Monday, March 11, 2013

Poem #5: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

The Poem: The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

About the author:
Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California and died on January 29, 1963. He was an American poet. For his realistic depictions of rural life and his speeches, he was highly regarded. His work mostly employed settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th Century. He was born to journalist William Prescott Frost Jr., and Isabelle Moodie.


Personal Response:
             The poem, "The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost, is an interesting poem. The narrator comes upon two paths while walking through a yellow wood considering both paths are equally great and appealing. He chooses one road and wishes he will be able to come back to the same two paths so that he will then take the other road. However, his wish will not happen because he will never come across the two paths. His decision of path had lead to other double paths in the road, also known as other decisions.
             To me, this poem has reminded me of the time when I had to make a decision on whether to take this class course or the other. I thought I could take the other course later with the same teacher, but the teacher left and I could not take the course of the teacher I wanted to take. I felt regrets and I was sad because I heard that the teacher is a great teacher with good sense of humor.
              I like how the poet gave described the situation the character was in. This poem relates to the quote:
“But until a person can say deeply and honestly, "I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday," that person cannot say, "I choose otherwise.” written by Stephen R. Covey. Both of them talks about choices they had made. The world will have a time where they will have a choice to make whether to believe in God and Jesus Christ or not to believe and help out Lucifer/Satan.


TP-CASTT:
TITLE: When I look at the title, it gives me an idea about a road not taken in which the narrator in the poem is regretting about it. I hope this poem will give a moral lesson of some sort.


PARAPHRASE:
There were two paths that was divided in a yellow wood,
However, I could not travel both
I am a one traveler, and stood
And observed one as much as I could
Until where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then observed the other one the same,
To see if it was a better deal,
The reason of being grassy and wanted wear;
Even if it was for to pass there
They were not much different,

They both was not used in the morning
Because no steps had trodden in the leaves.
I would keep the first path for another!
Yet knowing how one path would lead to other paths,
I doubted if I could come back to the same path.

I will be telling this to someone
After many long years passed
About the two paths that I had to choose from in a wood,
and how I took the one less traveled by,
And that has created all the difference to my life.



CONNOTATION: (Formal Analysis)
1. Structure - 4 stanzas, Rhythm Scheme (A,B,A,A,B,C,D,C,C,D,E,F,E,E,F,G,H,G,G,H), Meter - TROCHAIC Pentameter, Punctuation - periods, commas, and semicolons. Parallel Structure.
2. Speaker - the person taking the road, Audience - future people that will cross these two roads
3. Figurative language -
 metaphor, simile. It compares the two roads. 
4. Imagery - Sight (yellow, two roads)
5. Repetition - none


ATTITUDE: Writer’s tone
The writer's tone seemed to be regretful, sad, discouraged, and helpless. Think complexity: The tone shifts according to each stanza.

The tones are all in the last stanza.


SHIFTS:
1st Stanza - It talks about when he stopped in the two roads.
2nd Stanza - Compares the two roads.
3rd Stanza - Talks about there is not much difference between the two roads.
4th Stanza - He regrets taking the road he had chosen.
The first 3 stanza talks about the two roads. The last stanza talks about how he regrets taking the road he had chosen.


TITLE: When I read the poem the second time, I realized that the poem is about the narrator encountering two paths that are similar, in which he had to choose one and regrets for not taking the other one. When he wanted to comeback to the same two paths so that he can try the other one, but it will never happen because the path he chose had many other forks on the road.


THEME:

1. Make the right choice.
2. Making good decisions are important.
3. 
Making bad or wrong decisions leads to negative consequences.
4. Choose the path whichever you think is right.
5. 
The decision you make may change your life.

References (APA-6):
Frost. R. (2010). The Road Not Taken. Website. Retrieved from                     
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_frost/poems/528

Poem #4: A Poison Tree by William Blake

The Poem: A Poison Tree

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole.
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see,
My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.


About the author:
William Blake was born on November 28, 2757 at 28 Broad Street, also known as Broadwick St. in Soho, London. He was the third of the seven children of his parents. Blake married to Catherine and taught here to write, in which she helped him color his printed poems. He was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. He is considered a seminal figure in history of poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. 



