Reflection: Analyze Two Poems

The two poems that I have chose to analyze are "Autumn" by Longfellow and "April" by John Greenleaf Whittier. I picked these two poems because they were both about seasons. I figured if they were on the same topic it would be easier to compare and contrast them.

Autumn was a very interesting poem to read. Longfellow used a lot of descriptive words to get his point across. It was mainly about the season of Autumn and how they were going to be ready for it. "Autumn" was a happy poem because the speaker discussed how the farmers were prepared and excited for the season. Longfellow made Autumn a happy time for all. Using metaphors describing Autumn as a bright time, he was definitely a fan of Autumn.

Greenleaf's poem "April" was also on the happier side of poetry. It, like "Autumn," described the season and all the joy it brings. For example, the following lines from this poem really describedthe season (lines 35-37).

Revive with the warmth and the brightness again,

And in blooming of flower and budding of tree

The symbols and types of our destiny see.

I think that Greenleaf and Longfellow were both two men who really appreciated nature. They each used a lot of description to describe the season that they chose to write about. They also seemed to talk about the positives of the seasons they picked. All seasons have some down sides, but Longfellow and Greenleaf only wrote about the positives.

Greenleaf used a lot more description than Longfellow, though. He seemed to use more metaphors and was more creative for his words. The next lines from this poem I am going to share is my favorite part of Greenleaf's poem (Lines 23-25).

O soul of the spring-time, its light and its breath,
Bring warmth to this coldness, bring life to this death;
Renew the great miracle; let us behold

I like this part of the poem because it gives the season human characteristics. It also uses a lot of symbolism. I really find this passage interesting. "Bring warmth to this coldness, bring life to this death" (line 24) is my favorite line in the whole poem. The speaker of this poem writes this line as if something as little as a season can bring someone a reason for living and an answer to their problems. He makes April sound like God in this line. I find it really creative and one of the best lines of poetry that I have heard before.

According to Randall Huff, Greenleaf's first exposure to poetry was from the bible. I find this interesting because Greenleaf's poem had nothing to do about religion. By Huff's point, it seems as if Greenleaf belonged in the Puritan time period. If I did not read his poem, that is probably what I would have thought. After reading this poem and reading a little more about Greenleaf himself, I think I will read some of his other work. He really seems to be an interesting man and his poetry seems just wonderful.

Greenleaf, John. "April by John Greenleaf Whittier." PoemHunter.Com - Thousands of Poems and Poets.. Poetry Search Engine. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Longfellow, Henry. "Sonnets. Autumn. The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Huff, Randall. "Whittier, John Greenleaf." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CPAP0476&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 11, 2011).

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Autumn was a very interesting poem to read. Although it is still pretty early in the morning and by my brain really had to work hard at analyzing this poem, I think I finally understood it. This poem is talking about Autumn. It is also talking about all the things that Autumn brings and the effects of the land and people it has.I think that the speaker of this poem is preparing for Autumn. They seem to be ready for it, but a little upset because of the rain that will come with it. The verse on line 12,

"Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves," is a metaphor comparing flames to the shine of the sheaves. I would think that flames would bring brightness and color to the sheaves. Beings that the sheaves are already shining, I think that Longfellow is trying to say that Autumn is going to be very bright and colorful.

Longfellow also writes about the farmer's dealing with Autumn. He says that Autumn is going to bless the farms (Line 8).

This poem definitely belongs in the Romanticism time period. Longfellow uses a lot of different references to nature, such as farming and the leaves. Nature was a big part of Romanticism because nature involved a a lot of creativity. It took creativity to be able to describe something like the dew on a leaf. Longfellow used a lot of metaphors in this poem. One of the main ways to express creativity in the Romanticism time period was through poetry. The final way that Romanticism characteristics were shown throughout this poem was through description. Longfellow described all of the little things. He paid close attention to the finer things in life. Describing the season of Autumn, he made you get excited for Autumn and think of all the things Autumn brings with it. With all of these characteristics of Romanticism writing, Longfellow definitely fit in with his time period.

Longfellow. "Sonnets. Autumn. The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1893. Complete Poetical Works." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. .

Reflection: A Fireside Poem

The poem I chose was called "The Chambered Nautilus" written by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

This poem could be interpreted in many different ways, and it can have different meanings to different people. This poem's main subject is a sea creature called a Nautilus. This nautilus lives inside a shell, and the shell changes and grows over time. Oliver Wendell Holmes uses a metaphor between the shell of a nautilus and the human soul. The speaker of the poem says that he hears a voice singing a heavenly message (lines 29-35). The heavenly message was:

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!

I think that this can be interpreted in many different ways. I think that life, like the nautilus shell, will also grow and change. I think that this message is encouraging people to be themselves and that it is okay to change. It is saying that people changing is a part of nature.

This poem has a lot of different examples to show that it belonged in the Romanticism period. The Romanticism period was full of creativity. This poem was very creative. It involved a lot of nature, just like other writings of the Romanticism period. Nature is a very creative subject. Oliver Holmes also used a lot of descriptions. He described things and paid close attention to little detail. His subject of the poem, the nautilus shell, was described as a beautiful thing that changed due to nature. Comparing that to a human life, Holmes created a wonderful metaphor that people could still use today. Metaphors are very creative. One of the key ways to show your creativity during the Romanticism period was through writing poems. Holmes definitely belonged during the Romanticism time period.

