Poetry
By: Malak Nassif
First poem: Phenomenal Women
By Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Poetic devices:
1. Metaphor: in the 3rd paragraph, Maya compared her smile as if I was the sun: “The sun of my smile” with the intent of giving clearer meaning.
2. Repetition: the repeating of phrases like: “I'm a woman- Phenomenally. - Phenomenal woman, - That's me. This repetition confirms that she is one special woman. Even if she’s not beautiful or attractive.
3. Alliteration: the repetition of an initial sound like for example: “ips” in hips and lips. And there is also the sound “ouch” in much and touch. In addition to the sound “ed” like bowed and proud and understand.
The message of the poem:
The moral of the poem is that beauty is not important and “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover” so what really matters is the inside beauty and the personality. Maya Angelou describes how she used to look saying that she was not good-looking but all the fellows used to like her which was actually weird. So in the poem she explains what really attracted the men.
The tone:
There is a tone of celebration and joy throughout the whole poem. This was obvious when she used phrases like ‘the joy in my feet’, ‘the sun of my smile’, and ‘the click of my heels’ create a feeling of happiness.
Theme:
The theme of this poem is so noticeable and understandable, which is self-confidence. We can see and feel how Maya is so confident. She likes her smile and her way of walking. Maya is trying to share her joy, reveal her secret so that others can be as confident and fulfilled as she is. Maya feels powerful, but not superior.
The second poem: the beauty of a poem
By: Shalom freedman
The beauty of a poem
The beauty of music
The beauty of light
The beauty of life
The beauty which makes us want to live life more
The beauty which pains us inside
The beauty in longing.
The beauty we come upon by surprise
The beauty of the day and the beauty of the night
The beauty we all have inside us
The beauty we can see and feel and never explain
The beauty that lifts us up
The beauty that makes us want to live more
The beauty that makes us reach out to God
The beauty we want to thank God for
The beauty of lilacs
The beauty of autumn leaves
The beauty of the people we love
The beauty that pervades life
The beauty that turns away from us
And will not let us be a part of it
The beauty we hold on to fragilely
As a driven leaf
The beauty the beauty the beauty
Oh life oh God of goodness oh death
The beauty we can never see
And the Beauty within us all
Oh God
The Beauty in us and Beyond us all.
The beauty of music
The beauty of light
The beauty of life
The beauty which makes us want to live life more
The beauty which pains us inside
The beauty in longing.
The beauty we come upon by surprise
The beauty of the day and the beauty of the night
The beauty we all have inside us
The beauty we can see and feel and never explain
The beauty that lifts us up
The beauty that makes us want to live more
The beauty that makes us reach out to God
The beauty we want to thank God for
The beauty of lilacs
The beauty of autumn leaves
The beauty of the people we love
The beauty that pervades life
The beauty that turns away from us
And will not let us be a part of it
The beauty we hold on to fragilely
As a driven leaf
The beauty the beauty the beauty
Oh life oh God of goodness oh death
The beauty we can never see
And the Beauty within us all
Oh God
The Beauty in us and Beyond us all.
Analysis:
Poetic devices used:
· Repetition: it’s when the author repeats important lines, words, or phrases of a poem for effect. In this poem, Shalom is repeating the word “the beauty” because it’s the theme of the poem.
· Personification: Giving inanimate or non-living objects human characteristics. It was obvious when the writer wrote “The beauty that lifts us up” the beauty can’t actually lift us up. There is also another example “The beauty that turns away from us”.
Message:
The message of this poem is to show how beauty changes everything. It’s the inner beauty and the beauty of the nature. The poem shows that beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea. So it shows that beauty is a very important thing.
Tone:
It’s a happy tone; it was really easy to know the tone because the poem is actually talking about beauty. So it has to be a happy tone. It defines what beauty is.
