No Second Troy (for her to destroy)

started with rhetorical questions used to come to terms with the relationship with his lover.
Should he blame her for making his life filled with misery? (He asked her to marry him but
she refused like 4 times lol) or That she taught the Irish violent ways who are ignorant? His
city is like Troy. That it is like she causes the war between Ireland and England like Helen
and Troy and Greece. How can Ireland fight against England? Do the Irish has the desire to
be free, will they have the courage to go against England like his lover? They have very few
weapons. She has temperament. Showing her passion as a feminist, activist. like a
“tightened bow” an image of a quiet outer person with a burning passion for Nationalism and
the pursuit of Nationalism. She is not like any other woman of that age. what could she have
done? Being a nationalist like that. She could not help herself as she is just like that. So the
war is inevitable. So, was there another Troy for her to burn? Here she is Helen who brought
destruction to her own city.

Lot’s Wife

Lot is struggling with the Israelite nation, talking to God. His wife is struggling with the
housework and taking care of the children in Sodom, the city of sin. She doesn’t care who is
the god. She only cares about taking care of her children and her family, while Lot doesn’t
care. This show the different interest between man and woman. Her children might as well
be killed by the Lord tomorrow, so she would take care of her children while she can. Why
condemn the people of Sodom when they are the ones that help her take care of her babies.
So it is not easy for her to leave the city. Her husband do not help her at all when she
needed him. Lot ordered her to pack to leave the city. While she is packing, she cannot take
it anymore, she ran to the herd to say goodbye. She cried and smile at her neighbor. It is
easy for Lot to leave because he does not have any company, he only talks to god. He is
drawn to heaven, while Lot’s wife is drawn to earth as there are only her neighbors that help
her survive. She chooses to be human and turned back to look at the city. She is not
confined by the religious order. She considers social bonds more important than god’s order.
Social trust is important for cooperation and care for each other. This poem reflects particle
society. Lot made the major decision without consulting his wife. His wife lives as a slave
doing everything for him. Women seem to take care of trivial things but it is the most
important thing for lives.

Against Love

The poet uses the technique of apostrophe, talking to someone who wasn’t there as if they
were there. Hence means “go away” so this poem reflects the attitude to Cupid. The toy,
bow, and arrow, make human griefs. Love makes humans suffer, filled with grief and painted
Joys (fake joys). Happiness while in love will haunt you after you break up. A lover is like
men who are in fever, who rambles things. When you are in love, want to be the center of
attention of your lover, you will get hurt when you do not get it. When you are in love, you will
have fear of being rejected. Thus, love controls you and takes away your freedom. Those
who are not in love with anymore, get peach and liberty. They own their own life bc they do
not have to worship their lovers or be afraid of lovers’ anger. They also do not feel ecstasy
and joy that is like a disease as love can affect lives. They cannot be much moved by the
feeling. However, they can still live their lives with moderate happiness.
Let there be light!
context: God creates the world with His words.

There was no God at the beginning bc, in the beginning, there was nothing. God is created
by human’s fancy. There’s nothing to use to say Let there be light! Humans made it all up.
There is plasm and life existed. It is just there. George Washinton is a man of honesty.
Plasm is a psalm? that is used to praise God.

Yet Do I Marvel

God is benevolent of course. But why would he do things? Like why create a mole blind?
Why make us in the image of Him but mortal? Why did Zeus torture Tantalus and Sisyphus
the way they are tortured? We cannot understand what lies in the mind of God, because of
our petty minds. Lastly, why gift him the gift as a poet to glorify god but then make him black
living in white society. It is hard to publish his work for white people to read. He is not
different than Tantalus who cannot have what he wants which is to make his work be
published and be accepted in white society. He is not different from Sisyphus in that he is to
toil in vain.

Why does a well-meaning God make him a black poet in a racist society? He works so hard
but his work is not accepted because God makes him black and lives in a white society.

Abraham to Kill Him

Abraham was told plainly to kill his own child, Isac. It is used in passive voice so that there’s
no “God” in the poem. Issac was just a child, while Abraham is old who can think for himself.
But Abraham follows this pointless command. It violates the ten commandments. It shows
the power of God. He is faithful to God. God ultimately intervened in the act as he is already
pleased with the obeisance, faith of Abraham. Issac lives to teach kids that we must beware
of a watchdog and behave ourselves. We have to learn how to please Him for our own sake.

A Hymn to God the Father

context: he is severely ill at that time Anaphora repeating

Will God forgive him for his original sin? Will He forgive his own sins? Sins that he still
commits it even though he regrets doing it? When God forgives me, it would not be done for
I still have more sins bc I am still doing them. It is the sin of a poet of sexually arousing
poems and delivers them to the door of others. Will God forgive him that he tried so hard to
avoid there 2 years but wallowed in for 20 years? Wallow is the action of a pig. Alluded to
Luke, a prodigal son. Though, God will not be done forgiving for he has more (Anne Moore,
his lover). The Neoplatonic theory of love: in order to approach God’s love (spiritual grace),
one must leave earthly love behind. He cannot attain grace from God for he still has a love
for his wife. He has a sin of fear. Mytho allusion is used here. When his last thread is spun.
He still fears that he will not reach God. That he will die on the shore and be unable to go to
God. Sun is used as a symbol of hope. He doesn’t get elected to stay with God. Sun is also
the son of God to give humans the righteous path but he still fears he would not be chosen
to be in heaven. In the last line, he said God will have him when he follows the righteous
path (thou has done) and when he gets to stay by God, he will not have any fear anymore. (I
have no more) It acknowledges the power and mercy of God.

An Ancient Gesture (Apostrophe)

The speaker is a woman as she wears an apron. Penelope is crying too. Penelope’s web.
(weaving all day and undoing all night) The speaker is sympathetic with Penelope for she
must do the work all day and night. light has two meanings light and easy. Crying is an
ancient gesture of a woman showing sorrow and hopelessness. It is sincere. repetition is
used to highlight her sadness. (wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron) Ulysses cry too.
Men cry too. But it is a gesture. To show that they are too moved to speak in front of the
crowd as a tradition. Ulysses learned from Penelope. So men do not cry sincerely. Women
are sincere.

A Negro Sermon

‘The Creation’ begins with continuity. The first line of the poem starts with the conjunction
“And”. It refers to the fact that God was thinking about creating the earth for a long time. “far
as the eye of God could see” depict God as imperfect. He is depicted no different than
humans “. God’s smile also shows that God has emotion. Whatsoever, as he looked at all
that he created, he felt lonely again. In this way, the poet infuses more humanly qualities in
his definition of “God”. It is said that we cannot understand God with our petty mind but here
we sit inside God’s head with the 3rd omniscience narrative