Poem #5: Joy in Death

THE POEM: Joy in Death

If tolling bell I ask the cause.
'A soul has gone to God,'
I'm answered in a lonesome tone;
Is heaven then so sad?

That bells should joyful ring to tell
A soul had gone to heaven,
Would seem to me the proper way
A good news should be given.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous poet in this whole entire world. She wrote so many beautiful poems that I love. Her beautiful poems usually consists of very good moral lessons that can be applied in our real lives. Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, and she died on May 15, 1886. The cause of her death was typhoid fever. Amazing fact is that even near her death, she wrote a beautiful poem that is counted as one of the best poems in the world.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

     I especially love this piece of poem among all the other poems that she wrote because this one makes me feel warm. When I was young, I was always scared if I might die. However, after I started going to the church, that fear was gradually fading away. This poem reminded me of how returning back to God’s arms is nothing to be scared of.

     My text to text connection would be the fact that she wrote many other poems about death, and also the fact that there are numbers of books and poems about death that are not written by Emily Dickinson. My text to world connection would be the fact that everybody dies in this world. We are born in this world as a human, but at some point in our lives, we die and return to where we belong. My text to self connection would be the fact that I had to be taught to know that I was not supposed to be scared of death. Just like how the person that said “Another soul had gone to God”, I always thought that dying was a sad, tragic thing. It is tragic that they do not get to spend more time with their loved ones. However, it is not tragic that we are returning to where we belong. I had to be told that, just like the person in the poem had to be told.

     I love most of Emily Dickinson’s poems, such as the poem, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”. I wish Emily Dickinson had not died and continued her currier as a poet in writing so many beautiful poems. I will continue to search and enjoy Emily Dickinson’s poetry.

TPCASTT

TITLE

When I read the title without reading the poem, it makes me wonder what is so joyous in dying. If you die,, it means that you are leaving all of your family and friends. Also, if you did not have a religion, dying would be something very scary for most people. The title made me think that the speaker was supposed to be a christian. The title explains a lot about the poem.

PARAPHRASE

When the bells are ringing

And someone says that a soul went to God,

I ask in a sad tone,

Is heaven that sad?

The bells should be ringing joyously,

Saying that a soul went to heaven,

It should ring in a proper way,

That says that it is a good news

CONNOTATION

1.Speaker: The person who thinks that death is joyous.

2. Imagery: Sight(none), Touch(none), Hear(the bells ringing), Smell(none), Taste(none)

3.Repetition: none

4. Rhyme Scheme:  ABCD ABCB

5. Figurative language: none

ATTITUDE

The speaker seems to be disappointed in those that are saying that death is not a joyous occasion. Also, the speaker seems to become more cheerful when the he or she is explaining how death is supposed to be a happy event since they are going to God.

SHIFT

First quatrain (lines 1-4) : it talks about how death is a sad thing.

Second quatrain (lines 5-8) : it talks about how death needs to be something joyous.

TITLE

Now that I read it again, I think the poet was trying to let people know that death is nothing to be scared of, just by reading the title. The title gives off enough mystery for people to become intrigued. When others actually read the poem, they receive the message that the poet was continually trying to give.

THEME

*It is better to have a religion than none.

*Death should not be something that is scary.

*Always think positively.

*Try to do your best before death comes.

*Life is not that long.

APA-6 REFERENCE

Dickinson, E. (1886). Joy in Death. Website. Retrieved from 
     http://www.eulogyspeech.net/funeral-poems/Joy-in-Death.shtml#.UT7zrhycuU4

Poem #4: Mary Had a Little Mouse

THE POEM: Mary Had a Little Mouse

Mary had a little mouse.
Its fur was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went
The mouse was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
Which wasn’t Mary’s plan,
For when the mouse jumped on her desk,
The teacher screamed and ran!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joyce Armor is an awesome poet who wrote many other poems like Sweet Dreams and Excuses, Excuses. She was not an famous poet, but I personally love all of her poems because they are all very funny. Most people may say that her poems are childish, but I do not think so. I think that she is an wonderful poet.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

     Personally, I love how the poet made all of her poems so funny. She wrote the poem for children, and I feel lucky to have found her poem. During her poem, there are a lot of silly things. For instance, it does not make sense that Mary, the main character, is going to have a mouse as her pet. Another example is the mouse following Mary to the school without letting Mary know that she is being followed by her own pet. However, all of these silly nonsense are the factors that make her poetry so fun.

