Ars Poetica Analysis

A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit, 

Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb, 

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown -- 

A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.

                    

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs, 

Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees, 

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind -- 

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs.

                     

A poem should be equal to
Not true. 

For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf. 

For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea -- 

A poem should not mean
But be.

                        “Ars Poetica” is a poem written by American poet Archibald McLeish, describing the desirable attributes in a poem. The poem itself is a reference to the previous poem of the same title, “Ars Poetica” by the Roman poet Horace, which has a purpose similar to the poem being analysed. McLeish’s version of “Ars Poetica” is written in a narrative style, with no identifiable speaker. The poem uses rhyming couplets heavily, though not consistently. The speaker’s tone seems to be one of reflection, implying the speaker themselves was a writer or poet at a point in time.

                        Personification is used heavily in the poem to describe the poem, adding attributes which are completely unrelated to pieces of writing, such as “Silent as the sleeve-worn stone…” and “A poem should be wordless…” The imagery involved in the piece is described with much detail, as each stanza of the poem is used to describe a different desirable aspect of each poem.

                        The first “stanza” of the poem, or the first eight lines are devoted to describing how poems must be subtle in their message and delivery, using personification and simile to emphasize the point, as demonstrated in the first line: “A poem should be palpable and mute, As a globed fruit…” The same is true of second stanza as well, which speaks of the supposed immortality of written media like poems. The third stanza however, takes a step away from the other two stanzas, instead reminding the reader of the original purpose of writing poetry, and how it can convey different messages to different readers.

             

Sonnet 29 Analysis

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee--and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings. 

“When in disgrace”, or Sonnet XXIX is a poem written by William Shakespeare, in an iambic pentameter format following an ABABCDCDEBEBFF rhyme scheme. The poem’s speaker speaks from a first person perspective, reflecting on the speaker’s life, and fall from grace. The speaker makes constant mention to losing favour and social standing, specifically in line one “…in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes” and line fourteen “…I scorn to change my state with kings.” Both of these imply the speaker has fallen from a position of respect and power, and combining that with the implication in line thirteen “For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,” implies the speaker had gained their lover in part due to their position and wealth. This poem simultaneously demonstrates the tenacity and stubbornness of human beings, the speaker’s “love” obviously their main motivation for attempting to regain their wealth and position, despite the implication that the “love” was the cause of the loss as well. The overall tone of the poem is introspective, and regretful, before taking a positive turn near the last third of the poem, and ending on a seemingly angry note for the final line. The finality of the tone in the last line compared to the ambiguity and retrospective nature of the rest of the poem contrasts greatly; the vehement promise of changing the speaker’s own state is a far cry from the seemingly self-pitying tone of the rest of the poem, implying a change in mind-set by the speaker.

To a Mouse Analysis

Small, crafty, cowering, timorous little beast,
O, what a panic is in your little breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With hurrying scamper!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor little beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.
Your small house, too, in ruin!
Its feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!
You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough past
Out through your cell.
That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.
But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!

“To a Mouse” is a poem written by Scottish Poet Robert Burns in 1785, describing the speaker’s reaction to a mouse he finds while ploughing a field, and his realization that the mouse is similar to him/herself, merely attempting to live their life in peace. The version of the poem I have used for this analysis is the translated English version, as opposed to the original Scots dialect used to write the poem. As such, the rhyme scheme in the above copy does not accurately reflect the original rhyme scheme, which was an AABCBC format, in iambic pentameter. The poem is written from a first person limited omniscient perspective, with the speaker being a farmer, ploughing his field for crops, when he uncovers a mouse. 

The speaker, in a display of empathy uncharacteristic of farmers regarding mice, “lets” the mouse go, before reflecting on how the actions the speaker had to take ended up destroying the home of the mouse, exposing it to the harsh elements of winter. The tone of the speaker in the poem is generally reflective, and the speaker seems truly regretful for destroying the mouse’s home. The poem’s tone also implies that the speaker has gone through something similar to the mouse’s situation, especially in the last seven lines, when the speaker states: “…The best laid schemes of mice and men, Go often askew…”. The poem’s overall reflective nature implies that the speaker had a plan which went askew, most likely regarding his/her livelihood, taking into account the speaker’s profession.

