The Harlem Dancer is a poem by Claude McKay. It tells the story of a young woman who loves to dance and is trying to make a living doing it. The poem describes her movements and how she interacts with the people around her. The speaker in the poem is enamored with the dancer and … Read more
“To a Daughter Leaving Home” is a poem by Linda Pastan. In it, she reflects on the bittersweet nature of watching her daughter leave home and become her own person. While she knows that this is a necessary and good thing, she can’t help but feel a little sad and scared at the same time. … Read more
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright. She is best known for her sonnet “Love Is Not All,” which begins with the famous line, “Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink.” “Love Is Not All” is a poem about the pain of love and its inability to cure all … Read more
Pat Mora’s poem “Legal Alien” is a powerful exploration of the immigrant experience. Through the use of metaphor, tone and antithesis, Mora captures the complex emotions that come with being an outsider in a new country. The title of the poem, “Legal Alien”, itself is a metaphor. The word “alien” typically has negative connotations, conjuring … Read more
Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet whose work often focuses on the Black experience. “Woman” is one of her most famous poems, and it celebrates the strength and beauty of Black women. The poem has three stanzas, each of which begins with the word “woman.” In the first stanza, Giovanni describes how woman is created … Read more
Ernest Dowson’s poem “Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam” is a beautiful and tragic work that reflects on the fleeting nature of life. The poem centers around the idea that we must make the most of our time, because it is ultimately limited. This theme is expressed through the use of vivid imagery … Read more
Ballad of a Worldly Wealth is a poem written by Andrew Lang. The poem is about the dangers of being too focused on wealth and possessions. Ballad of a Worldly Wealth is a cautionary tale that warns against the dangers of greed and materialism. The poem teaches that true happiness comes from leading a simple, … Read more
The Road Not Taken is a poem by Robert Frost. The speaker in the poem is talking about a time when he had to make a decision. The speaker is faced with two roads, and he has to choose which one to take. The speaker takes the road less traveled, and he thinks about how … Read more
Julia Alvarez’s poem “How I Learned to Sweep” is a beautiful and moving poem about a young girl learning to sweep her house. Julia Alvarez was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the United States when she was ten years old. She has written many poems and novels about her experience as a … Read more
Although “Sympathy for the Devil” is a poem about Hell, it also offers a glimpse into the afterlife. The poem starts with the speaker’s sympathy for the devil, but it quickly becomes clear that the speaker is not wholeheartedly sympathetic. The poem reflects on the idea that while Hell is a bad place, it is … Read more
Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women is a poem by Aemilia Lanyer. Eve’s Apology is widely considered to be the first feminist work in English literature. Eve’s Apology was written in response to the common belief that women are inferior to men, and that Eve was responsible for the Fall of Man. Eve’s Apology argues … Read more
Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous poets in American history. She is known for her unique style of writing, which often includes short, blunt lines. “I Started Early – Took My Dog” is one of her most popular poems. It tells the story of a woman who takes her dog for a walk, … Read more
Theodore Roethke’s poem “Root Cellar” is a chilling and eerie depiction of the dark, cold space beneath the ground that houses all of our most basic needs – our food. Through vivid imagery and haunting metaphors, Roethke explores themes of hunger, survival, and dependence on nature. Despite its grim subject matter, this poem is a … Read more
Many people have interpreted Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz as a poem about child abuse. The poem describes a young boy being spun around by his father, and some have read this as a metaphor for the physical abuse that can occur in such a situation. However, it is also possible to read the poem … Read more
Daddy is a poem by Sylvia Plath. In the poem, Plath compares her dead father to a Nazi and an abuser. Daddy is a haunting and disturbing poem that reflects on Plath’s difficult relationship with her father. Daddy was published posthumously in 1965, after Plath committed suicide. The poem is one of the most famous … Read more
Imagery is one of the most important elements in poetry. It allows the poet to create vivid mental images that help the reader to understand the poem on a deeper level. Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” is full of imagery. The first two lines of the poem, “Sundays too my father got up early/and … Read more
The Road Not Taken is a poem by Robert Frost. The poem is about two roads diverging in a wood, and the speaker taking the less traveled road. The poem has been interpreted in many ways, but it is generally seen as a statement about making choices in life and not regretting them. The Road … Read more
Alden Nowlan’s The Bull Moose poem is a fascinating and insightful look at the animal itself, as well as the symbolism that it represents. The poem begins with a description of the bull moose, which is immediately followed by a discussion of its symbolism. The bull moose is seen as a symbol of strength and … Read more
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem that is full of melancholy and despair. The speaker in the poem is grieving the loss of his love, Lenore. The raven symbolizes death and mourning. The poem is full of dark imagery and depressing themes. The tone of the poem is very sad and gloomy. … Read more
My Papa’s Waltz is a poem by Theodore Roethke. The poem is about a young boy waltzing with his father. The father is drunk and the son is scared, but he doesn’t want to stop dancing. The poem has a light, playful tone at the beginning. However, as the poem progresses, the tone becomes more … Read more
The Most of It is a poem by Robert Frost. The poem is about a man who goes into the woods and sees a deer. The man tries to get the deer, but the deer gets away. The man is disappointed, but he is also happy that he got to see the deer. The poem … Read more
The poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful and haunting exploration of death. In the poem, Dickinson personifies death as a kind and gentle companion who takes the speaker on a journey to the afterlife. The poem begins with the speaker admitting that she did not stop for … Read more
Coal by Audre Lorde is a poem about the speaker’s experience with Coal. The poem begins with the speaker describing Coal as if it were a person. The speaker talks about how Coal is “hard and cold”, and how it “cuts through skin”. The speaker then talks about how Coal is used to power homes … Read more
John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is one of the most famous poems in English literature. The poem is written in praise of an urn decorated with images from Greek mythology. The urn is seen as a symbol of beauty and immortality, and Keats uses it to explore ideas about art, time, and life … Read more
