Commentary for: Tashawna Carmichael Emily and Sharon : Hope is the thing with feathers

Emily and Sharon : Hope is the thing with feathers: "Hope" is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all, And s...




This poem is written by Emily Dickinson. I was very interested in reading the poem because the poem title was very appealing to the reader. Usually, Hope does not have feather. So, you think is she talking about a bird or the idea of having hope? And, this is what convinced me to read this poem.
All throughout the poem, Emily Dickinson is personifying hope. She is characterizing hope as if it was a bird. In the poem, she says, "And sings the tune without the words." Here, she is giving hope the ability to sing. When she gives hope the ability to sing, she does not clearly mean the ability to sing like birds do in the morning. In giving hope the ability to sing, she means that drive that keeps you alive and thinking that the impossible will happen. Everyone has hope in something. Once you stop, the song in you also stops.
I loved how she characterized the idea of hope to that of a bird. No one would think they are similar, but in this poem, she effectively personifies hope as a bird. She also effectively engages the reader by expressing thoughts that are difficult to see right away.

Commentary for: Jordan's Cool Blog Yeah: Keeping Things Whole

Jordan's Cool Blog Yeah: Keeping Things Whole: In a field I am the absence of field. This is always the case. Wherever I am I am what is missing. When I walk I part the air and always ...





I loved this poem once I finished reading it. At first, when I read the title of the poem, I could not infer what the poem was going to be about. But, as I reached the end of the poem, I realized that the poem was about the speaker being in a place to keep things complete.

It is like when someone is not where they usually are. You can immediately feel their absence because when they are present, they feel the air with their amusement and joy. I feel different when my friend is absent or is not in class. I do not feel the same vibe as when they are in class.

Jordan posted a picture that goes perfect with the poem. She used the picture that is below. As you can see, her presence adds color to the field. Where she is absent, there are dull colors like black and grey. Her sole presence "keeps things whole."

commentary for: Eugene Teah poem lover : Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race,Cal...

poem lover : Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Cal...: Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race, Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours, Whose speed is but the heavy plummet's pace; An...



First of all, I read the poem thoroughly. I thought this poem was very interesting. All that I comprehended from this poem was that the author was talking about time. It was not until I read Eugene's commentary that I understanded more about what the author was trying to express.

From my understanding, the poem had a lot to do with the time period it was written in. The author had Christian beliefs, which made him include his beliefs about heaven and afterlife.

A very interesting part time in this poem is when the author says, " Fly, envious Time." This phrase says alot is so few words. The author is saying that Time is envious. Like Eugene, the author may have intended for the Time to be envious of us. Time goes away and after that it all ends. But, according to John Milton, humans have some special place to go after death comes. Humans go to heaven where Time never ends and everything is peaceful.

Commentary for: Kennedy's Poetry project: Yahia Lababidi Poem #2 "Words"

Poetry project: Yahia Lababidi Poem #2 "Words": Words are like days: coloring books or pickpockets, signposts or scratching posts, fakirs over hot coals. Certain words must be earned just..

This is a poem by Yahia Lababidi called "Words." Kennedy posted this poem on her blog.
In the poem, "Words," there are an abundance of metaphors. The author, Yahia Lababidi, compares words to other things that are usually not alike.
First of all, Yahia says that words are like days in the first stanza. Then she goes on saying the many things that are like words.
The most important line of this poem for me was when the author says, " every word is a cosmos dissolving the inarticulate." Here, the author says that words destroy the person that does not know how to articulate themselves correctly or that does not know how to talk correctly. This means that you do not know how to use your words. This ends up destroying you because you can not communicate with people.

Commentary for: Breion's Blog: CasabiancaLove's the boy stood on the burning deck...

Breion's Blog: CasabiancaLove's the boy stood on the burning deck...: Casabianca Love's the boy stood on the burning deck trying to recite `The boy stood on the burning deck.' Love's the son st...





Before I read the poem, I thought it was going to be about some Casabianca because I did not know what that word meant. I got a big surprise when I started reading the poem. The poem focuses on love.

After I finished reading the poem, I was left with a sad mood because of the last stanza in the poem.

