Reason why I did William Carlos Williams

         To the readers out there, most of you might think, "Why would I do poems based off of William Carlos Williams?"
         In contrast to what you most think its not because I want to slack of or be lazy, its because I want to get points through in the shortest amount of lines possible. That is what both "This Is Just To Say" and "The Red Wheelbarrow" do so well. Both of the poems straightforwardly deliver a point out to the reader in very few lines, which brings both effectiveness and efficiency to both the poem and the poet.
         Also, to be honest the poems that I've done to emulate "This Is Just To Say" and "The Red Wheelbarrow" did not take a short time at all. I had a lot of trouble figuring out a point to deliver and then fitting it in into so little lines.
         The length of a poem does not dictate its capabilities of carrying out a message, and I wanted to carry that point out. 

2 poems emulating "The Red WheelBarrow" (William Carlos Williams)

1.
My life depends
upon

The choices
made

throughout my
career

inside my
brain

2.
People depend 
upon

the works of
others

touched with their
labor

within this
country

2 poems emulating the works of William Carlos Williams (specifically "This Is Just To Say")

 1.
The oranges

from the tree

were so juicy

and sweet

If you

want some

I left a couple

on the dinner table 

  2.
I have taken

the calculator

inside the drawer

beside your bed

Please understand

I had an exam

so the calculator

was essential

My Ten Limericks

There was a young man from the West
Who dreamed of being the best
It just takes hard work
But he was a jerk
And now his whole life is a mess

I once bought a nice looking car
But man, it used way too much tar
It costed too much
And bad, was the clutch
So I traded it for a jar

Some people may say I am weird
I had to explain as I sneered,
"Its why I'm unique
And possibly chic"
All questions have now disappeared

There was a young person named Jim
That people kept bothering him
As he stood right up
And gave them a cut
He now has a friend who's named Tim

A talkative man from the East
Who spend his time talking to geese
To much of his shock
They started to talk
He now has a friend in those geese

There was a small goldfish that frowned
For reasons he was very down
He did not enjoy
Himself as a toy
So he gladly jumped to the ground

Some people just don't understand
That I am not a normal man
I have a bad feel
For things that aren't real
And I try to change but I can't

There is a hockey team called Habs
Whose goalie drove players so mad
Stopped shot after shot
To score, they will not
He's quite an amazing young lad

The Stanley Cup playoffs are great
It brings me together with mates
As we cheer the team
And players have dreams
That fuel them to go out and skate

I like to go on many hikes
Activities that many like
I've made many friends
To hikes we attend
A great trail can be "Northern Pike"

Analysis of "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Frost

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain --and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

       The speaker in this poem have walked in the night many times. He has walked away and back from many places in the rain. He has walked through cities and "out-walked the furthest city light" which represents his walks outside the city. As he passes by a watchman during one of his walks, he makes no eye contact with the watchman, as he does not want to tell him why he is walking through the night. He has stopped and listened to a call from another street, falsely hoping that the call was for him. As he looked up at the "luminary clock", which represents the moon, he felt a feeling of dissatisfaction with the time it showed. 

       This poem describes a feeling of loneliness and introversion. It is clear that the speaker does not have the preference of socializing with other people, but he rather likes to go on his walks in the night. 

         In my early years of high school I always loved to meet new people. I would start a conversation with the person that sits beside me or the person who's locker is near mine. Honestly, it feels good given the fact that I have a basic understanding of my peers. However, later on in my life I realized not everyone has the preference to socialize, which prompted me to be more introverted. I still have the will to socialize with others, but I am now more introverted and I find more enjoyment in the time spent by myself. 

Analysis of "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg

     HOG Butcher for the World,
     Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
     Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
     Stormy, husky, brawling,
     City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
     have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
     luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
     is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
     kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
     faces of women and children I have seen the marks
     of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
     sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
     and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
     so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
     job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
     little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
     as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
          Bareheaded,
          Shoveling,
          Wrecking,
          Planning,
          Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
     white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
     man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
     never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
     and under his ribs the heart of the people,
               Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
     Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
     Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
     Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

       This poem begins when the speaker calls Chicago several names, such as - "Hog Butcher", "Tool Maker" and "Stacker of Wheat". Chicago is personified by the speaker to be tough and burly. Then, the speaker talks about a mysterious "they" which tells the speaker that Chicago is "wicked", "crooked" and "brutal". Although these are negative comments about the city, the speaker does tend to agree with them, as he has seen murders, prostitutes and starving families. However the speaker responds to "they" and says Chicago is "so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning." Despite all the dark places Chicago has, the speaker still finds beauty in this vibrant and lively city. The cycle of this city is described as "building, breaking and rebuilding". Chicago must be so happy after hearing all these compliments as it is said that Chicago feels "the heart of the people". 
        Personally, Chicago is one of my favourite cities in America and ranks #2 on my "Places I Want To Travel To" list. It fits my type of person where there are tall buildings, busy streets and bright city lights. I have only been there for a couple minutes because of my stop at the airport to transfer flights, but judging from descriptions of my friends, Chicago is a city much like New York (which is #1 on my list of places to travel to). After reading this poem, I gained the knowledge of accepting the dark corners of the city. Despite the fact that people kill each other in Chicago like it's a sport, I am very eager to go visit this city and hopefully watch a game of my favourite hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks.   

Analysis of "Death, be not Proud" by John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

            In this poem, the speaker speaks of Death being the poser. Similar to the concept of a school playground bully, who turns out to be not so tough as he projected himself to be. The speaker even brings out the good in Death, as it leads to eternal Christianity. Throughout this poem, the speaker teases Death, as he says "poor death" which is a way to embarrass a so called "tough guy". In line 12, the speaker refers to the pride that people "swell", then asks Death "why swell'st thou then?". The purpose of this is to remind Death that he has no reason to be proud. The last line is what really stands out to me. First, there is death as its physical form (second word of the line), then there is the personified Death which the poems talks about, then "die" which refers to a metaphor for non-existence.

                All my life I've been mystified by the concept of death. What is death? What happens when one dies? As I had a lack of knowledge, I began to fear Death. However, after I have read this poem, my fear is lost and the feeling of freedom was given to me. As I no longer felt like a captive of Death and I was free to live my life to the fullest extent possible. This poem has brought knowledge and understanding to my concept of Death, without this knowledge my future will not be the same. 

               I no longer fear Death, as it is imminent to everyone. The event that happens after Death is still unknown, but as long as I live my life positively, the event shouldn't be negative. Perhaps this refers to the concept of Heaven and Hell, where if one does good deeds then Heaven awaits him but if one commits sins, then the descend to Hell will come. 

                  Death is portrayed many different ways. Although I do not believe in Heaven or Hell, I still think if I live my life positively, I will have a positive life after Death.