Poetry Essay Prompt #1

Prompt: The following two poems are about Helen of Troy. Renowned in the ancient world for her beauty, Helen was the wife of Menelaus, a Greek King. She was carried off to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, and her abduction was the immediate cause of the Trojan War. Read the two poems carefully. Considering such elements as speaker, diction, imagery, form, and tone, write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the speakers’ views of Helen.

Helen

BY H. D.

All Greece hates 

the still eyes in the white face, 

the lustre as of olives 

where she stands, 

and the white hands. 

All Greece reviles 

the wan face when she smiles, 

hating it deeper still 

when it grows wan and white, 

remembering past enchantments 

and past ills. 

Greece sees unmoved, 

God’s daughter, born of love, 

the beauty of cool feet 

and slenderest knees, 

could love indeed the maid, 

only if she were laid, 

white ash amid funereal cypresses.

To Helen

By Edgar Allan PoeHelen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicean barks of yore

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam,

Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home

To the glory that was Greece,

And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo, in yon brilliant window-niche

How statue-like I see thee stand,

The agate lamp within thy hand,

Ah! Psyche, from the regions which

Are Holy Land!

Although H.D. and Edgar Allan Poe each wrote a poem with the same name of "Helen", they both demonstrate very opposite esteem for the subject and couldn't be more divergent. In Poe's writing Helen come across as a very beautiful and inviting women, whereas, H.D. downsizes Helen's beauty with the use of simile and imagery.

Poe writes in three stanzas of five lines that have definite rhyming pattern. The first stanza has the pattern a/b/a/b/b. Poe uses a simile to compare his Helen's beauty to that of Helen of troy, who was considered one of the world's most beautiful women. With tone of reverse and imagery Poe portrays Helen like a goddess. Poe uses the simile and alliteration to show compare Helen beauty's to the emotions of a log that is traveling back to its homeland to be reunited.The poem is a tribute to a beautiful woman, held in high regard.

On the other hand, the Helen of H.D.'s poem is hated by all of Greece.In this three stanza poem, a couple of the lines in each stanza rhyme and the stanza length increases by a line as the poem progresses.H.D. contrasts with a tone of abhorrence and imagery that paints the picture of a monster. H.D. uses parallelism in the first two stanzas and anaphora to convey his attitude toward Helen is that of hatred and bitterness towards her beauty. As the poem progresses, Helen is blamed for past tragedies and the description of her appearance changes to the appearance of a pale unmoving form, resembling death. There is no regard or sympathy for the Helen who was so widely accepted as a symbol of beauty and love.

   H.D. and Poe have different views about Helen's beauty, these portrayals of Helen in these two poems are examples of two extreme interpretations of the physical appearance and symbolism of a historic figure.

Poem Analysis (TPCASTT )

'The Road Not Taken'
Title: I believe the title means that there are two different paths to choose from and that one of them, more often than not, isn't taken.
Paraphrase: This poem could literally be about two paths in some type of forest, but I believe its really just about two choices going around in someone's head. Either path leading to the same place but one traveled on every day and the one only once in a while. One may contain a better story to tell at the end of the journey.
Connotation: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by" This means that there were two options in this persons life and they had to make a difficult choice. They chose to go where many don't, probably because it wasn't the easy way out.
Diction: I think the words chosen by Robert Frost were smart and eloquent because this poem can be understood by many because it doesn't have big, scary words that you need a dictionary for. He wanted his message to be clear and heard by all, young and old.
Attitude: The person in the story seemed determined to find whatever he/she was looking for.
Tone: This poem is very calming which I think is needed because it really makes you think about life and which paths you want to pursue.
Shift(s): The person seems to be intrigued by the path that most people take, but in the end he decides to take the one most people avoid, noting how much work may be involved it would be worth it.
Title revisited: The title now seems to explain that there is a path that isn't followed, but it should be and that's what the person in this poem decides.
Theme: The central message I believe is to know every option you have and to pursue the more difficult one because in the end it could change your life.

4 Essay's

Seventh Reading

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Act 4

Scene 1:



The three witches are making some kind of potion with a bunch a weird/crazy ingredients
Macbeth has come to visit the witches to ask about his future :

An armed head appears first and all is said is to beware of Macduff

A bloody child next that says none of woman born shall harm him

A crowned child says Macbeth shall be till Great Birnam comes against him



Macbeth wishes to know if Banquo's prophecy will come true and 8 kings are shown last followed by Banquo. All of his kind
Lennox enters after the witches vanish and tells Macbeth that Macduff has escaped to England and therefore Macbeth has decided to take immediate action against him

Scene 2:



Ross visits Lady Macduff and she explains how upset she is that Macduff left in such a haste
The son and Lady Macduff are talking and Lady Macduff tells her son that his dad is dead and he begins to argue intellectually with her
A messenger enters and tells them they are in danger but before they can run away the murders enter and kill the son and chase after Lady Macbeth


