Justin+Marro

**//American Literature Poetry Explication Project: A Theme of Nature Towards Life By Justin Marro //** 

Philip Freneau


Philip Freneau was born in New York City on January 2, 1752 and died on December 18th, 1832. He is sometimes referred to as the "Poet of the American Revolution." Throughout his lifetime, he was an accomplished writer--being a poet and newspaper editor. He was also quite intelligent, attending the College of New Jersey.

// The Wild Honey Sickle //  Fair flower, that dost so comely grow, Hid in this silent, dull retreat, Untouched thy honied blossoms blow, Unseen thy little branches greet: No roving foot shall crush thee here, No busy hand provoke a tear.

By Nature’s self in white arrayed, She bade thee shun the vulgar eye, And planted here the guardian shade, And sent soft waters murmuring by; Thus quietly thy summer goes, Thy days declining to repose.

Smit with those charms, that must decay, I grieve to see your future doom; They died—nor were those flowers more gay, The flowers that did in Eden bloom; Unpitying frosts and Autumn’s power Shall leave no vestige of this flower.

From morning suns and evening dews At first thy little being came; If nothing once, you nothing lose, For when you die you are the same; The space between is but an hour, The frail duration of flower.

Explication: Literally, this poem is stating the growth of a flower. The first stanza expresses how the flower is coming from nothing but a bud and has not even seen the "little branches" that it resides on (4). The second stanza says the flower bloomed with the rays of the sun and with water during the summer. But, it did not have long before its life started to decline. The third stanza states that the flower is dying as everything does. Autumn kills the flower because of its "unpitying frosts" (17). During the fourth stanza, the author reflects on the life of the flower--how it comes and goes within only a short duration of time. Freneau captures the beauty of this flower throughout this poem. This poem offers so much to its readers symbolically. The entire poem refers to how short life is, and that people should take advantage of life because it is only so limited in time. Going stanza by stanza, this is easy to notice. The first stanza implicitly states the birth and infant years. It also mentions while we are young, we are protected from the outside world because of care and parenting making a reference to how the flower is dangling from branches: "No roving foot shall crush thee here" (5). The second stanza reflects the teenage and young adult years of a persons life. It makes a comparison of those years to the summer, it comes, and they are great while they are here--being warm and comforting--but when they are gone, the warmth does not come again for quite some time. The third stanza illustrates the dying years of ones life. It is a saddening time to think about, or so the poet shares with us in line 14, "I grieve to see your future doom." As all things do in life--just like the flower, it dies without leaving a "vestige of this flower" (18). While I stated early that Freneau captures the beauty of the flower, he metaphorically wants us to capture life and the beauty it beholds. To me, this poem is emphasizing to its readers that you must enjoy life while you can. Savor every moment and let it last before it ends. Life is short and sweet if you make it that way, and thats exactly what I think Freneau wants us to see from it.

Carl Sandburg


Born in Galesburg, IL on July 6th, 1878, Carl Sandburg began his life to a fulfilling writing career. His poetry perceived the working American man and the successes and contributes they shared with the Americas during the time of his life. He was very successful in his writing, becoming one of the most read poets of his time. With his success, he shared with the world four volumes of poetry. Although he was educated, he never received a degree from the college he attended. Even without his diploma, he became an editorial writer for //Chicago Daily// news after he moved there. Toward the end of his life, he began sharing his poetry, in oral readings, to college campuses.

// Fog //

The fog comes On little cat feet.

It sits looking Over harbor and city On silent haunches And then moves on.

Explication: This poem is very simple literally. Fog comes very slowly and covers the harbor and city. It sits and waits, and slowly leaves. Whether it be symbolic or literal, the poem is making a reference between fog and a cat. Cats are sly creatures and lurk, sit, and wait. They are patient and sneaky. Sandburg makes an easy comparison between the two, which is indeed a good one. Although this is all that can be taken literally from the poem, it offers much more to a crafty reader. To me, Sandburg is trying to make a reference to life. Fog can be taken as either good or bad. Regardless, the reader can take it either that good things never last or that bad things happen, but they always get better. Personally, I think more of the later. The fog rolls in very slowly, very sneakily--similar to having something bad happen during your day, it will just happen all of a sudden. It will sit with you all day, just hovering in your mind, but eventually, it will pass on. Sandburg is trying to send a positive notion through this poem. He places his reader in a somewhat negative atmosphere to begin with: "The fog comes" (1). He makes it lurk with the reader, making every word in every line read slowly with his word choice. He, then, ends it with "And then moves on" (6). His word choice makes it sound like a sigh of relief. Optimism is what Sandburg illustrates to me during this poem. I feel, he wants us to take the fog leaving as another task out of the way, or accomplishing another stepping stone in our life and being proud. This poem makes me feel like even if times are hard, the bad will "then move on" (6).

