{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"39357756","dateCreated":"1305923284","smartDate":"May 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"tammy_sev","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/tammy_sev","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1285868666\/tammy_sev-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39357756"},"dateDigested":1531973828,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Dreams","description":"Dreams
\nBy Langston Hughes
\n
\nHold fast to dreams
\nFor if dreams die
\nLife is a broken-winged bird
\nThat cannot fly.
\n
\nHold fast to dreams
\nFor when dreams go
\nLife is a barren field
\nFrozen with snow.
\n
\nThis poem talks about what happens when one forgets about his\/her dreams; life has no meaning. Hughes tells us that without dreams life would have no direction and it would be \u201cfrozen\u201d. He uses many metaphors to get his point across. He says that without dreams, \u201clife is a broken-winged bird\/ that cannot fly\u201d; telling us that without them we would have no direction in life. Without any direction we would not succeed in what we are meant to do. Ha also says that \u201clife is a barren field\/frozen with snow\u201d; trying to tell us that without dreams we would become cold and life won\u2019t have a meaning. When everything is frozen nothing can grow; so if we don\u2019t have dreams we wont gain anything from life. The word choice is very simple, since they\u2019re words that we all know and are not hard to understand. They\u2019re 2 stanzas and each stanza has 4 verses. All the verses are divided into 4 syllables except the penultimate of each stanza. The one in the first stanza has 7 syllables and the one in the last has 6. There is an order that is broken two times. It is as if first 2 verses tell us what can happen if we have dreams; everything remains in order. Then near the end if we don\u2019t follow them, life becomes a disaster that ruins everything that was already made. The structure gives a certain rhythm to the poem. Something else that gives it rhythm is the rhyme, which seems to be ABCB for both stanzas. The message of this poem would be, have dreams in your life so you can use it to it\u2019s fullest","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39355984","dateCreated":"1305920898","smartDate":"May 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"danielx_184","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/danielx_184","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39355984"},"dateDigested":1531973828,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Annabel Lee","description":" It was many and many a year ago,
\nIn a kingdom by the sea,
\nThat a maiden there lived whom you may know
\nBy the name of ANNABEL LEE;
\nAnd this maiden she lived with no other thought
\nThan to love and be loved by me.
\n
\nI was a child and she was a child,
\nIn this kingdom by the sea;
\nBut we loved with a love that was more than love-
\nI and my Annabel Lee;
\nWith a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
\nCoveted her and me.
\n
\nAnd this was the reason that, long ago,
\nIn this kingdom by the sea,
\nA wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
\nMy beautiful Annabel Lee;
\nSo that her highborn kinsman came
\nAnd bore her away from me,
\nTo shut her up in a sepulchre
\nIn this kingdom by the sea.
\n
\nThe angels, not half so happy in heaven,
\nWent envying her and me-
\nYes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
\nIn this kingdom by the sea)
\nThat the wind came out of the cloud by night,
\nChilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
\n
\nBut our love it was stronger by far than the love
\nOf those who were older than we-
\nOf many far wiser than we-
\nAnd neither the angels in heaven above,
\nNor the demons down under the sea,
\nCan ever dissever my soul from the soul
\nOf the beautiful Annabel Lee.
\n
\nFor the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
\nOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;
\nAnd the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
\nOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;
\nAnd so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
\nOf my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
\nIn the sepulchre there by the sea,
\nIn her tomb by the sounding sea.
\n
\nAnnabel Lee and The Raven are perhaps the two best poems written by Edgar Allan Poe; this has a reason, the poems are borderline perfect. Analyzing Annabel Lee one finds that it has an ambiguous rhyme for it lacks any pattern within itself yet it adds a musical tone that makes the poem flow, it keeps the reader entertained. Secondly the word-choice is not complicated at all making it an easy to read poem. It has a varying meter meaning it is not consistent throughout the poem but it is enough to maintain the musicality when reading it. It allows Poe to get his point across without necessarily having to sound perfectly structural. Adding further to the pleasure of reading since the reader finds himself looking at \u201csentence\u201d variation nothing to permanent.