Scene 3:

Macduff and Malcom have a conversation that brings them to peace with each other and talk about the army that is ready to launch their attack against Macbeth and Scottland
The kind is said to cure the sickness of people with the touch of his hand
Ross enters and when pressed releases the sad story of the death of the family of Macduff leaving him sad and in shock
This makes Malcom puch Macduff to take action against Macbeth even more

Lit Circles Multiple Choice

Slaughterhouse Five

D
C
D
B
A
B
C
B
A
C
C
D
C
B
B
A
C
B
B
A
C
A
A
D
A
D
D
C
A
B
B
D
D
C
D
D
B
D
A
B
A
C
B
A
A
D
B
D
A
B

Kafka On the Shore

C
C
A
D
A
C
B
A
D
A
C
B
A
C
D
B
A
C
A
A
C
B
B
C
C
A
A
B
B
A
D
D
A
A
B
B
A
C
C
D
A
B
C
A
B
C
B
B
C
D

Life of Pi 1
B
D
C
A
C
A
Life of Pi 2
A
C
C
B
C
A
C
A
D
B
Life of Pi 3
C
C
B
A
C
D
B
C
C
B
C
D
C
C
C
D
B
B
A
B
B
C
C
B
D
A
B
A
A
D
C
A
C
D
A

Multiple Choice Questions: Section One Anwers

E
A
E
B
A
A
D
D
D
B
E
C
E
D
D
C
A
E
C
C
B
C
B
B
C
C
A
C
B
C
D
D
A
B
A
D
E
C
D
D
D
C
A
C
B
E
B
D
A
D
B
C
C
E

Active reading notes

Act 2, Scene 2:


After killing Duncan, Macbeth enters his private chambers where Lady Macbeth is anxiously awaiting him. The shrieks of owls and the cries of crickets, both evil omens, pierce the air as Macbeth narrates to her the gruesome details of the murder. He tells his wife that Donalbain cried "Murder!" and that Malcolm laughed in his sleep while Macbeth killed Duncan, but they both said their prayers again and went back to sleep. Macbeth also tells his wife that he was unable to bless himself when he "had most need of blessing." (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 31) He thinks that he heard a voice saying, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep." (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 34-5) From this point on in the play, neither Macbeth nor his wife are able to have a good night's rest as they are plagued by the memories of their ghastly crime.
Suddenly, Lady Macbeth notices that her husband's hands are covered in blood and that he is still clutching the telltale dagger. She orders him to wash up and hide all incriminating evidence. Macbeth, however, is incapable of doing anything because he is in a state of shock, so Lady Macbeth is forced to take over. She smears blood over the faces of Duncan's servants so that they will seem guilty of the crime. When she returns, she promptly washes her hands and orders Macbeth to be calm. The couple hears a loud knocking at the south entry and they fearfully retire to their chambers.


Act 2, Scene 3:


A drunken porter stumbles through the hallways to answer the knocking at the gate. By comparing himself to a devil-porter and the castle to the residence of Beelzebub (the devil), he implies that Inverness is an evil and sinister place. Macduff and Lennox enter the castle and ask for Macbeth. They ask to see the king, as Duncan had requested that he be awoken at a timely hour. Macduff goes to the king's room to wake him up. In the meantime, Lennox explains to Macbeth how there were earthquakes and storms raging the whole night. In Elizabethan times, people believed that Nature mirrored human events; thus in this case, Nature has reflected the horrible murder of King Duncan. Macduff reenters the room pale and shocked-he wakes up the whole castle to report the news that King Duncan has been murdered.
Lady Macbeth enters the room, feigning the countenance of one newly awoken. She pretends to be horrified by the news that the king has been murdered in her own house and faints. Malcolm and Donalbain are informed of the tragic news. Instead of openly grieving for their father, they escape respectively to England and Ireland. The heirs feel that the court thinks them to be the main suspects of the crime. In addition, they risk their own lives by staying in Inverness, as they could be the murderer's next targets. Thus, the royal heirs quickly flee Scotland. Macbeth asks the rest of the court to reassemble in the hall to discuss this strange turn of events.

Active reading notes

Act Three, Scene One

Banquo suspects Macbeth but gains comfort from the second part of the Witches' prediction — that his own children will be kings. Having announced his intention to go riding with Fleance, Banquo is persuaded by the Macbeths to return later that evening to their new palace at Forres for a special feast. However, Macbeth realizes that the Witches' prophecy regarding Banquo represents a threat to his own position. Unable to endure the thought of Banquo's descendants claiming his position, Macbeth summons two hired murderers and confirms with them prior arrangements for the killing of Banquo and Fleance.

