Poetry Anthology Entry #1 3/4/16 Anu Yohannes
Fire a n d Ice
Poem by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
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Poem by Langston Hughes Mother To Son
Fire and Ice is about two different elements, Fire and Ice. Both of the elements counteract each other and have been opposites ever since they were created. But, In some ways they relate to each other. Robert Frost describe fire as desire and ice as hate. As a small child I would always feel a kind of fire feeling for things that I did not have. I would desire things that I did not need, and when I did not get what I wanted I would be in a hateful mood. Give everyone the cold shoulder. These two feelings are absolutely different from each other, but having one of the feelings evolves to the other.
Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, 2
Poem by Langston Hughes Mother To Son And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now— For I'se still goinx', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. Notes ● No poem rhyme scheme makes this poem seem more like a conversation than a poem that is being read off of a page ● Written like a conversation
When I read the poem “Mother To Son” by Langston Hughes it reminds me about the struggles I had through my life. The lines “And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor” remind me of the big struggles I had to go through when I first traveled to the United States from Pisa, Italy. 3
Poem by Langston Hughes Mother To Son I chose the poem “Mother To Son” by Langston Hughes, because when I first read it something stood out to me instantly. There are many unique things about this poem that separates it from most poems. First, this poem only has one language feature, metaphors . This metaphorical poem, which is a poem is mostly made up of metaphors , compares an abandoned apartment building to a mother's life. the first metaphor that we see is in the second line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”In crystal stairs you can see all the steps in crystal stairs, but in a staircase you can only see a little bit behind you and a little bit in front of you. Another example of metaphors in this poem is when it says “Don’t you set down on the steps. ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now.”When you are running and have a good momentum, it is harder to get up after you stop for a while than it is to keep on going. Just like in life, it is harder to keep on going after you have stopped. When I read this poem it is easier for me to understand what the poet is talking about because he chooses a common image to relate with. Another unique characteristic about this poem is the way the poet chose not to place a rhyme scheme in this poem. A lot of common poems have a rhyme scheme, which is why the first thing that pops in most people's heads about a poem is that it rhymes. When I read this, it does not seem like another poem that I am reading from a page of paper, instead to me it feels like a conversation. Without the rhyme scheme you can “feel” the poem better because now it’s like a conversation. Langston Hughes combines the metaphors and prose together to make this poem unique. If he used rhyme, then the reader would focus more on the rhymes themselves rather than the lesson itself. Without the rhyme, it takes away that distraction and the gives us the lesson more directly.
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Poetry Anthology Entry #2 2/14/16 Anu Yohannes
Where The Sidewalk Ends Poem by Shel Silverstein There is a place where the sidewalk ends And before the street begins, And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun burns crimson bright, And there the moonbird rests from his flight To cool in the peppermint wind. Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends. Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And watch where the chalkwhite arrows go To the place where the sidewalk ends. Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And we'll go where the chalkwhite arrows go, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends.
"Where the Sidewalk Ends - Poem by Shel Silverstein." Where the Sidewalk Ends - Poem by Shel Silverstein . Famous Poems and Poets, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14836>.
When I read this poem it brings me back to when I five, where I would day dream to my own world. When ever I was bored, I would generate an imaginary world and play with things around my house. Like in live four when it says “To cool in the peppermint wind”, I would dream of a candy land with chocolate rivers and gingerbreads running around (if I was hungry then they would be running away). Shel Silverstein uses his rhyme scheme to create a better image for the reader. For example,” And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun burns crimson bright, And there the moonbird rests from his flight.”You can get a picture of the sun setting and being bright red while it’s shining on the new born grass. In the end of the day where everyone is tired and like the moonbird coming home to rest from their work. When Silverstein describes where the sidewalk ends see it as a time of transition. Where I am growing up in my life about to walk off the sidewalk, but not yet has. Right now I am in my last year of middle school and is about to enter high school. Right now in my life I am about to walk off of the end of the sidewalk and begin walking on the road. When Silverstein says “We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow”, he talks about how all of us go at different distances at different times. The rhyme scheme that Silverstein is different and does not follow any set of rules, but the way he set it up created a repetition which would not be too strong or too boring. Which makes it more smooth and easier for an average person or a child to read.
Poetry Anthology Entry #3 2/23/16 Mother To Son Poem by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now— For I'se still goinx', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. Hughes, Langston. "Mother To Son." All Poetry . All Poetry, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://allpoetry.com/MotherToSon>.
