synopsis of the poet (essay)

The Poet - Emerson Poetry

• Essays: Second Series ›

A moody child and wildly wise Pursued the game with joyful eyes, Which chose, like meteors, their way, And rived the dark with private ray: They overleapt the horizon's edge, Searched with Apollo's privilege; Through man, and woman, and sea, and star, Saw the dance of nature forward far; Through worlds, and races, and terms, and times, Saw musical order, and pairing rhymes. Olympian bards who sung Divine ideas below, Which always find us young, And always keep us so.

In his essay "The Poet," Ralph Waldo Emerson explores the nature of poetry, the creative process, and the role of the poet in society. Emerson sees poets as individuals with the unique ability to perceive and communicate the underlying beauty, truth, and interconnectedness of the world. According to him, the poet's role is to be a "liberating god" who can elevate and inspire others through the power of their words and imagination.

Emerson believes that true poets possess a deep intuition and understanding of the natural world, enabling them to articulate universal truths and emotions. Their work transcends ordinary language, giving expression to the "inexpressible" and revealing the hidden connections between all things. For Emerson, poetry is a unifying force that can bridge the gap between the material and the spiritual, the individual and the collective, and the mundane and the divine.

In "The Poet," Emerson emphasizes the importance of originality and authenticity in creative expression. He argues that great poets must be able to break free from tradition and convention, tapping into their inner vision to create works that genuinely resonate with others. By doing so, they can elevate the collective consciousness, awaken a sense of wonder, and ultimately transform the world through the power of their art.

Overall, Emerson's essay offers a profound and insightful exploration of the nature of poetry, the creative process, and the role of the poet in society, highlighting the power of art to illuminate the human experience and inspire change.

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Those who are esteemed umpires of taste, are often persons knowledge of admired pictures or sculptures, and have an inclination for whatever is elegant; but if you inquire whether they are beautiful souls, and whether their own acts are like fair pictures, you learn that they are selfish and sensual. Their cultivation is local, as if you should rub a log of dry wood in one spot to produce fire, all the rest remaining cold. Their knowledge of the fine arts is some study of rules and particulars, or some limited judgment of color or form, which is exercised for amusement or for show. It is a proof of the shallowness of the doctrine of beauty, as it lies in the minds of our amateurs, that men seem to have lost the perception of the instant dependence of form upon soul. There is no doctrine of forms in our philosophy. We were put into our bodies, as fire is put into a pan, to be carried about; but there is no accurate adjustment between the spirit and the organ, much less is the latter the germination of the former. So in regard to other forms, the intellectual men do not believe in any essential dependence of the material world on thought and volition. Theologians think it a pretty air-castle to talk of the spiritual meaning of a ship or a cloud, of a city or a contract, but they prefer to come again to the solid ground of historical evidence; and even the poets are contented with a civil and conformed manner of living, and to write poems from the fancy, at a safe distance from their own experience. But the highest minds of the world have never ceased to explore the double meaning, or, shall I say, the quadruple, or the centuple, or much more manifold meaning, of every sensuous fact: Orpheus, Empedocles, Heraclitus, Plato, Plutarch, Dante, Swedenborg , and the masters of sculpture, picture, and poetry. For we are not pans and barrows, nor even porters of the fire and torch-bearers, but children of the fire, made of it, and only the same divinity transmuted, and at two or three removes, when we know least about it. And this hidden truth, that the fountains whence all this river of Time, and its creatures, floweth, are intrinsically ideal and beautiful, draws us to the consideration of the nature and functions of the Poet, or the man of Beauty, to the means and materials he uses, and to the general aspect of the art in the present time.

The breadth of the problem is great, for the poet is representative. He stands among partial men for the complete man, and apprises us not of his wealth, but of the common-wealth. The young man reveres men of genius, because, to speak truly, they are more himself than he is. They receive of the soul as he also receives, but they more. Nature enhances her beauty, to the eye of loving men, from their belief that the poet is beholding her shows at the same time. He is isolated among his contemporaries, by truth and by his art, but with this consolation in his pursuits, that they will draw all men sooner or later. For all men live by truth, and stand in need of expression. In love, in art, in avarice, in politics, in labor, in games, we study to utter our painful secret. The man is only half himself, the other half is his expression.

Notwithstanding this necessity to be published, adequate expression is rare. I know not how it is that we need an interpreter; but the great majority of men seem to be minors, who have not yet come into possession of their own, or mutes, who cannot report the conversation they have had with nature. There is no man who does not anticipate a supersensual utility in the sun, and stars, earth, and water. These stand and wait to render him a peculiar service. But there is some obstruction, or some excess of phlegm in our constitution, which does not suffer them to yield the due effect. Too feeble fall the impressions of nature on us to make us artists. Every touch should thrill. Every man should be so much an artist, that he could report in conversation what had befallen him. Yet, in our experience, the rays or appulses have sufficient force to arrive at the senses, but not enough to reach the quick, and compel the reproduction of themselves in speech. The poet is the person in whom these powers are in balance, the man without impediment, who sees and handles that which others dream of, traverses the whole scale of experience, and is representative of man, in virtue of being the largest power to receive and to impart.

For the Universe has three children, born at one time, which reappear, under different names, in every system of thought, whether they be called cause, operation, and effect; or, more poetically, Jove, Pluto, Neptune; or, theologically, the Father, the Spirit, and the Son; but which we will call here, the Knower, the Doer, and the Sayer. These stand respectively for the love of truth, for the love of good, and for the love of beauty. These three are equal. Each is that which he is essentially, so that he cannot be surmounted or analyzed, and each of these three has the power of the others latent in him, and his own patent.

The poet is the sayer, the namer, and represents beauty. He is a sovereign, and stands on the centre. For the world is not painted, or adorned, but is from the beginning beautiful; and God has not made some beautiful things, but Beauty is the creator of the universe. Therefore the poet is not any permissive potentate, but is emperor in his own right. Criticism is infested with a cant of materialism, which assumes that manual skill and activity is the first merit of all men, and disparages such as say and do not, overlooking the fact, that some men, namely, poets, are natural sayers, sent into the world to the end of expression, and confounds them with those whose province is action, but who quit it to imitate the sayers. But Homer's words are as costly and admirable to Homer, as Agamemnon's victories are to Agamemnon. The poet does not wait for the hero or the sage, but, as they act and think primarily, so he writes primarily what will and must be spoken, reckoning the others, though primaries also, yet, in respect to him, secondaries and servants; as sitters or models in the studio of a painter, or as assistants who bring building materials to an architect.

For poetry was all written before time was, and whenever we are so finely organized that we can penetrate into that region where the air is music, we hear those primal warblings, and attempt to write them down, but we lose ever and anon a word, or a verse, and substitute something of our own, and thus miswrite the poem. The men of more delicate ear write down these cadences more faithfully, and these transcripts, though imperfect, become the songs of the nations. For nature is as truly beautiful as it is good, or as it is reasonable, and must as much appear, as it must be done, or be known. Words and deeds are quite indifferent modes of the divine energy. Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words.

The sign and credentials of the poet are, that he announces that which no man foretold. He is the true and only doctor; he knows and tells; he is the only teller of news, for he was present and privy to the appearance which he describes. He is a beholder of ideas, and an utterer of the necessary and causal. For we do not speak now of men of poetical talents, or of industry and skill in metre, but of the true poet. I took part in a conversation the other day, concerning a recent writer of lyrics, a man of subtle mind, whose head appeared to be a music-box of delicate tunes and rhythms, and whose skill, and command of language, we could not sufficiently praise. But when the question arose, whether he was not only a lyrist, but a poet, we were obliged to confess that he is plainly a contemporary, not an eternal man. He does not stand out of our low limitations, like a Chimborazo under the line, running up from the torrid base through all the climates of the globe, with belts of the herbage of every latitude on its high and mottled sides; but this genius is the landscape-garden of a modern house, adorned with fountains and statues, with well-bred men and women standing and sitting in the walks and terraces. We hear, through all the varied music, the ground-tone of conventional life. Our poets are men of talents who sing, and not the children of music. The argument is secondary, the finish of the verses is primary.

For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument, that makes a poem, — a thought so passionate and alive, that, like the spirit of a plant or an animal, it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. The thought and the form are equal in the order of time, but in the order of genesis the thought is prior to the form. The poet has a new thought: he has a whole new experience to unfold; he will tell us how it was with him, and all men will be the richer in his fortune. For, the experience of each new age requires a new confession, and the world seems always waiting for its poet. I remember, when I was young, how much I was moved one morning by tidings that genius had appeared in a youth who sat near me at table. He had left his work, and gone rambling none knew whither, and had written hundreds of lines, but could not tell whether that which was in him was therein told: he could tell nothing but that all was changed, — man, beast, heaven, earth, and sea. How gladly we listened! how credulous! Society seemed to be compromised. We sat in the aurora of a sunrise which was to put out all the stars. Boston seemed to be at twice the distance it had the night before, or was much farther than that. Rome, — what was Rome? Plutarch and Shakespeare were in the yellow leaf, and Homer no more should be heard of. It is much to know that poetry has been written this very day, under this very roof, by your side. What! that wonderful spirit has not expired! these stony moments are still sparkling and animated! I had fancied that the oracles were all silent, and nature had spent her fires, and behold! all night, from every pore, these fine auroras have been streaming. Every one has some interest in the advent of the poet, and no one knows how much it may concern him. We know that the secret of the world is profound, but who or what shall be our interpreter, we know not. A mountain ramble, a new style of face, a new person, may put the key into our hands. Of course, the value of genius to us is in the veracity of its report. Talent may frolic and juggle; genius realizes and adds. Mankind, in good earnest, have availed so far in understanding themselves and their work, that the foremost watchman on the peak announces his news. It is the truest word ever spoken, and the phrase will be the fittest, most musical, and the unerring voice of the world for that time.

All that we call sacred history attests that the birth of a poet is the principal event in chronology. Man, never so often deceived, still watches for the arrival of a brother who can hold him steady to a truth, until he has made it his own. With what joy I begin to read a poem, which I confide in as an inspiration! And now my chains are to be broken; I shall mount above these clouds and opaque airs in which I live, — opaque, though they seem transparent, — and from the heaven of truth I shall see and comprehend my relations. That will reconcile me to life, and renovate nature, to see trifles animated by a tendency, and to know what I am doing. Life will no more be a noise; now I shall see men and women, and know the signs by which they may be discerned from fools and satans. This day shall be better than my birth-day: then I became an animal: now I am invited into the science of the real. Such is the hope, but the fruition is postponed. Oftener it falls, that this winged man, who will carry me into the heaven, whirls me into the clouds, then leaps and frisks about with me from cloud to cloud, still affirming that he is bound heavenward; and I, being myself a novice, am slow in perceiving that he does not know the way into the heavens, and is merely bent that I should admire his skill to rise, like a fowl or a flying fish, a little way from the ground or the water; but the all-piercing, all-feeding, and ocular air of heaven, that man shall never inhabit. I tumble down again soon into my old nooks, and lead the life of exaggerations as before, and have lost my faith in the possibility of any guide who can lead me thither where I would be.

But leaving these victims of vanity, let us, with new hope, observe how nature, by worthier impulses, has ensured the poet's fidelity to his office of announcement and affirming, namely, by the beauty of things, which becomes a new, and higher beauty, when expressed. Nature offers all her creatures to him as a picture-language. Being used as a type, a second wonderful value appears in the object, far better than its old value, as the carpenter's stretched cord, if you hold your ear close enough, is musical in the breeze. "Things more excellent than every image," says Jamblichus, "are expressed through images." Things admit of being used as symbols, because nature is a symbol, in the whole, and in every part. Every line we can draw in the sand, has expression; and there is no body without its spirit or genius. All form is an effect of character; all condition, of the quality of the life; all harmony, of health; (and, for this reason, a perception of beauty should be sympathetic, or proper only to the good.) The beautiful rests on the foundations of the necessary. The soul makes the body, as the wise Spenser teaches: —

"So every spirit, as it is most pure, And hath in it the more of heavenly light, So it the fairer body doth procure To habit in, and it more fairly dight, With cheerful grace and amiable sight. For, of the soul, the body form doth take, For soul is form, and doth the body make."

Here we find ourselves, suddenly, not in a critical speculation, but in a holy place, and should go very warily and reverently. We stand before the secret of the world, there where Being passes into Appearance, and Unity into Variety.

The Universe is the externisation of the soul. Wherever the life is, that bursts into appearance around it. Our science is sensual, and therefore superficial. The earth, and the heavenly bodies, physics, and chemistry, we sensually treat, as if they were self-existent; but these are the retinue of that Being we have. "The mighty heaven," said Proclus, "exhibits, in its transfigurations, clear images of the splendor of intellectual perceptions; being moved in conjunction with the unapparent periods of intellectual natures." Therefore, science always goes abreast with the just elevation of the man, keeping step with religion and metaphysics; or, the state of science is an index of our self-knowledge. Since everything in nature answers to a moral power, if any phenomenon remains brute and dark, it is that the corresponding faculty in the observer is not yet active.

No wonder, then, if these waters be so deep, that we hover over them with a religious regard. The beauty of the fable proves the importance of the sense; to the poet, and to all others; or, if you please, every man is so far a poet as to be susceptible of these enchantments of nature: for all men have the thoughts whereof the universe is the celebration. I find that the fascination resides in the symbol. Who loves nature? Who does not? Is it only poets, and men of leisure and cultivation, who live with her? No; but also hunters, farmers, grooms, and butchers, though they express their affection in their choice of life, and not in their choice of words. The writer wonders what the coachman or the hunter values in riding, in horses, and dogs. It is not superficial qualities. When you talk with him, he holds these at as slight a rate as you. His worship is sympathetic; he has no definitions, but he is commanded in nature, by the living power which he feels to be there present. No imitation, or playing of these things, would content him; he loves the earnest of the northwind, of rain, of stone, and wood, and iron. A beauty not explicable, is dearer than a beauty which we can see to the end of. It is nature the symbol, nature certifying the supernatural, body overflowed by life, which he worships, with coarse, but sincere rites.

