Abstract
This paper takes a look at how "Songs of Innocence and Experience" is a portrayal of the continual conflict between innocence and experience.

From the Paper
The poems of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience" are portrayals of the continual conflict between innocence and experience. Each poem tells different links of interweaved stories. For instance, the two "Holy Thursday" poems are being told simultaneously by different narrators and with different viewpoints. The Bard in the "Introduction to Songs of Experience" appears again in "The Sick Rose" and is again calling to an individual; perhaps this individual is the same character as the narrator at the end of "The Echoing Green." By weaving through these stories and characters, Blake portrays views of innocence and experience as they appear in several characters. While these characters may not be the actual characters in previous poems, there is sufficient evidence to support the theory that the characters that are introduced are meant to represent the characters that have similar experiences to those which have been introduced earlier. Therefore, Blake defines a few different "type" of characters, whose types are defined by the amount of experience, wisdom, and maturity."

Tags:blake, william

Abstract
A study of this famous poem that talks about the ruins of a once-great statue in a desert. The broken statue is named after Ozymandias, which is Greek for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II who reputedly had an incredibly huge ego. The writer looks at the use of metaphors by Shelly in trying to compare this statue to the human ego. It shows how the statue wishes to say - control your vanity, no matter how famous or powerful you are. It also warns that all human power shall be obliterated in time, and all the arrogance that such power generates in those who hold it is badly misplaced.

From the Paper
"This short poem tells the story of the remains of the past and how they lack to make any lasting impact on the lives of those in the present. The opening line, "I met a traveler from an antique land" gives the poem a mysterious air. Neither the traveler nor his location is identified which helps the reader to understand that the events that occur could have happened anywhere, any time, and to any one. Throughout this poem the traveler, as well as the speaker are kept anonymous because Shelly's goal is to keep the focus on the main subject, which is Ozymandias himself."

Tags:ozymandias, percy, shelly, ego, poem, literature, metaphor

Abstract
The author of this paper takes a look at the characterization of Ulysses which Tennyson envisages as a more contemporary, earthly man, whose own restlessness matches the restless nature of Victorian society. He also discusses Homer's characterization of Odysseus as a favorite of the gods. Tennyson portrays further human qualities in Ulysses through his lust for glory. Unlike the immortal god-like Odysseus, Tennyson's portrayal of Ulysses as aged and mortal is the clearest example of his humanity.

From the Paper
"Tennyson's characterization of Ulysses brings a humanistic quality to Homer's once god-like hero by depicting his earthen limitations of restlessness, selfishness, and lust for glory. The aged King portrayed by Tennyson in "Ulysses" resembles only a shadow of the great hero found in Homer. All of the god-like glory that set Odysseus apart and carried him through turmoil is brought to earth by Tennyson's depiction of Ulysses' human qualities. The former glory of Odysseus is recalled as a boast of greatness with the aid and direction of his gods absent. The reader discovers that however great Ulysses once was, he know possesses many of the same faults as ordinary men. The result is a human King facing death yet dreaming of glory. "

Tags:characterization, comparison, homer, tennyson, ulysses, greek, god, hero, odysseus

Abstract
In the poem, "Dirge", James Shirley uses poetic techniques, such as literary device and line structure, to display the relationship between soldiers and society. This paper explains how the poem compares the fate of those who participate in war to the fate of anyone else and finds that there is little difference between the two. It also develops the argument that most soldiers are soon forgotten after death, despite their service to their country.

From the Paper
"To help display his ideas, James Shirley uses such literary devices metaphor, personification, alliteration and imagery. He also uses line structure as an effective technique. The poem is set up in such a way that the first four lines and the last two lines in each stanza contain eight syllables each, while the fifth and sixth lines have only four syllables in each. These shorter lines may have been inserted to symbolize the lives of soldiers, which have been cut short as a result of the senseless killing in war. Shirley also uses a variety of literary devices throughout the poem. The first two lines read: "The glories of our blood and state/Are shadows, not substantial things" (Shirley 347. 1-2). In this passage, the poet has used metaphor to compare the triumphs of soldiers to shadows which have diminished with time and are no longer valued by those who still live."

Tags:device, literary

Abstract
This paper examines how in the poem, "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey", Wordsworth explores the human relationship to time and change. It analyzes the imagery and dialectic metaphor in the poem to produce a combined ontological and empirical summary of Wordsworth's desires, motives and purpose behind the poem.

From the Paper
"One of the clearest observations of the effect of time and change in the poem is the state of Tintern Abbey and its surroundings. Wordsworth discovers, upon his second visit, after many years that the state of the old church is in decay while the nature around is maintained in its beauty and even blossoms. The temporary and mortal products of human enterprise are contrasted with the ever growing and unconstrained energy of nature. The hedge-rows that humans planted in an orderly way have run wild. "These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines of sportive wood run wild:" (lines 15-16). "

Tags:human, relationship, church

Abstract
This paper examines Philip Larkin's poem "Church Going" from a deconstructionalist perspective. It also looks at how deconstruction is, a mode of literary criticism and how first advocated by Jacques Derrida, this literary theory has spread like wildfire throughout Western humanities departments. It begins with an overview of deconstructionalist theory, followed by a brief history of "The Movement" (the group to which Larkin was classified) and concludes with an extensive analysis of the poem.