E.E. Cummings


E.E. Cummings, Edward Estlin Cummings, was a full-body artist--being a painter, poet, playwright, and essayist. He was born on October 14th, 1984 in Cambridge, MA and died on Septermber 3, 1962. He was rather successful and popular--releasing a couple thousand writings and multiple paintings and drawings. He was very intelligent, receiving a degree from Harvard University in 1917. There were a couple of significant influences on his life/writing: the death of his father and his three marriages. Overall, E.E. Cummings is a profound poet with odd diction and line structure.

// In Just- //

in Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it's spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer old balloonman whistles far and wee and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's spring and the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles far and wee

Explication: This poem illustrates being a little kid, during spring time. The first three stanzas tells the reader that its springtime, and that two kids run after a balloon-man from playing marbles and acting as pirates. The next stanza tells the reader how much fun the children are having. The balloon-man calls again, and two more children go run after him from playing hop-scotch and jumping rope. The balloon-man calls out every so often, "far and wee." Literally, this poem is about little children in the spring time running towards a balloon-man because he is calling out to them. Cummings wants us as readers to remember our good childhood memories. He wants us to remember how even the "lame balloonman" made everything "puddle-wonderful." He emphasizes embracing our inner child, which is something I believe in doing from time to time. More importantly, he wants to remember how no matter how bad everything is, there is always a way to find happiness. Even though the balloon-man is "lame" or "queer," the children go about their day as happy as ever. Although there is not much nature reference in this poem, it does have mention a couple of times: once with spring, another with its goat reference, and again with the mention of a puddle. Spring usually regards to birth, and in this case it may as well. It may be referring to the birth or rebirth of the "children"s' happiness. It can be taken as if every time something good happened, it was a rebirth of happiness The interesting thing about the goat reference and the puddle reference is that they are in a child's language: "goat-footed" and "puddle-wonderful." In fact, you can see that you can read the poem as if you a child, with all of the specific breaks, the lack of spacing, and the made-up-words. This proves that the poem really tries to bring in the happiness and feelings of being a little kid. This poem immediately reminded me of my favorite song when I was a kid. As embarrassing as it is, it is embedded below.

media type="youtube" key="iDwM3SUY7LQ" height="344" width="425" This poem not only makes me want to reminisce about my childhood, it makes me feel like a child when I am reading it.

Rita Dove


Rita Dove was born on August 28th, 1952. She has since become a renowned writer. She is the first African American to become Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, along with being a Pulitzer Prize recipient for Poetry.

// Fox Trot Fridays //
Thank the stars there's a day

each week to tuck in

the grief, lift your pearls, and

stride brush stride

quick-quick with a

heel-ball-toe. Smooth

as Nat King Cole's

slow satin smile,

easy as taking

one day at a time

one man and

one woman,

rib to rib,

with no heartbreak in sight--

just the sweep of Paradise

and the space of a song

to count all the wonders in it.

Explication: This poem is interesting to me because of the ways it can be taken, both literally and symbolically. The poem itself is about dancing under the stars with a loved one. The two lovers are "rib to rib"--hugged tight--dancing under a starry sky with Nat King Cole playing. The image of a paradise sweeps over the couple as they are dancing--as shown in the last three lines of the poem. This poem can also be taken literally as a relationship with a couple deeply in love. They are taking every day of their relationship easy and embracing every moment: "with no heartbreak in sight" (14). Since the poem can be literally translated multiple ways, it can metaphorically be taken many ways. The easiest to see is the overall metaphor to dancing throughout the poem. Every syllable and every couplet can be read as if a couple were dancing, step by step by step. Step by step is the way the poem should be read and the way it should be taken, fun and enjoyable! Another way it can be taken symbolically is to appreciate life, one step at a time--pun intended--as if any in love couple would. The stars immediately bring the reader into a "starry" mood. Its joyous and happy. The reference to "Paradise" finishes the poem with the same feeling that the reader got from the first two lines, amazing. Two things come to my mind when I read this poem. Love is a major part of this poem, and I believe its an amazing part of life. I think starry nights and Nat King Cole would bring a special night to anyone, which is why I'm embedding the song that I was hearing in my head when I read this poem for the first time. media type="youtube" key="JErVP6xLZwg" height="344" width="425" The second thing that comes to mind is appreciating that kind of night, and every night, with anyone...but I don't have a youtube video for that.