In the poem, Casabianca, Elizabeth Bishop says that love is many things.

Overall, Elizabeth Bishop says that love is the whole scene in which the boy is struggling to read while on a ship that is burning just like him. The saddest part of the poem is when Elizabeth Bishop says that "love is the burning boy." This poem provokes a lot of meaning and since it is the last line in the poem, it sticks with the reader long after reading the poem.

I really liked this poem because of the new point of view that she has to offer about love. Love is everything, from the birds chirping outside on a spring morning to the bully teasing a kid at school. 

Commentary on:Critiques By Nikaule: Boy Breaking GlassBY GWENDOLYN BROOKSTo Marc Craw...

Critiques By Nikaule: Boy Breaking GlassBY GWENDOLYN BROOKS
To Marc Craw...: Boy Breaking Glass BY  GWENDOLYN BROOKS To Marc Crawford from whom the commission Whose broken window is a cry of art    (suc...



I read this poem and it was pretty confusing. I looked at what other people had to say about this poem and most of them said that it was about the "ghetto blacks" surviving inequality and white power. From this I can infer that the poem was probably written during the civil rights era(1960's).

In the poem, the boy is tired of being mistreated and abused by the white people.

The poem seems to be in free verse, although the first stanza anticipates it being an iambic pentameter. The author also includes slant rhythm in her poem.

In one stanza, the boy says, "The music is in minors." By this, the author might have intended minor to be like the minority group in which the boy belongs to.

As I began reading and looking at what other people had to say about this poem, I began to comprehend the poem more and more. But, I still do not i understand why the poem was dedicated to Marc Crawford. Is Marc Crawford the little boy mentioned in the poem?

Commentary for Marriah Taylor blog- When Death Comes by Mary Oliver

Griselda Alvarez M. Commentary on Marriah’s post:
The poem, When Death Comes by Mary Oliver is very interesting. The author mostly used metaphors in her poem to compare death to various things or ideas. In one stanza, Mary Oliver says,” when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades.” Here, she compared death to an iceberg. She may have compared death to an iceberg because an iceberg is cold just like death.
I like Marriah's comment on the poem because she says that death comes unexpectedly. Marriah analyzed the poem very well and could articulate the main idea of the poem.

Finished with all my poems!

At this point I am finished with all my commentaries for Maya Angelou and Katherine Philips, which is 20 posts.
Now I will finish posting my commentary for every classmate in 4B.....

Refusal by Maya Angelou

Refusal

Beloved,
In what other lives or lands
Have I known your lips
Your Hands                                                     
Your Laughter brave                                          
 Irreverent.
Those sweet excesses that
I do adore.
What surety is there
That we will meet again,
On other worlds some
Future time undated.
I defy my body's haste.
Without the promise
Of one more sweet encounter
I will not deign to die.

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
I chose to read this poem because the title of this poem seemed intriguing for me. " Refusal" could be the title of a young girl who does not want to pay attention to her parents or a young girl that does not want to be with her boyfriend anymore. I wanted to find out what the poem was about, so I decided to chose this poem for one of my posts for Maya Angelou( and the last since this is the 10th poem I have posted with commentary for Maya Angelou).
Just by taking a look at the poem, I knew that the poem would short and quick to the point because of its length. I also knew ahead of time that the poem would contain a lot of detail because it was short and Maya Angelou is very deep in all her poems.
After I finished reading the poem, I had to read it once more to fully comprehend the poem. When I finished doing this, I had grasped what Maya Angelou was expressing in her poem. I understood word for word and stanza by stanza. In the poem, "Refusal," Maya Angelou is talking about a lover that the speaker lost. The speaker of this poem refuses to give up his memorie because she knows that they will be reunited after death.
It is really sad when we lose our loved ones due to natural causes like death. This poem can be dedicated to almost any soul that one has lost in life.
Maya Angelou used figurative language to transmit her message to take advantage of the people and love that surrounds you because one day they may not be present.
Maya Angelou used imagery in her poem, "Refusal."
In the poem, she says, "Those sweet excesses that I do adore." In this phrase, Maya Angelou is saying that she adores the features that her lover had. Then, she says, " Of one more sweet encounter I will not deign to die." She uses the same descriptive word to describe the lover's actions. Sweet can mean enchanting or wonderful.

