To an Athlete Dying Young by A. E. Housman

1. Original Text

The time you won your town the race  

We chaired you through the market-place;  

Man and boy stood cheering by,  

And home we brought you shoulder-high.  

  

To-day, the road all runners come,    

Shoulder-high we bring you home,  

And set you at your threshold down,  

Townsman of a stiller town.  

  

Smart lad, to slip betimes away  

From fields where glory does not stay, 

And early though the laurel grows  

It withers quicker than the rose.  

  

Eyes the shady night has shut  

Cannot see the record cut,  

And silence sounds no worse than cheers 

After earth has stopped the ears:  

  

Now you will not swell the rout  

Of lads that wore their honours out,  

Runners whom renown outran  

And the name died before the man. 

  

So set, before its echoes fade,  

The fleet foot on the sill of shade,  

And hold to the low lintel up  

The still-defended challenge-cup.  

  

And round that early-laurelled head

Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,  

And find unwithered on its curls  

The garland briefer than a girl's.

2. Initial Reaction

                A. E. Housman’s “To an Athlete Dying Young” is so profoundly praising the thought of dying young. The narrator seems to think that because the runner was able to die at a young age, he was able to skip the sad reality that would hit him when other runners began to be his times and cast a shadow on his legacy. The poem is about the virtues of dying young and that the longer people tend to live, the more disappointed you will get.

3. Paraphrase

That time you won the race for your town

We carried you around the town square;

Boys and men stood around cheering,

And we brought you home on our shoulders.

  

Today, the path all runners must run,

Shoulder-high we brought you home,

A place you at your resting place,

Townspeople of a quieter town.

  

Smart boy, to slip too early away

From life where fame doesn’t stay,

And even though fame and victory came during a young age

It disappears faster than a rose.

  

The dark night has shut your eyes

Can’t see how you got beat by another runner,

And quiet sounds no worse than claps

After death has stopped your hearing:

Now you will not puff up the disorder

Of lads that wore their pride out,

Runners whom lost their fame

And their victories died before they did.

So die, before its sound fades,

The running foot on the edge of darkness,

And hold to the low rafter up

The still-yours winner’s cup.

And around that you victor head

Will come together to gaze at the weak dead,

And find fresh on its locks

The swag shorter than a girl’s.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The poem has 7 stanzas with 4 lines each. Each line has 8 syllables. The rhyme scheme is in AA BB format, which produces a then and now feeling. Because of the 8 syllables a line, the poem gives a pace much like the footsteps of a runner. The sentences are of simple structure and give their meaning willingly. Some of Housman’s words have some symbolic meaning. His use of race can relate to the general idea of accomplishing something. There isn’t any tricky word play in the poem.

I = Imagery

                Housman calmly and naturally gives the setting for the funeral and what occurs. The way he describes what is happening allows readers to image themselves at the funeral seeing the casket being carried to the grave. When the narrator describes the laurels and the challenge-cup, it seems very easy to image a runner in all his pride and honor standing on a first place podium.

F = Figurative Language

                Housman uses some figurative language in his poem. The first example of it is his large metaphor for victory and achieving something that you’ve always wanted to do in life. The race that he talks about could be referring to a man’s crowning achievement in life that in time may be forgotten just like a runner may be forgotten by the town he ran for. Housman also uses personification in the lines “Eyes the shady night has shut” and “After earth has stopped the ears.” He also uses apostrophe in the opening stanza by making the narrator talking directly to the deceased runner.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem is that of admiration and maybe just a little envy. The narrator ironically praises the dead runner for dying before he lost his fame. He feels that the runner got lucky by dying before the laurels withered. The poem’s tone obviously contains respect and glorification of a runner who was famous for his entire life instead of living to see his flame die.

T = Theme

                The theme of Housman’s poem is that of the short life of fame. One should live their life to the fullest and try to accomplish as much as they can in as short of period as possible because you never know when death will strike. The narrator warns that a long life could be degrading because you could lose the fame that you once enjoyed in youth.

5. Conclusion

                My initial reaction was partly correct in the sense that the poem is about how dying early could give you the pleasure of never having to witness the decline of your fame. Housman is trying to show the embodiment of what all people want in life: to leave a mark and forever be in memory. The narrator warns that the only way to be famous and remembered is to die before people forget about you. Housman is saying that the longer someone lives, the more disappointment and sadness that will accumulate.

Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats

1. Original Text

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
    Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
    A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunt about thy shape
    Of deities or mortals, or of both,
        In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
    What men or gods are these?  What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit?  What struggle to escape?
        What pipes and timbrels?  What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
    Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
    Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
    Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
        Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal - yet, do not grieve;
        She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
    For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
    Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
    For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
    For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
        For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
    That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
        A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
    To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
    And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea shore,
    Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
        Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
    Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
        Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

O Attic shape!  Fair attitude! with brede
    Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
    Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
    When old age shall this generation waste,
        Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
    Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
        Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

2. Initial Reaction

                This poem was the most amazing thing ever. I was blown away by how complex and difficult to understand it was. John Keats masterfully captured something amazing in his ode. The poem is about the beauty of mankind and how the urn depicts history. It talks about how man is a beautiful creature that has forever left its make in history.

3. Paraphrase

You are still a silent virgin beauty,
    A picture that is unmoving and quiet,
Ancient historian, why can’t really express
    A lofty tale more beautifully than our song:
What forest fringed legend looks like your body
    Of gods or humans or both,
        In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
    What men or gods are these?  What maidens loth?
What mad running?  What struggle to escape?
        What pipes and timbrels?  What wild pleasure?

Melodies that are heard are amazing, but those unheard,
    Are even more amazing: therefore, you joyful pipes, play on;
Not to the physical ear, but, more endear'd,
    Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, you can not leave
    Your song, nor can these trees become bare;
        Bold lover, never, never can you kiss,
Though almost achieving victory - but, do not grieve;
        She cannot fade, though you have no bliss,
    For ever will you love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
    Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring goodbye;
And, happy melodist, not tired,
    For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
    For ever warm and still to be enjoyed,
        Always panting and always young;
All breathing human passion far above,
    That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloyed,
        A hot forehead, and a dry tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
    To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Leading you cow lowing at the skies,
    And all her silken flanks with garlands dressed?
What little town by river or sea shore,
    Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
        Is emptied of this folk, this religious morning?
And, little town, your streets for evermore
    Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
        Why your art uninhabited, can ever return.

O loft shape!  Pleasing attitude! with brede
    Of marble men and maidens stressed,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
    Your, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
    When old age shall this generation waste,
        Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
    Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
        Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The complexity of the ode is added to by the structure of the poem. Keats uses strong and long sentences as a way to communicate the beauty of the urn. There are 5, 10 line stanzas. Keats uses rhetorical questions to ponder the wonders of the urn. Because the poem is of olden times, it is very formal, archaic, and moves words around to display a hidden meaning.

I = Imagery

                The ode is rich with imagery because the main part of the poem is the detailed description of the urn to allow readers to imagine exactly what the urn is depicting. The poem describes youthful lovers, a musician and a fair maiden, a tree with a musician under it, and a priest and townsfolk attending a sacrifice. Keats’ uses some amazing diction sentence structure to perfectly describe the beauty of man forever frozen in time on the Grecian urn.

F = Figurative Language

                Keats uses different types of figurative language to describe the pictures on the urn. He uses repetition in lines 17 and 25 and also uses apostrophe to address the urn and the people and objects on it. Keats also uses personification by writing that about a tree and saying “Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu”. Keats uses paradoxes multiple times in the poem. One example is that man’s interpretation of art is futile just like comparing life and the lifelessness of the urn’s depictions.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem seems to be that of admiration and wonder at the amazing scenes that the urn depicts. The narrator seems to be amazed at how perfectly the urn could contain the beauty of humanity and the nature around us.

T= Theme

                “Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” These last two lines of the poem perfectly show the theme of the poem. Keats is trying to say that beauty is all man can gain from the world around him, and it is all he needs to know about the world. He claims that beauty is the truth of earth, and the truths of earth are its beauty.

5. Conclusion

                My initial reaction was true for the most part. The poem focuses on the beauty on man and how the urn was able to immortalize this beauty. Keats seems to be trying to say that the only thing that will stay when we all die is the beauty that we created and that the world has in its surrounding. He claims that the beauty of the earth is the only truth because it is the only thing that can withstand the test of time that everyone parishes to.

