Poetry Journal

ELA 20IB
Alex Yuan

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Penelopes Despair by Yannis Ritsos Authors Purpose To describe the complexities of marital relationships and the disempowerment of women in marriage Tone

Begins with underlying but subtle disappointment o Using predominantly negative words such as not, no, and wasnt underscores the unhappy mood, though the disappointment is not stated outright Evokes a sense of shock and disbelief o Lines are broken up with commas, or are composed of short sentences; this style creates a sense of confusion o Reflects Penelopes disbelief and desperation Generates a strong sense of disappointment o Words such as wretched, wasted, and stranger convey a sense that Penelope views the real Odysseus as inadequate and inferior compared to her perceptions or dreams of him o Mentions the dim light of the fire Symbolizes a lack of passion o Characterizes the slain suitors as dead desires Penelope is losing the freedom to do whatever she wants due to her husbands return o The bright red of the threads turning gray and black Red has connotations of energy and passion; gray and black have connotations of dreariness and despair Creates a feeling of disempowerment and entrapment o The words so as not to give herself up seem to imply that Penelope will be ruled by her husbands whims o The comparison of the murdered suitors to Penelopes dead desires suggest that Odysseus will stifle Penelopes attempts to meet those desires (i.e. restrict her freedom)

Poetic Techniques Allusions o The poem is an allusion to Odysseus return to Ithaca; Penelope, his wife, has waited patiently for Odysseus return for 20 years Penelope is pursued by many suitors, who believe Odysseus is dead; Penelope stalls them to avoid having to choose a new husband with the excuse of weaving a loom Upon Odysseus return, he is disguised as a beggar, wins an archery competition against the suitors for Penelopes hand, and kills all of the suitors o It is important to note that while the myth of Odysseus return depicts the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope as a joyous one, Ritsos does not The title of the poem, Penelopes Despair, immediately presents the allusion to the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope Furthermore, use of the word Despair in the title contradicts the widely-held perception that the reunion was a happy one; this contradiction demonstrates that what seems peaceful and happy on the

surface may not be so peaceful and happy in reality, which strengthens Ritsos message of the complexity of marital relationships Diction o The diction discusses in the Tone section create a sense of shock, disappointment, disempowerment, and entrapment In media res beginning o A very abrupt start to the poem helps to convey the sense of shock and confusion that Penelope is experiencing o Causes the reader to see things from Penelopes perspective Similies o Compares the shadows across the ceiling to a cage; this comparison underlines the authors message of female disempowerment Rhetorical questions o Questions such as Was it for him she had wasted twenty years waiting and dreaming? in which the answer is self-evident reflect Penelopes unhappiness

Leda and the Swan by William Butler Yeats Authors Purpose To demonstrate that one act of violence leads to more violence in unpredictable ways o The poem was written in the context of a civil war in Ireland; Britains initial conquest of the Irish led to this civil war and ongoing hostilities between different groups in Ireland Tone

Begins in a confused, frantic, abrupt manner o In media res beginning has the reader scrambling to find out what is happening, instead of knowing from the beginning o The words a sudden blow create a feeling of abruptness and violence Despairing o Conveys a sense of hopelessness Phrases such as her nape caught in his bill and terrified vague fingers and words such as staggering and hopeless suggest futility, weakness, and helplessness on Ledas part Conversely, words such as great, brute, and power demonstrate the power of Ledas assailant over her o Doomed inevitability; no choice but to give in The phrase loosening thighs implies submission, willing or otherwise Rhetorical questions How can those terrified vague fingers push the feathered glory from her loosening thighs? creates the impression that Leda must submit to Zeus The line break in line 11/12 signifies Ledas broken will and broken resistance Conveys a sense of violent conquest o Words such as brute and mastered and phrases like broken wall and tower reinforce this sense

Referring to Leda as simply a body dehumanizes her, placing Zeus in a dominant position

