2.1 Song of the Open Road
The poem Song of the Open Road is written by Walt Whitman. He is
an American poet and father of free verse. He is a popular poet for his work
“Leaves of Grass”. Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road is a
powerful celebration of freedom, adventure, and the joy of traveling on the
open road. The poem encourages readers to explore the world around them.
It speaks to the human desire to wander and experience the beauty of
nature, and to seek out new experiences and challenges.
Throughout the poem, Whitman uses vivid imagery and suggestive
language to convey the excitement and energy of travel. He encourages readers
to leave behind the limitations of society and embrace the open road, where
anything is possible. The poem celebrates the simple pleasures of life, such as
the feeling of the wind on one's face and the beauty of a starry sky.
At its core, "Song of the Open Road" is a celebration of
the human spirit and the limitless possibilities of the world around us. It
reminds us that life is a journey and that the road ahead is full of adventure
and opportunity. It encourages us to embrace the unknown, to take risks, and to
never stop exploring the world around us.
There are many poetic devices used in this poem. The poem is
written in free verse style. The poem is a dramatic monologue. The poet has
used various figures of speech such as Metaphor, Tautology, Paradox,
Alliteration, etc.
I really like this poem "Song of the Open Road" as it is
a beautiful, inspiring poem that celebrates the joy of travel and the human
spirit. It reminds us to appreciate the beauty of the world around us, and to
embrace the freedom and adventure that comes with exploring it."
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2.2 The Indian Weaver
About the poem/poet and the title: ‘Indian Weavers’ is by the renowned poet,
Sarojini Naidu. The poem was taken from the poet’s first volume, ' The Golden
Threshold’, published in 1905. It consists of three stanzas, or quatrains, with
two rhyming couplets each. This poem is a metaphor for the three stages of
human life - birth, youth and death. The poet depicts Indian weavers, who weave
tirelessly at different times, while simultaneously describing the three stages
of human life, from birth to death, just as the weavers weave from dawn
tonight. The poet chooses three different time settings - the weavers weave the
new-born baby’s garments in the early morning, the queen’s marriage-veils in
the evening and the dead man’s shroud at midnight.
Theme: The poem's
central theme is the parallelism that the poet beautifully draws between the
three parts of the weaver’s workday and the three stages of human life. The
rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aabb’, ‘ccdd’ and ‘eeff’ respectively.
Poetic style: The
style used in the poem is simple and lucid, with each stanza beginning with a
question to evoke the reader’s interest.
The
language/poetic devices used in the poem: The poetic devices Alliteration,
Consonance, Inversion, Metaphor, Repetition and simile have been employed to
enhance the text’s poetic appeal. The use of Simile in ‘blue as the wing of a
halcyon wild’, Metaphor in ‘break of day’ to compare it to ‘childhood’,
Alliteration in repetitive consonant sounds of ‘we’ throughout the stanzas or
‘p’ in ‘purple peacock’, and repetition of the words ‘weavers’, weaving’ and
‘weave’ across the poem are the examples of these poetic devices.
Special features: The
poet has used vivid imagery in correlating the parts of the day to the stages
of life. Almost every line of the poem contains imagery, which paints a picture
in the readers’ minds about the ‘weavers weaving’, ‘blue-colored robe on a
new-born baby’, ‘a queen wearing purple and green coloured marriage-veil’ and a
‘dead body covered with a white shroud’. The major use of symbolism in the poem
is that the ‘threads’ of a person’s life are woven by ‘destiny’ or ‘Fates’,
which is represented by the ‘weavers’ in this poem.
Message, values, morals in the poem: The message being conveyed by the poem is that of the
continuous motion of life, where each stage, characterized by its unique
emotions, lasts for a while before the next one comes along to take its place.
I find this poem a good read as it is a short poem that is packed with imagery.
Your opinion about the poem: I like the poem for the colour scheme that the poet has
chosen for the garments woven by the weaver according to the life-stage of the
intended wearer.
2.3 The Inchcape Rock
1)About the poem/poet/title The poem , The Inchcape Rock is a ballad. It is about
a dangerous rock near the Scottish coast. Robert Southey was inspired by the
story of a pirate who cut the bell on the Inchcape Rock placed by the Abbot of
Aberbrothok. The title gives the hint that the rock is an important element of
the poem.
2)The theme
The theme is about an Abbot and a
pirate . The Abbot is concerned about human beings and help to save the
sailors.
He put the Inchcape Bell on a buoy
to warn ships day and night of the terrible Inchcape Rock , during storms. The
rock was very perilous. But the Rover, in a fit of jealousy and anger, on a
spring day, cut the bell just to trouble the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
3)Poetic style
The poem is a ballad, a story told
in stanzas of four lines, with aabb rhyme. The story is narrated in a beautiful
way and easy language. The poet has used many old English words(archaic words)
like “ blest’”quoth” ‘canst’ “ methink” etc.
4)Language/ poetic devices used in
the poem
The language is very easy since it
is a story. The use of metaphor, Repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia,
Exclamation add colours in the poem.
5)Special features
The poem clearly depict the
personality traits, Nature, human behaviours of characters as the story move
ahead. It brought a tragic end, ruin to the pirate and sailors.
6)Message, values, morals in the
poem
The poem gives us a message that
those who do wrong things will meet with due punishment. The values will remain
forever. The story has a moral and useful in modern times.
7)Your opinion about the poem
I like the poem because it is a like
a moral story. It is applicable and has current relevance too.
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2.4 HAVE YOU EARNED YOUR TOMORROW
a) About the poem /Poet
and the title: This poem is written by the famous poet Edgar Guest. He was known as
people's poet and writer. The title of the poem is self-explanatory. This is an
inspirational poem. It is a thought provoking poem.
b) Theme/central idea: The poet has
urged people and reader to be thoughtful in day to day life. The poet has put
forward few questions. It made us to think if we are kind, generous, unselfish,
patient and compassionate or not. We should be considerate in our lives. We are
so selfish and engrossed that we do not bother about others.
c)Poetic
devices, language, style: The use of interrogation is prominent. Out of
sixteen lines, poet has used
interrogation in eleven lines. The language is very simple. There is
alliteration and rhyme. The poem has four stanzas of four lines each.
d) The message: The message is clear. The life is
meaningful only if it is useful for humanity at large. If you are able to help
others and kind enough probably you may earn your tomorrow. Instead of waiting
for tomorrow, you can utilize each day as if there would be no tomorrow.
e) your opinion about the poem: I like the
poem because it is related to our day to day life. It has a message for all the
readers. I like the last stanza of the poem very much. It is an uplifting poem.
we can start implementing the message conveyed in this poem.
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