Category: Poetry Monster

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Poetry Monster

Creative Sparks

During your journey through life you will have many sparks that will ignite your creativity, goals, and dreams. A spark sets it in motion. It is that willingness to start something without knowing how it will turn out. When others are ” jealous” of your work or creativity, it should be taken as a form of flattery.

Most people depend upon someone or something outside of themselves to ignite their fire.

Your passions, your personal gifts are planted within you by God. It is up to you to grow them.

What are the 3 elements of fire?

1) Fuel – If there is nothing to burn, nothing will burn. Your “fuel” is made up of what you are focusing on. What do you read, watch, and listen to? Does it empower or enslave you? Be conscious about what you pour into your body and mind.

2) Oxygen – This is the essential bond that creates the environment so fire can continue to burn. Your oxygen is the people you surround yourself with. Be aware of who they are and whether or not they build you up or tear you down. Prune accordingly.

3) Ignition – A beautiful car will remain parked unless there is a spark that turns the engine. Your ignition is usually fueled by wonder and a willingness to try something new, or to take an area of your life to another level. How bad do you want something? What are you willing to do for your health, your life, your economics, etc.?

I had my “first spark” at 8 years old. I was at a summer reading camp. During the 15 minute recess between classes, I decided there was just enough time to climb the beautiful 9 foot tree by the girls dorm. I climbed hand over hand pushing up each inch with my tennis shoes until reaching the top of the tree landing my right leg on a rusty nail attached to a board.

As I came down my right leg ripped down and the blood flowed down the tree like sap. Nick, a counselor, saw what was happening and raced to the tree and said, “Do you want to lose your leg?

“I shook my head No!”

He scooped me up in his arms, called another counselor to call my parents and have them meet us at the hospital!

In my mind I see my Momma getting into our car, driving the 3 1/2 hours to the hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. As she is driving she says to herself, “I have to get her out of the trees before she kills herself!”

By the time Momma arrived at the hospital, she had a plan!

When she arrived, she saw me sitting there with over 25 stitches down my right leg. Momma leaned over me and gave me a ferocious hug. She looked into my brown eyes with her beautiful blue eyes and said, “Madeline, if I buy you a violin and get you lessons will you promise to never climb another tree?”

I looked into my Momma bright blue eyes and promised to never climb another tree if she brought me a violin and got me lessons.”

For many years I had wanted to play the violin and this was my opportunity. It all started with the 1st spark, landing on a rusty nail. That rusty nail saved my life and was the first spark of my journey.

What was your first spark, the catalyst, of your journey?

My second spark!

When summer camp ended, Momma came to pick me up with my new small violin and bow sitting on the back window in its case. The next day, Momma took me to see my violin teacher, a handsome, smiling young man, Mr. William Whitson, a violinist and military officer.

He taught me how to hold the violin and bow, where to place my fingers on the string, and how to make a sound on the instrument by pulling the bow across the strings. He did this by modeling how to play for me and then having me try it.

He also taught me how to read the notes on the musical page which is parallel to reading a book and taught me at my first violin lesson to play the theme of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Ode to Joy.

Third spark:

After my first violin lesson with Mr. Whitson, I asked my Momma to take me to the public library so I could borrow a book on Beethoven to read all about him. That day was the beginning of my enjoyment with reading.

Mr. Whitson’s encouragement was the spark, the 2nd catalyst, fuel that kept me going during my moments of frustration.

Many years later at 17, I had the honor of playing at the world-famous Carnegie Hall. That journey would never have been possible without the investment my mentor made in me.

What are some examples in your life that changed the trajectory of your life?

What first sparked Charles Dickens creativity?

Dickens said, “One person fired up my imagination and gave me the tools to be a writer.” At the age of 3, Charles was so full of energy that he never wanted to go to sleep. His mother had a maid named Mary Weller who worked for 3 meals a day and a warm place to sleep in front of the stove. She did not clean the house. Her job was to “find a way to keep Dickens in bed at night. She told the best blood and guts tale of terror horror stories.” She knew 125 stories but Dickens favorite story was “Captain Murderer” and he asked for this story all the time. (Engels, E. (1997). Dickens for Kids. North Carolina: Authors Ink. )

What was his second spark?