Personal Response:
             The poem, "A Poison Tree" by William Blake is has a cruel feelings to it. It is about the feelings about anger and destruction towards someone. This poem explains the truth of human nature. It has a moral lesson of how anger can be disperse by goodwill or nurtured to become a deadly poison like the title.
             The opening stanza sets up everything for the entire poem, from the ending of anger with friend, to the continuing anger with the foe. The poet’s use of personification was effective in describing the feeling in this poem. This poem personifies a poison tree in an illustration of the wrath of people towards someone they really hate and despise also known as a foe or enemy.

             This poem has taught me a great moral lesson that all people have a person they really hate. This poem reminds me of the book series called Twilight. In this book there are two enemies Edward and Jacob. They hate each other and fight for one girl named Bella. A personal connection I can make is that I hate my principal in my old school. I hated him so much. My hatred of him won’t go away, but grow and grow as nights and days pass like in the poem. The world is filled with love and other emotions. However, hatred has been the biggest emotion in the world. I suggest for those who hate their enemies to at least try to change that emotion the opposite way. Hating someone can give you stress and many negative effects to your social experiences.


TP-CASTT:


TITLE: The title A Poison Tree tells me that this poem is about a poisonous tree or about a mean. I hope that this poem is entertaining and gives a moral lesson.


PARAPHRASE:
I was mad about my friend;
I told my anger, my anger did go away.
I was mad about my enemy:
I did not tell, my anger grew.

And I cried it in fears,
Night and day with my tears:
And I brightened it with smiles,
And with light deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bloom an apple bright.
And my enemy beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole.
When the night had showed the pole;
In the morning, I am glad to see,
My enemy lying under the tree.


CONNOTATION: (Formal Analysis)
1. Structure - 4 quatrain, a simple rhythm scheme (A,A,B,B), , Meter - ANAPEST, Dimeter, Punctuation: periods, commas, semicolons. Parallel Structure.
2. Speaker - the angry friend or person, Audience - angry person's foe
3. Figurative language - personification, metaphor. Personifies the wrath to a poison tree. Compares anger between friend and foe.
4. Imagery - Sight ( bright, shining)
5. Repetition - there are repeats of the first line


ATTITUDE: Writer’s tone
Angry, vengeance, fustration,  Think complexity - The first two lines talks about his anger with his friend. The from the 3rd line to the entire poem refers to the anger towards its foe. Think Complexity: The tone shifts according to the the amount of days it passes.


SHIFTS:
1st 
quatrain - Compares his anger between his friend and foe.
2nd quatrain - The reaction of his anger towards his enemy.
3rd and 4th quatrain - Personifies his anger as a tree and his foe lying under it.


The first quatrain compares the anger of friend and foe. The 2-4 quatrain tells how the speaker couldn't make his anger from his foe disappear so it grows and personifies it as a tree.


TITLE: When I read the poem twice, I began to understand that the poison tree is a personification of the narrator's wrath towards his foe. The narrator compared his wrath towards his friend and foe. However, his wrath towards his friend disappears, but his wrath towards his foe grew and grew.


THEME:
1. You can always forgive a friend, but forgiving a foe is a difficult task.
2. Anger can sometimes be hard for it to be relieved.
3. Anger can make you reckless.
4. Foe is the most hardest thing to not to hate.
5. Anger causes uncontrollable feelings.



References (APA-6): Blake. W. (2010). A Poison Tree. Website. Retrieved from                     
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_blake/poems/1002

Poem #3: The Broken Heart by William Barnes

The Poem: The Broken Heart

News o' grief had overteaken
Dark-eyed Fanny, now vorseaken;
There she zot, wi' breast a-heaven,
While vrom zide to zide, wi' grieven,
Vell her head, wi' tears a-creepen
Down her cheaks, in bitter weepen.
There wer still the ribbon-bow
She tied avore her hour ov woe,
An' there wer still the hans that tied it
Hangen white,
Or wringen tight,
In ceare that drowned all ceare bezide it.

