Poetry Journal

William Butler Yeats
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree”
I could relate closely to the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” It reminds me of all the times I’ve ever tried to get a suntan down at our lake, relax peacefully or dip my feet into the water. I interpreted it as more of a simple poem even though some people argue that the Industrial Revolution ruined his favorite Lake Isle place where he was going to build his own cabin. At first I didn’t know how to interpret it. I think it has good descriptive and literal language. I don’t think there is a lot of figurative language in this poem because it is pretty literal. Although the book does say that it is more than just the words I disagreed with some of the opinions I found on the internet. I think Yeats as an author when writing this found this spot to be one of his favorite places. As I read more I guess figurative language could be the gray pavements which could represent the suffering and not-so-great parts of life. The poem almost sounds like leisure plans to a get-away that is similar to the summer house that he stayed at of his family’s. I also like how he says peace comes dropping slow. I think he means that having that type of heavenly-like peace is rare. The linnet bird might have been another symbolism for him that reminded him of Ireland or Dublin where William Butler Yeats was originally from.
Emily Dickinson
“I Like to See It Lap the Miles”
I really actually like this poem by Emily Dickinson. I always thought that she was more of an odd poet because of past readings and I guess I use to group her and Edgar Allen Poe together but this poem is particularly interesting. First of all, it reminds me of my downsyndrome brother or friend Regina who is fond of trains. I notice they aren’t the only ones either. Sometimes people take fascination in them and in this poem Emily certainly did. I can also tell she likes horses because she uses horse-like terms to describe the train. Also, taking note, I realize that the train is one of the main transportations other than horses probably around the time of the express mail by horse. Once trains were established it was also the other main mode of transportation. I found this little frozen piece of history as a reminder of how far man has really come with their ingeniousness of transportation. I love horses too so I wondered at first why Emily was talking about horses. Although, I imagine she meant to leave that little piece of establishment behind as a piece of history for her faithful readers. I like how she says prodigious step illustrating the advancement for that early time. I like to see it lap the miles reminds me of the horse and wraps up her title in the end.
Dylan Thomas
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”
I found this poem really interesting because I wondered what the fight was against when I first read. Then I realized it is likely he is giving the advice to fight against the light that a person sees when they are about to pass away that is part of the brain’s reaction. I think he understands the perspective of losing a loved one and is telling them to fight for life and maybe stay awake. It reminded me of going into a deep sleep or acoma. I believe his poem can actually have a double meaning and is warning against some type of dangers of maybe going into a night alone.
Carl Sandburg
“Grass”
When I read this poem I found it interesting. It is both figurative and literal. Then I read it again and it reminded me of a historian that covers all of history just as the grass does. I thought the analogy was very interesting. It gave a picture of history in places such as Austerlitz and Waterloo. I think he is meaning to remind us of things like the Holocaust and the massacres of war and what it does to ruin the human race. I especially like when he says “I am the grass” “Let me work.” I also thought of a reporter who covers stories such as this as well.