At 11 years of age, the debtor’s police hauled Charles’ father off to Debtors Prison in front of Charles. He said, “I shall never be poor again.” His mother and brothers were sent to Marshalsea Prison and during this time Charles was sent to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory for ten hours a day. He had to wear five pairs of socks, while working at the factory, so he would have some protection from the rats that bit through his socks at the factory. His traumatic experiences, feelings of alienation and betrayal are themes of his books “David Copperfield” and “Great Expectations”. (Claire Tomalin, “Charles Dickens”.)

These two sparks were the catalysts for Charles Dickens future of writing books to bring about social change from poverty, child labor, and work houses. Dickens changed the world through his writing.

What sparked Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?

“In 1995 I had $7 bucks in my pocket and I knew two things: I’m broke… and one day I won’t be.” He decided to relentlessly pursue his definition of success. First in the wrestling world, then later in movies.

Do you remember that first spark that set you on your journey?

Through your journey there will be many sparks to get you moving!

How can you help set a spark in others, a fire within them, to take action and take that first step?

How can you be a spark, a catalyst for change for someone else?

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Who will you help to change?

Sparks are the catalyst for change!

1) Write down your first, second, and three “sparks” that changed your life’s direction.

2) Like Charles Dickens was there a person or place that sparked your creativity to take action for your future?

3) How can you activate a spark in someone else’s life to make them take action?



Source by Madeline Frank

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Poetry Monster

Changing With The Times: Technical Writing In The 21st Century

Technical Writers design, write, edit and update end user documentation such as: Installation, User, Administration, Configuration Guides, Online Help Files, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, Presentations, Specifications, etc. Technical Writing in the 21st century, by necessity, is changing with the times. These changes require us to learn new skills/delivery systems that take into account new modalities and methods that end users/customers use to search for and access information. We have evolved into Information Designers/Architects, who to thrive have learned new skills like: Video capturing, Demo creation, Blog posting and Usability testing skills. This article examines the new skills that we need today to succeed as Technical Writers, aka Information Designer/Architect in the second decade of the 21st century.

Technical Writing has become much more visual than in the past when static Diagrams, Screen Captures, Charts were utilized to help you explain how products worked or should be installed. Traditional static documentation is still in use; however, today, it is important for us to learn video skills that enable them to create Video Tutorials, Demos with video capturing tools like Captivate and Camtasia, for example. These tools enable you to create highly visual, step-by-step video/audio tutorials that your target audience can easily follow the instructions/message you want to convey to them in a way that previous static user guides never could. In fact, old style Technical documentation, oftentimes, was little used, if at all; because it was difficult locating the information users needed. With the transition to video/audio tools solidly underway and the advent and implementation of Web 2.0 Social Media Networking sites, Blogs, Wikis and Video sharing sites they have changed the way that messages move across the Internet, and with it Technical Writers have assumed new responsibilities as Technical Writing has moved increasing, online.

Changing with the times, also means embracing blogging and other Web 2.0 Social Media Networking tools to get our message across to customers. What exactly is a blog? The word blog is the combination of two words, web and log. As Bloggers, we add commentary, graphics, video and other information called blog post to the Blog on a regular basis, usually weekly. In some companies, we have assumed the responsibility of designing and writing blog posts to our organization’s customers and answer their feedback via the comments they post on the blog. Also, in some companies we are becoming more actively involved in designing, organizing and running interactive forums where customers can join, ask questions and get answers to common problems that are less cost intensive and time consuming than the old telephone support method. We are evolving from our traditional role as teachers and interpreters of new product usage between a product’s developers and customers to becoming much more involved in product architecture, usability and testing.

Going and gone are the days when we wrote end user documentation and delivered it to customers without doing all we can to make sure that the information customers are interested in locating is accessible and user-friendly. Today, we are working with application and hardware developers to ensure that customers can find the information they need quickly and as user-friendly as possible. This means that we not only write user documentation; but engage in usability testing to help the customer access the specified information they need, without scanning through information that is not of interest to them.Technical Writing in the 21st century by necessity are changing with the times. No longer can we approach our tasks as we did in the past. To continue to evolve and succeed we must acquire new skills like Video capturing, Blogging, Usability Testing and other skills that enhance and supplement established end user documentation modalities: User manuals, Online Help, Implementation guides, etc. The examples cited in this article are only a few of the many ways that Technical Writing in the 21st century is changing with the times.