A Country Life By Katherine Philips

 
A COUNTRY LIFE

How sacred and how innocent
    A country life appears;
How free from tumult, discontent,                                   

 From flattery or fears!

This was the first and happiest life,
    When man enjoy'd himself;
Till pride exchangëd peace for strife,
    And happiness for pelf.

'Twas here the poets were inspired,
    Here taught the multitude;
The brave they here with honour fir'd,
    And civilised the rude.

The golden age did entertain
    No passion but of love;
The thoughts of ruling and of gain
    Did ne'er their fancies move.

None then did envy neighbour's wealth
    Nor plot to wrong his bed;
Happy in friendship and in health,
    On roots, not beasts, they fed.

They knew no law nor physic then,
    Nature was all their wit:
And if there yet remain to men
    Content, sure this is it.

What blessings doth this world afford
    To tempt or bribe desire!
Her courtship is all fire and sword,
    Who would not then retire?

Then welcome dearest solitude,
    My great felicity;
Though some are pleas'd to call thee rude,
    Thou art not so, but we.

Them that do covet only rest,
    A cottage will suffice:
It is not brave to be possest
    Of earth, but to despise.

Opinion is the rate of things,
    From hence our peace doth flow;
I have a better fate than kings,
    Because I think it so.

When all the stormy world doth roar,
    How unconcern'd am I!
I can not fear to tumble lower,
    Who never could be high.

Secure in these unenvy'd walls,                                                      

 I think not on the state,
And pity no man's case that falls
    From his ambitious height.

Silence and innocence are safe;
    A heart that's nobly true
At all these little arts can laugh
    That do the world subdue.

While others revel it in state,
    Here I'll contented sit,
And think I have as good a fate
    As wealth and pomp admit.

Let some in courtship take delight,
    And to th' Exchange resort;
Then revel out a winter's night,
    Not making love, but sport.

These never knew a noble flame,
    'Tis lust, scorn or design:
While vanity plays all their game,
    Let peace and honour mine.

When the inviting spring appears,
    To Hyde Park let them go,                                                                            
And hasting thence be full of fears
    To lose Spring-Garden show.

Let others (nobler) seek to gain
    In knowledge happy fate,
And others busy them in vain
    To study ways of state.

But I resolvëd from within,
    Confirmëd from without,
In privacy intend to spin
    My future minutes out.

And from this hermitage of mine,                                      
 I banish all wild toys,
And nothing that is not divine
    Shall dare to tempt my joys.

There are below but two things good,
    Friendship and Honesty;
And only those of all I would
    Ask for felicity.

In this retir'd and humble seat,
    Free from both war and strife,
I am not forc'd to make retreat,
    But choose to spend my life.



Commentary:
I chose to read this poem because the title intrigued me and I wanted to continue reading the poem. The title, " a country life," reminded me of a summer that I spent in the country in Mexico. The country life is very calm and tranquil. I decided to read this poem because it would remind me of the times I spent with my grandparents in Mexico as a young girl.
After I finished reading the poem, I thought that it was very calming. The tone of the poem was tranquil. The tone helped to establish the feeling that the country makes one feel. It also helped us picture the country and to feel more connected with the idea that the author, Katherine Philips transmitted in this poem.
I understood the poem from beginning to end. The first stanza talks about the tranquility of the country. The country life is a happy place and does not invoke fear.
The second stanza says that a man enjoys himself in that place and lives happily. His soul has peace.
The third stanza states that the view of the country life inspired many poets, like it inspired Katherine Philips to write this poem.
The next stanza says that the country life was a golden age. The author says that the country life entertained feelings of love. When one looks at the country sight, one feels calm and relaxed. That is the feeling that love projects.
The next stanza says that in the country, there are no bad thoughts of stealing money or envy about other people's possessions. No one thinks about being unfaithful or being with another person one is not married to.
The next stanza says that in those times, there were no rules or police needed to enforce the law because everyone knew what was right and what was wrong.
The next stanza says that this place was a true blessing, which in fact it was because who would not want to live in peace and without any disturbance?
The next stanza says that the country causes great happiness to the speaker.
The next stanza says  that for the people that live in the country, they only need a simple house to live in. They do not need a castle to live in or anything fancy.
The next stanza says that the speaker lives better than  king. He says that his fate is better than of a king's.
The next stanza says that the speaker is not concerned with what happens outside of his world. He only cares about the country.
The next stanza says to not worry about the rich, even if they fall from the cloud on which they are on.
The next stanza says that the people of the country conform with being silent. They do not need an extravagant life full of parties and laughter.
The next stanza says that the same thing that she said in stanza ten. She says her fate is better than the wealthy.

