Essays and Research Papers on Poetry

A 5 page paper which discusses various events in Beowulf, presenting parts excerpts of the story so that the poetry of this ancient tale can be observed. Some of the events examined are the rise of the Danish nation, Heorot is attacked, the hero comes to Heorot, Feast at Heorot, the fight with Grendel, and the celebration at Heorot. ...

A 6 page paper which considers how death has many meanings to the poet, as represented in the distinctive classes of poetry. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

5 pages in length. Analyzing the formative and symbolic nature of Marge Piercy's Bridging will lead the student to consider paralleled issues of fluctuation and inconsistency as they are reflected within this short but powerful literary piece. As much as Piercy's formative approach indicates a wavering existence between two obvious friends, it also ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the literary archetypes of the trickster, the mentor and the hero presented in the story. No additional sources are used.

An 8 page research paper that examines several poems by African American poet Audre Lorde. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how love is depicted in Wyatt’s “The Long Love That My Heart Doth Harbor,” “Farewell, Love,” “Whoso List to Hunt,” “My Gallery,” “Divers Doth Use,” “Madam, Withouten Many Words,” “They Flee From Me,” “My Lute, Awake!,” Raleigh’s “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” “The Lie,” “Farewell, False Love,” Marlowe’s ...

5 pages in length. Greatly influenced by the philosophy of Immanual Kant, Ralph Waldo Emerson sought to conduct his life as cohesively with the earth as any mortal could, routinely chastising those who either ignorantly or purposely chose to do just the opposite. His personal reverence toward nature and all things spiritual was ...

This 5 page paper explicates Tintern Abbey and Two April Mornings. The works are compared and contrasted. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which compares the short fiction of Raymond Carver, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," to the poetry of Sharon Olds, "Sex Without Love." Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts Homer’s Greek view represented in “The Iliad” with the world view considered in “The Book of Job.” No additional sources are used.

A 5 page paper which presents an examination of Edgar Allen Poe and his most famous poem "The Raven." The paper discusses how Poe presents himself in his work and illustrates the relevancy of "The Raven" as it applies to Poe's life. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page essay that examines and analyzes three poems by William Blake (1757-1827), which are "The Chimney Sweep," "The Tyger," and "The Garden of Love." The writer looks at both versions of "The Chimney Sweep," one from Blake's Songs of Innocence and the other from Songs of Experience. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts how these themes are explored in two stories from “The Canterbury Tales.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

Reality, as experienced by any one individual, is 'navigated' by means of the symbols available to and assigned by the individual to describe their version of the world. This 5 page paper explores the meaning of love as it is presented by John Keats in the sonnet, Bright Star. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page paper how through the experimental verses of feminist poetry that attempts to, through the creative use of language, reconstruct a woman’s identity in society, through their critical presentations of the social formation of gender. Poets and critics discussed include Erica Hunt, Craig Owens, Rae Armantrout, Ann Lauterbach, Norma Cole, Harryette Mullen, ...

A 4 page paper which compares and contrasts the two medieval considerations of love and marriage. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

5 pages in length. George Herbert's poetry is often seen as quiet and pastoral, seemingly dealing with the gentler side of existence. There is however, another side of his work: dealing with conflict that exists among human beings. Particularly pertinent to this approach is his short but powerful The Holdfast, which illustrates ...

A 4 page research paper that contains two distinct sections. The first section discusses Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, and why Faustus make this choice to sell his soul to the devil. The second section is an analysis of John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10. No additional sources cited.

Enoch Arden by Tennyson is a long narrative poem that is much too short and with too little adventure to be considered an epoch. This 7 page paper argues that Enoch Arden is a tragic hero whose life served as a metaphor for the resurrection and sacrifice of Christ. Tennyson utilizes the theme of nature to show spiritual ...

This 5 page report discusses John Donne’s poem “The Flea.” Donne (1572-1631), English poet, writer, and clergyman, has come to be considered as the greatest of the metaphysical poets and one of the greatest writers of the poetry of love. Donne belonged to a group of writers for whom personal passion was more important than social prominence, and whose writing reflected ...

A 5 page examination of the poem "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope. The paper examines how Pope may well be ridiculing epic poets of the time, such as Milton, and also ridiculing such people as Belinda and her family. Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

An 8 page paper which examines the poetry of Katherine Philips and discusses whether its portrayal of female friendship is bold or transgressive poetry. The paper focuses on how her poetry regarding female friendship is transgressive. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This paper examines Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott and his work "The Light of the World." The paper discusses Walcott's background, his use of themes in all of his works, then focuses on "The Light of the World," which reflects Walcott's own ambivalence about his place in the world.

A 5 page paper which examines how this epic poem represents the importance of Western literature. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

Poets can be seen as conduits for beautiful ideas and language, and as those who use concrete images to suggest metaphysical concepts. Poetry can suggest how to live as well as to help humans save their souls. This 5 page paper compares and contrasts two poems by Derek Walcott: A Far Cry From Africa (1962) and Midsummer ...