     My text to text connection would be the fact that Joyce Armor wrote many other poems like Sweet Dreams and Excuses, Excuses. My text to world connection would be the fact that the world loves her poem for being funny. My text to self connection would be the fact that I once had a pet, and I tried taking it to the school. When I took my puppy to the school, my teacher actually loved him. My teacher hugged and petted him as if my puppy was her own.

     I hope that I could find more of Joyce Armor’s poem so that I could continue to read and enjoy her style of poetry. Also, I hope that I could find more poets that are more like Joyce Armor so that I could have more various types of funny poems that I could read.

TPCASTT

TITLE
When I look at the title, it reminds me of the song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb". The unique title is the reason why I tried reading the poem. I like all of Joyce Armor's title of her poems because they are all unique. I especially love it because her title is simple, but very explanatory.

PARAPHRASE
Mary had a little mouse,
That had a very white fur.
Where ever Mary went,
The mouse always followed.

One day, the mouse followed Mary
When she did not want him to.
The mouse went to the school 
And made the teacher scream and run.

CONNOTATION
1. Speaker: the person who is noticing the situation.
2. Imagery: Sight(white as snow), Touch(none), Smell(none), Hear(the teacher screams), Taste(none)
3.Repetition: none
4. Rhyme Scheme: ABCB ABCB
5. Figurative Snow: White as snow

ATTITUDE
The speaker seems to think that the situation is very funny. The whole mood of this poem is as if the speaker is amused and curious what would happen next. The exclamation point at the very end makes it seem as if the speaker is laughing out loud.

SHIFT
First quatrain (lines 1-4) : The whole stanza explains about how the mouse follows Mary.
Second quatrain (lines 5-8) : It actually talks about what happened when the moue followed Mary to the school.

TITLE
Now that I read the title after reading the poem, I see that the title itself is amusing as well. I thought it was funny before, too, but now that I got the concept of this poem, the sole title makes me laugh, making me imagine the mouse in Mary's arms.

THEME
*Always be careful around your pets.
*Pets cannot always be controlled.
*Think twice before getting a pet to young children.
*Pets can make people laugh.
*Be aware of your surroundings.(see if you pet is following you)

APA-6 REFERENCE

Armor, J. (1998). Mary Had a Little Lamb. Website. Retrieved from
     http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poem.aspx?PoemID=536&CategoryID=9

Poem #3: Stars

THE POEM: Stars

How countlessly they congregate

O'er our tumultuous snow,

Which flows in shapes as tall as trees

When wintry winds do blow.
 

As if with keenness for our fate,

Our faltering few steps on

To white rest, and a place of rest

Invisible at dawn,

And yet with neither love nor hate,

Those stars like some snow-white

Minerva;s snow-white marble eyes

Without the gift of sigh.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874 and died on January 29, 1963. Robert Frost was and still is one of the most popular poets that left us numbers of beautifully written poetry. He was famously known for his accurate and vivid description that caused an imagery. Later during his life, he died because he developed complications from his prostate surgery.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

     In the first stanza of the poem, it talks about how there are countless numbers of stars that take over the sky, which is above the snow covered ground. It says that the stars are above the snow that becomes as big as trees when it is blown by wind. In the second stanza, it talks about how our ability to notice things is supposed to be sharp and keen. In the third stanza, it talks about how the stars are neither full of love nor hate.

     My text to text connection would be the fact that Robert Frost has written numerous poems about how the nature acts around us. His poems are unique and very beautiful. My text to world connection would be that most people in this world think that star is a beautiful thing. There is no place on Earth that does not have star above their head. If there are too much pollution, they would not be able to see it, but the stars are always there, just watching us. Snow is something that is used as a simile in this poem. All around the world, there is a season where it is colder than other seasons. When it becomes that season, in most places, it tends to snow. If they are living in a very tropical place, of course, it would not rain.

      My text to self connection would be how I think that star is a big part of beauty. The stars are like the symbol for something sparkly and pretty. I loved star shaped things more than any other shapes when I was young. Also, I loved snow, too. I lived in Korea, so I always saw snow every winter. The white, crisp snow always made me feel as if I was one of the princesses in fairy tales. 

TPCASTT

TITLE

When I read the title "Star", it makes me think of all the pretty shaped jewelry and other things. I think the poem will be about how the star would be pretty since it is always above us.

PARAPHRASE

The stars surround us above us,

Covering over the snow,

And those snow becomes very big

If the wintry winds blow

Our keen sense

Cause the marks on the 

White and clean snow,

That is invisible at dawn.

Without love nor hate,

The star that are like snow,

Snow that is very white,

Is with no gift nor sigh.

