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

1744 total results

The Literary Devices Used in My Papa’s Waltz, a Poem by Theodore Roethke (543 words, 2 pages)

Poem AnalysisThe poem My Papas Waltz tells a story of a boy with an abusive father. Through the authors use of diction, figurative language and tone, the reader can interpret the relationship between the speaker and the father. By utilizing these devices the author is able to describe a complicated ... Read More

Content, Mood, and Religious Symbolism in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, a Poem by T.S. Eliot (593 words, 3 pages)

T.S. Eliot- An Analysis of His WorksT.S. Eliot in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock wrote No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was I meant to be, meaning that Eliot thought that he was nothing to the world he lived in. He obviously never imagined that he would ... Read More

Genuine Peace and Friendship from the Creatures in Walden, a Book by Henry David Thoreau (1281 words, 7 pages)

Snakes and Other Creatures in Thoreaus WaldenIn Walden Pond, Thoreau certainly describes animals from an observatory standpoint more so than an integrated standpoint. While Thoreau does seem to gain genuine peace and friendship from the creatures around him, it is more apparent that they serve as representations of his relationships ... Read More

The Use of Literary Devices to Show That Good Things Will Come and Go in Nothing Gold Can Stay, a Poem by Robert Frost (951 words, 4 pages)

Stay GoldThere are life cycles for everything humans, animals, and even plants. Everything that is alive will inevitably die it is just plain unavoidable. In his paper, Nothing Gold Can Stay. Deirdre Fagan says, all beauty is fleeting, a theme very much present in Robert Frosts poem, Nothing Gold Can ... Read More

The Satirical Picture of War in AD, a Poem by Kenneth Fearing (648 words, 2 pages)

War Poetry EssayWar is a devastating part of our history lives are lost and changed. During times of war, those affected view war differently. Some view the act as patriotism while others view war as a senseless act. In times of war, soldierstypically young menare put in unfamiliar situations, made ... Read More

The Confused Psychological Condition of Anna Favor in The Changeling, a Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier (1249 words, 3 pages)

The Changeling AnalysisIn The Changeling, John Greenleaf Whittier manifests the confused psychological state of Anna Favor within the reader by leaving the poem open-ended and unclearly communicating the characters true feelings. Anna Favor has two extreme emotional states within the poem and the cause of their switching is not entirely ... Read More

The Unexpected in The World Doesn’t End, a Poem by Charles Simic (1258 words, 3 pages)

The World Doesnt End ReviewCharles Simics poems in The World Doesnt End read like the explanation of someone elses dream it leads somewhere that isnt expected in a nonsensical manner while indirectly revealing occurrences within your own dreams, that were lost from reality hitting your waking moment, that are often ... Read More

An Interpretation of Saga, a Poem by Mary Ruefle (889 words, 3 pages)

Throughout time, society has often questioned what defines a hero. Poet Mary Ruefle suggests that one can achieve the idea of being a hero in everyday life in her poem, Saga. Not only does the poem outline how one can achieve this accomplishment, but it also defines what holds one ... Read More

The Role of Authority in Song of Powers, a Poem by David Mason (837 words, 3 pages)

Song of the Powers The Solitude of SuperiorityHumans strive for a purpose in life. In some occasions, however, ones desire for achievement becomes a competition with other individuals to assert independence and power. David Mason illustrates the desire for authority in his poem, Song of the Powers. This work describes ... Read More

The Flaws of Society in Fallen, a Poem by Vievee Francis (587 words, 2 pages)

Destruction from HardworkOne of the largest issues society faces today is that people refuse to acknowledge their own weaknesses. Poet Vievee Francis, on the other hand, becomes open and vulnerable in her poem Fallen. Francis utilizes an extended metaphor to reveal to society how one is sub-consciously detrimental to oneself.Throughout ... Read More

The Relationship between an Individual and Truth in Emily Dickinson’s 1129 (1003 words, 4 pages)

In her poem "1129," Emily Dickinson personifies the truth, establishing it as an identity whose chief function is to dazzle observers into submission lest they openly confront it at great personal cost. Operating under the assumption that a working relationship between the truth and an individual is consciously adopted, Dickinson ... Read More

Friendship and Motivation in The Book of the Lion, a Book by Michael Cadnum (1039 words, 3 pages)

A Synopsis of The Book of the Lion and Its ThemesThe main themes of The Book of the Lion are friendship and motivation. At the beginning of the book, author Michael Cadnum introduces us to a wool master and coin minter named Otto, his apprentice named Edmund, and Otto's wife ... Read More

The Injustices and Inequalities of Post World War II American Culture in Howl, a Poem by Allen Ginsberg (1367 words, 4 pages)

Analyzing Howl for Carl Solomon by Allen GinsbergHowl by Allen Ginsberg is known for its historical influence of the Beat movement andinfluence to kick start the start of the revolutionary era and controversial American literature.Through his experiences, Allen Ginsberg addressed serval issues that were occurring during the1950s post World War ... Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis of Crossing the Swamp by Mary Oliver (359 words, 2 pages)

Crossing the Swamp Rhetorical AnalysisIn Mary Olivers Crossing the Swamp, Oliver uses extended metaphor, imagery, and sophisticated diction to show how her lifes hardships is comparable to the swamp. Throughout the poem, she gradually reveals how without all the hardship, success wouldnt be an option.From the start of the poem, ... Read More

Fragmentation in the Poems of Wallace Stevens (1367 words, 4 pages)