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

1. Original Text

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

2. Initial Reaction

After first reading this poem, it seems as though the poem is about a man who seems a girl singing alone in the fields. The man is mesmerized by her singing and wishes to know what she is talking about. William Wordsworth writes that no bird could sing more beautifully and be as inviting as this singing. The traveler in the poem wishes to know what the sad song is about and desires to never forget the memory that he had of the singing.

3. Paraphrase

Look at her, alone in the field,

One lonely Highland girl!

Reaping and singing all alone;

Stop and listen or pass by quietly!

She cuts the heads off the grain by herself,

And sings a sad song;

Please listen! for the thoughtful valley

Is enclosed by the sound.

No Nightingale ever sang

More amazing notes to tired groups

Of travelers in some dark trouble

Among the desert;

A voice this astounding has never been heard

In the springtime from the Cuckoo-birds,

Taking away the peace of the seas

All the way to the farthest islands.

Can no one tell me what she is singing about?—

Maybe the mournful lines are

For past, sad, far away things,

And fights a long time ago:

Or is for another small reason,

A familiar feeling to all?

Some normal sadness, loss, or hurt,

That has happened, and may happen again?

Whatever the theme is, the girl sang

As if her song had no ending;

I saw her singing while she was working,

And was bending over a sickle;—

I listened while not moving and being still;

And, as I climbed up the hill,

I bore the music in my heart;

Long after I stopped hearing it.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The poem has 4 stanzas each with 8 lines. The rhyme scheme is ABABCCDD, but the first and fourth stanzas’ “A” rhyme is a little off. Wordsworth uses a lot of punctuation and also uses questions to show curiosity and fascination at the maiden’s song. Wordsworth uses a lot of archaic words to symbolize a sort of ancient and old feeling or event that has occurred numerous times in history. He also uses words such as melancholy, sorrow, and shady to show the tone of the poem. Wordsworth also uses the word Hebrides, which is an archipelago off Scotland, and the word vale, which is a vast river valley.

I = Imagery

                Wordsworth wants the readers to imagine a windy, solitary field with a single girl singing by herself while still laboring because the day is a day like any other. He paints a picture with his vivid use of archaic and profound word choice. Wordsworth makes the reader feel at calm and curious as to how amazing the song is while still lighting a fire under our brains. He writes about deserts and birds at night that call out to travelers and allows the reader to imagine a traveler walking by the field.

F = Figurative Language

                There isn’t much use of figurative language in the poem. Wordsworth may be using a very complex metaphor to equate the song of the girl to the tantalizing call of evil but thrilling experiences that may later make you feel sad. The poem focuses mainly imagery instead.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem is that of curiosity and praise at the theme of the song that the solitary reaper is singing. The narrator praises the singing and is amazing by how thought-provoking the poem and wishes to ascertain as to why she is singing such a sad song.

T = Theme

                The theme of the poem is that of amazement at the power and of song. Wordsworth is trying to show how that even though someone is sad and disheartened by things that happened in the past, the present is still here and work needs to be done. The narrator is struck by the singing and is forever changed by it. Wordsworth is trying to show that all beauty should be appreciated, even that of a melancholy song.

5. Conclusion

                My initial reaction was correct for the most part. The narrator is curious and amazed at the singing of the single lady. He is amazed at the power of the song and says that the singing is much better than that of any bird that tries to lure travelers to it. The poem is mainly about the sadness of memories past and how something of such beauty can incite people to remember these sorrowful past events. Wordsworth is trying to make readers think about the power of words and how they make people remember sad things that hurt them in the past.

The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats

1. Original Text

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky;

Upon the brimming water among the stones

Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me

Since I first made my count;

I saw, before I had well finished,

All suddenly mount

And scatter wheeling in great broken rings

Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,

And now my heart is sore.

All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,

The first time on this shore,

The bell-beat of their wings above my head,

Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,

They paddle in the cold

Companionable streams or climb the air;

Their hearts have not grown old;

Passion or conquest, wander where they will,

Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,

Mysterious, beautiful;

Among what rushes will they build,

By what lake's edge or pool

Delight men's eyes when I awake some day

To find they have flown away?