Ode on a Grecian Urn Analysis

Please use this as the chosen analysis for the final four analyses Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal—yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!
Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearièd,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea-shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of its folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul, to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.
O Attic shape! fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form! dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a poem written by John Keats describing an ancient Grecian urn, each stanza describing a different section of the vase. There is no distinguishable consistent rhyme scheme in “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, and a distinct structure is hard to identify. The overall tone of the speaker in the poem is one of reverence and admiration, the use of hyperbole utilized quite often when describing the vase itself. The speaker is never identified, but speaks from a narrative perspective, with no point of view discernible. The first stanza is dedicated to describing the very shape of the vase itself, described as an “…unravish'd bride of quietness,” referencing the unchanged historical knowledge inscribed on its very surface, unchanged by translations or alterations. The speaker describes the multitude of characters inscribed on the urn’s surface as well, seemingly enquiring as to the origins and history behind them.

                The second stanza is similar to the first stanza, dedicated to extolling the multitude of virtues this one urn seems to have, this stanza focusing on the “unheard” melodies of the urn. This stanza, the third, and the fourth stanzas are all focused on the inscriptions and art on the urn itself. The final stanza returns to extolling the virtues of the urn, yet again, the speaker using hyperbole to imply that the urn, and physical records of history similar to the urn would last a very long time, as evidenced by the fifth and fourth to last lines:

“When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe”

               The closing line of the poem continues to follow on a similar vein as the first stanza, and the rest of the last stanza, but personifies the urn, the speaker directly referring to the urn, referring to it as a friend. This leads the reader to question the sanity of the speaker, and exactly why the speaker is so obsessed with the urn.

That Time of Year Analysis

        Mr. Tso, I'd like to submit this analysis as the one I'd like you to focus on.   

               “That time of year” is a Sonnet by William Shakespeare focused around the inevitable demise of plant life during the fall, and makes metaphors towards human mortality. The poem seems to follow a quatrain format with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme.

                The poem is separated into two distinct stanzas, with the first stanza used mainly to describe the fall, while the second stanza focuses on death and the end of things.

                The first three lines seem to be dedicated to describing the most distinct feature of autumn, dying trees, but makes reference to the trees being within the speaker, implying these are actually metaphors for the speaker’s own failing health. The fourth through sixth lines continue to describe songbirds and the sunset in sequence, with the sunset possibly being a metaphor for the speaker’s waning years.

                The second stanza begins where the first stanza left off, mentioning the consummation of seemingly everything by the dark of night, a possible metaphor for death and the end of things. The next line directly compares the night to dark, implying that the dark is “Death’s second self”, which consumes and hides away all things “in rest”. The word rest can be taken in two different ways, the common definition of rest being a period of inactivity where an entity ceases action to recuperate, or the second, more permanent meaning of rest, death. Judging by the overlying theme of the rest of the poem, it is assumed to be the second case.

                The second line of the second stanza implies the speaker has reached an advanced age, describing his youth as “ashes”, something which is the product of a flame which has been absent for a long period of time. The ashes are also described as having to die upon a deathbed, adding personification to the speaker’s youth. The third-to last line mentions how the ashes were a product of itself, the fire, implying that youth itself destroys youth, possibly making a reference to how experiences in life while one is young prepares and makes a person accustomed to certain occurrences. The penultimate and final line are somewhat of a non-sequitur, referring to  a “love” which has not been mentioned so far in the poem, but can be assumed to be the reader’s love for life. The speaker makes mention of loving what one has in the time that person has left, adding onto the idea the speaker is nearing the end of his/her life. The entire sonnet seems to be addressed from an older individual to a much younger one, providing advice in the hopes the younger will heed it, but must ultimately experience it themselves.