The inwardness, and mystery, of this attachment, drives men of every class to the use of emblems. The schools of poets, and philosophers, are not more intoxicated with their symbols, than the populace with theirs. In our political parties, compute the power of badges and emblems. See the great ball which they roll from Baltimore to Bunker hill! In the political processions, Lowell goes in a loom, and Lynn in a shoe, and Salem in a ship. Witness the cider-barrel, the log-cabin, the hickory-stick, the palmetto, and all the cognizances of party. See the power of national emblems. Some stars, lilies, leopards, a crescent, a lion, an eagle, or other figure, which came into credit God knows how, on an old rag of bunting, blowing in the wind, on a fort, at the ends of the earth, shall make the blood tingle under the rudest, or the most conventional exterior. The people fancy they hate poetry, and they are all poets and mystics!

Beyond this universality of the symbolic language, we are apprised of the divineness of this superior use of things, whereby the world is a temple, whose walls are covered with emblems, pictures, and commandments of the Deity, in this, that there is no fact in nature which does not carry the whole sense of nature; and the distinctions which we make in events, and in affairs, of low and high, honest and base, disappear when nature is used as a symbol. Thought makes every thing fit for use. The vocabulary of an omniscient man would embrace words and images excluded from polite conversation. What would be base, or even obscene, to the obscene, becomes illustrious, spoken in a new connexion of thought. The piety of the Hebrew prophets purges their grossness. The circumcision is an example of the power of poetry to raise the low and offensive. Small and mean things serve as well as great symbols. The meaner the type by which a law is expressed, the more pungent it is, and the more lasting in the memories of men: just as we choose the smallest box, or case, in which any needful utensil can be carried. Bare lists of words are found suggestive, to an imaginative and excited mind; as it is related of Lord Chatham, that he was accustomed to read in Bailey's Dictionary, when he was preparing to speak in Parliament. The poorest experience is rich enough for all the purposes of expressing thought. Why covet a knowledge of new facts? Day and night, house and garden, a few books, a few actions, serve us as well as would all trades and all spectacles. We are far from having exhausted the significance of the few symbols we use. We can come to use them yet with a terrible simplicity. It does not need that a poem should be long. Every word was once a poem. Every new relation is a new word. Also, we use defects and deformities to a sacred purpose, so expressing our sense that the evils of the world are such only to the evil eye. In the old mythology, mythologists observe, defects are ascribed to divine natures, as lameness to Vulcan, blindness to Cupid, and the like, to signify exuberances.

For, as it is dislocation and detachment from the life of God, that makes things ugly, the poet, who re-attaches things to nature and the Whole, — re-attaching even artificial things, and violations of nature, to nature, by a deeper insight, — disposes very easily of the most disagreeable facts. Readers of poetry see the factory-village, and the railway, and fancy that the poetry of the landscape is broken up by these; for these works of art are not yet consecrated in their reading; but the poet sees them fall within the great Order not less than the beehive, or the spider's geometrical web. Nature adopts them very fast into her vital circles, and the gliding train of cars she loves like her own. Besides, in a centred mind, it signifies nothing how many mechanical inventions you exhibit. Though you add millions, and never so surprising, the fact of mechanics has not gained a grain's weight. The spiritual fact remains unalterable, by many or by few particulars; as no mountain is of any appreciable height to break the curve of the sphere. A shrewd country-boy goes to the city for the first time, and the complacent citizen is not satisfied with his little wonder. It is not that he does not see all the fine houses, and know that he never saw such before, but he disposes of them as easily as the poet finds place for the railway. The chief value of the new fact, is to enhance the great and constant fact of Life, which can dwarf any and every circumstance, and to which the belt of wampum, and the commerce of America, are alike.

The world being thus put under the mind for verb and noun, the poet is he who can articulate it. For, though life is great, and fascinates, and absorbs, — and though all men are intelligent of the symbols through which it is named, — yet they cannot originally use them. We are symbols, and inhabit symbols; workman, work, and tools, words and things, birth and death, all are emblems; but we sympathize with the symbols, and, being infatuated with the economical uses of things, we do not know that they are thoughts. The poet, by an ulterior intellectual perception, gives them a power which makes their old use forgotten, and puts eyes, and a tongue, into every dumb and inanimate object. He perceives the independence of the thought on the symbol, the stability of the thought, the accidency and fugacity of the symbol. As the eyes of Lyncaeus were said to see through the earth, so the poet turns the world to glass, and shows us all things in their right series and procession. For, through that better perception, he stands one step nearer to things, and sees the flowing or metamorphosis; perceives that thought is multiform; that within the form of every creature is a force impelling it to ascend into a higher form; and, following with his eyes the life, uses the forms which express that life, and so his speech flows with the flowing of nature. All the facts of the animal economy, sex, nutriment, gestation, birth, growth, are symbols of the passage of the world into the soul of man, to suffer there a change, and reappear a new and higher fact. He uses forms according to the life, and not according to the form. This is true science. The poet alone knows astronomy, chemistry, vegetation, and animation, for he does not stop at these facts, but employs them as signs. He knows why the plain, or meadow of space, was strewn with these flowers we call suns, and moons, and stars; why the great deep is adorned with animals, with men, and gods; for, in every word he speaks he rides on them as the horses of thought.

By virtue of this science the poet is the Namer, or Language-maker, naming things sometimes after their appearance, sometimes after their essence, and giving to every one its own name and not another's, thereby rejoicing the intellect , which delights in detachment or boundary. The poets made all the words, and therefore language is the archives of history, and, if we must say it, a sort of tomb of the muses. For, though the origin of most of our words is forgotten, each word was at first a stroke of genius, and obtained currency, because for the moment it symbolized the world to the first speaker and to the hearer. The etymologist finds the deadest word to have been once a brilliant picture. Language is fossil poetry. As the limestone of the continent consists of infinite masses of the shells of animalcules, so language is made up of images, or tropes, which now, in their secondary use, have long ceased to remind us of their poetic origin. But the poet names the thing because he sees it, or comes one step nearer to it than any other. This expression, or naming, is not art, but a second nature, grown out of the first, as a leaf out of a tree. What we call nature, is a certain self-regulated motion, or change; and nature does all things by her own hands, and does not leave another to baptise her, but baptises herself; and this through the metamorphosis again. I remember that a certain poet described it to me thus:

Genius is the activity which repairs the decays of things, whether wholly or partly of a material and finite kind. Nature, through all her kingdoms, insures herself. Nobody cares for planting the poor fungus: so she shakes down from the gills of one agaric countless spores, any one of which, being preserved, transmits new billions of spores to-morrow or next day. The new agaric of this hour has a chance which the old one had not. This atom of seed is thrown into a new place, not subject to the accidents which destroyed its parent two rods off. She makes a man; and having brought him to ripe age, she will no longer run the risk of losing this wonder at a blow, but she detaches from him a new self, that the kind may be safe from accidents to which the individual is exposed. So when the soul of the poet has come to ripeness of thought, she detaches and sends away from it its poems or songs, — a fearless, sleepless, deathless progeny, which is not exposed to the accidents of the weary kingdom of time: a fearless, vivacious offspring, clad with wings (such was the virtue of the soul out of which they came), which carry them fast and far, and infix them irrecoverably into the hearts of men. These wings are the beauty of the poet's soul. The songs, thus flying immortal from their mortal parent, are pursued by clamorous flights of censures, which swarm in far greater numbers, and threaten to devour them; but these last are not winged. At the end of a very short leap they fall plump down, and rot, having received from the souls out of which they came no beautiful wings. But the melodies of the poet ascend, and leap, and pierce into the deeps of infinite time.

So far the bard taught me, using his freer speech. But nature has a higher end, in the production of new individuals, than security, namely, ascension , or, the passage of the soul into higher forms. I knew, in my younger days, the sculptor who made the statue of the youth which stands in the public garden. He was, as I remember, unable to tell directly, what made him happy, or unhappy, but by wonderful indirections he could tell. He rose one day, according to his habit, before the dawn, and saw the morning break, grand as the eternity out of which it came, and, for many days after, he strove to express this tranquillity, and, lo! his chisel had fashioned out of marble the form of a beautiful youth, Phosphorus, whose aspect is such, that, it is said, all persons who look on it become silent. The poet also resigns himself to his mood, and that thought which agitated him is expressed, but alter idem , in a manner totally new. The expression is organic, or, the new type which things themselves take when liberated. As, in the sun, objects paint their images on the retina of the eye, so they, sharing the aspiration of the whole universe, tend to paint a far more delicate copy of their essence in his mind. Like the metamorphosis of things into higher organic forms, is their change into melodies. Over everything stands its daemon, or soul, and, as the form of the thing is reflected by the eye, so the soul of the thing is reflected by a melody. The sea, the mountain-ridge, Niagara, and every flower-bed, pre-exist, or super-exist, in pre-cantations, which sail like odors in the air, and when any man goes by with an ear sufficiently fine, he overhears them, and endeavors to write down the notes, without diluting or depraving them. And herein is the legitimation of criticism, in the mind's faith, that the poems are a corrupt version of some text in nature, with which they ought to be made to tally. A rhyme in one of our sonnets should not be less pleasing than the iterated nodes of a sea-shell, or the resembling difference of a group of flowers. The pairing of the birds is an idyl, not tedious as our idyls are; a tempest is a rough ode, without falsehood or rant: a summer, with its harvest sown, reaped, and stored, is an epic song, subordinating how many admirably executed parts. Why should not the symmetry and truth that modulate these, glide into our spirits, and we participate the invention of nature?

This insight, which expresses itself by what is called Imagination, is a very high sort of seeing, which does not come by study, but by the intellect being where and what it sees, by sharing the path, or circuit of things through forms, and so making them translucid to others. The path of things is silent. Will they suffer a speaker to go with them? A spy they will not suffer; a lover, a poet, is the transcendency of their own nature, — him they will suffer. The condition of true naming, on the poet's part, is his resigning himself to the divine aura which breathes through forms, and accompanying that.

It is a secret which every intellectual man quickly learns, that, beyond the energy of his possessed and conscious intellect , he is capable of a new energy (as of an intellect doubled on itself), by abandonment to the nature of things; that, beside his privacy of power as an individual man, there is a great public power, on which he can draw, by unlocking, at all risks, his human doors, and suffering the ethereal tides to roll and circulate through him: then he is caught up into the life of the Universe, his speech is thunder, his thought is law, and his words are universally intelligible as the plants and animals. The poet knows that he speaks adequately, then, only when he speaks somewhat wildly, or, "with the flower of the mind;" not with the intellect , used as an organ, but with the intellect released from all service, and suffered to take its direction from its celestial life; or, as the ancients were wont to express themselves, not with intellect alone, but with the intellect inebriated by nectar. As the traveller who has lost his way, throws his reins on his horse's neck, and trusts to the instinct of the animal to find his road, so must we do with the divine animal who carries us through this world. For if in any manner we can stimulate this instinct, new passages are opened for us into nature, the mind flows into and through things hardest and highest, and the metamorphosis is possible.

This is the reason why bards love wine, mead, narcotics, coffee, tea, opium, the fumes of sandal-wood and tobacco, or whatever other species of animal exhilaration. All men avail themselves of such means as they can, to add this extraordinary power to their normal powers; and to this end they prize conversation, music, pictures, sculpture, dancing, theatres, travelling, war, mobs, fires, gaming, politics, or love, or science, or animal intoxication, which are several coarser or finer quasi -mechanical substitutes for the true nectar, which is the ravishment of the intellect by coming nearer to the fact. These are auxiliaries to the centrifugal tendency of a man, to his passage out into free space, and they help him to escape the custody of that body in which he is pent up, and of that jail-yard of individual relations in which he is enclosed. Hence a great number of such as were professionally expressors of Beauty, as painters, poets, musicians, and actors, have been more than others wont to lead a life of pleasure and indulgence; all but the few who received the true nectar; and, as it was a spurious mode of attaining freedom, as it was an emancipation not into the heavens, but into the freedom of baser places, they were punished for that advantage they won, by a dissipation and deterioration. But never can any advantage be taken of nature by a trick. The spirit of the world, the great calm presence of the creator, comes not forth to the sorceries of opium or of wine. The sublime vision comes to the pure and simple soul in a clean and chaste body. That is not an inspiration which we owe to narcotics, but some counterfeit excitement and fury. Milton says, that the lyric poet may drink wine and live generously, but the epic poet, he who shall sing of the gods, and their descent unto men, must drink water out of a wooden bowl. For poetry is not 'Devil's wine,' but God's wine. It is with this as it is with toys. We fill the hands and nurseries of our children with all manner of dolls, drums, and horses, withdrawing their eyes from the plain face and sufficing objects of nature, the sun, and moon, the animals, the water, and stones, which should be their toys. So the poet's habit of living should be set on a key so low and plain, that the common influences should delight him. His cheerfulness should be the gift of the sunlight; the air should suffice for his inspiration, and he should be tipsy with water. That spirit which suffices quiet hearts, which seems to come forth to such from every dry knoll of sere grass, from every pine-stump, and half-imbedded stone, on which the dull March sun shines, comes forth to the poor and hungry, and such as are of simple taste. If thou fill thy brain with Boston and New York, with fashion and covetousness, and wilt stimulate thy jaded senses with wine and French coffee, thou shalt find no radiance of wisdom in the lonely waste of the pinewoods.

