Graduation Poems
by: Audrey M.
A Quick Intro...
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” –Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. All of the poems in this anthology I created have to do with the theme of graduation. This quote from Robert Frost’s poem talks about the choices that need to be made when someone graduates and moves on with life. When reading my anthology, read the poem first, but don't dissect it, just read and enjoy it. After reading the poem, take a moment to think about it. Think about its meanings and lines that jump out at you. Then read my analysis of the poem. After reading it, compare your perception of the poem to mine. Think about what new insights you have to the poem after reading my analysis. Also, make connections to how the poems relate to you. As you read each poem, notice how often the theme life comes up. The theme life goes well with the theme of graduation because as you graduate, you move up the levels of life. In order to move through life, you must graduate each level and progress onto the next.
I chose graduation to be the theme of my anthology because I am in 8th grade, and this June I will be graduating middle school and moving on to high school. I am trying to fulfill my dreams, make the right choices everyday, and ask questions about what the future will bring just like the poems say to do. Even though the poems all have the theme of graduation and life, they each talk about their own ideas. If you are looking for a poem about making choices, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is for you. If you are looking for questions and answers about life, read Up-Hill by Christina Rossetti. Dreams by Langston Hughes is a warning to what would happen if you let your life have no meaning. Friends, I Will Not Cease is a reflection on a person's life, and how the graduated and got the where they are now. I hope you enjoy reading my poetry anthology about graduation! “And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where it came from, from winter or a river.” – Pablo Neruda, ?Poetry.
I chose graduation to be the theme of my anthology because I am in 8th grade, and this June I will be graduating middle school and moving on to high school. I am trying to fulfill my dreams, make the right choices everyday, and ask questions about what the future will bring just like the poems say to do. Even though the poems all have the theme of graduation and life, they each talk about their own ideas. If you are looking for a poem about making choices, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is for you. If you are looking for questions and answers about life, read Up-Hill by Christina Rossetti. Dreams by Langston Hughes is a warning to what would happen if you let your life have no meaning. Friends, I Will Not Cease is a reflection on a person's life, and how the graduated and got the where they are now. I hope you enjoy reading my poetry anthology about graduation! “And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived
in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where it came from, from winter or a river.” – Pablo Neruda, ?Poetry.
This poem is about keeping your dreams as you grow older or your life will be pointless. This poem is using the threat of living a life without meaning to scare the reader into holding their dreams and fulfilling them. Ways that Langston Hughes drives this point home is with figurative language. “For if dreams die” This is an example of personification. Dreams cannot really die; this is giving the inanimate object “dream” human characteristics. Another example of personification is “Life is a broken-winged bird.” This says that life will be broken for you if you dreams die. It is also a metaphor. It compares life to a broken-winged bird. Broken-winged birds are sad and hurt. That is what life would be like if your dreams dies. In the first and second stanzas there is meter. In the first stanza, die at the end of the second line rhymes with fly from the end of the fourth line. In the second stanza, go at the end of the second line rhymes with snow from the end of the fourth line. Langston Hughes put this into the poem to make it flow easier. Another example of figurative language is “Life is a barren field.” This is similar to the previous metaphor in the first stanza; life is a waste if you don’t have dreams. All of the figurative language in this poem contributes to the theme of dreams and the importance of keeping them.
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This poem belongs in this anthology about graduation, because it talks about when you graduate and move up in life and education, that you still need to keep your dreams in mind and try to fulfill them. Because if you lose track of your dream, there is no other point in your life. The author, Langston Hughes, was an African American man. He lived in the 1900s. He is known for his portrayals of life for African Americans in the mid 1900s. I think he wrote this poem “Dreams” because he is trying to make African Americans aware that if they have the dream of equality among the races, then they need to keep their dreams and work to fulfill them. This poem really belongs in this anthology on graduation because it speaks about people graduating and moving up through life and holding onto their important dreams as to not waste their lives away.