The poem goes on talking about the country life and all its virtues and advantages. The speaker loves the country life and would not leave it, not even for a mansion and good lifestyle.

On the fair weather just at the Coronation by Katherine Philips

Katherine Philips On the Fair Weather just at the Coronation, it having rained immediately before and after So clear a season, and so snatch'd from storms, Shows Heav'n delights to see what man performs. Well knew the Sun, if such a day were dim,                                     It would have been an injury to him: For then a cloud had from his eye conceal'd The noblest sight that ever he beheld. He therefore check'd th' invading rains we fear'd, And in a bright Parenthesis appear'd. So that we knew not which look'd most content,                      The King, the people, or the firmament. But the solemnity once fully past,  The storm return'd with an impetuous haste                                                                                     And Heav'n and Earth each other to out-do,       Vied both in cannons and in fire-works too. So Israel past through the divided flood, While in obedient heaps the Ocean stood: But the same sea (the Hebrews once on shore)  Return'd in torrents where it was before.                                                                                                                                                  Commentary: I looked at the title of this poem and  I thought the poem was going to be a  bit boring. It was only after I read it  that I realized that it was not boring  like I thought it was.  The poem talks about what exactly  what the title suggests. Katherine was  very direct when choosing the title for  her poem. For unknown reasons, she  chose to not engage the reader or grab  the reader's attention by choosing a  surprising title. Since the poem was  written in the seventeenth century,  maybe in that era, attention grabbers  were not necessary.   In the poem, Katherine Philips is  expressing the actions that occurred  while a king was being coronated at  some ceremony.  The actions that Katherine Philips  expresses are just the weather that  took place in the coronation.  In the poem, Katherine Philips says,  "And in a bright Parenthesis appear'd.   So that we knew not which look'd most  content, The King, the people, or the  firmament." In this phrase, Katherine  is saying that when the king was given  the crown, it was raining. Since it was  raining, you could not really see who  was happy for the king's coronation.   This poem was very informative. It is  really surprising to see that Katherine  simply talked about the weather in the  coronation. From this poem, I learned  that different eras express different topics.

Human Family by Maya Angelou

Human Family

I note the obvious differences

in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.
                                    
I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,                                                                        

and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,                                                     

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Commentary:

I choose to read this poem from Maya Angelou because the title was a bit out of place. Usually people will say,"American Family," or something between those margins.
It was only after I finished reading the poem that I realized why Maya Angelou named her poem the way she did. We are all humans. At the end of her poem, she expresses that we are all alike. Just thinking about that; Family members are similar in the way that we act. Some relatives have that same smile or that same face gesture. So, since we, humans are all alike, we are also all a family. This is what I concluded from comparing humans to a family. After this conclusion, I realized that her title made perfect sense with the poem and that there was nothing confusing about it.
After analyzing the poem " Human Family," I noted that Maya Angelou used figurative language to come across her audience to express what she believes are the differences between humans and how similar we really are.
Maya Angelou used repetition in her poem to express her point that all humans are alike. In the poem, She says, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike," in the last couple of stanzas. In total, she repeats it three times. Maya Angelou was very smart to add this type of figurative language to her poem. First of all, she put this phrase at the end of the poem. Next, she repeated it like three times. With this type of combination, the reader kept this phrase in their mind long after finishing reading the poem. This made Maya Angelou get her point across successfully, which is what most poets and writers want to achieve through their writing.




