"A verier ghost than I" (889). This is from "The Apparition." I do not understand this poem at all. Is the speaker already dead? Who are they talking to? Why are they leaving this person a creepy message? Is the speaker threatening the person that they will haunt them? Or are they trying to be romantic, and it just come off really weird? What is the tone in the poem even?

"When I have crossed the bar" (886). This is from "Crossing the Bar." Is he traveling or dying? My vote is dying. But what does all the other stuff have to do with dying? It's a really weird extended metaphor. I have never thought of dying as a trip or new adventure, but I can see where he's coming from. His tone is very relaxed and accepting of the fact that he will die soon.

"I love to hear her speak, yet well I know/ that music hath a far more pleasing sound" (885). This is from "My mistress' eyes." The tone is completely filled with satire. I think that he is making fun of every love poem every written. Which is a hypocritical considering Shakespeare wrote many cheese love poems himself. However, it is really funny. He, in a way, criticizes her and critiques her through the poem. But, at the end he says that he does love her, I think. It is a sort of cute poem.

"me/a princess" (handout). I absolutely love this poem, "Hazel Tells LaVerne." It's sweet in a way, and actually really funny. Which reminds me of another movie, "The Princess and the Frog" aka the best animated movie ever. The language and diction, however, remind of of the book "Of Mice and Men." I don't know whether to call the diction illiterate or just creative. Also, the tone is very southern to me, not because of the messed up spelling, but it just sounds southern. The only thing I don't understand is the title.

"We held on tight, and let go" (896). This is from "Getting Out." The tone in this poem makes me think that the speaker wanted to break up with who ever it was, then didn't when the time came. It reminds me of the movie "The Break up." It's almost the exact movie in a poem. Or poem in the movie. I think that neither person in this poem really wants to break up. However, neither wants to talk. The tone at the end is really sad.

"Demur-you're straightway dangerous-/And handled with a Chain" (830). In "Much Madness is divinest Sense" the paradox is in the author's view of what makes sense. The author says that madness makes more sense than sense does. Having a grasp on everything all the time isn't a good way to live. Part of a paradox is realizing that it does have truth in it. Being a bit off isn't totally a bad thing all of the time. It adds a bit of excitement to everyday life. When everything always makes sense all the time, then there's no curiosity or wondering in the world.

"Not one false note was struck-until he died..." (848). People like "Mr. Z" annoy me. This man in this extremely ironic poem is a very wishy-washy kind of person. One with out many, if any opinions on racy topics. He's not much of a risk taker at all. He's just a person who flies under the radar so he doesn't cause a stir. The irony in the entire poem is that during his whole life, he's been as politically correct as possible. Then, at his funeral, a race comment is made about him, which goes against all that he worked for in his life.

"Dear Mom, sure rains a lot here" (846). This poem, "APO 96225" is like "Barbie Doll" in the sense that it too is very relatable. Not the whole going off to war, killing lots of people thing, but it's relatable because out parents what to know about our life, but when they find out things, are upset or disappointed. This poem, too, is both ironic and understated at times. It's ironic due to the mother's reaction. It's an understatement due to his letters he writes. It's something that happens all the time too, parents ask a question, get the honest answer, then don't know what to do with that information. Both the irony and understated replies add to the tone of the poem.

"The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;" (839). In this poem, "Ozymandias" there is a story told by a traveler to another person. The story is of a king who has nothing. It's very ironic through the whole poem because the reader is expecting for the king to have all sorts of riches, but he had nothing. The reason he has nothing is because he was an unkind ruler. Words such as: "sneer" "cold command" and "mocked" show that he didn't have many followers. But because of what was written on the sign, he obviously felt very highly of himself. This was probably his ultimate downfall in the end.

"Doesn't she look pretty? Everyone said." (836). "Barbie Doll" is a very relatable poem to many girls. In the poem, there is a little girl who seems to be an over-all, well rounded individual. But one day, she is told she has a big nose and legs. She does what she can to ignore it and make herself look and feel better, but it's not forgotten. The earlier quote is from her funeral after she has died. It's relatable because, in all honesty, there's a lot of pressure on girls to look their best at all times. Also, it's relatable because it makes one realize how one comment can change a person's outlook on life forever.

"Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath/ And so live ever-or else swoon to death" (792). I think this poem is about the sun. What I noticed first was the weird language. I think it is about the sun because it is the brightest star. Also, in a way, the sun does kind of look down on all of us. The writer says it is "gazing on" certain part of the Earth. But after about line 8, I just get lost. Is it about a woman now? Or still the sun? In any case, it is an interesting poem.

"My brother's heart barely feeds two" (handout). This poem made me giggle. The speaker has a sort of whimsical, "if only I could" sort of tone. What I'm getting from the poem is that she doesn't like what her sister says. Maybe they have differing opinions, or maybe her sister just doesn't say nice things. But then in the second stanza, the tone changes a bit. There is still this whimsicalness to it, but also a bit more serious. Maybe her brother is not at all a nice person in the slightest. She seems to be more playful about her sister's stanza. In the brother's stanza I get a "I really don't like him" kind of vibe.

