culture. All these scholars were gathered around Gertrude Stein as around a true pioneer of feminism and gender studies. The linguistic revolution that took place in hers works was astonishing and impressed all of them. She was a giant, a ...

In The Iliad, the author sets warfare as the most important aspects of the society. It is necessary to note that the current war in the poem is not at the action and plot in the text, but war is one of the detectable social forces in the poem. Men in the poem who fail to respect the warrior character of the society or fail to take part in the ongoing wars are ostracized and criticized. Declining to engage in battles or war or being labeled a coward are the worst ways that a man can be defined, since the man ...

The human perception of the world makes the most vivid changes in human minds in the moment of complete unity between the nature of self and the nature of outer. Those who managed to feel this integrity within their beings could never step aside and remain muted. From this very moment, they devote their existence to life, nature, nation, and people. Mostly, their whole life is marked by a constant fight for freedom. Not only do they want to help themselves, but also they try to convey a crucial message of fundamental needs of the society they live in. Their voices “ ...

A verse from James chapter 1 verse 27 points out at the purpose of God in my life. It says that, “Pure religion, undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world”( James 1:27 New International Version). This verse simply means that the sole purpose of God in human life is to ensure they live a righteous life unstained by the tainted things of the world. Those who manage to live such a life achieve God’s purpose for human life. A verse from Revelation ...

Revelation chapter 3 verses 11 to 12 says,” I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name” (Revelation 5: 11-12 New International Version). This passage shows that ...

The Romantic Period implies that the period reflects a time of whirlwind and old-fashioned romance. But, it does not. The misconception of the period is common and anyone can make such errors about the true meaning of the Romanticism. The Romantic Era in literature is the period that saw many writers placing fundamental significance on the emotions and on the individual. While the Romantic period lasted for approximately thirty years, it revolutionized the way individuals see literature today. Literary critics points to romanticism as the principal artistic movement in the latter part of the 1700s. The influence of the era ...

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The Africans especially, developed a system whereby they could keep their history and tradition alive. They developed an oral tradition of passing down information from one generation to the other. When the Africans were brought to America and to other parts of the world as slaves, they took with them their cultures, customs and languages and had to find ways to keep their origin alive. As a result of this situation, the slaves were able to perfect the art of expression through storytelling and songs. The oral tradition of telling stories is a powerful tool that transforms the listener and the ...

The poet, Eliot, reflects on the masterpieces of the Modernist Movement that shows the character traits of Modernism. Eliot the modernist poet, experiments with the structure and form of the poem. This shows him to be experimental as well as innovative. The “Love Song” was indeed an innovation technically and it was intrigued by the idiom and the broken sequences of the French symbolist. The poem is unique in various senses. It proclaims a complete break with the traditional valuation of poetry as something serious (Sarker, 57).
The main theme of this poem is paralysis. The root of paralysis ...

Vertical Diagram for the book Ephesians Chapter 2

1 As for you,
you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world

and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time,

gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us,

God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions-
it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ

and seated us with him
in the heavenly realms

in Christ Jesus,

...

This paper throws a light on the life of the famous American poet, Anne Sexton. The paper discusses her personal life, career life, her style of writing poetries and reviews she has received with the period of time on her poems.

Anne Sexton’s Personal Life:

Anne Gray Harvey Sexton was a famous poet and playwright of her time. She was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Her father was Ralph Harvey who was a successful woolen manufacturer. Her mother was Mary Gray Staples. She was an unwanted third daughter in the family. She was raised in a middle-class environment. Her life remained uneasy due to the fact that her ...

W.H. Auden's poem "Say the City Has Ten Million Souls,"

ABSTRACT
Analysis of the Auden's (1939) poem, "Say This city Has Ten Million Souls" provides the opportunity for connecting the social precepts of place and displacement offered by Aschcroft et al (1989) for explaining the plight of the refugee as marginalized by the host society. In doing so, the poem becomes a lens for understanding the use of Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis Model for assessing the three dimension of literature. The outcome of the following academic discussion provides a tapestry of the psychological, emotional, and social, challenges of the human ...

