The poem Mother to Son, by Langston Hughes is about overcoming obstacles in life and always persevering. Overall, the poem is a metaphor comparing life to stairs, and when challenges approached the mother in life the stairs had splinters or tacks in them. The poem is written through a mother’s point of view telling her son that her life has not been easy comparing it to a “crystal stair.” She tells her son that life has its ups and downs, but because she has always been able to keep going and push through every challenge, he is more than capable of doing it too. The poem is great motivation for anyone who is ever facing a challenge because it makes the reader realize that although nothing is easy, you can still make it through the obstacles.
0 Comments
In the poem My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, Roethke talks about parents being alcoholics and abusing their families. The title of the poem shows the innocence of the child in it and the innocence of children overall. The child in the poem refers to the father’s actions as a waltz even though it is known that it seems like he is waltzing because of how drunk he really is. Domestic violence is a large epidemic that is occurring, and this poem tells the story of being abused from a child’s point of view.
What is it to grow old? Is it to lose the glory of the form, The lustre of the eye? Is it for beauty to forego her wreath? Yes, but not for this alone. Is it to feel our strength - Not our bloom only, but our strength -decay? Is it to feel each limb Grow stiffer, every function less exact, Each nerve more weakly strung? Yes, this, and more! but not, Ah, 'tis not what in youth we dreamed 'twould be! 'Tis not to have our life Mellowed and softened as with sunset-glow, A golden day's decline! 'Tis not to see the world As from a height, with rapt prophetic eyes, And heart profoundly stirred; And weep, and feel the fulness of the past, The years that are no more! It is to spend long days And not once feel that we were ever young. It is to add, immured In the hot prison of the present, month To month with weary pain. It is to suffer this, And feel but half, and feebly, what we feel: Deep in our hidden heart Festers the dull remembrance of a change, But no emotion -none. It is -last stage of all - When we are frozen up within, and quite The phantom of ourselves, To hear the world applaud the hollow ghost Which blamed the living man. The poem Growing Old by Matthew Arnold can explain itself from its title. The poem discusses growing old and how it is made to be so much more than it actually is. When people are young especially in their child to teen ages, all you hear is “I wish that I was older.” Young people believe that it is so much better to be older because there is so much more freedom. Although this is true, growing up comes with great responsibilities as well as not being able to do many things because your body cannot handle them. In the beginning of the poem Arnold states what growing old is like and then towards the middle to end of the poem he describes that growing old is not what is imagined during youth. It is actually described as much worse. Arnold states everything that growing old is not, then ends it with the cold hard truth of what it truly means to become old and eventually pass away.
In his poem Please Mrs. Butler, Allan Ahlberg writes about a student who is getting bullied by a boy named Derek Drew who tells his teacher Mrs. Butler about all of the things that Derek Drew is doing to him. Although this poem is simple, I feel as though it relays a larger message towards bullying. Over the past years bullying has become a huge issue within school districts and this poem shows that sometimes teachers do not want to deal with the issues that are occurring. When Ahlberg says “But don’t ask me!” Mrs. Butler is telling the student to stop asking what he or she should do about the bully. Mrs. Butler symbolizes many teachers that do exist throughout school districts that do not care or do not want to deal with issues that arise between children.
The poem Saturday At the Canal by Gary Soto is about two boys mainly seniors who are trying to move on past high school and figure out what to do with their lives. The poem describes a your cliché high school atmosphere when it describes the band getting ready for a sports game that the school will probably be victorious at, and the teachers being “too close to dying to understand.” The narrator of the poem says, “I was hoping to be happy at 17,” which is probably the case for most people who believe that happiness may come with age that brings more freedoms. When Soto describes the two boys sitting and watching the water, a movie scene comes to mind of two people skipping rocks on the water and contemplating their overall lives. The boys have dreams to go to San Francisco to surround themselves with people who know about music, but this dream was not close to reality. Approaching adulthood, the boys just wanted any possible way to leave home and become independent. In conclusion, the poem speaks to teenagers who are at the stage in their lives where they want to become independent, and figure out where their lives will take them.