When a man, wi' heartless slighten,
Mid become a maiden's blighten,
He mid cearelessly vorseake her,
But must answer to her Meaker;
He mid slight, wi' selfish blindness,
All her deeds o' loven-kindness,
God wull waigh 'em wi' the slighten
That mid be her love's requiten;
He do look on each deceiver,
He do know
What weight o' woe
Do break the heart ov ev'ry griever.


About the author:
William Barnes was born on February 22, 1801 at Rushay in the parish of Bagber, Dorset, the son of a farmer and died on October 7, 1886. He was an English writer, poet, minister, and a philohist and wrote more than 800 poems and quote from more than 70 different languages. He avoided using foreign words in his poetry. Barnes often used a repetition of consonantal sounds.


Personal Response:
             “The Broken Heart” by William Barnes is quite confusing because of how the poet used his words. To me, I think he used old English when he wrote the poem. This poem gives two different perspective of a heartbroken person of a male perspective and to a girl’s perspective.
             A girl will weep and feel miserable about her broken heart. The man will feel the same when he realizes he did the same for his love one and that breaks his heart with every action. However, in the end God will make what’s best for them both, as they are destined.
             Everyone will receive a broken heart in their lives. It doesn’t always have to be about love but can be about different type of relationship such as friendship breakup. This poem reminds me of the book Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare because this book is also about love, which in the end didn’t turn out as well as they wanted to. I like how the poet described about the man’s feelings in the end. A personal connection I can make is when I was in 8th grade, I had a broken heart due to a girlfriend going away to Korea and never coming back. The world has many broken hearts due to selfishness and because of players that play with a heart of a person. I suggest that few of those people that tries to play with people’s heart should read this poem and realize that they are doing the wrong thing.


TP-CASTT:
TITLE: The title of this poem tells me that this poem is about a broken heart of a person. He or she will be crying and mourning for the person he/she loved. All alone will be the only feeling the person will be feeling.


PARAPHRASE:
grim news has overtaken
a devious person, now overseeing;
there she is, with beautiful looks,
while she goes from side to side, with grief,
on her head, the tears does fall
dripping down her cheek, as she cries.
there she has a ribbon in a bow
she put it there before she was weeping,
and there still is the hands that tied it
hanging white,
or wrangled tight,
in care that drowned all care beside it.

when a guy, without slight heart,
goes to be a Madden's husband,
he must neglect oversee her,
but he must agree her father;
he might runaway her, with selfish thoughts,
while everything she has done was with love and compassion,
God will weigh them with the actions
with her loving actions toward him;
he does see every action,
he knows,
 
those actions are also his
that breaks his heart with every action.



CONNOTATION: (Formal Analysis)
1. Structure - 2 stanzas, Rhythm Scheme (AABBCCDDEEFFGG....), Meter - IAMB, Tetramter, Punctuation - periods, commas, semicolons. Parallel Structure.
2. Speaker - God, Audience - broken heart of the man and woman
3. Figurative language - Metaphor. Compares the man and the woman's reaction.
4. Imagery - sight (white)
5. Repetition - None


ATTITUDE: Writer’s tone
His tone seems sad, miserable, regrets. Think complexity: The tone shifts as the narrator compares his hatred against his friend and foe.

The lines 4-6 has a sad and miserable tone. The last 3 lines show the tone of regret.


SHIFTS:
1st Stanza - 
The speaker talks about how the woman reacts with tears and grief
2nd 
Stanza - The speaker talks about how the man reacts with regrets and sorrow and that God will decide their fate.


The first stanza tells how miserable the woman is from breaking up with the man whom she truly loved. The last stanza tells how regretful the man is for breaking up and how he also is miserable. Also that God will weigh the choices and decide.



TITLE: When I read the poem twice, I realized that the poem is about a lady with a broken heart and the lady's boyfriend's broken heart. However, God will weigh those actions both made.


THEME:
1. True love cannot be forced or bough; it must be given freely.
2. God will choose the right person for you.
3. Do what you think is right.
4. Your choice can hurt yourself and others.
5. Love can bring both happiness and sadness.


