This document contains analyses of four poems: "Never Again", "Never Like This", "One", and "Hallelujah". For each poem, the summary provides a brief overview of the structure, imagery, tone, themes, and the writer's personal reflection. The analyses examine the literary devices and techniques used in the poems to convey their meanings and themes, such as relationships, trust, love, and internal conflicts between people.

1. ORIGINAL POEM AND ANALYSIS<br />Never again<br />You tell me you would never lay your dirty hands on him againOne bottle clutched upside down in an angry fist Glass shatters and splinters hystericallyI watch as the trust oozes out of your pours as a trickle of blood seeps down your brow<br />The door slams and shuts you outI told you to leave him alone and you lied through your teethScreams whispering curses invade my claustrophobic mindI close my eyes and try to erase the memories<br />Red, hot anger pulsates through my veins burning like hot iceturning everything upside down into a mix of blurred emotionsYou say “it won’t happen next time”<br />Next time, because there won’t be a next timeThe emptiness ripples through my bodyJust like the love we once had rippled and fool around with my heartI once looked up to our desire<br />Structure:The structure of the poem has a simple outline, yet, the meaning behind it is a little more complex. The poem is made up of four stanzas, consisting of four lines. There is no rhyme scheme that is used through-out the poem. Each stanza acts as a scene, creating an overall story. The first stanza shows some sort of bar fight scene, and how the subject “clutched” a bottle in their fist. The first stanza also shows that there was a fight because a “trickle of blood seeps” down the subjects forehead. The second and third stanzas show how livid the second subject is as the other person distrusting them with the fight in the first stanza. I tried to make these two stanzas the climax of the poem by putting in a lot of imagery and fast moving words such as “hot” or “ice”. The last stanza acts as a comic relief stanza; there are slow paced words, making the stanza, overall slow. The final stanza is the ending chapter of the second persons struggle with the other persons trust in their relationship. <br />Imagery:This poem utilizes a great deal of images to help show the reader all the things that have been going on. For instance, in the first stanza, the reader can just imagine a bar fight with someone holding a bottle “upside down in an angry fist”, then eventually hitting someone with hit making the glass shatter. In the first and second lines of the third stanza, the use of touch imagery is utilized, in helping the poem reach the climax. Someone who is reading this poem can easily visualize the sense of being so angry that their body begins to burn “like hot ice”. The last bit of imagery that was utilized in this poem is the second line of the final stanza where it says that “the emptiness ripples” through their body.<br />Tone:Within the poem, there are a few different tones which include anger, disbelief, and emptiness. The poem initially starts off with a tone of strong anger, but in the same first stanza, the tone shifts to a more disbelieving one. This is evident especially when the speaker uses words like “anger”, and “clutched”. The tone of disbelief is still evident whilst the angry tone is more dominant. A reader can imagine someone loosing trust because of a bad act. Also, a reader can tell that there is no more trust between the two people as it “oozes out of [their] pores”. These two tones are still utilized and noticeable through-out the poem, up until the last stanza. Between the third and fourth stanza, the tone shifts to an emptier one as one of the subjects gives up on the other. The speaker uses words like “once” and “emptiness” to help a reader show the sense of emptiness and how everything is now in the past. <br />Other stylistic devices:There are not very many other stylistic devices that were used in this poem. However, there are a few consisting of oxymorons, similies, which lead the leader to the clear person vs. person conflict. The oxymorons of this poem serve to show how angry one of the subjects is with dealing the other persons distrust, as if it the mistrust burns “like hot ice”. Another example of an oxymoron within the poem is when one of the subjects is trying to block out the “screams whispering curses” in her head. The use of similies in the poem was utilized to try and emphasize how things are, almost embellishing the feelings to the extreme. <br />Theme:The theme for this poem focuses on the simplicity, yet complexity of being in a healthy relationship that has a solid trust foundation. The speaker emphasizes this by showing how one person in a relationship can be mistrusting, causing the other person to get hurt and consequently have to take irrational ways out. This creates the person vs. person conflict that is at the heart of the poem. This poem clearly reveals how important it is to have a relationship that is not only trustworthy, but honest as well. <br />Personal reflection: I got