CONNOTATION

1. Speaker: anyone who is bitter about it

2. Imagery: Sight(white as snow), Touch(none), Smell(none), Hear(none), Taste(none)

3. Repetition: none

4. Rhyme Scheme: ABCB ABCB ABCB

5. Figure of Speech: continual metaphor of star and snow.

ATTITUDE

The speaker seems to be very bitter and depressed. The speaker sounds as if he or she as a big problem that the speaker is too tired of.

SHIFT

First quatrain (lines 1-4) : seems to be a little bit depressed

Second quatrain (lines 5-8) : little bit bitter 

Third quatrain (lines 9-12) : seems to be disappointed, sad, bitter, and depressed

TITLE

Now that I look at it again, I think that the stars are supposed to be symbolism for all the things that happened to the speaker that the speaker could not control/

THEME

*Nothing lasts forever, just like how stars disappear at dawn.
*Just because you cannot see it, do not think that it is not there.
*All of our nature is a gift from God.
*Nature is something that cannot be altered.
*Stars are like grief because they continually come and go.

APA-6 REFERENCE

Frost, R. (1963). Stars. Website. Retrieved from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/stars-2/

Poem #2: May

THE POEM: May

The wind is tossing the lilacs,
The new leaves laugh in the sun, 
And the petals fall on the orchard wall,
But for me the spring is done.

Beneath the apple blossoms,
I go a wintry way,
For love that smiled in April
Is false to me in May.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Teasdale was a lyrical poet who was born on August 8, 1884. Although she had very poor health conditions, she survived through it and wrote numbers of beautiful poems. She was married to a man named Ernst Filsinger, but she decided to get a divorce with him because he often made her feel lonely. After her divorce, she spent a lot of time with her friend and former lover, Vachel Lindsay, and continued her love towards poetry. She committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills in 1993. Even though she died, her legacy still remains as one of the most beautiful poems.

PERSONAL RESPONSE
     The poem "May" starts with the description about how the spring is coming as we enter the month May, but at the end of the first stanza, it talks about how the spring is over for the speaker, even though the season had just started. At the second paragraph, the poem talks about how the speaker is sad about May. It says that he is sad about it because his love was still smiling until April, but in May, it is gone.

     My text to self connection would be the fact that May is one of my favorite months. I love May because it brings the soft warmth after the bitter winter. Although I do not like hot weather, I like the weather in May because it is like directly the middle of cold and hot. My text to text connection would be the fact that there are other poems that are named after months that are written by many different authors. My text to world connection would be the fact that May is a universal month. All months are universal. There is not a place where there is eleven months.

     I personally love this poem. I love how the author described the beginning of May where the soft breeze is blowing. Also, I love how she described the nature progressing by talking about how petals from flowers fall. In the second stanza, I think the speaker is trying to say that his or her love died between April and May. It says that the love that smiled in April is not real in May.


TPCASTT

TITLE
The title makes me think that the poem is going to be a very beautiful poem. I think it will have a lot of descriptions. I think that the poem will be very sensitive and full of butterflies.

PARAPHRASE

The wind is blowing on the flowers,

There are new sprouts coming out, 

The flowers are flying everywhere,

But the spring is over for me.

Under the tree,

I walk around feeling cold,

Because the love that smiled in April

Is now gone in May.

CONNOTATION

1. Speaker: the person who is feeling sad about lost of love.
2. Imagery: Sight(apple blossoms), Touch(none), Smell(none), Hear(none), Taste(none).
3. Repetition: none
4. Rhyme Scheme: ABCB ABCB
5. Figurative speech: none

ATTITUDE
The speaker seems to be mourning someone that he or she lost between April and May. The speaker seems to be too depressed to be enjoying the month of May and the coming of spring. The speaker at least notices the season, so in the first stanza, he or she talks about description. However, in the second stanza, the speaker only talks about how the speaker is depressed because of the lost.

SHIFT
First quatrain (lines 1-4) : the speaker describes about the season and the surrounding
Second quatrain (lines 5-8) : the speaker talks about how all of it does not mean anything to the speaker because of the lost.

TITLE
Now that I look at the title again, I feel more sorrow in the word. Although it is a beautiful month that brings beautiful season, I feel like it is the mourning month for the speaker.

THEME
*Loss of someone or something can be make some people not able to continue on with their lives.
*Losing someone or something can blind someone to not see the truth.
*Death can come anytime.
*Loss is painful.
*Many needs to learn how to cope with  the loss of their loved ones.


APA-6 REFERENCE

Teasdale, S. (1933). May. Website. Retrieved from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/may-3/

Poem #1: Autumn

THE POEM: Autumn

The rusty leaves crunch and crackle,
Blue haze hangs from the dimmed sky,
The fields are matted with sun-tanned stalks-
Winds rushes by.

