Edward Hirsch's How To Read A Poem

In this essay I will be analyzing the poet Julio Noboa Polanco with his poem “identity”, how different he is to other poets, and lastly how he used his poetic elements with his poem. Though, Julio only made one poem, but with that one poem, it shows so many about his writing and literature skills. From reading all these poet’s work, it was very hard to choose which one to analyze. But for some reason Julio Noboa Polanco stood out more. In his poem “Identity” talks about

The poem is not good to read only because of its subject, however. The use of repetition and symbolism in “Blink Your Eyes” adds more depth to the poem, and highlights the societal issues that the author and others of his race have felt. Use of repetition in poetry directs the reader 's attention to that word or phrase, as Sundiata does in “Blink Your Eyes.” Along with how the stanzas are formed, the repetition used sets a pace to the poem. In the first stanza, Sundiata writes “thru a red light red light red light” (Sundiata 503). The use of repetition here is smart, because the “red light” that is spoken of has two meanings and is crucial to the overall theme of the poem.

Hughes and cullen both state their opinion using poetry but they don't both are read with the same types of emotion. Hughes and cullen both use an underlying emotion to write their poetry. Hughes uses anger and force. Cullen uses a more informational and calm approach. Hughes uses strong descriptively forceful phrases like “fester like a sore” or “stink like rotten meat” when writing to gross out the reader but also to entice them to read more.

Lux had two tones that he was speaking in. For one, in the beginning Lux was speaking in a formal tone because in the poem he used “you” and “your”. When “you “and “your” is begin used in a context the writer is talking directly to the readers and trying catch his or her attention. When Lux used those words, he wants to get a connection with his audience and make it seem interesting for them to read. Then Lux tone transition into a heart rendering feeling because he showed be describe how words can have a different meaning to other people.

“…We are invited to see this significance in the perspective of the poem … but through our own perspective…” (Simecek, 504). The techniques of explaining your perspective can prove to be a rather challenging task. The authors William Shakespeare and Anne Bradstreet do just this. With the use of multiple literary devices, the poets used emotions and feelings to make you understand the connections between the author and subject. The perfect examples being the two titles, “Sonnet 18” and “The Author to Her Book”.

The first time reading through a poem, literary devices such as symbolism, figurative language, hyperboles or oxymorons can throw a reader off. However, after the reader analyzes and truly understands the poem, these devices can add more depth and understanding, allowing the readers to see deeper inside the poet’s mind. In his poem, ‘The Broken Heart’, John Donne incorporates specific devices to portray that love is an all-consuming, vicious monster that can ruin you. In ‘The Broken Heart’, John Donne’s descriptive vocabulary, explaining the way the speaker’s heart was shattered beyond repair, forces the reader to imagine his or her heart as splintered or crushed as Donne’s. In other words, Donne uses rich imagery to add tangibility to his piece and aide the reader in accurately picturing what’s being discussed.

The landings are where one could rest for a minute before the continued upward travel. Just as life continues changing and altering as the mother speaks of “turnin’ corners” (Hughes 12). However, it is Hughes’ line 12 and 13 where the reader feels the truth behind the words: “…And sometimes goin’ in the dark where there ain’t been no light.” It has the same meaning as the aforementioned “Bare” (Hughes 7), but somehow seeing it in this aspect brings another dimension to this poem. How closely these lines resemble and complement those of Martin Luther King Jr.’s when he said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Sometimes one must continue on in the darkness and only hope for the light to come.

Poetry is a very unique type of writing. Poetry allows people to express their emotions in a way they feel comfortable. Every poem has a meaning to it, whether it is talking about food, interest, or a moment in their lives. Readers often mistake the poet as the narrator, although in many cases this is true. Many poets are the narrators and the poems are about their personal life.

Longfellow uses the repetition that could be euphonious for the readers. The repeated part is “And the tide rises, the tide falls.” This line helps understand the message in a significantly better way. The sound and language help inform the readers come to the conclusion that the author's mood is calm, but at the same time scared to see how a beautiful place could do a horrible thing. Longfellow did an excellent job in formatting the poem in a repetitive and mysterious way instead of being direct. A poem uses it’s own language of mystery to help readers solve and comprehend the hidden

Catullus often manipulates the audience’s emotions through his poetry and directs attention towards himself in order for the audience to feel sympathy for him and often contempt for Lesbia. Arrangement and Order I have discussed Catullus’s poems about Lesbia and their relationship in ascending order. This is not necessarily the order he wrote his poems in. However, there is unfortunately no irrefutable argument for how Catullus meant to arrange his poems. What we have in surviving manuscripts is a rough categorization by metre and genre: (a) there are the “polymetrics”, 1-60; (b) the mixed bag of long poems 61-68, though 65-68 are in elegiacs and must rather belong with (c), the elegies and epigrams (69-116).