"Human Family" by Maya Angelou- YouTube Video

Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness until love leaves its high holy temple                                         and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies old   memories of pleasure.                                   ancient histories of   pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls. We are weaned from our timidity In the flush of love's light we dare be brave And suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
So, first of all, I looked at the title of the poem. And, just from the title itself, I could hypothesize a lot of things. First, I thought that the tone might be angelic and calm. Second, I could figure out the main idea of the poem. I thought that it would talk about angels since the title read, " Touched by an angel"
After I read the poem, I thought that it was a very soothing poem. It talks about love and how it brings life into us.
In the first stanza, Maya Angelou says that we are not accustomed to have courage and that we live in loneliness until love comes into our lives, and thus frees us from the loneliness.
In the second stanza, Maya Angelou talks about what happens when love comes into our lives. We start remembering good times we had before and also the bad times.
In the third stanza, Maya Angelou says that love takes away our fear.

Next, in the last stanza, Maya Angelou says that love also takes our our timidity. When you fall in love with a person, confidence begins yo grow between the two. Then, you will notice that you have lost all the timidity you first had when you meet him or her. That is what Maya Angelou must have meant when she added this to her poem. In the end of the poem, Maya Angelou says love changes everything from us and we find out that only love can set us free. Love is everything to us and without it we are nothing.
When I analyzed the poem, I found that Maya Angelou used various figurative language to transmit to her audience her point of view on love.
All throughout the poem, Maya Angelou used personification. She says," ...until love leaves its high holy temple and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love is an idea, but it is not a person or a human. In this phrase, Maya Angelou is expressing love like if it is a human being. Love can come to you, but in a sentimental way. Love can not actually come towards you. Also love can not liberate you like a human would.
Also, Maya Angelou says that love arrives in a train. As far as i know, humans can arrive on trains, but not love or ideas. Lastly, Maya says that love sets us free. For these reasons, I believe Maya Angelou used personification in this phrase. Overall, Maya Angelou used personification in her entire poem because she wanted to better come across her point and for her poem to be descriptive and engaging. By treating love as a person, she was better able to explain what love does when it enters our lives. 

Poem-Maya Angelou. Touched by an Angel. YouTube video 

Song by Katherine Philips

Katherine Philips Song 'Tis true our life is but a long disease, Made up of reàl pain and seeming ease. You stars, who these entangled fortunes give,     O tell me why     It is so hard to die,         Yet such a task to live! If with some pleasure we our griefs betray, It costs us dearer than it can repay, For time or fortune all things so devours,     Our hopes are crossed,     Or els the object lost,         Ere we can call it ours. Commentary: When I first looked at the title of this poem, it intrigued me because the title was, " Song." Does it talk about what songs make us feel or is it simply a song in a poem. I wanted to read the poem to find out and clear all my doubts. Before reading the poem, I looked at how many stanzas this poem had. I thought that this poem was surely the shortest poem Katherine Philips ever wrote. All the other poems I have read by Katherine are medium to long. So, I thought that the shorteness of this poem had some kind of importance or significance. I read the poem in its entirety. The poem was very deep in meaning. First of all, the poem was written using old English. She says, "Tis true our life is but a long disease. Instead of saying "it is," Katherine Philips says 'tis. This says a lot about in what era the poem was written. Katherine Philips wrote all her poems in the seventeenth to eighteenth century. The first line of the poem is very thought provoking. Katherine says, "Tis true our life is but a long disease." Here, Katherine Philips is saying that on a day-to-day basis, we live with struggles and everyday we have problems to face. The day-to-day struggles that we, humans face is the long disease that Katherine Philips is talking about in her poem. Next, Katherine Philips says,"O tell me why It is so hard to die, Yet such a task to live!" At first I was a bit confused because I am used to hearing people say that it is so easy to die, but hard to live. Then I looked at it further, and since she is from a different time period, maybe she thought that it was hard to die as well as to live. When I think about it, it is hard to die. No one ever knows when our time will come, and that is what makes it so hard. For all the interesting quotes that Katherine Philips included, I thought that this poem was very thought provoking.

Commentary for Anntrell-Poetry Project: Nikki Giovanni poem #6

Poetry Project: Nikki Giovanni poem #6:                I Wrote A Good Omelet I wrote a good omelet...and ate a hot poem... after loving you Buttoned my car...and drove my coa...







