Let whatever is gone be bygone If it is deeply personal Shut up your sorrow in the deep recesses of your psyche And shine your teeth or gums on You’re a modern man, a nobody, Your losses don’t matter to none Except the one that is yourself So, let bygonesContinue Reading
Pope explains that “machinery” is a term invented by the critics to signify the part which deities, angles, or demons play in a poem. He goes on to say that the machinery in this poem is based on the Rosicrucian doctrine of spirits in which the four elements are inhabitedContinue Reading
The Rape of the Lock (1712; revised 1714) is a mock-epic poem by Alexander Pope, widely considered one of the finest examples of satire in English literature. Written in heroic couplets, the poem humorously exaggerates a trivial social incident—a young nobleman’s theft of a lock of hair from a high-societyContinue Reading
Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was one of the most influential English poets of the 18th century, known for his satirical verse, mastery of the heroic couplet, and sharp wit. Born in London to a Roman Catholic family, Pope faced religious discrimination that limited his access to formal education. Nevertheless, he wasContinue Reading
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic, widely regarded as a master of macabre and gothic literature. Born in Boston, Poe was orphaned at a young age and raised by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia. Though he had a turbulent relationship withContinue Reading
The personified mirror is “silver” (in appearance) and “exact” (it reflects the image accurately). By itself the mirror does what it is supposed to do, it mirrors. Not being opinionated, it is unbiased, reflecting the image exactly as it is. Traditionally the poem has been considered to deal with theContinue Reading
“Mirror” by Sylvia Plath I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.Whatever I see I swallow immediatelyJust as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.I am not cruel, only truthful‚The eye of a little god, four-cornered.Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.It is pink, with speckles.Continue Reading
Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” is a highly controversial and widely anthologized modern poem, published posthumously in 1965 in the collection named Ariel. Plath is considered one of the prominent figures of the confessional school of poetry and “Daddy” is a prominent specimen of that poetic genre. Here Plath directly unmasks very personalContinue Reading
Ariel By Sylvia Plath Stasis in darkness. Then the substanceless blue Pour of tor and distances. God’s lioness, How one we grow, Pivot of heels and knees!—The furrow Splits and passes, sister to The brown arc Of the neck I cannot catch, Nigger-eye Berries cast dark Hooks— Black sweet blood mouthfuls, Continue Reading
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was a prominent American poet, novelist, and short story writer, best known for her intense, emotionally charged works that explore themes of identity, mental illness, and death. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Plath demonstrated literary talent from a young age and published her first poem at the ageContinue Reading
