Brown Penny: Poem Analysis

Art has been around for as long as humanity has existed, and it is much more than just drawings or paintings. Art is what every a person makes of it. Art can be drawings, paintings, writings, or even dancing, but never is it contained to just one of those things. As we explore just two aspect of art it is important to realize that there is no right or wrong way to look at the art. Art comes in many different forms, in which they are all interpreted a little differently by different people. For me, when I read a poem I do not instantly know what the poet is trying to say and I don’t find it as interesting, but when I look at a painting so many more thoughts comes and I can’t help by imagine what that artist was thinking while he was painting.

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet born June 13, 1865. From a young age Yeats studied poetry. Eventually becoming one of the foremost figures of the 20th century literature. Yeats won a Noble Prize in Literature in 1923. He passed away January 28, 1939. When I first read The Lover pleads with his Friend for Old Friends, by William Butler Yeats, I could immediately tell it was one of my favorite poems I have ever read. For one thing the poem is incredibly short, but that is just a bonus. What I really loved about this poem was that it has a very clear cut message, even though you have new friends never forget the old ones because they were there long ago and while your beauty fades for others it won’t for them. This poem hits hard for me because I have moved away from everyone I know, and as I make new friends it reminds me that the people from my past are still very important.
Brown Penny, also a poem by William Butler Yeats, is another one of my top poems that we have read because of the imagery it provides.

During the poem he writes of “loops of her hair”, and all I can think about is when I make loops with my own hair and play with it. Other than a very relatable imagery in the poem, it is also about love, which is almost always captivating to read about. While I read this poem I felt as though a man is not sure if he is ready to love, but he is being told that if not yet in love then he is wasting his time. The poem makes it feel like there is never a wrong time to begin love, and that it is all up to the

person.
Pablo Neruda was born July 12, 1904, in Parral, Chile. Later he would be awarded the International Peace Prize (1950) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1971). Being a poet was not the only thing Neruda did though, he was also held several Chilean diplomatic positions. Eventually Neruda was hospitalized with cancer and passed away September 5, 1973. I’m Explaining a Few Things, by Pablo Neruda, was the very first poem we read in class. What captivated my attention the most about this poem was the imagery, with every line read pictures appear in my mind. Imagery is not the only thing to be notices though, smells and sounds come to mind too. When Neruda writes, “My house was called the house of flowers, because in every cranny geraniums burst: it was a good-looking house with its dogs and children.” I can clearly in my head picture this small house surround my flowers, and I can also imagine the beautiful smell created by the abundance of flowers. The way Neruda goes from beautiful and happy to dark and depressing is also something that made me like the poem. Not many poets created such beautiful thoughts, only to quickly replace them with ugly picture of the “hell” that his home had become.
Odysseas Elytis was born November 2, 1911, in Heraklion, Greece. In 1979 he won a Nobel Prize in Literature. He passed away March 18, 1996. Out of my top four poems July’s Word, by Odysseas Elytis, was easily the hardest one for me to interpret. I eventually came to realize that Elytis was writing about the circle of life. The things he used to illustrate repeating and endlessness are what interested me. He jumped from one thing to another and made it hard to keep up with, but it gave me the most random images in my head. The ending of the poem was the only part that made any sense to me. I felt as though the ending just tied it all together, and made the randomness disappear. What I interpreted was that for everything time and the circle of life continues, it stops for no one or thing.
Claude Monet was born November 14, 1840, in Paris, France.

At an early age he developed a love for drawing. After many years, hardships and losing his wife, Monet would finally gain financial and critical success during the late 1880s and 1890s. Many of his well-known paintings would come from this time. My favorite thing out of everything we have read and looked at in class is Sunrise at the Sea, by Claude Monet. Paintings have always spoke louder to me than words, when I look at this painting I make so many more connections than I had with anything else. I grew up always around the water, so I could see every detail as if I was there. I can imagine the ocean and the waves it brings. I can see the boats, and the way the clouds protect the sun from shining through. I can smell the sea water and the sea life, such as seaweed that is brought up to the shore. I can feel the breeze blowing in my face and the light splashes of water hitting me after the waves strike the side of the boat. I can hear the waves strike the side of the boat, the wind as it travels, and the low or ever high whine of a boat motor traveling. To me a picture is a thousand words, and allows a perception that no poem has ever given

me.
Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” There is no quote that is truer than this one. Painting and poetry are one in the same, they both have a way of captivating a persons’ attention. There is no right or wrong when it comes to art, and that is one of the most amazing things about it. Art is one of the most beautiful things we have on earth, and it gives every person a chance to express themselves.