My commentary:

I am commenting on a post that my classmate, Anntrell put on her blog.

When I read the poem for the first time, it was a bit confusing. I did not understand the literary meaning of, " I wrote a good omelet." So, I read it a second time, this time I payed close attention.

The only confusion was that she replaced some of the words. After that I understood the poem perfectly.

Anntrell said that love can be a bit distractful and I agree. Love makes us blind and it disables us from seeing the flaws of the loved one.

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms.                                      
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.        
Phenomenal woman,
That's me


I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,                                                  
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.


Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.                          
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
From reading some of Maya Angelou's poems, she is very feminist. She wrote "Woman Work" and "Still I Rise" and many others that show a feminist point of view. Taking this in consideration, I knew that this poem was going to elevate the women and obviously talk good about them.
It was a pleasure reading this poem. It gave an important message about the pride of women and how they overcome discrimination and still feel phenomenal.
Maya Angelou used repetition in her poem to stress all the important lines to her. She says, " Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me," at the end of almost every stanza. This expressed how this phrase is very important in the poem. This phrase turned out to become a famous quote by Maya Angelou. By using repetition, the reader stayed with these lines after having read the poem.



Listen: Dr. Maya Angelou recites her poem,
"Phenomenal Woman"

A Friend by Katherine Philips

A Friend

Love, nature's plot, this great
creation's soul,
   The being and the harmony of
things.
Doth still preserve and propagate the                  

whole,
   From whence man's happiness and
safety springs:
The earliest, whitest, blessed'st times
did draw
From her alone their universal law.

Friendship's an abstract of this noble
flame,
   'Tis love refined and purged from
all its dross,
The next to angels' love, if not the
same,
   As strong in passion is, though not
so gross:
It antedates a glad eternity,
And is an heaven in epitome.


Essential honour must be in a friend,
   Not such as every breath fans to
and fro;
But born within, is its own judge and
end,
   And dares not sin though sure that
none should know.
Where friendship's spoke, honesty's
understood;
For none can be a friend that is not
good.


Thick waters show no images of
things;
   Friends are each other's mirrors,
and should be
Clearer than crystal or the mountain
springs,
   And free from clouds, design, or
flattery.
For vulgar souls no part of friendship
share;
Poets and friends are born to what
they are.




Commentary:

The title of the poem captivated my attention and I decided to read the poem. "Friends" is the title of the poem and I wanted to know what the author, Katherine Philips had to express about friends. The things she said in her poem are so true. Everyone thinks this, but Katherine put it perfectly together in a poem.
She used a variety of figurative language to transmit her point about friends.
First of all, Katherine Philips used hyperbole. The use of hyperboles give exaggeration to her poem. She says, "clearer than crystal." This phrase, which is in stanza four, is saying that friends should be completely honest to each other. She does not mean that friends shoulld literally be clearer than crystal. When someone is " crystal-clear," they are direct and truthful about what they have to say. The poem would be boring if she said," friends must be truthful and honest to each other." So, with the use of a hyperbole, she also adds spice to her poem.
After reading the poem, I realized the true meaning of friendship. Katherine Philips does an excellent job at explaining this to the audience. The poem is not sad or anything, but it provokes feelings in you after reading it. Katherine Philips wants us to be good friends. She says that no one is a bad friend. Each person hangs out with people that are their mirrors. This means that people that are alike and have the same interests tend to become friends.
I am willing to be a better friend and listen to my friends.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays                                                                                                                                