Source by Avner Ben

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Poetry Monster

Benefits of Delving Into Literature

A lot of times I hear people describing their lives as monotonous and dull. “It is the same old work and same old home”, is an answer I frequently receive from neighbors while walking to the grocery store. It is natural, then, for most people to look for something that stimulates their brains in a healthy and effective way. An addiction that is not a television serial, a video game, or a programme on the radio. The answer should be quite obvious to some – books! Yes, it is a no-brainer that books have a profound effect on your mental abilities, but it is also essential to understand the specific benefits of certain kinds of books. This brings us to the benefits of reading literature for our minds.

Why Literature

Vocabulary is the main thing that challenges most of us when we start off with literature. Even though a literature expert would be expected to have a rich stock of vocab up her sleeve, no one can know all the words. Every time you sit with a book that is teeming with strong vocabulary, you yearn to learn the meanings of the new words, in order to either understand the story a little better, or simply to admire the author’s style of writing. In short, you utilize your brain and open up to the vast possibilities of the hundreds of thousands of words in the world of the dictionary.

Which Literature

Now this really depends on several factors such as your mood, you favorite style, language, level of complexity, and so on. While some people might be ecstatic starting off with a Shakespeare, for others it is a daunting task, and they might want to settle for something that is more contemporary. Also, once you get into the habit of reading literature, you tend to find your own preferences of style, and pick you favorites, which could be a Dickens, a Bronte, a Chekov, or an Austen. No matter who you favorite author is, it is important to keep rotating authors rather than continuously reading several books of one author. With different styles comes the understanding of different kinds of agenda, propaganda, social structures, locations, people, relationships, and so on. The mind gets clearer pictures on different aspects of the world (or beyond).

Taking Breaks

If literature is an exercise for the mind, it is important to take sufficient rest. Just as with physical exercise, any mental exercise should be followed by breaks. This does not mean that you take a break from reading. In fact, if you love reading, you would not want to take a break any way. This is about rotating literature with some light reading, for example, the supplement that comes with the daily newspaper, or some old comic favorites such as Asterix or Tintin, or you might even pick up a casual, contemporary best seller that does not challenge your mind but gives you a good story. Magazines, cookery books, craft books, the light reading list is endless.

So get going with that “Sense and Sensibility”

Delve into literature to see its benefits over a longer period of time. The thirst of knowledge being quenched continuously, the mind no longer remains mundane. It starts to look beyond the ordinary, tries to find solutions rather than problems, and the best part, it calms you down for that good night’s sleep.



Source by Rinita Sen

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Poetry Monster

Publishing Poetry in Newspapers: Where to Submit

According to Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, “Daily newspapers no longer review poetry. There is, in fact, little coverage of poetry or poets in the general press”. (Can Poetry Matter, Dana Gioia, 1991).

John Timpane, Philadelphia Inquirer Commentary page editor, adds: “Today, in my opinion, most newspaper people are afraid of poetry. They’re afraid readers won’t understand it, especially poetry they (these newspaper people) find “hard” or “experimental.” It amounts to a fear of the verbal. (Kelly Writers House, 1999).

One could argue Gioia and Timpane’s claims today, as print media seemingly loses ground, with technological advancements in communications, and as the art of poetry and its society becomes increasingly associated with academia, thereby making it less user-friendly to the general public.

However, there is, even today, life in the press. This article addresses the newspapers that currently
accept poetry from the people; listed below are the following newspapers in the United States, (compiled by Melanie Simms) that presently accept poetry submissions.

(If anyone has information on additional listings, please e-mail them to Melanie Simms at moonspinner@pa.net or contact her at her website at [http://www.poetmelaniesimms.net]).