When I read the poem “Mother To Son” by Langston Hughes it reminds me of the struggles I had through my life. The lines “And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor” remind me of the big struggles I had to go through when I first traveled to the United States from Pisa, Italy. I chose the poem “Mother To Son” by Langston Hughes, because when I first read it something stood out to me instantly. There are many unique things about this poem that separates it from most poems. First, this poem only has one language feature, metaphors . This poem that is mostly dominated of metaphors , compares an abandoned apartment building to a mother's life. the first metaphor that we see is in the second line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”On crystal stairs, you can see all the steps in crystal stairs, but in a staircase, you can only see a little bit behind you and a little bit in front of you because its zigzagged. Another example of metaphors in this poem is when it says “Don’t you set down on the steps. ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now.”When you are running and have a good momentum, it is harder to get up after you stop for a while than it is to keep on going. Just like in life, it is harder to keep on going after you have stopped. When I read this poem it is easier for me to understand what the poet is talking about because he chooses a common image to relate with. Another unique characteristic of this poem is the way the poet chose not to place a rhyme scheme in this poem. A lot of common poems have a rhyme scheme, which is why the first thing that pops into most people's heads about a poem is that it rhymes . When I read this, it does not seem like another poem that I am reading from a page of paper, instead to me it feels like a conversation. Without the rhyme scheme , you can “feel” the poem better because now it’s colloquial . Langston Hughes combines the metaphors and the poem’s colloquial characteristic together to make this poem unique. If he used rhyme, then the reader would focus more on the rhymes themselves rather than the lesson itself. Without the rhyme, it takes away that distraction and the gives us the lesson more directly. Another distinctive feature in this poem is the tone and the grammar . The grammar that Langston Hughes chose like “Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” indicates that this is a black woman around the time period of racism. Most black people were not as educated as they are today and most could not read or write. The tone also supports this, because it feels like she is tired and obviously not living a great life. This combination reminds all of us about the struggles people had to go through during racism.
Poetry Anthology Entry #4 2/29/16 Please Mrs Butler By Allan Ahlberg
Please Mrs. Butler This boy Derek Drew Keeps copying my work, Miss. What shall I do? Go and sit in the hall, dear. Go and sit in the sink. Take your books on the roof, my lamb. Do whatever you think. Please Mrs. Butler This boy Derek Drew Keeps taking my rubber, Miss. What shall I do? Keep it in your hand, dear. Hide it up your vest. Swallow it if you like, my love. Do what you think best. Please Mrs. Butler This boy Derek Drew Keeps calling me rude names, Miss. What shall I do? Lock yourself in the cupboard, dear. Run away to sea. Do whatever you can, my flower. But don't ask me!
Copyright © 2008 2014 . All Rights Reserved. The copyright of the poems and quotes published in Best Poems belong to their respective owners. All other texts and material on this website is copyrighted.
This poem by Allan Ahlberg talks about a child having trouble with a kid named Derek Drew and ask an adult for help. In 4th grade, when I changed schools, there was a group of kids , around 24, that kept picking on me. Sometimes it would be the same person bothering me or it would be someone else and I would go up to my parents and tell them about the person. Downfall of this is that my parents would never give helpful advice or advice that I understood. Every time the child ask Mrs.Butler a question she would always give some absurd or weird answers like “Swallow it if you like” or “Run away to sea” and then ends with “Do whatever you think is best”. To me it seems as if the poet is trying to send us a message through the dialogue . The message that I take away from this poem is find it yourself or do things on your own. We never receive a direct answer from Mrs.Butler, she gives suggestions and serves as a guide or a butler towards the child. On the third line of every other stanza Mrs Butler addresses the child in a motherly like tone . She calls the child “my lamb, my love, my flower” which gives her a motherly like picture or an image of someone who is kind and kind. Also, her tone is condensing . Her tone makes her seem like a mother, but if you look at what she says it’s not very helpful. There also is repetition in this poem. The repetition gives the reader an expectation on what happens next. Ahlberg uses a constant repetition pattern where the child complains about Derek Drew and then asks Mrs.Butler and would get absurd advice. For example “Lock yourself in the cupboard, dear” and “run away to sea”.But, in the last stanza it switched, instead of having a kind tone Mrs.Butler had an annoyed tone instead.
Overall I think this poem has a humorous tone because of the absurd comments that Mrs.Butler says, and in the final stanza with Mrs.Butler and her annoyed tone .
Poetry Anthology Entry #5 3/7/2016
Dreams By, Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a brokenwinged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
Hughes, Langston. "Dreams." Poets.org . Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
As a child I always had dreams of how I would be when I would grow up. For example, when I was in 3rd grade I finished watching superman and wanted to become a superhero. As I got older, like when its says “Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a brokenwinged bird”, I would let go of the non realist dreams or the dreams that I thought I could not get, and eventually they would die away. Something that makes this poem interesting is the Irony of the poem. The "if" in the first stanza and the "when" in the second stanza change the entire mood of their stanza and depict two different stories. When Langston Hughes says “For if dreams die” he is giving a hint that dreams still can be saved. By only adding the “if” he has created a new possibility and tells the reader that there still is a chance, which is something I think Hughes did well. Same thing in the second stanza, when he says “For when dreams go” his diction tells the reader that there is no chance of this statement changing. In this poem Hughes combined both the tone of the poem and the metaphors to give his readers an important message. “Brokenwinged bird” and “Life is a barren field” are both metaphors that also fit nicely with the story, which is a strategy that Hughes use to create his work unique. This use of metaphors helped me see a clearer image and understand the poem better.
