AP English Literature Poetry Collections

However I did what's right I must agree

Morality seems to be difficult to follow
Giving up what would make us happy
However I must follow morality everyday
If not I might eventually end in disarray.

The Colonel by Carolyn Forché

WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD is true. I was in his house. His wife carried
a tray of coffee and sugar. His daughter filed her nails, his son went
out for the night. There were daily papers, pet dogs, a pistol on the
cushion beside him. The moon swung bare on its black cord over
the house. On the television was a cop show. It was in English.
Broken bottles were embedded in the walls around the house to
scoop the kneecaps from a man's legs or cut his hands to lace. On
the windows there were gratings like those in liquor stores. We had
dinner, rack of lamb, good wine, a gold bell was on the table for
calling the maid. The maid brought green mangoes, salt, a type of
bread. I was asked how I enjoyed the country. There was a brief
commercial in Spanish. His wife took everything away. There was
some talk then of how difficult it had become to govern. The parrot
said hello on the terrace. The colonel told it to shut up, and pushed
himself from the table. My friend said to me with his eyes: say
nothing. The colonel returned with a sack used to bring groceries
home. He spilled many human ears on the table. They were like
dried peach halves. There is no other way to say this. He took one
of them in his hands, shook it in our faces, dropped it into a water
glass. It came alive there. I am tired of fooling around he said. As
for the rights of anyone, tell your people they can go fuck them-
selves. He swept the ears to the floor with his arm and held the last
of his wine in the air. Something for your poetry, no? he said. Some
of the ears on the floor caught this scrap of his voice. Some of the
ears on the floor were pressed to the ground.

May 1978

This collection of poems reflects the motif of morality/virtue and its presentation across
different time periods and historical and political contexts. Throughout the book, I share
instances of morality presented in distinct ways. From using allusions to other texts to an
analysis of why morality is not important, many of these poems vary depending on the
author's perspective. This collection reflects my ongoing engagement with the question:
How can we live virtuous lives? However, the answer to this question is not that simple.
What occurs when we are exposed to moral issues and dilemmas? W.H Auden gives his
take on the matter in his poem Musée des Beaux Arts, alluding to the Fall of Icarus and
our human tendency to ignore suffering by telling ourselves “not an important failure” or
“just walking dully along”. Is it wrong for us to go on with our day and not intervene
with others or should we try and help? Or what happens when we are the ones creating
suffering for others? This very idea is presented in Ruben Darios iconic poem “A
Roosevelt '' where he personally attacks the United States for its imperialist ideology at
the time. A nation that strived for freedom now becoming its antithesis. Dario refers to
them as hunters “ Cazador! Primitivo y moderno” and Alexander the Great “eres un
Alejandro-Nabucodonosor” to compare them to what they are becoming. It represents
that even great men can eventually become corrupt in power. What makes us any
different? This collection serves as a way to make the reader reflect upon what they
believe is morally correct. For instance, what do we as humans think of money and its
usage? Whilst the question comes up from time to time, poet Philup Larkin masterfully
personifies money to criticize how we humans spend or save too much stating " Clearly
money has something to do with life”. He uses a juxtaposition, comparing the wealth of
the churches to that of the poverty in the slums. Ending his poem with the powerful line
“It is intensely sad”. Is overspending truly necessary in our lives? Is saving excessively
morally correct? Are we right to be jealous of those who have more? Shakespeare takes a
dive into this very idea of jealousy in his 29th Sonnet, purposely using clever words such
as “curse my fate” and “Wishing me like” to represent how we at times give up our self
respect to curse ourselves for our current predicament. Is this justified in the long run? Is
it normal to do so? It's up for the reader to decide.Whilst the collection to this point seems
to be related to reflection on one's own morals, it also gives a guide to why living a
virtuous life is important. George Herbert
presents the world as a decaying place using
imagery to describe how the beautiful parts
of nature eventually wither away and die.
However, it gives hope at the end to reflect
on “Only a sweet and virtuous soul Like
season'd timber, never gives' ' mentioning
how virtue is what allows us to continue to
live in a world where things come and go.
Poet Phillis Wheatley goes beyond Herberts

idea by personifying virtue as a “Auspicious queen, thine heavenly pinions spread” and a
O thou bright jewel in my aim I strive To comprehend thee” to represent that even though
it's hard to understand virtue, its a guide for us to follow on the food path. For this is why
the collection was created, as a way to self analyze, to reflect upon moral questions that
occur in our daily lives. To try and be better and see the faults in our behavior. The
reflection that comes from this collection is what eventually answers the question: How
can we live virtuous lives?

