Isolation in Poetry

British Literature. Thu, Aug 19th, 2010 at 5:08 pm

Themes: College, Dylan Thomas, Kipling, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Percy Shelley, Robert Graves, Stevie Smith, T.S. Eliot, The Beatles

We’ve been looking at the theme of isolation and identity in poetry. Thought you might want to review the poems we’ve been reading in class, so here they are (and a few we will get to), in no particular order:

• “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1913) ((Yep, he’s American, but these are important poems.))
• “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
• “Not Waving But Drowning” by Stevie Smith (1957)
• “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1875)
• “If” by Rudyard Kipling
• “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay (2009)
• “I am a Rock” by Simon & Garfunkel (1965) ((Can’t find a clean link—search if you’d like.))
• “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles (1966)
• “Self-Dependence” by Matthew Arnold (1852)
• “Warning to Children” by Robert Graves
• “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas (1952) (With audio!)

I asked you to read and journal over “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot, which you can find here. It is a complicated poem, so don’t worry if you have more questions than answers at this point ((And here I use an emdash to set off a parenthetical elaboration…))—I don’t expect a dissertation, just a record of your initial reaction and questions, lots of questions.

If you come across (or know of) any other poems we should read, post a link in the comments or bring a copy to class.

3 Responses to “Isolation in Poetry”

1. Okie says:

   August 25, 2010 at 1:31 pm

   http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Philip-Levine/2902

2. Journal Grades - The Winsome Scholar says:

   August 26, 2010 at 7:47 pm

   […] or vice versa. Plus, looking for thematic connections will help you write papers over a topic (like Isolation) amongst several works. “My name is Ozymandias, king of […]

3. There’s rue for you; and here’s some for me - The Winsome Scholar says:

   September 11, 2010 at 10:47 am

   […] several poems, each potentially connected to the play. (If you don’t, now would be a good time to re-read them in light of what you know about […]