From the Paper
"This poem is indicative of both Larkin and the poetry group categorized as "The Movement" to which Larkin, albeit reluctantly, was assigned. Following World War II in Britain, there was a general sense of disillusionment that accompanied imperial decline. In its wake, a group of lower-middle-class white poets emerged that have since been labeled "The Movement." This group consisted of such poets as Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jennings, Philip Larkin, Donald Davie, Thom Gunn, Robert Conquest, John Halloway, and John Wain, among many disputed others. The poetry from these individuals tends to reflect everyday life, with a (at the time) newfound emphasis on clarity, democratic values, religious decline and intellectual detachment."

Tags:church, criticism, deconstruction, deconstructionalist, derrida, going, jacques, larkin, literary, movement, philip, theory

Abstract
This essay analyzes two of Langston Hughes' poems entitled "I, Too, Sing America" and "Po Boy Blues". The two poems are compared and contrasted and are shown to have distinct messages and themes - one positive and the other negative. The paper discusses the use of poetic techniques in general, including titles, symbolism, and tone, and relates them to both poems.

From the Paper
"Poetry is the art of writing stories, poems, and thoughts into verse with language selected for its beauty and sound, but appealing terms are only the surface of these thought-provoking compositions. Ample poems are considered successful due to the messages they contain and through the way that they are conveyed to the audience. Poetry is very abstract, full of symbolism, and holds hidden emotions, which are not evident when viewed from a fundamental point of view. This can be observed in two of Langston Hughes' poems, entitled I, Too, Sing America, and Po Boy Blues, which display that poems can be understood through their title, symbolism, and tone."

Tags:mood, poetry, style, theme

Abstract
This paper explains that the meaning of youth and innocence in "Comus" is more than allegorical because every human character is pubescent and yet untested by the temptations of maturity. The author points out that Milton, like many neo-Platonists, found much in antiquity to validate his Christian piety; thus, by using the stories of Biblical lore, the innovation of fictitious stories involving ancient characters was a sound opportunity for young writers like Milton in the early 17th century. The paper concludes that Milton's monotheism leaves all forms of evil as pitiful attempts to soil the convictions of the devout; and the lesson, implied by the audience, is that God reigns powerful enough to direct and forgive anyone of virtue who lived before Christ and anyone who has sinned since his birth.

From the Paper
"The divine wisdom of the narrator and attendant spirit is not without the counterpart of a wily, deceitful villain. Knowledge, universal truth, and guidance follow the action so that the judgments made by the author through the voice highlight various historical, religious, and cultural interpretations of the story, specifically regarding the themes of youth and temptation. Though the remainder of his literary output informs as much about the author's moral judgment as it possibly could, the twenty-six year old Milton offers a highly personal perspective on youth and its challenges in Comus."

Tags:pubescent, narrator, temptations, piety, death

Abstract
This paper argues that Walt Whitman utilizes the imagery of grass to convey his thoughts about men's pursuit of happiness. It shows that the grass represents the oneness of all people in America, life, growth and death. These points are later linked to show that Whitman is actually talking about democracy, which is evident in American society.

From the Paper
"The complexity of a poem can be seen in its author's utilization of convoluted, latent, poetic language, which inevitably demands a certain level of thinking, of imaginations, of interpretation. The key to extracting a poem's meaning lies in the poet's implementation of disparate literary devices, which brings to light the poet's subtle, yet real, creativity. Walt Whitman, in "Song of Myself," uses symbolism to convey the significance of a seemingly irrelevant and overlooked object. The concept of grass is perhaps among the central themes imbued in the poem, which Whitman exploits as a basis to promote a greater fascination and appreciation of ordinary things seen in all walks of life. In "Song of Myself," Whitman, through the image of grass, attempts to capture men's journey in the pursuit of the highest level of contentment."

Tags:symbolism, unity

Abstract
In W. H. Auden's poem, "Funeral Blues," the speaker uses well-constructed poetic language and form to convey her attitude toward the subject of death. It explains how Auden manifests an extremely bitter interpretation of hopelessness and eternal sadness on the part of the speaker as a result of losing a loved one. The speaker in the poem is deeply saddened about the loss of her loved one and the fact that it was a force beyond her control. This person has been taken from her life in haste at a most inopportune time, and she feels as though her life has become pointless. It shows how, through Auden's use of tone, language, and structure, he portrays a very well-defined image of death and its effects on the individual, which is by no means desirable.

From the Paper
In "Funeral Blues" Auden makes the bitter attitude of the speaker toward the subject of death apparent to the readers through the use of symbols, imagery, personification, and the metaphor. In the first stanza Auden states, "stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone..."(Auden 1362. 1). The clock being stopped may signify the fact that he who died has run out of time and also to ask those who knew him to stop what they are doing and reflect. The telephone being cut off brings forth the idea of silence. Auden does this to show the deceased the respect they deserve. She believes in honoring the dead with a moment of silence to pay respect. In the second stanza the speaker states, "let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead."(Auden 1362. 5). She uses this metaphoric image to convey the pointlessness of her life and also her grief. What point is there for aeroplanes to fly in circles? She is comparing the pointlessness of flying in circles to her life without her partner.

Tags:interpretation, poetry, representation, theme