the inspiration for this poem from the song “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem. I chose to write something along the lines of the plot of that song because it’s a song that I really enjoy. I chose to write about the subject of trust within a relationship because trust and honesty, I believe, is the most important thing within a stable relationship. I also believe that without trust and honesty, and then there is no real relationship, which I was also trying to emphasize all through the poem. <br />ANALYSIS FOR THE POEM “NEVER LIKE THIS” BY KARL FUCHS<br />Structure:The poem is constructed into two stanzas, four lines each. There is a very standard rhyme scheme to this poem which follows an “ABAB” pattern. This pattern is visible in both the stanzas. This poem, also, reaches its climax at the final two lines when the speaker is expressing their desire for someone and to hold them with their body, but can’t. Even though there are only two stanzas, each one serves as a small chapter, or how someone is drawn between the physical aspects, and the emotional aspects. The first stanza deals with the physical part where the speaker is longing to hold that person, and they’re “quivering with bliss” just to have them. However, in the second and last stanza, it deals with the “strong” emotion of desire. The speaker tries to emphasize this by saying that they’re going to be “consumed by the fire” of desire if they don’t get to be with that one person.<br />Imagery:This poem utilizes a fair amount of imagery as the speaker tries to focus on the conflict of a longing desire. In line four, someone reading the poem can imagine someone being so content, that they “quiver with bliss”. Another strong image is the very last line when the speaker is referring to being “consumed by the fire” or the strong pull of desire. This is a very strong image because “fire” initiates the powerful desire, where “consumed” initiates that they’re going to give in. Lines five and six also help to create that image of desire the speaker is trying to create for the reader.<br />Tone:This poem contains a few different tones consisting of tones of passion, and desire. The poem begins with a tone of passion when the speaker explains how their body “inhales” the subject and “quivers with bliss”. However, as the poem progresses, the tone shifts to a deep desire tone. This is evident as the speaker emphasizes how their senses are being affected, almost as if they were really being pulled in the strong lure of love. Lastly, the speaker is really trying to show that they are truly going to be “consumed” by the fire, or “strength” of desire that is aching to be revealed. <br />Other stylistic Devices:There are not very many other stylistic devices that were utilized through-out this poem. However, the device that I caught onto was a metaphor in the second stanza which basically covers the entire poem. The metaphor is there to emphasize how the subject of the poem was going to be “consumed” by the “fire”. The reader emphasized the “fire” as being the depths of desire. However, there really is no fire, and they’re not really going to be consumed by an imaginary inferno. With that, like said previously, the fire is just a representation of the strong image of desire. <br />Theme:The poems theme really focuses of the fact that loving desire has, or should be expressed to obtain a healthy relationship through-out life. The speaker really emphasizes this when one person is longing to hold and be with other person so bad. This theme draws the reader into believing in the person vs. person internal conflict between two people in a relationship. This poem also focuses of the significance that all love should not be held back, which is believed to be a very important part of a stable relationship. <br />Personal Response:When I was looking for poems to write about, I came across this one after a while of searching. Post-reading, the poem really touched me because I feel that I can relate to what the speaker is going through. With that, I just really enjoyed this poem overall. Regardless the length, or depth at which the speaker writes, I feel that it is very simple and straight forward, which really appealed to me an audience. I also really enjoyed the overall theme and significance of the poem in general. I think that if people have such a strong feeling for someone else, then they should be allowed to let it flourish. <br />ANALYSIS FOR THE POEM “ONE” BY U2<br />Structure:This poem contains very little evident rhyme scheme. However, where there is rhyming it follows an “ABCB” pattern. This means that in a stanza of four lines, the first line does not rhyme with the next two lines, but the second line rhymes with the last line. A clear example of this would be in the first stanza where the speaker says “Is it getting better, Or do you feel the same, Will it make it easier on you now, You got someone to blame”. The rhetorical questions in the poem help the reader feel the tone of the poem, and how things and people are “one”.