Poetry Analysis

http://www.pittsfordschools.org/webpages/gwiener/index.cfm?subpage=20708

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird  -Wallace Stevens

Paraphrase: Blackbirds are often mistaken as unholy creaters; a dark omen if you will. However, the author contradicts these beliefs by claiming that these birds are one with us. Stevens view of blackbirds are different and bring a whole new perspective to the human eye. In other words, he basically questions those who are afraid of the blackbird and tries to make them see better.

Purpose: Why are people blind towards what is a beauty of nature? The author emphasizes the purpose by wanting them to know his view towards the birds. He wants them to look at something claimed devilish and see reflected beauty. We are all one and the same.

Structure: Stanzas separated by Roman Numerals, reaching to the number thirteen, hence the title. No rhyming intended in the stanzas. Stanzas consisting of two to seven lines in a mixed order.

Shift: It starts out with first narrative but then shifts into third person and narrates other characters.

Speaker: Third person narrative.

Spelling/Grammar/Diction: Some rhetorical questioning; repetitive word in every stanza, "blackbird"; easy going language that was simple to comprehend, yet sometimes puzzling to the readers.

Tone: Questioning, calm, analytical.

Theme: Why must blackbirds be such misunderstood creatures when they are no different than us? We are all one and the same. Let us not fear what we find no beauty in, for there is always beauty to be found.

Because I Could Not Stop For Death  -Emily Dickinson

Paraphrase: Dickinson really outdid herself with this poem. I really love it. Anyway, why must death be feared when death is patient with us? "Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me." Her journey with death is of a civil nature and is with no haste.

Purpose: To describe that death does not affect our sense of enjoyment in our lives. She rather invites death to her with care as death has done for her.

Structure: Five stanza poem with four lines in each. Rhyming every other line in a quartet. (I'm not very good at wording the structures of poems.)

Shift: The shift goes through her entire lifespan, but is very short and is one line before switching to another metaphor symbolizing her life passing by.

Speaker: Emily Dickinson herself, I presume.

Spelling/Grammar/Diction: She uses a LOT of metaphors such as "passed the fields of gazing grain" representing the growth of her childhood and "...a house that seemed a swelling of the ground" representing her grave. Also "The roof was scarcely visible..." representing the tombstone as the roof. The language was fairly understandable though and I enjoyed it.

Tone: Care-free, insightful, serene

Theme: Do not push death away, rather, let death invite you kindly when the time comes into a world of eternity. Live the fullest and do not waste moments waiting for death, let him wait for you.

Lady Lazarus  -Sylvia Plath

Paraphrase: The Holocaust is no joking matter. A jewish woman within that time period describes the atrocities of her adversities with the Germans. With each revival, she is wanting to be closer to death, and being nothing but skin and bones, she has no choice but to contribute with these tortures.

Purpose: Plath wanted to show her view of the Holocaust through the eyes of a character suffering through the attempted deaths that the Nazi's have inflicted. A poem that puts such an unforgettable event in a whole new light for those who are unaware of what went on.

Structure: Stanzas consisting of three lines; free verse.

Shift: The shift is rather unrecognizable. It mainly stays through the character's perspective of her near death experiences and vows of revenge so as to relieve herself through the clutches of death.

Speaker: First person character. Name... Lady Lazarus? I'm not quite sure.

Spelling/Grammar/Diction: Language was choppy and plainly clear to the readers. She used symbolism by comparing the character to a Pheonix, where she is burned and then reborn from the ashes.

Tone: Daunting, morbid, myserious, angry, exhuasted, gloomy

Theme: The tormented souls in the Holocaust are represented in this one character, who years for death after decades of agony. Innocent souls are burned and Plath did a great job at showing the world her view on such a horrendous event.

I Go Back to May 1937  -Sharon Olds

Paraphrase: Someone has traveled back in time to see their parents dating, ready to start a life together. However, as romantic as that sounds, this person regrets them ever meeting for in the future holds nothing but dread and bad decisions from them. No matter how much that person wants to intervene and stop such futuristic events, the value of life is much more important and that person would rather live and tell about it.

Purpose: Perhaps Sharon Olds wrote the poem becuase it is a representative of her life and her regrets; it's of wishing for a better life. This is an educated guess considering every author has a connection with their work, but this could also be in the persepctive of someone close to her and SHE is the motherly figure.

Structure: All one stanza and it's free verse.

Speaker: First person and it could be Sharon Olds who is narrating it

Spelling/Grammar/Diction: Very straight to the point; uses anaphora such as "you are going to..."; diction is plain and she uses short, concise sentences that is easily understandable to the readers.

Tone: Nostalgic, sorrowful, analytical

Theme: I presume the theme to be that the past is in the past and we can only learn from it. Changing the past doesn't set the future in stone and facing it is better than running from it. (Lion King reference.)

Annabel Lee  -Edgar Allan Poe

Paraphrase: One of my favorite poems by Poe. The narrator's unforgetable love towards his deceased wife is voiced out as he assures that their love is unbreakable and forever holds strong even though she is no longer there and buried in a kingdom by the sea.

Purpose: This poem totally connects with the poet, Edgar Allan Poe, by the fact that he was wraught with grief after his wife had passed. He wrote in in a rememberance to her and as a way of expressing his love for her.

Structure: Multiple stanzas and rhyming every other sentence; most of the rhyming end with either "me" "sea" "Annabel Lee" and "we".

Speaker: Edgar Allan Poe is the narrator (first person)

Spelling/Grammar/Diction: Poe repeatedly uses the name of the title in this poem in every stanza, emphasizing the love he feels for her. He is rather repetitive and the language is multifaceted, but is clear and easy to understand.

Tone: Mournful, passionate, heart wrenching

Theme: Love is the theme of this poem. The bond of love between two people can never break even in death (no matter how cliche that sounds) and this love that the poet felt for his deceased bride is an example of strength in the heart.