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The poem is an allusion to the rape of Leda by Zeus in Greek mythology Leda gives birth to Helen, Castor, Pollux, and Clymenestra as a result of this Clymenestra becomes Agamemnons wife and eventually kills him Helen goes on to play a major role in instigating the Trojan War, which results in the obliteration of Troy As neither Leda nor Zeus are explicitly named in the body of the poem, the reader relies on the title to cement the allusion to mythology o The poem is also an allusion to the British conquest of Ireland, and the Irish civil war over the decision to gain independence from Britain or remain a subject of the UK In this context, the rape of Leda by Zeus can be interpreted as the conquest of Ireland by Britain The consequences of this rape can be compared to the Irish civil war The murder of Agamemnon by his wife was a domestic conflict; a civil war is also, in a sense, a domestic conflict as well That the British conquest of Ireland would lead to internal strife in Ireland hundreds of years after the fact would not have been apparent at the time of the conflict, supporting the authors theme Diction o Language such as terrified vague fingers, helpless, and caught reinforce the perception that Leda is weak and has no hope of escape o Language such as brute, mastered, blow, and beating reinforce the image of Zeus as a violent aggressor who is forcing his victim into submission This characterization represents the initial act of violence Rhetorical questions o The question Did she put on his knowledge with his power reinforces the idea that the consequences of Zeus violence were unforeseen In media res beginning o Reinforces the confusion, frenzy, and disarray of violence Structure o Follows the form of a Petrarchan sonnet o Line break Symbolizes Leda`s broken will, that she is unable to keep resisting

Medusa by Louise Bogan Authors Purpose To describe the state of physical or psychological paralysis Contrasts motion and immobility Tone

Generates a sense of confusion

Uses highly contradictory diction Cave of trees, held up at a window, seen from a door, will always fall, and will not fall Such contradictions highlight the disconnection from reality that paralysis causes o Uses words with a surreal quality The phrase serpents on the forehead formed in the air creates a feeling of unreality, heightening the readers confusion Again, the disconnect from the rest of the world that paralysis causes is underlined Creates a feeling of lost potential, or hope turned to despair and resignation o Euphonic words such as sun and reflection exist in the first stanza, suggesting a positive future; however, the euphony is replaced with cacophony in words such as dead and end o After the first stanza, there is a prevalence of negative expressions such as nothing, never, and no o The bell hung ready to strike symbolizes the death knell of a tolling bell; in Christianity, the sound of the bell is used to announce death o In the last two lines, the yellow dust reinforces this idea The dust was lifting; the past tense implies that there is no more ascension, no more improvement o The comparison of the narrator to a shadow reflects that the narrator is inferior to their former self (i.e. a shadow of their former self) o The grass will always be growing for hay shows that life does continue, but is unable to reach its full potential The absence of death in the literal sense is further emphasized by the words the tipped bell make no sound; however, the line this is a dead scene forever now and the word stiff suggest the idea that the narrator might as well be dead, or is in a state similar to death

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The poem is an allusion to an encounter with Medusa Medusa was a Gorgon with snakes for hair; those who looked into her eyes were instantly turned to stone In the poem, the paralysis of the narrator stems from an encounter from Medusa The title of the poem immediately brings the connection between the authors purpose and the events of the poem to mind, as Medusa evokes thoughts of paralysis and entrapment Oxymoron o Paradoxical phrases are used frequently Cave of trees Will always fall, and will not fall These phrases describe the feeling of being disconnected from reality and the feeling of intense confusion at the onset of paralysis; motion, a fundamental aspect of existence, is suddenly taken from the paralyzed, causing this confusion and disconnect

Diction o The euphonic words in the first stanza such as sun and reflection are used to describe the fluidity of motion; euphony is sharply contrasted against the cacophony of later stanzas with words such as dead, end, and shadow o In the stanzas in which the narrator is paralyzed, highly negative diction is prevalent, with words such as no, never, not, and nothing used frequently o Periods become more prevalent in later stanzas, underscoring the rigidity and stiffness of paralysis

Cassandra with a Tail by Blaga Dimitrova Authors Purpose To demonstrate the fragility of apparent peace and safety Tone