2. Initial Reaction

                The poem seems to reflect the yearning to be free like the swans that can at any moment fly away into the sky. Yeats’ seems to be talking about man’s wish to be free and live life as they want. The poem seems to reflect the feeling that time is flying away over one’s head. Yeats seems saddened at the thought and is mournful because of it. The poem talks about a couple that used to have love but now have become still and quiet and have decided to settle down forever.

3. Paraphrase

Nature is in autumn and is lovely,

There is no rain on the paths,

Under the October night sky the water

Reflects a calm sky;

On the high water among the rocks

Are 95 swans.

The 19 autumn has come around

Since I first started to count them;

I saw, before I had finished enjoying it,

All suddenly take off

And fly off in great broken rings

On their rowdy wings.

I have looked at these amazing animals,

And now my heart is aching.

All has changed since I, hearing at night,

The first time I came to this shore,

The beating of their wings above my head,

Trod with a softer flap.

enduring still, aficionado by aficionada,

The move along in the cold

Cheerful streams or fly into the air;

Their hearts haven’t become shriveled;

Love or fighting, moving around where they want to,

Is still how they live life.

But now they just move along slowly on the calm water,

Strange, stunning;

Among what grass will they create,

By what lake’s side or puddle

Enchant men’s eyes when I wake up some day

To find that they have left me?

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The poem is constructed as 5 stanzas and is iambic with a rhyme scheme of ab cb dd. Each stanza contains one sentence or in another sense, one clear, discernable idea. The word choice isn’t complex and doesn’t seem to contain alternative meanings. The overall word choice does seem to voice a sad melancholy feeling throughout the poem.

I = Imagery

                The visual imagery is developed through the entire poem to describe the swans. Yeats uses visual words to describe the location, flight, and nature of the swans.  Yeats uses the earth, water, and air to help readers imagine the immortality and freedom of flighty and drifting in a lake. Most imagery connects the swans to a perfect existence of freedom.

F = Figurative Language

                Two major extended metaphors throughout the entire poem are unrestricted freedom of swans and helplessness of man’s struggle to become free and immortal. Yeats figurative language equates the swans to freedom and happiness. Yeats also uses slight personification by giving emotions and feeling to the swans that not only have freedom but always remember the feeling of love.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem is one of admiration and longing. Yeats loves the beauty and immortal feeling of freedom that the swans possess. He is amazed at the consistency of the swans because they always fly back and forth from one home to another no matter how old they get. They have the ability to fly away and be free when Yeats cannot. Yeats is sad and envious that he can’t be as free as the swans who take flight.

T = Theme

                The theme of the poem is the restrictions set upon man. So many things stop man from having a never-ending journey. Death, time, and gravity stops man from being free from the ground. Yeats feels as though he is drudged down and shackled by the daily routine of his life and cannot get free. He is jealous of the swans who can take flight whenever and is free to fly anywhere he wants.

5.  Conclusion

                Part of my initial reaction was correct but major parts of it were incorrect. Yeats was actually try to write about the feeling of imprisonment that many people feel. The daily life that holds them down to earth and doesn’t allow them to be free makes man envious of the swans that can fly away at any time. Yeats wishes he could do as the swans and leave his life and do something amazing and uplifting. Sadly he is stuck in the calm waters of reality that slowly makes one cold and hard in the heart.

The Oven Bird by Robert Frost

1. Original Text

There is a singer everyone has heard,

Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird,

Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.

He says that leaves are old and that for flowers

Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.

He says the early petal-fall is past,

When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers

On sunny days a moment overcast;

And comes that other fall we name the fall.

He says the highway dust is over all.

The bird would cease and be as other birds

But that he knows in singing not to sing.

The question that he frames in all but words

Is what to make of a diminished thing.

2. Initial Reaction

               

                The poem seems to be about a bird that is enjoying the summer. The bird is having fun and loves to sing but is sad that the summer is almost over. He doesn’t know how he should feel because even though summer, which is the best time of the year, is still going on, it is going to end soon. Once it ends, the bird will again be sad and wish that the summer would hurry up and start again. Robert Frost seems to be trying to equate this to human life or something of the sort.

3. Paraphrase

There is a person everyone has heard about,

Noisy, a middle of the summer and middle of the woods type of bird,

Who is so loud that he makes the tree trunks vibrate.

