Analysis of The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift

 Introduction

This post is intended to examine the analysis of The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift; looking at what the lyric is all about, the structure of the lyric, the biography of the writers, background of the lyric, etc. 

The Background of the Lyric

The lyric "the fate of Ophelia" alludes to a certain feminine character called Ophelia in the tragic drama titled Hamlet by William Shakespeare_ who is often seen as a symbol of tragic love and madness. The speaker in the lyric seemed to be drawing parallels between their own experience and Ophelia's, suggesting a deep emotional resonance.   

About The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift

The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift is a 3minutes 46seconds music released under the label called Republic Records on October 3rd, 2025. It's  is one of the songs in the music album titled "the Life of a Showgirl". 

Based on the fact that every music is born out of a lyrical poem. The lyric of "the Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift" revealed that it's about a complex, tumultuous relationship where the speaker has undergone a significant transformation. 

Overall, the lyric paints a picture of a relationship that has been both intense and transformative, with the speaker undergoing a journey of self-discovery and rediscovery.

About Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift is a 14 times Grammy Award winner born 13-12-1989 in Pennsylvania, United States of America. She grew up to be known globally as an American pop singer and songwriter. Her 2025 music studio album has "The Fate of Ophelia" which happened to be written and produced with Max Martin and Shellback in the MXM studio. 

 About Max Martin

Karl Martin Sandberg who co-produced "the Fate of Ophephelia" with Swift and Shellback was born 26-02-1971 to a Swedish family. He has so many awards to prove his height of success as a producer and songwriter.

Structure of the Lyric

The lyrical composition is a 12 stanza arrangement with two simultaneous stanzas are repeated three times to serve as the refrain of the lyrical composition.  

Figuratives in lyrics are allusion, refrain, imagery, irony, etc.  

Besides the titIe serving as a literary classic allusion to on of the William Shakespeare's work of art_ the fifth stanza of the Lyric is also an instance of allusion:

"The eldest daughter of a nobleman Ophelia lived in fantasy But love was a cold bed full of scorpions The venom stole her sanity"

Looking further at the figuratives in the lyric, there is the employment of the following refrain to build a more melodic flow in the lyric:

"All that time

I sat alone in my tower You were just honing your powers Now I can see it all (see it all) Late one night You dug me out of my grave and Saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia Keep it one hundred On the land, the sea, the sky Pledge allegiance to your hands Your team, your vibes Don't care where the hell you been 'Cause now you're mine It's 'bout to be the sleepless night You've been dreaming of The fate of Ophelia"

Other figuratives are metaphor (love was a cold bed full of scorpions), consonance (match to watch), assonance (all alone), synecdoche (You saved my heart from the fate of Ophephelia), symbolism (grave symbolised loneliness), irony (fire was a place of peace and safety in "pulling me into the fire"), etc.

About Hamlet

It is a vengeful tragic drama written by William Shakespeare. The resolved around Prince of Denmark (Hamlet) and his plot recovery the throne or power stolen from his father.

About William Shakespeare 

He was and still considered the greatest English playwright that had ever lived. Shakespeare was famous for being a poet, an actor, and a playwright who lived from 1564 to 1616.

The Themes of the Lyric

The theme of Discovery

Discovery is present in the lyrics of "the Fate of Ophelia". ,  The speaker reflects on their past experiences and how they've been shaped by this relationship.

The lyrics mention "All that time I sat alone in my tower / You were just honing your powers," which suggests that the speaker was unaware of the other person's intentions or growth. The line "Now I can see it all" implies a new found understanding or perspective.

The theme of Rescue or Redemption

The repetition of "You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia" could be seen as a theme of rescue or redemption, where the speaker feels they've been saved from a potentially destructive path by this person.

Other themes are love, death, loneliness, etc. 

The lyric was motivated by the feeling of true sincere love, after a lengthy dungeon of loneliness which might have even ended in suicidal death by the speaker.

The Song Rating

Fans and listeners review is quite positive. The song got 100 million streams of Spotify within three days of release. A certain website named AOTY noted that the song scored 73% of the entire album "the Life of a Showgirl".

If you're interested in listening to "the Fate of Ophelia", you can check Spotify and the official Taylor Swift YouTube channel. 

Other places for further insights are other music streaming websites, audiomack, SoundCloud website, naijaloaded website, etc.

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Examine "snug as a gun" in Digging by Seamus Heaney

Introduction

Fellow friends and readers, this post intends to examine "snug as a gun" in Digging by Seamus Heaney and probably explain the whole of the line 2 of the poem.

This post will be useful to students, teachers and and literature fan who wants to gain a better understanding of the line 2 of the poem, and those who seek for the poetic devices in the poem "Digging by Seamus Heaney", etc.

About the Poet

Seamus Justin Heaney is an Irish poet and writer who lived between 1939 and 2013. According to Wikipedia, "He attended Anahorish Primary School, and won a scholarship to St. Columb's College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Derry; when he was twelve years old." For the appreciation of his contribution to literature, he was awarded with Nobel Prize for literature in 1995.

About the Poem

The poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is about heritage, legacy, and the connection to one's roots_ while the poet made himself the case study. 