Current List of Newspapers that Publish Poetry:

Philadelphia Inquirer: Contact: John Timpane at jt@phillynews.com

The York Daily Record: Contact: Bill Diskin: bill@billdiskin.com

The Oregonian: Ask for the Poetry Editor or call: 503-221-8100

The Santa Cruz Sentinel: Contact: 831-423-4242 and ask for the Poetry Editor

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Contact: 412-263-1100 and ask for the Poetry Editor

The Christian Science Monitor: Contact: 617-450-2000 and ask for the Poetry Editor

Clearly this current list is small (albeit still in development) which only forwards the concerns of the American public that “poetry in the newspapers” is a dying breed, but thanks to the “die-hard” efforts of these remaining voices in today’s newspapers, America still has hope to see the art rekindled.

Every poet and citizen who appreciates the art has an opportunity and obligation as well to assist. The newspapers depend upon its readers. Share your voices of concern so that the press realizes that Dana Gioia, John Timpane and your humble author are not alone in their desire to see poetry in the news again. You can do so by contacting your local poetry editor and requesting a poetry article be developed, or, if you’re creatively (and financially inclined) start a poetry column of your own from your own small newspaper press.

Let the voice of the people be heard in the art of poetry and thrive once again in the newspapers!



Source by Melanie Simms

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Poetry Monster

4 Powerful Keys of Structured Creativity

I’ve been thinking about creativity more than usual.

After what seemed like eons of inactivity, where my creative impulse was stalled, I’ve come full circle, regaining some control over my creative life, producing content, not just consuming it in loads. It’s easy to get pulled by the force of social media, YouTube and the access to entertainment always at our finger tips. Sure, it can be a great source of inspiration, but it can also freeze us in a creative paralysis. For me the solution has been to rekindle my love for the power of a schedule.

Let’s come clean. Since I got back from my summer abroad, and then, after a hurricane raked havoc on the island where I live, I’ve been aimless. I had all the symptoms of aimless living: lack of focus, anxiety about not knowing what was coming next, what to do with my time, feeling useless and finding little space and energy for making progress.

It all felt wrong. I was looking for answers, anything. Then I remembered Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography.

That single idea changed my outlook of the last two months of this year, and hopefully of all the months and years to come. I looked for inspiration elsewhere. So much has been published about organization, decluttering and time management. Everyone has a strategy. Everyone has something to add to the self-organization salad. And every strategy can and should be improved upon.

Even Ben Franklin went back to the drawing board of his daily schedule repeatedly. The rest of us are no different. The process of evolving, assessing and getting to know ourselves it’s ongoing. And there lies the self-empowering truth.
The structure of our creativity will take many forms throughout the days, weeks, months and years. The point is to harness the powers that it unleashes. This doesn’t happen by chance, but in the process of building, tearing down, and building again the kind of creative and fulfilling life we want.

Having enjoyed the empowering feeling and freedom of a daily routine for the past two months, these are the four powerful keys that have unlocked my creativity:
1. The power of purpose: Having a clear intention, for your day and your life in mind, gives you a target to commit to and work toward.
2. The power of progress: Setting achievable, daily bite-size goals for yourself, and tracking those goals, will boosts your confidence and keep at bay the procrastinating elephant in the room.
3. The power of knowledge: Having a measure of control over your day, in the form of a simple routine, gives your mind a mental energy break, provides you with a sense of self-made security, a sense of control over some aspects of your day and life, and the flexibility that leaves space for surprises. This power also opens the doors toward greater self-knowledge through re-evaluation of our progress and purpose.
4. The power of a single day: We must rethink the 24 hours’ time-frame. Breaking through its “limits” with wise time management, mindful rituals and moments of gratitude.

Where should you begin? I began with a blank page on my tablet. I wrote the hours of the day and the tasks that should take place at those times. I put the schedule in motion and reviewed it. I then wrote a second version and copied it on a medium size white board in my creative space, for quick self-checks. It will change, as I learn more about myself, the hours I’m most productive in certain activities, like writing or learning something new, the activities I want to keep and those that must go.

Everybody’s scheduled creativity will come out looking different and authentic, and that’s its brilliant result. By taking the time to embrace these empowering keys, by developing your own schedule and assessing it and yourself daily, you’ll find new ways to getting to know you, what your purpose is, what gives meaning to your life, what vast room there is inside you for all your passions to breath and bloom.