I love chocolate cake. And when I was a boy I loved it even more. Sometimes we used to have it for tea and Mum used to say, 'If there's any left over you can have it to take to school tomorrow to have at playtime.' And the next day I would take it to school wrapped up in tin foil open it up at playtime and sit in the corner of the playground eating it, you know how the icing on top is all shiny and it cracks as you bite into it, and there's that other kind of icing in the middle and it sticks to your hands and you can lick your fingers and lick your lips oh it's lovely. yeah. Anyway, once we had this chocolate cake for tea and later I went to bed but while I was in bed I found myself waking up licking my lips and smiling. I woke up proper. 'The chocolate cake.' It was the first thing 1 thought of. I could almost see it so I thought, what if I go downstairs and have a little nibble, yeah? It was all dark everyone was in bed so it must have been really late but I got out of bed, crept out of the door there's always a creaky floorboard, isn't there? Past Mum and Dad's room, careful not to tread on bits of broken toys or bits of Lego you know what it's like treading on Lego with your bare feet, yowwww shhhhhhh downstairs into the kitchen open the cupboard and there it is all shining. So I take it out of the cupboard put it on the table and I see that there's a few crumbs lying about on the plate, so I lick my finger and run my finger all over the crumbs scooping them up and put them into my mouth. oooooooommmmmmmmm nice. < br>Then I look again and on one side where it's been cut, it's all crumbly. So I take a knife I think I'll just tidy that up a bit, cut off the crumbly bits scoop them all up and into the mouth oooooommm mmmm nice. Look at the cake again. That looks a bit funny now, one side doesn't match the other I'll just even it up a bit, eh? Take the knife and slice. This time the knife makes a little cracky noise as it goes through that hard icing on top. A whole slice this time, into the mouth. Oh the icing on top and the icing in the middle ohhhhhh oooo mmmmmm. But now I can't stop myself Knife - 1 just take any old slice at it and I've got this great big chunk and I'm cramming it in what a greedy pig but it's so nice, and there's another and another and I'm squealing and I'm smacking my lips and I'm stuffing myself with it and before I know I've eaten the lot. The whole lot. I look at the plate. It's all gone. Oh no they're bound to notice, aren't they, a whole chocolate cake doesn't just disappear does it? What shall 1 do? I know. I'll wash the plate up, and the knife and put them away and maybe no one will notice, eh? So I do that and creep creep creep back to bed into bed doze off licking my lips with a lovely feeling in my belly. Mmmmrnmmmmm. In the morning I get up, downstairs, have breakfast, Mum's saying, 'Have you got your dinner money?' and I say, 'Yes.' 'And don't forget to take some chocolate cake with you.' I stopped breathing. 'What's the matter,' she says, 'you normally jump at chocolate cake?' I'm still not breathing, and she's looking at me very closely now. She's looking at me just below my mouth. 'What's that?' she says. 'What's what?' I say. 'What's that there?' 'Where?' 'There,' she says, pointing at my chin. 'I don't know,' I say. 'It looks like chocolate,' she says. 'It's not chocolate is it?' No answer. 'Is it?' 'I don't know.' She goes to the cupboard looks in, up, top, middle, bottom, turns back to me. 'It's gone. It's gone. You haven't eaten it, have you?' 'I don't know.' 'You don't know. You don't know if you've eaten a whole chocolate cake or not? When? When did you eat it?' So I told her, and she said well what could she say? 'That's the last time I give you any cake to take to school. Now go. Get out no wait not before you've washed your dirty sticky face.' I went upstairs looked in the mirror and there it was, just below my mouth, a chocolate smudge. The give-away. Maybe she'll forget about it by next week. The poem Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen is about a little boy who loves chocolate cake, and tries to eat all of the leftovers of the cake at night, while hiding it from his mother the next day who ends up finding out. This poem caught my eye because it reminds me of the days when I was little and I would break something or do something and try to hide it from my mom