NATURA

By: Juliana Osorio

DAFFODILS

By: William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.



Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.



The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:



For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

MARY AUTUMN

By: Paul Laurence Dunbar

It’s all a farce,—these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,

And moans astir o’er field and dell,
Because the year is dying.

Such principles are most absurd,—
I care not who first taught ’em;

There’s nothing known to beast or bird
To make a solemn autumn.

In solemn times, when grief holds sway
With countenance distressing,

You’ll note the more of black and gray
Will then be used in dressing.

Now purple tints are all around;
The sky is blue and mellow;

And e’en the grasses turn the ground
From modest green to yellow.

The seed burrs all with laughter crack
On featherweed and jimson;

And leaves that should be dressed in black
Are all decked out in crimson.

A butterfly goes winging by;
A singing bird comes after;

And Nature, all from earth to sky,
Is bubbling o’er with laughter.


The ripples wimple on the rills,
Like sparkling little lasses;

The sunlight runs along the hills,
And laughs among the grasses.

The earth is just so full of fun
It really can’t contain it;

And streams of mirth so freely run
The heavens seem to rain it.

Don’t talk to me of solemn days
In autumn’s time of splendor,

Because the sun shows fewer rays,
And these grow slant and slender.

Why, it’s the climax of the year,—
The highest time of living!—

Till naturally its bursting cheer
Just melts into thanksgiving.

NATURE IS WHAT
WE SEE

By: Emily Dickinson

"Nature" is what we see—
The Hill—the Afternoon—
Squirrel—Eclipse—the Bumble bee—
Nay—Nature is Heaven—
Nature is what we hear—
The Bobolink—the Sea—

Thunder—the Cricket—
Nay—Nature is Harmony—
Nature is what we know—

Yet have no art to say—
So impotent Our Wisdom is

To her Simplicity.

MY LOVE OF NATURE

By: Unkown

I LOVE THE SOUND OF BIRDS
SO EARLY IN THE MORN,

I LIKE THE SOUND OF PUPPIES SOON AFTER THEY ARE BORN.



I LOVE THE SMELL OF FLOWERS
AND THE TASTE OF HONEY FROM BEES.
I LOVE THE SOUND THE WIND MAKES WHEN IT’S BLOWING THROUGH THE TREES.



I LOVE THE WAY THE SKY LOOKS ON A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY,

AND EVEN WHEN IT’S RAINY, I LOVE THE SHADES OF GRAY.



I LOVE THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN, THE SOUND OF WAVES UPON THE SAND,
I LOVE THE FEEL OF SEASHELLS AND HOW THEY LOOK IN MY HAND.



AND WHEN THE SUN IS GONE, I LOVE THE MOON THAT SHINES SO BRIGHT,
I LOVE THE SOUNDS OF CRICKETS AND OTHER CREATURES OF THE NIGHT.



SO WHEN I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP, I THANK THE LORD ABOVE,
FOR ALL THE THINGS OF NATURE AND MORE, ALL THE THINGS I LOVE.

EPHEMERAL
PERFECTNESS

By: Juliana Osorio

LIGHT GIVES KISSES TO THE FLOWERS

AND THE LEAVES DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF THE WIND
THE SUN PAINTS THE SKY WITH TINTS OF RED, ORANGE, AND PURPLE

AND THE BIRDS SING THEIR BEAUTIFUL MELODIES IN A TREE

THE MOON SMILES IN THE DEEP BLUE SKY
AND THE MIDNIGHT BREEZE FILLS THE EARTH WITH TRANQUILITY
THE BUTTERFLIES SHOW OFF THEIR PERFECT COLORS AND PATTERNS

THE BIRDS SHAKE THEIR PERFECTLY SMOOTH FEATHERS
AND THE CLOUDS COMPLIMENT THE SKY WITH THE MOST SOLEMN TONES OF

WHITE

AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZE
THE FLOWERS, THE LEAVES, THE BIRDS, THE SKY, THE SUN, AND THE MOON