\nThe structure definitely affects the meaning of the poem. The use of simple words and structure reflect how simple love truly is, you love someone at all times and simply that way no complications. The small complications are reflected by the metric changes. Small details that add to the poem but do not make it bad, small problems in a relationship contrarily it they just help build it up. Another detail is the verses. Most contain either six or eight stanzas. Only the fifth one contains seven verses, lucky number seven. This same stanza speaks of the power of love, how lucky are those that have love, and how indestructible true love is. Seven. So even though the poem is rather gloomy and depressive to some it is actually a bright idea, it shows the importance of love, how true love never dies.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39355134","dateCreated":"1305919849","smartDate":"May 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"MaFe1595","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/MaFe1595","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39355134"},"dateDigested":1531973828,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"She Walks in Beauty","description":"She Walks in Beauty
\nby George Gordon Byron
\n
\nI.
\n
\nShe walks in beauty, like the night
\n Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
\nAnd all that's best of dark and bright
\n Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
\nThus mellowed to that tender light
\n Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
\n
\nII.
\n
\nOne shade the more, one ray the less,
\n Had half impaired the nameless grace
\nWhich waves in every raven tress,
\n Or softly lightens o'er her face;
\nWhere thoughts serenely sweet express
\n How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
\n
\nIII.
\n
\nAnd on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
\n So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
\nThe smiles that win, the tints that glow,
\n But tell of days in goodness spent,
\nA mind at peace with all below,
\n A heart whose love is innocent!
\n
\n
\n
\nThe poem is very structured, perfect. It reflects her perfection. The poem has eight syllables in each verse. Each stanza has six lines and the poem follows a pattern. The poem uses words to describe a woman that is very sweet, innocent, and beautiful. The girl is portrayed as perfect and it is giving an idealistic image of the girl. In the first stanza she is compared to the stars. Her eyes are shiny and pure just like the stars in the night sky. The second stanza compares the girl to trees or nature. This shows that she is calmed and peaceful. The third stanza talks about her smile and the author proceeds to write about her innocence and he purity. There are a lot of metaphors and similes used to describe the woman. The word choice is simple and descriptive","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39349724","dateCreated":"1305913925","smartDate":"May 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kelseygymnastics","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kelseygymnastics","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222807559\/kelseygymnastics-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39349724"},"dateDigested":1531973828,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Epitaph on a Tyrant","description":"Epitaph on a Tyrant
\nby W. H. Auden
\nPerfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
\nAnd the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
\nHe knew human folly like the back of his hand,
\nAnd was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
\nWhen he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
\nAnd when he cried the little children died in the streets.
\n
\nAt first glance, \u201cEpitaph on a Tyrant\u201d by W. H. Auden does not appear to be special. Just another short, 6-line poem about history. But, it speaks of the tyrant\u2019s incongruity, and its form cleverly reflects this. There are rhymes in this poem, but they are not constant and have no lasting pattern. The meter varies from 11 to 16 syllables per line, and the rhythm changes. The narrator paints the picture of this tyrant using doublespeak. \u201cPerfection, of a kind, was what he was after\u201d and \u201cthe poetry he invented\u201d are especially good examples of this. We can infer that what he was after isn\u2019t really perfect, and that he pulled words out of thin air when he spoke or wrote. And even when the narrator says children die when he is upset, it\u2019s not truly connected to him. While the body of the poem is written in doublespeak, this contrasts with the title. \u201cEpitaph on a Tyrant\u201d tells us that the man being described to us is dead, that he had power, and that he used it unjustly. It is clear and to the point.
\nFrom this poem, I begin to get an idea of this man, although not an image. He can be funny when he\u2019s in a good mood, he was ambitious, and he was a great orator or writer. The tyrant knew a great deal about human nature as well But people have a way of dying when he\u2019s upset\u2026","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39324212","dateCreated":"1305863234","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"maaayyyaaa","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/maaayyyaaa","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222817730\/maaayyyaaa-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39324212"},"dateDigested":1531973828,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Thanks","description":"Thanks
\nW. S. Merwin
\n
\nListen
\nwith the night falling we are saying thank you
\nwe are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings
\nwe are running out of the glass rooms
\nwith our mouths full of food to look at the sky
\nand say thank you
\nwe are standing by the water thanking it
\nsmiling by the windows looking out
\nin our directions
\n
\nback from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
\nafter funerals we are saying thank you
\nafter the news of the dead
\nwhether or not we knew them we are saying thank you
\n
\nover telephones we are saying thank you
\nin doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
\nremembering wars and the police at the door
\nand the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you
\nin the banks we are saying thank you
\nin the faces of the officials and the rich
\nand of all who will never change
\nwe go on saying thank you thank you
\n
\nwith the animals dying around us
\nour lost feelings we are saying thank you
\nwith the forests falling faster than the minutes
\nof our lives we are saying thank you
\nwith the words going out like cells of a brain
\nwith the cities growing over us
\nwe are saying thank you faster and faster
\nwith nobody listening we are saying thank you
\nwe are saying thank you and waving
\ndark though it is
\n
\nIn this poem, Merwin is thanking. He is thanking here and thanking there and thanking in spite of, well, everything. He describes places and circumstances, one after another, in which there is no apparent reason to be thankful for anything. Within the reader, frustration arises; why is he saying thank you if there is nothing and no one to thank? It is precisely this which makes the poem so successful. He repeats and reiterates and restates his thanks over and over and over again. By the end of the poem, the reader understands\u2014\u201cdark though it is,\u201d there is always some trickle of light, no matter how small, to be thankful for. His words are straightforward and unadorned, yet have a profound impact through the pictures they paint.
