Ellyn

To A Waterfowl Video ="To a Waterfowl"=

By William Cullen Bryant
Whither, ‘midst falling dew, While glows the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way?

Vainly the fowler’s eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, As, darkly painted on the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along.

Seek’st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean side?

There is a power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast, -- The desert and illimitable air, -- Lone wandering, but not lost.

All day thy wings have fann’d At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere;

Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, Though the dark of night is near.

And soon that toil shall end, Soon shalt thou find a summer home and rest, And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend Soon o’er thy sheltered nest.

Thou’rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou has given, And shall not soon depart.

He, who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must treat alone, Will lead my steps aright. (1815/1821)

ANALYSIS: William Cullen Bryant’s poem, “To a Waterfowl” shows the mystery of nature that many romantic writers tried to capture. The bird in the poem doesn’t know where he is going, but also has a sense of where he is going—it is a wanderer. This can be seen in the fourth stanza when Bryant writes, “There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast.” The He who guides the bird, also guides the speaker. That becomes obvious only in the end of the poem in the last stanza: “He who… Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight… Will lead my steps aright.” This poem is also very romantic. It has vivid imagery. For example in stanza two, “As, darkly seen against the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along,” shows vivid imagery of the bird’s body against the sky. The poem also shows the beauty of nature. This can be seen in stanza three when Bryant writes, “Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chafed ocean-side?” The romanticism of the poem can also be seen in the author’s imagination being sparked by nature, such as in stanza three. In addition, the poem displays individualism, which is a very romantic quality. In the last stanza, the romantic view of nature as a source of inspiration and understanding is clearly displayed. When Bryant writes, “the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form: yet on my heart Deeply has sunk the lesson…” the romantic interest in feelings is shown. In addition to all of the romantic ideas throughout the poem, there is also an ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, etc. rhyme scheme. Overall, the poem is a reflection between the speaker and nature, but told through the migration of a waterfowl. Both the speaker and the bird need guidance in life, and this poem conveys that message.



="Huswifery"=

By Edward Taylor
Make me, O Lord, thy Spining Wheele compleate. Thy Holy Worde my Distaff make for mee. Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neate And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee. My Conversation make to be thy Reele And reele the yarn thereon spun of thy Wheele.

Make me thy Loome then, knit therein this Twine: And make thy Holy Spirit, Lord, winde quills: Then weave the Web thyselfe. The yarn is fine. Thine Ordinances make my Fulling Mills. Then dy the same in Heavenly Colours Choice, All pinkt with Varnisht Flowers of Paradise.

Then cloath therewith mine Understanding, Will, Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory My Words, and Actions, that their shine may fill My wayes with glory and thee glorify. Then mine apparell shall display before yee That I am Cloathd in Holy robes for glory. ANALYSIS: Edward Taylor’s poem, “Huswifery” is clearly from the Puritan time period. First of all, it is very British in language. It is still in the style of British writing, therefore there is no American voice or language yet. Also, a reason this poem is so puritan is because the purpose in the poem is to glorify god. That becomes immediately apparent in the very first line of the poem: “Make me, O Lord, thy spinning wheel complete.” From there on out, the rest of the poem is a conceit, or more simply an extended metaphor. The extended metaphor in this poem is between God and the thread of a spinning wheel. Taylor is comparing two dissimilar things in that he is saying to make and break him, God, like thread on a spinning wheel. The thread and the speaker are two dissimilar things, yet Taylor is comparing them. God needs to break both of them down, one to use on the spinning wheel, and one to better glorify God. Everything that is done to the thread, Taylor feels can be done to him to break him down so that he will become a better Christian. The audience in the poem is God, which shows that Taylor was addressing God in this attempt to change. In writing this poem, Taylor is almost admitting that he needs to change, and become one with God again. Also, I found it very interesting how he titled the poem “Huswifery.” At the time this was written, men had most of the power and authority, yet in a poem about glorifying god, the woman plays a huge role. In addition, the tone in the poem seems desperate. It is almost as if addressing God in this poem is his last option and last hope. Overall, the poem shows Taylor’s desire to become a better Christian, and in writing this poem, a strong hope that others will take note. Annabel Lee Reading and Video

="Annabel Lee"=

By Edgar Allen Poe
It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea.