There are days when I cannot hit all the base tasks on my schedule. There are days where other responsibilities have priority. There are days when I move tasks around. I have total control and authority to do this. And you’ll have total control and authority over yours.

And, there are days when I manage to check off every task, hit every note. When I manage to complete every bit-size goal. When every simple ritual gets done and every one of my life’s passions gets its time and attention. Those are days when these passions bring forth unexpected surprises. In those days, anything is possible.

Make room for that kind of day in your life!



Source by Gabriela Gotay

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Poetry Monster

Love Poems in Sanskrit Literature

Remember Sir Walter Scott’s Brignall Banks? ‘A maiden on the castle wall,Was singing merrily,-,”O, Brignall banks are fresh and fair, And Greta woods are green; I’d rather rove with Edmund there, Than reign our English queen.”

What a beautiful sentiment is being expressed there? Similar poems are available in hundreds in English Literature. But if you come across Sanskrit and Tamil literature thousands of Love poems will take you to a greater level.

Every single movement of a lover becomes a great epic! The poets left no stone unturned. In order to read all the poems and absorb the meaning we may need hundreds of years.

The love poems are analyzed threadbare by the great scholars and in these poems the sentiment or ‘rasa’ reigns supreme.

The emotion of love is inborn in human heart. But it will come to prominence once it finds an object for its activity.

Take a case of a charming youth. He happens to see a beautiful young girl. His emotion of love is aroused. He begins to think of her. Fortunately if he meets her in a secluded place and the mutual love is fully developed, they enjoy the ‘rasa’.

But in the poetry the ‘rasa’ even though developed in the characters in the poem, they are not enjoying or tasting it, but the readers are enjoying it.

The secret of the good poetry is to give that ‘rasa’ or sentiment to the reader.

Sanskrit love poems are always successful in giving this beautiful sentiment.

If you go in deep, the literature gives various aspects of love. Coding system is not a modern one. In ancient times, the lovers used this system. Only the lovers will understand their language. This has been described in love poems in detail. Also there is a sign language. The gestures gives different meanings. Meeting place, meeting time etc. will be communicated through this sign language. If there are some family members present in the gathering, the girl will communicate to her lover using this language. Their world is unique and there is no place for others.

In Sangam literature of Tamil, which is very old, there is a beautiful poem:

The lover asks his beloved, who is your mother and who is my mother? How your father and my father are related? When the rain drops on a red sand it merges with the sand. Likewise the hearts filled with love melts and merges.

The people of Tamilnadu had given equal importance to the valour and love. And hence we may find poems related to these two aspects of life.

The same is true in general with all other kingdoms of ancient India. There were 56 kingdoms in all. Poets like Kalidasa, Harsha, Bharavi, Dandi, Rajasekara composed poem of high order.

One would be surprised to note that in the ancient Vedas there is a famous love story of Nala and Damayanthi. Damayanthi, the great queen married Nala overcoming many obstacles. The Nala story is very famous and almost in all languages of India the poets have sung the glory of love between Nala and Damayanthi.

Given below is one sample poem of poet Bhavaka Devi:

Her breasts are brother kings, equal in nobility,

Reared together till they have reached the same altitude of fame;

And from their border warfare these monarchs of vast provinces

Have gained a cursed hardness.

One more poem:

With your large eyes having curved and sportive eye-brows which great men, however immovable by emotions, have you not, oh! Lady with charming limbs, brought to the state of emotional disturbance?

Think for a moment, if one could read the above poems in Sanskrit itself, how much ‘rasa’ and joy it will bring!

In this life, one should read some good poems every day to elevate our minds!



Source by Santhanam Nagarajan

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Poetry Monster

Great Figures and Important Periods of Poetry From 1500-1700

THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1500-1600)

The Renaissance Period in English literature is also known as Elizabethan Period, or the Age of Shakespeare. Renaissance means the revival of learning, and in its broadest sense it is the gradual enlightenment of the human mind after the darkness of the middle Ages. This age advocated humanism, emphasizing man’s concern with himself as an object of contemplation. The Italian writers Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch started this movement, which shortly spread other countries of Europe. Moreover, revealing writer’s own self became full of interest. Sensitiveness to formal beauty and cultivation of the aesthetic sense lead to the exquisite lyrical poetry of the Elizabethan age.

