Poetry Cards

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

• Author: William Wordsworth

• Year: 1807 (first published)

• Tone: Peaceful, joyful, reflective, and appreciative.

• Theme: Nature has the power to bring happiness and comfort. Memories of beautiful experiences in nature can provide lasting joy even when someone is alone.

Divorce

• Author: Billy Collins

• Year: 2008

• Tone: Humorous, ironic, sarcastic, and conversational.

• Theme: The poem uses a divorce as a metaphor for conflict and separation between words and punctuation. It explores the tension between language, meaning, and relationships.

We Wear the Mask

• Author: Paul Laurence Dunbar

• Year: 1895

• Tone: Sorrowful, frustrated, restrained, and reflective.

• Theme: People often hide their true emotions and suffering behind a mask to protect themselves.

Introduction to Poetry

• Author: Billy Collins

• Year: 1988

• Tone: Playful, humorous, encouraging, and slightly frustrated.

• Theme: Poetry should be explored with curiosity, imagination, and an open mind rather than simply analyzed for a single correct meaning.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

• Author: Robert Frost

• Year: 1923

• Tone: Peaceful, reflective, mysterious, and somber.

• Theme: The beauty of nature versus the responsibilities and promises we must fulfill.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

• Author: Dylan Thomas

• Year: 1951

• Tone: Urgent, passionate, emotional, and defiant.

• Theme: Fighting against death and refusing to give up on life.

If

• Author: Rudyard Kipling

• Year: 1943

• Tone: Encouraging, wise, motivational, and instructive.

• Theme: Patience, self-control, perseverance, and humility are important qualities for becoming a mature person.

The Red Wheelbarrow

• Author: William Carlos Williams

• Year: 1923

• Tone: Simple, calm, observant, and appreciative.

• Theme: Appreciate the little things

The Charge of the Light Brigade

• Author: Alfred, Lord Tennyson

• Year: 1854

• Tone: Heroic, patriotic, dramatic, and mournful.

• Theme: The courage, loyalty, and sacrifice of soldiers who follow orders into dangerous situations

Barbie Doll

• Author: Marge Piercy

• Year: 1973

• Tone: Critical, sarcastic, ironic, and tragic.

• Theme: Society's unrealistic beauty standards and the pressure placed on women to look and behave a certain way are harmful

The Road Not Taken

• Author: Robert Frost

• Year: 1916

• Tone: Reflective, thoughtful, contemplative, and nostalgic.

• Theme: The choices we make in life, the uncertainty of decisions, and wondering about the paths we did not take.

Head, Heart

• Author: Lydia Davis

• Year: 2007

• Tone: Sad, emotional, reflective, and conversational.

• Theme: The conflict between logic and emotion when dealing with grief, loss, and heartbreak.