When reading Wallace Stevens, one can not help but notice thefragmentation that is prevalent throughout his work. The best example ofthis aesthetic choice can be found in his poem, "Thirteen Ways of Lookingat a Blackbird." In this poem, Stevens masterfully weaves not just imagesand pithy remarks, but also complicated narratives ... Read More

The Real Objective of The Lynching, a Poem by Claude McKay (381 words, 2 pages)

Claude McKay's poems really stuck out to me. They are lyrical, butraw. Poetically worded, but politically and culturally charged. There'ssome juxtaposition which is going on here, which I liked. For example, atthe end of "The Lynching," McKay writes "And the little lads, lynchers tatwere to be, Danced around the dreadful ... Read More

The Impact of Queuing Personal Desires in Dream Differed, a Poem by Langston Hughes (804 words, 3 pages)

A Dream Differed, by poet Langston Hughes, discusses the matter of personal desires being put on hold and the impact it holds. This poem, in many ways relates to the many forgotten and broken dreams in the personal lives of many. Hughes speaks to the mind of a young dreamer ... Read More

Faith in The Open Boat, a Short Story by Stephen Crane (1278 words, 5 pages)

Faith in FateWriter Stephen Crane survived unimaginable pain and torture and went on to write his most famous short story, The Open Boat. A somewhat autobiographical and suspenseful story told in a solemn tone, The Open Boat shares the tragic tale of four shipwrecked men. After making it onto a ... Read More

A Response Home Burial by Robert Frost: The Use of Crows as a Symbol of Delusional Happiness (359 words, 1 pages)

Home Burial ResponseThe use of crows being a symbol of happiness rather than a symbol of death is used to create a sense of a delusional happiness. The second and third lines in Crows introduce the crows, which are in the persons bloodstream. These lines reminded me of someone injecting ... Read More

The Religious Purpose in The Road Not Taken, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, and Mending Wall by Robert Frost (1276 words, 5 pages)

Frosts Religious PurposeRobert Frost is a famous American poet who writes about nature in most of his pieces. His work every now and again using settings from rural life in New England in the mid twentieth century, utilizing them to inspect complex social and philosophical topics. Frost went through rough ... Read More

The Importance of the Relationship Between Men and Women in Waiting, a Novel by Ha Jin (1892 words, 6 pages)

What is the significance of the relationship between men and women in The Waiting? When you look at this novel, are you really able to read through the text and not acknowledge the relationships between man and female? The relationship between men and women in the novel, The Waiting is ... Read More

The Creative Use of Line Breaks, Imagery, and Italics to Portray Hades’s Manipulative Nature in Hades’ Pitch, a Poem by Rita Dove (959 words, 3 pages)

Paper Two Dove ResponseIn Hades Pitch Dove presents Hades as a manipulator, who preys on Persephones lack of understanding in order to get her to agree to something without fully understanding the consequences. This suggest the ease by which an innocent child can be exploited or taken advantage of by ... Read More

The Analysis of Ambiguity in 12 O’Clock News, a Poem by Elizabeth Bishop (1368 words, 5 pages)

Ambiguity in Elizabeth Bishops 12 oclock NewsElizabeth Bishop constructs the poem 12 oClock Newsto portray distinct settings with similar descriptions. In the first stanza, it is unclear whether it is the gooseneck lamp or the moon that gives very little light and could be dead. Though there is an implied ... Read More

The Obstruction of the American Dream in Always Running, a Novel by Luis J. Rodriguez (831 words, 3 pages)

The American DreamThe American Dream is a goal for almost everybody in the United States, however this dream is thwarted in Always Running not only by the government, but also by the society and the individuals. Also for Mexican immigrants this dream is very hard to achieve considering that the ... Read More

The Neverending Cycle of Revenge in Flight, a Novel by Sherman Alexie (1118 words, 3 pages)

Cycle of RevengeGandhi said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. What Gandhi meant was that taking revenge will make a destructive cycle. In Sherman Alexies Flight, it shows the vicious cycle in action. In the story there is a boy named Zits who discovers the true ... Read More

The Lives, Works, and Contributions of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley (2474 words, 8 pages)

Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley are two of a kind. These two women defied the odds and proved that theres a brain behind every womans womanly beauty. Phillis Wheatley, an African slave taken from her home at the young age of 7, was the first African American woman poet to ... Read More

The Idea of Nature in Desert Places, a Poem by Robert Frost (1440 words, 5 pages)

In Robert frost's work, Desert Places, nature is a central theme that the entire poem plays off of. Frost uses the idea of nature, in particular snow and space, to represent the blank white emptiness of humanity, however within his own mind lie even emptier desert places. This is ential ... Read More

The Passions of Desire, Anxiety, and Sorrow in My Favorite Poems (867 words, 3 pages)

The three passions I chose found in these poems are desire, anxiety, and sorrow. I thought all three of these passions were represented well throughout the poetry. Desire begins on pg. 859 in The Hills Lovers Unions, where the speaker of the poem spots the peacock in the bamboo hill, ... Read More

An Analysis of Depression and Hopelessness in The Secretary Chant, a Poem by Marge Piercy (387 words, 2 pages)

Thoughts on The Secretary ChantSo often in poetry, the everyday things in life are worded into a prose of unusual. Often times, writers use metaphors to uniquely describe the mundane tasks of everyday life, from going to work, to making a bed. Such is the case in Marge Piercys The ... Read More

Eco-Feminism in the Literary Works of Emily Dickinson (2450 words, 9 pages)

Eco-feminism is the philosophical and political movement that combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, in an attempt to alter a male dominated society. The theory rests on the idea that patriarchal philosophies are harmful and affect the way in which we see women, and how we relate their value to ... Read More

American Poetry Essay Examples