English Poetry: A Guide to the Best Poems and Poets

Q1. "The Girl Who Loved the Sky" - Close Analysis 

Anita Endrezze's poem uses short lines that are generally brief, ranging between 4-7 words, while the stanzas are a mixture of both short, middle, and considerably longer. The first stanza is the longest, while the second is the quickest. The poem is heavily based on imagery and symbolism throughout its structure. The description in the poem is used to allude to the idea that we can all live in the world without necessarily sharing into the thoughts of one another. For example, the poem explains that we can tell things by either smell or sound. Imagery is mainly used to represent facts. For example, the cream is made into butter or being born blind. 

Q2. Simile and Metaphor in Poetry 

Similes and Metaphors both constitute the broader concept of figurative language, or that similes are more commonly used than the latter. A simile is a figure of speech that is used in both spoken and written speeches to directly compare different ideas or objects while concentrating on drawing resemblance through the use of specific words. On the other hand, metaphors are elements of comparative speech that describes the similarity between objects, actions in ways that are naturally untrue but can help listeners or readers to make an effective comparison. While similes use terms such as "like" or "as," metaphors directly state the comparison without using such words. 

Q3. Connotation and Denotation 

In its simplest definition, the connotation can be defined as the implied meaning that is derived from the use of a specific word, which is explicitly separate from the words that are used to describe it. It is the association that poets, speakers, or even authors automatically deduce while using a specific word. Poet mainly applies connotation to communicate more profound meaning to particular words and phrases. Denotation, on the other hand, is the literal meaning that readers understand about a word. This is the dictionary definition of the word. While connotations imply the figurative meanings of words in a poem, denotation remains the literal meaning of such words. 

Q4. Use of connotation in "Barbie Doll." 

“ Barbie Doll” communicates the general information that self-fulfillment and satisfaction in life are only attainable when one effectively uses their abilities to serve a specific functional purpose within their lives. The title of the poem in itself is connotation as it possesses a much deeper meaning that can only be understood upon further analysis. “Barbie” is derived from the ancient American societies, and in the poem, it is contextualized to acquire the idea of how the American woman should look like. The author, however, coins a deeper meaning of the term to represent the existing situation of body standards and stereotyped expectations of the separate gender roles. 

Q5. “My Papa’s Waltz”- Close analysis 

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” represents an extensive expression of a combination of feelings, thoughts, and opinion of the poem himself. The poem is centered on a happy exchange between a father and his son in a conversation that is authored by the son. The poem uses a uniform structure throughout its stanzas and lines. All the four stanzas are made of four lines each, with every line having a generally uniform length. The aspect of connotation in this poem heavily lies on the author’s use of the word “waltz.” The dictionary meaning of waltz is a dance that involves an intimate interaction, coupled with interdependence between two individuals. The context of interaction, in its definition, could imply that waltz represents the close relationship between the father and his son in its emotional yet controversial predicament. 

Additionally, similes and metaphors are used in the poem. An example of a metaphor used in the poem is: 

“ The Whisky on your breath 

Could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke, 1, 2) 

Here, the author directly insinuates the intense nature of the whiskey in his father's breath by comparing it to some strong gas that can induce dizziness. 

An example of a simile used in the poem is 

“ But I hung on like death” (Roethke, 3) 

In this line, the author of the poem compares his act of hanging on to the dance to death, which does not depart from humanity. 

Q6. Connotation in the poem “History Lesson." 

Natasha Trethewey “History Lesson” addresses the roles of the European settlers around the Northern United States in the much-discussed process of civilization among the "uncivilized" Aboriginals. First, the life of "Mississippi" in the poem is not used literally in its form as a river but as a representation of the life of the aboriginals Indians. Despite the massive erosion of culture during the Great Civilization, the Native Indians retained some aspects of culture that were important to them. The “cotton meal-sack dress” is also an artistic connotation of economic progress. The aboriginals had started to abandon some of their remote ways of life that signified excessive poverty and were transitioning to more modern ways. Connotation helps Trethewey to successfully express her opinions and views using words whose contextual uses do not link with their dictionary meanings. Connotation has also enhanced the author’s choice and application of words to deliver her poetry in senses that surpass its superficial view. 

Q7. Simile in the poem "The Stone Age" by Kamala Das 

"The Stone Age" addresses the relevance of extramarital interactions and how this affects the quality of marital relationships. The expression in the poem communicates the pathos of a female member of the Indian society whose individuality and privacy are reprimanded by the lustful husband that is her husband. Similes are broadly applied in the poem to enhance various aspects of its meaning, and to enhance the quality of imagery in its delivery. 

Examples 

“ When you leave, I drive my battered blue car…And go like rain.” and 

Here, the speaker expresses her dissatisfaction with her husband's lustfulness and says that she would drive her dented blue car after the departure of her husband. The author uses this line to draw a comparison explicitly, and hence create an illustration or image of how much unsatisfying her marriage has become. She tries to disappear and reappear “just like rain” in her marriage. 

Q8. Metaphor in the poem "The Stone Age" by Kamala Das 

Metaphors are applied in written or spoken poems that describe resemblance between objects, actions in ways that are naturally untrue but can help listeners or readers to make an effective comparison. "The Stone Age" describes a husband who is utterly inconsiderate of the emotional breakdown to which he subjects his wife. He goes ahead to strike her face, which further reveals no real emotions for her. 

“ What he sees in me, ask me why he is called a lion." 

“ Shorter still, ask me what bliss is and what it's price…" 

In the two lines, the author laments her husband's habits and tries to express her current definition of the existing relationship. “Bliss…its price” is compared to the futility that comes with relationships based on non-existent emotions. As she tries to seek alternative sources of love, the author indicates that her actions could be dangerous following her state of being confined. 

Q9. Use of both content and structure in Countee Cullen’s “Incident” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s "Richard Cory." 

Different poems assume different structures and content forms to achieve specific goals in their presentations.” Incident” applies three pairs of rhyme words such as "glee" and me," "bigger" and "nigger," and also "December" and "remember.” This structure makes its rhyme scheme appear like “abcb” The poem’s stanzas have assumed the “quatrains” structure. “Richard Cory” is constructed in four lines in each stanza with an abab structure of the rhyme scheme. Both poems use considerable manipulation of content delivery to achieve specific goals. Both poems use imagery and figurative languages rich in similes and metaphors to enhance delivery and presentation. “ Heart-filled, head-filled with glee” is a connotation line with a whole different meaning. The title “incident” is ironic because, ultimately, the incident is not as small as readers would perceive. Manipulation of structure and content within these has helped the authors to attain several aspects of their presentation.