American Poetry Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

1744 total results

An Analysis of Don’t Laugh at me by Mark Wills (1310 words, 6 pages)

I'm a little boy with glassesThe one they call the geekA little girl who never smiles'Cause I've got braces on my teethAnd I know how it feelsTo cry myself to sleepI'm that kid on every playgroundWho's always chosen lastA single teenage motherTryin' to overcome my pastYou don't have to be ... Read More

The Theme of Darkness in the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost (447 words, 1 pages)

Darkness and night are a part of every persons life. However, it is possible to perceive them in varying ways, as demonstrated by the contrast between Emily Dickinsons poem and Robert Frosts Acquainted with the Night. Both poems use point of view, imagery and structure to convey their messages.In Dickinsons ... Read More

The Internal Battles: Danger of the Mind in Emily Dickinson’s One Need Not to Be a Chamber to be Haunted (350 words, 2 pages)

In her One need not be a chamber to be haunted, Emily Dickinson juxtaposes internal and external struggles to highlight the danger of the mind. With several cases of physical versus mental situations, Dickinson warns of the internal battle more.In the first stanza, Dickinson immediately dispels the requirement of physical ... Read More

Speaker’s Journey Through the Swamp in Mary Oliver’s Poem Crossing the Swamp (362 words, 2 pages)

In her poem Crossing the Swamp, Mary Oliver develops a swampland, muddy, messay, and mending and describes ones journey through it. Though initially murky and foreboding, the swamp is revealed to be nurturing through metaphor and lively diction.Initially, Oliver describes the swamp as an endless, wet, thick, cosmos, almost viscous ... Read More

A Unique Outlook on Life in American in the Middle 19th Century in Song of Myself, a Poem by Walt Whitman (1216 words, 4 pages)

Walt Whitman's unique outlook on life in America in the middle NineteenthCentury focused on the divine and mystical possibilities of humanity. Hispoetry left a profound impact in America and influenced generations ofpoets. Many of Whitman's early works were positive, upbeat poems. Howeverwhen America entered the Civil War in 1861, Whitman's ... Read More

Character Analysis of Eleanor from in Time of Roses by E. E. Cummings (716 words, 3 pages)

Choices from In Time of Roses and the Character of Eleanor, the Duchess of GloucesterThe character of Eleanor, the Duchess of Gloucester is a woman who, like most characters in the play In Time of Roses, is ambitious, conniving, and determined. She was a woman who wanted to be a ... Read More

An Analysis of 712, a Poem by Emily Dickinson (292 words, 1 pages)

712 by Emily Dickinson, death is coming for Dickinson in the form of a gentleman lover, the date being an extended metaphor for death. Dickinson states that she had no time to stop for death but he kindly stopped for her. The carriage, which could represent a hearse, that she ... Read More

The Contrast between Sorrow and Song in Sestina, a Poem by Elizabeth Bishop (277 words, 1 pages)

Sestina by Elizabeth Bishop is about a grandmother and granddaughter on a rainy september day making tea and a snack. While waiting for the tea to boil, the pair read and make jokes of the almanac, the almanac is a book regarding the world and life and the pair are ... Read More

An Analysis of the Symbolism in the Poem Snowy Egret by Bruce Weigl (503 words, 2 pages)

Nature is an often used target of symbolism in many forms ofliterature. The natural world around us is filled with such ripe targets toproject meaning and values onto. Often these items take on a well known andobvious symbol a rose for beauty perhaps, or a bird to represent freedom.In the ... Read More

The Life of the Author, Langston Hughes in the Short Story Salvation (492 words, 2 pages)

Langston Hughes was a renowned writer of the twentieth century. His writing repertoire consisted of writing poetry, playwrights, short stories, novels, and columns in newspapers. Langston Hughes short story Salvation is in his autobiography. This short story depicts a time in Langston Hughes life where he goes to church believing ... Read More

The Dream Concept in The Farmer by W. D. Ehrhart and Being Blind to the war Concept in A History Without Suffering by E. A. Markham (1048 words, 4 pages)

The Farmer - W. D. Ehrhart Each day I go into the fieldsto see what is growingand what remains to be done.It is always the same thing nothingis growing, everything needs to be done.Plow, harrow, disc, water, praytill my bones ache and hands rubblood-raw with honest laborall that grows is ... Read More

The Life and Personality of Adrienne Rich Reflected Through Her Literary Works (673 words, 4 pages)

Rich in Her WordsFaggot. Dyke. Queer. These are all words I have heard and continue to hear in my life. These are all words that relate to me, just in an extremely derogatory way. Being gay is something that is becoming more and more acceptable in our society, but living ... Read More

The Fight Against Poverty in The Other America by Michael Harrington (1513 words, 5 pages)

Poverty, in all of its aspects, is terrible to be a part of or withhold. In the United States, many middle and upper class citizens believe that there is not a large section of poverty in the nation, but they could not be more wrong. Even though the book was ... Read More

Character Analysis of Marguerite Johnson in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (754 words, 3 pages)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Comprehensive Essay Final DraftDo you ever feel like life puts you in a cage? In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Marguerites experiences of insecurity, racism, and sexual abuse make her feel as if she were a bird trapped ... Read More

The Life and Poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa (836 words, 4 pages)

Yusef Komunyakaa From jazz musics effect on racial bigotry to the hardships of life during the Vietnam War, one Louisianan poet has truly covered some fascinating topics in his work, and his name is Yusef Komunyakaa. Yusef Komunyakaa was born in Louisiana, served in the military for many years, and ... Read More