If the imagination intoxicates the poet, it is not inactive in other men. The metamorphosis excites in the beholder an emotion of joy. The use of symbols has a certain power of emancipation and exhilaration for all men. We seem to be touched by a wand, which makes us dance and run about happily, like children. We are like persons who come out of a cave or cellar into the open air. This is the effect on us of tropes, fables, oracles, and all poetic forms. Poets are thus liberating gods. Men have really got a new sense, and found within their world, another world, or nest of worlds; for, the metamorphosis once seen, we divine that it does not stop. I will not now consider how much this makes the charm of algebra and the mathematics, which also have their tropes, but it is felt in every definition; as, when Aristotle defines space to be an immovable vessel, in which things are contained; — or, when Plato defines a line to be a flowing point; or, figure to be a bound of solid; and many the like. What a joyful sense of freedom we have, when Vitruvius announces the old opinion of artists, that no architect can build any house well, who does not know something of anatomy. When Socrates, in Charmides, tells us that the soul is cured of its maladies by certain incantations, and that these incantations are beautiful reasons, from which temperance is generated in souls; when Plato calls the world an animal; and Timaeus affirms that the plants also are animals; or affirms a man to be a heavenly tree, growing with his root, which is his head, upward; and, as George Chapman, following him, writes, —

"So in our tree of man, whose nervie root Springs in his top;"

when Orpheus speaks of hoariness as "that white flower which marks extreme old age;" when Proclus calls the universe the statue of the intellect ; when Chaucer, in his praise of 'Gentilesse,' compares good blood in mean condition to fire, which, though carried to the darkest house betwixt this and the mount of Caucasus, will yet hold its natural office, and burn as bright as if twenty thousand men did it behold; when John saw, in the apocalypse, the ruin of the world through evil, and the stars fall from heaven, as the figtree casteth her untimely fruit; when Aesop reports the whole catalogue of common daily relations through the masquerade of birds and beasts; — we take the cheerful hint of the immortality of our essence, and its versatile habit and escapes, as when the gypsies say, "it is in vain to hang them, they cannot die."

The poets are thus liberating gods. The ancient British bards had for the title of their order, "Those who are free throughout the world." They are free, and they make free. An imaginative book renders us much more service at first, by stimulating us through its tropes, than afterward, when we arrive at the precise sense of the author. I think nothing is of any value in books, excepting the transcendental and extraordinary. If a man is inflamed and carried away by his thought, to that degree that he forgets the authors and the public, and heeds only this one dream, which holds him like an insanity, let me read his paper, and you may have all the arguments and histories and criticism. All the value which attaches to Pythagoras, Paracelsus, Cornelius Agrippa, Cardan, Kepler, Swedenborg , Schelling, Oken, or any other who introduces questionable facts into his cosmogony, as angels, devils, magic, astrology, palmistry, mesmerism, and so on, is the certificate we have of departure from routine, and that here is a new witness. That also is the best success in conversation, the magic of liberty, which puts the world, like a ball, in our hands. How cheap even the liberty then seems; how mean to study, when an emotion communicates to the intellect the power to sap and upheave nature: how great the perspective! nations, times, systems, enter and disappear, like threads in tapestry of large figure and many colors; dream delivers us to dream, and, while the drunkenness lasts, we will sell our bed, our philosophy, our religion, in our opulence.

There is good reason why we should prize this liberation. The fate of the poor shepherd, who, blinded and lost in the snow-storm, perishes in a drift within a few feet of his cottage door, is an emblem of the state of man. On the brink of the waters of life and truth, we are miserably dying. The inaccessibleness of every thought but that we are in, is wonderful. What if you come near to it, — you are as remote, when you are nearest, as when you are farthest. Every thought is also a prison; every heaven is also a prison. Therefore we love the poet, the inventor, who in any form, whether in an ode, or in an action, or in looks and behavior, has yielded us a new thought. He unlocks our chains, and admits us to a new scene.

This emancipation is dear to all men, and the power to impart it, as it must come from greater depth and scope of thought, is a measure of intellect . Therefore all books of the imagination endure, all which ascend to that truth, that the writer sees nature beneath him, and uses it as his exponent. Every verse or sentence, possessing this virtue, will take care of its own immortality. The religions of the world are the ejaculations of a few imaginative men.

But the quality of the imagination is to flow, and not to freeze. The poet did not stop at the color, or the form, but read their meaning; neither may he rest in this meaning, but he makes the same objects exponents of his new thought. Here is the difference betwixt the poet and the mystic, that the last nails a symbol to one sense, which was a true sense for a moment, but soon becomes old and false. For all symbols are fluxional; all language is vehicular and transitive, and is good, as ferries and horses are, for conveyance, not as farms and houses are, for homestead. Mysticism consists in the mistake of an accidental and individual symbol for an universal one. The morning-redness happens to be the favorite meteor to the eyes of Jacob Behmen, and comes to stand to him for truth and faith; and he believes should stand for the same realities to every reader. But the first reader prefers as naturally the symbol of a mother and child, or a gardener and his bulb, or a jeweller polishing a gem. Either of these, or of a myriad more, are equally good to the person to whom they are significant. Only they must be held lightly, and be very willingly translated into the equivalent terms which others use. And the mystic must be steadily told, — All that you say is just as true without the tedious use of that symbol as with it. Let us have a little algebra, instead of this trite rhetoric, — universal signs, instead of these village symbols, — and we shall both be gainers. The history of hierarchies seems to show, that all religious error consisted in making the symbol too stark and solid, and, at last, nothing but an excess of the organ of language.

Swedenborg , of all men in the recent ages, stands eminently for the translator of nature into thought. I do not know the man in history to whom things stood so uniformly for words. Before him the metamorphosis continually plays. Everything on which his eye rests, obeys the impulses of moral nature. The figs become grapes whilst he eats them. When some of his angels affirmed a truth, the laurel twig which they held blossomed in their hands. The noise which, at a distance, appeared like gnashing and thumping, on coming nearer was found to be the voice of disputants. The men, in one of his visions, seen in heavenly light, appeared like dragons, and seemed in darkness: but, to each other, they appeared as men, and, when the light from heaven shone into their cabin, they complained of the darkness, and were compelled to shut the window that they might see.

There was this perception in him, which makes the poet or seer, an object of awe and terror, namely, that the same man, or society of men, may wear one aspect to themselves and their companions, and a different aspect to higher intelligences. Certain priests, whom he describes as conversing very learnedly together, appeared to the children, who were at some distance, like dead horses: and many the like misappearances. And instantly the mind inquires, whether these fishes under the bridge, yonder oxen in the pasture, those dogs in the yard, are immutably fishes, oxen, and dogs, or only so appear to me, and perchance to themselves appear upright men; and whether I appear as a man to all eyes. The Bramins and Pythagoras propounded the same question, and if any poet has witnessed the transformation, he doubtless found it in harmony with various experiences. We have all seen changes as considerable in wheat and caterpillars. He is the poet, and shall draw us with love and terror, who sees, through the flowing vest, the firm nature, and can declare it.

I look in vain for the poet whom I describe. We do not, with sufficient plainness, or sufficient profoundness, address ourselves to life, nor dare we chaunt our own times and social circumstance. If we filled the day with bravery, we should not shrink from celebrating it. Time and nature yield us many gifts, but not yet the timely man, the new religion, the reconciler, whom all things await. Dante's praise is, that he dared to write his autobiography in colossal cipher, or into universality. We have yet had no genius in America, with tyrannous eye, which knew the value of our incomparable materials, and saw, in the barbarism and materialism of the times, another carnival of the same gods whose picture he so much admires in Homer; then in the middle age; then in Calvinism. Banks and tariffs, the newspaper and caucus, methodism and unitarianism, are flat and dull to dull people, but rest on the same foundations of wonder as the town of Troy, and the temple of Delphos, and are as swiftly passing away. Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes, and Indians, our boasts, and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues, and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung. Yet America is a poem in our eyes; its ample geography dazzles the imagination, and it will not wait long for metres. If I have not found that excellent combination of gifts in my countrymen which I seek, neither could I aid myself to fix the idea of the poet by reading now and then in Chalmers's collection of five centuries of English poets. These are wits, more than poets, though there have been poets among them. But when we adhere to the ideal of the poet, we have our difficulties even with Milton and Homer. Milton is too literary, and Homer too literal and historical.

But I am not wise enough for a national criticism, and must use the old largeness a little longer, to discharge my errand from the muse to the poet concerning his art.

Art is the path of the creator to his work. The paths, or methods, are ideal and eternal, though few men ever see them, not the artist himself for years, or for a lifetime, unless he come into the conditions. The painter, the sculptor, the composer, the epic rhapsodist, the orator, all partake one desire, namely, to express themselves symmetrically and abundantly, not dwarfishly and fragmentarily. They found or put themselves in certain conditions, as, the painter and sculptor before some impressive human figures; the orator, into the assembly of the people; and the others, in such scenes as each has found exciting to his intellect ; and each presently feels the new desire. He hears a voice, he sees a beckoning. Then he is apprised, with wonder, what herds of daemons hem him in. He can no more rest; he says, with the old painter, "By God, it is in me, and must go forth of me." He pursues a beauty, half seen, which flies before him. The poet pours out verses in every solitude. Most of the things he says are conventional, no doubt; but by and by he says something which is original and beautiful. That charms him. He would say nothing else but such things. In our way of talking, we say, 'That is yours, this is mine;' but the poet knows well that it is not his; that it is as strange and beautiful to him as to you; he would fain hear the like eloquence at length. Once having tasted this immortal ichor, he cannot have enough of it, and, as an admirable creative power exists in these intellections, it is of the last importance that these things get spoken. What a little of all we know is said! What drops of all the sea of our science are baled up! and by what accident it is that these are exposed, when so many secrets sleep in nature! Hence the necessity of speech and song; hence these throbs and heart-beatings in the orator, at the door of the assembly, to the end, namely, that thought may be ejaculated as Logos, or Word.

Doubt not, O poet, but persist. Say, 'It is in me, and shall out.' Stand there, baulked and dumb, stuttering and stammering, hissed and hooted, stand and strive, until, at last, rage draw out of thee that dream -power which every night shows thee is thine own; a power transcending all limit and privacy, and by virtue of which a man is the conductor of the whole river of electricity. Nothing walks, or creeps, or grows, or exists, which must not in turn arise and walk before him as exponent of his meaning. Comes he to that power, his genius is no longer exhaustible. All the creatures, by pairs and by tribes, pour into his mind as into a Noah's ark, to come forth again to people a new world. This is like the stock of air for our respiration, or for the combustion of our fireplace, not a measure of gallons, but the entire atmosphere if wanted. And therefore the rich poets, as Homer, Chaucer, Shakespeare , and Raphael, have obviously no limits to their works, except the limits of their lifetime, and resemble a mirror carried through the street, ready to render an image of every created thing.

O poet! a new nobility is conferred in groves and pastures, and not in castles, or by the sword-blade, any longer. The conditions are hard, but equal. Thou shalt leave the world, and know the muse only. Thou shalt not know any longer the times, customs, graces, politics, or opinions of men, but shalt take all from the muse. For the time of towns is tolled from the world by funereal chimes, but in nature the universal hours are counted by succeeding tribes of animals and plants, and by growth of joy on joy. God wills also that thou abdicate a manifold and duplex life, and that thou be content that others speak for thee. Others shall be thy gentlemen, and shall represent all courtesy and worldly life for thee; others shall do the great and resounding actions also. Thou shalt lie close hid with nature, and canst not be afforded to the Capitol or the Exchange. The world is full of renunciations and apprenticeships, and this is thine: thou must pass for a fool and a churl for a long season. This is the screen and sheath in which Pan has protected his well-beloved flower, and thou shalt be known only to thine own, and they shall console thee with tenderest love. And thou shalt not be able to rehearse the names of thy friends in thy verse, for an old shame before the holy ideal. And this is the reward: that the ideal shall be real to thee, and the impressions of the actual world shall fall like summer rain, copious, but not troublesome, to thy invulnerable essence. Thou shalt have the whole land for thy park and manor, the sea for thy bath and navigation, without tax and without envy; the woods and the rivers thou shalt own; and thou shalt possess that wherein others are only tenants and boarders. Thou true land-lord! sea-lord! air-lord! Wherever snow falls, or water flows, or birds fly, wherever day and night meet in twilight, wherever the blue heaven is hung by clouds, or sown with stars, wherever are forms with transparent boundaries, wherever are outlets into celestial space, wherever is danger, and awe, and love, there is Beauty, plenteous as rain, shed for thee, and though thou shouldest walk the world over, thou shalt not be able to find a condition inopportune or ignoble.

Ralph Waldo Emerson left the ministry to pursue a career in writing and public speaking. Emerson became one of America's best known and best-loved 19th-century figures. More About Emerson

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• Emerson's Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Literature Notes
• About The Poet
• Ralph Waldo Emerson Biography
• Summary and Analysis of Nature
• About Nature
• Introduction
• Summary and Analysis of The American Scholar
• About The American Scholar
• Paragraphs 1-7
• Paragraphs 8-9
• Paragraphs 10-20
• Paragraphs 21-30
• Paragraphs 31-45
• Summary and Analysis of The Over-Soul
• About The Over-Soul
• Paragraphs 1-3
• Paragraphs 4-10
• Paragraphs 11-15
• Paragraphs 16-21
• Paragraphs 22-30
• Summary and Analysis of Self-Reliance
• About Self-Reliance
• Paragraphs 1-17
• Paragraphs 18-32
• Paragraphs 33-50
• Summary and Analysis of The Transcendentalist
• About The Transcendentalist
• Paragraphs 1-5
• Paragraphs 6-14
• Paragraphs 15-30
• Summary and Analysis of The Poet
• Paragraphs 1-9
• Paragraphs 10-18
• Paragraphs 19-29
• Paragraphs 30-33
• Critical Essays
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Summary and Analysis of The Poet About The Poet

First published in the 1844 edition of Essays , "The Poet" contains Emerson's thoughts on what makes a poet, and what that person's role in society should be. He argues that the poet is a seer who penetrates the mysteries of the universe and articulates the universal truths that bind humanity together. Hence, the true poet, who puts into words what others feel but cannot express, speaks for all men and women.

The epigraphs that open the essay are Emerson's. The "moody child" described in the first epigraph prefigures the essential qualities of the poet, who sees with a penetrating gaze deep into the true nature of things. The four lines of the second epigraph come from Emerson's "Ode to Beauty"; this fragment alludes to "Olympian bards" and continues the reference in the first poem to Apollo, the Greek god of music and poetry. These bards' words prompt listeners to recover a fresh vision of youth, similar to Emerson's wanting his fellow Americans to rediscover America's indigenous character rather than continue to rely on models from their European past.

