Poetry is an art form of expression and emotions through words. It encompasses the writer’s mood and point of view about a certain idea. Two poems that demonstrate the use of emotions in words are “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, and “A Dream within a Dream”, by Edgar Allan Poe. Both of these poets are very important in the literary field even though their ways of writing contrast each other. Angelou is a revolutionist who is known around the world for her astounding stories of racism, family, and overcoming adversity. Edgar Allan Poe was an exceptional poet, editor, literary critic, and part of the American Romantic Movement. His writings were often filled with despair and very depressing. Both of these poems are great works of art but one captivates the heart of readers leaving them questioning the whole existence of reality versus fantasy. The poem “A Dream within a Dream demonstrates the essence of poetry because it told Poe’s story, pulled the reader in, conveyed its point, and left the reader wanting more.
The most common theme of these two poems is inspiration. Inspiration is writing straight from the heart that encourages and uplifts individuals. Phenomenal Woman is a powerful poem that encourages women from all walks of life, no matter the color, weight, or height; they are a beautiful no matter what. The themes of this poem are self-image, mystery, body language, and human worth (Intel Corporation). In the poem she states that she is not cute or built to suit a fashion models size, meaning she is not a woman with looks. All throughout the poem Angelou repeatedly calls herself a phenomenal woman, no matter who thinks she is plain or unattractive it is on her opinion of herself that matters. She knows she is a phen...
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...s uses of words just entrap the mind and have readers thinking twice about their lives. Overall Poe captivates the essence of writings from the heart and personal experiences.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “Phenomenal Woman”. PoemHunter.com. ©1978. 3rd March 2011. .
Corporation, Intel. “Phenomenal Woman Maya Angelou”.Skoool.ie Interactive Learning. ©2008. 4th March 2011. .
Poe, Edgar Allan. “A Dream within a Dream”. Poets.org From the Academy of American Poets. ©1849. 5th March, 2011. .
Wang, Bella. Chazelle, Damien ed. Poe's Poetry Study Guide: Summary and Analysis of “A Dream within a Dream”. GradeSaver. ©17 August 2009. 6 March 2011. .
Edgar Allen Poe is known for his dark yet comedic approach toward the his theme of his stories. Likewise, Poe’s themes have gathered many fans due to his impression of reasoning in his stories. The author uses thinking and reasoning to portray the theme. Poe’s unique diction comprehends with the theme of the story. Poe has a brilliant way of taking gothic tales of mystery, and terror, and mixing them with variations of a romantic tale by shifting emphasis from, surface suspense and plot pattern to his symbolic play in language and various meanings of words.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”
Poe, Edgar Allan. Ligeia. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 692-701. Print.
For poets, it is essential that they write about what they know and what they feel, as the substance of what they are revealing will enhance their work and ultimately attract audiences. Edgar Allan Poe is one poet whose personal endeavours can be extracted from his poems. His works such as The Raven, Annabel-Lee and Ulalume are just a few of his most celebrated poems that reflect diverse aspects of Poe’s own life. Poe’s reoccurring themes of death in conjunction with love, the subconsciousness of self and ambiguity attracted audiences to become entranced in his work (Spark Notes, 2014). Adjacent to these intriguing themes is how Poe’s personal life was inexplicitly perceived in his poems, in particular The Raven. Poe’s life is reflected through
Redfield, J. S. "The Genius of Poe." Foreword. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed. A.C. Armstrong & Son. New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son., 1884. xv-xxvi. EPUB file.
...story writers all over the world. Although he had an unusual, unique, and peculiar way of writing he still had a great influence and impact on society during his time, up to the present day. Poe’s writing has changed the way present day writers write about love, pride, beauty and death.