The focus is on the poet's relationship with his family's background, their traditions, and the passing down of skills or legacies.

In a nutshell, the poem explored    themes of identity, craftsmanship, and the power of writing.

In this context, the comparison "snug as a gun" takes on a more nuanced meaning, emphasizing the poet's comfort and familiarity with the pen as a tool, much like his ancestors were with their physical labor tools.

The poem explores themes of identity, family, and the poet's role in carrying on the legacy of his family's traditions.

Snug as a Gun

The expression is a simile creating direct comparison between comfort and a gun, in order to ascertain the befitting relationship that exists between the voice of the poem and his pen_ which he chose as a tool for maintaining his family legacy instead of choosing any of his forefathers farming tools to become a farmer.       

 

It must be noted that I'm against the notion that the use of the word "gun" in line 2, does weaponize the poet's pen. The context of the poem is not in any form violent, and never suggested the pen as a weapon of war but the comparison was created to imply fitness and security of the pen in the poet's hand_ the way anyone in possession of a gun will do.

The Squat Pen Rests; Snug as a Gun

With the full line "the squat pen rests; snug as a gun," we get a better sense of the poet's intention and the poetic devices at play.

Besides, the obvious simile in the line 2 of the poem, there are also imagery, pseudo-palindrome, sibilance, personification, etc.

Assonance: In complement to the simile in the line, the repetition of the vowel sounds in "snug" and "gun" gave the line an assonance.

Pseudo-palindrome: "Snug as a gun" is an example of a pseudo-palindrome or reversible phrase, similar to "I scream for ice cream". The phrase "snug as a gun" reads similarly when reversed, which makes it a clever play on words.

Sibilance: In the same line 2 of the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney_ there is also the repeated "s" sound in "squat" and "snug" to create a soft hissing effect, adding to the poem's musicality.

Personification: The word "pen" in the line 2, is described as "resting" to give it a human-like quality. Such personification subtly emphasized the pen as a tool that is capable to maintain comfort or snuggy state in the hand of the poet.

Imagery: "squat pen" created a vivid description of the pen and its resting condition.

Conclusion

Line 2 of the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is a line filled with figuratives. Besides the simile, there is imagery, sibilance, assonance, personification, etc.

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Analysis of She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron

Introduction

I'm writing to discuss the poem titled "She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron" for easy understanding_ this post will touch on the background of the poem, the structure, the themes, the poetic devices, etc.

I believe students and teachers of literature would find this post very resourceful, most especially those searching or asking "what is the moral of the story She Walks in Beauty?", "what is the summary of She Walks in Beauty?", "what is the theme in the poem She Walks in Beauty?", etc.

Background of the Poem 

In accordance with the information gathered from Wikipedia website, I have discovered that the poem titled "She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron" is a lyrical love poem inspired by the beautiful outlook and personality of a woman named Anne Beatrix Wilmot-Horton, a lady the botanist community named a plant (Hortonia) after her.

Wikipedia revealed to me that Lord Byron became inspired to craft the poem after attending a certain party on the 11th of June, 1814 in London_ the party which also had in attendance the wife of Sir Robert Wilmot (Anne Beatrix Wilmot-Horton), a woman with unusual mesmerizing beauty. It was also noted that Sir Robert Wilmot and Lord Byron were cousins. 

About the Poem 

She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron is a love poem about the voice of the poem praising the beauty of a certain feminine figure which he might possibly be in love with or merely crushing upon. The poem shares similarities with "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare. 

The beautiful nature of the feminine gender in question was compared to a cloudless night. The writer also described his fondness by taking into cognizance her beautiful face, her eyes, her smiles, and other behavioral attributes such as her innocence. 

The Stanzas

(Stanza 1) She walks in beauty like night without a cloudy sky; with the mixture of darkness and light in every part of her eyes, creating an extravagant brightness of a daylight. (Stanza 2) The shades of light over her face are namelessly gracious enough to portray sweet thoughts of love and purity. (Stanza 3) Her cheek, her brow are so soft, and calm, and eloquent with smiles that reveal  her glowing face is full of endless happiness, peaceful humility and innocence of heart.

The Structure 

Structurally, the poem titled She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron is a 3 stanza lyrical poem in form of iambic tetrametre_ though the poem can also be considered an ode for its eulogizing context. 

It has a third person point of view, with an end rhythm scheme of ABABAB CDCDCD EFEFEF to create a melodies flow. The diction is simple, the arrangement is climactic and the descriptive tone conveys affection and fondness strong enough to put one in the mood for appreciation, acceptance and delight. 

The Themes

Few of the themes embedded in the poem are human beauty, innocence and humility, beauty of nature, contrast between light and darkness, etc.

The theme of human beauty is expressed by the passionate speaker in the Poem. The woman's beauty was likened to a cloudless night between line 1 and 2. 

Besides the beautiful description of the lady's eyes and smiles, the stanza 2 of the poem quoted below further epitomized the facial beauty of the lady the was compose for:

 "One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place." 

The theme of innocence and humility. The concluding stanza of the poem "She Walks in Beauty" pointed out the lady's humility and innocence through the smiles on the lady's face_ (the smiles that win, the tints that glow/ but tell of days in goodness spent/ a mind at peace with all below/ a heart whose love is innocent).