Following the epigraphs, the essay falls into four major parts, and it will be easier to follow the discussion if you number the paragraphs in pencil. The first section outlines the character of the poet as an interpreter and a visionary (paragraphs 1-9). The second section deals with the relationship between the poet, language, and nature (paragraphs 10-18). Following this discussion, Emerson expands the notion of the poet-as-visionary and asserts that the poet, using the gift of imagination, can liberate humanity by enabling others to experience transcendental visions (paragraphs 19-29). In the concluding section (paragraphs 30-33), he returns to the theme of "The American Scholar" and reflects on the need for an American poetic genius to express the particular beauty of the continent and its peoples.

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How to Write a Poem Summary

Taking time to study a poem before writing a poem summary is essential. Researching the background of the poem, like who wrote it and when, will give you vital clues in understanding the poem. Reading the poem at least three times is a good idea. Mark down all your thoughts either on the poem or on paper. For the summary, write paragraphs that show a unit of thought or argument. Including an introduction and conclusion is necessary.

Know the name of the poet and the year in which the poem was written. Explore the implications that these elements have for the poem and include this information in your introduction.

Classify the poem. Consider whether it is an epic, narrative, dramatic or descriptive poem. Epic poetry tends to be lengthy and contains vast universal themes, while a descriptive poem will describe a scene. Narrative poetry is written from the narrative viewpoint of a character.

Continue bringing out the major themes or motifs of the poem and relate this to the type of language used, like identifying alliteration or onomatopoeia. Alliteration is when two syllables of similar sound are used together to create effect and onomatopoeia is when the sound of a word reflects something else.

Determine whether repetition is used to stress something the reader needs to hear or perhaps to create drama. Determine whether literary allusions were used.

Identify imagery in the poem, such as the use of metaphors or similes to describe something in a unique way. Write down what effect this could have on readers.

Write about the overall tone of the poem and the narrative perspective. Decide if the poem is funny or serious. Question if it is written from the perspective of a character in the poem or from the poet's viewpoint. Ask if the poet talking directly to the reader or to somebody else.

Include a conclusion to your summary by pulling together all that you have learned about the poem and make an interpretive statement.

A Full Guide to Writing a Perfect Poem Analysis Essay

01 October, 2020

14 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

Poem analysis is one of the most complicated essay types. It requires the utmost creativity and dedication. Even those who regularly attend a literary class and have enough experience in poem analysis essay elaboration may face considerable difficulties while dealing with the particular poem. The given article aims to provide the detailed guidelines on how to write a poem analysis, elucidate the main principles of writing the essay of the given type, and share with you the handy tips that will help you get the highest score for your poetry analysis. In addition to developing analysis skills, you would be able to take advantage of the poetry analysis essay example to base your poetry analysis essay on, as well as learn how to find a way out in case you have no motivation and your creative assignment must be presented on time.

What Is a Poetry Analysis Essay?

A poetry analysis essay is a type of creative write-up that implies reviewing a poem from different perspectives by dealing with its structural, artistic, and functional pieces. Since the poetry expresses very complicated feelings that may have different meanings depending on the backgrounds of both author and reader, it would not be enough just to focus on the text of the poem you are going to analyze. Poetry has a lot more complex structure and cannot be considered without its special rhythm, images, as well as implied and obvious sense.

While analyzing the poem, the students need to do in-depth research as to its content, taking into account the effect the poetry has or may have on the readers.

Preparing for the Poetry Analysis Writing

The process of preparation for the poem analysis essay writing is almost as important as writing itself. Without completing these stages, you may be at risk of failing your creative assignment. Learn them carefully to remember once and for good.

Thoroughly read the poem several times

The rereading of the poem assigned for analysis will help to catch its concepts and ideas. You will have a possibility to define the rhythm of the poem, its type, and list the techniques applied by the author.

While identifying the type of the poem, you need to define whether you are dealing with:

• Lyric poem – the one that elucidates feelings, experiences, and the emotional state of the author. It is usually short and doesn’t contain any narration;
• Limerick – consists of 5 lines, the first, second, and fifth of which rhyme with one another;
• Sonnet – a poem consisting of 14 lines characterized by an iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote sonnets which have made him famous;
• Ode – 10-line poem aimed at praising someone or something;
• Haiku – a short 3-line poem originated from Japan. It reflects the deep sense hidden behind the ordinary phenomena and events of the physical world;
• Free-verse – poetry with no rhyme.

The type of the poem usually affects its structure and content, so it is important to be aware of all the recognized kinds to set a proper beginning to your poetry analysis.

Find out more about the poem background

Find as much information as possible about the author of the poem, the cultural background of the period it was written in, preludes to its creation, etc. All these data will help you get a better understanding of the poem’s sense and explain much to you in terms of the concepts the poem contains.

Define a subject matter of the poem

This is one of the most challenging tasks since as a rule, the subject matter of the poem isn’t clearly stated by the poets. They don’t want the readers to know immediately what their piece of writing is about and suggest everyone find something different between the lines.

What is the subject matter? In a nutshell, it is the main idea of the poem. Usually, a poem may have a couple of subjects, that is why it is important to list each of them.

In order to correctly identify the goals of a definite poem, you would need to dive into the in-depth research.

Check the historical background of the poetry. The author might have been inspired to write a poem based on some events that occurred in those times or people he met. The lines you analyze may be generated by his reaction to some epoch events. All this information can be easily found online.

Choose poem theories you will support

In the variety of ideas the poem may convey, it is important to stick to only several most important messages you think the author wanted to share with the readers. Each of the listed ideas must be supported by the corresponding evidence as proof of your opinion.

The poetry analysis essay format allows elaborating on several theses that have the most value and weight. Try to build your writing not only on the pure facts that are obvious from the context but also your emotions and feelings the analyzed lines provoke in you.

How to Choose a Poem to Analyze?

If you are free to choose the piece of writing you will base your poem analysis essay on, it is better to select the one you are already familiar with. This may be your favorite poem or one that you have read and analyzed before. In case you face difficulties choosing the subject area of a particular poem, then the best way will be to focus on the idea you feel most confident about. In such a way, you would be able to elaborate on the topic and describe it more precisely.

Now, when you are familiar with the notion of the poetry analysis essay, it’s high time to proceed to poem analysis essay outline. Follow the steps mentioned below to ensure a brilliant structure to your creative assignment.

Best Poem Analysis Essay Topics

• Mother To Son Poem Analysis
• We Real Cool Poem Analysis
• Invictus Poem Analysis
• Richard Cory Poem Analysis
• Ozymandias Poem Analysis
• Barbie Doll Poem Analysis
• Caged Bird Poem Analysis
• Ulysses Poem Analysis
• Dover Beach Poem Analysis
• Annabelle Lee Poem Analysis
• Daddy Poem Analysis
• The Raven Poem Analysis
• The Second Coming Poem Analysis
• Still I Rise Poem Analysis
• If Poem Analysis
• Fire And Ice Poem Analysis
• My Papa’S Waltz Poem Analysis
• Harlem Poem Analysis
• Kubla Khan Poem Analysis
• I Too Poem Analysis
• The Juggler Poem Analysis
• The Fish Poem Analysis
• Jabberwocky Poem Analysis
• Charge Of The Light Brigade Poem Analysis
• The Road Not Taken Poem Analysis
• Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus Poem Analysis
• The History Teacher Poem Analysis
• One Art Poem Analysis
• The Wanderer Poem Analysis
• We Wear The Mask Poem Analysis
• There Will Come Soft Rains Poem Analysis
• Digging Poem Analysis
• The Highwayman Poem Analysis
• The Tyger Poem Analysis
• London Poem Analysis
• Sympathy Poem Analysis
• I Am Joaquin Poem Analysis
• This Is Just To Say Poem Analysis
• Sex Without Love Poem Analysis
• Strange Fruit Poem Analysis
• Dulce Et Decorum Est Poem Analysis
• Emily Dickinson Poem Analysis
• The Flea Poem Analysis
• The Lamb Poem Analysis
• Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Poem Analysis
• My Last Duchess Poetry Analysis

Poem Analysis Essay Outline

As has already been stated, a poetry analysis essay is considered one of the most challenging tasks for the students. Despite the difficulties you may face while dealing with it, the structure of the given type of essay is quite simple. It consists of the introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In order to get a better understanding of the poem analysis essay structure, check the brief guidelines below.

Introduction

This will be the first section of your essay. The main purpose of the introductory paragraph is to give a reader an idea of what the essay is about and what theses it conveys. The introduction should start with the title of the essay and end with the thesis statement.

The main goal of the introduction is to make readers feel intrigued about the whole concept of the essay and serve as a hook to grab their attention. Include some interesting information about the author, the historical background of the poem, some poem trivia, etc. There is no need to make the introduction too extensive. On the contrary, it should be brief and logical.

Body Paragraphs

The body section should form the main part of poetry analysis. Make sure you have determined a clear focus for your analysis and are ready to elaborate on the main message and meaning of the poem. Mention the tone of the poetry, its speaker, try to describe the recipient of the poem’s idea. Don’t forget to identify the poetic devices and language the author uses to reach the main goals. Describe the imagery and symbolism of the poem, its sound and rhythm.

Try not to stick to too many ideas in your body section, since it may make your essay difficult to understand and too chaotic to perceive. Generalization, however, is also not welcomed. Try to be specific in the description of your perspective.

Make sure the transitions between your paragraphs are smooth and logical to make your essay flow coherent and easy to catch.

In a nutshell, the essay conclusion is a paraphrased thesis statement. Mention it again but in different words to remind the readers of the main purpose of your essay. Sum up the key claims and stress the most important information. The conclusion cannot contain any new ideas and should be used to create a strong impact on the reader. This is your last chance to share your opinion with the audience and convince them your essay is worth readers’ attention.

Problems with writing Your Poem Analysis Essay? Try our Essay Writer Service!

Poem Analysis Essay Examples 

A good poem analysis essay example may serve as a real magic wand to your creative assignment. You may take a look at the structure the other essay authors have used, follow their tone, and get a great share of inspiration and motivation.

Check several poetry analysis essay examples that may be of great assistance:

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/poetry-analysis-essay-example-for-english-literature.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/mariefincher/poetry-analysis-essay

Writing Tips for a Poetry Analysis Essay

If you read carefully all the instructions on how to write a poetry analysis essay provided above, you have probably realized that this is not the easiest assignment on Earth. However, you cannot fail and should try your best to present a brilliant essay to get the highest score. To make your life even easier, check these handy tips on how to analysis poetry with a few little steps.

• In case you have a chance to choose a poem for analysis by yourself, try to focus on one you are familiar with, you are interested in, or your favorite one. The writing process will be smooth and easy in case you are working on the task you truly enjoy.
• Before you proceed to the analysis itself, read the poem out loud to your colleague or just to yourself. It will help you find out some hidden details and senses that may result in new ideas.
• Always check the meaning of words you don’t know. Poetry is quite a tricky phenomenon where a single word or phrase can completely change the meaning of the whole piece. 
• Bother to double check if the conclusion of your essay is based on a single idea and is logically linked to the main body. Such an approach will demonstrate your certain focus and clearly elucidate your views. 
• Read between the lines. Poetry is about senses and emotions – it rarely contains one clearly stated subject matter. Describe the hidden meanings and mention the feelings this has provoked in you. Try to elaborate a full picture that would be based on what is said and what is meant.

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Poetry Analysis Essay Guide: Structure, Examples, and Writing Tips

Updated 04 Oct 2023

With its intricate language and captivating imagery, poetry has the remarkable ability to touch the depths of our emotions and provoke reflections. As readers, we often find ourselves captivated by the beauty and depth of a poem, but when tasked with analyzing and interpreting its layers of meaning, we may feel overwhelmed. 

This blog post is your full poem analysis essay guide — you will get valuable insights and practical tips to navigate the intricate world of poetry analysis.

What is a poetry analysis essay? Quick explanation

A poetry analysis examines and interprets a poem to understand its meaning, themes, structure, language, and literary devices used by the poet. It seeks to go beyond the surface level and delve into the poem's complexities and nuances, uncovering its intentions, symbolism, and the overall effect created through the choice of words, imagery, rhythm, and other literary devices.

An analysis can change how you view the poem and help you see a deeper meaning, which helps to develop a greater appreciation for the artistry of poetry. To conduct a poetry analysis essay, you must engage with the poem on multiple levels, exploring its themes, emotions, and ideas.

How to choose a topic for a poetry analysis essay?

When choosing a poetry analysis essay topic, you should start by reading various poems and selecting one that captures your interest. Look for poems that resonate with you emotionally or intellectually or have themes or elements you find intriguing.

You can also look at its complexity and depth: a poem with multiple layers of meaning, rich imagery, and intricate language can provide ample material for analysis. Avoid choosing too simplistic or straightforward poems, as they may limit the depth of analysis.

Then, consider the thematic poem elements. Does it explore love, nature, identity, death, or social issues? Choose the one that addresses themes you find compelling or relevant, as it will make the analysis more engaging.

Remember, the topic you choose should be one that you feel passionate about, and that allows for a thorough and insightful analysis. It should offer enough material for exploration and interpretation, enabling you to delve into the poem's nuances and uncover deeper layers of meaning.

Poetry analysis essay outline with examples

An outline should include various sections to ensure a comprehensive and organized analysis — we added key rules and poetry analysis essay examples to guide you. 

Introduction

The introduction sets the tone for the essay and provides the necessary context. It introduces the poem and the poet, establishes the focus of the analysis, and presents the thesis statement.

Include the following: 

• Provide the title, poet's name, and publication date.
• Add brief background information about the poet and the poem's context.
• State your main argument or poem interpretation.

Poem analysis essay example :

‘Robert Frost's poem 'The Road Not Taken,' published in 1916, is a widely celebrated piece of American literature. In this poem, Frost explores the theme of choices and their lifelong impact. Closely examining the poem's language, symbolism, and narrative perspective makes it clear that 'The Road Not Taken' challenges the notion of individualism and invites a reconsideration of the conventional interpretation.’