and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou



Commentary:
Just when I had read the title, I knew this poem was one of Maya Angelou's most famous poems. I recognized the poem right away.
In general, this poem is about 2 birds, one free and the other is caged. Maya Angelou compares these 2 birds and their different situations.
Maya Angelou used figurative language to come across her audience and to get to her main point.
First of all, Maya Angelou used repetition. She repeats various phrases. First, she repeats the phrase, " his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing."
In the poem, this phrase was repeated twice. She choose to repeat this phrase because she thought it was important for the reader to remember it long after finishing reading the poem. This phrase means that the bird has her wings clipped and the birds feet are tied. So the only thing she can do is sing. It is like saying that you do not have any food in your refrigerator and the only thing left is an apple, so you eat it for dinner. Back to the phrase, the bird songs because it is the only thing that it is free to do.
Another phrase that Maya Angelou repeated was, " The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Just like the other phrase that was repeated, Maya Angelou repeats this phrase twice. I believe that Maya Angelou intended this phrase to serve the same purpose as the first. She repeated this phrase to emphasis its importance. This is a well known quote and it is widely known. In context, this phrase that the enslaved bird sings with fright of the things that it has not experienced. This bird might sing about flying to beautiful sceneries and discovering new places outside of the cage, where it always is. So, when the bird sings of freedom, it might sing of these things.
After reading the poem, I did research on this poem and it said that the Maya Angelou intended for the caged bird to be an enslaved African american and for the free bird to be a whote person. When I read this information, the poem seemed to be perfect. It described their situation and it evoked self-conscience about this topic.




 Poem Analysis on "I know why the caged bird sings"

 

Poem by Maya Angelou "I know why the caged bird sings"

 

To One Persuading A Lady To Marriage by Katherine Philips

To One Persuading A Lady To Marriage

Forbear, bold youth; all 's heaven here,
And what you do aver
To others courtship may appear,
'Tis sacrilege to her.
She is a public deity;
And were 't not very odd
She should dispose herself to be
A petty household god?

First make the sun in private shine
And bid the world adieu,
That so he may his beams confine
In compliment to you:
But if of that you do despair,
Think how you did amiss
To strive to fix her beams which are
More bright and large than his.

Katherine Philips

 Commentary:

 After reading the title, it was clear to me what the poem was going to be about. Katherine Philips might expand her ideas on the proper way to propose to a lady, as the poet lived around the 17th century.
Katherine used figurative language to reach her audience and to transmit her main point, which happens to also be the title of the poem.
Katherine Philips used a rhetorical question in her first stanza of the poem. She says, "She should dispose herself to be a petty household god?" In regular English, Katherine Philips is asking if women should devote their time to just being a housewife. With this question, she does not expect an answer from the reader. She wants the reader to take a moment and think about the question asked. This helps to send her message out to her audience. When saying this in her poem, she expresses that women are not in this world just to cook, clean, and take care of the house. They can also be intelligent human beings. With this, she also proves that she is a strong feminist writer.
Overall, I thought that the poem was good and that it contained viral information that every man should take in consideration. She defends women by saying that they are not just housewives, but part of society. In the second stanza, Katherine Philips goes step by step in what men should do. She starts off by saying " first"  and continues to the other points. The list that she gives is easy to flow and easy to understand. 

Alone by Maya Angelou

Alone

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
I first took a look at the title of the poem. From this, the poem seems to talk about being alone or having no one by your side. I think this poem is going to be interesting because the title seems intriguing.
The author, Maya Angelou used a variety of figurative language to bring across her point.
First of all, Maya Angelou used repetition. All throughout her poem, she keeps repeating the word "nobody." She says," nobody, but, nobody can make it out here alone." She repeats this at the end of every stanza. She does this in order to put a stress on this phrase. This stays in the reader's mind and helps to bring across the main point.
Next, Maya Angelou used a metaphor in the third stanza of the poem. Maya Angelou says, "Their wives run round like banshees." To be honest, when I read the title I did not know what the word meant, not even a clue. Using the phrases surrounding the stanza, it had to be something bad. Since money can not buy happiness, their wives were probably sad just like their children were singing the blues. So this is probably what the word meant. 

Alone by Maya Angelou YouTube Video

Epitaph on her Son H. P. by Katherine Philips

Epitaph on her Son H. P.

WHat on Earth deserves our trust ?                                
Youth and Beauty both are dust.                
Long we gathering are with pain,
What one moment calls again.
Seven years childless, marriage past,
A Son, a son is born at last :
So exactly lim'd and fair.
Full of good Spirits, Meen, and Air,
As a long life promised,
Yet, in less than six weeks dead.
Too promising, too great a mind
In so small room to be confin'd :

Therefore, as fit in Heav'n to dwell,                      
He quickly broke the Prison shell.
So the subtle Alchimist,
Can't with Hermes Seal resist
The powerful spirit's subtler flight,
But t'will bid him long good night.
And so the Sun if it arise
Half so glorious as his Eyes,
Like this Infant, takes a shrowd,
Buried in a morning Cloud.