The theme of nature's beauty. Through a symbolic lens, the poet examined the beauty in nighttime, sky, heaven, day, etc. The readers could see how such soft and calm time could influence the beauty of someone_ the ray, the shade, all influenced the beauty of the lady based on the poet's opinion. 

Poetic Devices

Few of the poetic devices in the poem are simile, imagery, alliteration, antithesis, synedoche, repetition, oxymoron, enjambement, etc. 

There is a simile in line 1 "she walks in beauty like night" likewise the use of so many imageries such as "cloudless climes and starry skies" in line 2, "tender light" in line 5, "half impaired the nameless grace" in line 8, "dwelling-place" in line 12, etc. 

There are instances of other figure of speech such as alliteration in line 2 (cloudless climes and starry skies), in line 6 (gaudy day denies), in line 8 (had half impaired), in line 11 (serenely sweet). Antithesis is found in line 7 (one shade the more, one ray the less). Synecdoche in lines 17 and 18 (a mind at peace with all below/ a heart whose love is innocent). 

Repetition in the Poem are "how pure, how dear" seen in line 12 and "so soft, so calm" seen in line 14. "of dark and bright" in line 3 seems oxymoron. Enjambements also existed in the poem. 

About the Poet

Lord Byron with full name Lord George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron is an English poet born in London, England who lived between 1788 and 1824.

In Conclusion 

The poem was influenced by the beauty of Anne Beatrix Wilmot and therefore "She Walks in Beauty" is a love poem with lyrical rhyming and stanza. The theme has been discussed as well as the poetic devices.

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10 Analysis of Poem by George Herbert

Analysis of Love III by George Herbert

This has been a very important subject since the dawn of poetry. In the poem "Love III" by George Herbert, how important humans are to God was lyrically described. The centralisation of ideas... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis of "Redemption by George Herbert

Redemption by George Herbert is another of his poems that adores the mutual relationship between human and the maker of humans. It is metaphysical in nature in the sense that the poem... Read the detail>>>

Analysis of Death by George Herbert

With the insight of both a poet and a priest, George Herbert share his personal view about Death. He shed light on the fact that death comes with both advantages and disadvantages... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis of Prayer 1 by George Herbert

This simple and direct poem of George Herbert "Prayer I" is one of his best-loved poems. Even though the language and references require some analysis, in nature, the poem is a relatively straightforward poem, but...

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Analysis of Love by George Herbert

It alludes to the Christian Holy Scripture (Bible). From the context of the poem, God's love goes beyond holiness or sinfulness. Anyone will to welcome... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis of The Pulley by George Herbert

George Herbert was born in to a noble Welsh family on April 3, 1593. Analysis The poem “The Pulley” illustrates the relationship between ... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis of Easter Wings by George Herbert

As a person of Christian faith, George Herbert explained how humans will suffer for the sins of Adam and Eve just to finally enjoy eternal state with Jesus Christ... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis Of Virtue By George Herbert

In the poem Virtue by George Herbert, death and mortality are the message. The dominating poetic device is  ... Read the detail >>>

Analysis of Paradise by George Herbert

The poem Paradise portrays a grateful heart towards God  for his care and compassion over the poem speaker... Read the Detail >>>

Analysis of The Altar by George Herbert

George Herbert's interest in the poem was in having a quiet time with one's creator. He did pointed the need for such and the expected reward for soberly committing oneself to prayer... Read the Detail>>>

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4 Analyzed Poems Of Pablo Neruda

The Poet

Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 - 23 September 1973) better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda, was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician

Analysis Of Absence By Pablo Neruda

Absence by Pablo Neruda has the theme of love and optimism. Neruda composed the poem on the ground of love; ... [View Detail]

Analysis of Tonight I Can Write by Pablo Neruda

Tonight I Can Write is a poem that portrayed how writing can empower the emotion of love as seen in the poem where the speaker... [View Detail]

A Song of Despair Analysis

A Song of Despair. by Pablo Neruda. In the poem, he recollected the sweet company of his ex by comparing a life without her to the sea in which everything sinks... [View Detail]

Analysis of Ode To The Onion by Pablo Neruda

It is a poem of 41 lines free verse of 3 unequal stanzas. The message of the poem is simply a praise to one of the most universally valuable vegetables; the onion... [View Detail]

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Analysis Of A Postcard From The Volcano By Wallace Stevens

Introduction

A Poem on the table is the analysis of a postcard from the volcano by Wallace Stevens. The focus will be on the message of the poem and more to ease understanding. 

About the Poem

From the title of the poem, the poet considered this classic work of art to be a postcard that would be found amidst the wreck caused by volcano. 

The poet, through the eyes of foreshadowed imagination, was seen thinking about what the little children who later found their skeletons would think about them.

In his imagination, he assumed the children wouldn't know how agile and fast they could run like "foxes on the hill" and the reaction on their skeletal faces would tell the children how they felt when "The spring clouds blow/ Above the shuttered mansion house/ Beyond our gate and the windy sky/ Cries out a literate despair."

He also concluded that the children would repeat the things they've said of the house that eventually turned to ruin.