Literature refers to the creative works of art that include drama, poetry, nonfiction, and fiction works. Literature is a tool that is used to describe the language, tradition, and the culture of different societies. This is because; literature deals with the cultural, and the historical artifact of the society. Through literature, the young members of the society learn about the culture of the society, and the economic activities that a certain society involves. The intended meaning in literary works is discovered by studying the works of an author and analyzing the work according to how the message is said. Interpretation of ...

Introduction

Ancient Greek literature refers to the kind of literature that was written in the language of Ancient Greece from the time of the earliest texts to the time of the rise of the empire of Byzantine. The period of Greek literature stretches from the time of Homer to the time of the rise of Alexander the Great (Highet p.2). Mycenaean was the earliest Greek writings written on clay tablets using the Linear B syllabus. The Greek literature was well defined into literary genres that had an essential proper organization with both metrics and dialect. The ancient Greek literature involved ...

“Annabel Lee” is a sad and spooky poem that deals with the death of a beautiful young woman, which is not surprising, since that happens to be one of Edgar Allan Poe’s favorite subjects. The poem is about a beautiful memory that is also painful at the same time. Poe is recalling his memory Annabel Lee, who is his long-lost love, who meant more than just some teenage crush to him. Despite being children at the time, the two were madly and serious in love with each other. Their love was so strong that it was noticed even by the angels in ...

(Student’s Name)
(Instructor’s Name)
The Rhetorical Function of Carpe Diem in John Donne’s “Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed” and “The Flea”
Carpe diem is a Latin term which is usually interpreted as meaning "seize the day". However, as indicated by the website, <http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/carpe-diem.html>, the phrase actually means "'enjoy the day, pluck the day when it is ripe'" (para. 2). Additionally, the author of the website notes the following: "The extended version of the phrase 'carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero' translates as 'pluck the day, trusting as little as possible ...

Deferment can be said to be the art of postponing something and not cancelling the same. The short story by Toni, The Lesson, generally revolves around several characters. However, the narration is the first person by Toni Cade Bambara. On the other hand, the poem, Harlem, by Langston Hughes depicts an African American who seems disillusioned by the state of national affairs and the waning of hope for a better life.
In this critical analysis of the two literature works, I seek to assess the viability of how people respond when society tries bringing down people. This poses the ...

"Robert Hayden"

The poem Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden tells about a hardworking foster father who does not get any appreciation from anyone. Robert Hayden was brought up in a poor family and he admired a foster father next door. Robert Hayden attended University of Michigan with H. Auden where he got much influence from Auden to continue writing. Robert also appreciated the work of other poets and his became his role models. Since Robert was black, most of his writings concentrated on race and he had lots of concern with racial expression.
This particular poem was about a father who would wake ...

Introduction

Paul Klee was born on 18th December, 1879 in Munchenbuchsee, Switzerland. He was influenced by and participated in a variety of movements, which included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was an Art teacher in Germany up to 1933, when his work was declared indecent by the National Socialists (Biography.com 1). However, Klee contributed a lot in the field of Art as discussed below.
In 1908, Klee painted a figure study which was entitled “The Artist (Poet/Painter).” This title indicated that by this time Klee had a dual identity but towards the end of that year, his professional goals were only focused on ...

11th book of the Odyssey and the Aeneid by Virgil

Katabasis can be defined as a descent of some type; like moving downhill, a military retreat, sinking of the sun and winds or a trip to the underground. There exist numerous related meanings in rhetoric, poetry and modern psychology. This essay seeks to compare two katabasis i.e. the eleventh book of the odyssey and Aeneid.
In the two pieces, the heroes to the underworld are articulated exactly in the middle of the poems. They are extremely similar however the differences in the purposes as why the two are composed and the societies for which they have been created for means that ...

