Poetry Lesson 8 short answer

1 . Read Sylvia Plath 's Lady Lazarus , then select one specific symbol and explain

what it represents in the context of the poem

Sylvia Plath 's Lady Lazarus , after the biblical character who was brought back to life by Jesus Christ , is a poem about Plath 's tragic ideals of life , and suicide . In the line And like a cat I have nine times to die , she uses the symbolic context of a cat 's nine lives to describe her ability to reinvent and reform herself . It also documents the events in

the poet 's life , from her father 's passing on to her tumultuous relationship with her husband Ted Hughes - all of which accounts for her numerous deaths ' and rebirths

2 . Read William Butler Yeats ' Sailing to Byzantium , then select one specific

symbol and explain what it represents in the context of the poem

In Sailing to Byzantium , Yeats opens with a line that says , That is no country for old men ' - which at once showcases the negative qualities to age and weakness . Yeats talks about Byzantium as a kind of utopia where art is at its height , and human and natural capacities are at their finest . The vibrant images negate common colors to aging , which are usually dark and gloomy . The poem qualifies , though , that age may be forgotten if the presence of soul and spirit for art are alive

3 What does Byzantium represent in the poem

Byzantium is actually an ancient European city , now known as Istanbul It was the symbol of civilization and progress in art , as well as commerce , politics , and culture . The poem 's use of Byzantium is akin to a land of a faraway place and time , which cannot be brought back Hence , Yeats ' Byzantium may not just be a reference to the actual place but a representation of utopia , or heaven , where everything is alive colorful , and flourishing in art

4 . Read Archibald Macleish 's Ars Poetica , select one couplet , and explain the

symbolic significance of the couplet to the art of poetry

Macleish 's Ars Poetica ' is a poem featuring the poet 's creative philosophy . Its last couplet ( A poem must not mean /But be illustrates Macleish 's view of how a poem should be written , how it should be read , and its relevance to readers . Through this line , he also negated poems written by other poets - many of which give untold meanings , preach particular morals , and represent various ideologies Macleish believes that a true poem should not be coated in layers of truths , as seen by its creator . It should just be - a work of art that expresses the mind of the poet , without imposing on the reader...