The poetry of Elizabethan Age opens with Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey. Another important name is Thomas Sackville. Thomas Sackville, unlike Wyatt and Surrey, is not a cheerful writer, but he is superior to them in poetic technique. Sir Philip Sidney and Spenser made their mark by giving loose rein to their imagination and providing fantastic imagery, which was characteristic of Elizabethan poetry. Shakespeare though outshines with his plays, but his sonnets reach the high water mark of poetic excellence.

THE PURITAN AGE (1600-1660)

Seventeenth century English literature may be divided into two periods the Puritan Age and the Restoration Period. The seventeenth century can be explained as the decline of Renaissance spirit. Breaking away with the past was accomplished, and the modern spirit in the fullest sense of the term came into being. The seventeenth century up to 1660 was dominated by Puritanism. Though the Renaissance brought with it culture, it was mostly sensuous and pagan and it needed some sort of sobriety and profundity, which were contributed by Puritan movement. The Puritan movement stood for liberty of the people from the shackles of the despotic ruler as well as introduction of morality and high ideals in politics. Milton was the greatest poet of the puritan age and he stands head and shoulder above all his contemporaries.

The Puritan poetry also called Jacobean and Caroline can be divided into three parts;

1. Poetry of the school of Spenser

2. Poetry of the metaphysical school

3. Poetry of the cavalier poets

(1) The School of Spenser

The Spenserians were the followers of Spenser. These writers have written pastorals and allegories in the flamboyant and diffuse style of Spenser. However, they were not moving enough to lift us to the realm of romance, as does Spenser’s masterpiece. We find shades of Sidney and Shakespeare present in their work as well.

(2) The poets of the metaphysical school

They are called metaphysical poets not because they are highly philosophical, but because their poetry is full of conceits, exaggerations, display of learning, far-fetched similes and metaphors. The leader of this school was John Donne with the followers like Herrick, Thomas Carew, Richard Crashaw, Henry Vaughan and George Herbert.

(3) Cavalier poets

Cavalier poets followed Ben Johnson who followed classical method in his poetry, and imitated Horace. His verse possessed classical dignity and good sense, but lacked in grace and ease. Important figures of this age are Herrick, Lovelace and Suckling.

THE RESTORATION PERIOD (1660-1700)

In English literature, period from 1660-1700 is called the period of Restoration, because the monarch Charles 2 came back to England from his exile in France and became the king.

Dryden was the prominent figure of this age, so it is also called the age of Dryden. Charles 2 and his followers, who had enjoyed a gay life in France during their exile, did their best to develop that kind of looseness in England also. All restraints and restrictions were thrown to winds. The restoration period began to imitate French writers. The old Elizabethan spirit, with its patriotism, love of adventure, creative vigor, and Puritanism with its moral disciplines and love of liberty became a thing of past. Realism and preciseness became the leading qualities of this age. When the writers painted the real pictures of corrupt society and court, a coarse and inferior type of literature was produced. Gradually the trend changed and both virtue and vice were juxtaposed. In this way, preciseness and directness became the eminent qualities of this age.



Source by Amna Jamshed

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Poetry Monster

Form of the Poem ‘London Snow’ by Robert Bridges

There is no denying the fact that Robert Bridges was a classicist. He discarded modern-day trends and modernization in poetry in favour of a more easy to get to, with good grace understood, technique that is perceptible in the exquisite poem, London Snow. to the sight of a protracted fall of snow unremittingly floating town to cloak the City and The poem addresses four of the five human senses – vision, hearing, taste and touch, and employs a restrained use of metaphor. The reader is introduced muffle the usual noises. The ear unusually ‘listens’ to stillness – an oxymoron. Schoolboys put out their tongues to catch snowflakes, metaphorically described as manna (.ie. food from Heaven), and make snowballs, freezing their tongues and hands. The snow lying on the ground is “white-mossed wonder”
• The poem is accessible as a lone stanza of thirty-seven lines. The effect that this form produces is one of a self-contained endless chain of events, ongoing by snowfall that persists all the way through the hours of darkness.
• There are three end stops in the poem – at lines 9, 24 and 30 (plus the final stop at line 37). The stops indicate a brief pause in the narrative.
• By encamping across the points where some poets might have chosen to create stanza breaks, Bridges has created a flow through the poem, mirroring the unremitting, lengthy, snowstorm.
• The length of the lines ranges from eleven syllables to seventeen syllables and the metre is irregular, creating a poem with a rhythm that resembles the rhythm of speech.