The third poem: why I love
By: Udiah
| You give to me hope And help me to cope When life pulls me down You bring me around You teach me to care And help me to share You make me honest With kindness the best From you I learned love With grace from above It's for you I live And I want to give You are the reason That fills each season When I hear love I think of you You are my world and best friend too I love you because you are so kind, thoughtful and caring I love you because you are so pleasant, lovely and sharing You made me the man I am Thank you Analysis: Poetic devices: · Repetition: there is a repetition of “I love you” because the theme of this poem is actually “love” so they have to repeat this word. · Rhyme: we can see that every two verses end with the same. For example: “hope-cope” “caring-sharing” “reason-season”. The repetition of the same ending sound make the poem more structured and this improves it. · Personification: there are some verses where the author used some personification, like: “When life pulls me down”, “When I hear love I think of you” and love can’t be heard. Message: I think this poem really shows everything someone feels during and when they are in love. Udiah wrote to someone he loved, because it’s so emotional. And under his poem he wrote why he created this poem, saying: “This particular poem was written to one who I cared about very deeply. It was written to convey exactly what I meant to that person so there would be no misinterpretation” Tone: Obviously, it’s a loving tone. And saying these two verses shows exactly his tone: “I love you because you are so kind, thoughtful and caring -I love you because you are so pleasant, lovely and sharing”. I really liked this poem. The forth poem: If only you knew By: Justin WilliamsIf only you knew, how my heart overflows with love for you. If only you could see the way you fill my hopes and dreams. You're the owner of my heart, the ruler supreme. Even in the dark of night, I've only to think about you to feel your loving light and from this world I drift feeling as if I'll never touch the ground again... If only you knew. If only you could guess how I hear your voice when others speak; for you hold the key to my happiness, and it's always you my soul seeks. If only you could feel, how your very presence has the power to heal, all the wounds inside me. You've made me abandon the pain of yesterday, and you've shown me that the past can no longer stand in the way of what I hope to achieve... If only you knew. If only you could realize the way you've shown me that it's better to give than to take, and whatever I do, I do for your sake. I'm willing to give you my all and expect nothing in return. But, oh how I yearn for you... if only you knew. |
Analysis:
Poetic devices used:
· Repetition: in this poem Justin Williams repeated a lot “If only you knew”. It is actually the title of the poem.
· Personification: it was obvious when he used these verses: “how your very presence has the power to heal”, “how I hear your voice when others speak; for you hold the key to my happiness”
· Hyperbole: he has to use hyperbole to describe love, “the way you fill my hopes and dreams.” “You're the owner of my heart”.
Message:
The message of this poem is to show love and emotions. And also to express the feeling and to show that love really exists.
Tone:
It’s the same tone as the previous poem which is a loving tone.
The fifth poem: Paradox
By: Claude H Oliver
| When life gives us our first breath Standing by is our own death When we breathe our first sigh We know not our destiny is to die Life cannot be without death - you see Life invigorates us to our core Death extinguishes life to be sure Yet we cannot have life fully Till we know death Death and life are old inseparable friends Wherever life is in the house Death is near the window or door The unity of breath and death is this For life to live some must die Death allows life to survive How we address this interplay Is the story of each life each day. |
Analysis:
Poetic devices used:
· Personification: the poem actually started with a personification “when life gives us our first breath” life doesn’t give breaths. There is also this verse which is very meaningful “Death allows life to survive”
· Rhyme: we can see the rhyme of the first two verses and the last two. “breath-death” and “interplay-play”.
Message:
This poem is really meaningful. It means that if you always keep in mind that you can die at any moment, you realize that you’re always waste your time. We all have to focus on important things that help you and help the others. Instead of thinking on working so hard to get money and a new car. Life is important and you can only live once. So try to use your time and don’t waste it on unimportant things.
Tone:
Claude in the poem “Paradox” has an accepting tone. He is actually accepting that some day he will eventually die. He says it’s our destiny, and that we have to live like we are going to die.
The sixth poem: c’est la vie
By: Brett Matthew Kysar
If only I knew how it is going to be
If only when I try to fix things, they became better
If only I was certain of how others feel
And if only people believed what I say…
If I knew how to show what I really felt
If I knew how to make people understand
If I knew how to make them believe
If I knew how to make them happy
If making people happy doesn't leave me sad
If making them understand doesn't make me an ignorant
If making them believe doesn't make me a liar
And if letting them know how I feel doesn't leave me numb
Things would've never reached that point
I know I would be in a much happier place
No one would ever blame me for not caring
No one would blame me for not thinking
That's life ....You're never certain
You never know, you're never sure
You're not going to live that dream of yours
And life would never be "trouble free"
You have to live with what you have
You try to fix the broken glass
You try to collect the shattered pieces
You make the best of everyday
It's like a train that never stops
Keep going through life without pausing
Just live each day and throw it behind you
Don't look back or you'll break your neck !