Stanza 8 of the poem:
"A dirty house in a gutted world,
A tatter of shadows peaked to white,
Smeared with the gold of the opulent sun."

The poet tends to clarify that volcano is a very deadly havoc which has nothing to do with how athletic or how fast someone can run. It is mostly a sudden occurrence that claims many lives and properties within a twinkle of an eye.

Structure of the Poem 

Structurally, the eight stanza poem can be considered a free verse. Each of the stanza a triolet void of regular rhythm and rhyming scheme. 

With an instrument of comparison in line 3 "As quick as foxes on the hill", an alliteration in "These had a being, breathing frost", etc. 

The Themes of the Poem 

The themes in the poem are (1) The effects of natural disasters, which can be quite obvious from the title and context of the poem "A Postcard from the Volcano by Wallace Stevens.

(2) Importance of relics in comparison to human life. The message from the poem suggests that good memories make good history_ relics bring memories that are capable of documenting historical events. 

(3) Death as the debt of mortality. Everything that has beginning will surely have end and death is the instrument nature uses to bestow end of living things on earth. 

About the Poet

Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) was an american poet born in Reading, Pennsylvania. During his own days of active poetry, his style of poetry was philosophical in nature; as seen in his poem titled "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird".

Conclusion 

The reader of this post must have acquired a simplified knowledge of the poem titled "A Postcard from the Volcano by Wallace Stevens". The poem, the poet, the themes, have be examined. 

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Analysis of The Vagabond by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Poet

In the month of November 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the recorded birth in Edinburgh, Scotland. He grew up to become a very notable poet and essayist with loads of literary contributions.

Stevenson is the poet that crafted this life and nature related poem titled "The Vagabond".

The Review

It is classed under nature because its events are nature oriented. In terms of the lonely living in the bush, by the river, constant singing birds, frosty fields, etc.

The poem narrates the life of someone in hopelessness; such person is called vagabond. The reward is none than heaven and death.

The Themes

The poem is themed with (1) suffering; the vagabond suffered the burn of the sun and the chill of frosty field coupled with lack of healthy living by depending on forest rivers to digest his bread 

(2) nature; the poem exposed the beauty and companionship of nature even to a castaway or a soul left in the lurch. The rivers quenched the vagabond's thirst while the birds delighted his solitude. 

(3) fortune; the poet or rather voice of the poem indirectly listed the things that worth fortune to humans which are wealth, health, love, friendship, etc. 

(4) heaven; it held ambiguity between actual eternal dwellings and the blue sky above the vagabond. 

(5) death; in the poem, it is the only reward for being a vagabond_ nothing more.

The poem "The Vagabond" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a rhyme verse of 4 stanzas with 8 lines each. In the poem "life I love" seen in line 1 is an alliteration while "Bed in the bush with stars to see" as found in line 5 is an imagery portraying homelessness. There is an oxymoron in line 9 "soon or later" and a hyperbole in line 6 "Bread I dip in the river".

The poem opened with "Give to me the life I love/ Let the lave go by me". There is an element of irony in such opening which contrary to universally known great expectations every living being aim at. "...the life I love" in the poem implied the life of a vagabond (homelessness) which is a very horrible life.

Stanzaic Summary

In stanza 2, the vagabond seemed to delight himself in the darkness of the night synonymous to the darkness he will encounter in death. Wealth, hope, love, friendship; were never part of his wishes or crazes.

In stanza 3, he accepted the inevitable torture of the autumn which denied him songs from birds by keeping them silent on trees. Neither the autumn nor the winter could force him to change his personality. The stanza 4 is a refrain of stanza 2.

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Analysis of Freedom by Ambrose Bierce

Introduction

This post is written to discuss about the analysis of freedom by Ambrose Bierce. I will talk about the poet, the context of the poem, few of the themes embedded in the poem, the poetic devices employed, etc.

 

The Poet

Ambrose Bierce, the author of "The Devil's Dictionary" was an American poet born 1842 in Ohio. He was also a soldier and many of his poems had war and leadership reflection. He became lost or disappeared since 1914 till date at the age of 71.

What is Freedom

The state of speaking, acting or living without restrictions from both internal or external forces is referred to as freedom. This is the number one property every conducive state or environment must bestow dwellers.

According to the first stanza of the poem:
"Freedom, as every schoolboy knows,
Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell;
On every wind, indeed, that blows
I hear her yell."

Content of the Poem

The poem title "Freedom" by Ambrose Bierce is about human rights and how rulers trample on it. A four stanza rhyming verse of four lines per stanza; it fits under the category of leadership and politics.

The content of the poem goes thus: The painful death of freedom was loudly heard and known by everyone; not excluding the juvenile schoolboys. She screamed whenever rulers gathered to bind and stoke his funeral bell. And freedom also yelled louder when rulers made unwholesome decisions unpon his pestilential blast. It has finally come to reality that any ruler (either democratic or dictatorial) will always give himself Heaven but show freedom Hell.

Poetic Devices

Freedom is personified in the poem with phrases such as "her yell", "her knell", "she screams", "her clamor swell", "her Hell", etc.

"Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell" is a historical allusion to the brave death of a certain soldier Tadeusz Kosciusko who fought in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the U.S.

