Poetry

"To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet

Yes, this is her.

This poem is a rare example of writing by a woman in colonial America (British America before its independence). Anne Bradstreet's father was the governor of Massachussetts and so was her husband, Simon. After emigrating from England, she lived a very difficult life in the early colony: her house burned down, her best friend was declared a heretic and was later killed during an Indian raid, and one of her children died. In addition, her husband often had to leave her and his family during his travels. Anne was nevertheless highly educated, and came from a highly educated family, so she used the time to write. She didn't want her work published since it wasn't considered appropriate for a women to be educated, but a male friend of hers published some of her work in England and the rest of her poetry posthumously (after her death).

In this sonnet (14 line love poem) she tells of her deep love for her husband by using images of wealth ("mines of gold", "the riches of the East") and hardships (thirst, rivers in flood) that were common at that time. She also compares her position with other women who were perhaps not given the same opportunities and love that she had.

The following was not discussed in class and is not examinable, but it helps you understand her educated and refined tone. Note the two paradoxes (seemingly contradictory statements) in the opening and closing lines. In the opening lines she states, "If ever two we one, then surely we." Two obviously can't literally be one, but they can think and feel and act as one person. This line also refers to the "marriage vows" where a husband and wife promise to live as "one". And Anne feels that she is "one" (united) with her husband not only in the legal sense of being married, but also in her practical married life - even though he was often away from her on business.

Also, "So in life let's so persevere, that when we live no more/we may live ever." Here she suggests that their souls will always remain united even after they have died or, perhaps, that if he dies, he will "live" on in her memory, or vice versa. Beautiful thought, isn't it?

I hope you able to understand her profoundly loving, yet delicate and refined tone better now that you know something about her background.

"The Sky is Low" by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson

Another snow poem (I wonder why snow and nature are such important North American concerns) which describes how people are sometimes not as perfect as they should be in the same way that nature is not wonderful as we make it seem. Four aspects of a snowy day are all described as people (personified) so that we see our silly (and darker) moods from another perspective.

First, the sky is low (feeling depressed, down and lacking energy) meaning that the clouds are dark and near the earth. Second, the clouds are mean (being nasty and spiteful) by bringing rain, wind and snow. A snowflake debates (it isn't certain or decided) where it wants to go. Finally, a narrow (petty, small, narrow-minded) wind complains (moans) without forgiving - not just for a short time, but all day.

Dickinson's conclusion is that we sometimes misbehave - are caught without our diadem (small crown with jewels given by God to people who are good, similar to a halo).

"I am nobody" by Emily Dickinson

This is a short but powerful poem which makes sly fun of people who think and make themselves important. The idea is simple, she enjoys being a private person - a nobody - and feels that if she became famous then others would become jealous and banish her. She isn't really "nobody", "nobody" is the name given by famous people to people who aren't famous, but it doesn't mean they are "nobodies"!

In the first stanza she treats the reader like an intimate friend, almost as if they were plotting together against the more famous people. It's ironic that we now remember Emily Dickinson more than any of the people she came in contact with.

In the second stanza she philosophically considers how it isn't pleasant to be famous since we never have privacy and are always being watched - ask any movie star what it's like to be photographed ALL the time. She then develops an amazing metaphor comparing famous people to frogs who croak their names all day at their admirers (who are no more than a hot, smelly, dark, and watery bog). The suggestion is simple: if people didn't keep on reminding us of who they were, we would forget them.

Also listen to the sound devices: All the explosive alliteration (p, b, k, f sounds) which show her disgust with the famous people. Then there's the onomatopoeia on the words frog and bog (sound like a frog croak). Remember that some of these sound devices were added later by Dickinson's editor, so it's the ideas and images which are important in her poetry.

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Here is a link to hear Robert Frost read his own poems (recorded in 1956).

http://www.robertfrost.org/indexgood.html

The poem is literally about someone who arrives at a fork in the road and has to decide which route to take. Both roads look appealing to him, but one of them seems to have been used more. While he has no idea about what he will find down each path, he takes the less popular road. Now, looking back at his choice, he has no regrets, and feels it has made his life worthwhile.

So far, so good. However, if he were really in a wood, it would be really easy for him to come back another time and try the other route. There are suggestions throughout the poem that he is describing more than just a walk in a forest. A wood (forest) is a traditional metaphor for life's difficulties, while a road is often a metaphor for a journey through life. It seems to him that he made a decision about his future a long time before and now, in looking back at his life, he feels he has made the right decision, even though it was against what most people thought or do.

Some people call Robert Frost America's greatest "nature poet", but is his poetry really about nature?

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost

Once again, the narrator speaks on two levels, the literal and metaphorical. On the literal level, the speaker is in the woods as it begins to snow, although these woods belong to someone who lives in a nearby village. Strangely (even his horse thinks it "queer" or strange), he stops to soak up the comforting ("lovely", "dark" and "deep") atmosphere, even though he has responsibilities: a long journey (miles to go) and important business ("promises to keep").

On the metaphorical level, he suggests that sometimes we need time off from the busy lives and problems that face us in order to regain contact with our own feelings and our surroundings. Also, he suggests that sometimes we prefer to be away from people and the bright lights of civilisation.

Look at how the horse is personified in this poem. Frost uses the horse to show how differently the speaker's actions are to normal behaviour, so we can see how differently the man is acting. Having another person in the scene would spoil the effect of solitude.