If only when I try to fix things, they became better
If only I was certain of how others feel
And if only people believed what I say…
If I knew how to show what I really felt
If I knew how to make people understand
If I knew how to make them believe
If I knew how to make them happy
If making people happy doesn't leave me sad
If making them understand doesn't make me an ignorant
If making them believe doesn't make me a liar
And if letting them know how I feel doesn't leave me numb
Things would've never reached that point
I know I would be in a much happier place
No one would ever blame me for not caring
No one would blame me for not thinking
That's life ....You're never certain
You never know, you're never sure
You're not going to live that dream of yours
And life would never be "trouble free"
You have to live with what you have
You try to fix the broken glass
You try to collect the shattered pieces
You make the best of everyday
It's like a train that never stops
Keep going through life without pausing
Just live each day and throw it behind you
Don't look back or you'll break your neck !
Analysis:
Poetic devices used:
· Repetition: in this poem they repeated this verse a lot “If I knew” it shows how regretting he feels.
· Oxymoron: in many verses we have two words that are opposite “If making people happy doesn't leave me sad” and “If making them believe doesn't make me a liar” and “If making them understand doesn't make me an ignorant” we can see, happy and sad in the same verse, believe and lie in the same verse, understand and ignorant in the same verse.
· In these two verses: “No one would ever blame me for not caring”-“ No one would blame me for not thinking” there is a rhyme “caring- thinking” and the repetition of “no one would”
Message:
This poem explains all the bad things in life. That people don’t believe each other and they don’t care about each other. So the author expresses his feeling by wishing that all these things exist.
Tone:
Brett uses a dramatic tone. It’s a sad tone, he wants people to understand him and believe him too
The seventh poem: my lucky star
By: Danielle M. McQuaid
The day she is not with me
is the day that I die
following her always,
with no frown or no sigh.
My life would not be complete
without my very best friend
I know she'll always be here,
until the very end.
I thank her for life
and all the joys so far
praying to God always,
on a lucky star.
I love you so, so much
you are my everything
thanks for being you,
and taking me under your wing.
Raindrops on roses
and a few of my favorite things
her face would always glisten,
each time she would sing.
Beautiful by nature
a true friend at best
surpassing all the others,
she's better than the rest.
Whatever it may be
boys, a cough, or just a mood
she will always sit and listen,
never, ever being rude.
I never have to say
when I'm feeling down
she only just knows,
by my hidden frown.
Her hug or her smile
can break my mood so fast
making me see the bright side,
putting the bad to the past.
Now as I'm older
you could call us a pair
our looks, wit, and charm,
are only a few that we share.
My world is only whole
with her by my side
having her always there,
to love and to guide.
is the day that I die
following her always,
with no frown or no sigh.
My life would not be complete
without my very best friend
I know she'll always be here,
until the very end.
I thank her for life
and all the joys so far
praying to God always,
on a lucky star.
I love you so, so much
you are my everything
thanks for being you,
and taking me under your wing.
Raindrops on roses
and a few of my favorite things
her face would always glisten,
each time she would sing.
Beautiful by nature
a true friend at best
surpassing all the others,
she's better than the rest.
Whatever it may be
boys, a cough, or just a mood
she will always sit and listen,
never, ever being rude.
I never have to say
when I'm feeling down
she only just knows,
by my hidden frown.
Her hug or her smile
can break my mood so fast
making me see the bright side,
putting the bad to the past.
Now as I'm older
you could call us a pair
our looks, wit, and charm,
are only a few that we share.
My world is only whole
with her by my side
having her always there,
to love and to guide.
Analysis:
Poetic devices used:
· Rhyme: “ side and guide” “ fast and past” “pair and share”
· Hyperbole: when the author wrote “My life would not be complete without my very best friend”
Message:
Best friends are really important, they make everything better. As we can see love is really important. Everyone needs someone who cares about and supports him. It’s really important that you feel that someone is, no matter what, will always be beside you and will help you.
Tone:
It’s a loving tone; the author expresses his love to his best friend with all his love.
MY POEM: qualities of a best friend
By: Malak Nassif
All we are asking for
Is someone who asks to see us more
Someone who really cares
Someone whose smile cures
We all want to find
Someone who will never leave us behind
Someone extremely kind
Someone we’re always on their mind
We can find all these qualities in a best friend
It should be a friendship without an end
Someone we can depend on
And also rely on