Lucille Clifton


Lucille was born on June 27th, 1936 in Depew, New York and died just recently on February 13th, 2010 from cancer. She had a successful career in writing, publishing numerous works ranging from Poetry to books, including one of the best books of the year //Good Times// in 1969. Although she never received a Pulitzer Prize, she was a nominee twice. She had many honors and a successful writing career.

// the mississippi river empties into the gulf //
and the gulf enters the sea and so forth, none of them emptying anything, all of them carrying yesterday forever on their white tipped backs, all of them dragging forward tomorrow. it is the great circulation of the earth's body, like the blood of the gods, this river in which the past is always flowing. every water is the same water coming round. everyday someone is standing on the edge of this river, staring into time, whispering mistakenly: only here. only now.

Explication: This poem talks about the cycle that the Mississippi river takes on a daily basis, delivering water into the Gulf of Mexico which enters the Atlantic Ocean. A reference relates the delivery process to "the great circulation" of "the blood/ of the gods." It states that the water is always flowing regardless of the circumstances. People always seem to come to the river, too. Metaphorically, this poem talks about the circulation of life and the passing of time on earth. Line by line, this poem can be broken down; but for the purpose of argument, we will refer to a couple of lines at a time. The first couple of lines provide readers with a reference how everyones life goes somewhere, creating a past that never leaves them. The past is what shapes everyones tomorrow is what the next couple of lines state. Everyone acts the same way through life: "every water/ is the same water coming round" (9-10). The final four lines state that people just let their life go by without realizing what had happened, they only worry about the here and now. The metaphor to a river is excellent in this case. People always just let their life flow, without realizing what is truly happening. Before they know it, it is all over, and they are "emptie[d] into the gulf." I think what Lucille wants readers to take from this is that people should understand what is going on around us, and not loose of life because it is so limited in time. We should enjoy it and embrace it when we have it, but understand it enough to realize what is happening and where it is taking us. I also believe she is helping readers understand that the past is what molds the future and everyone is a different person because of their past. She wants us to accept that and embrace out differences.

Citation of Sources:

American Academy of Poets. “Carl Sandburg.” 2010. __Poets.org.__ 29 March 2010. < http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/28>

American Academy of Poets. “Lucille Clifton.” 2010. __Poets.org.__ 29 March 2010. < http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/79#>

Arnold, Brian. “That Melancholy.” //Brian Arnold: A Photographer’s Journal. Briancarnold.wordpress.com.// 

Clifton, Lucille. "the mississippi river empties into the gulf." //The Norton Anthology of American Literature//. Ed. Nina Baym. 7. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 2 vols. 1540-1541.

Cummings, E.E. "in Just-." //The Norton Anthology of American Literature//. Ed. Nina Baym. 7. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 2 vols. 998.

Dove, Rita. "Fox Trot Fridays." //The Norton Anthology of American Literature//. Ed. Nina Baym. 7. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 2 vols. 1639.

“Fog over my town.” //Ultima Thule. Blogspot.com. 

Freneau, Philip. "The Wild Honey Suckle." //The Norton Anthology of American Literature//. Ed. Nina Baym. 7. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 2 vols. 416-417.

Sandburg, Carl. "Fog." //The Norton Anthology of American Literature//. Ed. Nina Baym. 7. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 2 vols. 813.

Thomas, Ken. //Honeysuckle.// //BigTreesNursery.net// 

Wikipedia contributors. "Carl Sandburg." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "E. E. Cummings." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "Lucille Clifton." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "Philip Freneau." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "Rita Dove." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.