"Nights"

"Nights" by Kevin Hart uses a restful tone with symbolism to convey the choice of laziness. The stars that are above the speaker's house are symbolic of the expanse of space. This shows the infinite amount of options available to the speaker. However, "a path soon lost in dark" is symbolic of something that is slowly being forgotten. The darkness, possibly symbolic of the advancement of time, is swallowing up the opportunities for the speaker. The dinner plate and cup are symbolic of the chores he must do, namely cleaning up. The fact they are both slightly broken is another option that he has the "path" to go down, replace his broken utensils. However, instead of doing anything, the speaker puts his head down and does nothing. The path that he does not need anything to set out on is symbolic of spacing out which is basically synonymous with laziness. Kevin Hart uses intense symbolism to take the reader through the choice of laziness in "Nights".

"The Modern Prometheus"

“The Modern Prometheus” by JJ Kampf is a contemporary work of art combining a careless tone with imagery and metaphors to remind readers to have fun and take advantage of life. The two toddlers are watching television like hawks which brings up the feeling of utter focus and dedication. They are determined to extract as much enjoyment from it as they can. “Midnight looms like New Year’s Eve”, New Year’s Eve is a time of big change and is the culmination of a long and hopefully productive year. By comparing New Year’s Eve to midnight, the speaker puts a much darker twist on New Year’s Eve, having it looming overhead as death looms over life. The toddlers “litter” toys around the living room which arouses images of carelessness and trash. However, “because they smiled” Johnny did not care, he was happy that they were taking advantage of the fact that their parents were out and having fun. Using imagery coupled with metaphors, JJ Kampf masterfully tells the readers to remember to have fun and take advantage of life.

“Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter”

“Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter” by Robert Bly uses imagery combined with a comforted tone to convey the feeling of being happy and alone. “A cold and snowy night” is reminiscent of one’s childhood and curling up in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate and feeling extremely cozy safe from the outside. However, not only does the speaker feel safe, he also acknowledges the harsh reality of the “cold metal” which is not only cold and unforgiving but it will also attach itself to one’s tongue. The speaker talks about his “privacy” that he “loves” which is a very intimate word. He is saying that he is adores the familiarity that comes with being alone with his thoughts. Robert Bly ends the poem saying that not only does the speaker love being alone, he will go out of his way to be alone for longer. This poem clearly shows the feeling of being happy and alone by describing the intimacy and safety of one’s own thoughts through imagery.

"Snow"

“Snow” by David Berman showcases a child’s persistence through repetition and imagery with an inquiring tone. The speaker and his little brother are walking through a snow covered field which brings about feelings of tranquility and images of purity. When the speaker’s little brother, Seth asked the speaker “Who had shot them?” talking about the angels that the farmer shot. Then they went out onto the lake and the ice was so clear that it was “like a photograph of water.” This brings up images of ice skating and fun times but still, Seth asks “Why did he shoot them?” and the speaker answers that they were on his property. He is just repeating his question until he can understand the entire situation. Later, as images of bombs and other distracting things pop into the reader’s head because snow makes the outdoors seem like a “room with the walls blasted to shreds and falling.” Seth returns to his repetitious question and asks why they were on the farmer’s property. The combination of repetition and imagery clearly showcase a child’s persistence because Seth does not stop asking direct follow up questions on the speaker’s answers even while distracting things are happening.

Where There's Smoke...

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Oh no, no no no

We can’t live like this!

How are we going to make it through school?

Our grades will start to rise,

Parents will have higher standards

Whatever shall we do?

This is the only way to procrastinate,

Better than gaming, better than reading.

But now no more Chicago Fire, no more Rescue Me

We are going to lose this survival of the weakest

“WAIT! LOOK!”

“What is that?”

“...I think it’s just One Tree on a Hill”

“Oh… I thought that was near Sesame Street though”

“No, hold on, it’s a cell tower,

With people on it,

We’re saved! They are fixing the Internet!!”

“Yay!! We should celebrate!”

“Let’s make memes!

A new one for everyday!

Swamp the Internet with cat videos!

Never let it betray us again.”

"The Meadow"

“The Meadow” by Kate Knapp Johnson uses symbolism and a wondering tone to warn the reader about the dangers of deep introspection. The speaker lost half a day staring through windows or eyes which are considered the windows to the soul. However, because they “left thinking for thought”, they delved too deep. Thinking is an active word which is symbolic of progress but thought is a long process that does not always have a productive outcome. The symbolism here is showing the reader that if one thinks too deeply, they run the risk of stagnating and turning progress into an extremely long and slow process. The snow that falls onto the meadow is a muffling object that is covering a beautiful place. Similarly, deep introspection muffles the brain and leads to lost time as Kate Johnson writes, “How long was I out looking for you?” The speaker has lost that time and does not know how much time was wasted. However, the speaker was not looking for a person, they were looking for their “witness”. A witness is a dependable and honest person which is symbolic of the speaker’s trustworthy sense of purpose that they are looking for. Kate Knapp Johnson employs symbolism in a warning to her readers about the dangers of deep introspection.

"Hand Shadows"

“Hand Shadows” by Mary Cornish has a reminiscent tone and uses diction to remind readers to use imagination to enhance their daily lives. The alligator could only be seen through silhouette. This shows readers that they must change their perspectives to see everything. Sometimes things are revealed when they are viewed from alternative angles. A swan, made by the father’s arms and hands, had a “fingered beak”. The choice of these words was deliberate because they remind the reader that the swan is not real. The reader needs to use their imagination and once that is applied, the fingers become a beak. At the very end, the speaker touches upon Orion’s sword. Constellations are one of the most imaginative concepts in the world. Stars in a certain formation can be seen as figures and shapes only if one has the imagination to fill in the surrounding space. Mary Cornish’s diction in “Hand Shadows” clearly tells the reader to use imagination to enhance their daily lives.