This is a video I found. It is a creative representation of "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. I love this so much! It shows each line cute images and stop motion editing. But this video does not truly capture the emotions that the poem gives off. Nevertheless, this video is very well done and I thought you would like to see this after reading the poem. Citation haley tee. "Dreams by langston hughes." Video. YouTube. 30 May 2010. |
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This poem, “The Road Not Taken” is about the choices in life. It is one big extended metaphor for life. The speaker of the poem is at a fork in the road of his life. He or she is torn between two choices. They are trying to see where each path would take them. Each path seems very similar. One of the paths is usually taken and the other is still fresh and new because no one had taken it yet. In the end, the speaker chose to go down the path that is not normally taken. Looking back, the speaker says, “And that has made all the difference.” This means that whichever path you take in life, no matter how small a decision it seems at the time, it will make a huge difference later on.
Figurative language makes this poem flow. In the first two stanzas meter is used with the words wood, stood, and could. It is used in the second stanza with the words fair, wear, and there. Using meter here makes the poem flow as you read it and it makes it sounds good. Robert Frost also uses repetition of the word “and” in the first stanza with enjambment to separate the idea from the previous line with the present line. And is a conjunction, so it brings the two ideas together at the same time as enjambment separates them. In the second stanza there is an example of imagery, “Because it was grassy and wanted wear;” This is imagery because when I read this, I picture a fresh path of bright green grass that has never been stepped on. This stimulates my sight sense. Another example of imagery is in the third stanza. “In leaves no step had trodden black.” I picture leaves sitting fresh on grass. Then I think of what the leaves would look like if they were trodden black. It would be soggy and gross. Imagery is a crucial part to making this poem flow and adds depth to the poem. The mood of this poem is another key figurative language to this poem. To me, when I finished reading this poem, I felt worried. I worried if I had made the right choice and went down the right path. The I think that what has been done has been done, and I cant change the path that I’m already on. At the same time, I am worried for the future with the prospect of making more decisions and deciding what my future will be. This poem has to do with my theme for this anthology, graduation, because as you graduate and move on with school and life, new decisions come up. For me, my decision this year is where I will go to high school. This is a huge decision for me. I am worried the wrong choice. Then, in a few more years, I will be deciding where I want to go to college and what to make a career out of. These are the kind of decisions people have to make as they graduate. Whichever path you choose, remember, it will end okay. |
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This is a reading of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." I think this reading is very good for this poem because the reader is an old man. When i think of Robert Frost, I think of an old man sounding much like this. I liked this reading and I hope you like it too!
Citation SpokenVerse. "The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost (poetry reading)." Video. YouTube. 8 October 2008. |
This poem is about asking about what the future may bring. It shows curiosity. It also has mystery of the future, because no one really knows what it will bring. The way that the author, Christina Rossetti, makes these points is with the use of figurative language. This entire poem is an extended metaphor, it continues throughout the poem. The journey up-hill is a metaphor for the journey of life. The first question in the first stanza is, “Does the road wind up-hill all the way?” and this means: Will life always be this hard? The answer is yes, because life will always be a struggle and it is never easy. “Will the day's journey take the whole long day?” This is the second question in the first stanza; it is asking if the journey of life will be long. The answer says, “From morn to night, my friend,” this is saying that life will keep going on and it doesn’t stop and wait, it just keeps going until it is over. The first question of the second stanza, “But is there for the night a resting-place?” is asking if there will be stops along life’s long journey, and the answer, “A roof for when the slow dark hours begin,” is saying that if in your life you encounter troubles, you can always turn to someone for comfort. Then in the second question of stanza two, person one asks, “May not the darkness hide it from my face?” It is asking if the troubles that he or she may experience will stop them from seeking help. But, as seen in the answer, they wont be able to miss the help offered. In the first and second stanzas, the two speakers talk about the journey of life itself and what to expect, but in the third and fourth stanzas, the speakers talk about who you meet during life and who will help you along the way.
In the third stanza, the questioner asks if they will meet others along the way. The answer is yes. The second question of the third stanza is asking if he or she should reach out for help; the answer is that they do not have to ask, the people will not make them wait for the help they deserve. The fourth stanza is asking if people will be there to help them; of course the answer is yes. The final question, “Will there be beds for me and all who seek?” is about if there will be a place to rest when the journey is over. The answer is that everyone who completes the journey will be welcomed in an able able to rest. |
This poem reminds me of when I was younger and I would ask my mom what the future would bring. I would ask if life would be easy and my mom would reply that it would always get harder. But then as I continue asking questions, I became reassured that the hard journey pays off. There will be people waiting at the end with open arms and a bed to rest in. This poem gives me hope. It tells me to keep pushing through and to work as best I can. It keeps me looking forward to graduate and move on in my life’s journey.
