Poetry Analysis and Themes

Poetry Study Notes

• "Philadelphia" by Absalom Jones:

  • Employs formal diction and parallel structure in its writing style.

• "The Speech of Miss Polly Baker" by Benjamin Franklin:

  • Utilizes irony and rhetorical appeals in its crafting.

• "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine:

  • Features rhetorical appeals, clear diction, and logical reasoning.

• "A Modell of Christian Charity" by John Winthrop:

  • Includes rhetorical appeals, formal diction, and biblical references within the work.

• "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards:

  • Employs rhetorical appeals, vivid imagery, and emotional diction.

• "Out, Out—" by Robert Frost:

  • Summary: Young farmhand tragically loses his life in an accident involving a buzz saw. The poem explores themes of life's fragility, societal indifference, and loss of innocence. It highlights the sudden and devastating nature of death.
  • Key Themes: Fragility of life, indifference to death, loss of innocence.
  • Key Quotes: "The buzz saw snarled and rattled," and "Life moves on after death."
  • Literary Devices: Personification, imagery, allusion.

• "The Blues" by E. A. Robinson:

  • Summary: Reflects on Felix's deep despair and sadness, using "the blues" as a metaphor. The poem acknowledges his struggles but suggests the possibility of hope and resilience.
  • Key Themes: Mental struggle, isolation, hope and resilience.
  • Key Quotes: "Made up his mind to cultivate the blues," and "There's nothing wrong with grief that's overdone."
  • Literary Devices: Irony, tone, symbolism.

• "Recuerdo" by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

  • Summary: Recalls a joyful ferry ride with a companion, highlighting the beauty of the night and a selfless act of giving to a poor woman.
  • Key Themes: Joy in simplicity, youth and freedom, human connection.
  • Key Quotes: "We were very tired, we were very merry," and "We gave her all we had."
  • Literary Devices: Repetition, imagery, symbolism.

• "For Keeps" by Joy Harjo:

  • Summary: Celebrates the enduring nature of life, love, and interconnectedness with nature.
  • Key Themes: Eternal love, interconnectedness, sacredness of life.
  • Key Quotes: "Sun makes the day new," and "This is for keeps."
  • Literary Devices: Imagery, symbolism, repetition.

• "Yet Do I Marvel" by Countee Cullen:

  • Summary: Explores the speaker's reflections on God's mysterious ways, including suffering and the paradox of being a Black poet.
  • Key Themes: Faith and doubt, the paradox of existence, racial identity and artistry.
  • Key Quotes: "To make a poet Black, and bid him sing!," and "Inscrutable his ways are."
  • Literary Devices: Allusion, paradox, sonnet structure.

• "Providence" by Natasha Trethewey:

  • Summary: Reflects on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, focusing on personal experiences, resilience, and the human connection with home and identity.
  • Key Themes: Memory and loss, resilience, interconnection of nature and history..
  • Key Quotes: "What is left is testament," and "This was not new."
  • Literary Devices: Imagery, symbolism, tone.

• "The Sacred" by Stephen Dunn:

  • Summary: Examines the concept of sacredness through a student's unconventional response—a car as a sanctuary for reflection.
  • Key Themes: Personal sacredness, solitude and reflection, unconventional spirituality.
  • Key Quotes: "A car was his sanctuary," and "Where he could listen to his heart."
  • Literary Devices: Imagery, symbolism, tone.

• "The Secret" by Denise Levertov:

  • Summary: Explores the complex nature of secrets, their burdens, and the potential for freedom in revealing or holding onto them.
  • Key Themes: The power of secrets, freedom vs. burden, silence and expression.
  • Key Quotes: "The secret that was mine," and "It was the silence that set me free."
  • Literary Devices: Imagery, symbolism, tone.