Essays and Research Papers on Poetry

A ten page paper analyzing the characteristics and influence of the Beat generation of poets and writers in the 1950s. Although many poets and writers are mentioned, particular attention is paid to the work of Jack Kerouac; Allen Ginsberg; and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Bibliography lists 16 sources.

A five page look at Sylvia Plath’s poem “Mirror” and Sharon Olds’ “The Death of Marilyn Monroe,” in terms of both poets’ observations on the nature of identity as opposed to appearance. Plath argues that as many times as we return to the mirror to see our reflection there, it is not ourselves we are ...

A seven page paper analyzing the kind of world that produced the rebellious “Beat” poets of the 1950s and 60s, as well as the way their iconoclastic ideologies affected American attitudes in their own time and later on. The paper concludes that the Beats went a long way toward transforming our society from the smug, ...

A five page paper looking at Emily Dickinson’s view of death as expressed in such poems as “Because I Could Not Stop For Death,” “I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died,” and “Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers.” The paper concludes that Dickinson feels that while one should not fear death, one should also ...

A 5 page analysis of Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar, which compares the female protagonist's coming of age story with that of J.D. Salinger's misfit hero, Holden Caulfield. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper comparing Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and John Keats “Ode to a Nightingale” in terms of the way their imagery reflects the poet’s understanding of joy. The paper concludes that joy is spiritual rather than merely emotional, and thus Coleridge is able to tap into this faculty while ...

A five page paper comparing three odes by John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. The paper defines the ode, then looks at Keats “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and “Ode to a Nightingale”, and Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind,” discussing form, structure, and imagery. One additional source.

A three page look at Robert Frost’s famous poem. The paper shows how Frost incorporated recognized literary techniques into an extremely understated style, and used them to illustrate a central dilemma in his own life: the need to make unorthodox life choices. No additional sources.

A five page paper looking at Whitman’s use of metaphor in this poem. The paper shows how through the use of the image of grass, Whitman manages to convey not only his identity with the community of life, but his eventual participation in the company of the dead. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 6 page analysis of six poems: Arnold's 'Dover Beach,' Auden's 'Musee des Beaux Arts,' Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan,' Brooke's 'The Soldier,' Shelly's 'Song to the Men of England,' and Wordsworth's 'The world is too much with us.' The writer argues that all six portray the ability of poetry to relate the dark side of human ...

A five-page paper analyzing Walt Whitman’s poem in terms of its relationship to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The paper looks carefully at symbolism and imagery, concluding that Whitman uses his poetic art to help him work through his shock and grief. No additional sources.

A five page paper looking at the nineteenth-century poet’s involvement with and reactions toward the Civil War, as seen through his poetry and letters. Specific poems discussed are: “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,” “O Captain! My Captain!”, “An Army Corps on the March,” “Calvary Crossing a Ford,” “Vigil Strange I Kept on ...

A five page comparison of these two poems, which are on the same topic but which are very different thematically. The paper observes that Tennyson’s view of death is limited by his despair, while Donne’s is expanded by his faith. No additional sources.

5 pages in length. The works of Emily Dickinson are at times morose and yet depict a knowledge and inner sensitivity about life. While many of her works focus upon death and dying there are also those are filled with a passion for the nature around her. This excellent paper describes a ...

5 pages in length. Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the greatest philosophers of our time. His essays remain among those of the most popular of philosophers and embrace the mysticism of life. This paper discusses his life, his works, and analyzes a website devoted to him. Bibliography lists 4 sources. ...

An 8 page comparison of the Old English epic poem Beowulf and the thirteenth century romance, 'Tristan and Isolde.' The writer endeavors to demonstrate how each of these works demonstrated the culture and ideas of their era. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper comparing the ideas contained in Alicia Ostriker’s “Stealing the Language” with Diane Wakoski’s poetry. The paper concludes that both writers feel women need to reject the myths our patriarchal culture has imposed upon them, and reinvent themselves in a more positive vein. Bibliography lists six sources.

A ten page paper looking at this famous French poet by fifteenth-century poet Francois Villon. The paper concludes that the poem seems unusually modern in its treatment of death because Villon did not have the confidence in the Church that most people of his era shared. Bibliography lists six sources.

A five page look at this seminal nineteenth-century poet. The paper analyzes the reason Whitman is considered the first modern American poet, and what characteristics make him so quintessentially American. Bibliography lists six sources.

A five page paper looking closely at William Butler Yeats' meaning and symbolism in this poem. The paper concludes that the poet asks for the impossible; he asks for his work to become an immortal piece of self-expression, but as soon as he dies, his selfhood will die with it. No additional sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses the different poetic styles of romantic poets Shelley and Wordsworth. The poems are, respectively, 'A Lament' and 'A Complaint.' No additional sources cited.

An eight page paper looking at two villanelles by Dylan Thomas and Wendy Cope, showing how they debunk myths we hold about love and death. The two poems discussed are Cope's 'Lonely Hearts' and Thomas' 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.' Bibliography lists 5 sources.

In 6 pages, the author discusses Emerson's speech on 'The American Scholar' and shows how Walt Whitman answered this call using Whitman's 'Song of Myself.' Emerson's call was for intellectual, cultural, and spiritual independence, which are important to transcendentalism. No other sources are cited.

This five-page-paper discusses the true meaning behind the words of Robert Frost's , 'The Road Less Traveled.' Life choices and wistful hindsight are all discussed. Bibliography lists one source.

The two men seemed to be from separate planets, if not universes, as they sat face to face in the comfort of the TV studio. William Butler Yeats, in his three piece Italian suit, was somber and a little detached. Carl Sandburg, on the other hand, looked as though he could 'talk up a storm' in his ...