\n
\nThe structure, syntax, and grammar of \u201cThanks\u201d contribute to communicating its message as well. There is not a single punctuation mark in the whole poem. No periods, no commas, no end-of-one-sentence-and-start-of-another\u2019s. Just in the same manner, the constant thanking in the poem is fluid, steady, and unconditional. A myriad of prepositions are used: \u201cover telephones\u2026 in the banks\u2026 after the funerals\u2026 with the animals\u2026\u201d This emphasizes that they are thanking everywhere and always; they are thanking above, before, through, upon, among, during, and beyond. Furthermore, there is only one capitalized word in the poem, and it happens to be the first word. Listen. It is a command, or maybe a plea. It ties the poem together in a knot along with one of the last few lines: \u201c\u2026with nobody listening we are saying thank you\u2026\u201d Although riddled with hopelessness, it is a hopeful poem. We\u2019ve told you to listen, but nobody\u2019s listening, and yet, we thank, we thank, we thank.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39323966","dateCreated":"1305862575","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"paulasev_th","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/paulasev_th","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1265121950\/paulasev_th-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39323966"},"dateDigested":1531973829,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Guitar","description":"The Guitar by Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca
\n
\nThe weeping of the guitar
\nbegins.
\nThe goblets of dawn
\nare smashed.
\nThe weeping of the guitar
\nbegins.
\nUseless
\nto silence it.
\nImpossible
\nto silence it.
\nIt weeps monotonously
\nas water weeps
\nas the wind weeps
\nover snowfields.
\nImpossible
\nto silence it.
\nIt weeps for distant
\nthings.
\nHot southern sands
\nyearning for white camellias.
\nWeeps arrow without target
\nevening without morning
\nand the first dead bird
\non the branch.
\nOh, guitar!
\nHeart mortally wounded
\nby five swords.
\n
\n Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca is one of the most important poets in Spanish history. In the poem The Guitar, he manages to transmit the weeping of this instrument not only through his words and imagery, but also through the form of the poem. The first aspect of its structure that shows is that the poem is not short. It almost resembles the form a song is written in, which reflects the motive of the musical instrument, the guitar, and its song. The poem also has the structure of a song because of the repetition of the phrase \u201cImpossible to silence it, which can be seen as its chorus. The longitude of the poem not only reminds the reader of a song, but also emphasizes the theme of melancholy. The verses being so thin, and the poem having only one, flowing, long stanza, can be seen as the flow of water, or the trace of a tear. Federico is describing how the guitar is \u201cweeping,\u201d and the way the poem looks on the paper helps him transmit it to the reader. As stated before, the verses are very short, which gives a feeling of weakness. This isn\u2019t a powerful poem; it is a discrete, nostalgic poem, and this is shown by the thin image of the poem on the paper.
\n The theme of melancholy and music is addressed not only by how the words are put together in the paper, but also through alliteration. The repeating of sounds contributes to the poem\u2019s rhythm and song. Finally, the sounds repeated are of the words \u201cs\u201d and \u201cw.\u201d This is very important because it automatically reminds the reader of the weeping of the guitar, and the sadness of its \u201cheart mortally wounded.\u201d The \u201cw\u201d sound also is used in the words \u201cwater,\u201d \u201cwithout,\u201d and \u201cwounded,\u201d adding to the poem\u2019s melancholy.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39323114","dateCreated":"1305860943","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"teagvest","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/teagvest","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39323114"},"dateDigested":1531973829,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Alone by Maya Angelou","description":" The poem \u201cAlone\u201d by Maya Angelou is the account of a profound epiphany. When one looks at the form of it, the poem is very structured: it is mostly the same width throughout its entirety in alternating stanzas of 9 or 10 and 3 lines. Even before reading it, it can be logically assumed that the shorter stanzas are meant to emphasize and summarize the theme of the longer stanzas because they follow directly afterwards. Within the longer stanzas, the last three lines are two very short lines followed by a long line- one could reason this was meant for emphasis as well.