Poem summary

A summary of the poetry analysis essay provides a concise overview of its content and structure. It helps the reader grasp the key elements of the poem before delving into the analysis. You need to: 

• Summarize the content and structure of the poem.
• Highlight key events, images, or ideas presented in the poem.

'The Road Not Taken' is a narrative poem consisting of four stanzas with a rhyming scheme of ABAAB. The speaker reflects on a pivotal moment in their life when faced with two diverging paths in a yellow wood. They ultimately choose the less traveled road, which proves to have a profound impact on their life journey."

Analysis of poetic devices 

Analyzing poetic devices helps uncover the poet's intentional choices, which deepen the understanding of the themes, emotions, and overall impact on the reader. You need to: 

• Identify and analyze the literary devices.
• Discuss their effects on the poem's meaning and tone.
• Explore how the devices contribute to the overall poetic experience.

Metaphor: Frost uses the metaphor of the roads to symbolize life choices. By describing the two paths as 'diverged in a yellow wood,' he invites readers to consider the paths as representative of life's diverging opportunities. The metaphor emphasizes the significance of decision-making and the uncertainty that accompanies it.

Analysis of themes

By analyzing how themes are developed and conveyed, the essay reveals the poem's complexities and invites readers to engage with its deeper layers of meaning.

Make sure you complete the following:

• Identify and explore the central poem themes.
• Analyze how these themes are developed and conveyed throughout the poem.
• Provide evidence to support your analysis.

Individualism vs. Conformity: Frost challenges the conventional interpretation of the poem as a celebration of individualism. Instead, he suggests that both paths were equally worn, implying that choices often appear more significant in retrospect. The poem raises questions about the role of individual agency and the influence of societal expectations in decision-making.

If you have ever worked on other types of analysis, like a literary analysis essay , you know that the conclusion needs to summarize the main points and findings. It reinforces the thesis statement and restates the significance of the analysis. Your job is to: 

• Recapitulate the analyzed poem's central themes, literary devices, and elements.
• Restate the thesis statement or main argument and emphasize how the analysis has supported and illuminated it.
• Discuss the broader significance of the poem and its analysis.

In conclusion, John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" transports us to a realm where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. Through his masterful use of vivid imagery, melodic language, and introspective musings, Keats invites us to contemplate the ephemeral nature of life and the solace that art can offer.

Poetry analysis essay: full guide 

While poetry analysis is essential, some students also get asked to conduct a literature review. You only need to shoot ‘ write my literature review ’ to get professional assistance and learn more. In this section, we will review key things you must include in your poem analysis essay. 

By analyzing the title of a poem, you can gain insights into the poet's intentions, thematic focus, and overall tone and atmosphere. It helps create a deeper exploration of the poem's content and enhances your understanding of its artistic and emotional impact. 

• Consider the literal meaning.  Start by examining the literal meaning of the title. Look for any keywords, phrases, or references that stand out. Consider the denotative meaning of these words and how they relate to the subject matter or themes you might expect to find in the poem.
• Look for symbolism.  Titles often carry symbolic or metaphorical significance. Consider whether the title has a deeper symbolic meaning beyond its literal interpretation. Look for potential connections between the title and the content or themes of the poem. 
• Examine word choice and connotations.  Pay attention to the specific words chosen for the title. Consider their connotations and the associations they evoke. Analyze how these words contribute to the poem's tone, mood, or overall atmosphere. Reflect on whether the title reflects a positive, negative, ambiguous, or ironic tone.
• Explore multiple interpretations.  Titles can be open to interpretation, allowing for multiple layers of meaning. Consider different interpretations of the title and how they align with your initial understanding of the piece. Reflect on how these interpretations influence your overall analysis and understanding of the poem.
• Reflect on the poet's intention.
• Consider the poet's intention in choosing the title. Reflect on whether the title serves to summarize, encapsulate, or add complexity to the poem's themes or ideas. Analyze how the title may reflect the poet's artistic vision or provide a clue to their intended message.
• Compare with the ending.  Sometimes, the title of a poem gains additional significance or takes on new meaning when compared with the poem's ending. Analyze the relationship between the title and the final lines of the poem. Reflect on whether the title is reaffirmed, challenged, or transformed by the poem's conclusion.

While conducting poetry analysis essays, analyzing a poem's structure is a must. Here are questions that will guide you:

• Determine the specific form of the poem. Is it a sonnet, a haiku, a ballad, or a free verse? 
• Are the lengths of the lines and stanzas consistent or vary throughout the poem? Reflect on how these breaks and variations contribute to the poem's rhythm, pacing, and overall effect.
• Does the poem follow a specific rhyme scheme (such as AABB, ABAB, or ABBA), or if it lacks a regular rhyme pattern? 
• Are there any repeated words, phrases, or entire lines? Reflect on why the poet employs repetition and how it contributes to the overall meaning or effect of the poem. 
• How does punctuation affect the flow and interpretation of the piece? Does the poet use punctuation to create pauses, emphasize certain words or phrases, or convey a specific tone or mood? 
• Consider how the structure relates to its content and themes. Does the form enhance or challenge the poem's meaning? Analyze whether there is harmony or tension between the form and the subject matter and how this contributes to the poem's overall effect.

Tone and intonation of the poetry

By paying attention to the tone and intonation, you can gain insights into the poet's attitude, mood, and overall atmosphere. To analyze the tone and intonation in your poem analysis essay, read it multiple times, immersing yourself in the language and imagery used. Consider the following aspects:

Word choice. Look for words with strong connotations that evoke particular emotions or create a specific mood. Consider whether the words used convey a sense of joy, sadness, anger, or contemplation. 

Figurative language.  Analyze the poem's figurative language, such as metaphors, similes, and personification. Consider how these devices contribute to the tone and intonation. For example, using vivid metaphors may create a tone of intensity or heightened emotion, while gentle similes may convey a more tender or reflective tone.

Sentence structure and syntax.  Note whether the sentences are long or short, fragmented or flowing. Consider how the poet's choices in sentence structure and syntax influence the tone and rhythm of the poem. Short, abrupt sentences may create a sense of urgency or tension, while longer, flowing sentences may convey a more contemplative or relaxed tone.

Analyzing the purpose of a poem involves examining the poet's intentions, motivations, and the message they seek to convey through their work. 

• Reflect on the poet's background, including their life experiences, cultural influences, and literary tradition. Consider the historical, social, or political context in which the poem was written. Analyze how these factors may have shaped the poet's purpose and influenced their choice of subject matter or themes.
• Identify the main themes or ideas explored in the poem. Themes can range from love, nature, identity, social justice, mortality, or any other subject that the poet engages with. Reflect on the poet's purpose in addressing these themes and how they relate to the larger human experience or the poet's personal beliefs.
• Consider how literary devices such as metaphors, similes, symbolism, or allusion contribute to the poem's purpose. Reflect on how they enhance the meaning, create vivid imagery, or add layers of depth to the poet's message.
• Reflect on the impact the poem has on you as a reader. Analyze how the poet's purpose is conveyed through the emotional, intellectual, or sensory responses evoked by the poem. You can reflect on whether the poem achieves its purpose in engaging, enlightening, or transforming the reader's understanding or perspective.
• Based on your analysis, formulate your interpretation of the poet's purpose. Just like with the critical analysis essay example , engage with the text and connect your findings to your own experiences, knowledge, or beliefs. It’s a good idea to support your interpretation with evidence from the poem, highlighting specific lines, images, or techniques that contribute to the poet's purpose.

Language and imagery 

Analyzing the language and imagery of poetry involves closely examining the poet's use of language, vivid descriptions, and literary devices to create a rich sensory experience for the reader. 

• Imagery refers to sensory language that creates vivid mental images in the reader's mind. Pay attention to the visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory images created by the poet. 
• Symbols are objects, images, or actions representing deeper meanings beyond their literal interpretation. Analyze the symbols used in the poem and consider their significance and potential interpretations.
• Poetic devices are techniques poets use to enhance their work's meaning, sound, and musicality. Analyze the following poetic devices and their impact on the poem:

Metaphor: Identify comparisons between two seemingly unrelated things without using "like" or "as."

Sample: "Her laughter was a melody that danced through the air."

Simile: Notice comparisons that use "like" or "as" to liken one thing to another.

Sample: "His smile shone like the sun on a summer's day."

Personification: Look for instances where non-human objects or abstract concepts are given human qualities or characteristics.

Sample: "The wind whispered secrets through the trees."

Alliteration: Identify the repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words.

Sample: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

Assonance: Notice the repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Sample: "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain."

Onomatopoeia: Identify words that imitate or resemble the sounds they describe.

Sample: "The sizzle of the frying pan filled the kitchen."

Analyzing the music of a poem involves examining the poet's use of sound patterns, rhythm, meter, and other musical elements to create a harmonious and melodic effect. 

Poem's meter. Meter refers to the rhythmic pattern created by stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. Analyzing it helps you understand the poem's musical structure and its effect on the reader.

Rhyme and rhyme scheme.  Examine the poem's use of rhyme, including end rhymes (rhyming words at the end of lines) and internal rhymes (rhyming words within lines). Analyzing rhyme and rhyme schemes provides insights into the poem's musicality and the poet's deliberate choices.

Sound devices . Look for sound devices employed by the poet to create musical effects, including alliteration, assonance, and consonance. 

Writing poetry analysis essay: key points 

• Read the poem multiple times to grasp its meaning and gather initial impressions.
• Analyze the title and consider its significance in the poem's themes and content.
• Examining poetry analysis structure, including its stanzas, lines, and rhyme scheme.
• Analyze the language and imagery used, noting any literary devices the poet employs.
• Consider the tone and mood of the piece of poetry and how they contribute to its overall message.
• Reflect on the purpose of the poem and the poet's intended audience.
• Formulate a clear thesis statement that presents your interpretation or analysis.
• Develop the body paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect.
• Support your analysis with evidence from the work, including quotes and examples.
• Explain the significance of your findings and how they contribute to the overall understanding of the poem.
• Conclude your paper by summarizing your main points and reflecting thoughtfully on the poem's impact or significance.

Poetry analysis essay template

I. Introduction

• Hook: Begin with an attention-grabbing statement or question.
• Context: Provide brief background information about the poet and the poem.
• Thesis statement: State your main argument or interpretation.

II. Analysis of Title

• Analyze the title's significance and possible meanings.
• Discuss how the title sets the tone or introduces key themes.

III. Analysis of Structure

• Examine the poem's structure, including stanzas, lines, and rhyme scheme.
• Analyze the impact of the structure on the poem's meaning or rhythm.

IV. Analysis of Language and Imagery

• Identify and analyze literary devices used in the poem (e.g., metaphors, similes, personification).
• Discuss the effectiveness of the poet's language in conveying the poem's themes or emotions.
• Analyze the vividness and impact of the poem's imagery.

V. Analysis of Tone and Mood

• Identify the piece's overall tone (e.g., joyful, melancholic, contemplative).
• Discuss how the poet's tone contributes to the reader's understanding or emotional response.
• Analyze the mood created by the poem's language and imagery.

VI. Analysis of Themes and Meaning

• Identify the central themes.
• Analyze how the poet develops and conveys these themes through various poetic elements.
• Discuss the deeper meaning or message conveyed by the poem.

VII. Conclusion

• Summarize the main points discussed in the essay.
• Restate the thesis statement and its significance.
• Provide a final reflection on the poem's impact or enduring relevance.

Tips on how to write a poetry analysis essay

Embrace your emotional response. Poetry often evokes strong emotions. Don't shy away from expressing your personal feelings and reactions. Your emotional response can be a valuable entry point for deeper analysis.

Engage with the poet's background.  Research the poet's life, experiences, and historical context. Understanding the poet's background can illuminate the poem's inspiration and add depth to your analysis.

Draw connections to other works.  Compare the poem with other works by the same poet or poets from the same literary movement. Identifying common themes and stylistic choices can enrich your interpretation.

Visualize the poem.  Create a visual representation of the imagery and structure. Sketching or visual aids can help you better understand the poem's patterns and symbolism.

Collaborate with peers. Discuss the piece of poetry with classmates or friends and exchange ideas. Engaging in group discussions can offer fresh perspectives and lead to new insights.

Apply real-life experiences. Relate the themes or messages of the poem to real-life situations or historical events. This approach can make the poem's meaning more relatable and relevant.

Challenge conventions.  Feel free to challenge conventional interpretations or literary analysis norms. A fresh perspective can lead to a more unique and compelling essay.

In conclusion

By carefully examining the poem's structure, language, imagery, and themes, we unlock its secrets and profoundly understand the poet's intentions. Writing a poetry analysis essay allows us to explore our interpretations, connect with the poet's voice, and engage with the timeless and universal truths that poetry conveys.

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Written by Steven Robinson

Steven Robinson is an academic writing expert with a degree in English literature. His expertise, patient approach, and support empower students to express ideas clearly. On EduBirdie's blog, he provides valuable writing guides on essays, research papers, and other intriguing topics. Enjoys chess in free time.

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Ozymandias ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem - printed in full - and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems are a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem
• The ideas and messages of the poet 
• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
• How do these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Percy Shelley’s poem Ozymandias, from the Power and Conflict anthology. It includes:

• Overview : a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
• Writer’s Methods : an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
• Context : an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
• What to Compare it to : ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Ozymandias is part of the Power and Conflict anthology of poems, and the exam question asks you to compare the ideas presented in two of these anthology poems.

It is therefore as important that you learn how Ozymandias compares and contrasts with other poems in the anthology, as understanding the poem in isolation. See the section below on ‘What to Compare it to’ for detailed comparisons of Ozymandias and other poems in the anthology.

In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell
• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Shelley’s intention and message

Ozymandias in a nutshell

Ozymandias was written by the Romantic   poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1817. It explores the idea that all power is temporary, no matter how powerful or tyrannical the ruler is, and that ultimately nature is more powerful than any human power.

