Honors Literature Final Flashcards

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

The poem is a dramatic monologue where a Duke shows a painting of his deceased wife, revealing his jealousy and controlling nature. He speaks to a visitor about his late wife's perceived flirtatious behavior, ultimately implying he had her killed.

Themes in My Last Duchess

• Jealousy and possessiveness

• Power and control

• Art and aesthetics

• Social class and status

• Gender roles and expectations

• Selfish and egotistical

Symbols in the Last Duchess

portrait of the Duchess, the Duke's gift of a 900-year-old name, and the curtain covering the painting. The portrait of the Duchess symbolizes her beauty and presence. The Duke’s gift symbolizes his pride in his llineage and status. The curtain symbolizes the Duke’s desire to control how the Duchess is viewed

The Laboratory by Robert Browning

The poem depicts a woman who visits a chemist to buy poison to kill her rival. She revels in her jealousy and desire for revenge, describing the process of creating the poison in detail. The poem explores themes of jealousy, revenge, and the destructive nature of obsession.

Major Themes in the Laboratory

1. Jealousy and Betrayal: The speaker's jealousy drives her to seek revenge.

2. Power and Control: The desire for power and control over others is evident.

3. Destruction and Obsession: Themes of destruction and obsession are prominent.

4. Morality and Consequences: The consequences of immoral actions are explored.

Symbols in The Laboratory

• Poison: Represents the speaker's desire for revenge.

• Glass vessel: Symbolizes the fragility of life and the impending doom.

• Gold: Signifies the speaker's greed and lust for wealth.

• Fire: Represents the destructive nature of the speaker's emotions.

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman

As he crossing along the tide, he takes in the small things whic are seen as glory in his eyes. He takes pleasure in the things around him. Thinking about futre generations and faith in human beings.

Themes in Crosing Brooklyn Ferry

1. Interconnectedness

2. Continuity of Life

3. Transcendence of Time

4. Celebration of Humanity

5. Spiritual Connection

Symbols in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

1. The Ferry: The ferry itself symbolizes the journey of life, with its cyclical nature of departures and arrivals mirroring the passage of time

2. The River: The river represents the flow of time and the interconnectedness of past, present, and future.

3. Sunset and Evening: These symbols evoke the passage of time and the inevitable cycle of life and death.

4. Crowds of People: The crowds of people on the ferry symbolize the collective human experience.

5. The Poet's Voice: Whitman's voice in the poem symbolizes the universal human spirit, expressing the thoughts and emotions.

I, too by Langston Hughes

In the poem, Hughes describes a ubiquitous racial oppression that degrades African Americans from their proper place. He writes from the perspective of the "darker brother" to a domineering family that shoos him away to the kitchen whenever company arrives.

Themes in I, too by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes' poem "I, Too" is a metaphor for the dream of ending segregation and the possibility and hope of bringing all people together. Hughes strives to make his work relatable to the reader, and this piece, published in 1926, would bring a lot of comfort to those who feel marginalized. Resiliance and Pride for the country

Summary of Let America Be America Again

the American dream is not truly realized because not everyone can attain it. The American dream is a concept that says anyone can become who they want to be in America. If that is not true, then the American dream is not possible.

Themes of Let America Be America Again

both a criticism of America as it has been--marred by power, oppression, and greed--and what it can be: a place of freedom, hope, equality, and justice for all.

Harlem By Langston Hughes

about the possible negative things that can result when a person's dream or a wish that could contribute to their happiness doesn't work out. The poem uses the poetic techniques of simile and metaphor to compare various negative consequences to a dream being deferred or even ended.

Themes in Harlem by Langston Hughes

deffered dreams, impact of racism and universal experience

Defending Walt Whitman by Sherman Alexie

The poem imagines "Indian boys" who must defend against Whitman, who must prevent him from scoring by blocking his shots. Yet it also imagines other Indians, those who are Whitman's teammates: "Somebody throws a crazy pass," Alexie writes, "and Walt Whitman catches it with quick hands"

Themes in Defending Walt Whitman

cultural identity, sexuality, masculinity, the historical context of the Civil War, and the enduring influence of Whitman's poetry

A Supermarket in California by Allen Ginsberg

Whitman, for his part, acts almost like an alien placed on Earth from outer space; the supermarket environment doesn't make sense to his 19th-century perspective. The speaker imagines playfully tasting the produce and not paying for any of it, before asking more searching and philosophical questions of his poet guide. He wonders whether America has grown too preoccupied with consumerism and a money-orientated way, and in doing so if the country has lost its way and its capacity to love. The poem ends with an image of Whitman in the underworld, suggesting that Whitman's idealistic and romantic vision of America is probably already dead.

themes in Supermarket in California

the spiritual desolation of America; homoeroticism; the influence of the past (specifically Walt Whitman's influence); and the isolation of the modern individual.

Not Waving but drowning by Stevie Smith

The poem describes a drowning man whose frantic arm gestures are mistaken for waving by distant onlookers. On a less literal level, the poem speaks to the isolation and pain of being misunderstood, and is a kind of parable about the distance between inner feelings and outward appearance.

Themes in Not Waving, but drowning

isolation, communication, misunderstood, alienation

Thoughts about the person from porlock Themes

explores themes of depression, procrastination, and the human desire to take a break

Bright star by Keats

Free verse

poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter.

Iambic Pentameter

a poetic rhythm that uses ten syllables per line, with every other syllable stressed. The syllables are arranged into five metrical feet, called iambs, each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The rhythm is similar to a heartbeat, with one soft beat and one strong beat repeated five times.