The tone begins with calm o The introduction of the cat reinforces this; cats are generally seen as calm and laid back creatures o Words such as hearth and grace bring a sense of hominess and tranquility to the reader The tone quickly shifts to something more frantic and gives warning o The electricity of the storm suggests impending disaster o The description of the cats sudden outburst Words and phrases like shot up, leapt, wailing like an ambulance, and exploded out in flashing rage give a feeling of frenzy and upcoming doom o The narrator states that their childhood disappeared, suggesting that the cats outburst coupled with the subsequent earthquake erased their sense of complacency forever o Words such as careening and blindly undermine the readers sense of peace o The words atomic blast and so close to annihilation imply upcoming catastrophe and reinforce the idea of the fragility of peace and security, while the sentence no one listens demonstrates how people cling on to those things

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The poem compares the oracular cat to Cassandra from Greek myths Cassandra was a seer who was cursed with the burden of being disbelieved by everyone The title of the poem is necessary to fully cement the connection, as the cat is never explicitly compared to Cassandra in the poem proper Structure o The poem is divided into three stanzas The first illustrates a situation of security and calm, hinting at something bad building up The second illustrates the attempt to convince others of the fragility of that calm, and the authors initial rejection of that warning and tendency to cling to the sense of security

The third illustrates the author realizing that security and peace are indeed fragile

Diction o The words hearth, twirled, and grace in the first stanza establish a feeling of peace and security; however, the words winter and storm foreshadow the destruction of that peace o The words shot up, leapt, wailing, and exploded in the second stanza sharply contrast with the those of the first stanza and create a sense that the narrators tranquility is fragile o The phrases so little time, grab what you can, and atomic blast is swelling up in the third stanza create an air of frantic desperation, suggesting to the reader that whatever peace and security they enjoy will be quickly demolished o The words careening and blindly in the third stanza further serve to undermine the readers sense of security

A Moment in Troy by Wislawa Szymborska Authors Purpose To demonstrate individuals desire to escape and that escapism does not last forever Tone

Begins with a slightly melancholy tone o Expressions such as freckles that just wont go away, not turning any heads, and sincerely horrified by it show the problems and discontentment that plague the little girls o The word resigned carries connotations of hopelessness The tone in the portion of the poem that describes the daydream is more opulent and creates a feeling of unreality o Words such as grand, royal, and inspire evoke feelings of majesty and beauty o The euphony of the words ascend, rustling, and light contribute to the sense of grandeur o The phrase worth dismissing envoys for suggest incomparable beauty o However, the phrases observe disaster/from a tower of smiles and wring their hands/in intoxicating mock despair reinforce that the daydream has no bearing on reality The last few lines of the poem become melancholy again, highlighting that there is no permanent escape from reality o The word dreading reintroduces an aspect of discontentment into the fantasy o The word inevitable and the final word returning reinforce the authors theme of escape being impermanent

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The title of the poem makes reference to Troy; in Greek myth, Helen, the most beautiful woman in Greece, was taken to Troy by Paris. In a bid to get her back, Helens husband Menelaus launched a war against Troy, eventually resulting in its destruction

Helen willingly accompanied Paris, escaping the husband that she was not particularly fond of In the poem, the little girls become Helens who are whisked off to Troy (the fantasy); however, just as Troy is eventually destroyed and Helen is recaptured by Menelaus, the fantasies of the girls eventually give way to reality

Diction o The use of the term little girls in general instead of one particular girl suggests the idea that the desire to escape is one that is shared by everyone o The phrases resigned and not turning any heads cause the reader to understand the bleak reality that the girls wish to escape o Words such as grand, beautiful, admiration, light, and proudly depict the initial draw and opulence of fantasy, reinforcing the idea that individuals carry with them a desire to escape reality in order to experience those fantastical things o However, the word inevitable forces the reader to accept that such a fantasy cannot last forever, and the word returning at the end of the poem reinforces that idea o The word dreading creates a feeling of upcoming sadness as the daydreamer is unavoidably pulled back to reality o The words mock despair reinforce the idea that this fantastical world is not real Metaphor o The use of the extended metaphor comparing fantasy to Troy and little girls to Helen reflects the desire of individuals to escape reality and the unavoidable end of fantasy Oxymoron o In the lines observe disaster/from a tower of smiles, a contradiction is presented in observing something bad and yet smiling; this contradiction reinforces the idea that the daydream is completely fictitious Euphony o Euphony is present in words such as ascend, grand, and light This euphony demonstrates the allure of escaping reality