Ozymandias breakdown

“I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said -”

Translation

• The poem begins in the first person, but then instantly passes any responsibility for the opinions within the poem on to a stranger
• The narrator meets an unnamed traveller, and the poem is then recounted from the perspective of this stranger

Shelley’s intention

• Shelley was anti-monarchy and felt that the king at the time of writing, King George III, had outstayed his welcome
• Shelley probably wanted to distance himself from the political messages of the poem, so he opened his poem with the detached narrative of a traveller
• Shelley also used Ozymandias as an a llegory for King George III. The detached narrator meant that Shelley was free to comment on the monarchy as he wished because the views were being presented as the views of someone else

“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert…Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,”

• The traveller then tells of a ruined statue standing in the middle of the desert
• The statue is of a king, Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, who ruled over a once-great Egyptian civilisation
• Only the legs and the enormous face (the “ visage ”) remain
• The traveller only describes the mouth, with a “frown”, “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold command”
• This is ironic because Ozymandias’s power and pride were based on his image of being a great and powerful ruler, and yet now all that remains are broken parts of a statue
• The poem portrays a king who believed strongly in his own power and superiority, and who tried to  i mmortalise his power through his statue
• This is reflective of Shelley’s own a nti-military and  anti-monarchy  stance  
• Yet this statue has now been destroyed by time, and the king has largely forgotten

“Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;”

• The reader then learns of the sculptor, who “well those passions read”, meaning that he could see beneath Ozymandias’s cold, commanding exterior to his passionate rage to “stamp” himself on the world
• When the poet refers to “The hand that mocked them”, he is implying that the sculptor knew Ozymandias’s true and ultimately  f utile nature
• The sculptor created the statue in a way that portrayed the cruelty of the king
• The poem presents negative views about the power used to impose will
• It also comments on the arrogance and pride that can come from the type of tyrannical power in which the ruler wishes only to be known for his perceived greatness

“And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

• There is an inscription on the base of the statue, with the arrogant claim that he is “King of Kings”
• The inscription invites everyone, especially his “Mighty” enemies, to look at what he has achieved as a ruler, and to know that he believes that he is all-powerful and cannot be defeated
• The irony here is that the statue is falling apart and decaying so that only the ruins remain
• The poet is showing how power deteriorates and does not last forever:
• Even great empires which seem to be eternal can fade to nothingness

Lines 12-14

“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

• The ruins of the enormous statue lie alone in an endless, featureless desert
• The power of the natural world is also evident in this poem
• Sand and the desert are used as a m etaphor for the passing of time:
• They also suggest the impermanence of human constructions against the ultimate power of nature

Your exam question will ask you to compare how poets present ideas about power and/or conflict in the poem given to you on the exam paper and one other from the Power and Conflict anthology. It is therefore a good idea to begin your answer using the wording of the question and summarising what the poem tells us about the nature of power. This demonstrates that you have understood the poem and the poet’s intention. For example, “Shelley presents negative ideas about power and its effects in Ozymandias by suggesting that, no matter how powerful the ruler, power deteriorates and does not last forever. Similar themes can be found in…”

Writer’s Methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Shelley’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

The last thing examiners want to see is what they call “technique spotting”. This is when students use overly sophisticated terminology unnecessarily (“polysyndeton”; “epanalepsis”), without explaining their analysis.

Knowing the names of sophisticated techniques will not gain you any more marks, especially if these techniques are only “spotted” and the poet’s intentions for this language are not explained. Instead of technique spot, focus your analysis on the reasons why the poet is presenting their ideas in the way that they do: what is their message? What ideas are they presenting, or challenging?

The poem is written in the form of a 14-line sonnet, which blends both Petrarchan and Shakespearean forms, in order to comment on human power and pride

Shelley uses the structure of Ozymandias to comment on the temporary nature of all human power when compared to the power of God or nature

Shelley uses his choice of techniques and language to compare the ultimately futile nature of human power on the one hand with the overwhelming and everlasting power of nature on the other

Try not to separate “language”, “form” and “structure” into three separate elements you need to include in your answer. To achieve top marks, you need to include an integrated comparison of the themes and ideas in this and the other poems in the anthology and focus on the relevance of the method used by the poet to the ideas in the poem(s). This means it is better to structure your answer around an exploration of the ideas and themes in the poems, commenting on elements of language, form, or structure that contribute to the presentation of these themes, rather than simply listing all of the key methods you think should be covered when writing about poetry (with no analysis or exploration of their relevance to the themes and ideas). Stay focused on the task, and then choose your comments based on the focus of the question.

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Percy Shelley or historical facts about the 19th Century that are unrelated to the ideas in Ozymandias. The best way to understand context is to the ideas and perspectives explored by Shelley in Ozymandias which relate to power or conflict. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Shelley explores:

The Nature of Human Power

• The Power of Nature
• Shelley was a radical  r omantic poet, who was strongly a nti-monarchy , and a  p acifist and he supported s ocial justice
• He rejected institutions of power, and his poetry was used to spread messages and political ideas which needed to be accessible to all
• Shelley wrote Ozymandias to comment on the temporary and ultimately futile nature of human power
• He was also against the monarchy and institutions that represented power and authority
• There are several historical references in the poem
• The first is to the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, who used the throne name Ozymandias
• Ramesses II thought himself to be a very powerful ruler and is remembered for his tyranny and military exploits, as well as having a large empire over Egypt
• This is reflected in the “sneer of cold command” that initiates military actions
• He engaged in military conflicts and was remembered for oppression and tyranny. Many believed he had outstayed his welcome
• Shelley was a pacifist and positioned himself against George’s military exploits
• The poem also touches on how human power, by its nature, can corrupt and ultimately doesn’t last
• The decay of the statue reflects how exploits which are impressive, but not morally good, will be criticised and forgotten about after they end
• Overall, the poet is criticising power, arrogance and pride, as represented by Ozymandias
• It mocks rulers' past, present and future for thinking they will be any different from the previous one
• Shelley was also perhaps criticising systems in which any one individual is given so much power that, despite their abuse of it, the population is unable to remove them 
• He is also criticising all power being centered on a person who obtains their importance from an image and perceived  d ivine right  to power
• The poem also explores the conflict between humans and memory, as Ozymandias was largely forgotten, even though he thought his memory would last forever
• The poem also touches on the lasting power of art and words
• Many people may not have remembered Ozymandias, but part of the statue remained, as well as the words placed on the inscription

The Power of Nature 

• Certain key themes dominated the poetry of the Romantic era, such as the concept of the sublime
• This term conveys the feelings people experience when they see awesome landscapes, or find themselves in extreme situations which create feelings of both fear and admiration
• By describing the desert as “boundless and bare” and “lone and level”, Shelley communicates the vast, powerful extent of nature
• He also comments on nature’s ability to outlive all other forms of power (and deem them insignificant by comparison)
• The “boundless” desert easily outlives the now-forgotten king Ozymandias

Remember, AO3 is only worth up to 6 marks in this question. You will be expected to demonstrate your understanding of the relationship between the poem and the context in which it was written in an integrated way, throughout your answer. It is therefore important to focus on the key themes and have a thorough knowledge of the cluster of poems. 

Context comes from the keyword in the task, so your answer should emphasise the key themes of the nature of human power and the power of nature. Writing a whole paragraph about Ramesses II or King George III is not an integrated approach, and will not achieve high marks.

What to Compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about power, or conflict, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that Ozymandias explores the ideas of the nature of human power , the corruption of power , and the power of nature , the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

Ozymandias and My Last Duchess

Ozymandias and london, ozymandias and the prelude.

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell
• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

You will be expected to not only explore this poem in depth but make perceptive comparisons to themes, language, form and structure used in other poems in the anthology that also comment on power and its nature. It is therefore important that you have a thorough knowledge of all of the poems, rather than just memorising a series of quotations. It is also essential that you not only write about the named poem but compare it to one other in the anthology. Only writing about the poem given on the paper will severely limit your marks.

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess criticise the corruption of power by excessively prideful individuals and explore how, ultimately, this pride and power is undermined by forces more powerful than themselves

Similarities:

Differences:

It is a good idea to outline your choice of second poem in your introduction to your response, with a clear overview of the overarching themes within both poems. You can then use the theme to move between both poems to provide the substance to illustrate your arguments. However, this does not mean that you cannot focus on one poem first, and then the other, linking ideas back to the main poem. You should choose whichever structure suits you best, as long as a comparison is embedded and ideas for both texts are well-developed.

This is an effective comparative choice to explore the nature of political power. Both Shelley’s Ozymandias and Blake’s London show how nature will always be more powerful than humankind, and use setting to convey the nature of power and the power of nature

 Differences:

Both Shelley’s Ozymandias and Wordsworth’s The Prelude highlight the sublime and overwhelming power of nature, and humankind’s inability to impact forces beyond its control

You can choose whichever poem you feel you are able to make the most in-depth comparisons to in the exam. For example, you could choose to compare the “nothingness” in Ozymandias to Storm on the Island. Or you might wish to explore the ways in which humans attempt to achieve permanence by comparing Ozymandias to Tissue. What is important is that you view the poems thematically, with a clear emphasis on power and conflict. This will give you a better framework in which to write your response for the exam.

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Author: Deb Orrock

Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She now manages a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga

By Ingrid Jonker

‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga’ by Ingrid Jonker describes an indominatble spirit of freedom and justice embodied within a symbolic child. 

Ingrid Jonker

Nationality: South African

Her poems have been translated into several other languages.

Poem Analyzed by Emma Baldwin

B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories

This poem is Jonker’s best-known and has been featured in numerous publications, films, and on television. Famously, Nelson Mandela read ‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga ’ during his address at the opening of parliament in May of 1994. The poem is filled with allusions to the Apartheid and anti-apartheid movements in the 1960s, including the horrific practice of killing young children in protests. It should also be noted that this poem was originally written in Afrikaans. This version was translated by Antjie Krog & André Brink.

Explore The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga

• 2 Structure and Form 
• 3 Literary Devices 
• 4 Detailed Analysis 
• 5 FAQs 
• 6 Similar Poetry 

‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga’ by Ingrid Jonker is a moving poem about resistance against the Apartheid in South Africa.

The poem begins with the speaker listing out aspects of a “child.” This symbolic child features in the poem as a representative of the ideas of freedom that drive the anti-apartheid movement in Africa. Although many have died in protests, the child, or the quest for freedom and justice, lives on. He raises his fists against those who stand in his way and travels throughout the world, spreading his message. 

Structure and Form 

‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga’ by Ingrid Jonkeris a five- stanza poem that is divided into uneven sets of lines. The first, second, and third stanzas contain five lines, the fourth: seven, and the fifth: one. The poem is written in free verse . This means that the poet chose not to use a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. 

Literary Devices 

Throughout this piece, the poet makes use of several literary devices. These include but are not limited to: 

• Enjambment : occurs when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines one and two of the first stanza and lines one and two of the second stanza. 
• Anaphora : can be seen when the poet repeats the same word or words at the beginning of lines. For example, “The child” starts numerous lines throughout this poem. 
• Allusion : occurs when the poet refers to something but doesn’t provide readers with all the details they need to understand it. This occurs in the third stanza of this poem when the poet mentions place names like “Langa” and “Nyanga.” 

Detailed Analysis 

The child is not dead (…) of freedom and heather in the locations of the heart under siege

In the first stanza of ‘The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga,’ the speaker begins by noting that “The child,” the most important symbol throughout the poem, is “not dead.” The child becomes a symbol of resistance and hope. The speaker describes how this child raised his fists against his elders and screamed for “freedom,” seeking out a new way of living. The “locations of the heart under siege” is a symbol for the areas of Africa affected by the cruel apartheid laws of the period. 

Stanza Two 

The child raises his fists against his father (…) of justice and blood in the streets of his armed pride

The second stanza is similar to the first. The speaker notes that the child stands up to his father and screams for justice for those lost under apartheid. The child is resisting and pushing back against a system that was incredibly unjust and unimaginably brutal. Images like “fists” and “blood” are ways to ensure readers understand the child’s purpose and the passion behind his words. 

Stanza Three 

The child is not dead neither at Langa nor at Nyanga (…) where he lies with a bullet in his head

The child, who is still only a symbol of resistance and change, is “not dead.” He was not killed as other children were during protests. He does not really “lie with a  bullet in his head.” He’s going to live forever and continue his protestations. Here, the speaker is alluding to the practice of police officers killing protestors, including children, in order to send a message to the general public. The sense of freedom the child represents can’t be killed by bullets. 

Stanzas Four and Five 

The child is the shadow of the soldiers on guard with guns saracens and batons (…) the child who became a giant travels through the whole world Without a pass

In the final stanza, readers can find an excellent example of anaphora. The phrase “the child” begins six of the seven lines of this stanza. The “child” the speaker says is everywhere at once. They are peeping through windows and becoming a man trekking through “all of Africa.” The child is “present” at all meetings and legislation. He’s there, a symbol of resistance and strength, always. 

The poem ends with a three-word line, “Without a pass.” The child does all this without permission, including becoming a “giant” who travels through the whole world. The sense of freedom the child embodies goes far and wide throughout the world without permission or any allowances. This is another way of exploring how powerful the anti-Apartheid movement was. 

The tone is passionate and inspired. The speaker is determined in their message and relays it with a clarity of purpose. The use of repetition ensures the reader feels their passion.

The purpose is to explore the strength of freedom and resistance against the Apartheid in South Africa. Jonker speaks from a unique perspective , allowing readers to understand how life-consuming and horrific this period was. 

The themes at work in this poem include freedom and resistance. The speaker emphasizes these themes through the symbol of the child. He stands up for what he knows is right and can never die. He isn’t a physical person but an idea. 

Similar Poetry 

Readers who enjoyed ‘ The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga’ should also consider reading some related poems. For example: 

• ‘ Ingrid Jonker ’ by Sally Bryer – a poem of praise celebrating Jonker’s contributions to South African poetry.
• ‘ A Far Cry from Africa ’ by Derek Walcott – a poem based around the struggles in Africa.
• ‘ Stolen Rivers ’ by Phillippa Yea de Villiers – is dedicated to Chiwoniso Maraire, who was well-known as a Zimbabwean singer, songwriter, and an exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music.
• ‘ Nothing’s Changed ’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika – talks about the rampant apartheid system in District Six near Cape Town in South Africa, and explores racism.

