This sounds more hopeful than ambivalent, and shows an ability to confront injustice without shame or fear.

The dream of being incorporated into the whole of American society was not yet achieved in Hughes time, and has gotten worse in the last 4 decades.

Though he is poignant on this point, he is not recognizing the last 10,000+ years of human history. The underlying theme has almost always been "Us v. Them". I agree with him, but see far more negatives than positives anytime an overt or covert separation occurs. Skin color? Religion? Gender? Age? All are more irrelevant to the whole than they are defining.

No water = No life.

Never ignore the residents of nature. They usually have a far better idea what is coming than the transient humans who meander into their realm.

For "The Fire Sermon", and the associated imagery of the normally trash laden and polluted Thames. Eliot muses of earlier times with his father fishing, only interrupted by one solitary rat (cue "Wharf Rat" by the Grateful Dead...), so it would seem as this were an idealized version of memory. There is also reference to "the river Leman", but it does not meet the regular word meaning. Feels more like the river in Dante's Purgatory, or perhaps in the Klingon ritual of Gre'thor, by riding a barge on the river Skral. The traditional meaning of "sweetheart" does not seem to apply here.

Laquearia has two meanings, both of which fit here. One is for a ceiling made of panels, while the other one involves the boisterous vocal incantations of a hard-drinking orator.

Winter is indeed a cruel season, particularly in London. Most do not recognize this, but London is at the same latitude of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Cold, dark, damp, and absolutely miserable. The "brown fog" gives sensory impression of it being sufficiently polluted.to remove any concept of morning purity.

This passage adds to the grim nature of the poem, allowing the reader to consider circumstances so desperate that being "rescued" by the state equates to being subjected to indentured servitude. Sadly, this is far more accurate, in far more places, than most people can comprehend.

Anyone who has had nasty wallpaper can somewhat feel what she is expressing, but her cross between mental illness and PTSD-esque resignation o her diminishing state is rather bleak to envision.

This passage has personal meaning for me because life away from urbanity is preferable to the cacophony of noise found in city life. Far more restful and acceptable.

This is an odd image for the context of the poem. I have been up-close-and-personal with many aspen trees, and have been subjected to ever possible type of rain. I find it very difficult to envision this except as a fantasy from someone who has little experience with either. The rest of the poem has fluidity, but this phrase is nonsensical.

Decisions, decisions... This is one of the best known poems by an American artist. With simply taking the lesser traveled path, Frost diverges from the status quo and proclaims himself a free-thinker unencumbered by popular conventions. Simplicity with a great depth to it.

There is an implicit absurdity in the concept of elves that makes you smile at this phrase. All of the related details about "good fences" is generally true, but there is also an inherent intransigence some people display that kills every possible argument before it begins. If the neighbor refuses to consider alternatives, the whole conversation is rendered moot before anything is said. This touch of humor adds to the credibility of the piece because we all have family members, neighbors, classmates, co-workers, or other people we regularly interact with who are absolutely stuck with singular ideas. Are we capable of changing their mind? Does it matter? In the case of this fence, it is better to leave it up and wait for Hobbits to move in next door.

This is a perfect word for this connotation. When I think of tiers my mind goes immediately to San Quentin and Folsom, where human beings are shelved on inhumane tiers. The act of "tiering" is essentially the same as that of a refuse pit: you keep adding more trash until the oldest has rotted away, or seeped through the cracks. In this piece, poets and kings are treated with disdain for their lack of bringing about positive change.

This is one of the most obscure words I have ever seen in any English or literature class. "A measure of cloth with official inspection; fee for such measurement." In this poem's context, it appears to decry the loneliness found by those who toil away their youth in the sweatshops.

The "Village" implies a mass of people who coexist within a greater body politic. It does not matter if it is a town of 20 people in Southern Utah, or a neighborhood in New York City. There is an implicit and explicit relationship between all members of the collective, as well as any visitors to this particular locale.

Whether used as a measure of age, percentage, or any of the other possible uses, 96 is a remarkable number. Here, it is denoting an old man's age, in an era when few lived to 60. There is both a reverence to the narrator's knowledge and to his presumed experience. The citations noted also give both the narrator and the author significant literary credibility for their "life" in the mythical hamlet of Spoon River.

Not being a poet, I had no idea this term refers to an eight line poem with a particular rhyme scheme. One would tend to think the "Trio-" indicates three, but other than having three particular lines rhyming, I wonder what the root of the word derives from.

Education is indeed an existential exploration of personal and societal ignorance. Whether it is fully embraced or not, and how it is incorporated into further explorations and/or studies, depends on the interest of the individual. If such explorations are embraced by the body politic, or are rapidly suppressed, depends on the time, place, and ideologies currently accepted.

Interesting description of Adams' mentality during personal suffering.

My natural parents were from there and my father escaped the coal mines by becoming a highly decorated Special Forces soldier in Vietnam. These six words hit really close to home...