... can be quite a complex concept to explain clearly, as part of its purpose is to be unclear. Despite the complexity, irony, specifically in poetry, works as a way for a poet to convey deep emotions, symbolic meanings, and messages in a subliminal, indirect way. There are three forms of irony used in ... poetry for different effects: verbal, situational, and dramatic. Verbal irony is the gap between the literal and figurative meaning of words used, situational irony uses the ... only cares to know that their citizens are conforming and obeying their expectations as another 'unknown c...

• Word Count: 1245
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... was perhaps facilitated to signify a written prose. In the context of love, the author could possibly assert that love is more authentic and more surreal when experienced first-hand, and poetry based on love can be somewhat limiting. The significant interval in the introduction of the second stanza could be a poetic employment to represent the enormity of the evening sky, allowing ... describe sexuality as that which is "[a lovely], ordinary [and] normal thing." With this direct quotation in mind, Duffy seems to defy the hetero-normative stereotype of conventional love poetry. Duffy avo...

• Word Count: 1990
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... making the connection between the literal and the metaphorical, and in doing so, "reading between the lines." At first glance, Yeats" poetry may seem to be merely spontaneous emotion, however, after close literary analysis, it is clear that Yeats" poetry is often fairly systematic and reveals an assortment of reoccurring ideas. When analysis of Yeats" works is undertaken, especially when discussing Yeats ... " ideas and thoughts expressed through his poetry, it is often useful to consider the context of the poems. Throughout his life, Yeats was preoccupied with the concept of the cyclic ...

• Word Count: 823
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , author of the famous poems, "Leaves of Grass," and "O Captain, My Captain." Whitman blends the boundaries of the poetry world, with the American society, by displaying every inch of his mind, and creativity in his works. Through his works in history, he has modernized ... lifetime in his works for several reasons: "[his] openness regarding sex, his self-presentation as a rough working man, and his stylistic innovations" (Poetry Foundation 1). The voice of his works is "said to breathe the new American spirit of broad open lands and enterprising, hard-working people" (Author ... poems, ...

• Word Count: 672
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in order to make him pure. Donne constantly uses the same techniques of addressing the subjects with dramatic opening lines , conversational voice and clear development of ideas. His poetry is consistently erudite, ingeniously constructed and startling clever in the imagery and ideas that are presented. Incorporating clever conceits, syllogism, parodies and hyperboles. Donne was at liberty to ... geographic, physics and chemistry to create imagery to convey and express his emotional meaning. The ability to combine this intellectual effort and emotional expression so skilfully across sub...

• Word Count: 937
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... must act as society expects her, while truly her capabilities exceed these expectations. Dickinson also, to a lesser point, challenges the rules of linguistics and conventional poetry, and ultimately, through both examples, forces readers to reevaluate the standard views of society. Poem number 390 illustrates the stereotypical 19th century woman, one who is ... poem is the challenging of the typical views of women, Dickinson also challenges the rules of linguistics and conventional poetry. Dickinson did not title her poems, and often made use of irregular punctuation and capitalization. ...

• Word Count: 812
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), in his Essays, wrote that "Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive and widely effective mode of saying things, and hence its importance." He failed to go on to explain his point, but his meaning is clear. Poetry differs from prose and other genres by that has formal devices and techniques used to construct it, and that without such ... techniques poetry is not, as such, poetry. Judith Wright's South of My Days and Woman to Man are two poems which display this link between the use of poetic devices and the forming of coherent meaning. The ... ...

• Word Count: 1399
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In writing poetry, poets use a number of archetypical images and symbols to develop an attitude that they desire the speaker to portray. The symbols allow the reader to interpret more than what is ... try their best. Andrew Marvell's poem "To His Coy Mistress" makes an excellent example of a piece using symbols and archetypes to portray its message. The use of the symbols in poetry greatly impacts the poem or other literary works also, by giving the composition several degrees of perception. This ability to make the reader interpret a piece indirectly by using symbols and ... ...

• Word Count: 1099
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and compares Science to a vulture,a strong metaphor if we remember that vultures feed on the rests of other animals,which sometimes are still alive.Gives the idea of death approaching poetry. The second stanza,rhymed bcbc, questions how the poet could love or respect Science,if Science is interested only in reality and will not let the poet dream and fantasize ... .Then in verse 7,there is another image about flight, "To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies",which could be interpreted as the act of daydreaming and making poetry.The poet flies in " undaunted wing",in contrast to the vu...

• Word Count: 294
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Kenneth Slessor is commonly regarded by many to be the best Australian poet of his generation, perhaps all time. His poem "Sleep" can be interpreted mainly in one of two ways. One could see it as a personification of sleep, or depiction of childbirth. The poem's textual integrity allows for both interpretations to be supported through techniques founded within the text. Each stanza within the poem provides evidence to support either interpretation although; Slessor may be using one of the said meanings as an analogy for the other. The first stanza supports the personification of sleep with ...

• Word Count: 684
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In Emily Dickinson's "There's a certain slant of light," the poet provides yet another glimpse into her world of patriarchal oppression and the overall entropy of the seasons. In this poem, even light is oppressive – the contrast between light and dark is shown to be quite close to the contrast between life and meaning. Through her use of descriptive imagery, syntax and form, Emily Dickinson takes a short poem and manages to eke a tremendous amount of meaning out of it, likening light to the reminder that death will be upon us eventually. Dickinson's level of descriptiveness in these passage...

• Word Count: 562
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In twenty-five lines of dramatic and shocking poetry, Bruce Dawe's "Homecoming" manipulates the audience to view the tragedies of war and the lack of respect that is given to those who fight within it. A methodical production line of ... ...

• Word Count: 504
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... injured soldier, but it was only through the influence of fellow soldier and poet, Siegrfried Sassoon, that he began capturing his vivid visions of the war in the form of poetry. Many would argue that it was while writing his war poems that Owen felt most able to express his ideas on paper, and he certainly was one of the greatest ... ...

• Word Count: 948
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... "terrible" and the phrase " where motley is worn" is so powerful, and in depth, that it conveys the necessary sense of gloom to carry across the point of Yeats's powerful poetry. One other aspect of Davison's reading that in my mind made the poem so powerful was not only the emphasis he placed on certain words and phrases, it was also ... ...

• Word Count: 1069
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate