It just goes to show that although one may be splendidly intelligent, it does not guarantee a splendid lifestyle.

Seems uncommon to see self-censorship from a writer, especially when Ginsberg had been writing with no holds barred.

It's quite evident the speaker is increasingly agitated by their supposed lack of usefulness in their task of sewing in the midst of a war effort, so this outburst is purely raw, frustrated emotions.

The warmth of these colors give an extremely vivid image of this Inez, detailing her to be a pleasant person to be around.

An odd way to spell what I presume to be "expressed," but I really like it nonetheless. This line evokes a really satisfying sensation of understanding without much effort.

Really interesting that "in" is used here. I usually think of the world as an outside place. Using the cruel world as a metaphor for an indoor location was unexpected for me.

Stillness does not mean laziness. It's something much more than that.

Despite being shackled, the subject makes the best out of a bad situation by creating joyous music.

This line contrasts quite nicely with the one earlier, "They taught you the religion they disgraced." Comparing the two, this one shows how "they" will gladly take the benefits of what is essentially given to them, whereas "they" taught their religion that was shown to not be very valuable to them.

This appears to be an epigraph that references some lines from the poem "Upstream" by Carl Sandburg.

At first I thought the "They" at the beginning were referring to "the strong men." However, it seems like I was fooled by a likely intentional technique from Sterling Brown, who played around with my perception and subverted it.

This line stands out from the others with the speaker putting on a bit of a heavier accent to express themselves. It's interesting because by saying they will quit frowning, they also change their own dialect as well.

Though the speaker of this poem is degraded by being sent to eat elsewhere, they are still optimistic about getting their chance at the table. This Aaron Douglas painting encapsulate the same ambition as the speaker with the way the three figures are looking on at the buildings in the distance.

Eliot's depiction of this wasteland is enhanced even further with the menacing backdrop of a thick dusty fog. It reminds me of the horror video game Silent Hill 2, which uses a thick fog in certain segments to great effect and creates an intense atmosphere of dread.

The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.

For me, these lines are kind of the antithesis to Ezra Pound's "In a Station of the Metro." Pound paints an image of a crowd of people blurring as they commute and go on with their lives. On the other hand, Eliot depicts a crowd of presumably zombies that groan as they loiter about, seemingly unable to move on to the afterlife.

Marcel Duchamp's "Portrait of Chess Players" comes to mind for me here considering the obvious, the painting and the passage both involve chess. Furthermore, the passage suggests a game of chess be used to kill time in the event of a rainy day. Duchamp's painting shows two figures completely absorbed in their game of chess that they no longer look like they belong to any kind of reality.

This whole interaction paints an extremely mundane portrait of romance.

Sounds absolutely filthy. Shows how murky this world is.

Sounds like a crowd of zombies who were unable to leave the earth are just marching slowly across London Bridge.

There seems to be a wide assortment of names being tossed about.

Sounds like a pet being given multiple commands.

This plea has me wondering the relationship between the speaker and who "you" refers to. My first instinct suggests it's an apologetic note from a prying house guest. Although, the simplicity and informality of the poem feels very child-like to me.

This assumption gives me the impression that the intended recipient of the message wouldn't have even been aware of what went missing. Could "you" even be referring to the reader? I'd better go check if I still have those sweet, cold, delicious plums in the fridge!

Despite how brief this poem is, I sense a great quantity of imagery and life in the text. Though the use of "apparition" also sounds contradictory to that sentiment and seems to suggest some form of numbness to me.

Somehow I get the impression this is about some infamous figure biting the dust and nobody can really be bothered. The use of the word "incessant" about the body implies to me it is an unwelcomed blemish on the seaside.

Contrary to the opening lines suggesting to love to be a non-essential to life, these final few lines spin that idea around and diverts to love as some irrational luxury that may as well be essential.

Despite how much we may desire to have love, it's not a necessity for staying alive like food or having shelter.

It's an unusual detour for the speaker and their horse to make as evident by the horse's reaction. I really like the interaction with the horse communicating whether there is a problem.

These final two lines sound like words muttered in a trance, as though it's required to stay awake. A reminder that the journey is far from over.

Sounds a bit like double-consciousness identity that we've talked about in previous texts.

Appears to be a reference to the Frankish knight who served Charlemagne. The horn was meant to be blown in battle to call for aid. However, he never used it.

Compares the alcoholism of Mr. Flood to the parenting of a gentle mother afraid to startle her child. It's quite evident of how lonely Mr. Flood is and how he clings to alcohol.

All of these terms are different types of a poetic form of different lengths. Although, this poem doesn't seem to fulfill the description of any of these forms. The speaker also seems to suggest that they have nothing new to offer. What would this fall under, free verse? I suppose the speaker is attempting to provide a "new thought" with this poem.

Physically she seems to be doing better. However, it is her mind that is split apart and clearly misunderstood by her husband.

It's only when she is completely alone she is able to let out her emotions. Otherwise when company is present, she does her best to put on a mask.

There's this idea of a split identity that manifests itself in the form of two different entities that is being repeated along with the idea of the veil. Although, it appears there is a realization that it's unhealthy to create this split, and better results can be obtained by embracing the two together.

I really like this comparison of black men being like stars as it exudes this sense of a wonder and inspiration, but also feels tragic as many of these stars flicker out before they are even able to realize their potential.

Americans may be aware of certain ideas, but don't quite grasp the context to understand the significance of it.

Seems to me that Adams is suggesting that many pointless ideas are taught in school.

Four consecutive lines that begins with "Out" and all some containing alliterations with "burlap sacks," "bearing butter," and "black bean." The objects stated here makes it sound like we're at a industrial factory of some sort. The stanza ends with a strangely phrased line "They Lion grow," which I'm not quite sure why it's written that way, but it seems to act as some sort of premonition that states some kind of beast is emerging. My question is what kind of threat is it exactly?