...ad who stood… In life before thee are again In death around thee -- and their will Shall then overshadow thee: be still.” The poem goes on to talk about the mystery of the after life and wondering what the spirits do in heaven or on earth. We see the idea of uncertainty clearly in “A Dream Within a Dream”, where Poe is questioning what reality is and uncertain whether “All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.” Hope and despair are seen in poems like “The Raven” and “Eldorado”. “The Raven” is full of despair over the narrators lost love Lenore and on the other hand there’s “Eldorado” that strangely enough has a hopeful ending. These all add to the overall style of Poe’s writing, which is generally thought of as Gothic or horror in some cases. He wrote to appeal to the masses and at the time mystery novels and sad love stories were craved by readers.
“All we ever see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” This was a quote by Edgar Allan Poe that was included in his poem A Dream Within A Dream. This quote basically means that life is nothing but a dream, a long one perhaps, but it is one that you only awaken from when you died, or about to die. I really like this poem because sometimes I often wonder, what if life was really just a dream, and death is when you awaken and cross into another world; one that is more perfect and jovial than the one that existed in “life.”? Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer in the Poe often wrote about death and fear, for these two things seem to be the main focus points of Poe literary works. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing are often serious, talking about dark things, and they usually seem to reflect his childhood,his love life, and his view of what life basically is.
Thomson, Gary Richard, and Poe Edgar. The selected writings of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Norton & Company, 2004
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
Magistrale, Tony. "The Art of Poetry." Student Companion to Edgar Allan Poe. Westport, Conn. ;London: Greenwood, 2001. 39-41. Print.
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,” (“The Raven” 1). “The Raven” arguably one of the most famous poems by Edgar Allan Poe, is a narrative about a depressed man longing for his lost love. Confronted by a talking raven, the man slowly loses his sanity. “The Haunted Palace” a ballad by Poe is a brilliant and skillfully crafted metaphor that compares a palace to a human skull and mind. A palace of opulence slowly turns into a dilapidated ruin. This deterioration is symbolic of insanity and death. In true Poe style, both “The Raven” and “The Haunted Palace” are of the gothic/dark romanticism genre. These poems highlight sadness, death, and loss. As to be expected, an analysis of the poems reveals differences and parallels. An example of this is Poe’s use of poetic devices within each poem. Although different in structure, setting, and symbolism these two poems show striking similarities in tone and theme.
The Sleeper, by Edgar Allan Poe, was first published in the Poems of 1831; this poem has since been revised from its current version which was printed in 1845. This poem was written during the Romanticism Period. This time period is defined as a time in which poets began to “rebel against the Neoclassical restrictions and dominance of reason as poetic aim. Romantic poetry celebrated the imagination over rationality, passion, and dreams over reason and external reality, and isolated individuality over collective humankind. Romantic poetry looked to celebrate both the supernatural and elevate the commonplace.” (Henriksen) Poe’s imagination prevails in this lyric poem. The speaker of the poem experiences an internal conflict while mourning the death of a loved one.
The poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe is a beautiful story that outlines events that happened between the speaker and his love. The story paints a mental picture of a love that is so strong that angels become jealous and take Annabel Lee away from the speaker, but even though she is gone, his love for her never ended. The story is full of imagery that leads to the central message of the story, which is love.
Maya Angelou’s word choice in “Phenomenal Woman” is simple and dull, but it fits the poem perfectly once it is read. The words used in the poem are not powerful but it keeps you reading. It makes the readers a have different opinion on the poem. Also it makes the readers analyze what she is really trying to say. For example, in the poem Maya Angelou states “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me. They try so much, But they can’t touch, My inner mystery.” It is a little confusing on what she is trying to say because of her word choice and the way the sentences are connected, but reading furthermore into the stanza, it begins to become more understanding. Then too, If she had used a different word choice the poem would not have been so intriguing. For example, if she would have said “Men don’t really understand my personality”, instead of “Men themselves have wondered, What they see in me.” then the readers would not have to put much attention into it and the theme would be completely different. Moreover, another example would be “ It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I’m a woman Phenomenally’’. She uses simple phrases like “fire in my eyes”, “flash of my teeth”, “swing in my waist”, etc. to show the phenomenal woman she is. The word choice that Maya Angelou portrays in this poem, makes woman realize that