<br />Imagery:The poem uses a fair amount of imagery to reflect on the conflict between the speaker and the subject or another person. The speaker utilized the rhetorical questions to create an image of “disappointment” or “blame”. One image that maybe a lot of people can relate to is if things aren’t getting better, and you’re feeling the same way. The speaker tries to emphasize this by saying how it really is easier when you “got someone to blame” for the faults. There are no other strong images to go with the smaller images that were interwoven into the poem. <br />Tone:Through-out the entire poem, the tone stays fairly consistent with a feeling of “disappointment” and “hurt”. There are some places, however, where it changes to a glimmer of hope and “love” while being “one with each other”. The poem starts off with low tone, where the rhetorical questions come into play, showing this mood even better. The speaker tries to find out if there was anything wrong with the subject, if they were hurt. In the chorus of the poem, the tone shifts to more of a controversy sort of tone. The speaker is saying that they are “one”, while at the same time they are “not the same”. This gives off a tone of being one, perhaps in love, or maybe in love at one time, yet they’re not the same, in the mind or presence. By the end of the poem, the tone is more happy because the speaker is saying that they’re “one love” and “one blood” meaning that they are together through it all, and that they will “carry each other” in times of need and loss; Initially saying that they are together as one no matter what.<br />Other stylistic devices:The most noticeable stylistic device that was used in this poem is repetition. The repetition is of the word “one”, where in this case, it is enforcing that two people, the speaker and the subject or united as one, “one love, one blood, one life”. This shows that even though things have gone wrong with their love, or life together, that they are still “one”. Another stylistic device is the use of rhetorical questions. The speaker uses these rhetorical questions to find out what was really going on with the subject, or if the speaker overthrew the subject with “ask[ing] too much”. But by the end of the poem, there are no more rhetorical questions because maybe the speaker found out what they were looking for.<br />Theme:The theme of this poem focuses on the overall importance of knowing who you can be there for, and who should be there for you in love and friendship. The speaker emphasizes this by the repetition of “one”. The speaker emphasizes this with an internal conflict of person vs. person as they try to become “one”, yet they are still “not the same”. From this poem, it is clear that friendships or relationships should not be scrutinized in the sense of worrying that they may have said too much, yet coming back for forgiveness every time could really help in the end. <br />Personal reflection:This poem comes from a song that I have felt very personally close to for a few years or so. I feel that I can personally relate to this poem because when I was in a long term relationship, we became one, but yet obviously, we weren’t the same in so many ways. For me it is really easy to relate to, and from that I have learned that some things are better left unsaid if it is going to leave you with nothing. This song has really influenced the ways that I have looked at love and people being together and how important it is to be on the same page, being “one”. I can really sympathize with the feeling of disappointment and asking too much, feeling as if things aren’t going your way, whichever way that may be. <br />ANALYSIS FOR THE POEM “HALLELUJAH” BY JEFF BUCKLEY<br />Structure:This poem seems to follow a rhyming scheme (AABB), through-out the entire poem. What is interesting is that the first two lines of each stanza rhyme, but then the last line does not. A clear example of this would be in the lines one and two, of the first stanza, they end with “chord” and “Lord”, then line three ends in “do you”. This structure continues exactly like this until the end of the complete poem. Another thing that is interesting about this poems structure is that there are two stanzas before there is a single line consisting of “hallelujah”.<br />Imagery:This poem doesn’t utilize very strong visual or sensory imagery. A stanza which does, however, hold imagery is the third stanza where the speaker emphasizes the beauty of a woman. The speaker emphasizes this by saying that “her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you”. By this, the speaker is trying to create an image where her beauty is so great that it’s empowering. These lines also infer that there is some sort of attraction between the person and the woman on the roof. This attraction is defined by the words “beauty” and “overthrew”, with in those lines. The two words create the image of a beautiful woman, being emphasized by the moon casting light on her.