"Among themselves apportion Heaven/ And give her Hell" in line 15-16 are instance of antithesis in the poem where to opposing ideas (good and bad) are placed side-by-side.

Metonym exist in the poem via words like "monarch", "parliament",
"sovereign" are employed by the poem sp to refer to  the act of leadership.

In a nutshell, the poem exposed the importance freedom and the negative impact of war on any given people, country or place.

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Analysis of The Companion by Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Introduction

This is about the Analysis of The Companion by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, considering the connotation, denotation, historical relevance, and more. 

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

The battle was very tense and near the clinkers of the rail was a little girl named Katya, "sitting on the rough embankment" wearing a hat bigger than her head. 

She was nine years of age and we were "cut off from our grandmothers/ while the Germans were dive-bombing the train". I could not stand the idea of leaving her behind yet did not know what to do with her "but doubt quickly dissolved to certainty" as the sounds of exlosion were no longer at close range. 

I gave her a better air of boot and we began trekking through streams and forests until I got tired and suddenly sat beside a fence
"Whats the matter with you?' she said.
Don't be so stuid! Put grass in your boots.
Do you want to eat something? Why won't you talk?
Hold this thin, this is crab.
We'll have refreshments. You small boys,
You're always pretending to be brave" (according to 33-38)

After a little rest, we resumed trekking, walking side-by-side and because I didn't want her to call me lazy, I gathered all my strength and further trekked long distance without rest; "passing craters, passing fire/ under the rocking sky of '41/ tottering crazy on its smoking columns".

HISTORICAL RELEVANCE OF THE POEM

The context of the poem fixed it under the war related poems such as:

(1) The Battle of Stanford Bridge by Laurence Binyon, (2) O Captain My Captain by Walt Whitman, (3) Five Ways To Kill A Man by Edwin Brock, (4) At Fifteen I Went With The Army by Arthur Waley, (5) An Irish Airman Foresees His Death by W. B. Yeats, etc. 

The poem speaker tends to share his experience of war at a very tender age where himself and a little girl were vulnerably isolated to seek survival. 

It can easily be concluded that the poem speaker recollected the 1941 battle between the Germans and Russians since the poet was a Russian and mentioned "the Germans were dive-bombing the train" in line 9 of the poem. A prove of year of event can be found in line 48 which says, "under the rocking sky of '41"; as read in a wikipedia article, such battle between German and Russian lasted 4 years.

FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE POEM

The Companion by Yevgeny Yevtushenko is a free verse of 49 lines in total. In terms of the theme, the commonly seen negative impacts of war are as well present in the poem; homelessness, brutality, survival, children transforming into scavengers, etc. 

The homeless situation of the little girl and the poem speaker led them to seek a safe haven and the instance of brutality can be seen in line 8-9 "We got cut off from our grandmothers/ while the Germans were dive-bombing the train". 

The tone of the poem is mild and revealing which was presented from a first person point of view in order to create a sense of reminder in the heart of the readers. The largely employed imageries pointed at multiple settings such as the rail, the forest, beside the fence, etc. 

ABOUT THE POET

Yevgeny Yevtushenko was a Russian poet, novelist and actor whose love for art and humanity will linger very long in the hearts of literature lovers. 

He spent a very meaningful 83 years on earth between 1933 and 2017. Considering many of his works, "Women occupy important place in Yevtushenko's verse. 

In keeing with his sympathy for the peasant and workers. He dedicates many poems to the hardworking Russian woman, as in "The Hut", so says an article critically examining the life and work of the poet. The poem "The Companion" and other poems such as Lies, Psychotherapy, Fury, Babii Yar, I'm An Angel, and a whole lot can be found at the poemhunter website.

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Analysis of Unholy Marriage by David Holbrook

Introduction

For some reasons, I have decided to discuss this poem "Unholy Marriage" by David Holbrook. The poet, poem, summary, structure, themes, tone, and many more will be looked into.

ABOUT THE POET

The poem “Unholy Marriage” was written by David Holbrook who lived between 1923 and 2011. His career record showed he was more than a poet but a well-known academician. According to Wikipedia record, “From 1989 he was an Emeritus Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge.”

ABOUT THE POEM

The poem narrated an evening vehicle accident that took the life of a careful virgin girl. 

Though a virgin she was but ironically in what looked like "Unholy Marriage" or "Unwilling Marriage" her virtuous body was compressed with that of a strange man when a truck collided with the vehicle she boarded causing both their "blood and brain and bone" to mix while their naked bodies were pieced everywhere so hard to recognise. 

The poem speaker then blamed and mocked the girl for her own misfortune; she was blamed for not realizing how senseless and insensible vehicles had always been, and she was mocked for trading her pleasurable youthfulness for abstinence which had never assured anyone certainty of reward.

[ Similar poem is Analysis Of A Taxi Driver On His Death By Timothy Wangusa ]

STRUCTURED AND STANZA SUMMARY 

Unholy Marriage is a seven stanza poem with a regular end rhyme scheme. Narrated from a third person point of view, each stanza is six lines in count with perfect imageries and simple diction. 

The events of the poem set at a foggy night and possessed a climatic flow of events in the poem, flowng as follows: In stanza one, she was a very well nurtured virgin lady who had never shared "Cool soft anointment of her breasts". 