He sees the leaves as old things and that in regards to flowers

Mid-summer is to spring as gold is to dirt.

He says that the early beauty is all past,

When pear and cherry bloom flew to the ground like showers

On sunny days with a few clouds;

And comes the other decline we call fall.

He says that the highway dust is everywhere.

The bird would stop and be like the other birds

But that he knows that while singing not to sing.

The question is asks in everything but words

Is what to do with this almost gone thing.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                Frost uses words that give a true summer feeling. He writes about pears and cherries blooming. He perfectly describes those peaceful mid-summer days that many wish for. The poem has an obvious rhyme scheme of AABCBDCDEEA’FA’F. Even though the poem is 14 lines it does not follow any of the rhyme schemes of sonnets. His word choice makes it so that there are no dark or foreboding words, but, rather, he works to keep it bright while asking a hard question at the end of the poem.

I = Imagery

                Frost is elegant use of words allows readers to imagine the picture he is trying to paint with his poem. The beginning of the poem is like a description of nature. He writes about a bird and the way the bird sings. His description of how the “pear and cherry bloom went down in showers” allows readers to imagine a beautiful scene and warms the soul.

F = Figurative Language

                Frost uses some figurative language in “The Oven Bird” to compare a bird to humans. In the first line, he writes “There is a singer everyone has heard.” Frost is trying to make people think about how this singer could mean a bird or a human.  Frost uses personification by saying that a bird frames a question “in all but words”. His major use of figurative language is to equate this questioning and confused bird to himself or others.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem is one of remorse and grief at what has been lost. Many poems talk about time and how once it is used up, it never comes back. Frost understands this and is saddened that the first half of the summer is gone. He is confused because he doesn’t know if he should feel sad that part of the summer is gone or if he should feel happy because he still has half of the summer left.

T = Theme

                Time, time, and Time are what all men worry about. It is something that can never be regained. Frost brings this problem to the simplest of desires. Seasons are mortal and so is the happiness that one is feeling at the moment. The theme of the poem is the sadness of losing half of the summer. It is the confusion of if someone should be happy that half the glass is full or be sad that half the glass is empty.

5. Conclusion

                My initial reaction was wrong of some levels. Frost was actually equating the sadness of a bird that misses the flowers and leaves that could have been used to make a nest to that of humans who are sad that they wasted half of the summer. The poem is actually about time lost. Frost wonders what to do with the half that is left of a thing. The anticipation of the summer that started in the spring is all gone, and the realization that summer is almost half way over begins to kick in during the mid-summer. Frost questions whether optimism or pessimism is the better thing to feel at that time.

Telephone Poles by John Updike

1. Original Text

They have been with us a long time.
They will outlast the elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a savage sieving the trees
In his search for game,
Run through them. They blend along small-town streets
Like a race of giants that have faded into mere mythology.
Our eyes, washed clean of belief,
Lift incredulous to their fearsome crowns of bolts, trusses, struts, nuts, insulators, and such
Barnacles as compose
These weathered encrustations of electrical debris¬
Each a Gorgon’s head, which, seized right,
Could stun us to stone.
Yet they are ours. We made them.
See here, where the cleats of linemen
Have roughened a second bark
Onto the bald trunk. And these spikes
Have been driven sideways at intervals handy for human legs.
The Nature of our construction is in every way
A better fit than the Nature it displaces
What other tree can you climb where the birds’ twitter,
Unscrambled, is English? True, their thin shade is negligible,
But then again there is not that tragic autumnal
Casting-off of leaves to outface annually.
These giants are more constant than evergreens
By being never green.

2. Initial Response

                This poem seems to talk about actual telephone poles. John Updike is trying to praise humankind’s advancement towards the future by showing the might of something we don’t seem to notice. The telephone poles, which are something we made, are become more useful and powerful than nature itself. This poem seems to be about admiration of the growth of human civilization.

3. Paraphrase

We’ve always had them.
They’re going to live longer than elms.
Our eyes, like the eyes of a crazy person cutting the trees

In their search for prey,
Run through them. They blend into little town roads
Like a breed of monsters like are now something no one remembers.

Our eyes, that see no more proof,
Look up amazed at the connection of bolts, inductors, and sparks.

