Crop Top Blues: Poem Analysis

Blues is one of the most captivating genres of music. The genre was originated in the late 1800’s as a method used by African American slaves to express the circumstances as well as to put emphasis on their feelings and emotions. In order to create these feelings in this music, blues artists incorporate many of the same techniques used to write poetry. One of the most easily identifiable songs in which it is easy to see the relation between poetic elements and blues music is the song “Empty Bed Blues” by Bessie Smith.

In Natasha Trethewey’s poetry collection Native Guard, the reader is exposed to the story of Trethewey’s growing up in the southern United States and the tragedy which she encountered during her younger years, in addition to her experiences with prejudice and to issues surrounding prejudice within the society she is living in. Throughout this work, Trethewey often refers to graves and provides compelling imagery regarding the burial of the dead. Within Trethewey’s work, the recurring imagery surrounding graves evolves from the graves simply serving as a personal reminder of the past, to a statement on the collective memory of society and comments on how Trethewey is troubled with what society has forgotten as it signifies a willingness to overlook the dehumanization of a large group of people.

The collection of poems and ancient hymns, Classic of Poetry, which gained the significance of the classical canon, for thousands of years occupied a special place as a book of revelations and life experiences. The lyrical poetry in Classic of Poetry is full of simplicity and artlessness, but it is not primitive, on the contrary, the result of a great artistic culture, rich folklore tradition, persistent faceted poetic form. In the poem "Fishhawk," we find a gentle maiden to be "pure and fair," and those two adjectives repeats throughout the poem to illustrate the value of virtue. The repetition throughout the poem makes the reader feel like the prince was really yearn for the maiden, and the maiden is the only thing that the seeker can see.

The poem “Blues” by bpNichol is one that pushes against literary tropes and forms that become preciously established. The poem is one that pushes against these forms due to the center positioning that is untraditional. In addition analyzing a part of the poem that pushes against is the spacing between the letters, this can leave the reader speculating how to read and pronounce the poem. Another aspect to consider is the concern of reading from left to right, where as this poem pushes against this due to the typographical and acrostic arrangement. This poem also pushes against the pronunciation of the letters and words, specifically the l, o and e become isolated. Furthermore, the meaning of the words and letters become pushed against the form

Sideshow is a poem written by Danez Smith describing that he has been worrying too much on boys killing each other that he has forgotten when they do it on themselves. He explains that even though the cause of death is similar that they are the same even using a metaphor to call them as actors.

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin sets the scene in Harlem, New York of the 1950s. By setting the scene in Harlem, Baldwin is able to create an ambience of struggles, not only from the city itself, but from the characters, as well. Such struggles provides as the foundation for Sonny’s drug abuse and his passion for music, in hopes to capture a moment of relief. Baldwin utilizes Sonny as a prime example of how individuals express their suffering through different approaches. Baldwin uses the setting of Harlem to create a central theme that the means of suffering can be articulated through different acts of pursuits.

​According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, imprisonment is the act of confining or the state of being confined. In the short shorties and poem, “Sonny’s Blues, “Apollo” and #280, the authors Baldwin, Adichie and Dickinson illustrate how one’s actions and relationships can lead to a deeper sense of self imprisonment portrayed in each of their characters. This paper will go into depth about whether these characters can escape from this figurative self imprisonment or if all hope is lost for them. The authors’ opinions on this issue demonstrate ultimately a bigger picture on life, which is important because it gives an insight on how the authors’ handle

A part of home owning is dealing with unwelcome critters on your property, but how one might handle the pest can even go against one moral beliefs. The speaker in the poem “Woodchucks” said, “gassing the woodchucks didn’t turn out right”. This option was chosen because it was “merciful, quick at the bone”. This is very similar situation to what the homeowner from rural Pennsylvania in which he stuck a hose in a borrow because killing a woodchuck is a “moral issue”. As the speaker of “Woodchucks” described herself as a pacifist and killing would go against the way she identifies herself. The beliefs that these two individuals share is taken over by anger and frustration and caused more extreme measures when their original plan did not work.

INTRO: Amanda-This is our illustration of Billie Jo drawn by Kaitlyn and Bryan. We drew her with Red hair, freckles, narrow hips, long legs, and a wide mouth. We drew her like this because in the text on page 3 it says “ Instead, he got a long-legged girl with a wide mouth and cheekbones like bicycle handles. He got a redheaded, heckle-faced, narrow-hipped girl”.

This poem by Lauren Hill is very powerful the topic of the poem is society and the negative influence it has on individuals today. It expresses emotions and the way she flows is peaceful and calm. The poem paints an image in your mind to make you visualize and follow along with the poem. It talks about how the world is being corrupt by the media. The poem talks about real life and what’s really going on in the world. In the beginning of the poem she talks about “Social delusion, clearly constructed, human condition, morals corrupted,” this is a reference to how media can control how people think and see. It refers to the negative it affects it has on people and the society we live in today.

Poetry Analysis: The Weary Blues In the poem The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes, the poet is able to use many sound devices and symbolism to fully develop clear sounds and images that the poem makes. This poem creates vivid images by using similes and personification. In line 13, the author makes reference to the musician playing the piano “like a fool”.

Court painters continued to paint landscapes during the Southern Song period (1127-1279), but preferred small arrangement and with added lyrical treatments. Above is a large album leaf. It was made by court painter Ma Yuan (active 1190-1224). Noticeable is the poetic couplet that he inscribed on this painting. Around this time, many painters were often using the connections between painting and poetry, either creating a new poem to emphasize the features of a painting they had done or creating a painting in order to capture poetic lines. Another successful Southern Song landscapist after Ma Yuan was Xia Gui (active 1180-1224). His work, Pure and Remote Views of Mountains and Streams, shown above, is oddly tall for a hand scroll. It is almost

Left Overs I taste so good, my left overs do too… I may have reheated him a time or few, But throw him out right after I’m through, And watch women flock around the trashed stew… He’ll always want to be a part of my steak, And that’s the reason other women hate, On me because they’ll never escape, My left overs still wanting my plate, But to my left overs, these women race, To a meal that has long lost his taste,

I wish I had a penis. I wish I was his jail mate. I wish we shared a cell. I wish every time Dylan looked at the roof of his cell he'd see it, dangling in front of him. I'd just piss on his nazi scum face. Dylan Roof, the troubled lone wolf, but he’s only described that way because of the color of his skin. If he was a brown or black boy he’d be called a terrorist and all the brown and black folk will have to apologize for what he did.

The Interconnection of Poetry and Music in “The Weary Blues” Langston Hughes's poem, “The Weary Blues,” is an example of an ekphrasis emulating a genre of music, “the blues.” The poem has a musical feel, and its rhythm and tone imitate those of blues music. The blues originated from African American culture and became popular towards the end of slavery. Hughes communicates the cultural origin of blues music by focusing the poem on a Negro who plays and sings blues music. However as the poem progresses, Hughes describes actions that cannot be known by just listening to the Negro.