lit poems and stanza
Poem: Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers
by Adrienne Rich
Poem:
Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen,
Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Aunt Jennifer’s finger fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
Stanza analysis:
In the first stanza, the narrator describes the tiger in a vibrant type of image. The tigers are shown
prancing across a screen indicating that the tigers are a form of artwork. The tigers are used to portray
aunt Jennifer’s children and her children are not afraid of men, showing their bravery and freedom. They
move confidently and gallantly embodying a sense of noble certainty in there demeanor.
In the second stanza, the focus shifts to aunt Jennifer, who is shown to be extremely weak. She’s so
weak that she even finds a needle hard to pull. This has happened because her marriage has been a
burdened for her. This marriage has tortured her mentally and physically and made her weak.
In the last stanza, The narrator talks about how her ordeals are like shackles for her which controlled
and mastered her, even after death but her tigers which refers to her children will go on, fearless and
proud, again indicating their bravery.
Poem: The good morrow
- BY JOHN DONNE
I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.
And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love, all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,
Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres,
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally;If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.
Stanza analysis:
In the first stanza, the narrator asked 4 questions .He wondered, addressing his lover, what they
did before they loved. After that, it is continued by three rhetorical questions: were they fed by their
mother’s milk; did they suck on country pleasures; did they sleep in seven sleepers den. In the final
three lines of the stanza, he answers yes to all his previous questions. He says it was all just a fancy,
before he met his lover.
The second stanza starts with the poet saying that the relationship between the narrator and his
beloved is perfect. In the following lines, he says that his eyes and the image that he sees is
controlled by their love and it makes a small room everywhere for him and his lover. The last three
lines uses anaphora with repeating the word “let”. The narrator is now saying that he does not care
about what places did the rest of the world find. He’s happy to stay in the “world” that he and his
lover possessed.
The final stanza begins with the narrator looking into his beloved’s eyes, where he can see his own
face and he knows that his lover can see hers in his eyes too, and their heartfelt connection lies
within their faces. The following lines uses conceit. In this case, he's comparing their faces as two
hemispheres which are, unlike in the real world, perfect. There is no sharp north or declining west.
Their love is so powerful, it makes them both immortal.
Poem: “Hope” is the thing with feathers
By EMILY DICKINSON
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
Stanza analysis:
In the first stanza, the poet start with using metaphorical conceit to compare Hope, an abstract
concept, as a bird. In the following lines, she says that hope rest within our souls and only rises in
our worst times, indicating that hope has freedom and only comes out of our souls when it needs
to. In the last line she uses personification to say that hope sings the tunes without the words, also
an abstract concept, and never stops at all, indicating that hope never stops to provide and is a
symbol of encouragement.
The second stanza starts with the poet using personification to say that hope’s voice is the
sweetest sound in the strongest of winds, indicating that it has an extremely powerful effect on the person (listener).In the last three lines, the poet talks about that the if the storm is too sore,
metaphorically saying that if the times are too rough for the person, then it could abash the little
bird, metaphorically saying that hope is the little bird, that kept so many worm, saying that hope
provides to everyone.
In the final stanza, the poet talks about her experience with hope. She says that she had some of
the toughest times and challenges in her life and hope has been there with her to help her
throughout her life. However even after all this time, it never asked anything from her.
Poem: The Chimney Sweeper: When my mother died I was very young (Innocence).
By WILLIAM BLAKE
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry “ ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep!”
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.
There’s little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head
That curled like a lamb’s back, was shaved, so I said,
“Hush, Tom! Never mind it, for when your head’s bare,
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”
And so he was quiet, & that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;
And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.
Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.
And the Angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boy,
He’d have God for his father & never want joy.
And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
Stanza analysis:
The first stanza starts with a boy talking about his despairing life as a young chimney sweeper. He
says that his mother died when he was young, and his father sold him as a chimney sweeper when
he was still innocent. In these poor conditions he could only cry quietly, sweep chimneys and sleep
in the black powder of the chimney.
The second stanza starts with the little boy now talking about another chimney sweeper called Tom
Dacre, who cried when his white hair was shaved, so the little boy tried to cheer him up by saying
that the soot cannot ruin his white hair anymore.
The third stanza, is continued by the little boy telling us more about Tom Dacre. That night Tom
slept quietly, however when he was sleeping he has such a sight of thousands of chimney
sweepers, Dick, Joe, Jack, etc. were locked up in coffins of black, indicating that they are locked
away for being chimney sweepers.
The fourth stanza, is continued by giving us more details about the dream that Tom had. Later on in
the dream an angel came in with a bright key who unlocked the coffins setting them all free. All of
them were running and jumping down a green plane, washing themselves in the river and shining in
the sun.The fifth stanza, is continued by telling us more about the dream. Now all of the kids were naked
and white and they flew up to the clouds leaving their bags, metaphorically leaving their lives as
chimney sweepers and then the angel talked to him and said that if he listens and be a good boy,
God will be his father and he will be so happy that he will never want joy again. This dream shows
that they can only be free after death and how innocent his mind was.
In the final stanza, after the dream, Tom is very positive and he goes to work. Even after all this cold,
Tom is happy and warm, again showing his innocence and the way there can be positivity in the
worst of times.
Poem: The Chimney Sweeper (Experience)
By WILLIAM BLAKE
A little black thing among the snow,
Crying “weep! ‘weep!” in notes of woe!
“Where are thy father and mother? Say?”
“They are both gone up to the church to pray.
Because I was happy upon the heath,
And smil’d among the winter’s snow,
They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.
And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King,
Who make up a heaven of our misery.”
STANZA:
1. In the first stanza, the chimney sweeper, described as a "little black thing," is crying sadly
in the snow. He's asked where his parents are, and he answers that they're at church
praying. This stanza sets up the idea that the child is alone and neglected.
2. In the second stanza, the chimney sweeper explains that his parents dressed him in
clothes that remind him of death and taught him to sing sad songs. This suggests that his
parents have forced him into a life of hardship and sorrow instead of letting him enjoy his
childhood.
3. The third stanza reveals that despite his suffering, the chimney sweeper is still able to find
joy in dancing and singing. However, his parents, who should protect him, believe they
haven't hurt him. Instead, they praise God, the priest, and the king, even though their actions
contribute to the suffering of children like the chimney sweeper. This stanza highlights the
unfairness and hypocrisy of the situation.