<br />Tone:There aren’t a great range of tones that were utilized in this poem. However, a few tones that were utilized in the poem consist of neutral, emotional and hurt tones. Regardless, the poem starts off in a neutral tone, with very little emotion. In the third stanza, however, the tone shifts to a more emotional tone of the speakers “faith” being “strong”. The tone becomes extremely emotional when the speaker is talking about the girl “bathing on the roof” in the third stanza. On the other hand, the tone turns out to be the most emotional with a hint of sadness or hurt in stanza six when the speaker emphasizes how “love is not a victory march” but that love is “cold and broken”. This type of emotion dies down, but the tone of emotion is still visible, even up to the final stanza. <br />Other stylistic devices:The poem utilizes stylistic devices such as rhetorical questions and repetition which leads to the overall person vs. person conflict. The poem starts off with a clear rhetorical question which goes unanswered all the to the end of the poem. These questions also serve as repetition because the questions “do you” is highly repeated to emphasize the emotion of confusion. Another area of repetition is in stanzas six and ten when the speaker is saying that love is a “cold and it’s broken hallelujah”. This brings up the person vs. reality conflict, and person vs. person conflict, in the sense that the speaker is emphasizing that a non-existing thing is “cold” and “broken”, yet not clearly know what “hallelujah” is supposed to stand as.<br />Theme:The overall theme of this poem concentrates on the importance of love between two people in a relationship. With this said, this poem seems to be focusing on only one persons undying love for another person that has, in fact, died down. The speaker emphasizes how one person in a relationship, possibly an ended one, can still deeply care for someone even long after. The poems theme reaches to the conclusion that the poems’ internal conflict is initially person vs. person. <br />Personal response:This poem comes from a song that has been one of my favourite songs for many year. This is the kind of song that never gets old, so I can listen to it many times, over and over. This song as a poem has showed me that not love is so valuable in a healthy relationship between two people. Even though love can be such a big part of someone’s life, it is probably one of the easiest things to loose, and that’s why it should be cherished. I may, honestly, not know the 100% correct meaning and theme of this song, but because of everything that I have gone through and have experienced with or without friends or family, I’ve always had this song I felt I could relate to so well. I feel that there is just something inside of me that feels that I can so closely relate to this song on some deep, subliminal level. I also feel that it’s one of the prettiest songs ever written and composed, that I’ve heard, of course.<br />The document above is an analysis piece I did for English. This paper includes four analysis pieces on three different poems that we chose, and one poem that we wrote ourselves. I chose to do an analysis on this because I feel that I did a good job analyzing the poems, writing my own and analyzing that. The major ways of knowing that are incorporated in looking through this paper are perception, and language.<br />The way that perception is incorporated in the paper is because of the analysis aspect of it all. When looking at a poem, perception comes into play when you’re trying to figure out a reasonable conclusion to all the metephors, similies and imagery that are so often the main part of a poem. The analysis’s above are just my perception on what I think the poem means through all the literary devices, but since that is just me, someone else who would be analyzing the poem could think things completely different. I feel that, through this poetic analysis exercise that I did, I can now confidently say that I know what to look for in a poem. I have learned what to look for in a piece of writing, what makes it “good” or “bad”, even though if it’s creative writing there is no wrong or right. I believe now that because of all the things that I have learned through this process, going into another analysis will be easier for me, which means the next analysis will be better, and more accomplished. <br />The second major WoK that is required for analyzing pieces of work, such as poetry in this case, is language. Language is probably the most important aspect in analyzing any poem because, obviously, the entire thing is language. In this case, if someone doesn’t understand language, then analyzing a piece is close impossible. The better you understand language, the better analyzing poems, songs, essays etc the easier it becomes. I feel that since I’m a native speaker to English, that this assignment was fairly easy in the sense that I could come to a conclusion about the poems faster.<br />Although I feel that I didn’t put everything I found in the poems, in the analysis, I feel that I did accomplish what the assignment was looking for. I also feel that I did a good job at perceiving each poem a little differently, which put my analysis’s at a higher level. These major WoK are very important not only to knowledge, but to understand things differently and by putting that into perspective. <br />