In Randall Huff's literary criticism, he talks about how this poem includes a lot of references to Greek mythology. He also talks about a metaphor involving human architecture (Huff). Another thing that he wrote about was the moral of this poem. I thought that the moral of this story was to not be afraid of changing and growing. Just like the nautilus shell, I thought Holmes was trying to encourage others to grow, change, and just be yourself in life. Randall Huff interpreted the moral as to continuing to grow spirituality (Huff).

Poetry can be interpreted in many different ways. That is the beauty of poetry. One person can be completely right and give support for why a poem is saying one thing while someone can give a perfectly good other reason. I enjoy reading poetry, interpreting it, and listening to other people's interpretations.

Holmes, Oliver W. "801. The Chambered Nautilus. Oliver Wendell Holmes. 1909-14. English Poetry III: From Tennyson to Whitman. The Harvard Classics." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.

Huff, Randall. "'The Chambered Nautilus'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CPAP0070&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 8, 2011).

Reflection: The Devil and Tom Walker

Washington Irving's short story, The Devil and Tom Walker, has many examples of Romanticism in it.

Romanticism was a very interesting time period. A lot of people admire this time period. This time was known for people trying to be more artistic and creative. The main way that this was done was through poetry. During this time period, poetry was very popular. Making up stories and telling them with creative words was also very popular. Writing short stories was Washington Irving's way of embracing the Romanticism period.

Washington Irving had examples of Romanticism in his work by using detail. He explained everything and paid a lot of attention to little details. In the following text taken from The Devil and Tom Walker, it is obvious that Irving fit in well with the Romanticism period (Irving).

On one side of this inlet is a beautiful dark groove; on the opposite side the land rises abruptly from the water's edge, into a high ridge on which grew a few scattered oaks of great age

In this example, you can see how Washington Irving used a lot of detail. In previous times, a writer would not spend this much time describing the setting of the story. But in the Romanticism time period, a lot of attention was paid to the little things. The little things were found beautiful and interesting. It was a great way to be creative by describing your views on nature. Beings that Washington Irving used nature and creativity in his writing, he fit the profile for a writer in the Romanticism period perfectly.

Even though Washington Irving wrote both Rip Van Winkle and The Devil and Tom Walker, I think the two writings are very different from each other. Rip Van Winkle was more of a comedy. It seems like its sole purpose is to entertain the reader. The Devil and Tom Walker seems like a deeper story. It has a moral to it and it deals with religion, while Rip Van Winkle is more fun and deals with fictional characters.

In Rip Van Winkle, a boy is summoned to help out with a party by bringing a keg. After drinking his fair share, he then falls into a sleep and awakes later in his life (Bruccoli). When he awakes, he finds that the village is different and his wife is dead. He then lives with his daughter (Bruccoli). In this story, it seems as though Rip has an identity crisis when he wakes up. The reader would like the story at the beginning, thinking that it was all fun and games, but now the reader can develop a feeling of sadness when they see what Rip is going through.

In The Devil and Tom Walker, Tom lives with a nagging wife and is very frustrated. He then meets the devil and strikes up a deal so that he can become rich. Once he gets older, he tries to get out of the deal, but the devil does not like that (Irving).

These two stories are similar in a couple ways. Both of them have a wife as a a character. The wife seems to be a little annoying in both stories. Both of these stories also share a common setting. A forest is mentioned in both of these writings. In The Devil and Tom Walker, Tom Walker meets the devil in the forest. In Rip Van Winkle, Rip comes from the forest at the beginning of the story.

In the literary criticism I chose, it discussed Rip Van Winkle in a different way than I thought when I read it. It pointed out some very important details that I did not catch. It also described how two different era's were included, one before Rip fell asleep and one after (Bruccoli). I found that to be true and very interesting.

Works Cited

Irving, Washington. "'The Devil and Tom Walker' Short Story." Books & Literature Classics. About. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. .

Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith S. Baugman. "Rip Van Winkle." Student's Encyclopedia of American Literary Characters. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= SEOALC395&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 6, 2011).

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There are a lot of different ways that you could communicate with group members.

The most obvious way to communicate is the internet. There are several different sites and tools on the internet for communication. Some different things that you can use are Facebook, Twitter, email, video chat, and so much more.

Facebook is probably what a lot of people having this project will use. Beings that a lot of teenagers already use this, it will be easy to send friend requests to your group members. After they accept your friend request, it is possible for the two group members to chat by instant messaging, normal messaging, and video chat.

Email is another way to communicate that a lot of people will use. It is easy because you can directly talk to someone. You can also send it to multiple people. If your group needs a discussion, then email is probably the way to go. Although it is a little slower than Facebook instant messaging, it might be easier and more direct to use email.

Another way to communicate is Twitter. I know that a lot of people in my class were excited to use Twitter. Personally, I think that connecting via Twitter is pointless. You can't really directly talk to anyone and it seems like you wouldn't get much done.

Video chat would also be an easy thing to use. Video chat using Skype would probably be the best because Skype is a trustworthy program. You could directly talk to your group members as if they were with you. If you like doing things in person, this way would probably be the best way to interact. It may be a harder way to communicate, though. Having a video chat means that both people have to be able to chat at the exact time. When you use email, the group can email back whenever they are available. Since not everyone is available at the same time, video chat may be a little harder to use.