Thesis

Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ and Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’ are contrastingly different yet similar in some ways. While one is a poem, the other is a short story; however, they both seem to reveal a similar sentiment and expression of the protagonists. In ‘The Road Not Taken,’ the narrator, while waking on a road reaches a point where the road splits in two different directions. He stops to ponder which road to take and opts for the road less travelled. He was far from the madding crowd and close to nature. In ‘A Worn Path,’ the story revolves around ...

The Daffodils, also known as ‘I wandered lonely as cloud’, is one of William Wordsworth’s best known poems. It is also possibly one of the most mysterious ones in terms of its meaning and what the great poet was truly implying through this simple, melodious work. Traditional analysts have approached it as a straight forward reflection on nature, a poet’s description of a sight that moved his heart in more ways than he had realized at the time. However, I believe that the poem has much deeper meaning than one first perceives. Wordsworth has made a remarkable statement on human nature, ...

Whatever Happened to Narratology?Author(s): Christine Brooke-Rose Source: Poetics Today, Vol. 11, No. 2, Narratology Revisited I (Summer, 1990), pp. 283-293Published.
Chris Brooke Rose has an agenda to determine what happened to narratology. She is concerned about the differences that exist between the poetics and poetry itself. “Did narratology ever have that air of a neo-divine activity in which to formulate is to function, and to function is to self-verify?” (pg 283). Narratology is the study the aspects of storytelling that are relevant to the mind of an individual. This relevance must be visible in all form through ...

The basic nature of the Psalms rests in the expression of unconditional trust and love in God (Futato and Howard, 2007). It is the need for humanity to express this in order attains wisdom that rests at the heart of this Psalm. From beginning to end, the core lesson is the vital need to let go of the mortal and temporal world and trust in the Lord. This element of purity is exemplified in the Psalm 62 written in the unmistakable tenor of hope and confidence. Argued to be written as a song of praise unto God, the sense of ...

Analysis of the Shakespeare sonnets

The 1st seventeen Sonnets send a message to the poet close friend, he has an unknown identity, and he assumes that the friend exists. He is trying to convince the friend to make a move and start a family. The main aim is to install his beauty to the offspring’s that will be born as a result of marriage. The poet says that, “From the fairest creatures, from all beautiful creatures, we desire increase, we want offspring, riper, more ripe (1-10).
The major theme in the Shakespeare sonnets is Love; it conquers all the other themes. Apart from love, there are ...

Introduction

The book of Daniel is a unique book in the Old Testament. It contains visions, dreams and supernatural proclamations. There are some notions in the bible that are easy enough to understand but then there are also some notions that are hard to decipher. The prophecies of Daniel fall in the category of notions that are hard to understand. While commenting on the seventy sevens in the book of Daniel, John Walvoord said they were vital in understanding Old and New Testament prophecies.In the midst of all the great prophecies, the prophecy regarding the Seventy Weeks still stands out as ...

Introduction

The book of Revelation is not the most popular book of the bible and many skip through it claiming it is too hard to understand. Others have said that chapter 20 is too controversial and as such a uniform interpretation will never exist Some theologians have claimed that the book of Revelation was not written in a chronological manner and that Revelation 20:1-6 does not immediately follow Revelation 19:11-21 but rather it deals with the same events albeit from a different angle. While the later has been claimed to speak on the destruction that came upon Jerusalem in 70 AD and the ...

Introduction

Philip Freneau’s To Sir Toby chronicles on the slavery experienced on the Caribbean islands. This is because the residents undergo suffering in the hands of the slave masters at the landmass. Freneau applies vivid imagery and expressive language to portray inhuman practices by slave owners. The poet tries to discourage this habit by condemning the actions of the slave masters. For instance, he opposes slavery on every level from acquisition of people as possessions, to labelling them, to brutalizing them like animals. As a result, the poem is useful as it serves as a passionate work about the wrongs of ...