That Time of Year

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

A Just War Analysis

                “A Just War” is a poem written by the anti-war activist David Roberts in 1999, describing the conflict in Kosovo during the late 20^th century in six simple lines. The poem has no distinct rhyme scheme, using an ABCDEFD format. Throughout the poem the speaker speaks from a first person perspective, addressing an enemy, most likely Yugoslavian forces judging by the threat of retaliation made by the speaker, marking the speaker as an Albanian or Croatian civilian/insurgent. The threat of retaliation seems to be promising retaliation for the slaughter of Albanian/Croatian civilians by the Yugoslavian forces, which are considered war crimes by war crime laws.

The third line of the poem seems to be mocking the leaders of both sides of the conflict, both of which had made claims similar to “This is a just war”, making the speaker’s disgust at the claim apparent, with the following line making it clear the speaker wishes for nothing but revenge for the slaughter of innocent civilians. The tone of the speaker is consistent with nearly all retaliatory threats made during times of war. The final line seems to be meant to be disturbing, with the sentiment expressed by the speaker being that he/she is willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge on the Yugoslavian forces. Surprisingly, the Kosovo War was actually one of the occasions where WWIII could have broken out, thanks to a conflict between occupying NATO forces concerned as to the war crimes taking place in the area, and the Russian Federation attempting to assist Serbia. Had conflict broken out, the speaker may very well have had their desired conclusion to the conflict. 

A Just War

You killed our families. So we will kill yours. This is a just war, they said. And we will go on killing just until everyone is dead.

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Analysis

                “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” is a short poem written by Randall Jarrell, a former US Air Force Celestial Navigation Tower operator, which was published in 1945, near the end of WWII. The poem consists of five lines, with only two lines rhyming in an ABCDB format. The poem describes the short life of a ball turret gunner on a WWII bomber. The first line seems to imply the gunner was forced to serve, possibly making him a draftee, and the line “From my mother’s sleep” implies the gunner was young and possibly living with his parents.

The second line uses personification to describe the bomber as having a “belly”. This gives us a distinct location for the gunner, probably being in the rear or bottom sections of the plane. The line also includes a mention of “…wet fur froze” which references the fur coats US Air Force personnel wore, and possibly as a product of anxiety, frozen sweat. The third line is straightforward, speaking of enemy fighters and enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire.

The final line is somewhat unusual, as it shifts the perspective of the speaker from first person to omniscient, as he has clearly died, as the last line explicitly states his death and subsequent washing out. Another interpretation of the last line could be that the hose and ball turret are some form of metaphor for the act which created the gunner.

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

Dulce et Decorum est Analysis

                “Dulce et Decorum est” is a poem written by Wilfred Owen in 1917, describing the horrors of the First World War. The poem appears to be one large stanza, with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme. The general theme of the poem describes the horrors of trench warfare, using potent imagery and metaphor to reinforce the point. The use of hyperbole is used extensively, especially when describing a gas attack. Metaphor is used heavily when describing the soldiers, specifically in the first few lines of the text, portraying the soldiers, normally viewed in a noble, clean light as “old beggars under sacks” and “coughing like hags”. This alternate, more realistic view of soldiers serves as a violent beginning to the poem, immediately forcing the reader to reconsider what they imagine when they think of soldiers.

The third through seventh lines continue to emphasize the horrors soldiers endured during WWI, with mention of returning to their trenches for momentary rest, being “drunk with fatigue” and “deaf even to the hoots of… Five-Nines which dropped behind,” with Five-Nines referring to artillery shells, implying the described soldiers had been fighting for an extended period of time, tiring them to the point of barely being able to discern their surroundings. Here, the speaker changes its perspective from narrative to first person, seemingly calling out to their comrades to prepare for a gas attack. This implies the soldiers are in a time period past the Second Battle of Ypres, and past a point where gas masks are common and often used. The poem then uses metaphor liberally to describe the gas attack and dying soldier, describing the gas as “a green sea”, and “flound’ring like a man in fire or lime”. This excessive use of metaphor continues throughout the rest of the poem, adding emphasis to the description of the attack.