Poetic imagery in London Snow by Robert Bridges is used to defamiliarize the familiar or to familiarize the reader with unusual phenomena. In London Snow, Bridges both defamiliarizes London streets (“the city brown” has become white) with an acute observation of the action and transformational effect of snowfall. He familiarizes the reader with the phenomenon of snow, which is infrequent enough in the South of England to cause a frisson of wonder and excitement (“The eye marveled- marveled at the dazzling whiteness”).
to the sight of a protracted fall of snow unremittingly floating town to cloak the City and The poem addresses four of the five human senses – vision, hearing, taste and touch, and employs a restrained use of metaphor. The reader is introduced muffle the usual noises. The ear unusually ‘listens’ to stillness – an oxymoron. Schoolboys put out their tongues to catch snowflakes, metaphorically described as manna (.ie. food from Heaven), and make snowballs, freezing their tongues and hands. The snow lying on the ground is “white-mossed wonder”
Alliteration in London Snow by Robert Bridges
There is a great deal of alliteration in London Snow. Alliteration is the repeated use of a letter or a syllable, usually, not always, at the start of a word. For example, the sibilant consonant s, this slows the pace – asleep, snow, stealthily, settling, silently sifting. Sibilance in poetry is a stylistic device in which consonants, used in quick succession, draw emphasis on words.

A Stylistic Device in ‘London Snow’
• Most adverbs end with the letters ly.
• Adverbs tell us more about the action described in a verb.
• Bridges has used adverbs of manner extensively in ‘London Snow’. They tell us how an action was performed – in this case the manner in which the snow arrived. See lines 1-9 and pick out the adverbs.
Use of the -ing Verb Form in ‘London Snow’
• A verb ending in ing is a present participle when used with a verb of movement. It describes to us how an action was performed. For example, in line 1 the snow came flying. (Came is the past tense of the verb to come and flying is the present participle of the verb to fly).
• Bridges has used the present participle extensively, as a poetic device of repetition, in lines 1-9 to describe how the snow came. e.g. settling, hushing, deadening.

Suffice it to say that ‘The British Poet Laureate’ is an honorary role, nowadays awarded by the reigning monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister after appropriate consultation. There are no specific responsibilities but there is an expectation that an incumbent poet laureate will write poems to mark significant national occasions. If you enjoyed reading London Snow and would like to read more poems by Robert Bridges, a former Poet Laureate, I recommend this collection of his works. Indeed, the originality of the laureateship date back to 1616, when a pension was provided to Ben Johnson by the reigning monarch, King James I. Each poet laureate is awarded a modest annual honorarium. The tradition of also providing a barrel of sherry continues to the present day.



Source by Kh. Atiar Rahman

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Poetry Monster

Romanticism Verses Realism In Gustav Flaubert’s Madame Bovary

Gustav Flaubert is the master of the Romantic/Realist novel and in his novel Madame Bovary, romanticism reaches a tragic crescendo. His novel is an avant-gardism one of his time. Emma Bovary, the maiden protagonist defies all traditions of Paris especially that of a middle class, petit bourgeoisie family and becomes immortalized into a leitmotif of that of tragic romantic heroine.

Gustav Flaubert’s Novel revolves around its protagonist Emma Bovary and its Antagonist Charles Bovary. The author is very adept in portraying the character of Emma as a die-hard, tragic, romantic and that of Charles as one of sentimental realist. It is poignant to wonder whether the characters Emma and Charles are fictional investments of the authorial self. Let’s look at how Charles and Emma are portrayed.