In stanza two, she would have been so sweet in bed_ imagining her bridegroom sweating while receiving the benediction of her breasts_ yes, because she truly kept herself for the best. In stanza three, the piece of her body are gathered like blown sheets of papers. In stanza four and five, she failed to realise "No wheel has built-in sense, she shared a vehicle seat with a strange man and suddenly like unholy marriage, her virgin blood mixed with that of a stranger. 

Stanza six and seven go thus:
"Anointed only by the punctured oil
poured like unleashed wind or fire from bag
Sold by some damned magician out to spoil
The life that girded in this young girl's breast,
Now never to unfurl her flag
And march love's happy quest.

Her mother hears the clock; her sighs,
Takes off his boots: she's late tonight 
I hope she's careful virgin: men have eyes
For cherished daughters growing in the breast.
Some news? They hear the gate.
A man comes: not the best."

THEMES AND POETICS

The poem has the following themes_ Death, Virginity, Accident, Uncertainty, etc. 

Death cannot be ruled out of the journey of earthly living because uncertainty is one among the limitations in mortal beings, the poet saw virginity as an expensive foolishness and that was his reason for mocking the virgin girl who lost her lost not only her life but her virginity to a terrible vehicle accident.

It's time for the light to fade out on this analysis of unholy marriage by David Holbrook, but there more interesting articles for you to read here.

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Enunwa Chukwudinma Samuel aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo With Wings Flying)

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Analysis of A Description of A City Shower by Jonathan Swift

Introduction:

At the moment, what comes to mind is to examine the poem "A Description of a City Shower" by Jonathan Swift. 

We'll observe the message of the poem and the structure employed by the poet. 

The Analysis:

Here at this platform (mynaijapoets.blogspot.com), we have examined some poems relating to London and the poem "A Descrition of A City Shower" by Jonathan Swift is another instance of classic poems written about London. 

The poet described the messy state of his city during the rainy season. The mental images painted in the poem might not match the present day London but it gave the readers a clear view of what London was in the year 1710 when the poem was crafted by the poet, Jonathan Swift.

The poem divided into multi-stanzas has its summary shown that when its about to rain, their would be a heavy cloud, a thicker odious environment and the cats will be seen so moody, and the poet's advice to stay at with wine than attempt to go for a diner (according to the first stanza of the poem which has a total of twelve lines). 

What follows is the effect of the rain on the people around_ running here and there to hide from the rain: 
"To Shops in Crouds the daggled Females fly (which is metaphor)
Pretending to cheapen Goods, but nothing buy
The Templer spruce, while ev'ry Spout's a-broach (the templer: law student from Temple, London)
Stays till 'tis fair, yet seems to call a Coach. (alliteration found in the line)
The tuck'd-up Semptstress walks with hasty Strides
While Streams run down her oil'd Umbrella's Sides
Here various Kinds by various Fortunes led (various is repeated, Kind = people, Fortunes = ambitions)
Commence Acquaintance underneath a Shed."

From the above quote, the rain changed the course of humans intentions which led to most of them acting wierd and fake; many who wouldn't have been friendly force started friendly conversations with other fellows camped by the sudden rain under a tiny roof, ladies run into shops are seen making enquiries about products they wouldn't buy, the students kept calling the cabs but not with the intention of leaving unless the rain stops, the dressmaker was working hasty under her umbrella as if she would be late for a certain appointment (according to the third stanza of the poem). The fourth stanza is an end-rhyming lines of eleven in total. 

It gave a detailed description of the flood; its smelly nature, how it navigated its ways through the city (They, as each Torrent drives, with rapid Force/ From Smithfield, or St Pulchre's shape their Course/ And in huge Confluent join at Snow-Hill Ridge/ Fall from the Conduit prone to Holborn-Bridge), and how the flood swiftly travel with any helpless things that fall into its path (examples seen in the poem are "Drown'd Puppies", "stinking Sprats", "Dead Cats", "Turnip-Tops").

Other important knowledge can also be acquired from the few bullet points below:

• Audio Analysis of A Description of A City Shower
• Description of a City Shower: Summary & Analysis - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com 
• PDF format of "A Description of A City Shower by Jonathan Swift 
• To view the whole poem: A Description of A City Shower by Jonathan Swift

About the Author:

The author of Gullivers Travels, Jonathan Swift lived between 30th November, 1667 and 19th October, 1745. He was born in Republic of Ireland and did attend University of Oxford. 

Swift, during his lifetime was known as a poet and Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin among other things. 

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Enunwa Chukwudinma S aks samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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The Use Of Poetic Devices In Mending Wall By Robert Frost

Introduction

 This post here is about one of the finest classic poem of Robert Frost titled "Mending Wall" ; here we'll refresh our memories with the Use of Poetic Devices in Mending Wall By Robert Frost.

We'll be figuring out figures of speech such as symbolism, alliteration, repetition, simile, hyperbole not excluding the style and language employed by the poet.

Poetic Devices 

Symbolism :- This is a device where symbols are used to represent real things and feelings. 

"And set the wall between us once again" as seen in line 14 of the poem.

The wall stood as a symbol of limitation people set around themselves.

