"Crossing The Bar" - By Lord Alfred Tennyson

       "Crossing The Bar"

        By: Lord Alfred Tennyson

       Sunset and evening star,

      And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

      When I put out to sea,

   But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

      Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

      Turns again home.

   Twilight and evening bell,

      And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

      When I embark;

   For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place

      The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

      When I have crost the bar.

       Analysis:

       The bar referred to in this poem is not the typical long cylinder made of metal or wood our minds immediately jump to, nor the bar exam required to be passed when becoming a practitioner of law, but a sand bar as in the sand bar at coast side. 

       The author writes of the setting sun and the rise of the evening star calling to him to go out to sea. He wishes not for the tide to beat against the sand bar, but instead one so full of sound and foam and therefore seems asleep when all of the things carried out from the deep ocean return to the depths.

       Tennyson then says he hopes that no one cries for him when the evening bell signals his departure, for he knows he will return one day and cross the sand bar to look at his "pilot" face to face.

"Break, Break, Break" - By Lord Alfred Tennyson

       "Break, Break, Break"

        By: Lord Alfred Tennyson

         Break, break, break,

         On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

         The thoughts that arise in me.

O, well for the fisherman's boy,

         That he shouts with his sister at play!

O, well for the sailor lad,

         That he sings in his boat on the bay!

And the stately ships go on

         To their haven under the hill;

But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,

         And the sound of a voice that is still!

Break, break, break

         At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!

But the tender grace of a day that is dead

         Will never come back to me.

       Analysis:

        This poem is written in quatrains in irregular iambic tetrameter, which means in each stanza, the second and fourth line always rhyme, creating a natural rhythm. But the stressing and un-stressing of the syllables is irregular. Every line has almost three stressed syllables, even though the total amount of syllables per line changes.

        The poem is set by an English Coast. dreary, grey, and dull, with waves crashing against the rocks. This is reflected by the first stanza, in which Tennyson describes the waves breaking against the rocks and the bitter cold in the air which limits his speech. 

        The rest of the poem speaks of how Tennyson longs for friend who has recently died, as he reflects on his memories standing by the sea.

        Finally, the last stanza goes back to the beginning, starting with "Break, break, break At the foot of the crags, O sea! But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me." These lines describe the waves crashing again against the rocks, and Tennyson mourns the death of his friend. 

"The Boxers" - By Michael Longley

       "The Boxers"

         By: Michael Longley

We were combatants from the start. Our dad Bought us boxing gloves when we were ten — Champions like Euryalus, say, or Epeius Of wooden-horse fame: ‘I am the greatest!’‘Nobody’s going to knock me down!’ Listen,Peter, to the commentary — gruesome teeth-­Grinding, sweat splattering their arms and legs,Huge fists in ox-­hide thongs slugging it out,Then the knock-­out blow to Euryalus’s chin —Hoisting him with an uppercut — like a fish That arches out of weed-­tangled shallows And collapses back into hazy water,Sea wind sending shock-­waves up the beach —The winner gives the loser a helping hand And his seconds support him across the ring On dragging feet, head lolling to one side,Blood clots et cetera et cetera...I’ll tie your gloves. Shall we fight again?

         Analysis: 

     A narrative poem by Michael Longley (Langdon), "The Boxers" describes the childhood                 imaginations of two young boys who fight with boxing gloves given by their father. A common           theme during the whole poem is the references back to Eurylaus and Epeius, who were two                 characters in "The Illiad" and "The Odyssey" . Eurylaus was a soldier during the attack on                   Thebes as on of the Epigoni. Epeius was a Greek soldier during the Trojan war, and aided in               the building of the Trojan Horse. He late fought Eurylaus in a boxing match at the funeral of               Patroclus and won.
     Since the poem speaks of two boys boxing, the ancient story goes hand-in-hand with the plot. "Champions like Eurylaus, say, or Epeius of wooden-horse fame". These lines specifically refer to the story of the aforementioned myth.
     The next paragraph speaks of the fight itself, and the excitement associated thereof. The                 author goes into great detail of the physical elements of the conflict, while still relating it to the           mental aspects.
     The next part speaks of the physical injuries which obviously occur in a game as violent as             boxing: "The winner gives the loser a helping hand and his seconds suport him across the ring           on dragging feet, head lolling to one side, blood clots et cetera et cetera....", as if the downsides           of the sport outweigh the pros.
      But to finish off the poem, the author writes two rather playful lines that really end up                   catching the essence of the whole piece of writing: "I'll tie your gloves. Shall we fight again?".

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind" - By William Shakespeare

       "Blow, blow, thou winter wind"

          By: William Shakespeare

     Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

   Thou art not so unkind

      As man’s ingratitude;

   Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

      Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly:

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:

   Then, heigh-ho, the holly!

      This life is most jolly.

   Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

   That dost not bite so nigh

      As benefits forgot:

   Though thou the waters warp,

      Thy sting is not so sharp

      As friend remembered not.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Analysis:

   This Poem is from Shakespeare's play As You Like It. It is actually thought the poem is meant as more of a song, sung by Amiens. He is a lord who chose to follow Duke Senior, who was banished by his brother. 

   The song is about of the ways of the world, and the ingratitude and rudeness of man and people in general. This is described by the beginning of the poem, where Shakespeare speaks of the how no matter how cold the winter winds blow, they will never bite as bad as the words of men.

   After that Amiens comments on how the winter wind may freeze him, but will never affect as him as bad as the behavior of his friends. The poet spites kindness and friendship in the world as fake and passing when genuine.

   But despite all this, the poet finishes by saying that life is wonderful and great, and should be enjoyed to the greatest extent. 

   This poem uses a great deal of Scansion as it is a song written by William Shakespeare, who was well know for the Iambic Pentameter he used in many of his poems, including this one. There is also rhyme present in between many of the lines. "Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

   That dost not bite so nigh" is a prime example of this.

   

   

   

"Alone" - By Edgar Allan Poe

"Alone"

By: Edgar Allan Poe

    From childhood’s hour I have not been

As others were—I have not seen

As others saw—I could not bring

My passions from a common spring—

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow—I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone—

And all I lov’d—I lov’d alone—

Then—in my childhood—in the dawn

Of a most stormy life—was drawn

From ev’ry depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still—

From the torrent, or the fountain—

From the red cliff of the mountain—

From the sun that ’round me roll’d

In its autumn tint of gold—

From the lightning in the sky

As it pass’d me flying by—

From the thunder, and the storm—

And the cloud that took the form

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view—

Analysis:

       A Descriptive poem written by Edgar Allan Poe published in September 1875 about his own despair, misery and isolation from others. It begins with Poe describing his childhood differences with those around him. "From childhood hour I have not been. As others were - I have not seen. As other saw, I could not bring." These first lines reflect his feelings when it came to interaction with others either his own age or even older figures like parents or teachers.
       This isolation may be what drove Poe to write horror and alternative literature. He shows the isolation by comparing things everyone around him had to his lack thereof. These first lines are crucial to the rest poems as all the way through, Poe refers to his undying despair and isolation. Because of the heavy impact of  his childhood, it is now very difficult for Poe to ever be positive about his surroundings and instead manages to find the cruelty and evil in everything.
       Next, the speaker references how even now, he does not know why he is so different from others ("The mystery which binds me still").
       When he gets near the end of the poem, Poe notes that no matter what the weather may be ("From the torrent, or the fountain- From the sun that round me roll'd"), he can only see the bad and negative in the world.
        The demon in his view is the never ending pain and suffering he must adhere to because of his traumatic childhood, and difference with everyone around him.