8 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2016
    1. still we rise.

      I'm not sure which poem was written first, but this is an obvious reference to "Still I Rise" (or if this poem was written first, possibly an inspiration?). From my reading of this poem I'm understanding that people tragically get a sense of unity from things that previously caused them to feel isolated.

    1. What are patterns for?

      I really like that this poem ends with a question, rather than beginning with one. The title of the poem seemed fitting during the first half of the poem, but there is a new significance to the title when the pattern the narrator envisioned is taken from her.

    1. He’s

      When taken out of the contraction, this would read "He is." Alexie subtly indicates the narrator's forgetfulness (that we're unaware of at this point), because the narrator refers to his/her father in the present tense. This, along with the casual language, gives this poem a sense of authenticity that is important when writing about grief.

    1. shelter

      It's interesting that first the narrator uses the word "prisoner," but then later uses the word "shelter," which has a safer and more positive connotation.

  2. Dec 2015
    1. dark and bright

      It's very interesting how Byron uses contrasting adjectives to convey the different aspects of beauty that "She" represents.

    1. he’s found a system of beauty

      This is a very relevant line because as a society, we tend to look for a reason for not just beauty, but for many things in life. Humans like having some sort of organization/order, and the poet argues that no having these things is what beauty is truly made up of.

    1. freedom.

      Up until this line the even numbered lines all ended with "-ill". Other stanzas also broke rhyme patterns but because only the quatrains within them followed a rhyme pattern. In this stanza, the rhyme pattern seems to be A-B-C-B-D-B-E-F.

  3. Nov 2015
    1. explore the vacant vast surrounding

      This in an interesting combination of words. Can you really explore a vacant surrounding? Is there much to explore in that case?