or dad. In the end, similar to the poem, my parents would always realize and figure out what happened. It’s funny because it always seems like parents have a way of discovering those things even when you think there is no possible way they could find out. There are many relatable parts throughout the poem as well. For example, when Rosen says “careful not to tread on bits of broken toys/or bits of Lego/you know what it's like treading on Lego/with your bare feet,/yowwww” I can picture the pain of stepping on a Lego, and the aspect of trying to sneakily get something past my parents. In addition to the onomatopoeia that Rosen uses when describing the Legos, the imagery he uses to describe the cake makes me feel as though I can see it sitting right in front of me. When Rosen says, “you know how the icing on top/is all shiny and it cracks as you/bite into it,/and there's that other kind of icing in/the middle/and it sticks to your hands and you/can lick your fingers/and lick your lips,” it allows the reader to clearly imagine their own favorite dessert specifically cake and it’s characteristics. Overall, the poem is a reminder of childhood when things would try to be hidden, broken, ruined, or taken, without parents realizing. This being, parents will almost always realize since most of them have “eyes in the back of their heads.”
Many people feel alone and sad sometimes, and this can even lead to depression. At one point or another almost every person has probably felt depressed without even realizing it. The poem I Cry by Tupac Shakur speaks to the fact that many people can be extremely sad and others may not even realize because they do not take the time to ask someone how they are. Personally, I can say that I have been on both sides where I feel as though there is no one to talk to, and the fact that I may have not stopped to listen to someone’s issues. When Shakur says, “but who do you know that stops that long,/to help another carry on” I feel that this sends a message and causes people to think. I cannot say that I know many people who would stop for a long time to truly prioritize helping someone. Furthermore, Shakur says that the world moves fast which is true, and many people are so caught up in their own busy lives that they do not realize their surroundings and the feelings of the people close to them. The last three lines of the poem truly “hits home” because when Shakur says “And sometimes…/I Cry/and no one cares about why,” it makes me think about times when I have cried to myself and have felt isolated. It also makes me picture someone who I am close to who may feel extremely alone at times. Overall, I Cry by Tupac Shakur is truly an eye opener and may allow for people to see that even with extremely busy lives, it can change someone’s day to just ask how they are doing. No one should have to cry alone or feel isolated at any point in his or her lives.
In the poem Leisure by William Henry Davies, the meaning behind the stanzas and lines truly stands out to me because it talks about the fact that life is too short with people’s worries to not be able to admire and appreciate the world’s beauty. As a teenager in particular, life is usually hectic and stressful that we look past what is right underneath our noses too often. Personally, I believe I always have so many things that I think I have to get done, and while trying to complete every task, I forget to stop and take in all of the amazing things that surround me such as nature, my family, and all the things I possess that I should be thankful for. I feel that many people can speak to this because almost everyone is rushing and in a hurry. With this type of lifestyle, we have “no time to see” things that are truly beautiful. In the poem Davies says “A poor life this is if, full of care,/We have no time to stand and stare.” This line is what truly drew my attention overall because I think that it really is a “poor life” with all of our worries if we have no time to “stand and stare” at our surroundings. Along with my personal beliefs towards Leisure, Davies also uses literary tools such as a rhyme scheme throughout the poem. The last word of every line in each stanza rhymes. In conclusion, the poem Leisure by William Henry Davies truly speaks to today’s society of busy people who get caught up and often look past all of the beauty that is right before their eyes.
