Poem Analysis: A Red Red Rose

Symbolism is used to lighten the overall mood of the poem and aids in explaining the author’s love by portraying love as a melody in tune rather than explaining directly the affection between them. The symbolism involved aids the flow by not getting straight to the point and making the readers decide the meaning of each verse. Symbolism of the poem has also made this poem seem like a song where all the verses connect and have a general topic that underlines each verse in its own unique way. This sentence was chose to explain that symbolism was used in the poem to explain how love is sweet and like an instrument playing in tune. The symbol of playing in tune connects the sentences in the first verse so the general theme portrays joy and happiness. After the poem, we can truly see how sweet and joyful love is and how his love is like a red vibrant rose and like a melody played in tune; of how love is something that is celebrated and full of life versus the opposite-something sorrowful and lifeless.

Sonnet #43, FROM THE PORTUGUESE by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The poetic device I have chosen is irony.

An example from the poem is “I love thee with a love I seemed to lose”.

Irony is used in this sentence when the author states that she loves someone with a love that she lost at some time. It is ironic because how could one love someone, when they no longer possess love? She is trying to say that she doesn’t love this person anymore as she has a love that is lost. She also is explaining that this person has done something to make her lose love. The author has also tried to convey that at one time she loved this person with a passion. She is recounting different examples of how little she cares for him.

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost

The poetic device I have chosen is assonance.

An example from the poem is, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… And be one traveller, long I stood”.

This assonance connects the poem through connecting sentences of diverse meaning with the words at the end of the sentence. It connects these sentences by presenting the conflict of there being one traveller and two roads. It also connects this by making the verse flow and making it have a melody that can be sung rather than let it be a free verse where it is strictly words with no rhythm. There are other cases of alliteration in the poem where it connects relevant ideas. The author uses alliteration to show the conflicting quality that he or she is trying to express by showing two options she has the ability to choose. He connects his real life problems with this situation of being split between two paths, not knowing which one is more rewarding.

Dreams by Langston Hughes

The poetic device I have chosen is metaphor.

An example from the poem is, “Life is a broken-winged bird”.

This metaphor shows how not staying true to your dreams can affect your life greatly. The author compares losing your dreams and ambitions to a broken winged bird which cannot perform its most vital function of flying. A bird’s main way of defending itself from predators is to fly away and without being able to use its wings it is vulnerable. It also needs its wings to have an advantage over prey so it can eat. This is just like a human who hasn’t fulfilled any of their dreams. Life is full of ups and downs. There are times when we will fall but we can pick ourselves up and soar to success through hard work and time to heal. The author clearly shows through this metaphor that dreams are crucial to be able to enjoy your life as they can help you determine your goals and create inspiration to fuel your endeavours.

The poem you asked for by Larry Levis

The poetic device I have chosen is personification.

An example from the poem is, “My poem would eat nothing”.

Personification really adds to this poem by describing it as if it was a human and acting towards it as if it were alive. The example shows that this author is trying to feed this poem metaphorically and is trying to treat it like a human being. He goes as far as explaining situations as if it pertained to a real person making the poem finally come alive. The author is showing how we can give the poem attitude and emotion and how to make it come alive from an inanimate object to making it seem as if it were a human. He also shows that we can’t give up on a poem or any task even though it may not “eat anything” and that eventually we will find our groove and succeed. He shows how from meaning nothing, the poem can convey human qualities that will allow the reader to better relate to the messages of the poem.

Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson

The poetic device I have chosen is irony.

An example from the poem is, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.”

Irony is exhibited throughout the poem as it explains that Richard Cory seems to have a perfect life yet he kills himself. The poem states that he put a bullet through his head inferring that there is an unknown factor in his life that challenges the views of ‘perfection’ held by others. This mysterious factor pushed him to the extreme- committing suicide. All his neighbours envied him only until his tragic death. Now they can see that there was more to his life than meets the eye and that the high life isn’t always ideal