"Dress up! Dress us and dance at Carnival!" (799). What the heck is up with this poem? I get that it's at a Mexican festival, but that's about it. Who or what is the dog? A chiwawa? Is it even a dog at all? Is this poem just a stream of consciousness? It's really chaotic and weird. Does the speaker feel bad for the dog or like it? Also, the 6th stanza is just completely out there and makes no sense at all.

"Or does it explode?" (805). I read this poem last year, and I still love it as much as I did then. It's about how having a dream or goal and not reaching it can have many possibilities of outcomes. One thing the speaker says that can happen is that it is forgotten. The person with that dream no longer cares, nor remembers it. But what the speaker alludes to really happening is in the line I quoted earlier. The speaker says that the will for that dream or goal to be reached only gets stronger over time. It's sort of an inspirational poem.

"To see the little Tippler/leaning against the-Sun-" (797). I like this poem. When I first read through it, I didn't really understand why she was writing about a drunk guy. Then when I read through it a second time, I came to the realization that she's not talking about a drunkard, but rather how being outside makes you feel drunk. The third stanza was what made it most clear to me. I can relate to this poem because I love being outside, so I know what she feels like. I think the speaker isn't biast towards one season like the other poets we read, but instead she likes all of them.

"What did I know, what did I know/ of loves austere and lonely offices?" (782). This poem is so sadly sweet. There are tons of poems, stories, essays, ect. out there about Moms, but very few about Dads it seems. This poem is sad in the fact that the writer (during the poem) felt animosity towards the dad. But, now that he is writing the poem looks back, and realized everything his dad did for him. In the poem, he says there is a "chronic anger" in the house, maybe the dad just wanted to be appreciated. The last lines, the one I quoted previously confuse me. Was the dad mad at his son for his relationships and job? Is that even what the last lines mean? In any case, I think I do actually like this poem.

"The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush/with richness;" (774). Well this poem is...interesting. Is it about spring, Jesus, or neither? I really liked it, until the end. The end just didn't seem to fit into the poem. Did the author think "hey, I should probably mention something about that Jesus fellow. I'll just tag him on."? It just seemed a bit random. In any case, it was interesting in his word choice. His descriptions and alliterations make it intriguing.

"In every cry of every man/In every Infant's cry of fear/In every voice, in every ban/the mind-forged manacles I hear" (handout). I think this poem is literal, mostly. It talks about the different aspects of London, none of which seem to be very positive. I think it is about the Black Death. To begin with, everyone is crying. Also, it mentions a plague in the last stanza. Or maybe it's just the author's personal feelings about London. He doesn't seem to like the city, but he also seems intrigued by it.

"The plumtree is white today/with masses of flowers" (775). This poem makes me depressed. I think it connects to many things that are happening in our world today. So in this poem, there is this woman who has been without a spouse for 35 years. She has a little boy, who seems to be relatively happy, but she is obviously not. At one point, she says she wants to die. But I think it connects to today because of all the women who have lost husbands in Iraq and Afghanistan. I bet that they have children too who don't understand why they are so sad all of the time. The only thing that doesn't make sense is that she's been widowed for 35 years, but still has a son who seems to be young. In any case, the woman is obviously not happy with her life, but goes on for her son.

"And hit the World, at every plunge/ And Finished knowing-then-" (776). Well, I think this poem is addressing her craziness. At least she admits to it. When I read it the first time, I thought that it was a legit funeral, but when I reread it, I realized that it doesn't make any sense to be about a poem. To begin with, why would it be in her head? Also, it would make her the dead person. So I think that her house is the coffin, and she's trapped in it. But it almost seems like she's trying to jump out of her house...especially due to the 4th and 5th stanzas. The third stanza is what confuses me, however. I don't think it contradicts any points I've made, so I think my theory still stands.

I don't like this guy. He seems like one of those egotistical people who a) like to hear themselves talk and b) like to be told that they're right. In any case, if it isn't obvious enough, I completely and totally disagree with him. The truth of the matter is that things, depending how you look at them, can be interpreted differently. It's like a kaleidoscope, however you turn it, and depending on what you're looking at, there's always a new picture. Saying that only one person is right and only one interpretation is correct is almost an insult to the poet. Why would a writer only mean to say one thing? Poets have to be incredibly creative to come up with the stuff they write about, so it doesn't make sense to only have one bland and uncreative answer.

To me, almost everything can be interpreted differently. I feel like this guy is trying to squelch every ounce of creativity people have. Why does there only have to be one right answer? Why can't everyone be right? What if no one is right? What if, crazy thought here- when Blake wrote about a rose and a worm, he was writing about a rose and worm. There are so many different possibilities to everything, so I don't see how one person is more right than everyone else. Poetry is about being creative, throwing out new ideas, and (often) not making any sense at all. I think that people can have as many opinions as possible, there is no one right answer.