Act Three, Scene Two

This short scene allows the audience once more into the private thoughts of the murderous couple, while holding the action momentarily in suspense. As the hired killers make their way toward Banquo, Macbeth and his wife meet secretly. His wife attempts to soothe his troubled mind but ironically feels the same doubts herself. Killing the king has provided them with many more difficulties than they first envisioned. To the astonishment of his wife, Macbeth reveals his plan to murder Banquo.

Act Three, Scene Three

The hired murderers meet as arranged. On hearing approaching horses, a signal is given, and Banquo and his son Fleance are attacked. The murderers' lantern is accidentally extinguished, and the job is left half-done: Although Banquo is killed, Fleance escapes.

Act Three, Scene Four

At Forres, Macbeth and his wife welcome the thanes of Scotland to the banquet. Immediately prior to the feast, one of the murderers appears at a side door and reveals to Macbeth the truth about the mission: their success in the killing of Banquo and their failure to murder Fleance. Macbeth recomposes himself and returns to the table. As he raises a toast to his absent friend, he imagines he sees the ghost of Banquo. As with the ethereal dagger, the ghost of Banquo appears to come and go, propelling Macbeth into alternating fits of courage and despair. Lady Macbeth invites the thanes to depart and, once alone, tries one last time to soothe her husband. But Macbeth's paranoid mind is already on to the next murder, that of Macduff. To ascertain his future with greater certainty, he makes clear his intention to visit the Weird Sisters once more.

Act Three, Scene Five

Hecate, the classical goddess of the lower world who represents the spirit of ancient witchcraft, calls the weird sisters to her to complain that her own part in Macbeth's downfall has been overlooked and that she now wishes personally to make his downfall complete. The scene is unnecessary to understanding the play and was probably not written by Shakespeare.

Act Three, Scene Six

Meeting with a rebel lord, Lennox reveals his doubts concerning Macbeth. His argument is that those who might be immediately suspected of murdering their kinsmen are less likely to have done so than Macbeth, who had killed the guards of Duncan's chamber so hastily. Although Lennox is prepared to accept Macbeth's actions, he cannot help feeling deeply suspicious of him. The other lord reveals to Lennox that Macduff has fled from Scotland to join forces with Malcolm in England. Moreover, they have requested help from England's King Edward the Confessor. Both Lennox and the other lord pray that God's vengeance may swiftly fall on the tyrannical Macbeth and that Scotland may return to peace once more.

active reading notes

Scene 1
In a cavern with a bubbling cauldron in the middle
Thunder and the three witches enter
They speak in rhyme and cast a spell
Enter Hecate
She commends the three witches for a job well done.
Exit Hecate
Enter Macbeth
Macbeth asks how the witches know what they know. He wants to see more.
They call apparitions for him to see.
The first says beware the thane of Fife!
Macbeth says thanks
The second is a bloody child, he speaks Macbeth, no man born from a woman shall harm Macbeth.
The third is a child crowned with a tree in his hand he says that when the forest comes to the castle Macbeth would be undone. Macbeth laughs on these premonitions saying that no man shall ever touch him for all men are born of women, and the forest will never meet the castle because trees cannot move themselves.
The witches warn him not to want to see more but he will not be swayed.
Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and a line of eight kings. He asks how should Banquo bear a line of kings?
The witches vanish with Hecate.
Macbeth throws a bit of a fit.
Enter Lennox
Macbeth asks if he saw the weird sisters and lennox answers no.

Scene 2
Fife at macduff’s castle
Enter Lady macduff, her son, and Ross
Ross tells lady Macduff that her husband has fled. Lady Macduff is very upset at her husband’s running away. She tells her children that their father is dead. Her son questions her and they discuss it a bit.
Enter a messenger
The messenger tells lady Macduff that she should leave and take her children with her. She does not know where to go and she does not think that anyone would come to kill her and her children because they have done nothing wrong.
Enter murderers
The first asks where Macduff is, there is some argument and they kill young macduff and then the rest of the family.

Scene 3
England before the king’s palace
Enter Malcolm and Macduff
Macduff tries to talk Malcolm into returning to scottland, but Malcolm is afraid. He thinks that if he returns he will be a worse king. Macduff assures him that there is not a demon in hell that could make a worse king than Macbeth. Malcolm confesses feelings of greed and fears he would cause ruin. Macduff tells him that Scotland is already in ruin.
Enter a doctor
He is asked if the king comes to see them, he is told yes, and they speak of the king.
Enter Ross.
Ross is asked about the current affairs of Scotland. He tells of an evil place full of greed, malice and violence. Where people are dying all the time. Macduff asks after his family to which Ross tells him they were alive when he left. Macduff tells Ross of how the king of England has granted them ten thousand men to use to defeat Macbeth. Macduff asks Ross why he seems to be hiding something. Ross tells him that it is something for his ears only. Ross tells Macduff of the rumor that Macbeth’s men have slaughtered Macduff’s wife and children. Malcolm tells Macduff to turn his sadness and anger into rage to use against Macbeth.

Exit