Little nicks and pieces jutting out
These old glob of electrical waste.

Each with an amazing head, which if strong enough
Could electrocute us to death.
Yet they are mankind’s objects. We created them.
Look here, where the shoes of workers
Have created a second layer
Onto the original pole. And these nails
Have been put horizontally so that we can climb up them.
The reason we made these poles is

A better look from what used to be here naturally.

In what other trees could you sit next to birds,

Unscrambled, is in English, right? Yes, there is some shade,

But there also isn’t any change if it’s autumn

Falling off of leaves to become bare every year

These giant poles are more steady than evergreens

Because they are never green.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                John Updike uses easy to understand words and language. The structure seems fairly normal with no elaborate use of syntax or word choice. The poem flows from one idea to another smoothly and makes it easy for others to understand its figurative language and other characteristics. He uses some words from mythology and references to other things in life.

I = Imaginary

                Updike asks the readers to use their imaginations and create a world that many already live in nowadays. It is a world with towering buildings and human-made trees. He transforms the image of telephone poles in cities to that of predators that feed on trees. The way he describes the poles and the way that they are created is intuitive and allows readers to imagine unnatural objects.

F = Figurative Language

                Updike makes references to the Bible and mythology in the poem. He describes the top of the poles like Gorgon heads because just like the Gorgon, if you though the top of a pole, you could shock yourself and die. He also connects the poles as “woods with spikes in it,” which could be an allusion to the Crucifixion. He also compares humanities eyes to those of a savage who looks past trees and don’t care about nature.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem seems to be in admiration of the greatness and wonder of these majestic human creations. He feels that humanity is responsible for moving away from the beauty of nature and creating such dangerous and gruesome creations.

T = Theme

                 

                                The theme of the poem is of the creations of mankind. Telephone poles represent our destruction of nature and creation of monsters that could kill us. Updike shows that even the most harmless and simplistic of our creations are as dangerous as a Gorgon’s head.

5. Conclusions

                My initial reaction may have been slightly off. Rather than praising humanity on its skill and finesse of creating such magnificent structures, Updike is actually trying to tell of the destruction and horror that mankind is creating. He compares the poles to the Gorgon’s head and talks about how dangerous they are. Updike worries about the death of trees and that people may begin to stop thinking about the beauty of nature.

On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High by D.C. Berry

1. Original Text

Before
I opened my mouth
I noticed them sitting there
as orderly as frozen fish
in a package.

Slowly water began to fill the room
though I did not notice it
till it reached
my ears

and then I heard the sounds
of fish in a aquarium
and I knew that though I had
tried to drown them
with my words
that they had only opened up
like gills for them
and let me in.

Together we swam around the room
like thirty tails whacking words
till the bell rang

puncturing
a hole in the door

where we all leaked out

They went to another class
I suppose and I home

where Queen Elizabeth
my cat met me
and licked my fins
till they were hands again.

2. Initial Response

                This poem is about a teacher at a high school.  The speaker in the poem, who is a teacher, is trying to teach his students how to swim; they act as though they are drowning even though they are fish. The speaker talks about how the bell punctures a hole into the door, and the great pressure pulls the students out into other classrooms. The teacher goes home and is calmed down by his cat until he turns back into a normal human who just relaxes at home.

3. Paraphrase the Poem
Before
I began to talk
I saw them waiting there
In neat order and frozen stiff
In a box.

Slowly words began to fill the place
Though I didn’t notice it
Till I heard it
With my own ears

And then I heard some sounds
Of students learning hard
And I knew that even though I’d try to frustrate them
With all my talking
That they had listened up
Like gulping down everything
And letting me into their minds.

Together we talked inside the room
Like thirty mouths throwing around words
Till the school bell rang
Creating
A vacuum-like hole in the door

Where we all left out from

They went to other classes
I guess and I went home

Where Queen Elizabeth
My cat came next to me
And liked my cover
Till I became a normal human again.

4. SWIFTT
               
SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                D.C. Berry uses no set structure for the poem, which is free verse. He portrays the classroom as an aquarium and the students in it as fish. He uses different words to relate this. For instance, he uses the word “gills” in part to describe how the students opened up to his words. The teacher’s words are represented by water, and he mentions how they swam around the room to describe a discussion they had.