Another symbolism in the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is found in line 40 "like an old-Stone savage armed". Such line represented the level of mind of the poem persona neighbor who was conservative in deals and thoughts.

Hyperbole :- This is a literary device for the deliberate use of excessive notion or overstatement by a writer for the purpose of impression, laughter or humour. 

Take line 18-22: "We have to use a spell to make them balance/"Stay where you are until our backs are turned"/We wear our fingers rough with handling them/One on a side, it comes to little more/There where it is we do not need the wall"

Those lines portrayed a humorous message and within was elements of hyperbole, satire and irony as the whole process was turned into a thing of game. The hyperbole also extended to lines between 35-37.

Simile:- It involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, with words such as "like", "as", "as if", etc. 

When you take a keen look into the lines 38-40 "He said it for himself, I see him there/Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top/In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed".

From the behavior and thought of the neighbor were compared to that of a savage without a mind and brain of their own. 

Repetition:- A figure of speech in which a word, phrase or idea is expressed more than once in a piece of written work of art. 

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall" happened to be one of the lines repeated multiple times in the poem_ repeated in line 1 and 35.

"the wall between us" also had repetition in line 14 and 15.

Style and Language:- In terms of the style of the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, surely a narrative poem of one long stanza which flowed climactic because of the simplicity and informal tone of language used. It is satire-filled, humorous ganished with irony. I have the feeling that the poem can be considered a blank verse.

If in any way you found this post helpful, kindly share to family and friends _ maybe even foes. Yeah, funny.

Samuel Enunwa aka samueldpoetry

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Analysis Of My Grandmother By Elizabeth Jennings

Introduction to the Analysis

From the third person point of view, Jennings painted a clear image of an aged person's way-of-life (her grandmother). 

The poem opened with comparison; comparing the abode of the grandmother to an "antique shop". From the poem, naijapoets.com is of the opinion that old age has some stages (initial frailty, intense frailty, and death) the first stanza described the poem-speaker's grandmother as being old and lonely. She only had things than beings as companions: "Apostle spoons and Bristol glass/ The faded silks, the heavy furniture/ She watched her own reflection in the brass/ Salvers and silver bowls, as if to prove/ Polish was all, there was no need of love."

Jumping to stanza three, the grandmother was in an intense frailty and all youthful remnants surrounding the old woman (acting as her cherished company) lost their meanings and were moved aside into "Sideboards and cupboards" because she was "too frail to keep a shop, she put/ All her best things in one long narrow room/ The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut"

The Summary of Events

The poem speaker stood in state of mournfulness but pretended she didn't feel grief after the death of the old woman. She said in stanza four:

"And when she died I felt no grief at all,
Only the guilt of what I once refused.
I walked into her room among the tall
Sideboards and cupboards_ things she never used
But needed: and no finger-marks were there
Only the new dust falling through the air."

The Message of the Poem

From the message of the poem, one with deep thought will figure so many things; futility is one among. It became obvious in the final stanza of the poem that many cherished things were left behind not excluding the poem speaker. 

Based on the theme of "aging to death" loneliness is human's worst enemy but people neglect the company of their aged ones calling them out-of-date. The theme of remembering the loved-ones inspired the poem. Elizabeth Jennings couldn't stand the lost of her grandmother by so doing transposed the elegy into something close to a satire. 

She claimed no grief but narrated the lonely plight of the old woman and how she so much need human company. The poem is interesting because it brings back to readers mind the truth that "We never a good thing till is gone".

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Analysis Of Report To Wordsworth By Kim Boey Cheng

About the Poem

This post will explain the figures of speech and the themes in Report To Wordsworth by Kim Boey Cheng.

Report To Wordsworth is a poem believed to be addressed to William Wordsworth, the poet, whose poetic messages show affection for nature. Cheng wasn't glad with the deplorable states of natural things like rivers, animals, plants, atmosphere, etc; after he felt that the gods meant to come to the rescue of nature were silent, he had no choice than to address the poem to Wordsworth as his last resort.

The Poetic Devices

"You should be here, Nature has need of you" in line 1 is an example of epanalepsis.

"As Nature's mighty heart is lying still" in line 12 is an example of imagery.

"The flowers are mute, and the birds are few" in line 4 is an example of paradox, parallelism and personification.

"in a sky slowing like dying clock" is an example of simile.
"She has laid waste" is an example of personification; the "She" was referring to "Nature".

"The wound widening" "insatiate man moves" "sky slowing" "poetry and piety" are examples of alliteration.

"Proteus, Triton, Neptune, Wordsworth" are examples of allusion.

The Themes

(1)The effect of Nature on poetry and religion (2)The destructive nature of human (3)Hopelessness and Helplessness in Nature's recovery

It was shown in the poem that without nature, poetry and religion is nothing. Meaning that the bad shape of Nature has a lot of negative effects on poetry and religion: "Poetry and piety have begun to fail/ As Nature's mighty heart is lying still" (line 11 and 12). 