Soliloquy for Cassandra by Wislawa Szymborska Authors Purpose To show that foreknowledge is useless and may be a burden if nothing can be done about the future To show that being gifted with something that others are not, or to have exceptional talent that others do not, is a burden Tone

Bittersweet, melancholy o Oxymorons such as the lines And this is my head full of doubts/Its true, I am triumphant and I loved them/But I loved them haughtily convey a sense of Cassandras mixed feelings about her life o The phrase got off on the wrong foot creates a melancholy feel, and Cassandras statement its as if they never lived in describing those like herself create an air of sad resignation

o o o

The phrases people, seeing me, would break off in mid-word, laughter died, no one finished it near me show Cassandras isolation, and that her melancholy is not a new occurrence The line I didnt even know their short-lived names and the words Im sorry demonstrates that Cassandra feels regret, reinforcing the tone of the poem The use of the word condemned to describe the citizens of Troy further reinforces the sadness of the tone The line but in them they bore a moist hope suggests that Cassandra is envious of the ability of others to hope; while she could see more than them, her gift was also a burden, evoking a bittersweet feeling The line but nothing has come of it creates a feeling of weary resignation

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The poem is an allusion to the Trojan Cassandra, who could see the future but was cursed to be disbelieved by everyone Thus, Cassandra could predict the future, but her predictions were more or less useless as no one acted on them The title of the poem is important as it establishes the poem as an earnest narration (soliloquy) by Cassandra herself on her gift and its burdens Diction o The word doubts coming from a seer reinforces the sense of mixed feelings o The lines only unacknowledged prophets/are privy to such prospects in conjunction with Cassandras earlier statement of [her] city under ashes serve to introduce the reader to the burdens of Cassandras gift early in the poem, and create initial focus on those burdens o The words break off, laughter died, and ran to their mothers demonstrate Cassandras isolation on account of her clairvoyance, thus providing another example of the burden of giftedness o Negative words such as sorry, nothing, and no one reinforce the sense of Cassandras sadness, and that her gift has negative implications as well Contrast o Cassandra describes those without her talent as condemned; however, the lines but in them they bore a moist hope and they really knew what a moment means suggest that Cassandra envied those around her because their lack of clairvoyance allowed them to hope and truly live life; these lines reinforce the idea that exceptional talent can restrict happiness for the talented despite their elevated skills

Ithaka by C.P. Kavafy Authors Purpose To demonstrate the importance of the journey taken to reach a goal o To advise readers to take their time on the journey, to savor it, and to get the most out of it Tone

Friendly, advisory, encouraging, reassuring, and optimistic

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Imperative verbs such as hope and may addressed to the reader and euphonic words such as pleasure and joy work together to establish a tone of friendly advice With respect to challenges and hardships that the reader will never find things like that as long as the reader perseveres establishes a sense of optimism Positive diction such as excitement and joy, as well as words with connotations of opulence and beauty such as mother of pearl and ebony provide incentive for the reader to follow the speakers advice The line sensual perfume of every kind encourages the reader to try everything and rise to every opportunity that is found on the journey The phrase arriving there is what youre destined for reassures the reader that taking their time on the journey and expanding their horizons will not hinder their ability to reach the final goal The absence of rhyme lends a more informal tone to the poem as a whole

