English Lit Poems

Neutral Tones

1. "The sun was white, as though chidden of God" 2. "Since then, keen lessons that love deceives"

"The sun was white, as though chidden of God"

Zoom-in: Adjective "white" suggests a lack of warmth or life. Personification: "chidden" (scolded) implies the universe itself is against their love.

"Since then, keen lessons that love deceives"

Zoom-in: Adjective "keen" suggests the pain is sharp and permanent. It shows the speaker has become bitter and cynical over time.

Follower

1. "His shoulders globed like a full sail strung" 2. "I was a nuisance, tripping, falling, Yapping always"

"His shoulders globed like a full sail strung"

Verb/Simile: "globed" and "full sail" make the father seem like a powerful, massive force of nature. Shows the son's total awe.

"I was a nuisance, tripping, falling, Yapping always"

List of verbs: "tripping, falling" contrasts the son’s clumsiness with the father’s perfection. Metaphor: "Yapping" makes him sound like a stray puppy.

Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’

1. "my thoughts do twine and bud / About thee, as wild vines, about a tree" 2. "Renew thy presence… Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare"

"my thoughts do twine and bud / About thee, as wild vines, about a tree"

Extended Metaphor: "wild vines" suggests her thoughts are uncontrollable, messy, and totally dependent on him (the "tree").

"Renew thy presence... Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare"

Imperatives: "Renew" and "Rustle" show her desperation. She wants the "physical" man, not just the "thought" of him.

When We Two Parted

1. "Pale grew thy cheek and cold, / Colder thy kiss" 2. "In silence and tears"

"Pale grew thy cheek and cold, / Colder thy kiss"

Imagery: Repetition of "cold/colder" uses death-like imagery to show the relationship has died. No warmth left.

"In silence and tears"

Structure: Appears at the start and end (cyclical). Shows he is trapped in a loop of grief he can't talk about because the affair was a secret.

Walking Away

1. "Like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit" 2. "love is proved in the letting go"

"Like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit"

Violent Verb: "wrenched" shows how painful and "unnatural" the separation feels to the parent. The child is drifting into a scary, vast space.

"love is proved in the letting go"

Verb: "proved" suggests the ultimate test of love isn't holding on, but having the strength to allow independence.

Singh Song!

1. "tiny eyes on a gunny bag / 20 hours knee-deep in di freshly cut bread" 2. "is priceless baby"

"tiny eyes on a gunny bag / 20 hours knee-deep in di freshly cut bread"

Imagery: Humorous and strange imagery showing his wife is modern. Phonetic: "di" shows pride in his British-Indian identity.

"is priceless baby"

Adjective: "priceless" shifts from comedy to pure romance. Proves their love is worth more than all the money in the shop.