Swimming Against The Tide: Poem Analysis

In this context, I believe that the fruit being cut down symbolizes that Ha is leaving South Vietnam too soon, before she is ready, just as the papaya is cut down before it is ready. I believe this because in the poem “Wet and Crying,” Ha says, “My biggest papaya is light yellow, still flecked with green.” This shows that the papaya is not quite ripe and ready to be picked, just like Ha is not yet ready to leave her home country. Furthermore, in the same poem, Ha says “Brother Vu chops; the head falls; a silver blade slices.” I believe that, judging from the word choice that the author uses, Ha thinks of this as an execution of sorts. I believe this because of the words the author uses such as “Chop” and “The head falls.” This shows that Ha

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

Frost further points out that the stretch of woods being viewed is very rural. This is made possible by the reference to the location between the woods and frozen lake. In closing the final sentence of the second stanza Frost reiterates the fact that this occurs on “the darkest evening of the year” stating the darkness of the mood.

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.

Would you ever think an indigenous poem about nature would have any similarities with a short story that is set later on in the future, where everybody is dependent on technology? “The Song My Paddle Sings” is by an early 1900s indigenous poet, Pauline Johnson, and “The Pedestrian” is written by early 2000s writer, Ray Bradbury. The short story and the poem both establish a very determined, lonely,anxious and gloomy mood. “The Song My Paddle Sings” is an indigenous poem that exemplifies to stay determined in every journey in life. The poem is about a man who goes sailing but there is no wind, so then he has to take down the sail and start canoeing but then the water gets faster and he accepts that he has to change for nature. Consequently

The poem “To This Day” written by Shane Koyczan, the symbolism is the black things grabbing the kid. This is showing that words do hurt and it stays with you this is shown through the whole story of the pain and suffering of the kid. This is said " who used to say that rhyme sticks and stones as if broken bones hurt more than the names we got called" this is showing word do hurt and the black things grabbing him is showing that like a broken bone it still hurts over time just like words do. With this evidence it shows that if you don't want to be called that don't say it at all.

The poem titled Sea Rose by Hilda Doolittle tells about a rose, but not just a rose like any other. The poem instantly begins by going against the common connotation of a rose, the reader is given this passage “Rose, harsh rose,” (line 1). When the thought of a rose comes to mind the last word used to describe the soft petals and beautiful color would be harsh. H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) wants us to think about this rose as not an ordinary or normal rose but to see it as something more or something less. She goes on to say, “marred and with stint of petals” (line 2). To mar something is to disfigure or impair the quality/appearance of something, in this case a rose. Stint means to have an ungenerous amount; by this line we can understand that H.D. has begun to take a rose something commonly associated with beauty and love and twist into a disfigured and battered depiction of what it once was. The rest of the stanza goes on to say, “meagre flower, thin, sparse of leaf,”. A rose is meant to be a strong symbol of love and beauty, yet the depiction of the rose H.D. is giving the reader goes against the preconceived notions of what a rose should be. H.D.’s language and perception of the rose challenges to the reader to think of the rose as something more.

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Smith Clint wrote a poem called “Something You should Know.” The poem is about an early job he had in a Petsmart. The poet allows the readers into his personal life, but before he had trouble opening up to people and his work. Moreover, Clint wrote an insight in the poem about relying in anything to feel safe and he says it is the most terrifying thing any person can do.

Dawe in his poem ‘Drifters’ presents the inevitable nature of change, particularly change that is unwanted. Moreover, Dawe manifests the diverse responses individuals have when encountering change in their lives and the transformative impact of change. These prominent themes are manipulated through the motif of travelling, flashbacks and symbolism.

The poem “A Story” by Li young Lee tells of a young child asking his father for story. The boy simply wants a story that he has never heard, his father is bombarded with panic as he seems to think he is disappointing his son. Through analysis of structure, points of view and metaphors this seemingly simple story is transformed into a deep meaningful poem about a complex relationship between a father and son.

Travellers in order to arrive at their desired destination may encounter hardships as a result of trying to proceed forwards or overcoming obstacles. Journeys challenge travellers with obstacles and without being able to overcome them, may result in life changing consequences preventing the traveller from reaching their destination. The poems by Peter Skrzynecki and Missing Her are two texts in which an exploration of how failure to overcome obstacles within journeys may have resulted in different destinations for the traveller.

The journey,not the arrival is what matters in human experience. It can be said that when one takes the first steps of a journey, that person will be forever changed as they will no longer be the way they were. As on travels, through physical or inner journeys the experiences one has, the decisions one makes and the affects of those decisions enables one to grow and develop in new and unexpected ways. These ideas are explored in Roberts frosts poem the “road not taken” and Peter Skrzynecki's poem “crossing the red sea” in both poems, journey is represented as both a physical and inner state of journeying that all people experience Journeys last forever. Decisions that lead to another can continue throughout one’s life. Proof of this is embedded in “way leads on to way”,a form of repetition shows the continuous nature of the process of journeying. “Ages and ages hence” also represents the similar idea, future tense is used show how the future is undeniably full of new and exciting journeys. Both quotes allow us to understand that the persona understands that journey is continuous/that a journey never ends. Frost shows us that there are a number of possibilities that can all be assessed once a decision is made.

Madison continued to sing her obnoxious camp songs. Lauren and Olivia, or the little girls, chanted all the way through “Down by the Bay,” and Katrina and I sang a medley of songs from the past five years. “Dumb Love” by Sean Kingston, “Baby” by Justin Bieber, and “Best Song Ever” by One Direction sprang from our lips. For a little longer after that we swam and splashed. We laughed and lazed around. Before dinner time we packed up our stuff and headed home. As we left, I realized that despite the hot sticky air and slightly disgusting water, we had a good

The Fish is a narrative monologue composed for 76 free-verse lines. The poem is constructed as one long stanza. The author is the speaker narrating this poem. She narrates a fishing experience. The author is out in a rented boat on a body of water, presumably a lake. She tries to describe the fish to the fullest, which appears to be the purpose of the poem, without saying either the specie or an approximate age. The narration gives the impression that the fish is slightly old. There are a number of reasons as to why that fish got caught by the author, including time of day, the weeds weighing it down, fish’s age, and the fact that it has been previously caught five times.

I take a deep breath, my nostrils are filled with the pleasant aroma of the salty sea air. This is my happy place, this is where I belong. As I sit with my freshly painted pink toes in the sand, I am overwhelmed with all that is happening around me. To my right, there is a family of four; a mother, father, and two little red headed girls that look like twins, laughing and jumping around, taking in the big world around them. The children are in their bright red and purple flowered bathing suits, running and screaming, attempting to get their toes wet in the chilly water that churns back and forth on the shore. After a few attempts they decide to run and jump full force into the crystal clear abyss, unaware of what creatures they could find if they dive deep enough.