The most important thing we've learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set -- Or better still, just don't install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we've been, We've watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, And stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someone's place we saw A dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit Until they're hypnotised by it, Until they're absolutely drunk With all that shocking ghastly junk. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, They don't climb out the window sill, They never fight or kick or punch, They leave you free to cook the lunch And wash the dishes in the sink -- But did you ever stop to think, To wonder just exactly what This does to your beloved tot? IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES! 'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say, 'But if we take the set away, What shall we do to entertain Our darling children? Please explain!' We'll answer this by asking you, 'What used the darling ones to do? 'How used they keep themselves contented Before this monster was invented?' Have you forgotten? Don't you know? We'll say it very loud and slow: THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and then proceed To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books! The nursery shelves held books galore! Books cluttered up the nursery floor! And in the bedroom, by the bed, More books were waiting to be read! Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales And treasure isles, and distant shores Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, And pirates wearing purple pants, And sailing ships and elephants, And cannibals crouching 'round the pot, Stirring away at something hot. (It smells so good, what can it be? Good gracious, it's Penelope.) The younger ones had Beatrix Potter With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter, And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and- Just How The Camel Got His Hump, And How the Monkey Lost His Rump, And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul, There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole- Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, Ignoring all the dirty looks, The screams and yells, the bites and kicks, And children hitting you with sticks- Fear not, because we promise you That, in about a week or two Of having nothing else to do, They'll now begin to feel the need Of having something to read. And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen They'll wonder what they'd ever seen In that ridiculous machine, That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen! And later, each and every kid Will love you more for what you did. The poem Television by Roald Dahl focuses on the fact that since televisions were invented children have stopped reading, which has been detrimental to them. Personally, I agree with Dahl because speaking for myself I have become more accustomed to watching Netflix and television rather than picking up a book. With technology booming, kids are given devices when they are only a couple of months old to calm them down. This leads to children becoming reliant on technology, and pushes them away from reading. Throughout the poem Dahl is sending the message that T.V. sets should not be given to children at all, but instead books, which will become a child’s new addiction once the television set is gone. Along with my personal views on Television, Dahl uses many literary devices throughout the poem. Dahl uses a rhyme scheme where he rhymes the last word of every line in sets of twos. Furthermore, there are hyperboles such as “(Last week in someone's place we saw/A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)”, and “Until they’re absolutely drunk.” Both of these lines are hyperboles because they exaggerate about children while they are watching T.V., showing that it hypnotizes them. In addition, Dahl uses an example of a simile when he says “HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!” In conclusion, Dahl’s poem shows how parents should be making children read books because the information they provide is endless and televisions should be used less because they are detrimental. The poem A Golden Chain by Helen Steiner Rice is a poem that is overall a metaphor comparing friendship to a golden chain. For example, in the first stanza, Rice says, “The links are friends so dear, And like a rare and precious jewel, It’s treasured more each year…” In these lines of the first stanza, it is obvious that Rice is making the comparison, but it shows a deeper meaning. The links of the chain represents the unbreakable bond between a person and a true friend that they hold close to them. In the following lines, Rice compares friendship to a “rare and precious jewel” because true friendship can be so hard to find similar to the difficulty of finding rare jewels. Throughout the rest of the stanzas in the poem, Rice still speaks metaphorically about friendship with lines such as “It’s clasped together firmly, With a love that’s deep and true” and “Time can’t destroy it’s beauty.” These lines also enforce how Rice views friendship as something that should be held on a high pedestal. In this lines, the closeness that friendship brings is compared to how tightly attached a gold chain is. Furthermore, time cannot destroy the beauty of gold, which Rice compares to everlasting friendship.
Along with understanding the metaphorical writing style of Rice, this poem also caught my attention on a more personal level. When Rice says, “But to have an understanding friend, Is worth far more than gold…” I truly understand what she is trying to get across. Being a teenager in high school, almost everyone is trying to figure out his or her place in life. Throughout this many teens, including myself, experience things such as social stresses, or anxiety. Many teenagers just need one understanding and true friend to help them overcome this, which can be very hard to find. This is why Rice says that to have someone understanding by your side is more valuable than gold. In the last stanza Rice defines the “Golden Chain of Friendship” as a tie that binds hearts together as years pass by. I hope that this definition is true, and that a golden chain holds the current and future friendships together. |
|