I = Imagery

                The biggest images that Berry uses are the classroom being an aquarium and the students being fish. The speaker in the poem says that he thought his words were drowning them but notices that “they had opened up like gills for them”. This is great imagery and allows readers to get a sense of how the teacher felt and responded to the students swimming around the room.

F = Figurative Language

                The poem is full of figures of speech. Berry first uses this instrument when he describes the students by calling them “as orderly as frozen fish in a package”. The next time he uses figurative language is when he describes how the students listened intently and earnestly to him by creating gills to take in the water that was his words. The speaker also says that he and the students discussed things together “like thirty tails whacking words”.

T = Tone

                The tone in the beginning of the poem is disappointed at uninspired at the sight of the teacher’s frozen package of fish.  Then, the students become interested and participate in the class discussion, so the speaker because inspired and delighted at the intensity of the class. He is filled with wonderment at the delight of the students.

T = Theme

                The theme of the poem is that people can inspire others to learn and become active. It is that knowledge is power, and that people shouldn’t believe completely what they see. For example, in the beginning of the poem, the teacher believes that the student are like senseless fish who won’t remember what he is about to tell them. To his surprise, they do, which reinforces the theme of inspiration and belief in man.

5. Conclusions

                Part of my initial reaction was correct. The teacher feels as though today would be just another ordinary boring day at school but is surprised when he students actually begin to care and listen to his words. He is inspired by them because they are inspired by him, which shows that both parties are feeding off of each other and learning more than they had ever imagined from each other. D.C. Berry shows that there are ways to help inspire students to learn as much as they can and become efficient students of life and school.

War is Kind by Stephen Crane

1. Original Text

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom--
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!

2. Initial Reaction

                My first reaction to this poem is surprise at the speaker because he only consoles the mother, lover, and daughter of the dead soldier by saying that war is kind and that he died gloriously. Stephen Crane seems to be writing about the stupidity of death in war and the anger of losing a young man who leaves so many behind. I was amazed that the speaker describes the death of the soldier to his loved ones by repeatedly saying that war is a kind time and that it doesn’t hurt those around it because they died with honor.

3. Paraphrase the Poem

Don’t cry, young woman, because war is gentle,

Because you man threw his crazy hands into the air

And the scared horse ran with no one on him,

Don’t cry.

War is gentle.

Gruff, loud drums of the legion,

Little spirits who can’t wait to fight,

These soldiers were born to dig and die.

The mysterious glory lies above them.

Great is the god of war, great, is his land—

A field where many dead bodies lie down.

Don’t cry, little girl, because war is gentle.

Because your dad falls in the sickly trenches,

Hit in his chest, swallows and dies,

Don’t cry.

War is gentle.

Fast flaming flag of the legion,

Eagle made of red and gold,

These soldiers were born to dig and die.

Show them the merits of destruction,

Make them seem the goodness of killing

And a field where many dead bodies lie down.

Mother whose heart hung meekly as a button

On the shiny beautiful shroud of your child,

Don’t cry

War is gentle!

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The poem is a free verse with the repetition of the two phrases “Do not weep” and “War is Kind”. Crane uses these two phrases to emphasis, first, telling someone not to cry over the dead, and, second, that war is kind and caring. These are both great examples of word choice because the show the irony that Crane wants to allow readers to see. Crane uses a great many words to express the emotion that should go along with reading the poem. He also uses some words to show a great contrast between what the speaker is saying and what it actually means.

I = Imagery

                Crane uses a multitude of words to allow readers to get a good sense of what the speaker is describing. The first of many such examples would be how the “lover threw wild hands towards the sky”. Crane is trying to describe a soldier’s last breath and how the man reaches for the stars. Another example is Crane’s description of the kingdom of the battle-god. By using the words “a field where a thousand corpses lie”, Crane is able to allow readers to better understand the dominion of someone very evil.

F = Figurative Language

                There are no similes and metaphors in the poem. There is, however, the allusion to Lucifer or a god of war of some sort when Crane writes “battle-god”. Crane is trying to show how fighting and war is just a game of the higher beings and that man should not take pride in killing and senseless deaths.

