Robert Herrick/Analysis of Two Poems
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A 2 page analysis of two poems by the seventeenth century poet Robert Herrick-- 'Corinna's Going A-Maying' and 'The Hock-cart.' The writer argues that these two poems can be read simultaneously at three levels. On one level the poems describe the events that help to mark the human year‹the coming of spring and the celebration of the harvest. On the other hand, these events of the human year are reflective of the natural order, the passage of the seasons, and the cyclical nature of time. No additional sources cited.
Filename: 90hrrick.rtf

ANALYSIS OF FROST’S “THE DEATH OF THE HIRED MAN”
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This 5-page paper is an analysis and interpretation of Robert Frost's poem, "The Death of the Hired Man." The themes of home and loneliness are touched on in this essay. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: MTfrdema.rt

Bryant's 'Thanatopsis'
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A six page paper looking at this once-famous poem by William Cullen Bryant, a nineteenth-century poet who himself has somewhat fallen into oblivion. The paper looks closely at the poem's argument that Nature provides solace from the fear of Death, and shows why this appealed to a nation coming out of the stranglehold of Puritanism. Bibliography lists seven sources.
Filename: KBbryant.wps

Alexander Pope
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A 2 page discussion of Alexander Pope's poem about the insignificance of man in the realm of nature and the world scheme. In this analysis, the writer concentrates on the false view that the end of mankind will be the end of the world-- when we are just one minor aspect of all that has transpired and that will continue to transpire after we are gone. No Bibliography.
Filename: Litessay.wps

Alexander Pope & His Essay On Man
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A 15 page paper showing how this long narrative poem illustrates the eighteenth century's dominant conception of man. The paper looks at each of the poem's four sections individually, and analyzes Pope's contribution to both poetry and philosophy. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Filename: Popeman.wps

Alexander Pope and his “Essay on Criticism”
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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.
Filename: KBpope.wps

Alexander Pope's 'Rape of the Lock' / Use of Satire
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A 4 page paper that discusses how Pope used satire to mock the aristocracy, the Greek epic, and the feuding families over the loss of a lock of hair. The paper also discusses how the satire used parallels the Greek epic and its consequences. One additional source cited.
Filename: Rapelock.wps

Art and Artifice in Pope’s “Rape of the Lock”
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A five page paper looking at Alexander Pope’s poem in terms of the issues of art and artifice. The paper observes that he makes fun of the vain Belinda for trying to make a work of art out of her appearance, at the same time that he is consciously trying to make a work of art out of his poem. Bibliography lists three sources.
Filename: KBpope2.wps

The Beat Generation and Their Influence Today
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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.
Filename: KBbeat.wps

Identity in the Work of Olds and Plath
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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 seeing -- we are merely seeing something similar to what others see. Olds continues this argument by asserting that if others feel they know us by our outward appearance, they are wrong, because the outer shell is not us.
Filename: KBplath.wps

Sylvia Plath's 'Mirror' / Imagery
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The use of a mirror as illusion/allusion in poetry is compelling, to say the least. The most obvious use of the imagery of the mirror is that it is a reflection of the author. A search in a mirror is ultimately a search for the self. The image that is important is that of the woman, not the child whose innocence has drowned in the depths of the lake; nor the old woman who is like a terrible fish. Most people have the desire to reminisce about the past and, or speculate on the future. It is important. This 4 page paper explores the multiple meanings of the imagery presented by Sylvia Plath in the poem, 'Mirror.' No additional sources cited.
Filename: Mirror.wps

Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' / Violence & The Father
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A 6 page paper on the strange mixture of violence and sexuality in the autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath. The paper asserts that Plath was haunted all her life by the fantasy of rejoining her dead father, and unfortunately, it would take violence to do this. Bibliography lists six sources.
Filename: Platjar.wps