Katherine Philips

Commentary:
When I first read the title of the poem, I did not know what epitaph was. Then I looked the word up in the dictionary to get a clue of what the poem was going to be about. According to the Merriam-Webster, epitaph is something said in memory of a dead person. From this definition, I knew what the poem was going to be about.
After reading the poem, I noticed that the author used figurative language to come across her audience to express epitaph to her dead son.
First of all, Katherine Philips used a rhetorical question. She says, "What on Earth deserves our trust?" She does not expect a direct response from her audience. She wants to cause an impact on her audience and to cause the readers to think about the question for a minute.
Next, she used a simile to get her point across. She says, " Youth and beauty both are dust." She is saying that youth and beauty are something that they are not and this makes this phrase a simile. What she means by this phrase is that youth and beauty are nothing. At the end of the day, these things are worth nothing. What remains is intelligence. Dust goes with the wind just like youth and beauty.
This poem has a very melancholy tone. The speaker is talking about her son, which died at only six weeks old. This poem is dedicated to the loss of her son.
This poem made me realize that life is not a promise or an automatic given. 

Men by Maya Angelou

Men

When I was young, I used to
Watch behind the curtains
As men walked up and down the street. Wino men, old men.
Young men sharp as mustard.
See them. Men are always
Going somewhere.
They knew I was there. Fifteen
Years old and starving for them.
Under my window, they would pauses,
Their shoulders high like the
Breasts of a young girl,                                        Jacket tails slapping over
Those behinds,
Men.

One day they hold you in the
Palms of their hands, gentle, as if you
Were the last raw egg in the world. Then
They tighten up. Just a little. The
First squeeze is nice. A quick hug.
Soft into your defenselessness. A little

More. The hurt begins. Wrench out a.             Smile that slides around the fear. When the
Air disappears,
Your mind pops, exploding fiercely, briefly,
Like the head of a kitchen match. Shattered.
It is your juice
That runs down their legs. Staining their shoes.
When the earth rights itself again,
And taste tries to return to the tongue,
Your body has slammed shut. Forever.
No keys exist.

Then the window draws full upon
Your mind. There, just beyond
The sway of curtains, men walk.
Knowing something.
Going someplace.
But this time, I will simply
Stand and watch.

Maybe.

Maya Angelou

Commentary:
So, first I analyzed from just the title what the poem was going to be about. "Men" sounds just like it is. I just thought it was going to be about a woman or the speaker saying all the flaws that men have.
I read the poem in its entirety. I realized my prediction was wrong. The poem is actually about the speaker's lust or desire for men. She looks at them from a window. She " starves" for men. That starveness that she first felt towards men takes a pause as she realize that men do not look into her what she looks into them. She then restarts that lust for men as she still has hope to find men looking for the same thing she is.
In order to reach her main point, she uses figurative language in her poem.
First of all, Maya Angelou uses metaphor. An example of this is, "Wino men, old men. Young men sharp as mustard." Mustard, as everyone has tasted it knows, has a sharp taste. In this metaphor, I think Maya Angelou is comparing the taste of mustard to the appearance of the men that walk past the speaker's window. The appearance of the men may be elegant and showing off.
Another example of a metaphor that she used was when she said," Their shoulders high like the breasts of a young girl." Here she is comparing the breasts of young girls to the shoulders of men. They have nothing in common, but Maya Angelou says both are high. The shoulders of the men may be high because they are proud and self-absorbed and think they are the best thing in the world. The breasts of young girls are high because that is the nature of things.
Another metaphor she used was when she said, " one day they hold you in the palms of their hands, gentle, as if you were the last raw egg in the world." Here Maya Angelou is comparing the way that the men held the speaker to the way people hold an egg due to their delicateness. She is describing how the men touched her in her first sexual experience.

Men by Maya Angelou YouTube video