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