ARE NOTHING LESS THAN A PERFECT CREATION
AN EPHEMERAL ABSOLUTE MOMENT OF PEACE
THAT CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD
THAT CANNOT BE REPLACED WITH ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD
THAT CANNOT BE SURPASSED BY ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD

MY ENTIRE LIFE, I'VE HAD AN INDESCRIBABLE FASCINATION WITH NATURE
AND HOW IT APPEARS TO BE AN ESCAPE FROM THE MUNDANE THINGS IN
LIFE. I BELIEVE THAT NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE APPRECIATE THE EPHEMERAL
PERFECTION THAT IT IS AND THE HEALING CAPACITY IT POSSESSES. FOR
INSTANCE, WHEN IM FEELING OVERWHELMED THE MOST SOOTHING
SOLUTION IS TO SIT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND OBSERVE AS
JULIANA SAID IN HER POEM HOW “[THE] LIGHT GIVES KISSES TO THE
FLOWERS AND THE LEAVES DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF THE WIND” AS
WELL AS HEARING “THE SOUND THE WIND MAKES WHEN IT'S BLOWING
THROUGH THE TREES” AS IT'S SAID IN THE POEM MY LOVE OF NATURE. THIS
IS WHY AS WILLIAM WORDSWORTH SAID IN HIS POEM DAFFODILS, "MY
HEART WITH PLEASURE FEELS" WHEN I AM ABLE TO BECOME ONE WITH
NATURE, ADMIRING ITS ELEMENTS SUCH AS THE BEAUTIFUL DAFFODILS
THAT BRING THE AUTHOR SO MUCH JOY. FOR ME, THERE AREN'T ENOUGH
WORDS TO DESCRIBE NATURE'S PERFECTION, BUT AS EMILY DICKINSON
SAID IN HER POEM "NATURE IS HEAVEN," IT COULDN'T GET ANY CLOSER
THAN THAT.



IT'S FASCINATING HOW EACH ELEMENT OF NATURE IS FLAWLESS IN ITS
OWN WAY, AND AS JULIANA OSORIO WROTE IN HER POEM PERFECTNESS,
"THE FLOWERS, THE LEAVES, THE BIRDS, THE SKY, THE SUN, AND THE MOON
ARE NOTHING LESS THAN A PERFECT CREATION." SIMILARLY, NOT ONLY

ARE ITS BRIGHT AND COMMONLY APPEALING COMPONENTS TO BE
ADMIRED, BUT AS IT IS STATED IN THE POEM MY LOVE FOR NATURE, "AND

EVEN WHEN IT'S RAINY, I LOVE THE SHADES OF GRAY." THIS BEAUTY
POSSESSED BY NATURE NOT ONLY MAKES IT IMMACULATE BUT ALSO IT
GIVES IT LIFE, IT PERSONIFIES IT TO THE POINT WHERE IT FEELS YOU ARE
ALWAYS WITH THE MOST SOLEMN COMPANY. FOR INSTANCE, AS WAS SAID
BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH IN HIS POEM DAFFODILS “A POET COULD NOT
BUT BE GAY IN SUCH A JOCUND COMPANY”. MOREOVER, AS I SAID BEFORE, I

BELIEVE PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE NATURE, ITS FUNCTION, AND ITS
CAPACITY, HOWEVER, AS SAID BY EMILY DICKENSON IN HER POEM NATURE

IS WHAT I SEE, “ SO IMPOTENT OUR WISDOM IS TO HER SIMPLICITY” SINCE
ITS VERY EXISTENCE ITS WHAT PERMITS US (HUMANS) TO SURVIVE. THE
IGNORANCE WE HAVE TOWARDS THE MAGNITUDE AND PERFECTION OF
NATURE DEPRIVES US TO FIND JOY IN SIMPLICITY MAKING US THINK THAT
WE NEED MATERIAL THINGS TO ENJOY WHEN IN REALITY AS SAID BY PAUL
LAURENCE DUNBAR IN HIS POEM MERRY AUTUMN “NATURE, ALL FROM
EARTH TO SKY IS BUBBLING O’ER WITH LAUGHTER” AND “THE EARTH IS

JUST SO FULL OF FUN”.



