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Geoffrey Chaucer was a well-known writer of the fourteenth century. He lived and wrote in a time when England was in a transformation. Medievalism still was a dominant influence in the lives of Englishmen, but the renaissance had assumed definite form and the country stood on the threshold of the modern world. This century was filled with social, political, literary, and religious ferment. In these times this man of the people began to write The Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales w
Essay on "The Centaur" May Swenson's poem "The Centaur," reveals the endless bounds of a child's fancy. It radiates a feeling of adventure and discovery typical of youth. Such elements as language, imagery, structure, and point of view serve to spotlight the girl's imagination. The language in this poem is characteristic of the innocence of a young girl. In selecting " . . . a fresh horse from [her] stable . . . which was a willow grove" (ll. 6-7), the girl instantly enters her dream
When I first looked at this piece, it reminded me of Bill Watterson's poems from the front of Calvin & Hobbes anthologies, like "The Yukon Song" from page three of Yukon Ho! ("We'll never have to go to school,/Forced into submission,/By monstrous, crabby teachers who'll/Make us learn addition."). This was primarily because the outward subject of the poem is immediately apparent: a woman complaining about her baby son. It is not hidden behind a shroud of metaphors and images, re
Next Day by Randall Jarrell I think, generally, people wish they were somewhere or someone else, no matter where they are or how objectively good their situations are. They're not really complaining; consciously they know things are going relatively well for them, but there is always that nostalgia for more romantic times past, or that nagging what if in the back of the mind. These feelings, which more or less everyone has more or less all of the time, are what Randall Jarrel
The two men in Wordsworth's "The Discharged Soldier" represent two very distinct kinds of solitude. The narrator is walking alone enjoying the night. Suddenly, he comes across another man who is alone, but not in the same way that he is. Both the narrator and the stranger lack attendants, dogs and staffs, but the stranger is still more isolated. The stranger is not simply alone but desolate. After observing the ghastly form of the stranger for some time, the narrator approaches. From their conve
"A Lecture Upon the Shadow": The faults of a metaphor Liana R. Prieto (March 1998)  "A Lecture upon the Shadow" seems to be a poem signaling the inevitable decline of love, but it is not. John Donne metaphorically equates the rising and setting of the sun with a love affair. The metaphor says that love grows, reaches a peak, and then quickly declines, as does the sun in its daily course. The metaphor applies if the poem were meant to be a subtle way for the narrator to inform hi
Mike Patterson Mr. White English10 December 12, 1998 Journal 2 Western Wind, When Will Thou Blow Westron wind, when with thou blow The small rain down can rain? Christ, that my love were in my arms, And I in my bed again. - Anonymous The poem Western Winds, When Will Thou Blow is about the longing for love and companionship. It might be told from a traveler or from a sailor's song because of its reference to the Western winds, which bring the spring rains. The speaker of the p
A Childhood Revisited In May Swenson's poem "The Centaur," various elements of imagery, language, point of view, and structure convey great meaning in the poem. Imagery and language depict the playful, imaginative nature of a child. Similarly, point of view and structure illustrate the joyous, carefree thoughts and feelings associated with childhood. Various examples of imagery demonstrate Swenson's recollection of a memorable, aesthetic childhood experience. The poet remembers a time wh
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is a sensitive, detailed record of Whitman's thoughts and observations about the continuity of nature and brotherhood while aboard a ferry between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Through the use of exclamation , repetition, and apostrophe, Whitman conveys his joyful belief in world solidarity and mans acceptance of god through truth, nature and beauty. Whitman begins the poem by describing his love and curiosity for the people that board the hundr
An Analysis Of Leave Me O' Love A Sonnet By Sir Philip Sidney By Avi Langer Leave me, O love which reachest but to dust; And thou, my mind aspire to higher things; Grow rich in that which never taketh rust, Whatever fades but fading pleasures brings. Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be; Which breaks the clouds and opens forth the light, That doth both shine and give us sight to see. O take fast hold; let that l