Essays and Research Papers on Poetry

A 7 page essay that examines the theme of gift giving and hospitality in Homer's ancient epic poem the Odyssey. In ancient Greek culture, hospitality addresses the relations that exist between a guest and host, and involves the mutual exchange not only of wealth, but also of knowledge. The conventions surrounding Greek notions of hospitality ...

A 6 page paper discussing the symbolism of birds in John Keats' 'Ode to a Nightingale,' and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's, in 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' The paper concludes that both Coleridge's and Keats' birds represent an opportunity for inner transformation. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 6 page report discusses the ways in which “The Epic of Gilgamesh” serves to offer some measure of understanding into a culture’s ideals, philosophies, and belief systems. Gilgamesh is the oldest written epic known to exist in world history. It should be seen as both a great poetic creation, as well as a documentation of ancient humanity. Modern ...

A 4 page paper which examines the imagery in Derek Walcott’s poem The Sea Is History. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the historical discoveries Plunkett makes in the poem "Omeros," and how they relate to a sense of homecoming. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

5 pages in length. T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets symbolizes a great many things to do with what exists in the here and now, as well as what lives within the concepts of religious mysticism. Indeed, it reflects some of the most compelling of all written representations in literary history. The writer discusses ...

A 5 page paper looking at the way this nineteenth century British poet expressed the ideology of the Romantic movement. Following an extensive definition and history of Romanticism, the paper looks at two of his poems -- 'The Little Black Boy', and 'The Chimney Sweeper', both from Songs of Innocence -- in terms of their ...

A ten page paper describing Alexander Pope’s principles of versification and his views on poetry. The paper asserts that while Pope’s versification rules can help polish a crude gem into something that explodes with light, it has to have been a gem to begin with; rules do not substitute for brilliance. Bibliography lists ten sources. ...

A 5 page research paper that offers a brief survey of the history of English versification, beginning with the Old English of Beowulf to the modern English of the eighteenth century. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which illustrates how Edgar Allen Poe's work was often a reflection of his life and his personal thoughts and struggles. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper on the mother-daughter relationship as developed in Edith Wharton's A Mother's Recompense, Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, and Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out Of Carolina. The paper analyzes what happens when a woman's expectations for her child or parent becomes hopelessly entangled with her own sense of identity. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper examines how the life of author Thomas Hardy influenced his poetry. Illustrative examples from several of Hardy's poems are provided to support the writer's thesis. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 10 page explication of O. Henry's [William Sydney Porter] 'The Last Leaf.' The writer discusses Henry's depiction of the artist. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper outlining the use of these literary devices in Donne's Holy Sonnet No. 14, which appeals to God to intervene directly and assist the author to overcome sin. Refers to Donne's imagery of God as a conquering warlord and the central paradox that 'freedom is slavery.' No additional sources cited.

A fifteen page paper looking at this Irish poet's views of the thin veil between life and death, as depicted in his works. The paper asserts that Heaney views the dead and the living, the past and the present, as occupying the same space. Bibliography lists fifteen sources, including seven poems of Heaney's.

A 5 page paper which provides a sentence-by-sentence analysis of a specific paragraph from Ralph Waldo Emerson's 'Experience,' which was included in his second collection of essays, published in 1841. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page paper which examines and discusses elements of poetry and philosophy found in Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page report that consists of two separate essays. The first is a 4 page essay on the role of transcendental or mystical experience in poetry as shown in William Blake's "Marriage of Heaven and Hell," Samuel T. Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and selections from "The Prelude" by William Wordsworth. The second ...

A 14 page research paper that offers 2 separate essays, each essay is 7 pages in length. The first essay "What is Romanticism?," first all off, discusses and defines romanticism and then applies this definition to 2 poems each by Byron , Keats, and Shelley. Bibliography for this essay lists 9 sources. The second essay, ...

A 4 page overview of the technological changes that characterized World War II. The author points out that just as interesting as the technological changes is the ideology surrounding this war. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page essay on the writings and influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The writer reviews some of Emerson's writings, writing style and devices, expresses various interpretations on Emerson's writings, and discusses their effect on the reader in transcendental and realistic terms. The writer agrees with those who posit that Emerson was correct ...

5 pages. The focus of this paper is the historical context in which Emily Dickinson was writing her poems. What was happening in Emily's real world that was perhaps influencing the way she wrote? This interesting paper gives some insight to the reasons Emily Dickinson wrote what she did. Bibliography lists 4 ...

A 5 page essay that examines three poems written on the carpe diem theme – Herrick's To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time; Wilbur's A Late Aubade; and cummings' since feeing is first. The author demonstrates that the way that these poets have handled the carpe diem theme is not only dependent on ...

A 5 page paper which looks at Walt Whitman’s changes of expression as seen in his preface to Leaves of Grass, written in 1855, and his later work Democratic Vistas which was written after the Civil War. No additional sources cited.

A 1 page analysis of the role that negritude plays in the poem 'Black Woman' by Leopold Sedar Senghor, who, as a writer, embodied the philosophy of negritude into everything that he wrote‹his writing, particularly his poetry, speaks from the heart of a black man, giving a black perspective that comes from black experience. Bibliography ...