IN THE END, OUR LIVES AND ENJOYMENT IN THIS WORLD ARE EPHEMERAL

JUST LIKE THE CYCLICAL BEAUTY OF NATURE, AND WE AS HUMANS ARE
CONNECTED TO IT MORE THAN WE COULD EVER IMAGINE. TO ADMIRE “THE
BUTTERFLIES SHOW OFF THEIR PERFECT COLORS AND PATTERNS [AND] THE
BIRDS SHAKE THEIR PERFECTLY SMOOTH FEATHERS” IS AN ART THAT FEW
CAN MASTER BUT WHEN ACHIEVED, THE PERFECTNESS ENCOUNTERED IN

EVERY LITTLE DETAIL FILLS LIFE WITH COLOR AND JOY.



In Dedication to Julia Sofia Linares

The Lamp Post by Arthur Vaso

Y​ ou all see a romantic couple kissing
I see a lonely lamp post
You all see the blossom of love
I see a fading light
You all see the spring of love
As I see the terror of another lonely night

His and Hers Lynn Marie

his smile mesmerized her
her scent intoxicated him
his eyes hypnotized her
her touch magnetized him..

precious moments linger...

passionately
divinely
sensually

his strong hands caressed her
her flowing hair tickled him
his sweet kisses captivated her
her playfulness enticed him

purely
safely
freely

precious moments linger...

his tenderness showered her
her dewy glow bathed him
his legs entwined with hers
her legs entwined with his..

precious moments linger...

for eternally they are...

his and hers.

An introspective Poem; A Never forgotten love by Justin Erdmier
After years passed, I still tremble at your name.
My heart is ever weak for the thought of your smile.
How the bliss of your kiss could turn woes into joy.
The memories of your ever so sweet of a glance,
Forever emblazoned on my heart.
Though I have moved forward, a life ever more dull,
Your smile will always be the fire underneath my wings.
There will always be a place for your memories in my heart;
However, I must say goodbye as you did those years passed.

Introspective by Walter Wingate

I used to wonder if I really loved
The old companions that I thought so dear;

For now that change has set us far removed
I miss them less than they would care to hear.

I welcome them as kindly to my door;
I visit them with pleasure: yet confess,

My visits, more infrequent than before,
Prove them less needful to my happiness.

I used to wonder if the warmer flame
That ever made romance for maids and men,

Were but a brief delirium that came,
Burned itself cold, and left me sane again.

We loved each other fondly, she and I;
But I have ceased to feel the meeting thrill;

I leave her now without the parting sigh;
We sit together, and my pulse is still.

I used to wonder, in a gentle way,
If nature, to divide the parting grief,

Has taught us to prepare for life's decay
And shed our old affections leaf by leaf.

But two young eyes, a pair of pattering feet
Have taught me otherwise: for in my heart

This newest love but makes my round complete,
And in its warmth all older loves have part.

Come and be my baby by Maya Angelou

The highway is full of big cars going nowhere fast

And folks is smoking anything that'll burn

Some people wrap their lives around a cocktail glass

And you sit wondering
where you're going to turn.
I got it.
Come. And be my baby.

Untitled by Rupi Kaur

love will hurt you but
love will never mean to
love will play no games
cause love knows life
has been hard enough already

Be near me by Faiz ahmed Faiz

Be near me now,
My tormenter, my love, be near me—
At this hour when night comes down,
When, having drunk from the gash of sunset, darkness comes
With the balm of musk in its hands, its diamond lancets,
When it comes with cries of lamentation,

with laughter with songs;
Its blue-gray anklets of pain clicking with every step.
At this hour when hearts, deep in their hiding places,
Have begun to hope once more, when they start their vigil
For hands still enfolded in sleeves;
When wine being poured makes the sound

of inconsolable children
who, though you try with all your heart,

cannot be soothed.
When whatever you want to do cannot be done,
When nothing is of any use;
—At this hour when night comes down,
When night comes, dragging its long face,

dressed in mourning,
Be with me,
My tormenter, my love, be near me.

My mornings are always with you by Carlos Raudez

Every morning waking up to the sound of your voice
Is replenishing, fulfilling;

There's nothing like knowing there's someone there
To raise me up every day

To remind you that they know who you truly are
Loving you even imperfectually

Even after the bad days

You still wait for me, waking me up the next morning

Love is an unwinding road, unless you’ve been there before you dont know where it's taking
you. For most people it's like that, falling in and out of love with people entering new roads and
finding new relationships. The thing is those roads are dangerous sometimes and they can lead to
accidents that leave you broken. I know it's normal to fall in love and have your heartbroken but
sometimes it's more than some of us can deal with. I never considered myself bad at love but I
felt like it, I don't think it was ever because of me, or was I the problem?. The insecurities I still

feel today from broken hearts or false admiration have taken me to where I am today.