ANALYSIS: Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee” describes two lovers, one being the writer, and the other being Annabel Lee. The poem progresses and describes that they are young lovers, yet Annabel Lee dies “by the sea”. It is obviously very unsurprising that Poe wrote about death, for his life was very morbid, and many of his subjects were morbid. I do feel that in this poem, compared to other Poe poems, there is a more whimsical feeling and it is less eerie. It is very typical of Poe to write of something that seems good, but has a bad ending. Each stanza in this poem has a ABABCB rhyme scheme. I found it interesting that each “B” part of the rhyme ended in a sea/Lee rhyme. I believe Poe did this out of convenience for the large amount of words he could use to rhyme. Another reason I like this poem was because of the rhythm. It was very singsong, and as childish as this may seem, that is something I like in poetry. The speaker’s tone is obviously very loving, but also very sorrowful. It is obvious that the speaker and Annabel Lee were very much in love, but it almost seems as if it were a childish love, or young love. No matter what the love, it is clear that he loved her and is saddened by her loss. Poe uses much natural imagery to describe her death, such as the sea, the heavens, and wind. Clearly the speaker is trying to cope with the death of his lover, Annabel Lee, but it has been unsuccessful. The last stanza shows that he is almost obsessed with her, even after death, for he states, “I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride.” Overall, the poem seemingly speaks of young love, but, of course, Poe’s eeriness with death somehow creeps through.



="To the Snake"=

By Denise Levertov
Green Snake, when I hung you round my neck and stroked your cold, pulsing throat as you hissed to me, glinting arrowy gold scales, and I felt the weight of you on my shoulders, and the whispering silver of your dryness sounded close at my ears---

Green Snake---I swore to my companions that certainly you were harmless! But truly I had no certainty, and no hope, only desiring to hold you, for that joy, which left a long wake of pleasure, as the leaves moved and you faded into the pattern of grass and shadows, and I returned smiling and haunted, to a dark morning.

ANALYSIS: In the literal interpretation of Denise Levertov’s poem, “To the Snake,” the poem, the speaker is carrying a green snake on her shoulders. She describes the snake and her interacting with one another. She then goes to tell how she thought she trusted the snake, but then realized the trickery once again. I loved Levertov’s diction. The words she used to describe how the snake was treating her, such as “stroked,” “hissed,” and “whispering.” The use of these words provides the reader with such vivid imagery of how the snake was treating her. After reading the poem, I see an almost sexual connotation. This poem actually reminded me of relationships. In the beginning it was intense, passionate, and as she said “you were harmless.” Even when friends say that one should take caution, it is still easy to fall for the trap of something so intense and passionate. She even admits that the love for the snake was only a hope and a desire for joy, but, in the end, the author finally realizes that the greatness cannot last and she must return “to a dark morning.” To me, this reminds me of relationships because at first women are sucked in to the trickery of the male, but in the end realize it was a loss hope for joy. But obviously this poem can have a lot to do with the snake as the devil and sin. The snake represents how the devil temps people to sin, and how tempting it can be to. In the end, the author realizes that the sin is not worth it, and to not be tempted by the devil, because in the end it will just be a lost cause and a “dark” result. Overall the snake is a temptation and a desire that can represent many different things depending on the reader and how that person feels and interprets it.

Sympathy Reading and Video

="Sympathy"=

By Paul Laurence Dunbar
I know what the caged bird feels. Ah me, when the sun is bright on the upland slopes, when the wind blows soft through the springing grass and the river floats like a sheet of glass, when the first bird sings and the first bud ops, and the faint perfume from its chalice steals. I know what the caged bird feels.

I know why the caged bird beats his wing till its blood is red on the cruel bars, for he must fly back to his perch and cling when he fain would be on the bow aswing. And the blood still throbs in the old, old scars and they pulse again with a keener sting. I know why he beats his wing.

I know why the caged bird sings. Ah, me, when its wings are bruised and its bosom sore. It beats its bars and would be free. It's not a carol of joy or glee, but a prayer that it sends from its heart's deep core, a plea that upward to heaven it flings. I know why the caged bird sings.

ANALYSIS: In Dunbar’s poem, “Sympathy,” he is literally talking about understanding a caged bird. He says he understands how it feels, why it beats his wings, and why it sings. Understanding a caged bird is not the only connotation of this poem, there is much more meaning behind describing a caged bird. To me, this poem is Dunbar’s way of saying he understands what being trapped and confined in life is like. By comparing a caged bird to an “unfree” life of a person, he shows that he either feels trapped or knows someone who feels that way. He starts the poem with how the caged bird feels. This is a good way to begin showing he understands what it is like being caged. He understands how it feels to see the outside world, which one so desires to be a part of, and be stuck on the inside, alone. He understands the entire thing of being confined; such as why it beats is wings and why it sings. He understands that the bird beats his wings, even if they are bloody and painful, because like the bird, he also knows the feelings of trying to be free. A bird is used to beating it’s wings and flying out in the open and in the freedom, just as Dunbar understands the desire to go and do whatever, not be confined in a cage. And finally Dunbar understands why the bird sings. The bird sings not for fun and for the joy of singing, but a prayer and a plea for help. The singing of the bird is a cry or a scream, not a song. Dunbar understands the bird’s song as a cry, for he understands the feeling of being caged and crying for help, while others only view it as a beautiful song and happiness. Overall, by Dunbar understanding the bird’s position, it shows that he too understands or feels the pain of being confined and caged, either physically or poetically.