Poetry Project

 

“

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

”

 
 

“The Tyger” by William Blake is a poem with religious connotations. I think of it as being a poem about God and the creation of Earth. Blake compares God to a blacksmith, “What the hammer?/ What the anvil?”(Lines 13/15).  The tiger represents evil; the evil which was created along with what is good and pure. The theme of the poems surrounds the question of how a benevolent God who created life and seeks for his creations to do good and be good could also create such a thing as evil. There are many wonderful things but there are also horrors and fear and bloodshed. God gave life to a creature as innocent as the lamb, could he also have created something which is its opposite, “[d]id he who made the Lamb make thee?”(line 20). What Blake is trying to convey is that, although evil is something that should not be looked up to or engaged in it is a creation of God. I enjoy this poem for a few reasons. It holds a theme which is very interesting to consider, something one could spend much time pondering. In addition, because it is an older poem– which is reason enough for it to be enjoyed- written in 1794, it has a rhythmic, almost musical quality when read aloud. Two poetic devices which stand out in the poem are end rhyme and metaphor. Throughout the entire poem we see or hear the end rhyme. Second is the metaphorical aspect. The tiger is a metaphor for evil. The metaphor is also part of the theme of the poem.

Blake, William. "The Tyger". The Poet's Craft. Ed. Robert J. Ireland. 89. Print.

 

 

“

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain

 

”

             Robert Frost wrote, “Acquainted with the Night”, a poem about depression and loneliness. Specifically it is a poem describing the author’s or speaker’s own depression and feeling of isolation. It is not very broad about one’s state of mind or experiences when feeling depressed. Also, with the emphasis on the word ‘I’ it can clearly be interpreted as the specific feelings of either the speaker or perhaps the author himself. One of the saddest and most pristine representations of the speaker’s feeling of isolation is the hearing of a cry which made him or her stop, but the call out in the night was not for them, did not have anything to do with them, “ [a] cry/came from another street/ but not to call me or say goodbye”(lines 8-10). It is a beautiful but solemn poem with a cold and serious theme. Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. I enjoy many of his poems, this one included. His poems are written smoothly and eloquently. “Acquainted with the Night” discusses a theme which is serious and heartbreaking. It is able to speak of loneliness, and depression, and the feeling of isolation clearly but without striking the reader in the face with it. Also, I enjoyed the poem for the way it was written in iambic pentameter: I love music and this form gives the poem a musical quality. Frost uses an ‘ABA’ ‘BCB’ rhyme scheme in the poem. The second line in a stanza will rhyme with the first and last line of the next stanza.  Moreover, repetition is used throughout the poem. To emphasize the personal connection with the theme of the poem the phrase “I have” is repeated. It is a rather beautiful poem with a sad theme making it very interesting to read.  

 Frost, Robert. "Acquainted with the Night". The Poet's Craft. Ed. Robert J. Ireland. 32. Print.

 

 

“

 

A wind by night in Northern lands
Arose, and loud it cried,
And drove the ship from elven-strands
Across the streaming tide.

When dawn came dim the land was lost,
The mountains sinking grey
Beyond the heaving waves that tossed
Their plumes of blinding spray.

Amroth beheld the fading shore
Now low beyond the swell,
And cursed the faithless ship that bore
Him far from Nimrodel.
 

”

 
 

                 This poem, "The Song of Nimrodel", is written as a lament for the fair Nimrodel. There is no indication, however, that she died. It is only known that she disappeared and was never seen again. It is also a poetic love story. Amroth and Nimrodel with enchanted by each other, deeply in love. Amroth is carried to sea aboard a ship and away from Nimrodel after she vanished. Even so, he could not bear to leave. He abandons ship and swims for shore, where upon he searches for her. No tell is heard of either of them. Primarily I believe the poem is about love. It is a beautiful piece of writing. It is a fantastical poem with a mysterious and mythical quality, something I really enjoy. It is sad and sweet as well but not in the more modern style. There is more to it than simply those feelings. "The Song of Nimrodel" is powerfully descriptive. A consistent 'ABAB' rhyme scheme is used in the poem. There are also some elements of sound play like alliteration such as, "dawn came dim"  or " fair she was and free".     

 

Tolkien, J.R.R. "The Song of Nimrodel" The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. Toronto:1971-1977. 354-55. Print

  

 

 

“

 

The sky turns to a different shade of blue,
After the rain,
My mind turns to a different point of view,
After the rain,

 Like the ocean needs the moon to take the tides away,
All we need's a little time to chase the blues away,
The sun is out and it feels like it's always gonna stay,
Let this last forever and turn tomorrow,

Now all the clouds have nothin' left to do,
After the rain,
And all those doubts have drifted out of you,
After the rain,
 

”
  

 

              Sugar Ray’s song, "Into Yesterday", is purely about being happy. It is a song about looking forward, past the clouds, past the rain. There is nothing about rain or clouds being a negative symbol. When the clouds are out and it starts to rain, we need to look past it because everything seems so much greater after the rain is gone and the sun is shining. The song is about letting the 'blues' go. Everyone feels unhappy at times, every now and again we need the rain, and given enough time, we all can smile again and enjoy life, the sun will emerge again. I love this song because of its upbeat rhythm. The music and the lyrics are inducers of smiles and happiness. There is not really anything about the song that I don't like. It projects a great message and positive energy. There are quite a few poetic devices used in "Into Yesterday". End rhyme and repletion are the most prominent. The phrase "After the rain" is used several times which emphasizes its significance. One should always look forward to what comes after the rain. There is a third poetic device as well. I found some personification in the line, " the clouds have nothin' left to do". As far as I understand, clouds don't concern themselves with what they have to do or what they are doing. Also, the line " the ocean needs the moon to take the tides away" is an example of personification. Although the moon does cause the motion of the tide, the ocean does not require the moon to do so.

 

 

 

Fox, Steve. Frazier. Stanton, Charles. "Into Yesterday". Ultimateguitar.com /sugar_ray. n.d. Web.