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Baldwin, Emma. "The Child Who Was Shot Dead by Soldiers in Nyanga by Ingrid Jonker". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/ingrid-jonker/the-child-who-was-shot-dead-by-soldiers-in-nyanga/ . Accessed 13 June 2024.

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by Elizabeth Acevedo

• The Poet X Summary

Xiomara is a fifteen-year-old Dominican-American girl living in Harlem with her twin brother Xavier (she calls him “Twin”), her indifferent Papi , and her religious and strict Mami . She grapples with normal teenage-girl issues, such as her identity, her body, boys, and questions regarding religion. Her writing is what gives her solace and catharsis; she is a poet but does not share her work with anyone.

The new school year brings with it new challenges. Her English teacher, Ms. Galiano , invites her to Poetry Club but she knows she cannot go because she is in confirmation classes with her best friend Caridad . She begins a relationship with a boy in biology class, Aman , but she is not allowed to date so she has to keep it secret. Twin is also involved with someone but she does not know whom. At confirmation class she expresses extreme doubt about God and the stories in the Bible; Father Sean , the kindly priest, tells her she should take time to think about these big questions for herself.

After a gossipy neighbor tells Mami they saw Aman and Xiomara kissing on the subway, Xiomara is heavily punished. She is forced to kneel down on coarse grains of rice before Mami’s altar to ask for forgiveness, and she loses her phone, lunch money, and free time. Xiomara is filled with resentment towards her mother. What makes things worse is that the next day at school, when a random boy grabs her butt and Aman sees, he does nothing. Distraught that she is truly on her own, she breaks it off with him.

The next couple months Xiomara turns inward, her writing her only companion. She does discover Twin is gay, which, if their parents found out, would destroy their view of him as their golden child. Xiomara is supportive, but worries about Twin.

Things finally start to improve as the year draws to a close. Ms. Galiano, noticing Xiomara’s behavioral changes, invites her once more to Poetry Club. Xiomara realizes she can go now that Father Sean has said she need not come to conformation class and Mami still thinks she is there. At Poetry Club Xiomara experiences the exhilaration of reading her work aloud to like-minded people. She makes friends with the other attendees, Isabelle , Stephen, and Chris .

Hers and Twin’s January birthday is actually quite wonderful, and things seem to be looking up: she is happy in the Club, she does a reading at a famous poetry club when Caridad signs her up without her knowledge, she feels safe and seen at school, and Mami is off her back.

However, this contentment comes to an end when Xiomara accidentally leaves her notebook at home and Mami finds it. Mami is utterly horrified reading of Xiomara’s thoughts on sex, God, and her family, and she viciously takes a match to it. Papi and Twin look on but do nothing. Xiomara grasps for the notebook but Mami pushes her away. Xiomara screams her verses while Mami screams back verses from the Bible.

Finally, Xiomara runs away. She texts Aman and he meets her and invites her up to the apartment where he lives with his father (who is not currently there). She briefly tells him what happens. They apologize to each other for what happened a couple months ago, and begin to kiss. Aman wants to go further but Xiomara stops him; she is not ready. He is completely understanding and the two of them hang out and eat and watch TV. She spends the night there, refusing to go home.

The next day Ms. Galiano asks her what is going on and Xiomara breaks down and tells her everything. Ms. Galiano validates her feelings but tells her she needs to go home and talk to her mother. Outside of school Twin and Caridad and Aman come to support Xiomara. She tells them she has an idea who can help her.

On the way home Xiomara picks up Father Sean. When they get inside the apartment, Xiomara sees her mother’s eyes are red with tears. She goes to her and they hug.

It is not easy, but over the next couple of weeks, with the help of Father Sean, mother and daughter learn to talk to each other. Sometimes Twin and Papi come and the whole family shares their feelings. Not everything is perfect, but this is a welcome breakthrough. The family even encourages and supports Xiomara’s participation in a citywide poetry slam, at which she excels. The novel ends on a positive note, with a sense that Xiomara is continuing to develop her voice as well as her relationship with her family.

The Poet X Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Poet X is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Which of the following quotes most clearly shows the author's attitude about church?

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What are 6 important events in order?

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poet x ''poem Ms.Galiano''

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Study Guide for The Poet X

The Poet X study guide contains a biography of Acevado, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Poet X
• Character List

Essays for The Poet X

The Poet X essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Poet X by Acevado.

• Discovering Self Worth through Spoken Word in "The Poet X"
• Elizabeth Acevedo’s Ode to Adolescent Power: Culture, Conflict, and Reassurance in The Poet X

62 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Before You Read

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Character Analysis

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Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Elizabeth Acevedo’s award-winning 2018 young adult novel, The Poet X , brings to life the inner world of protagonist Xiomara Batista . Xiomara is 15 years old, and from her bedroom in Harlem, she writes poetry in order to put on the page all the feelings and ideas she cannot seem to be able to say out loud. Xiomara resigns herself to writing in her notebook and sharing her thoughts with only a few trusted individuals until her English teacher, Ms. Galiano , invites Xiomara to speak her words in a spoken word poetry club, and, later, at a citywide poetry slam competition.

Though this novel-in-verse takes place over only a few months during Xiomara’s sophomore year in high school, Xiomara goes through many significant experiences, all of which are documented in her poetry. Xiomara begins to doubt the religious teachings of her childhood as she matures into a curious and bright young woman. She struggles with her developing body and its effect on other people, experiencing at the same time what it feels like to fall in love. As Xiomara experiments with independence, she observes that her need to separate from her parents is particularly challenging for her mother. Mami lives and breathes by her Catholic faith, and she has high expectations for Xiomara, expectations that are vastly different from the ones that Xiomara has for herself.

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Against the urban backdrop of present-day Harlem, Xiomara, her twin brother, Xavier, and their friend, Caridad , grow up among drug-dealers and teenagers having babies well before they are ready to be parents. Their church is both a sanctuary and a jail for Xiomara, and she questions the teachings of the church with her characteristic incisive thoughtfulness. At school and on the street, Xiomara is both a quiet presence and a highly conspicuous one; her womanly figure means she is noticed, but Xiomara wants to be known for her creative abilities—for her dreams and her intellect, not for her curves. Xiomara’s relationship with her older parents is difficult, as they don’t seem to understand her, nor do they trust her judgment. Her mother’s devotion to the Catholic church means that Xiomara has to live up to Mami’s religious ideals, and just as Mami is setting impossible limits on Xiomara’s social freedoms, Xiomara falls deeply in love. She feels she must keep her romance with her biology lab partner, Aman , a secret, until everything becomes evident during the novel’s intensely dramatic and emotional moment of climax.

Written in a musical and compelling combination of slang, colloquialisms, and formal poetic language, The Poet X is an unusual and sensitive book that honors the rhythms of hip-hop while taking the reader along on the rollercoaster ride that is adolescence. Through Xiomara’s eyes, being a teenager has never been more challenging, but thanks to her insistence that she be true to herself, readers of all ages will learn that there is potential for beauty in every conflict. Love can take any number of forms, Xiomara learns, and the readers of her deeply-personal poetry are reminded of this inevitable fact of life with every stanza.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Ozymandias — Literary Devices in the Poem “Ozymandias”

Literary Devices in The Poem "Ozymandias"

• Categories: Literary Devices Ozymandias

About this sample

Words: 575 |

Published: Jun 13, 2024

Words: 575 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Introduction

Body paragraph.

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Related Essays on Ozymandias

Shelley, P. B. (1818). Ozymandias. The Examiner. Retrieved from doi:10.1353/vp.2015.0032

The concept of impermanence is a familiar theme in the realm of human existence. All living beings undergo the processes of aging and eventual demise, and even the material possessions that humanity employs to enhance life [...]

The poems “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley and “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning are very different. However, they do have something in common – both poems are representations of their power. “Ozymandias” represents power as [...]

Percy Shelley’s sonnet “Ozymandias” (1818) is, in many ways, an outlier in his oeuvre: it is short, adhering to the fourteen line length of most traditional sonnets; its precise language, filled with concrete nouns and active [...]

‘Ozymandias’ is a poem of Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is written in first person as a second hand account from a traveler and includes an anecdote of someone that the traveler once ‘met’. The poem is a sonnet, also written with [...]

Romanticism primarily struck English artistic, literary, and intellectual culture during a time of political reform and upheaval, coinciding with the Age of Revolution. This period of change allowed for the revisitation and [...]

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Annabel Lee Summary & Analysis by Edgar Allan Poe

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

"Annabel Lee" is the last poem composed by Edgar Allan Poe, one of the foremost figures of American literature. It was written in 1849 and published not long after the author's death in the same year. It features a subject that appears frequently in Poe's writing: the death of a young, beautiful woman. The poem is narrated by Annabel Lee's lover, who forcefully rails against the people—and supernatural beings—who tried to get in the way of their love. Ultimately, the speaker claims that his bond with Annabel Lee was so strong that, even after her death, they are still together.

• Read the full text of “Annabel Lee”

The Full Text of “Annabel Lee”

1 It was many and many a year ago, 

2    In a kingdom by the sea, 

3 That a maiden there lived whom you may know 

4    By the name of Annabel Lee; 

5 And this maiden she lived with no other thought 

6    Than to love and be loved by me. 

7 I  was a child and  she  was a child, 

8    In this kingdom by the sea, 

9 But we loved with a love that was more than love— 

10    I and my Annabel Lee— 

11 With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven 

12    Coveted her and me. 

13 And this was the reason that, long ago, 

14    In this kingdom by the sea, 

15 A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling 

16    My beautiful Annabel Lee; 

17 So that her highborn kinsmen came 

18    And bore her away from me, 

19 To shut her up in a sepulchre 

20    In this kingdom by the sea. 

21 The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, 

22    Went envying her and me— 

23 Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, 

24    In this kingdom by the sea) 

25 That the wind came out of the cloud by night, 

26    Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. 

27 But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

28    Of those who were older than we— 

29    Of many far wiser than we— 

30 And neither the angels in Heaven above 

31    Nor the demons down under the sea 

32 Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

33    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

34 For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams 

35    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

36 And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes 

37    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

38 And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side 

39    Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, 

40    In her sepulchre there by the sea— 

41    In her tomb by the sounding sea.

“Annabel Lee” Summary

“annabel lee” themes.

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

Death and Grief

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “annabel lee”.

It was many and many a year ago,     In a kingdom by the sea,  That a maiden there lived whom you may know     By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought     Than to love and be loved by me. 

I  was a child and  she  was a child,     In this kingdom by the sea,  But we loved with a love that was more than love—     I and my Annabel Lee—  With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven     Coveted her and me.

Lines 13-20

And this was the reason that, long ago,     In this kingdom by the sea,  A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling     My beautiful Annabel Lee;  So that her highborn kinsmen came     And bore her away from me,  To shut her up in a sepulchre     In this kingdom by the sea.

Lines 21-26

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,     Went envying her and me—  Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,     In this kingdom by the sea)  That the wind came out of the cloud by night,     Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

Lines 27-33

But our love it was stronger by far than the love     Of those who were older than we—     Of many far wiser than we—  And neither the angels in Heaven above     Nor the demons down under the sea  Can ever dissever my soul from the soul     Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

Lines 34-41

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams     Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes     Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;  And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side     Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,     In her sepulchre there by the sea—     In her tomb by the sounding sea.

“Annabel Lee” Symbols

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“Annabel Lee” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

Alliteration.

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Pathetic Fallacy

Parallelism, antimetabole, “annabel lee” vocabulary.

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Annabel Lee”

Rhyme scheme, “annabel lee” speaker, “annabel lee” setting, literary and historical context of “annabel lee”, more “annabel lee” resources, external resources.

Poe's Letters — A collection of Poe's correspondence. 

Joan Baez — A musical setting of the poem by 60s legend Joan Baez.

Radio Documentary — A BBC documentary looking at Poe's life and work.

More poems and biography — Poetry Foundation resources on Poe.

A Reading — The poem read by Garrison Keillor.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

A Dream Within a Dream

Sonnet to Science

The Conqueror Worm

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P&Q’s Must Reads: Undergraduate GPA: What It Takes To Get Into A Top-50 U.S. MBA Program

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Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads , a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: Undergraduate GPA: What It Takes To Get Into A Top-50 U.S. MBA Program 

Contrary to popular belief, a low undergraduate GPA doesn’t necessarily mean that your dreams of a top MBA school are dead in the water. 

In 2023, more top schools started reporting wider GPA ranges, showing that at least some candidates with scores on the lower end gained admittance to top schools. 

Still, achieving a GPA in the mid to upper ranges certainly won’t hurt ones application to their dream school. 

Poets&Quants has gathered the GPA averages and ranges at all of the top 50 business schools to show where you fall in the mix. You can find the full data now, on our homepage.

No. 2: Harvard Business School Will Now Update Its MBA Essay

For more than a decade, Harvard Business School has asked candidates to respond, in 900 words or less, to the following essay prompt: “What more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?”

But, when it opens MBA applications to the Class of 2027 on June 25, it will ask applicants to respond to a new essay question altogether, according to a school blog post. 

You can find out more about the change in this story, now posted on our trending tab.

No. 3:  How A Second Trump Presidency Could Impact B-Schools

For U.S. business schools seeking to attract international talent to their MBA and other programs, Donald Trump’s first presidential term was an especially difficult time.

Now, as the U.S. enters the summer of another presidential election year, polls show that a Trump return to the White House is a distinct possibility. If he defeats incumbent Joe Biden this November, what would a second Trump term mean for business education in the U.S. — and around the world?

Poets&Quants posed this question to some of the world’s leading MBA admissions consultants. We synthesize their answers in this story, now up on our homepage.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: 2024-2025 MBA Application Deadlines . This story, which you can find on our admissions hub, tells prospects when to apply to all the top business schools.

Next: How To Ace The INSEAD Video Questions . Learn the purpose of INSEAD’s video requirement, how it’s used, and tips for success in this story on our homepage.

Finally: Applying In Round 1? Here’s A Checklist For June . This article also offers tips for getting a job in investment banking. You can find it on our homepage.

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.

