Discussion (poetry)

Poetry Discussion

1 .Select one of the poems in the Prosody section . Describe the prosody used by the author to create meaning in the poem (Let American Be America Again` ) By-Langston Hugham

The lyrical use of prosody inspired poetry has the potential to make a poem quite memorable . This is clearly evident in Langston Hughes classic poem "Let America Be America Again " The reason for this is the fact that the meter used in this poem creates powerful resonance in the reader and this resonance allows the reader to understand the emotional

br impact of the plight of African-Americans during the the period in which Hughes has written the poem

When you see the repeated pattern of the words "Let America be there is an understanding that the author is asking for America to live up to its promises . It describes a plea for equity and good will among the populace . Then , in the parenthetical use of the words "America was never America to me " we see that Hughes seemingly dismisses the notion of all the positives in America . But , Hughes is really not dismissing these positives as much as he is making a call to equity . That is to say , he acknowledges that equity and goodwill is possible if people will strive to make it so

The use of rhythm in the poem creates a certain sense of irony as he describes the good of the nation and then goes on to describe how this goodness has not be provided to everyone . This gives the reader pause to think and ponder the situation and , hopefully , develop an understanding to want to change it . As such , Langston Hughes ' poem remains a powerful examination of inequality that other poems can seldom provide

2 .Describe Yeats ' use of Symbolism and Allusion in The Second Coming

In William Butler Yeats ' classic poem "The Second Coming " we see a unique - albeit ranting - vision of the end of the world that uses brilliant symbolism and allusion to bring a certain logical cohesion to a situation that can often be describes as chaotic . This allows the poem to retain much of its literary power

In terms of symbolism we see words such as "blood drenched tide " which refers to the chaos , misery and death that will befall the world when the time to end the world is near . This symbolism shows that such an ending to the world will not be a "neat and ly one " and that facing the end of days brings with it a cruelty . As such , there needs to be a departure from common images of the end of the world as being a time of salvation and instead to look upon such an ending with fear and foreboding .particularly if you have not lived your life in an honest manner

In terms of allusion we can see a powerful emotional impact which describes the impending doomsday scenario as a "widening gyre " that is "pitiless as the sun " In other words , the end...