I believe that the poem is trying to say don’t let what you believe disappear from your hands. If you have dreams you should keep those dreams and not let something change your dreams or take them away from you.
Anthology Entry#6 3/13/2016 Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face By, Jack Prelutsky
Be glad your nose is on your face, not pasted on some other place, for if it were where it is not, you might dislike your nose a lot. Imagine if your precious nose were sandwiched in between your toes, that clearly would not be a treat, for you'd be forced to smell your feet. Your nose would be a source of dread were it attached atop your head, it soon would drive you to despair, forever tickled by your hair. Within your ear, your nose would be an absolute catastrophe, for when you were obliged to sneeze, your brain would rattle from the breeze. Your nose, instead, through thick and thin, remains between your eyes and chin, not pasted on some other place be glad your nose is on your face!
Copyright © 2008 2014 . All Rights Reserved. The copyright of the poems and quotes published in Best Poems belong to their respective owners. All other texts and material on this website is copyrighted.
Anthology Entry#6 3/13/2016 Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face By, Jack Prelutsky
When I read this poem it brings different images in my mind. First, when I read it it brought me back to when I was in nursery and we used to sing wierd songs like Humpty Dumpty. Second, it gives me an image of Frankenstein the monster, words like attacked, and pasted seem as if somebody or something is being created. Something that makes this poem standout or unique is the nursery rhyme feeling of it. One thing that shows this is the repetition that Prelutsky added to his poem. Every tetrameter introduces a new part of the body, which gives the reader a new idea to think about. Which also envelops a silly story, like most nursery rhymes. Prelutsky describes the nose on different body parts, first is the toes, then is in the top of your head, and finally in your ear. Which makes this poem even more absurd. The author uses diction to add in action words or verbs. For example,”not pasted on some other place” or “where it attached atop your head” these are words that you can physically do as an action. The author of this poem makes the nose seem as if it's detachable and reattachable, like when building a Frankenstein. The author also uses understatement to make things seem less awful than the actually are. For example, Imagine if your precious nose were sandwiched in between your toes,that clearly would not be a treat, for you'd be forced to smell your feet.”Obviously this would be an awful thing to have, but Jack Prelutsky minimizes the awfulness by using the word treat. This poem has a childish tone , which tries to bring us back to memories of when we were young and sing ridiculous songs. Which is what I believe the author was trying to do and does a good job of it. In conclusion, Prelutsky uses different language features like diction,repetition,tone, and understatement to make this poem seem more like a nursery rhyme than a real poem. The fact that this poem is trying to do two unrelated jobs makes this poem unique.
Copyright © 2008 2014 . All Rights Reserved. The copyright of the poems and quotes published in Best Poems belong to their respective owners. All other texts and material on this website is copyrighted.
Poetry Anthology Entry #7 There Is Another Sky By, Emily Dickinson There is another sky, Ever serene and fair, And there is another sunshine, Though it be darkness there; Never mind faded forests, Austin, Never mind silent fields Here is a little forest, Whose leaf is ever green; Here is a brighter garden, Where not a frost has been; In its unfading flowers I hear the bright bee hum: Prithee, my brother, Into my garden come!
Poetry Anthology Entry #7 There Is Another Sky By, Emily Dickinson
This poem reminds me of how I used to be live on strictly one thing. I never thought there could be something more. For example, in 6th grade when I got interested in possible outside life I never thought there could be such a thing. I was blinded by my own beliefs that I never suggest that there could be aliens from a different planet. The reader can pick up that Emily Dickinson is describing heaven as a garden. For example, “there is another sky”, like in the garden of Adam and Eve, indicates that there is a totally different place or world. Which is the metaphor of this poem. Emily Dickinson adds on to the metaphor with imagery. She describes this garden as “ever green” and “brighter”. Together they make this poem’s meaning more clear as you get a better picture of heaven. There is a small use of onomatopoeia with “hum” which also contributes to the image of the poem. The tone of this poem shifts in the middle from a dark depressed to inspiring and joyful. “And there is another sunshine, though it be darkness there” It condenses from a beautiful image of sunshine to a less appealing image of darkness in the background. The diction contributes to the tone by changing it. “Faded” “darkness” “silent” make the setting depressing. Also, in the first line, “There is” makes the sky seem more distant like when you tell someone there is something but you don't know how far away it is. Then in the second stanza, the tone gets lighter with “bright bee hum” “brighter” which gives the reader the idea that it's not all dark and gloomy. When Emily Dickinson put “Here is” it makes the object seem closer as if you are showing it to someone or something. Another language feature that isolates this poem from the rest is the repetition . “There is another sky, There is another sunshine” “Never mind the faded forest, Austin, Never mind the silent fields” and “Here is a little forest, Here is a brighter garden” all have two similar geographical features. By doing this Emily Dickinson is able to emphasize the setting more clearly. She uses repetition in a way that gives the reader a better image of the setting. In conclusion, this poem gives me a warm feeling as if you are coming home to a warm house after a day outside in the cold. The tone contributes to that by having a nice and happy ending.