(c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. POETRY for Students (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Advisors JayneM.BurtonisateacherofEnglish,amember fromtheUniversityofMichiganandamaster of the Delta Kappa Gamma International offineartsdegreefromtheUniversityofHous- SocietyforKeyWomenEducators,andcur- ton.SheisamemberoftheNationalCouncilof rently a master’s degree candidate in the TeachersofEnglishandTeachersandWriters. InterdisciplinaryStudyofCurriculumand SheisanexamreaderforAdvancedPlacement Instruction and English at Angelo State LiteratureandComposition.Sheisalsoapoet, University. publishedinNorthAmericanReview,Nimrod, Mary Beth Maggio teaches seventh grade lan- andMichiganQuarterlyReview,amongothers. guageartsinSchaumburg,Illinois. MaryTurnerholdsaBSinSecondaryEducation TomShiltsistheyouthlibrarianattheOkemos fromEastTexasStateUniversityandaMas- branch of Capital Area District Library in ter of Education from Western Kentucky Okemos,Michigan.HeholdsanMSLSdegree University. She teaches English 7 and AP fromClarionUniversityofPennsylvaniaand English 12 literature and composition at anMAinU.S.HistoryfromtheUniversityof SBECinSouthaven,Mississippi. NorthDakota. Brian Woerner teaches English at Troy High Amy Spade Silverman hastaughtatindependent SchoolinTroy,Ohio.HeisalsoaProgram schools in California, Texas, Michigan, and Associate of the Ohio Writing Project at NewYork.Sheholdsabachelorofartsdegree MiamiUniversity. (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. POETRY for Students Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Poetry VOLUME 42 Sara Constantakis, Project Editor Foreword by David J. Kelly Detroit ■ New York ■ San Francisco ■ New Haven, Conn ■ Waterville, Maine ■ London (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. PoetryforStudents,Volume42 ª2013Gale,CengageLearning ProjectEditor:SaraConstantakis ALLRIGHTSRESERVED.Nopartofthisworkcoveredbythecopyrighthereinmay RightsAcquisitionandManagement: bereproduced,transmitted,stored,orusedinanyformorbyanymeansgraphic, SheilaSpencer electronic,ormechanical,includingbutnotlimitedtophotocopying,recording, Composition:EviAbou-El-Seoud scanning,digitizing,taping,Webdistribution,informationnetworks,orinformation storageandretrievalsystems,exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976 Manufacturing:RhondaDover UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher. Imaging:JohnWatkins Sincethispagecannotlegiblyaccommodateallcopyrightnotices,the ProductDesign:PamelaA.E.Galbreath, acknowledgmentsconstituteanextensionofthecopyrightnotice. JenniferWahi DigitalContentProduction:AllieSemperger Forproductinformationandtechnologyassistance,contactusat ProductManager:MegginCondino GaleCustomerSupport,1-800-877-4253. Forpermissiontousematerialfromthistextorproduct, submitallrequestsonlineatwww.cengage.com/permissions. Furtherpermissionsquestionscanbeemailedto [email protected] Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetoensurethereliabilityoftheinformation presentedinthispublication,Gale,apartofCengageLearning,doesnotguaranteethe accuracyofthedatacontainedherein.Galeacceptsnopaymentforlisting;and inclusioninthepublicationofanyorganization,agency,institution,publication,service, orindividualdoesnotimplyendorsementoftheeditorsorpublisher.Errorsbroughtto theattentionofthepublisherandverifiedtothesatisfactionofthepublisherwillbe correctedinfutureeditions. Gale 27500DrakeRd. FarmingtonHills,MI,48331-3535 ISBN-13:978-1-4144-9503-3 ISBN-10:1-4144-9503-X ISSN1094-7019 Thistitleisalsoavailableasane-book. ISBN-13:978-1-4144-9276-6 ISBN-10:1-4144-9276-6 ContactyourGale,apartofCengageLearningsalesrepresentativefororderinginformation. Printed in Mexico 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 17 16 15 14 13 (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents ADVISORS . . . . . . . . . . . . ii JUST A FEW LINES ON A PAGE . . . . . ix (byDavidJ.Kelly) INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . xi LITERARY CHRONOLOGY . . . . . . . xv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . xvii CONTRIBUTORS . . . . . . . . . xix ALL THINGS NOT CONSIDERED (byNaomiShihabNye). . . . . . . . . 1 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 2 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . . 2 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . . 6 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . . 8 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . . 22 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . . 22 AUBADE (byPhilipLarkin) . . . . . . . 23 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 24 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . . 25 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 v (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s HistoricalContext . . . . . . . . 29 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 102 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . . 31 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . 31 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 105 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 106 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . . 39 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 108 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . . 39 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 117 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 117 THE AUTHOR TO HER BOOK SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 118 (byAnneBradstreet). . . . . . . . . . 40 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 41 INCIDENT (byCounteeCullen) . . . . . 119 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . . 42 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 120 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . . 42 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 121 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . . 46 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 125 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . . 48 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 127 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 127 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 135 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . . 57 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 135 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . . 58 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 136 THE CONVERGENCE OF THE TWAIN LILACS (byAmyLowell) . . . . . . . 137 (byThomasHardy) . . . . . . . . . . 59 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 138 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 60 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 139 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 141 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . . 61 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 144 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 147 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . . 65 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 148 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . . 67 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . 68 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 158 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 158 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . . 77 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . . 77 PHENOMENAL WOMAN (byMayaAngelou) . . . . . . . . . 159 A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 160 (byEdgarAllanPoe). . . . . . . . . . 78 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 161 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 79 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 161 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . . 80 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 165 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 167 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 168 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . . 84 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 179 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . . 86 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 179 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . 87 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 180 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . . 97 RECESSIONAL SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . . 98 (byRudyardKipling). . . . . . . . . 181 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 181 THE HISTORY TEACHER PoemText . . . . . . . . . . 183 (byBillyCollins). . . . . . . . . . . 99 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 183 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . . 99 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 185 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . 100 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 101 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 188 v i P o e t r y f o r S t u d e n t s , V o l u m e 4 2 (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 189 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 191 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 201 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 269 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 201 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 271 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 202 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 272 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 283 SERENE WORDS FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 283 (byGabrielaMistral) . . . . . . . . 203 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 284 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 204 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 205 THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 206 (byWilliamButlerYeats) . . . . . . . 285 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 286 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 209 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . 286 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 212 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 287 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 212 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 222 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 291 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 222 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 293 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 293 RIME 140 (byFrancescoPetrarch) . . . . 223 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 299 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 224 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 300 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 224 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 300 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 THE WORLD IS NOT A PLEASANT PLACE HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 229 TO BE (byNikkiGiovanni) . . . . . . 301 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 231 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 302 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 231 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . 303 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 236 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 303 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 237 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 304 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 237 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 307 TELL ALL THE TRUTH BUT TELL IT SLANT CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 310 (byEmilyDickinson). . . . . . . . . 238 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 311 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 239 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 322 PoemText . . . . . . . . . . 240 FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 323 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 240 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 324 Themes . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS. . . . 325 HistoricalContext . . . . . . . 244 CriticalOverview. . . . . . . . 247 CUMULATIVE AUTHOR/TITLE INDEX . . 347 Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . 248 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . 262 CUMULATIVE NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY FurtherReading . . . . . . . . 262 INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 SuggestedSearchTerms . . . . . 263 SUBJECT/THEME INDEX . . . . . . 369 WHAT WERE THEY LIKE? (byDeniseLevertov). . . . . . . . . 264 CUMULATIVE INDEX OF FIRST LINES . . 375 AuthorBiography . . . . . . . 265 PoemSummary . . . . . . . . 265 CUMULATIVE INDEX OF LAST LINES . . 383 P o e t r y f o r S t u d e n t s , V o l u m e 4 2 v i i (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Just a Few Lines on a Page Ihaveoften thoughtthat poets havetheeasiest fewsimplewordsconjureupwholeworlds.Wedo jobintheworld.Apoem,afterall,isjustafew notactuallytraveltodifferenttimesanddifferent linesonapage,usuallynotevenextendingmar- cultures, but the poems get into our minds, they gin to margin—how long would that take to findwhatlittleweknowabouttheplacestheyare write, about five minutes? Maybe ten at the talking about, and then they make that little bit most,ifyouwantedittorhymeorhavearepeat- blossom into a bouquet of someone else’s life. ingmeter.Why,Icouldstartinthemorningand Poets make us think we are following simple, produceabookofpoetrybydinnertime.Butwe specific events, but then they leave ideas in our allknowthatitisn’tthateasy.Anyonecancome heads that cannot be found on the printed page. up with enough words, but the poet’s job is Abracadabra. about writing the right ones. The right words Sometimeswhenyoufinishapoemitdoesn’t will change lives, making people see the world feelasifithasleftanysupernaturaleffectonyou, somewhatdifferentlythantheysawitjustafew like it did not have any more to say beyond the minutes earlier. The right words can make a actual words that it used. This happens to every- readerwhoreliesonthedictionaryformeanings body, but most often to inexperienced readers: take a greater responsibility for his or her own regardlessofwhatisoftensaidaboutyoungpeo- personal understanding. A poem that is put on ple’s infinite capacity to be amazed, you have to thepagecorrectlycanbearanyamountofana- understand what usually does happen, and what lysis,probing,defining,explaining,andinterro- couldhave happened instead, ifyouare going to gating,andsomethingaboutitwillstillfeelnew bemovedbywhatsomeonehasaccomplished.In thenexttimeyoureadit. thosecasesinwhichyoufinishapoemwitha‘‘So ItwouldbefinewithmeifIcouldtalkabout what?’’ attitude, the information provided in poetrywithoutusingtheword‘‘magical,’’because PoetryforStudentscomesinhandy.Readerscan thatwordisoverusedthesedaystoimply‘‘areally feelassuredthatthepoemsincludedhereactually good time,’’ often with a certain sweetness about are potent magic, not just because a few (or a it,andalotofpoetryisneitherofthese.Butifyou hundredortenthousand)professorsofliterature stopandthinkaboutmagic—whetheritbringsto say they are: they’re significant because they can mind sorcery, witchcraft, or bunnies pulled from withstandcloseinspectionandstillamazethevery top hats—it always seems to involve stretching same people who have just finished taking them reality to produce a result greater than the sum apartandseeinghowtheywork.Turntheminside of its parts and pulling unexpected results out of out,andtheywillstillbeabletocomealive,again thin air.Thisbookprovidesamplecaseswherea andagain.PoetryforStudentsgivesreadersofany i x (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. J u s t a F e w L i n e s o n a P a g e agegoodpracticeinfeelingthewayspoemsrelate theydowithonehand,whiletheotherhandpulls to both therealityofthetimeand placethepoet some sort oftrick thatmostofuswillneverfully livedinandtherealityofouremotions.Practiceis understand.Ican’tevenpackallthatIneedfora justanotherwordforbeingastudent.Theinfor- weekend into one suitcase, so what would be my mation given here helps you understand the way chances of stuffing so much life into a few lines? toreadpoetry;whattolookfor,whattoexpect. WithallthatPoetryforStudentstellsusabouteach poem, I am impressed that any poet can finish Withallofthisinmind,Ireallydon’tthinkI would actually like to have a poet’s job at all. threeorfourpoemsayear.Readtheinsidestories Therearetoomanyskillsinvolved,includingpre- ofthesepoems,andyouwon’tbeabletoapproach cision,honesty,taste,courage,linguistics,passion, anypoeminthesamewayyoudidbefore. compassion, and the ability to keep all sorts of DavidJ.Kelly people entertained at once. And that is just what CollegeofLakeCounty x P o e t r y f o r S t u d e n t s , V o l u m e 4 2 (c) 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.