Poetic Techniques Allusions o The poem alludes to Odysseus epic journey to return to Ithaka (Ithaca) after the Trojan war; the journey took ten years, and Odysseus was opposed by the Laistrygonians, a Cyclops, and a wrathful Poseidon, among others In the poem, Ithaca is a metaphor for a goal or destination o The title of the poem is important as it names the goal; as the vast majority of the poem focuses on describing the journey, naming the goal in the title ensures that the importance of the goal is not drowned out by discourse on the importance of the journey to reach it Metaphor o The harbors that [the reader is] seeing for the first time is a metaphor for the undiscovered The coupling of the concept of discovery with the words pleasure and joy reinforce the idea that it is good to take ones time with the journey, as it will show them things that they have never seen before o The Phoenician trading stations are a metaphor for detours that may be taken in the journey to make it more fulfilling; the speaker encourages the reader to stop at such stations, effectively counselling the reader to take the time to try new things and gain new skills Encouraging the reader to get sensual perfumes of every kind is a metaphor for getting as much as possible out of the journey, and not just restricting oneself to learning what is immediately relevant to the goal o The mother of pearl, coral, amber, ebony, and sensual perfume are metaphors for the amazing things to be gained on the journey o The advice to visit many Egyptian cities/and... learn from their scholars is a metaphor for gaining new knowledge, thus making the journey fuller Diction o In the second line, the reader is told to hope that their journey is a long one; the word hope brings positive connotations to a long journey o The word summer has connotations of warmth and happiness; as it precedes the narrators mention of new harbors, this word reinforces the idea that many of the new things to be discovered on the journey are positive

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The word Egyptian carries a sense of something exotic, uncommon, and perhaps carrying a different perspective than what the reader is accustomed to; the advice to learn at Egyptian cities thus implies advice to see things from new angles, be openminded, and not be afraid to deviate from the common path The word old carries connotations of wisdom, experience, and maturity, suggesting that, if the authors advice is followed and the reader does savor and learn from the journey, they will be wiser and more fulfilled because of it

The Pomegranate by Eavan Boland Authors Purpose To depict a mothers struggle between attempting to keep her daughter close forever and knowing that she must let her daughter go To demonstrate that the cycle of life (i.e. growing up, motherhood, giving birth) does not stop Tone

The poem establishes a tone of sad inevitability and futility o Words such as exile, fogs, and blighted create a sense of melancholy o Despite being willing to make any bargain to keep [the daughter], the narrator (mother) knows that winter was in store for every leaf, suggesting that she must eventually let her daughter go This idea is further reinforced by the mothers assertion that the winter is inescapable for her o The phrase her plate of uncut fruit/the pomegranate implies that the daughter will eventually eat the pomegranate (a symbol of separation) and the mother will soon be forced to let her daughter go o The line If I defer the grief I will diminish the gift shows the mother accepting that her attempts to keep her daughter are doomed to fail; however, the word grief gives the line a melancholy tone o The line She will enter it. As I have demonstrates that the experience of letting a child go will eventually happen to her daughter, and that it is an inevitable fact of life

Poetic Techniques Allusion o The poem alludes to the story of Ceres and Persephone from Greek mythology; in the story, Persephone, the daughter of Ceres, was kidnapped by Hades and confined to the underworld While there, Persephone ate pomegranate seeds that made it impossible for her to leave; this event depressed Ceres so severely that the world was plunged into winter Eventually an agreement was reached in which Persephone could spend six months with Ceres, but was also obligated to spend six months in the underworld with Hades o The title of the poem immediately sets the focus on the separation of mother and daughter Symbolism o The pomegranate is a symbol of separation between mother and daughter

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Diction o Words such as exile, dusk, underworld, and blighted lend a sombre feel to the poem as a whole o The word winter carries connotations of desolation, cold, and loneliness, reinforcing the idea of the mothers unwillingness to let go of her daughter o The words uncut fruit suggest that the fruit will soon be eaten; as the fruit is a pomegranate and the pomegranate is a symbol of separation, these words let the reader know that the daughter will inevitably leave her mother o The words put out her hand and pulled down implies that leaving her mother is a deliberate and willful act on the daughters part o The mothers roundabout description of the pomegranate as the French sound for apple and/the noise of stone depicts the mothers unwillingness to accept her daughters leaving However, the fact that the daughter is indeed leaving demonstrates the futility of the mothers opposition o The line If I defer the grief I will diminish the gift have the mother giving in, showing that the cycle of life cannot be stopped, and that it is inevitable that she let her daughter go o The words the legend will be hers as well as mine suggest that the events described in the poem will eventually happen to the daughter, and that the cycle of life will continue indefinitely Comparison o The mother directly compares herself to Ceres; this comparison accents the sadness she feels over knowing that she will lose her daughter and reinforces the inevitability of such an event

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