I still don't comprehend a lot of things in past encounters with love but something am sure about,
don't waste your feelings on false promises. Love isn't about building passing relationships, it's
about finding something lasting at least for me. Sadly it doesn't always go well for me, I think it
taught me a lot more than I know. There was a point in time where I reflected daily on the things
that happened to me. Was I enough? Was I not enough?Did I do wrong? Am I doing things right?
It was too much sometimes, this led me through self discovery and eventually finding the person
who I want to share everyday with. Introspection was the first thing that made me realize how

wrong I was for that, I just needed time and to find the right one.

The collection follows all types of love from the ones I’ve experienced whether good or bad, to
others I couldn’t even imagine. Following romances that were never started or ones that even
have its ups and downs but still stick through. We see time and the way it affects relationships,

the way nature is involved with things of love. How heartbreak can last years even how
goodbyes can take years after the person has departed. These poems are to share emotions to put

on display how love affects your mind and your spirit.

I hope that from these pieces of literature you find what you were looking for in love, whether
it's a sudden realization that may bring sadness or certainty that you’ll find something good on
your road. Just know that whatever road you’re going down, it's ok there's many others who have
traveled it and are more than willing to share their experiences with you.Be it through word of
mouth or beautiful literature. Remember that any experience will eventually help you whether it

was good or bad, just remember that you must find yourself in those moments.



The Secret of the Machines
by Rudyard Kipling

(MODERN MACHINERY)

We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,
We were melted in the furnace and the pit—

We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.

Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask,
And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:

And now, if you will set us to our task,
We will serve you four and twenty hours a day!

We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive,
We can print and plough and weave and heat and light,
We can run and race and swim and fly and dive,
We can see and hear and count and read and write!

Would you call a friend from half across the world?
If you’ll let us have his name and town and state,

You shall see and hear your crackling question hurled
Across the arch of heaven while you wait.

Has he answered? Does he need you at his side?
You can start this very evening if you choose,

And take the Western Ocean in the stride
Of seventy thousand horses and some screws!

The boat-express is waiting your command!
You will find the Mauretania at the quay,
Till her captain turns the lever ’neath his hand,
And the monstrous nine-decked city goes to sea.

Do you wish to make the mountains bare their head
And lay their new-cut forests at your feet?

Do you want to turn a river in its bed,
Or plant a barren wilderness with wheat?

Shall we pipe aloft and bring you water down

From the never-failing cisterns of the snows,
To work the mills and tramways in your town,

And irrigate your orchards as it flows?

It is easy! Give us dynamite and drills!
Watch the iron-shouldered rocks lie down and quake
As the thirsty desert-level floods and fills,
And the valley we have dammed becomes a lake.

But remember, please, the Law by which we live,
We are not built to comprehend a lie,

We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
If you make a slip in handling us you die!

We are greater than the Peoples or the Kings—
Be humble, as you crawl beneath our rods!-

Our touch can alter all created things,
We are everything on earth—except The Gods!

Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because, for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!

Jimmy Jet And His Tv Set
by Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet--
And you know what I tell you is true.
He loved to watch his TV set
Almost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all night
Till he grew pale and lean,
From 'The Early Show' to 'The Late Show'
And all the shows in between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,
And his bottom grew into his chair.
And his chin turned into a tuning dial,
And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,
And his face to a TV screen.
And two knobs saying 'vert.' and 'horiz.'
Grew where his ears had been.

And he grew a plug that looked like a tail
So we plugged in little Jim.
And now instead of him watching TV
We all sit around and watch him.

He Made This Screen
by Marianne Moore

not of silver nor of coral,
but of weatherbeaten laurel.

Here, he introduced a sea
uniform like tapestry;

here, a fig-tree; there, a face;
there, a dragon circling space—

designating here, a bower;
there, a pointed passion-flower.

