can someone please tell me of 5 different poems all sharing a common theme that i can discuss (ex: war, love, night...) but none of those topics i just said, please this is very IMPORTANT!!

First pick a topic. A search of these forums will show you several previous assignments of this type.

pam

It's hard to find otu about the person that i am looking for. The only thing that i can find is the poems and i need more than that about her. So what can i do about that?

Some poets don't have much information- try a good net and library search, and if that doesnt' work, try looking at the era.

pam

i'm tryingt to do an indepth analysis of the poem 'The Lily' by William Blake but i am really struggling. could you please provide me with some information?
yours sincerely, cara briscoe

Let's look at the poem.

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

Blake always deals in contrasts. He uses examples from nature as he did here. But there are usually Biblical references, what might the lily represent besides a flower. A rose, might refer to the dangers of sin, and loss of innocence. Look at the poem as an allegory for the life of Christ. There are many ways to see the symbolism here.

Les

Since only the Lilly white will in love delight, we must infer that s/he is superior to the Rose and the Sheep, who bring danger with their humbleness.

Regards the Lilly - the biblica reference is simple: Christ says that God made the lilles in the field and looks after them - and therefore that he will also look after Mankind, which is after all more important to him than a single flower. (I forget where this is in the bible precisely)

So, this can be seen as suggesting that the lilly is a symbol of beauty and love, because rather than struggling against nature, it is prepared to simply accept God's will, and thus reap the rewards of his benificiance.

Bible (New Testament: Matthew chapter 26 verse 28 >)

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things . . .

This is the reference you're referring to, Aaron, I believe.

However, for centuries the lily (in particular the Madonna lily) has been the symbol of the Virgin and the sheep (or lamb) has been the symbol of Christ. It seems likely Blake was using that symbolism in the poem, possilby as well as the one you point up.

Thanks Marian!

I have a similar problem I'm doing a poetry project for my English class and I chosed as my poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning now I have to choose five of her poems and write a commentary on each poem plus I have to write five poems written by me and relate them to what she writes about but I just don't understand what she writes about. CAN YOU HELP ME!!!!!! I need to know what she talks about in her poems. Thanks If you can help me email me ASAP.

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