Poetry Analysis Paper

Submitted By VasiswagggG
Words: 1360
Pages: 6
Open Document
Shelby Grant
Per.8
Langston Hughes is a well known African American poet that emerged during the
Harlem Renaissance. Writers like Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar were some of Hughes’ influences as well as his everyday life. During this time jazz was the new genre of music and the biggest thing in Harlem. All of these things formed the way that Hughes wrote and what he wrote about. Within his writing he has reoccurring themes of manipulation of women, desire to escape, yet to overcome, and empowerment. He has a unique way of showing imagery without being very descriptive, he just tells the story and it can seem as if the reader can see what he saw. His Diction is informal with his use of ethnic slang. Hughes uses simple sentence syntax that helps compose his abcb rhyme scheme. All though his stanza aren’t always broken up, when reading the poems and hearing the flow of the poem it is inferred that there is always four lines in each stanza.
50­50 and Ballad of the Fortune Teller are two poems that have the theme of manipulation of women. He both poems women meet men, take them into their homes, give them everything that they have. In the end they were left with nothing. The men never really loved them. The women were used for their material things and the men never really loved them like they did. In 50­50 Hughes poem structure goes against the four lines in each stanza and his rhyme scheme is totally different. But those are the only differences. This poem has an open form unlike the others with a set format with rhyme scheme, line and stanza structure. Is diction is informal which is shown by his use of the phrase “Ain’t got nobody”. This shows that the

speaker is uneducated. The speech within the poem comes across as conversational and slangy.
“Trouble with you is” can be an example of this as well as “Ain’t got nobody”. The sentence structure is simple. This poem is more of a short story. The tone was desperate because of the woman longer to share her life with a significant other. Ballad of the Fortune Teller is a good example of the reoccurring structure in most of his poems. There is a rhyme scheme of abcb that contributes to his four line stanza. Within the first two stanzas that are seen as one if where his story begins and the reader can see the scene without Hughes being descriptive. It the way that he sets up the scene that draws the reader in and makes the poem vivid. This poem has a poetic speech because of the rhyme scheme. After reading the poem a few time I realized that there is some irony within the poem. The poem is about a fortune teller who could see her client’s future by just looking at the palm of their hand and tell them everything, but she couldn’t tell her own even though the future was clear to see.
Madam and Her Madam and Life is Fine share the theme of a desire to escape but yet to overcome. In Madam and Her Madam a woman tells a story about how she used to be a maid for a very rich woman. She would work really hard and the line “ It was too much, nearly broke me down” shows how she was just tired and wanted to escape from her work even though this was the only job she could get in these times. But in the end she overcomes by showing that she will refuse to be a kiss up. She asks the woman why she works her so hard and she says that she doesn’t try to and that she loves her. The maid responds by saying, “Madam, that may be true, but I’ll be dogged if I love you.” This shows how the woman refuses give the woman what she wants. She I here to work and not to win you over because she sees through her like glass and knows that her day will come when the tables will turn. This poem is in closed form because of

the four line stanza and the abcb rhyme scheme at the end of each line. The diction is informal throughout. The speech style is conversational and poetic. The tone is tired but is at the end it changes to assertive when the
Show More

Related Documents: Poetry Analysis Paper

Robert Frost Research Paper

Poetry Research Paper Lionel Trilling described Frost as a “terrifying poet” who depicted a “terrifying universe” (Johnson). Frost, although not a scary person, wrote poetry strong and deep enough to scare his critics. Frost was born in California and lived from March of 1874 to January of 1963. After being raised in San Francisco, Frost moved to New England. It was there that he occupied himself with a variety of working class jobs, all of which provided him with material for his poetry. ONe of…

Words 325 - Pages 2

Literature and Class Writing Exercises Essay

Florida Gateway College Course Syllabus -- English 1102: Freshman English II Writing About Literature Fall 2014 Instructor: Serafin Roldan Phone: 352-246-1091 Email: roldans@bellsouth.net Office Hours: ONLINE OFFICE HRS Enc 1102: Section 012 ONLINE Course Description: ENC 1102 is a general education communications course. This course focuses on the appreciation of imaginative literature with the following learning objectives: A. Communications: Demonstrate the ability to…

