Cherry Tree Poem Analysis

Cherry Tree

• This is a narrative poem that is about nature.
• Ruskin Bond is the nature-loving poet, he has written many short stories, essays, novellas, and over thirty children's books.
• The title indicates trees that trees are important in life.
• Theme is the desire of the poet to plant and have their own tree.
• Despite many threats the tree grew, which attracted birds and insects and gave the poet abundant joy.
• The poem employs an aa, bb, cc rhyme scheme.
• Simple word choice makes the language easy to understand and enjoy.
• Poetic devices used include alliteration and personification.
• The poem contains a wonderful message and serves as a symbol for showing all challenges in life.
• The poet describes the journey of the cherry tree and its ability to resist troubles in life through natural forces.
• The text tells of moving forward towards success, aims and dream, overcoming difficulties.
• Message of persistence to achieve goals and hope when one can despair.
• Also promotes loving, planting, and preserving trees.
• Trees are important for survival.

The Sower

• Poem translated from French to English by Toru Dutt from Victor Hugo's poem.
• The poem is about a farmer sowing seeds, its sower is a poor old man who has seen many bad harvests.
• Despite hardships, the man is full of hope for a bountiful harvest and dedicated to his work.
• Title is meaningful and clear.
• Poem's theme is about a farmer constantly working with an expectation of a good harvest
• To the farmer, the grain sown looks line precious metal.
• The farmer works day and night to grow crops and earn a livelihood.
• He is patient, skilled, scatters seeds and waits for their reaping.
• Poet admires the quality of the sower who keeps working even as night falls.
• The poet uses alliteration, imagery, and symbolism.
• The rhyme scheme is ab, ab, creating a pleasing rhythm.
• Simple language is used.
• Poem comes out of real-life situations.
• Notable elements in the poem include the use of landscapes, with flora and fauna.
• The poem is a depiction of an old man and his conviction in life.
• The poem emphasizes the importance of positive thinking and continuous chasing of goals and needing the farmer for survival.

There is Another Sky

• Inspirational message of never say-die, a Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and sestet.
• Emily Dickinson, an American poet of the 19th century.
• Poem conveys a message of an additional sky beyond the physical one, having another sunshine.
• Poem compares two places; one is gloomy, dim, colorless, and lonely.
• Describes a serene, evergreen little forest under another sky with fresh flowers and humming bees.
• The poet encourages moving forward, to overcome life's frustrations, develop a positive attitude, and not get depressed.
• Petrarchan sonnet; the octave describes the cold, faded forest and the sestet speaks of a warm, welcoming little garden.
• Sonnet rhymes are -abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd.
• Dickinson used slant rhyme, unconventional capitalization and punctuation.
• The poem uses alliteration, inversion, and hyperbole.
• The poem inspires to never say die.
• It speaks of a serene and fair place with a brighter garden and unfading flowers where one can hear the bright bee hum.
• Poem delivers a message of positivity, optimism, and encouragement to face difficulties, maintain confidence, and hope.

Upon Westminster Bridge

• Poem is a Petrarchan sonnet by William Wordsworth describing the beauty of the bridge at dawn from the Westminster Bridge in London.
• Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet.
• Indicates the poet's intention.
• Westminster Bridge is a famous London bridge.
• The poet depicts the beauty of London city in the morning sunshine.
• The poet describes the beauty of London in the early morning sunrise while pausing on the bridge.
• The city glitters in the smokeless air, and the Thames flows leisurely.
• The poet speaks about various aspects and the natural beauty witnessed.
• The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with an octave and sestet.
• Octave rhyme scheme is abba abba, and sestet scheme is cdc dcd.
• Different figures of speech are included: Simile, hyperbole and personification.
• Poem is divided into two parts.
• The octave consists of first 8 lines while the sestet contains 6 lines.
• The poet appreciates the beauty of the city, which looks serene early in the morning, especially without noise or activity.

Nose Versus Eyes

• A judicial satire that mocks stone-blind justice in a humorous tone.
• William Cowper was an 18th-century English poet, composer, hymn writer, satirist, letter writer, essayist, and translator who addressed nature and everyday life.
• The sensory organs in the title symbolize human behavior.
• Human greed is depicted.
• The poem describes argument between Nose and Eyes which spectacles belonged to.
• The tongue argued the case before the ear, who played Judge.
• The judge ruled in a grave tone that when the Nose puts on his spectacles the Eyes must shut.
• The poem uses sensory organs that are personified and is a satire as well as a mock against the judiciary system.
• Eyes are the claimant while Nose is the defendant claiming ownership of spectacles.
• The tongue is the lawyer while The Ear is the Judge.
• Legal terms and phrases are in poem.
• The rhyme scheme of the stanza includes abab.
• Figures of speech- alliteration and inversion.
• The poem gives criticism on the judicial system with sensory organs.
• The characters of Eyes, Nose, Ear, and tongue are aptly depicted.
• Poem suggest justice should be tempered with humanity and that decisions based purely on law can be silly.

The Planners

• Poem tells how the planners achieve their goals.
• Boey Kim Cheng laments Singapore's constant development, focusing on the loss of human element.
• Boey Kim Cheng is a Singapore-born Australian poet and teacher of Chinese descent and one of the most promising Singapore poets to emerge in the 1990s.
• The city is overtaken by politicians, industrialists, influential builders, etc looking for profits
• Title indicates plans.
• Poem describes how planners methodically wiped out old cities, nature, and history to build modern skyscrapers, like a dentist repairing and removing teeth.
• The poem is free verse without rhyming scheme.
• The poet depicts ideas in simple language using alliteration, personification, hyperbole, climax, paradox, and oxymoron.
• The poet disapproves of wiping out the past and its heritage, using short lines with meaningful words.
• The poem shows how the past heritage and history are wiped out for development/modernization
• The building activity is done to appease politicians, rich and powerful men, and citizens.