Poetry Project
Original Poem:
Trapped
Woman in white
tears of snow
sliding across her face,
frozen in time
never to escape
the cold, winter embrace.
Reflection:
I wrote this poem based off an artwork, at Pratt Institute, that really caught my eye. It was a cold day after a week of snow, and icicles had frozen over the face of this elegant, white sculpture of a woman. The icicles reminded me of tears and really gave the sculpture an emotion that I wanted to portray through this poem. Throughout this poem, the poetic devices I used were rhyme, rhythm, enjambment line breaks, personification, imagery, alliteration, and tone to express the pain and longing I saw in this piece of art.
Original Poems:
Why do you change? Life
My heart the whole thing
it’s breaking just feels like a test
Reflection
I wrote these haikus to express my personal thoughts about different things going on in my life. For these poems, I used traditional haiku format, which is three lines, and other poetic devices I used were end-stop line breaks and tone to show how I feel about these particular issues I’ve been noticing about society.
Sonnet:
Alone
The sky was dark, the town was fast asleep
the village swallowed up by the brisk night
the houses still as stone made not one peep
but deep inside the woods glowed something bright
it shone it’s beams through bushes and the trees
awakening the creatures from their rest
away they scampered, through the autumn breeze
this presence wasn’t meant to be a pest
for it was not there to harm anyone
it’s innocence was like that of a child
perhaps a soul that traveled from the sun
so small and scared, searching out in the wild
perhaps this poor light was misunderstood
was never treated the way that it should.
Reflection:
I wrote this sonnet to show how it’s important to give new things a chance. If you aren’t familiar with a certain idea, open up to it and make an attempt to understand it. Every person is brought up a certain way, so not everyone learns the same things. I portrayed this idea in my poem by introducing a bright, harmless presence to the dark world where all the animals were scared, because they weren’t used to this new idea. This light was misunderstood since it was different, but we must embrace new ideas, and welcome them in any way we can. I used traditional sonnet format, which is 14 lines, ten syllables, and five iams in each line. Other poetic devices I used were rhythm and a specific rhyme scheme, A,B,A,B,C,D,C,D,E,F,E,F,G,G. I also used imagery, alliteration, end-stop line breaks, personification, symbolism, similes, and tone to express the animals’ thoughts as well as the feelings of the harmless, new presence.
Heart Poem:
Photography, By: Nikki Giovanni
the eye we are told
is a camera
but the film is the heart
not the brain
and our hands joining
those that reach
develop the product
it’s easy sitting in the sun
to forget that cold exists
let alone envelops
the lives of people
it’s easy sitting in the sun
to forget the ice and ravages
of winter yet
there are those who would have
no other season
it’s always easy when thinking
we have the best to assume
others covet it
yet surf or sea each has
it’s lovers and it’s meaning
for love
watching the red sun bleed
into the ocean
one thinks of the beauty that fire brings
if the eye is a camera and the film is the heart
than the photo assistant is god
Reading response on “Photography”:
Photos show a lot about a persons’ life. They trigger emotions from our past, both happy and sad. “Photography”, by Nikki Giovanni, is a poem about how the life of a human and taking photos are very similar. Throughout our lives, we experience new things and create memories. We capture images in our mind that we can think back to, like when we look through old photos and remember past events. The poet also shows that it’s important to appreciate your life and what you are fortunate enough to have, but to keep in mind the people who are facing conflict in their lives.
Throughout the poem, Giovanni repeats this line, “It’s easy sitting in the sun-to forget…” It seems like the poet is saying when you're happy, it’s easy to forget about everything else going on around you. This line is present twice in the poem, the first time followed by, “…that cold exists”, and the second time followed by, “…the ice and ravages”. Giovanni is telling the reader that people tend to be so absorbed in their own happiness that they aren't acknowledging the struggles of others. Although we don’t want to think about the negative aspects in our lives, we must accept the good and bad as they come.
“Photography”, by Nikki Giovanni, inspired me to write this poem…
Hiding
some sit on a cloud
of happiness
worry free
all sunshine and smiles
others are stuck
in the darkness
struggling
to find a way out
it’s easy to be joyful
some say
just think good thoughts
be positive, be optimistic
don’t drown in your sorrows
move on
consider your future
and all the great things to come
some say
everything is going to be okay
everything is going to be alright
you can overcome the pain
some sit on a cloud
of happiness
worry free
all sunshine and smiles
but maybe those people
are the ones truly hurting inside
The concept of the poem “Hiding”, is more about a person who keeps their negative emotions hidden. In “Photography”, the poet shows the perspective of a person enjoying their life, but dismissing those who are struggling. While in my poem, it is showing the perspective of someone who is struggling, but is desperately trying to be happy. In my poem, I slightly changed the message Giovanni was portraying by switching the point of view.
Overall, “Photography”, by Nikki Giovanni, really got me thinking about how feelings are expressed. Some people don’t mind being more open while going through a rough patch, while many others feel it’s better to keep their emotions locked up. Everyone is experiencing different things in life, and it’s important to watch out for those in need of support. 