This is a reading of the poem "Up-Hill" by Christina Rossetti. Poems are meant to be spoken, so I found an example of one. The only thing lost with this reading of the poem is the element of curiosity. When I read this in my head and out loud, I read the questions with a inquisitive voice. This reader did not do that. However, this reader's voice was soothing and that made this reading of the poem a very good one.
Citation johnnycrossan. "Uphill by Christina Rossetti." Video. YouTube. 15 January 2012. |
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This poem by Vachel Lindsay, “Friends, I Will Not Cease,” is told from the perspective of someone looking back on their life. The speaker says, “Friends, I will not cease hoping though you weep.” I interpret this to mean that when the speaker dies, he or she wants their friends to cry, but they also want their friends to know that they will always be friends. The second line means that the speaker sees his or her death happening and they know it is coming soon. The third line refers to how the speaker looks. The word street means face. The speaker’s face is harsh because it has been around a long time and has had weathering. The word “ashen-gray” is referring to the speaker’s hair. The fourth line talks about how the speaker’s generations’ kids are all grown; some of them are competent and strong, while others are dumb. The fifth line means that the community that the speaker’s friends started for their children will prosper. The children who are now grown will take up the reigns and lead the community when the speaker’s generation dies. The sixth line is saying that nothing can delay him or her from dying. The end of the sixth line and the seventh line are saying that the speaker is sleeping and then death comes for the speaker once and for all.
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What makes this poem so interesting and intriguing to read is the figurative language. The third line says, “Though now or streets are harsh and ashen-gray.” This is a very good example of imagery. When I read this line, I thought of a city street that was full of sorrow, with poverty all around. The sixth line is the only line that does not use punctuation at the end. This, with the use of enjambment, separates the words, “Naught can delay it. Though it may not be” and, “Just as I dream, it comes at last I know.” Because there is no punctuation, the reader could read this straight through, but because there is enjambment, the thought is broken. When the thought is broken, the reader could read it so that it means that no one can delay the death, but the death may not even have to happen. The seventh line would then mean that as the speaker sleeps, death finally comes. It is very interesting how different the meaning of this poem can be determined with the use of enjambment and punctuation. The final use of figurative language in this poem is in the last line. It says, “With streets like channels of an incense-sea.” This is an example if a simile. It compares streets with channels of an incense-sea using the word like. This is also an example of imagery because the reader pictures a river of flowing incense. Then the reader remembers the smell of incense. The smell of incense is usually associated with Churches so this could be interpreted that the speaker is now in Heaven. Analyzing the figurative language of this poem is a key step to deciphering the meaning of this poem.
The author, Vachel Lindsay, was 52 when he killed himself. This poem could be him thinking about his life and what he has been through. He is saying that he loves his friends and that even after he is gone, they will still be his friends. In the last lines, he talks about knowing that death will come and that he cannot delay it any longer. It makes me really sad that this poet killed himself, and I can’t be sure if that was the reason he wrote this poem, but that is how I interpret this poem.
The author, Vachel Lindsay, was 52 when he killed himself. This poem could be him thinking about his life and what he has been through. He is saying that he loves his friends and that even after he is gone, they will still be his friends. In the last lines, he talks about knowing that death will come and that he cannot delay it any longer. It makes me really sad that this poet killed himself, and I can’t be sure if that was the reason he wrote this poem, but that is how I interpret this poem.
Now That You've Finished...
Now that you have finished reading my anthology of graduation poems, I hope you can come away with new insights to each poem. You should now understand the figurative language these authors have chosen, and how the figurative language makes the poem better. You should have made connections from what is happening in the poems to your life and what has happened to you. You should also have developed your own interpretation of these poems based on your initial reactions and my analyses. I hoped you learned a lot about poetry and figurative language after reading my anthology. Thank you for reading!
Bibliography
Christina, Rossetti. "Up-Hill." - Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." - Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. Hughes, Langston. "Dreams." - Poets.org. Alfred A. Knopf/Vintage, 1994. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. |
"Langston Hughes." - Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
Lindsay, Vachel. "Friends, I Will Not Cease." - Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. |