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Recommended: Poem analysis
Poetry can portray very visual imagery, so sometimes simple attention to the format of the poem can convey a lot, since imaginations are often stirred by a poem’s visual presentation. In, “Looking for a Friend in a Crowd of Arriving Passengers: A Sonnet,” by Billy Collins, the same line, “Not John Whalen.” is repeated continuously on thirteen separate lines throughout the poem, providing a visual display of a single individual waiting for a friend, as disembarking passengers file past him one by one. Through the use of word omission, a three-word, simple sentence structure and repetition, in the poem “Looking for a Friend in a Crowd of Arriving Passengers: A Sonnet,” Billy Collins conveys the understanding that he is searching a crowd. Poems, books and even sentences can have different meanings by omitting words. The whole poem, “Looking for a Friend in a Crowd of Arriving Passengers: A Sonnet”, is constantly only using the same three words, “Not John Whalen”. (Collins) By omitting other adjectives and only using the word “not” it leaves room for questions. Who is not John Whalen? Is the speaker of the poem looking at a girl, and old man, a child, or a dog? These are the questions that the sonnet …show more content…
left me with after reading it. By foregoing the usual alliteration, wordplay, and extensive vocabulary to create pictures for the reader, the simplistic usage of the adverb "not" at the beginning of each sentence and the omission of adjectives and other references to specific individuals is an effective use of sentence structure. This omission coupled with the short sentence length, encourages readers to adjust their reading speed independently, allowing the creation in their mind of a picture, as well as a experiencing a feeling of anxiousness each time the sentence is read. The obvious juxtaposition between the long and dauntingly complex sentence structure of the title and the simple three-word sentence structure of the body of the poem, conveys of feeling of crowdedness.
In the difficult task of locating a friend in the crowd, the author seems singularly focused, as this short sentence structure is used for dramatic effect. The line, “Not John Whalen.” (Collins), comprises the first thirteen sentences of the poem. Using the adverb “not” at the beginning of each sentence attaches a stronger emphasis on the negative emotion than if each sentence were written in longer, complete sentence form. The simple sentence structure starts to get very repetitive, which creates a feeling inside of you that you too are also trying to find John
Whalen. Throughout the entire poem Collins uses repetition to prove his point of not being able to find his friend in a crowd. The repetitive nature of the sentence "Not John Whelan." (Collins) reflects the difficulty in finding a needle in a haystack. Further, this repetition reveals the frustration and anxiousness of trying to locate someone in a crowd while the final sentence of the poem represents relief, "John Whalen." (Collins). The repetition builds tension and anxiety dramatically with this final resolution at the end. Thoughts of giving up run through your head while reading this poem, and it really makes you think that John Whalen is never going to be found. But at the last second, the final line finally gives you a chance to breath once the speaker ultimately finds John Whalen. Although the poem is not what one would label a conventional sonnet, with the aid of an iambic pentameter within the fourteen-line poem, Collins further pokes fun at the poetic style of a sonnet. Employing the use of repetitive language seems to further satirize people in a crowd, who to the author, appear to display obvious tunnel vision as they look for friends and loved ones.
This book starts in the pre-revolutionary time. At the beginning of the book, Johnny Tremain, is working as an apprentice to Mr. Lapham. Mr. Lapham is a blacksmith. Johnny’s parents died in a fire several years before, and this is why he lived with the Laphams. He worked there with enthusiasm for several years until he hurt his arm, scolding it in hot metal. After the accident, Mr. Lapham told Johnny that he needs to find a different profession, but he can stay with the laphams.
The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly. His outside actions of touching the wall and looking at all the names are causing him to react internally. He is remembering the past and is attempting to suppress the emotions that are rising within him.
... is shown moreover through these pauses. We also see that he places question marks at the end of sentences, which is another way he is showing us the uncertainty in the voice of society. Through his punctuation and word placement, we clearly see the voice of society in his poem, but in a way that tells us not to conform to it.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
Billy Collins has used a specific metaphor, simile, rhyme and personification in his poem ‘Introduction to poetry’ in order to show how one should better understand a poem. This poem focused on what the poem actually mean and how a poem should be clearly understood. Throughout the poem, Billy Collins has presented a clear way of understanding the poem by using a very interesting imagery, symbolism, metaphor and a very sensitive sound. The words used in this poem are so powerful that the readers are convinced to think about the issue presented in the poem.
..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.
John Jay was born in New York City on December 12, 1745 and was a self devoted leader that help the United States get to where it is today. He served a very important role in the Founding Fathers establishment as well as bringing overall greatness to the country. He devoted himself to the American Revolution as well as becoming the first Chief Justice of the United States. Serving in the Continental Congress, and becoming president of the congress gave him great power and confidence within himself.
“On Being Cautioned against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because it was Frequented by a Lunatic,” Charlotte Smith’s sonnet, comments on the poet’s feelings toward this lunatic and the thought process he instigates in her mind. By using different syntax to describe her two characters, Smith draws the attention of the reader to the message in the sonnet instead of the scene on the surface. The structure of the English sonnet also lends to the poem’s power, giving Smith a perfect avenue to deliver her message.
...e speaker admits she is worried and confused when she says, “The sonnet is the story of a woman’s struggle to make choices regarding love.” (14) Her mind is disturbed from the trials of love.
A sonnet is a fixed patterned poem that expresses a single, complete thought or idea. Sonnet comes from the Italian word “sonetto”, which means “little song”. Poem, on the other hand, is English writing that has figurative language, and written in separate lines that usually have a repeated rhyme, but don’t all the time. The main and interesting thing is that these two poems or sonnets admire and compare the beauty of a specific woman, with tone, repetition, imagery, and sense of sound.
By concurring to the Italian sonnet’s rules and exploiting the room he was left to utilize, not only does Wordsworth create a poem that is both coherent and clever, he leaves the reader with a sense of communion, that he isn’t alone in the world. A brief moment of solace is sometimes all one asks for, and “Nuns Fret Not” has shown us how it’s obtained.
Henley establishes the sense of suffering that the speaker is experiencing through the use of multiple literary devices. By beginning the poem with images of darkness and despair, Henley sets the tone for
The Taxi, by Amy Lowell, is an Imagist poem that relies heavily on imagery, rather than abstract ideas, to reveal meaning to the reader. The author uses free verse to allow the images and lines to speak for themselves and stand alone as individual lines. By doing so, each line offers its own tone and meaning, which then adds to the overall feel of the poem. Lowell wrote this poem to a love interest, clearly stating the meaning of the poem. She speaks as if the reader is the one being called after. The reader is entranced in her short poem filled with imagery to set the mood; the dire, last goodbye that seemed to separate the two forever. The poet's love for this person was also shown in her other works, and has made it very clear that there was a connection (Highleyman). This connection reveals the theme to be that she is lost without love. Before breaking the poem down into fragments for a line-by-line analysis, it can first be analyzed as a whole.
First of all, the poem is very exquisite and dramatic. It appeared imaginable as like I see the blood on the deck, a man crying. Also, from first to last part, speaker’s voice had changed; he hold his captain’s head with deep grief, and eventually he walked weekly through on the deck. The situation of the poem is that a ship is reached to the port. And the people on the ship were exulting
Canfield Reisman, Rosemary M. “Sonnet 43.” Masterplots II. Philip K. Jason. Vol. 7. Pasadena: Salem Press, 2002. 3526-3528. Print.