\n
\n When one actually reads it, the form makes astounding sense. Maya Angelou starts with a line of two words: \u201cLying, thinking\u201d and the next line is \u201clast night\u201d. It sounds so simple, and it is, which is something that catches the reader. It is something that everyone does. At the end of every day, before falling asleep, people think about things; and by think, it is more of a deep questioning and wondering about large issues such as life, or in this case, loneliness. She follows this by stating the topic of her thought, which is her need of a perfect place to rest her soul. From this we can see that she is weary and tired from the start- this is her genuine and raw emotion, in the moment. Then she says that she \u201ccame up with\u201d one thing, which could be another sign that she is mentally, emotionally, and even physically exhausted- she didn\u2019t find, specifically, a concrete answer that put her mind at ease. It is still only a theory at this point. It\u2019s her last effort. What she comes up with is this: \u201cThat nobody, but nobody, can make it out here alone.\u201d This is the turning point in her mentality. The next stanza is about millionaires: they have so much money that they can\u2019t use it all and they have uncontrollable wives and depressed children and hearts of stone, but they can\u2019t do it all alone. Even millionaires, people with a lot of power, rely on someone else, the doctor, to try to fix their problems. After this vivid example, she becomes sure of her discovery; sure enough to tell it to the reader. One can see the confidence she has now: \u201cNow if you\u2019ll listen closely, I\u2019ll tell you what I know\u201d, telling about how the world is such a dangerous place, so consistent in its plagues to humankind, and finishing it with \u201cAlone, all alone; Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.\u201d
\n
\n When she wrote this poem, Maya Angelou had a very precise purpose. She needed to put out the message that people inherently need help- it is a part of our nature that won\u2019t allow us to seclude ourselves. She wrote this so that there was one stanza about the first dawning of the idea and a shorter one to emphasize, a second stanza about an example and a shorter one to emphasize, and third and final stanza in which she seals the truth and finally directly imparts her wisdom to the reader, complete with a shorter one for the final punch. With this organization, the reader goes through the life of the epiphany with Maya Angelou and is able to fully understand the theme. Since it is formatted in one long column, the reader is more focused and less distracted by weird variations, except for the short stanza that is repeated; this is on purpose for emphasis. She uses simple language and a real-life example so that it is easily understandable by the largest audience possible. Since nobody can make it out here alone, it makes sense that she\u2019d want to be able to send this message to as many people as possible.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39309182","dateCreated":"1305843590","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"caro3arias","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/caro3arias","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39309182"},"dateDigested":1531973829,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"kisses are a better fate than wisdom. ~e.e. cummings","description":"The Kiss by Stephen Dunn
\n
\nHe starts out with a typo he says, pointing it out in a brief spurt. But then he makes the typo again so it must be what he really meant. The brief intervention must have been to draw us to that idea of kissing a mind. Because really, that\u2019s what it is. She may have physically kissed his lips, but it\u2019s his mind that makes this such a big deal. There is not set syllable count. Maybe because this is such a big moment, syllables just don\u2019t seem very important. The stanzas are made of 4 lines each, which seems, to me, to have no particular meaning. Only last the last stanza is two lines, emphasizing how short the time they knew each other was before they married, because they knew immediately that they were meant for each other.
\n
\nThe poem is a man and his first kiss with this woman. This kiss helps everything fall in place for him: the reason he likes her, how much he likes her. He is out of his mind for her because of this kiss. At one point he talks about how this is intelligence, to be able to understand yourself and someone else so well through one action. He also describes that he not only feels in love with her, but that on its own, there is music, and that there is an understanding between them so deep that he feels at home. He has been craving this feeling for a long time. They get married immediately.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"39260786","dateCreated":"1305775648","smartDate":"May 18, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"tammy_sev","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/tammy_sev","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1285868666\/tammy_sev-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39260786"},"dateDigested":1531973829,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Dreams","description":"Dreams
\nBy Langston Hughes
\n
\nHold fast to dreams
\nFor if dreams die
\nLife is a broken-winged bird
\nThat cannot fly.