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A researcher fired by OpenAI published a 165-page essay on what to expect from AI in the next decade. We asked GPT-4 to summarize it.

• Leopold Aschenbrenner, a fired OpenAI researcher, published a 165-page essay on the future of AI.
• Aschenbrenner's treatise discusses rapid AI progress, security implications, and societal impact.
• Here's what GPT-4 says about Aschenbrenner's predictions.

Over the past few months, several employees have left OpenAI , citing concerns about the company's commitment to safety.

Besides making pithy exit announcements on X, they haven't said much about why they're worried about OpenAI's approach to development — or the future of artificial intelligence.

That is until earlier this week, when Leopold Aschenbrenner, a researcher who was fired from OpenAI in April, published his thoughts on the AI revolution in an epic 165-page treatise.

Aschenbrenner worked on OpenAI's superalignment team, which was tasked with mitigating AI risks. Aschenbrenner said OpenAI fired him for leaking information about the company's readiness for artificial general intelligence .

For his part, Aschenbrenner said the information he shared was "totally normal" and that OpenAI might have just been looking for a reason to fire him. He was one of several employees who refused to sign a letter calling for CEO Sam Altman's return after the board briefly ousted Altman last year.

Aschenbrenner's essay doesn't appear to include sensitive details about OpenAI. Instead, as Aschenbrenner writes on the dedication page, it's based on "publicly available information, my own ideas, general field knowledge, or SF gossip."

Business Insider uploaded the tract to OpenAI's GPT-4 model . We asked it to summarize the work and relay the most significant takeaways. We also gently requested that the bot keep its summary clear and concise.

Here's ChatGPT's 57-word summary of Aschenbrenner's essay

ChatGPT distilled the essay into 57 words that outlined Aschenbrenner's views on the evolution of AI.

"Leopold Aschenbrenner's essay discusses the transformative potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence, and forecasts significant advancements in AI technology in the near future. Aschenbrenner, formerly associated with OpenAI, outlines how the progression from current AI models like GPT-4 to AGI could occur much faster than anticipated, based on trends in computational power and algorithmic efficiency."

ChatGPT then offered four key takeaways from Aschenbrenner's essay

Rapid Progress in AI

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"Aschenbrenner argues that AI development is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. He predicts that by 2027, AI models could reach the capabilities of human AI researchers and engineers, potentially leading to an intelligence explosion where AI surpasses human intelligence."

Economic and Security Implications

"The essay highlights the immense economic and security implications of these advancements. Aschenbrenner points out that trillions of dollars are being invested into developing the infrastructure needed to support these AI systems, such as GPUs, data centers, and power generation. He also emphasizes the critical need for securing these technologies to prevent misuse, particularly by state actors like the CCP."

Technical and Ethical Challenges

"The essay discusses the significant challenges in controlling AI systems smarter than humans, referring to this as the 'superalignment' problem. Managing this will be crucial to prevent catastrophic outcomes."

Predictions and Societal Impact

"Aschenbrenner suggests that few people truly understand the scale of change that AI is about to bring. He discusses the potential for AI to reshape industries, enhance national security, and pose new ethical and governance challenges."

There's more

As Aschenbrenner wrote, there are probably only a few hundred people, most of them in AI labs in San Francisco, who have "situational awareness" about the industry. These people will most likely have the best insight into how AI will reshape the years ahead.

Aschenbrenner, as one of them, seems to believe AI will assume a critical role in national security.

We followed up our original prompt by asking ChatGPT to summarize the predictions Aschenbrenner made in his essay.

Here's how ChatGPT broke it down.

• AGI by 2027: "Aschenbrenner predicts that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is strikingly plausible by 2027, highlighting the rapid progress from GPT-2 to GPT-4, which saw AI models advancing from preschool-level to smart high-schooler abilities in just four years. He expects a similar leap in the next few years based on consistent improvements in compute and algorithmic efficiency."
• Superintelligence Following AGI: "Post-AGI, the author anticipates an 'intelligence explosion,' where AI rapidly advances from human-level to superhuman capabilities. This transition is expected to be fueled by AI's ability to automate and accelerate its own research and development."
• Trillion-Dollar AI Clusters: "Economically, Aschenbrenner suggests that the AI sector will see an increase in investment into trillion-dollar compute clusters as corporations and governments prepare for the implications of AGI and superintelligence."
• National and Global Security Dynamics: "There are predictions about intense national security measures being enacted to manage and control AI developments. The competition, particularly with the Chinese government, could intensify, possibly leading to an 'all-out war' if not managed properly."
• Superalignment Challenges: "One of the most critical predictions is the struggle with 'superalignment' — the challenge of keeping superintelligent AI aligned with human values and interests. This problem is anticipated to be one of the central hurdles as AI reaches and surpasses human intelligence levels."
• Societal and Economic Transformations: "Aschenbrenner expects AI to have a profound impact on society and the economy, potentially leading to a restructuring of industries and the job market due to AI's capability to perform tasks currently managed by humans."
• The Project Involvement by the US Government: "Predictions include the US government becoming significantly involved in AI development by around 2027-2028 through a dedicated AGI project, likely due to the strategic importance of AI technology."
• Technological Mobilization: "He anticipates a mobilization of technological and industrial resources similar to historical wartime efforts, focusing on AI and its supporting infrastructure as a priority for national policy."

Here's the full prompt we used:

Role: Act as an editor. Task: Read the attached essay about former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner. Instructions: Summarize the essay, highlighting the most significant takeaways. Focus on key contributions, research areas, and any notable impacts on the field. Ensure the summary is concise yet comprehensive, providing a clear understanding of Aschenbrenner's work and influence.

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Taylor Swift Announces End of Eras Tour: Inside the Record-Breaking Concert

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Taylor Swift 's Eras Tour is officially coming to an end. At the singer's June 13 show in Liverpool, she announced that her record-breaking tour will end in December. As of now, her last scheduled tour stop is Dec. 8 in Vancouver, Canada.

In the wake of the news, ET is taking a look back at the epic show and how it changed following the release of Swift's 11th studio album,  The Tortured Poets Department .

After taking a two-month hiatus  from her tour, Swift returned to the stage in May, welcoming fans at La Défense Arena in Paris.

According to social media users who posted from the concert, the first show of the European leg featured a new 45-song setlist that changed the order of certain eras -- including combining the Evermore  and Folklore eras -- and a bevy of changes to the singer's costumes, montages, and more.

Eras Tour Opening Act

While  Sabrina Carpenter  served as the opening act for the first round of international tour dates for  The Eras Tour , the European leg kicked off with  Paramore serving as the opening act. The GRAMMY winners are joining Swift on her European leg for 51 shows. The rock band previously opened the show for two nights in Glendale, Arizona, in 2023.

Their Thursday setlist included "This Is Why," "Hard Times," "That's What You Get," "The Only Exception," "Caught in the Middle" and "Brick by Boring Brick."

Eras Tour Intro Montage

Swift added  TTPD lyrics to the Eras Tour opening montage.

Eras Tour Introduction Monologue

Before she began playing the song "Lover" in the  Lover  set, Swift told her audience that the night would span 18 years of music. Previously, she said that the concert covered 16 years. 

Eras Tour  Lover Set Updates

Swift cut "The Archer" from her Lover  set. The  Lover  house graphic also featured a new addition in the attic for The Tortured Poets Department .

Eras Tour Folklore and Evermore Set Updates

Swift combined the setlists for  Folklore and Evermore 's eras. 

"On the Eras Tour we have now reunited the sisters, combined them into one chapter," she said. "You can call it Folklore , Evermore or you can call it the Sister Albums! You can call it whatever you want as long as you promise to sing 'Champagne Problems' with me."

The new setlist cut four tracks from the formerly individual eras, including "'Tis the Damn Season," "Tolerate It," "The 1," and "The Last Great American Dynasty."

Eras Tour  Speak Now  Set Updates

Swift cut "Long Live" from the  Speak Now  era setlist. She also updated the set with an intro dance featuring Raphael Thomas and eight other dancers before she sang "Enchanted."

Eras Tour  Red  Set Updates 

Instead of performing her  Red  setlist as the fifth era, Swift bumped the  Red  era to third place on the setlist.

Eras Tour Paris Secret Set

Swift kicked off the secret set with "Paris," a bonus song from her Midnights  album. She also performed "loml."

Eras Tour The Tortured Poets Department Set

Swift officially launched the The Tortured Poets Department  era of the tour after the 1989  set towards the end. She performed "But Daddy I Love Him," "So High School," "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me," "Down Bad," "Fortnight," "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" and "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart."

Swift's 11th studio album was released on April 19 to much fanfare. 

The 31-track collection --  which turned out to be a surprise double album  -- features a hefty helping of  heartbreak songs  following her splits from  Joe Alwyn  and  Matty Healy , as well as a few  sweet love songs  amid her current relationship with  Travis Kelce . 

"She has put her heart and soul into the music, just like with everything she does," a source told ET about the album, "and can't wait for her fans to listen to it and to share it with them."

Swifties predicted the singer would incorporate  TTPD into her tour after  Swift released a collection of new behind-the-scenes videos from what appeared to be tour rehearsals last month. The black-and-white clips are set to her current single, " Fortnight " featuring  Post Malone , as part of her ongoing #ForAFortnightChallenge on YouTube Shorts. 

"A fortnight 'til Paris," she captioned the post. The term "Fortnight" refers to a period of two weeks, a reference to the first of four Eras shows at Paris La Défense Arena on May 9. 

Swifties wasted no time dissecting the images, taking note of what appears to be new props that could indicate the addition of  TTPD  songs to her already extensive setlist. 

ET recently spoke to Travis Kelce , the Kansas City Chiefs superstar dating the pop star, during which he  confirmed he'll be there with bells on  for Swift's upcoming performances. 

"There won't be a bad show, I promise you that," he said. "You know I gotta go support." 

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Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, on Long Island, New York. He was the second son of Walter Whitman, a house-builder, and Louisa Van Velsor. In the 1820s and 1830s, the family, which consisted of nine children, lived in Long Island and Brooklyn, where Whitman attended the Brooklyn public schools.

At the age of twelve, Whitman began to learn the printer’s trade and fell in love with the written word. Largely self-taught, he read voraciously, becoming acquainted with the works of  Homer ,  Dante ,  Shakespeare , and the Bible.

Whitman worked as a printer in New York City until a devastating fire in the printing district demolished the industry. In 1836, at the age of seventeen, he began his career as teacher in the one-room schoolhouses of Long Island. He continued to teach until 1841, when he turned to journalism as a full-time career. He founded a weekly newspaper, The Long-Islander , and later edited a number of Brooklyn and New York papers, including the Brooklyn Daily Eagle . In 1848, Whitman left the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to become editor of the New Orleans Crescent for three months. After witnessing the auctions of enslaved individuals in New Orleans, he returned to Brooklyn in the fall of 1848 and co-founded a “free soil” newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman , which he edited through the next fall. Whitman’s attitudes about race have been described as “ unstable and inconsistent .” He did not always side with the abolitionists , yet he celebrated human dignity.

In Brooklyn, Whitman continued to develop the unique style of poetry that later so astonished Ralph Waldo Emerson . In 1855, Whitman took out a copyright on the first edition of Leaves of Grass , which consisted of twelve untitled poems and a preface. He published the volume himself, and sent a copy to Emerson in July of 1855. Whitman released a second edition of the book in 1856, containing thirty-two poems, a letter from Emerson praising the first edition, and a long open letter by Whitman in response. During his lifetime, Whitman continued to refine the volume, publishing several more editions of the book. Noted Whitman scholar, M. Jimmie Killingsworth writes that “the ‘merge,’ as Whitman conceived it, is the tendency of the individual self to overcome moral, psychological, and political boundaries. Thematically and poetically, the notion dominates the three major poems of 1855: ‘ I Sing the Body Electric ,’ ‘ The Sleepers ,’ and ‘Song of Myself,’ all of which were merged in the first edition under the single title ‘Leaves of Grass’ but were demarcated by clear breaks in the text and the repetition of the title.”

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Whitman vowed to live a “purged” and “cleansed” life. He worked as a freelance journalist and visited the wounded at New York City–area hospitals. He then traveled to Washington, D.C. in December 1862 to care for his brother, who had been wounded in the war.

Overcome by the suffering of the many wounded in Washington, Whitman decided to stay and work in the hospitals; he ended up staying in the city for eleven years. He took a job as a clerk for the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior, which ended when the Secretary of the Interior, James Harlan, discovered that Whitman was the author of  Leaves of Grass , which Harlan found offensive. After Harlan fired him, he went on to work in the attorney general's office.

In 1873, Whitman suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. A few months later he travelled to Camden, New Jersey, to visit his dying mother at his brother’s house. He ended up staying with his brother until the 1882 publication of  Leaves of Grass  (James R. Osgood), which brought him enough money to buy a home in Camden.

In the simple two-story clapboard house, Whitman spent his declining years working on additions and revisions to his deathbed edition of  Leaves of Grass  (David McKay, 1891–92) and preparing his final volume of poems and prose,  Good-Bye My Fancy  (David McKay, 1891). After his death on March 26, 1892, Whitman was buried in a tomb he designed and had built on a lot in Harleigh Cemetery.

Along with  Emily Dickinson , he is considered one of America’s most important poets.

Related Poets

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth, who rallied for “common speech” within poems and argued against the poetic biases of the period, wrote some of the most influential poetry in Western literature, including his most famous work,  The Prelude , which is often considered to be the crowning achievement of English romanticism.

W. B. Yeats

William Butler Yeats, widely considered one of the greatest poets of the English language, received the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature. His work was greatly influenced by the heritage and politics of Ireland.

Edgar Allan Poe

Born in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe had a profound impact on American and international literature as an editor, poet, and critic.

William Blake

William Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757, to James, a hosier, and Catherine Blake. Two of his six siblings died in infancy. From early childhood, Blake spoke of having visions—at four he saw God "put his head to the window"; around age nine, while walking through the countryside, he saw a tree filled with angels.

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. While she was extremely prolific as a poet and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. She died in Amherst in 1886, and the first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890.

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