An Interpretation of Life and Death in the Poem I Felt a Funeral in My Brain by Emily DIckinson (1598 words, 6 pages)

Dickinsons Death in LifeIn Emily Dickinsons I Felt A Funeral In My Brain, Dickinson describes a funeral taking place within her brain. In the past 124 years since its publication, this poem has received much debate about the poems meaning. Some believe that Dickinson is writing from beyond the grave ... Read More

An Analysis of the Use of Parentheticals in the Poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (306 words, 1 pages)

Whitman - When Lilacs Last O Captain my CaptainIn this response, I want to focus on poem 7 from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd. Unlike all other poems in this collection, the entire poem is in parenthesis. In last weeks paper, I discussed whether or not the poems ... Read More

Character Analysis of Roger in Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes (515 words, 2 pages)

Thank You Ma'amThank You Ma'am by Langston Hughes is about a boy named Roger. In the beginning of the story Roger steals from a woman named Mrs. Jones and attempts to steal her purse. Roger fails to do so, so the woman takes him to her house and teaches him ... Read More

The Clash of Assumption Versus Reality in the Novel, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1989 words, 7 pages)

The Red Badge of Courage Assumption Versus RealityAssumptions are made about almost everything. As humans, it is a natural thing that everyone does. These assumptions of events or people are occasionally accepted as being scientifically or morally correct but could also deviate from the truth and reality of the situation. ... Read More

The Unclear Use of Language in the Poem, My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke (465 words, 2 pages)

The Use of Language and Affective Fallacy in "My Papa's Waltz" The vague use of language in Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz,"paints a muddled antimony somewhere between sanguine rememberance and drosscondemnation -- this may have very well been intended for the effect.Figures of speech successfully describe the events of the ... Read More

The Mourning of the Man and Woman Over the Loss of Their Child and Their Ultimate Separation in Home Burial by Robert Frost (387 words, 2 pages)

Question 6In Robert Frosts Home Burial, the man and the woman both grieve in very different ways over the loss of their child and ultimately, it drives them apart. The father of the child, short after the death, seemed rather oblivious to the situation. He seemed to have no problem ... Read More

The Social and Philosophical Themes of Loneliness and Depression in Robert Frost’s Acquainted with the Night (1147 words, 5 pages)

Close Reading Acquainted with the NightRobert Frost composed Acquainted with the Night in 1927. Frosts work delves into social and philosophical themes of loneliness and depression. The poem may seem odd at first, explaining one mans journey through the night, but there are hidden meanings under every phrase. The success ... Read More

Finding the Light in the Storm in the Poem First Storm and Thereafter by Scott Cairn and Grandpa’s Fries by Sarah Selecky (1047 words, 2 pages)

In a well written, multi-paragraph response to both the poem First Storm and Thereafter and the prose passage Grandpas Fries, discuss a common theme experienced by Scott Cairns speaker and Sarah Seleckys narrator, as a result of a threatening storm. You must refer to both works in your essay. Length ... Read More

The Importance of Individuality in Still I Rise by Maya Angelou (1286 words, 4 pages)

Rising PastWhat must one do when the very existence of their whole life is under scrutiny and perpetually abused? How do they overcome a situation from which they are powerless to the ruffians of their life? Responding to the unbounded brutality she faces, Maya Angelou paints a clear cut picture ... Read More

An Analysis of “And So It Goes”, a Lyric Poem by Billy Joel (645 words, 2 pages)

And So It GoesBilly Joel once wrote, In every heart, there is a room, a sanctuary safe and strong, to heal the wounds from lover's past, until a new one comes along. I spoke to you in cautious tones, you answered me with no pretense, and still I feel I ... Read More

The Good-bye Kit by Daneen Bergland (977 words, 3 pages)

The Good-bye Kit, an analysis of the meaningPoetry can be very difficult to understand. One poem many have several meanings to different people, The Good-bye Kit by Daneen Bergland is no exception. This poem is confusing but very interesting. It really makes the reader think what the poem is really ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of Racism and Equality in the Poem I Too by Langston Hughes (718 words, 2 pages)

I too by Langston Hughes reflects the frustration of racism but also the inevitability of equality.This poem starts off with a strong message that can be interpreted in many ways. Most readers would read the first line and not see the true meaning and feelings that the author was trying ... Read More

An Analysis of Desert Places a Poem by Robert Frost (691 words, 2 pages)

Desert Places by Robert Frost The poem Desert Places by Robert Frost takes place not only in a field, or outer space but also in the speakers mind, portraying the relation of man to his surroundings. The question that remains standing throughout the entire poem is what is a desert ... Read More

An Analysis of Man versus Nature in Reindeer and Engine by Josephine Jacobsen (850 words, 3 pages)

The poem Reindeer and Engine by Josephine Jacobsen conveys the inner emotions of a reindeer in the predicament of being hit by a train. Throughout the poem the theme of man versus nature repeats itself. That theme is also portrayed in the title itself. The Reindeer represents the nature while ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of the Poem Birches by Robert Frost (582 words, 2 pages)

Birches by Robert Frost is a poem which talks about how one must escape from reality for some time, only to return to it later. In the poem, the author discusses the topic of birch trees and how they bend after an ice storm. In his imagination, the birches are ... Read More

American Poetry Essay Examples