Grace Hopper Poetry Compilation 

 
POEM 1 
 
“​THE WANDERING BRAIN​” ​ by Kieran4

A wondering brain is a true sign of intelligence,

For this is a brain that discovers.
A wandering brain is a true sign of elegance,
For this is a brain that recovers
From internal battle of triumph and vengeance
Armed with only a pen for a sword,
From arguments started in only a sentence,
Pursuits with little reward.
I have worked hard to possess this mind
For crafted ideas and daydreams pursued
This entertainment leaves the present behind,
And my own little world is renewed.
But back to reality my brain must go,
As I lasso ideas up like cattle
For a brain running free where ideas flow
Is best used towards rules it can rattle.

So when minds build a world in fits full of passion,

Know that problems are solved in a similar fashion.
 
Devices:​ Creative thinking allows us to stretch our mind, to dream big, to set foot
somewhere others never dared to go. The author of ​The Wandering Brain ​writes that your
ideas, thoughts, and imagination is the greatest gift a person can possess. They uses a ​rhyming
scheme​ to give their poem a flow. They also include a ​simile​ in phrases such as "I lasso ideas up
like cattle" to compare their ideas to wild animals due to their free and fleeting nature, and that
need to be tamed.

POEM 2 
 
“​IT COULDN’T BE DONE​”​ ​by Edgar Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he had tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “couldn’t be done” and you’ll do it.

Devices: ​Edgar Guest uses several literary devices to remind the readers that there will
always be doubters and critics that encourage you to quit, but you shouldn’t take their words. If
you never put in the effort, you will never know what you can accomplish. The author uses
repetition​ of phrases such as “start(ed) to sing at tackle(d) the thing” and “(trace of a)/(bit of a)
grin” to emphasize that you should smile in the face of ill will and be confident in your abilities.
Guest also includes ​imagery​ to illustrate what “he” had done in spite of everyone dismissing
“his” ambitions.

POEM 3 
 ​“​Dreams​” ​by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Devices: ​Langston Hughes succinctly tells the readers why it is important to never stop
dreaming. Your dreams drive you to pursue the best life possible. The author uses ​rhythm​ to
create his own beat and style. When Hughes writes "for if dreams die," it can be considered an
example of ​personification​. He compares a life to a "broken-winged bird" and "a barren field
frozen with snow," (​metaphor​) which lets us see that a person without dreams is as hopeless as
a bird, who, made for a flight, cannot fly. The barren field expresses the feeling of emptiness
with which one must live.

Analysis: ​Despite some popular beliefs, Grace Hopper wasn't interested in computer science
when she began working on Harvard Mark. But her belief and willingness to consider these first
ideas, first steps, first attempts to what became known as the foundation of modern
programming was what made it worthwhile. Her passion, her dreams, and her ability to see a
bigger picture had essentially led to technological movement. All three of these poems reflect
on how Hopper made such a great impact on our lives through creative thinking, perseverance,
and imagination.