James Mercer Langston Hughes, one of the most influenced writers, thinkers and poets of Harlem Renaissance was born on February, 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. It was that time of twentieth century when America was suffering from great political crisis because of the assassination of President William McKinley. Pathways to prosperity had opened its doors at the turn of twentieth century in America, but Hughes seriously felt that he and his other African-American fellows are excluded from these opportunities. They experienced extreme discrimination in education and employment. Hughes experienced a lonely and bad childhood which had a strong influence on his poetry. ...

Introduction

Literature is an art which communicates an idea be in the form of poem or prose. The way the word is woven to form sentences befitting the theme, and at the same time, conveying the message is an art in itself. In fact, there are many instances where two different literary works written at different times have a similar theme to convey. One set of such two works are the poems “The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost” and “I Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys.” Though he titles seem different, they have something in common to share ...

One of the most prolific, incendiary and thought-provoking poets and authors of the latter part of the 20th century, Charles Bukowski firmly established himself as a unique voice in American popular culture. Focusing on the filth and grime of American masculinity and machismo, Bukowski’s works touched on the ‘real’ America, a place filled with alcohol, sex and depravity, taking place primarily in the city of Los Angeles. This highly influential writer has also been the subject of numerous critical discourse, attempting to break down his works into their subtextual and compositional elements to glean greater meaning from them. Starting from ...

Introduction

Sylvia Plath is one of the most admired and dynamic poet of the 20th Century. She was mostly known for her book the Bell jar which was a collection of poems. Her poetry represented a self loathing and disturbing stance that could probably have been prompted by the tough life she had led as a child and under the care of her authoritarian father. According to Biography.com (n.p), her poetry was “highly acclaimed” due to its “confessional style,” linking her to other confessional poets like Anne Sexton and Robert Lowell. This paper should present facts about Sylvia Plath’s early life, career ...

1. Opie and P. Opie. “The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes.” Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn. (1997): 100–1. Print
A new edition to the classic nursery rhymes anthology, has over 500 nursery rhymes, jingles, songs and lullabies that are passed on to children from generation to other. With every nursery rhyme, Iona and Peter Opie, have provided huge information about the poets, the earliest publication of the work, its originations, and changes in wordings that have taken place over time. Iona and Peter Opie are a team of folklorists who apply modern techniques to the ...

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Introduction

Art, whether it is performing arts or the visual, has very reflective and philosophical result on the human mind. Art has inspired and shaped thousands of years of the society, as made obvious by the countless galleries, museums, venues and theaters around the whole world to the present day. The art affects each person in a different way, which is true exquisiteness of the art. The art is performed by the artists. The artists have used different mediums as a mode to influence opinion of the people all through the history, for both gracious and crooked reasons. ...

Death has been a recurrent theme in Emily Dickinson’s poems. In the poem, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, too the poet weaves the words to portray the somber inevitability of human life. She uses symbolism throughout her work to create the ambience. The poet utilizes the character of Death in this poem as an extended metaphor. The poem goes on to delve deep into the nature of real death—the greatest truth of human nature. In this poem, the poet describes death as the final destination of life and explores symbolically how death caressingly guides one through ...

The modern world is dominated by technological influences that have seen a change in the lifestyle and behavior of man. A comparison is always made on how the day-to-day life of man is being influenced by the technological developments. This has different impacts on people depending on how they handle the changes. Observing the behavior displayed by man, one can only be amazed at the power of how technology has turned man from being a naturally social creature to a machine like individual. Robert frost is one of the modern poets who has observed the changing trend in man even with the ...

Essay Exploring “Realistic Love” Portrayed in Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays.”

Robert Hayden’s biography is a story that begins in a difficult poverty, a tough family life and poor eyesight that prevented him from the occupations that many youth busy themselves. This trials turn into an unlikely success; with Hayden becoming the first black American to by appointed the Poet Laureate of the United States. Still, his background is present in his work. His personal history shines through in his famous poem “Those Winter Sundays.” On a reading recorded on The Poetry Foundation’s website, Hayden says before reciting the poem, “Here’s a poem that comes directly out of my boyhood in Detroit.”( ...

