Poetry

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Genre: Narrative and nature poetry

Main Themes:

·        A journey through woods and life

·        Nature

·        Beauty

·        Duty and responsibility

Background:

This poem is considered to be one of the finest works of Robert Frost and, ironically, he wrote it on a hot summer day. On the surface, the poem is simplicity itself, the speaker stops by the woods on a snowy evening and is taken in the lovely scene in near-silence. He is very tempted to stay for a long time but then he acknowledges the pull of obligations and the considered distance that is yet to be covered before he can rest for the night.

Once, the poet riding on a horse, passes through the forest, where the snow was gently falling and covering it. He stops to enjoy natural beauty of the forest. The poet says that he knows forest’s owner who lives in a village so he could not see him stopping there. His horse thinks it's strange to stop by woods because there was no farm house between forest and lake. It was just a dark and lonely place. It was considered darkest evening of the year. The sound which he could hear was of the blowing winds and falling flakes of snow. The scene of forest is very charming but poet remembers his promise which he has to fulfil. He has yet to travel a long distance before he may go to bed at home.

Stars

Genre: Lyrical and nature poetry

Main Themes:

·        Majesty of nature

·        Hope

Summary:

Sara Teasdale turned the simplest experiences into memorable ones by creating the perfect blend of simplicity and powerful images.

This is a poem that presents us with the speaker looking at the stars at night only to be struck with complete awe at their beauty and majesty. Focus on the way in which the stars are described. The speaker uses metaphors to compare them to precious stones, obviously emphasising both the way they emit light and also their inestimable value, describing them as "White and topaz, / And misty red." The poem then continues to imbue these stars with life as they are described as "Myriads with beating / Hearts of fire" and are said to be so old and ancient that even aeons are unable to "Vex or tire" them. As the speaker watches their "stately and still" progress up the dome of heaven, her response is one of complete awe as she is forced to contemplate the beauty of the stars and also is forced to evaluate her own smallness in the light of their majesty.
Stars are surrounding the sky and heaven, making us look so small and insignificant; they can take us by awe due to their splendor and elegance shown by their light and stillness among us in the sky.
Notice the way in which the word "Witness" is given a line to itself, clearly indicating that it is important. This poem, like so many other poems by Sarah Teasdale, shows the beauty of nature in our world if we have eyes to see it. The implication of this poem is that we are all able to be a "Witness" of such staggering sights, if we change the way that we look at nature and can therefore open ourselves to see its majesty.

If I were Lord of Tartary

Genre: Lyrical

Main Themes:

• Escapism
• Fantasy world 

In this poem, the poet imagines himself as the sole owner of a rich and fertile territory where every desirable item is available. He will live in a palace furnished with luxurious items of furniture like ivory bed and golden throne. Beautiful peacock will spread their wings and will decorate his court. There will be tigers in the forests of his imaginary land. Fish would swim in the ponds and their shining bodies will enhance the beauty. He will live like a great king. The announcement of royal meal-times will be made by the trumpeters. In the evening, multi-colored lamps will be lighted to increase the splendor of royal palace. They will shine in yellow and red colors. The music of different instruments like harp, flute and mandolin will be enchanting. He will wear robes of unknown value as they will be decorated with diamonds and precious stones. Before the appearance of dawn, he will wear his martial dress and equip himself with the arms to go out of palace in the carriage drawn by seven zebras. This territory will be full of natural gifts, i.e. God’s blessings in the form of high mountains, thick forests and fertile valleys flowing with rivers of fresh water. He will be the owner of all these things. The valleys and mountains will produce agricultural and fruit varieties in abundance.The fragrant breeze will make the atmosphere extremely pleasant. The lakes, sea sand chirping birds will fly from tree to tree and will increase the charm of the land. Thus in this manner the poet associates himself with great kings and monarchs of the past. His servants and general public will be overawed with his extraordinary riches.

 Duck and the Kangaroo

Genre: Lyrical

Main Themes:

• Friendship

The poem, “The Duck and The Kangaroo” by Edward Lear begins with a sweet conversation between a duck and a kangaroo.

The Duck praises the Kangaroo about the way he hops. The Duck says that how gracefully the Kangaroo hops over the fields and water that it seems like it has no ending. The Duck feels sorry for himself as his own life is a bore and already spent half of his life in the nasty pond. The Duck wishes to hop like the Kangaroo. Then the Duck requests the Kangaroo to give him a ride on his back. He also promises that he would not say anything apart from a ‘Quack’ for the whole day long. The Duck again earnestly requests the Kangaroo to give him a ride.The Kangaroo thinks about the Duck’s proposal deeply. He has an objection to his request because the duck’s feet are cold from water which would trouble the Kangaroo if the Duck sat on his back for the ride. The Duck had a quick solution to the Kangaroo’s problem. He said he was carrying a pair of socks which will keep his feet neat and warm.

The Kangaroo finally agrees to take the Duck on a ride. The Duck sits steady on the Kangaroo’s tail. They hop the world thrice and are the happiest creatures in the world.

Try Again

 

Genre: Lyrical

Main Themes:

• Hope
• Struggle

The poem “Try Again” by William Edward Hickson talks about the behavior of human beings. The poet in this poem is giving a message of hope, courage and optimism. When we are on the road to success, we come across many obstacles and hardships. The poet advises us not to give up and keep trying again and be courageous. If one believes that he can, then he can surely overcome his fear and conquer the territory of success. The poet also emphasizes on the fact that there is no disgrace to lose in the first attempt. Trying again and again with steady efforts and patience is always fruitful. The poet gives us examples of those great peoples who worked in difficult circumstances and rose to the height of glory through their steadfastness and honesty. One needs to make constant efforts. It is the perseverance and the will power blessed to human being which lets him go through the most miserable circumstances.

My Shadow

Poet: Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Lyrical, Narrative

Themes: Innocence, Childhood

This poem was written for children as they are unable to understand the true nature of their shadow and why is it formed. The character in this poem has no understanding of Science, therefore, he does not understand that his shadow is not a real person. The shadow has life-like physical and emotional qualities. He looks like the boy from the heels to the head, he can jump, he grows up like an india-rubber ball, and sometimes he shrinks to almost nothing. These descriptions help people to picture what the shadow looks like; a vibrant, not stagnant object. The emotional qualities of the shadow are that he's useless, he makes a fool of the boy, he's a coward, and he's lazy. However, in the end of the poem, when the poet says that one day he woke up very early even before the sunrise, he noticed that his shadow is not with him so he assumed that he must still be in bed.

Little by Little

Genre: Lyrical

Theme: Struggle, Course of Nature, Temporary Existence

 The poem Little by Little talks about how everything grows with the passage of time. When we sow a seed in the soil, it is very small. But when time passes and it gets the required conditions fulfilled, it starts growing into a big tree which provides shade to animals, home to birds and many little insects. Similarly, human beings also take a lot of time to grow up. They go through a number of emotions each day. Life is a constant struggle to survive and once, the struggle is over, we all meet our ultimate destiny; death. Every living thing, be it plants, animals or humans, are temporarily present on this earth.