Sestina: Like
by A.E. STALLINGS

Now we’re all “friends,” there is no love but Like,
A semi-demi goddess, something like
A reality-TV star look-alike,
Named Simile or Me Two. So we like
In order to be liked. It isn’t like
There’s Love or Hate now. Even plain “dislike”

Is frowned on: there’s no button for it. Like
Is something you can quantify: each “like”
You gather’s almost something money-like,
Token of virtual support. “Please like
This page to stamp out hunger.” And you’d like
To end hunger and climate change alike,

But it’s unlikely Like does diddly. Like
Just twiddles its unopposing thumbs-ups, like-
Wise props up scarecrow silences. “I’m like,
So OVER him,” I overhear. “But, like,
He doesn’t get it. Like, you know? He’s like
It’s all OK. Like I don’t even LIKE

Him anymore. Whatever. I’m all like ... ”
Take “like” out of our chat, we’d all alike
Flounder, agape, gesticulating like
A foreign film sans subtitles, fall like
Dumb phones to mooted desuetude. Unlike
With other crutches, um, when we use “like,”

We’re not just buying time on credit: Like
Displaces other words; crowds, cuckoo-like,
Endangered hatchlings from the nest. (Click “like”
If you’re against extinction!) Like is like
Invasive zebra mussels, or it’s like
Those nutria-things, or kudzu, or belike

Redundant fast food franchises, each like
(More like) the next. Those poets who dislike
Inversions, archaisms, who just like
Plain English as she’s spoke — why isn’t “like”
Their (literally) every other word? I’d like
Us just to admit that’s what real speech is like.

But as you like, my friend. Yes, we’re alike,
How we pronounce, say, lichen, and dislike
Cancer and war. So like this page. Click Like.

Humanity’s Greatest Invention
by Mariano Solorzano

Allows people to talk to one another across the world,
interacting with people with different ideas and cultures.
Allows people to access all the knowledge in the world,
learning different subjects from math, science, and medicine.
Allows people to buy anything in the world,
from groceries to a car.

Allows people to talk to one another across the world,
you can find people that believe the same crazy stuff you do, like flat
earthers.
Allows people to access all the knowledge in the world,
which includes the lies, such as vaccines cause autism.
Allows people to buy anything in the world,
from guns to people.

This is the internet,
humanity’s greatest invention.

This collection contains various poems related to the theme of technology.
Technology is a constant in our daily lives and thus an essential theme to
explore.

In The Secret of Machines by Rudyard Kipling (1943). Kipling describes the
machines of his era by saying “We are everything on earth—except The
Gods!” Moreover, he uses various literary elements and techniques such as
repetition which can be seen in the poem by the way that Kipling
constantly repeats the word “we” when referring to machines. In addition,
the author uses personification to give the machines a voice and create
the perception that the machines themselves are narrating the poem. In a
different take on technology, Shel Silverstein uses the poem Jimmy Jet and
His TV Set to show how addiction to technology can affect a person. He
does this in a comedic manner saying “He watched till his eyes were frozen
wide, And his bottom grew into his chair. And his chin turned into a tuning
dial, And antennae grew out of his hair.” In addition, we can also see
repetition in this poem by the word “and” which is constantly repeated
throughout the text. He Made This Screen by Marianne Moore shows the
theme of technology by talking about how amazing a screen is. In the
poem, Moore repeats certain words such as “here” and “there” to show how
new things appear on the screen “Here, he introduced a sea uniform like
tapestry; here, a fig-tree; there, a face; there, a dragon circling space” She
shows the power that technology can have by showing how it can create.
The fourth poem in the collection is Sestina: Like by A.E. Stallings, the
theme of technology in this poem is represented through social media. The
poem is criticizing how technology, especially social media is used today
“Now we’re all “friends,” there is no love but Like” Throughout the whole
poem there is a constant repetition of the word “like”, Stallings does this to
demonstrate how social media, in general, has just become a place where
likes are all the matter. The final poem in the collection is a self-writing
poem by me called Humanity’s Greatest Invention. In this poem, the theme
of technology is represented by the thing I believe is humanity’s greatest
invention being the internet. I use repetition in this poem repeating the
same lines twice: “Allows people to talk to one another across the world”,
“Allows people to access all the knowledge in the world”, and “Allows people
to buy anything in the world.” I do this to compare the good and the bad of
the internet as well as to show the good and the bad technology can
produce. In conclusion, in this poetry collection, you will find poems about
the benefits and the drawbacks technology can cause as well as find that
there are common literary elements used throughout the collection one of
them being repetition.