The final three lines seem to be a warning, warning civilians to not teach their children of war’s “glory”, and quoting Horace’s Odes, mocking the line “Dulce et Decorum est, pro patria mori”, which when translated means: “it is sweet to die for one’s country”. The entire poem has been built to show that this overly romantic statement could not be further from the truth, citing the horrors of the First World War as proof.

Dulce et Decorum est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, 
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, 
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs 
And towards our distant rest began to trudge. 
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots 
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; 
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots 
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling, 
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; 
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, 
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . 
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, 
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. 
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, 
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. 
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace 
Behind the wagon that we flung him in, 
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, 
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin; 
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood 
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, 
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud  
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, 
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest  
To children ardent for some desperate glory, 
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est 
Pro patria mori.

In Flanders Fields Analysis

                “In Flanders Fields” is a poem which was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during WWI after the death of a friend during the Second Battle for Ypres. The poem is written in a form of Renaissance-era poetic style known as a Rondeau, with this specific poem uses an AABBA format. “In Flanders Fields” was used as propaganda to inspire Canadians to enlist or purchase war bonds.

The poem itself speaks from varying perspectives, and seems to be from a dead soldier speaking to the reader, who supposedly supports the war. The poem’s general tone is somber, and somewhat threatening, with the dead speaker pre-emptively blaming the reader for not continuing to fight the “enemy”. The fact the speaker is dead creates some confusion regarding the perspective the poem is set in, as the speaker is speaking as though in an omniscient role, yet clearly claims he is dead.

 The theme of the poem seems to shift in the third stanza, which mainly states the importance of continuing the fight with a nameless “enemy’, presumably the Axis forces of WWI; in contrast to the earlier two stanzas’ focus being around the fact the speaker and comrades are dead, but still talking to you. The ongoing theme in the last stanza seems very jingoistic and it’s divergence from the rest of the poem makes it seem as though added on to promote the war.

                

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Sorry!

The 6 poetry analyses will be posted by tonight. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Poems

That Time of Year
When in Disgrace
To a Mouse
Ars Poetica
Ode on a Grecian Urn

Dulce Et Decorum Est
In Flander's Fields
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
Charge of the Light Brigade
A Just War

Harsh Criticism of "Charge of the Light Brigade"

“Charge of the Light Brigade” is a hyperbolic poem describing the famous military blunder which occurred during the Crimean war in 1854, when a brigade of British Light Cavalry was ordered to charge straight into a firing line of Russian artillery, wiping out over 50% of the Brigade’s effectiveness. Tennyson’s poem describes the charge as heroic and noble, instead of bloody and destructive.

                The poem uses Heroic Couplets which are most common among narrative and epic poetry. Heroic couplets are characterized as rhyming lines in the iambic pentameter format.

                The first stanza of the poem utilizes hyperbole to describe the Light Brigade’s charge, describing the Russian artillery brigade’s defilading fire as “the valley of death”.

                The second stanza adds description to the Light Brigade’s soldiers, implying they did not necessarily agree with the orders given, but followed them out of a sense of duty. At this point in the poem, it is obvious the author believes the charge was an ill-thought out plan, but seems to support the decision anyway, making the poem seem jingoistic and overly patriotic.

                The third, fourth and fifth stanzas use repetition to state the existence and importance of the Russian artillery brigade firing on the light cavalry, and the light cavalry’s attack and retreat. Hyperbole is yet again used to describe the oncoming fire as “the jaws of Death” and “the mouth of Hell”. Tennyson’s use of hyperbole persists throughout the entire poem.

                The final stanza is victim to more hyperbole, with the speaker proclaiming the ever-lasting glory which the Light Brigade received for following an order which nearly annihilated it.

"Charge of the Light Brigade"

Half a league, half a league,  Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade! "Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade!" Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew  Someone had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them  Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell  Rode the six hundred. Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air, Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while  All the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel'd from the sabre stroke  Shatter'd and sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them  Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!  All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade,  Noble six hundred.

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