References (APA-6): Barnes, W. (2010). The Broken Heart. Website. Retrieved from               http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_barnes/poems/20551

Poem #2: Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

The Poem: Messy Room

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!


About the author:
Sheldon Allan “Shel Silverstein was born in September 25, 1930 in Chicago and died on May 8 or 9 1999. He had accomplished many things such as he became an American poet, songwriter, cartoonist, author of children books, and a screenwriter. His books have sold over 20 million copies and translated into more than 30 languages.


Personal Response:
       The poem “Messy Room” by Shel Silverstein has a twist behind its story. This poem is like a description of a messy room. Each line has specific detail of where and why it is messy. It feels as if the poem is telling about an average boys/girls’ messy rooms. I like how the poet described the details of the room such as “His underwear is hanging on the lamp.” If you read this poem and compare it with your room, well, you got to clean it up. The way the poet wrote is that the character thought he was looking at another person’s room. But in the end, he realized that he was describing his own messy room.
       To tell you the truth my room is nothing different from the description in the poem. One phrase that stood out to me was “
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,” because this is the part where it had a twist in the story and made me kind of laugh. The poem reminds me of the book called The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Jan Berenstain because the plot was similar to the poem about having a messy room.
       A personal connection I can make is my messy room, which my parents remind me every single day to clean up. People in this world can be lazy, this is the reason why some children leave their room messy and don’t mind anything about it. I suggest for those who are lazy to be ashamed for not cleaning and tidying up their rooms, including me!



TP-CASTT:


TITLE: The title Messy Room tells me that this poem will be mainly about a messy room. I think it will be like a descriptive poem where it gives details about the messy room. I hope it is not boring and have many twists in this poem.


PARAPHRASE:
Whoever this room belong to should be embarrassed!
His undergarments everywhere hanging the lamp.
His raincoat is on top of the dirty chair,
And the chair us becoming smelly and moist.
His notebook is stuffed on the window,
His sweater’s been lying on the ground.
His scarf and one ski are under the TV,
And his pants have been neglected and is hanging on the door.
His books are all thrown into the closet,
His vest has been forgotten on the hall.
A lizard named Ed is sleeping in his bed,
And his stinky aged sock has been stuck on the wall.
Whoever this room belong to should be embarrassed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
What are you talking about? Your saying this is mine? Oh, god,
No wonder why it looked familiar!



CONNOTATION: (Formal Analysis)
1. Structure - rhythm in lines 2 and 4, also lines 6 and 8, Meter - IAMB,  Pentameter, Punctuation - periods, commas, exclamations, question marks, Parallel Structure.
2. Speaker - person who walked into the messy room, Audience - the owner of the messy room
3. Figurative language - personification
, metaphor, simile, symbol
4. Imagery - Sight ( musky, damp, overstuffed), Smell (smelly sock)
5. Repetition - The first line repeats once.


ATTITUDE: Writer’s tone
Teasing, mad, surprised, disgusted. Think complexity: The tone shifts as the speaker describes the room.


SHIFTS:
Stanza - Gives description about the messy room.


TITLE:
When I read the poem the second time, I was sure this poem was a descriptive poem about a messy room. However, it had a twist meaning in the end of the poem where the narrator was actually describing his own room.


THEME:
1. You should never blame others first before you know what has actually happened.
2. Think before you act.
3. Know it first before you speak.
4. Messy rooms are a bad hygiene.


References (APA-6): Silverstein, S. (2010). Messy Room. Website. Retrieved from                 http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/shel_silverstein/poems/14818

Poem #1: I Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes

The Poem: I Too, Sing America

I, too, sing America.


I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides, 
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.


About the Author:
James Mercer Langston Hughes was born on 
February 1, 1902 and died on May 22, 1967. His parents divorced when Hughes was a child. 
He began writing poetry in Lincoln, Illinois, when he moved to live with his mother and her husband. He was one of the earliest innovators of the jazz poetry. He was best known during the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote about the period that “the negro was in vogue” in which was later called as “when Harlem was in vogue”.