The last red berries hang from the thorn-tree,
The last red leaves fall to the ground.
Bleakness, through the trees and brushes,
Comes without sound.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joan Mitchell was an abstract expressionist painter who was very talented. Her love for art and poetry brought her to both paint and write poems. Growing up in Chicago, she went to the Smith College, and worked her way up to her position. She spent most of her life in France, and later on, she got married to an American publisher in France. Joan Mitchell died at the year 1992 due to lung cancer, but she did have history of oral cancer, a dead jaw, smoking, and heavy drinking. However, she left series of valuable art pieces and wonderful poems.

PERSONAL RESPONSE
     The poem starts with the description of the coming of Autumn. It describes how the weather is changing by mentioning that the leaves fall, sky is higher, there are brown leaves on the ground, and the weather is cooler because of the wind. In the second stanza, the poet describes the coming of the Autumn to the poet. This is different from stanza one because stanza one was about the changing of the weather indicating the Autumn, when stanza two talks about how fast and silently the Autumn comes.

     I have several connections to this poem. First, my text to self connection would be the fact that autumn is my favorite season. When I saw the word “autumn” in the list of poems, I was excited. I especially love poems about nature and the seasons, and this poem was about the season that I favored among all four seasons. Second, My text to world connection would be the fact that the season autumn exists everywhere in the world. It may not be as direct like places like Korea or America, but people know when autumn comes. It may not be full of fallen leaves like what it said in the poem, but autumn is everywhere. Last, my text to text connection would be the fact that there is a poem named “Autumn” that was written by Emily Dickinson. I have tried reading them, but I prefer poem written by Joan Mitchell.

     Although the poem, “Autumn” is not as famous as other poems like “The Raven” or “Sonnet 130”, I personally love this poem. I love the detailed description with the appropriate adjectives. I admire how Joan Mitchell was able to convert her thoughts of autumn into a beautiful poetry

TP - CASTT

TITLE 
The title of this poem is short, but I think that this one word explains the whole content. I am guessing that the poem "Autumn" is going to be about how the autumn comes and the beauty of the season. I think the poet, Joan Mitchell was trying to make it very simple, and I like that.

PARAPHRASE
The leaves on the trees dry and fall,
The sky becomes much higher than before,
The brown veins of the trees are covering the grass,
And the wind is swiftly blows.

The berries are coming to an end,
The leaves are falling till the last,
Through the nature comes the bleakness,
Silently and silently.

CONNOTATION
1. Speaker: the person who is noticing autumn
2. Imagery: Sight (the blue haze, the sun-tanned stalks, red berries, red leaves), Touch (the swiftly blowing wind), Smell (none), Hear (crunching and cracking of the leaves), Taste (none)
3. Repetition: none
4. Rhyme Scheme: ABCB ABCB
5. Figurative language: none

ATTITUDE
The first stanza sounds a bit cheerful. The description of the nearing of autumn sounds as if the speaker is kind of excited about it. However, the second stanza sounds a bit sad because it talks about how the berries and the leaves fall, and also because it mentions that the depressing bleakness is coming without any sound.

SHIFTS
First quatrain (lines 1-4) : the speaker seems energetic and joyous about autumn
Second quatrain (lines 5-8) : the speaker seems to be depressed about autumn

TITLE
After reading the poem, I think that the poet was trying to tell people that there are two sides to everything. Even though I like autumn, just like first stanza, it does not mean that other people would like the autumn, too, just like the second stanza. I feel more obligated to consider other people's thoughts and their choices about certain things.

THEME
*Everything has those that love it and those that hate it.
*Everything changes.
*Nature is beautiful.
*All things that change is inevitable.
*All of our environment is beautiful.


APA-6 REFERENCE

Mitchell, J. (1992). Autumn. Website. Retrieved from  
     http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/245340

My Introduction

Hello! My name is Ji Sun Lee, and my blog is going to be about poetry. I am a freshman at a school called Saipan Southern High School. I created this blog for my English class, and I think that this is going to be very fun. I will post many things, but the majority of the things that I will post will be about poetry and the poets that wrote them. I hope many of you read my blog and get inspired, so that  you guys could start loving and enjoying poetry as much as I do. Try to have fun so that you guys would get interested.Visit my bog often! I will try my best to post a lot of fun things, too.

Table of Contents

My 5 Choices of Poems/Poets

1. Autumn - Joan Mitchell
2. May - Sara Teasdale

3. Stars - Robert Frost

4. Mary Had a Little Mouse - Joyce Armor

5. Joy in Death - Emily Dickinson