Unveiling

I liked this poem because it reminded me of my childhood, so I could really relate to it. Unveiling by Linda Pastan talks about her memories walking through the cemetery and seeing her families graves. She recalls on family dinners and feeling left out as a child. "[A]lmost the way they used to sit around the long planked table at family dinners." This quote reminds me of my own family dinners at my Grandma's house. Whether it was Christmas, Thanksgiving, or just a get together, we all sat in the same place at dinner. "[J]ust left out a bit as if they kept from me the kind of grown-up secret they used to share back then." This reminds me of when I was chained to the little kid table and all the adults would be laughing and wouldn't tell us kids what went wrong, or when they would ask us kids to leave the room so they could have grown up talk.

Toads

The metaphor in this poem is the strangest metaphor I have ever read. The author, Philip Larkin, compares work to a toad, and . The theme of this poem is the mindset of the working "average Joe." They spend so much time working to afford the enjoyments of life which in turn often overshadows and ruins the enjoyments of life. Lark talks about how the speaker is envious of people who have conquered work and are able to enjoy life, but admits the he or she cannot break away from the expectations of society and the system. "Six days of the week it soils With its sickening poison- Just for paying a few bills! That's out of proportion." Not only does this poem compare toads to work but toads to the lack of courage inside ones self. This toad is the main reason why the speaker can't escape the "rat race." "For something sufficiently toad-like Squats in me, too;... And will never allow me to blarney My way to getting The fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting." His final sentence summarizes the two toads and describes how they work together. "Its hard to lose either When you have both."

Acquainted with the Night

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Lee Frost, is loaded with similes, metaphors, and symbols. If taken literally, the first line of the poem has no meaning. "I have been one acquainted with the night." In most poems night is a symbol for death, which it very well could symbolize in this poem, because Frost experienced many losses in his life including his father, mother, sister, and four of his six children. More or less, Frost is referring to being acquainted with death. In addition to death, this poem has several references to depression which often walks hand and hand with death. "I have outwalked the furthest city light." In this line, Frost symbolizes light as hope and is saying he has gone beyond hope in his depression. "I have walked looked down the saddest city lane." This line, Frost could be referring to a time when his depression was particularly strong. "I have passed the watchmen on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain." This quote eludes to the thought that Frost is ashamed of his depression and "unwilling to explain." The idea of depression and its stages are all depicted in this poem. Each line shows the different effect depression has on the speaker, starting with hopelessness, extreme sadness, and shamefulness.

In Black Water Woods

This was not my most favorite poem that we have read so far; however, I loved the first two stanzas. As you read each line there became a new meaning to what the author, Mary Oliver, was saying. She started off with "Look, the trees," which just simply means look at the trees. Then, she adds "Look, the trees are turning," which could be interpreted many different ways such as, the trees themselves are physically turning around or maybe they are turning from the wind like the wind is blowing and making them turn. She next says, "Look, the trees are turning their own bodies," this then eliminates the possibility of the wind turning them and personifies the trees to make them seem like they are picking themselves up and turning around. In the next line, Oliver then adds, "Look, the trees are turning theirs own bodies into pillars," this gave me the image of trees holding up buildings or houses. Finally, the author says, "Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light," this final line changed the whole meaning to me. I pictured tall, beautiful, elegant trees with light shinning through the leaves to create a surreal and tranquil feeling.

Little Apocalypse

Little Apocalypse by Charles Wright is not my favorite poem that we have read in class, but I still loved it. I really liked the sensory details and how the author made little things seem so important and monumental like "the ground shutters beneath the ant's hoof," or "the robin, great warrior, above." My favorite line in the poem was "Coffins and sugar bones awash in the sudden sun," because it refers not only to the bones whiteness with sugar but also to how long the bones have been at rest because they could blow away like sugar. The double meaning it portrayed really caught me attention. I also think the title was a perfect fit for the poem because it poses two contradicting ideas: little and apocalypse, and throughout the whole poem, the author compares contradicting things like butterflies on patrol, ants making the ground shutter, and a robin being a great warrior. Finally, I liked the biblical reference to the four horsemen and the apocalypse. Conquest, war, famine, and death are the four horsemen as described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible. Although the four horses were only mentioned in the last line of the poem, throughout the whole poem, it makes references to each horse.