"Bright Star" ~ #11

Bright star personifies a star through the use of apostrophe. The speaker speaks to the star as a way to communicate his feelings about his love. The star is a metaphor for how he desires his love to be and what he doesn't want his love to be. The speaker doesn't want to be lonely like a star. He does want his love to be unchangeable though. The speaker wants to live forever like a star. These metaphors and personification are appropriate because they relate the speaker's abstract idea of love to a well-known object, a star. The speaker accurately gets his point across by describing his wants and desires through his conversation with the star. Figurative language gives the poem the ability to relate to the reader and give a better understanding to the audience.

Spring

This poem describes the wonders of springtime. Spring has always been a symbol of growth which is no different than today. "Weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely lush," demonstrate the life that comes back through spring. After the deadness of winter, spring brings "juice and joy." Hopkins also includes a religious effect. She includes "Christ, lord" and "Eden garden," in her poem. Adam and Eve had a life full of luxury and lush, similar to spring before they sinned. Spring brings a sort of "richness" to our lives. The diction Hopkins' uses is symbolic of joyous, fresh, and the growth of spring.

After Apple-Picking

This poem describes a person who has too much going on in their life. The work they have piled on their shoulders is overwhelming. They feel themselves wearing down and they will eventually not be able to carry the weight on their shoulders anymore. When this happens, they will be ultimately worthless. In our society, one who cannot perform the tasks give to them, is seen as ultimately worthless. They are thrown into "the cider-apple heap." Although they may not have failed physically, they have failed mentally or emotionally. Frost gives us the impression that many who are sleep deprived have too much stress in their lives that weighs them down and counteracts their success.

Those Winter Sundays~#10

Hayden includes detailed imagery throughout the poem. "The blueblack cold" and "cracked hands that ached from labor" give the reader the sense of something dark, cold, negative. "Chronic angers" give the sensation of an unhappy lifestyle. "The cold splintering, breaking," makes the reader see a lifeless and painful home. The cumulative effect of this imagery paints a picture for the reader. The reader can imagine a cold, dark, and unhappy lifestyle of a man, who in turn inflicts fear on his children. Hayden allows the reader to experience the man's loneliness and anger. This imagery also demonstrates this lonely and angry tone.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain~#2

Dickinson includes allegory in this poem. The title is a metaphor for a migraine, which can make one feel like death. "Mourners" refers to those who have this destructive pain. "Beating, beating" refers to the constant pounding within the skull. Dickinson explains, "my mind was going numb." This phrase symbolizes the idea that after a day full of awful pain, you are unable to think straight. "Then space began to toll," describes the sensation that everything seems to drag out and on throughout a migraine. "Wrecked, solitary" are symbolic of the physical destructiveness and loneliness that takes over those suffering with this super headache.

The Widow's Lament in Springtime~#8

This poem had a sorrowful and negative tone. The woman in the article represents a widow that has no optimism for the future. She only demonstrates sadness for the past. The tone is displayed through the womans, thoughts, words, and actions. She wishes to "sink into the marsh." I don't believe that most happy or mentally sound people want to "sink" into a muddy and swampy marsh. The woman tells us that the "grief in my heart is stronger than they [the masses of flowers]." This gives me a great sense of the sorrowful and negative tone.

Perrine's "The Nature of Proof in the Innterpretation of Poetry"

This article brought up some very good points. I am inclined to agree with Perrine due to his successful persuasion. I found that I had different interpretations than him on the poems; however, I feel that he was able to explain himself in a way that made him correct. I found the poem by Emily Dickinson to signify a field of flowers like Perrine's students. After reading his article, I am inclined to believe that his thoughts are correct and mine are not significant. I also lacked the knowledge to know that "The Night March" was not about an army, but rather the stars. Perrine's explanation was able to win me over again. My explanation lacked the detail and knowledge needed to properly decode the poem.
I agree with Perrine. I feel that there is an incorrect way to interpret a poem. If one lacks the knowledge or background information, one cannot properly interpret a poem. It is possible for some interpretations to be completely off and wrong. This is able to happen in the case that factual information or strong explanation is able to prove an interpretation unlikely. I especially agree with Perrine when describing "The Sick Rose." If one is able to simply describe the rose with certain characteristics and the worm with certain characteristics, then their interpretation will more than likely be correct. Perrine has convinced me that their are correct and incorrect ways of interpreting even the most abstract symbolism in poetry.