Romanticism is a historical era that began in the late 18th century. Its peak was around 1800 to 1850 when it had a massive influence in Europe. Romanticism is defined as an artistic and intellectual movement comprised of an individual's interest in nature and validation of high emotions and imaginations in expression. Romanticism was a rebellion against the established social classes and conventions. It was a movement established in search of personal freedom in terms of political and artistic elements. Romanticism in particular was a revolt against the age of enlightenment and a reaction to industrialization. Members of romanticism toiled to revive their history and ...

On the surface, the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight appears to be a simple tale of a knight who accepts a difficult quest and, fulfilling it, returns to the court at Camelot, victorious. However, upon further exploration of the poem, much about its meaning becomes increasingly ambiguous. For example, the poem’s fourteenth century poet could have had a very different intent concerning ideas of chivalry and temptation than a modern reader may assume after reading the poem. Literary scholars argue over the meaning of Sir Gawain in terms of ideas about chivalry, temptation, the role of women, and the place of ...

"Next, Please" by Philip Larkin

Expectation and hope are some of our most basic human traits; we always hope for a glad future, in which all of our problems will be solved and better days await us. In Philip Larkin's poem "Next, Please," however, that concept is argued to distract us from the ever-fleeting present, as the author notes how much time we spend (or waste) on promises and expectations instead of living in the now. While the poem starts out light, it quickly descends into dark implications for those whom Larkin is chastising (Reibetanz, 1982).
In the first verse, Larkin seems to tease ...

Birds have been applied in poetic imagery since time immemorial. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries apply birds in the same taste and scale. Ordinarily, the common thread in the use of birds is the position it assumes in the poetry. Birds tend to represent two contrasting yet essential matters. That is freedom and captivity. Free birds and their lives have been applied across the centuries’ poetry to represent freedom of the people, of the beauty of love and freedom. On the other hand, the same birds have been applied illustratively to show the concept of captivity. The latter applies ...

Robert Frost is considered one of the greatest American poets of all time. He created imagery and cultural memes that exist in American culture to this day; indeed, some of what is considered trite and overdone in poetry was introduced into the art by Frost. “Mending Wall,” one of Frost’s most famous pieces of poetry, is particularly prevalent and common in American culture, even today. Different critics analyze the text of “Mending Wall” differently, but there are a few different camps that analyses of this particular poem fall into.
Some critics, while analyzing “Mending Wall,” take into account ...

‘’Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’’

-Robert Frost (Mountain Interval 1920)

The annals of poetry have seldom seen poetry as effortless as Frost’s. Seemingly simple, his poems are thought provoking, creating an impression on first time readers instantly. Frost is the Father Christmas of literature; with something for everybody. His writing style protects his poems from becoming obsolete, appealing to the aesthetics of readers across ages. He is revered for his strong command on the colloquial American dialogue which makes his poems appear real for laymen, as if ...

Beowulf is amongst the most famed poems in old English. Beowulf consists of about three thousand lines and was drafted in England in the late 800’s AD. It was published in the Anglo-Saxon epoch from 449 AD to 1066 AD. During those days the theme fate, death, and afterlife were so trendy in British literature works. In the poem, a war lord from Geats rises to the salvage of Hrothgar, the ruler of the Danes whose territory is under siege by a monster, Grendel. Beowulf sails through and conquers Grendel. To demonstrate his proficiency, he even slays Grendel with his ...

Introduction

‘After great pain, a formal feeling comes’ is a well acclaimed short poem by American poet, Emily Dickinson. Dickinson lived an isolated and comfortable life in her father’s house. Emily Dickinson is now considered as one of the most noteworthy American poets but there was a time when she was known for her unique prosaic lifestyle. Only a small number of literary works written by Dickinson were published during her lifetime. She wrote hundreds of poems that were discovered after her death. This paper intends to discuss the poem, ‘After great pain, a formal feeling comes,’ one of the most famous literary works ...