Incident by Brooke1020

This poem is by Countee Cullen.  This poem is very short but has a great message.  It speaks about about a child's experience in Baltimore.  The experience like so many others, was remembered because of the pain associated with it.  This child got called a 'niggar' by a Baltimorean when he was eight years old.  I too can recall certain episodes from my childhood that were very painful.  Also, it mentions that this memory was all that the child remembered of Baltimore.  This seem very true of painful memories.  It seems that painful memories can be remembered far better than good memories.  It's a sad thing. 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Brooke1020

This poem is by Robert Frost.  I liked this poem because it seems so simple.  I believe it is talking about stopping for a quick rest to observe and enjoy the scenery.  It takes place in the woods on a snowy evening.  I liked when he mentions, "My little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near between the woods and frozen lake the darkest evening of the year."  I love the detail there and then later he describes the horse giving a nudge to make sure that it wasn't a mistake that they had stopped.  What is so interesting in this piece is the detail that he puts in (the horse), isn't something that a normal writer would or could use to describe this event so vividly.  This of course is just my opinion.

We Wear the Mask by Brooke 1020

I liked this poem because it can identify with almost everyone.  I believe everyone wears a mask at times.  Some mask ourselves our whole lives.  I like the opening lines, "We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,..."  To me this poem is talking about the hurt that humans face in this corrupt world.  I don't think it's mentioning lying in a bad way as if we were liars.  I believe it presents it in a sad way; that we lie to ourselves.  This has become the norm for most people and it's hard to be anything else because this is what our society has molded and expected of us.

Richard Cory by Brooke 1020

Richard Cory is a poem written by Edwin Arlington Robinson.  I was flipping through my poetry book and decided to read this poem.  I liked it because the ending was unexpected.  I believe it was talking about a rich man that everyone would have loved to be like but this rich man killed himself.  The poem kind of lets you conclude how you feel about it by saying..."And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head."  The ending was so abrupt compared to the rest of the poem.  It kind of gives me the idea that people envy others or notice others but people are people.  This rich envied man that everyone looked forward to seeing every day killed himself.  What a waste.

First Snow by Brooke 1020

The Snow is a poem written by Mary Oliver.  The title of the poem caught my eye because I love snowfall and decided it was a poem that I could relate to.  In reading the poem, I felt like it sped up and slowed down in certain sentences.  What makes this poem flow just amazes me.  I especially like line 14 and 15, The silence is immense...  She is talking about the end of the day when the snowfall has stopped.  I also love the immense silence that a fresh snow gives after dark.  She goes on further to describe the trees and the stars at night.  I appreciate this poem because I appreciate the beauty of snow.

Poetry by Brooke

Poetry is something that is very dynamic.  I think poetry was invented because people were running out of ways to speak creatively.  I'm only joking!  Yet, to hear the different forms of poetry that I have heard thus far makes it hard to give a definition to this subject.  I especially enjoy poetry when it is spoken to me.  Reading poetry is great, but I prefer having it read to me because it sounds more passionate.  I'm never going to be one that buys a book of poems by my favorite author, but I would go to a show that had different artists performing their artistic style of poetry.
Poetry to me is just an art form.  It's expression of some sort of feeling or idea translated by an authors personality.  It can create various forms of translations and responses depending on the person reading it or hearing it.  For some, I believe poetry is an important form of expression of self.

Ars Poetica by Brooke1020

Ars Poetica is a poem written by Archibald MacLeish, and it is poem written about why a poem shouldn't necessarily have a meaning but should just be.  Throughout this poem it uses symbols to show how poetry can be dumb, "palpable and mute", wordless, motionless, and not true.  Some examples of the symbolism's used are: the idea of a moon lurking through leaves and branches compared to memories, a flight of birds having direction but are wordless, and a medallion to a thumb is symbolized for dumb.  Also, he says direct lines like, "A poem should not mean...But be."  Basically, his approach is simple and just allows poetry to be words on a page without having to have a meaning.  I like this idea because I believe certain poetry can create different responses from different people.  Just as in English class when a poem is presented, everyone has their own interpretation.  I think there is a leniency that this author allows in this poem which creates an atmosphere that allows people to be free with poetry.