Mir Afzal England in 1819 by P. B. Shelly About the Poem: The Poem is about the state of England in 1819. The king is “old, mad, blind, despised, and dying.” The princes are “the dregs of their dull race,” and flow through public scorn like mud, unable to see, feel for, or know their people, clinging … Read more
“The Little Black Boy” by William Blake About the poem A black child tells the story of how he came to know his own identity and to know God. The boy, who was born in “the southern wild” of Africa, first explains that though his skin is black his soul is as white as that … Read more
The poem ‘Know Then Thyself’ is an extract taken from An Essay on Man: Epistle II. This long poem ‘An Essay on Man’ has four Epistles. It is considered to be a sublime work of poetry. This extract ‘Know Then Thyself’ argues that human beings should learn to look at themselves and try to learn about their own nature, power, limitations, and weakness. It is a plea to look inward to gather knowledge about oneself. It is in fact a scientific inquiry propagated by enlightenment.
This poem is primarily a declaration of the spiritual indignity of the speaker. We can think of it as a penitential poem, based on the penitential Psalms of the Old Testament. Donne’s religious disposition contained a strong element of self-laceration and strain, and this poem shows this. We can distinguish two facets of the desperate plight of the speaker — the drift toward death and the profound sense of personal sin.
Batter My Heart or Holy Sonnet XIV by John Donne Vocabulary usurp’d : taken through force or rebellion viceroy: governor; ruling power labour: work, energy betroth’d : promised to marry enthrall: captivate chaste: innocent, pure ravish: seize or rape to no end: without success Introduction This is one of the most famous poems of Donne. … Read more
The Sunne Rising BY John Donne Introduction The Sun Rising is one of Donne’s most noted love poem. It is an example of the aubade a “DAWN POEM”. Let us begin with a brief outline of the poem. The poet and his beloved are still in bed as the sun rises in the morning. The … Read more
Love Bade Me Welcome by George Herbert Questions and Answers 1. In the first stanza, what or who is the “Love” to which Herbert refers? How do you know? The “Love” that Herbert refers to is actually the Lord. We know this because shortly after, in the third stanza, Herbert addresses the love he has … Read more
Sonnet 75 by Edmund Spenser Introduction A sequence of sonnets entitled “Amoretti,” of which Sonnet 75 is a part was written by Edmund Spenser. “Amoretti was published in 1595 and contained 89 sonnets and a collection of short poems called Anacreontics and Epithalamion. The volume was titled” Amoretti and Epithalamion. Sonnet 75 is part of … Read more
Sonnet XXVIII (On His Deceased Wife) Background Milton suffered many losses during his life. Two of his wives died giving birth. His first wife, Mary Powell, died on May 5, 1652, three days after giving birth to a daughter, Deborah, while his second wife, Katherine Woodcock, whom he married on November 12, 1656, died of … Read more
Little Things By Julia A. Carney Introduction Little things make everyone happy and are greatly responsible to change our lives. Often little things in life indicate great changes. As little drops of water make mighty oceans, similarly little deeds of kindness can make us dear to even our enemies and thus make this world a … Read more
Virtue By George Herbert Introduction of the Poem George Herbert’s poem entitled “Virtue” is a poem from his collection of poems under the title of the “Death and Mutability”. The poems of this collection convey the idea that all beautiful, sweet, pleasant and good looking things in the world are mortal and it is certain … Read more
The poem, ‘The Rebel,’ describes the character of the rebel, an individual who does not comply with the norms of society. The rebel is described as a person who would have contradicted others in order to be different. The rebel character in the poem is not based on a political activist, but seems to be a character sketch of a young teenager, seeking to be different. All the instances in the poem are repeated affirmations of this fact.