Words 2303 - Pages 10

Teacher Inquiry-Gathering Research Questions On Mary Oliver

teenager and helped sort through papers Millay left behind. - In the mid-1950s, Mary Oliver attended Ohio State University and Vassar College; she did not receive a degree. - Her first poetry collection, No Voyage and Other Poems, was published in 1963. - Since her initial collection, Mary Oliver has published numerous books of poetry. - Honors for Mary Oliver include the Pulitzer Prize, an American Academy of Arts & Letters Award, a Lannan Literary Award, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelly Memorial…

Words 1003 - Pages 5

Essay on Stylistic Analysis: "To---" by Peter Shelley

Language through Poetry: A Stylistic Analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “To ---“ A Stylistic Paper Presented to The Faculty of the Department of English Institute of Arts and Sciences Far Eastern University Manila In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirement for the Course Eng C 31—Introduction to Stylistics Osabel, Julla C. Panis, Kimberly Nicole S. October, 2012 I. Reaction and it’s effects on you II. Summary of the Text Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “To ---“ is…

Words 1655 - Pages 7

APA Citation Guide Essay

required by their degree programs, so (hopefully) this guide will eliminate some of that stress. Because APA users typically do not cite poems and dramas, I have seized a bit of liberty with those types of resources; if you find yourself writing a paper in another class that requires similar literary works, please check with the professor. For sources not included, you will need to use your APA Publication Manual, Sixth Edition; another possibility is to Google your questions. (e.g. “How is a book…

Words 1654 - Pages 7

Syllabus: University of Cambridge and Cambridge Pre-u Syllabus Essay

Contents Page Introduction 4 Aims 5 Scheme of assessment 6 Assessment objectives 6 Relationship between scheme of assessment and assessment objectives 7 Description of components 8 Appendix 1: Set poems 13 Appendix 2: Sample topics for Paper 4 16 Appendix 3: Grade descriptors 21 Appendix 4: Additional information 22 www.cie.org.uk/cambridgepreu 3 Cambridge Pre-U Syllabus Introduction Cambridge Pre-U syllabuses aim to equip candidates with the skills required to make a success…

Words 5225 - Pages 21

Sociology and American Dream Essay

American Dream. Throughout his quest he developed specific strategies to attain his goals. Unfortunately, he failed. Yet does this mean the American dream is dead? Your job is to write a collegiate essay that examines the American dream in a literary analysis. You may do this by focusing on one of the following literary perspectives. With all these perspectives, you need to synthesize at least three works from the research list: The American Dream: Define the American dream and argue its attainability…

Words 406 - Pages 2

English 1A Scope and Sequence 14 15 Essay

2014-2015 Course English 1A Instructor(s) Troy Soles, Kelly Fitzpatrick-Sorem, Annie Wolfe Text Prentice Hall Gold Series Prerequisite none Grade 9 Course Description Students will study the short story, novel, and poetry while focusing on the narrative/imaginative and expository research. An ongoing emphasis is placed on independent reading as well as the state content and performance standards. Units Unit 1 (trimester long): Grammar and Vocabulary Common Core State…

Words 1030 - Pages 5

Simply Masterful Essay

College Comp 2 Research Paper Simply Masterful “Most of us would prefer to look at cartoons in a magazine than read a poem," says Kooser. Poetry reflects life in a way that even big movies, cannot do. Kooser’s poems invite the reader to reflect on everyday items and to notice the small details and beauties of the world. He has a talent to express emotions in a way that the readers themselves will experience. He has been referred to as the master of the short metaphorical poem (Gioia). Kooser…

Words 3517 - Pages 15

UPDATED ENG4U Syllabus Essay

course emphasizes consolidation of literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills. Students will analyse a range of challenging texts from various time periods, countries, and cultures; write analytical and argumentative essays and a major paper for an independent literary research project; and apply key concepts to analyse media works. An important focus will be on understanding academic language and using it coherently and confidently in discussion and argument. Student Evaluation Criteria…

Words 1176 - Pages 5