ENG 202 Week 3 Discussion My Favorite Poem

Tell us about your favorite poem thus far and why you like it. Is it the particular diction? The bio of the poet/author? The title of the poem? The theme? The last line? For instance, I enjoy reading Regina Barreca's "Nighttime Fires" because it is narrative and very much a story with simple diction, but very vivid images, including the last few words "eyes like hallways filled with smoke." Paul Laurence Dunbar's "To a Captious Critic" makes me smile; I love the wit and rhyme scheme, and the fact that I have to look up what "captious" and "abdicate" mean each time because I forget. Baca's "Green Chile" is one of my favorites because of the way he uses a mundane food item to conjure all these feelings and emotions of nostalgia and love and longing. And for another example, Rainer Maria Rilke's "The Panther" is a beautiful example of creating images that make the reader feel cramped and trapped. This poem also evokes a feeling of helplessness, a metaphor for being trapped by the patterns and makings of the world.

"A Poet to his Beloved" is so far my best poem. This is a short poem written by William Butler Yeats. The one thing that touches me about this poem is the encapsulating lifelong companionship and love. This eight lined poem expresses the underlying true love between an aging couples. It is a poem of true love. The diction of this poem shows the elegant nature of the poem.

I bring you with reverent hands

        The books of my numberless dreams, (1-2)

        These two lines how the comfort the lovers give each other. The theme of this poem is unconditional love. Despite their age, this couple still has reserved love for each other. Their love has lasted years, but it is still passionate. There is repetition of passionate and the use of imagery of "fire". Fire is used as a symbol of passion. The whiteness talked in this poem is a symbol of purity and innocence that was there a time when they were united. The dove has been used to show the peace that has prevailed throughout their lives. "I bring you my passionate rhyme" is the last line of this poem. It shows the way he brings his love to her. The simple structure and rhyme scheme of this poem mirrors the simple love this couple is wallowing in.

        "A Poet to his Beloved" is a lyrical poem that passes the message of emotional and deep personal feelings. Even though, it is a small poem that consists of eight lines, it has a very powerful message of love. Its rhyme skill is: BCACDBD. It is a poem crafted in the first person point of view giving it that deep expression of love. It is a passionate and serious poem through which the poet expresses memories of their dreams. The lover being talked of here is emotionally worn and she has gone past the peak of life. Through her expressions in this poem, we are able to know that she no more has room for passion. Her heart is brimming with emotional feelings. Through this poem, the poet has managed to bring her heartfelt feelings. There are a number of images used in this poem. The hand gesture is symbol of pledge of marriage. When he brings her the book, it shows the comprehensiveness of their commitment towards the love they share. The books contain numberless dreams that are perfect. The way Maud is referred to as white shows her skin color or the purity of their love. This means that she has not been contaminated, and she is free from immorality.

        Maud is a white woman who has been worn by passion. In this instance, passion may refer to intense emotion. It is a show of profound devotion. The musical setting of this poem is a symbol of life's exaltation. The passion of this woman has been worn "As the tide wears the dove-grey sands" (4). The tide refers to the rising and falling of the sea. Can this be a show of how their love goes through ups and downs? In line 6, her heart is "brimmed from the pale fire of time" (6). This indicates how the love has been filled to an extent that it is ready to overflow.