Personal Response:          "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes is a remarkable poem that shows the relationship of whites and blacks. This poem shows how the whites treated the black as a nuisance sending him to the kitchen when they are dining. However, with courage, he will grow stronger and stay at the table when dining and make them feel ashamed for treating him that way. He didn’t care what others think, to him, he knew he was beautiful. This is a great poem that tells people what black people think and will do now and in the future. 
          The relationship between the whites and blacks are important. As I read this poem, it had reminded me of when the world once had despised the blacks and treated them as if they were trash. I really think it was wrong for those who hate black people because all people are the same and they all have an equal right.
           This poem relates to me in a way when I was kind of treated that way back in elementary teasing me that I looked like Chinese even though I am a Korean. They were being a racist. There was a book called The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore. This book is a story about Martin Luther King Jr’s childhood all the way to how he spoke a speech to stop the whites treating like black people like a bother. This book relates very much to this poem. The world may be racist and still see black people as a nuisance or a bother, but those black people had the courage to defend themselves and use their rights as a person.



TP-CASTT:



TITLE: The title, I Too, Sing America tells me that this poem is about Americans acting towards one another. I hope this poem is enthusiastic. I give my respect to this guy for having courage to stood up for himself that the whites should be ashamed for treating black people like trash or a nuisance.



PARAPHRASE:
I sing to America.

I have darker skin
They will send me to the kitchen and not the dining table
When visitors come,
However, I laugh,
I eat a lot,
and grow more powerful.

Tomorrow,
I'll eat at the table
When visitors come,
Nobody'll not even try
Say to me,
"Go to the kitchen or somewhere else to eat,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see the beauty of me
And be bashful--

I am an American.


CONNOTATION: (Format Analysis)
1. Structure - Free verse, no Rhyme Scheme, Meter - DACYTL, Trimeter, Punctuation - periods, commas, and quotation marks. Parallel Structure.
2. Speaker - A black American that wants equal rights, Audience - the people who treated the black American as a nuisance.
3. Figurative Language - Irony of Situation. It gives an irony where the neglected person gets courage to stand up for himself.
4. Imagery - sight (beauty)
5. Repetition - There is repetition in the first line and last line of the poem.


ATTITUDE: Writer’s tone: lonely, proud, courageous. Think complexity; The tone shifts according to each stanza

The tone of the poem in lines 2-4 shows the tone of loneliness. The tone of the poem in lines 6-13 shows the tone of courageous. The lines from 14-17 shows the tone of being proud.


SHIFTS:
1st 
Stanza - It talks about how they treated him poorly sending him to the kitchen when visitors come.
2nd 
Stanza - It talks about that he will get stronger and stay in the dining table the next time.
3rd 
Stanza - Tells the beauty within himself.


The poem itself tells how the character lived and how he will get his courage and stand for himself.


TITLE: Now that I have read the poem a second time, I realize that this poem is dedicated specifically to those who are racist against the blacks and treating them like trash. The people treated the black guy as a nuisance because whenever a visitor came they will send him somewhere else so that the black guy won’t be seen. So the black guy gets his courage so the next time the visitors come he’ll not move and eat in the dining table.


THEME:
1. Every person is beautiful in their own way.
2. You should not stereotype people of how they look.
3. The black race is treated with neglect.
4. All people has equal rights.
5. People should show respect to each and every person.


References (APA-6):

Hughes, L. (2010). I Too, Sing America.Website. Retrieved from                                  http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16945

Table of Contents

Five Poems By Five Different Poets


1. I Too Sing America by Langston Hughes

2. Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

3. The Broken Heart by William Barnes

4. A Poison Tree by William Blake

5. The Road not Taken by Robert Frost

Introduction


Hi my name is Jason Lee and I live in CNMI, Saipan. I am a student in the high school, Saipan Southern High School as a freshman. I created this blog because of a project in Freshmen English A101 class. The project is about poetry. We are doing this in order for us to understand more about the poets and poetry. I am beginning to learn more deeply about poems and the meanings behind each one. This project will help me throughout my high school years for literature. I hope this blog is a big help for you, readers too.