T = Tone

               

                The tone of the poem is sarcastic, bitter, and stupefied at the love for fighting and the sense of glory and pride it gives. The speaker shows sarcasm and bitterness when he tells the family of the lost not to cry and that war is kind and giving, not evil and greedy.

T = Theme

                The theme of the poem is anger at the glorification of death and fighting. The poem centers around the stupidity of war and leaving those that you love and who love you behind. The poem try to show that there is no pride and honor in war by being ironic and sarcastic.

5. Conclusion

                My first reaction towards the poem was correct in many ways. The poem does revolve around the idea that there is no honor to be found in war, just death and devastation for those left behind. I was correct in that the poem shows the faultiness of a soldiers love for war and gaining pride and honor in fighting. The poem also has no reference to God and his hand in the problems of man.

Musee des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden

1.  Original Text

About suffering they were never wrong,
The old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position: how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

2. Initial Reaction

 My first response to the poem was confusion at how the author moved from one subject to another so quickly. Then, I began to understand some of what Auden is speaking about. He talks of how suffering and bad events are natural and that people go on with their lives even though something terrible may be happening close by. He talks of children not caring about what goes on around then. Auden talks about the painting by Breughel of the landscape around the fall of Icarus into the ocean. Auden says that the ships and people who saw it occur had lives they had to live and things they had to do. Auden focuses on the normality of bad events in life.

3. Paraphrase Poem

With regards to pain they were always right,

The great artists: how amazingly well they understood

Its natural state: how it occurs

While someone is just going about their daily routine;

How the old are just waiting,

For a great occurrence, there is always

Ignorant people who don’t really care about it, playing

Around in the woods outside:

People always remember

That also great disasters and death must occur

And in another part of the world

Where dogs just live out their lives and a horse

Scratches its butt on a tree.

In Breughel’s Icarus: how all turn away

With ease from the disaster; the farmer may

Have heard him fall and cry out in help,

But for him it wasn’t really that important of an event; the sun was shining

And the painting had white legs falling in the green ocean

Water, and the rich ship that should have seen

Something crazy, a boy falling from the sky,

Had somewhere to be and moved on quietly.

4. SWIFTT

SW = Syntax/Word Choice

               

                The first and most obvious specific choice of words is the title of the poem itself. It is referring to a museum of fine arts, which means that the story will contain mentions of a painting or something of that nature. Auden also uses the words “human position” to show that disasters and agony are commonplace and occur around us. “Children” also shows that Auden is viewing people as ignorant to the happenings of the world around them. The syntax is also very interesting in the poem. Auden allows the poem to flow from one idea to the next with ease and uses prepositional phrases to emphasize his meanings quite well.

I = Imagery

               

                Auden uses imagery in many cases during the poem. The first example of this is his description of people going about their daily lives. It shows that these people care not about what is going on around them. A very obvious example of imagery is when Auden refers to Breughel’s Icarus, which is a painting depicting the scenery at the moment that Icarus fell from the sky.  Auden also uses the words “expensive delicate” to describe a ship that was at the location of Icarus’s fall to help show readers that the people who turn away are snobbish and ignorant for not helping.

F = Figurative Language

                There isn’t much figurative language in the poem because there was never any real need for it. There are no obvious cases of figurative language that can be found.

T = Tone

               

                The tone of the poem is nonchalant and seems to just be describing a normal day in the world rather than showing the ignorance of man. The tone is also critical of the indifference to daily occurrences during the second part of the poem.

T= Theme

                The theme of the poem is apathy. Man cares not for the misfortunes that befall others to the extent that they would try to show to others. The theme plays on the example of no one helping a boy who had fallen into the ocean. The theme is harsh towards the ignorance of man to his surroundings and how people only care about what is happening to them.

5. Conclusion

                My initial response was correct to a degree. The author first talks about the conclusion in the first part of the poem and describes how he got to such a conclusion in the second part of it by using a painting he saw in a museum. Auden is surprised at the apathy and non-response of mankind to the suffering of others. He talks of man as children who do not see what is going on around then. Auden describes how humans live in corners not caring about what is happening to others. He describes the painting by Breughel of Icarus who fell into the ocean from the sky. He is amazed how ships and farmers went about their daily business without trying to help him. Auden is shocked at the ignorance of man.