Delight in Disorder

I like this poem too. The speaker compares the two sides of his lover. It seems from the poem that the messy, chaotic side of her is by far his favorite. He compares her to a messy, abstract work of art. He basically tells her that her appearance doesn't matter to him at all. He prefers a mess to a put-together, ironed-out girl. Honestly, the poem seems a little cliche, but I like it. At first, I thought the poem was referring to the speaker's attitude toward chaos in general, but after the small group discussion, I see the specific reference to his lover. I really do like the small group discussions. They clear up a lot for me, and I think I'm starting to understand more on my own by thinking about the poems from another person's perspective.

Death, be not proud

I really like this poem a lot. The speaker is basically telling death that it's not as big and strong as people make it out to be. In the poem, death is compared to sleep. The speaker says that death is even better than sleep or rest because it is extended which makes it almost pleasurable. The speaker weakens death by comparing it to all the other things that can make a person sleep. The speaker ends the poem by finally saying that death's power can and will be broken. Death is referred to as a "short sleep" which passes, implying that death is not permanent. It is defeated in eternal life where it can have no place or victory.

#7

The central theme of "Lonely Hearts" is that everyone wants a companion. Some of the ads are shallow like the business man's. He's looking for "something new." The biker, however, wants to find someone with whom he has something in common. He wants something real. Each ad places emphasis on a different trait in which the person is interested. All of the examples have the same format, and this helps them convey the same ideas although they have different meanings. Every person, no matter who they are, what they like or how they live, wants a companion.

#17

The form in "Edward" creates several small conversations between Edward and his mother within one conversation. In each stanza, the first and third and the fifth and seventh lines are identical. In each case, Edward's mother asks why his sword is so bloody, the first and third lines. Edward follows this with an excuse as to why his sword would be covered in blood, the fifth and seventh lines. This continues for the first two stanzas, but after Edward confesses in the third, he becomes the accuser. He accuses his mother of planting the idea of killing his father, and his accusation continues the pattern. His condemnation of his mother, the end of the poem, finishes the pattern with statements from both speakers rather than just from Edward. The repetition of the lines emphasizes the importance each point has to the speaker.