The destruction suffered by Nature is man-made (i.e. caused by the effort of human) and few of them are plants infertility which the poet described "the flowers are mute..." the unreasonable hunting and killing of animals which the poet also described "the birds are few" polution of water and atmosphere beyond control. "all hopes of Proteus rising from the sea/ has sunk; he is entombed in the waste/ we dump..." according to line 5 to 7 of the poem. Kim Cheng revealed the degree of hopelessness and helpless of Nature's recovery by inviting Wordsworth who is a mortal with less power as the immortal deities that has failed to rescue Nature from peril. 

He also made the readers to see reasons for inviting Wordsworth; "Neptune lies helpless as a beached whale/ while insatiate man moves for the kill".

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Analysis of In Memory of Anyone Unknown to Me by Elizabeth Jennings

About the Poet

We seem elated to be analyzing another elegy_ a mild elegy for that matter. What could be more delighting than meeting poets in their genius dens.

The poem "In Memory of Anyone Unknown to Me" proved Elizabeth Jennings' creativity was inelastic during her lifetime.

Elizabeth Jennings was an English poet born 18th July, 1926 in Boston, United Kingdom but died 26th October , 2001 in Bampton, United Kingdom.

About the Poem

The poem is about death. She wrote the poem solely because she admired the dead_ they are humans just as herself. Structurally, "In Memory of Anyone Unknown to Me" by Elizabeth Jennings is a three stanza poem of six lines each stanza with the end rhyme pattern of ABBACC DEEDFF GHHGII.

[You Can Even Listen to the Poem In Memory of Anyone Unknown to Me]

In the poem, Elizabeth Jennings treated mourning like a philanthropic act. Even when none of the poet's friends or relatives died, she still found it in her heart to practice a mournful ritual to those that are dead anywhere in the world at such time. 

Besides mourning, she also emphasized life's achievements or earthly accomplishments as seen in the second stanza of the poem below:
"How they lived, or died, is quite unknown,
And, by that fact gives my grief purity--
An important person quite apart from me
Or one obscure who drifted down alone.
Both or all I remember, have a place.
For these I never encountered face to face".

The reason she didn't mourn any status under the grip of bias was because the famous which she referred to as "An important person quite apart from me" and the commoner which she referred to as "...one obscure who drifted down alone" are both victims of death which she was yet to witness though indebted to it.

She did imagine whatever burial rites could be going on at that particular time_ digging of grave or cremation. 

And being an abstract mourner also took away any form of sentiment in as much as she wouldn't have to worry about their epitaph, or taking roses to their graves or wondering whether they were good persons who deserved not to die or bad persons who truly deserved the cold stings of death.

Enunwa Chukwudinma S. aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Analysis of A Poem of Changgan by Li Po

The Poet and Summary

Li Po is a Chinese poet born 19th of May, 701 AD. Some people also refer to him as LI Bai, Li Bo and so on. His poetic contribution keeps adding strength to Chinese poetry decades in decades out. other interesting poems "Exile's Letter", "Goodfellowship", "The Long War".Li Po died 30th of November, 762 AD.

The Stanzaic Summary

A Poem of Changgan by Li Po is a love poem that buttresses the effects of a rigid distance between two lovers. As observed in the context of the poem, many factors such as weather, loneliness and fear of lost do cumulate to cause such distresses to lovers.



The first stanza of the poem quoted below shows that the voice of the poem and his traveled lover had been in love since tender age:
"My hair had hardly covered my forehead.
I was picking flowers, playing by my door,
When you, my lover, on a bamboo horse,
Came trotting in circles and throwing green plums.
We lived near together on a lane in Ch’ang-kan,
Both of us young and happy-hearted."

In the second stanza, both lovers got married at age 14 but it doesn't take long before the husband turned monster maltreating the wife. The wife respected the culture and the strong love she had for the husband thereby endured the cruelty of her husband.

In the third stanza quoted below, the bad turned to worse as her worst nightmare unfolded. Her husband went on travel by sea when she was 16 years of age living her with agonizing celibacy to contend. As she suffered loneliness while waiting through hot and wet nights, seasons began to roll upon seasons and his recognized footprints were overridden by growing grasses and mosses_ making her to fear how fast her beauty would fade:

"...Then when I was sixteen, you left on a long journey
Through the Gorges of Ch’u-t’ang, of rock and whirling water.
And then came the Fifth-month, more than I could bear,
And I tried to hear the monkeys in your lofty far-off sky.
Your footprints by our door, where I had watched you go,
Were hidden, every one of them, under green moss,
Hidden under moss too deep to sweep away.
And the first autumn wind added fallen leaves.
And now, in the Eighth-month, yellowing butterflies
Hover, two by two, in our west-garden grasses
And, because of all this, my heart is breaking
And I fear for my bright cheeks, lest they fade."

In the forth stanza which concluded the poem, the voice of the poem noted that she wouldn't mind the distance between where she resided and the place called "Chang-feng Sha" where his lover would arrive at via "Pa District"; so as to live with her husband again.

The Structural Overview

As said earlier, the poem is about love from the feminist perspective. The expressions of the poem are more of first person suggesting that women are more vulnerable in marriages. 

They are the ones who mostly get drunk in love to bear the pain of love departure. The diction is simple and the flow is climactic starting from the origin of the love to the hope of reuniting. Many imageries in the poem reckoned with nature such as "rock and whirling water", "lofty far-off sky", "first autumn wind added fallen leaves", etc.

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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