\n
\nHold fast to dreams
\nFor when dreams go
\nLife is a barren field
\nFrozen with snow.
\n
\nThis poem talks about what happens when one forgets about his\/her dreams, life has no meaning. Hughes tells us that without dreams life won\u2019t have a direction and it would be frozen. He uses many metaphors to get his point across he says that without dreams \u201clife is a broken-winged bird\/ that cannot fly\u201d, he is telling us that without them we would have no direction in life, that we would not succeed in what we are meant to do unless we dream. Ha also says that \u201clife is a barren field\/frozen with snow\u201d he is trying to tell us that without them we would become cold and life won\u2019t have a meaning, also when everything is frozen nothing can grow, so if we don\u2019t have dreams we wont gain anything from life. His word choice is very simple, they are words that we all know and are not hard to understand. They\u2019re 2 stanzas and each stanza has 4 verses. All the verses are divided into 4 syllables except the penultimate of each stanza, the one in the first stanza has 7 and the one in the last has 6. There is an order that is broken two times, it is as if the first 2 verses tell us what can happen if we have dreams, everything remains in order, and then near the end if we don\u2019t follow them life becomes a disaster, that ruins everything already made. This structure gives a certain rhythm to the poem, and also the rhyme, which seems to be ABCB for both stanzas. The message of this poem would be, dream to live a good life.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"39280864","body":"Hi Tamara,
\n
\nI would like to go over this with you so that we can fix up some mistakes... Find me...
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1305816099","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"39255234","dateCreated":"1305768012","smartDate":"May 18, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"ad.ri","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ad.ri","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1283992059\/ad.ri-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/39255234"},"dateDigested":1531973829,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe","description":"El Dorado
\nby Edgar Allan Poe
\n
\n Gaily bedight,
\n A gallant knight,
\nIn sunshine and in shadow,
\n Had journeyed long,
\n Singing a song,
\nIn search of Eldorado.
\n
\n But he grew old,
\n This knight so bold,
\nAnd o'er his heart a shadow
\n Fell as he found
\n No spot of ground
\nThat looked like Eldorado.
\n
\n And, as his strength
\n Failed him at length,
\nHe met a pilgrim shadow;
\n "Shadow," said he,
\n "Where can it be,
\nThis land of Eldorado?"
\n
\n "Over the mountains
\n Of the moon,
\nDown the valley of the shadow,
\n Ride, boldly ride,"
\n The shade replied,--
\n"If you seek for Eldorado!"
\n
\nThe poem tells the story of a valiant knight who dedicates his life to finding the rich land of Eldorado. He grows old without finding any land that resembled Eldorado. As he grows old he also becomes insane, and, when he asks his shadow, he discovers that the way to Eldorado is "Over the mountains\/ Of the moon,\/Down the valley of the shadow.\u201d Poe repeats the word \u201cshadow\u201d four times: the first he refers to the shade under the sun, the second is the despair in his heart, and the third is his own living shadow. The \u201cshadow\u201d mentioned here may be translated to death, which means the knight must go to the valley of death. The message then may be that greed leads to grief and no matter how many riches you may have death will always find you. This poem was published in 1849, while the Gold Rush raged in the U.S. Poe tries to point out the futility of going in search for gold through his poem and it\u00b4s addressed to the desperate people who journeyed from the other side of the country in hopes of finding gold.
\n
\nThe words Poe uses to describe the knight, the shadow and the journey paint the story in a majestic way. Eldorado as well is perceived as magnificent by the perseverance and desire reflected in the knight\u00b4s description and actions. This simple story, which is a mirror of most adventure stories, is written in four stanzas with short lines made up of 4 or 7 syllables. All the lines rhyme in pairs but the 7 syllabled lines all rhyme because they either have the words \u201cshadow\u201d or \u201cEldorado\u201d. The whole poem read out loud has a singsong quality.
\nPoe emphasizes the connection between \u201cshadow\u201d and \u201cEldorado\u201d, which translates to \u201cthe golden\u201d, by repeating them in each stanza at the end of the longer lines and making them rhyming pairs. The poem looks long and narrow which might signify the long and difficult journey that will end in death, just like the last stanza refers to the death of the knight.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"39280784","body":"Good reading, Adrianna,
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\nThanks,
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\nWebster","dateCreated":"1305816038","smartDate":"May 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}