Charles the Stubborn Realist
Charles’ biography is steeped from early childhood by the training of his mother. It was her ambition that Charles should be a medical practitioner. He failed the examinations the first time and got through the second time. Emma the maiden is a second wife of Charles. Charles is very much rooted in the manner, customs and traditions of French Country Life. We can only guess Charles’ happiness and understand it was one of domination by his mother first and then followed by his wife. Charles’ relationship is of a Freudian Oedipal arrest. His relationship with Emma was mundane and that of routine. All attempts to please and cajole his wife ended in vain. When Emma was gifted with a beautiful child from Charles, her feathers were not shaken. There is an instance where Charles takes her to a soiree and Emma refuses to dance with him. As a family man Charles is kind and loving. But all this does not offer any solace for Emma. The character of Charles is a fetish of middle-class Utopian. Charles’ character is one of a chaotic emotion which he is not able to control. Charles’ character resembles one of the murky Kafkaesque. Charles is the author’s unrealized self.

Emma the Die-hard Romantic
Emma is an archetype of Flaubert’s animus, the woman persona of a man. Emma comes from a family of the upper class and class distinctions and their conflicts between Emma and Charles are so well enunciated. Emma’s childhood is one of rearing up in a good convent where she becomes transmogrified with legend and historical romances. This made her mind a receptive vessel for being a sentimentalist with being inclined to a romantic adventure. Her marriage with Charles is one of Ennui. She is not happy with her married life and lets loose a string of adulterous journeys. The lovers may have been able to satisfy her physically but were sour when it came to emotions. The author further casts her into a financial imbroglio from which she could not escape. In desperation she commits suicide by drinking arsenic. The idea of romanticism is celebrated in the character of Emma. The romantic character is a flawed one just like Romeo and Juliet. Madame Bovary is immortalized in the French Literary Cannon.



Source by Bose Anand

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Poetry Monster

Poems to Relieve Stress

Poems can be used to relieve stress and be balanced with your mind, body, and spirit. Stress can be detrimental to your health and cause physical and mental problems for anyone who has too much of it. These problems can lead to further issues such as depression, anxiety, lower immune system, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more…if left untreated. Stress has long been the cause of many issues in not having a healthy body or balanced of life. Having a healthy mind, body, and spirit are critical to being well balanced and happy.

The good news is that stress can be reduced by some simple steps such as actively finding outlets to express yourself that are relaxing. One outlet can be reading or even writing poetry. Poems are great sources of expressing yourself and an outlet for your emotions from the past, present, and even how you would like to feel in the future.

Some people think that poems can be hard to write or even read but the truth is that poems are really fun and enjoyable. People can interpret poems in different ways and no way is really wrong. Consider a song and how two different people can hear the same song and feel completely different when hearing it. The author of the song may have had an intention of the message they wanted to get across but the main point is that:

1. It was an outlet for them to express themselves.

2. It is a means for someone other than them to feel something…and they know that feeling can range depending on the person hearing it since we are all different people.

Do not over think poetry. Just enjoy it for what it is. Have fun, relax, and let your mind wander and your heart feel light. Poetry is one of the best ways to remove stress from your life and make you a more balanced, happier, and healthier you! To get you started with relieving stress right away, I am sharing with one of my poems called – What would you be?. So, Relax & Enjoy!

What would you be?

Was a question asked last night

Hmm, why not the WIND?

I replied, then set my sights…

Travel, go places, be absolutely everywhere

Over here, up there, virtually anywhere

Glide, soar, move with a peaceful grace

Break boundaries, pass limits, explore a new place

Unlimited energy, strength, a natural power source

Resourceful, tap into me, that’s why I’m here of course

New directions, change my path, and maybe change yours too

This way, that way, change often I could do

Be a gentle breeze, soft wisp, you would think you were alone

Or loud gust, spread fire, make my presence known

Be invisible with no face, shape, nor body

Or show myself, big tornado, relentlessly mighty

Be swift, many miles per hour, win every race

Or slow, consistently steady, decide my own pace

Be faster, go further, push to be greater

Or lift spirits, carry weight, which will help others

Witness birthdays, a quick gust, I’ll blow out every candle

Through the years, give support, if more than you can handle

Reach up, feel me, I’m there with everyone

Always around, surrounding you, and forever with my son

List ongoing, many benefits, do all of these things

And by the way, more important,…the wind beneath your wings

Emmily Leavy



Source by Emmily Leavy