Essay about Poetry Analysis Mezzo Cammin - 690 Words

Mezzo Cammin The poem Mezzo Cammin by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow explains his regretful life and his reasoning at why he didn’t live it to its full potential and how he looks at his past. It then looks to his future as being near and bearing a huge weight down on him. The way Longfellow talks about his life is depressing. He doesn’t speak of the good accomplishments, only the things he hasn’t done until he looks back into the past and then forward at how the future may be. In the first part of the poem Longfellow talks about his life being halfway over and everything that stopped him from really living his life. In the very first couple of lines he says â€Å"I have let the years slip from me and have not fulfilled the aspiration of my†¦show more content†¦He describes it strangely, â€Å"And hear above me on the autumnal blast The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.† These lines are very open ended and in one way he could be speaking of death as far away by the way he describes the thundering waterfall very high up. The reference to height could mean its at a good distance that he can see it, but its still far away. It could also mean he has more of his life to live up to and his regretful past doesn’t mean much to him anymore because he has his future to look forward to as he is on his metaphorical hill of life. In another view, he could be describing death as being right around the corner and him looking right at it when he describes the waterfall. You could look at it as him having a life threatening disease and him knowing his death is coming soon, which could also describe the way he views his past full of regret. If he knew the end is coming soon and he doesn’t believe he fully lived his life to how he wishes, the regret is understandable and the cataract of death makes sense in this point of view. Overall, this poem shows the past, present, and future of the writer. His life is full of regret at poin ts and then seems hopeful in others. This poem could be viewed in many ways but mostly you understand it as a man who wishes he could change his past because he knows his future is near and his life will soon be coming to anShow MoreRelatedE.E. Cummings and his Life as a Poet Essay1967 Words   |  8 PagesBiography His early experiments in poetry whilst still a child were encouraged by liberal parents to whom Cummings remained close (â€Å"E.E. Cummings†). After an unsuccessful stint in private school, Cummings father switched him to the Agassiz school, of which Maria Baldwin was the head. Here he displayed a talent for memorizing the poems of Longfellow and Emerson and, before his teens, wrote some simple, two-or-four-line poems (Frazee, â€Å"E.E. Cummings†). His poetry covered many subjects, but he was particularlyRead MorePoetry Essay Prompt2545 Words   |  11 PagesAP Literature Poetry Essay Prompts (1970–2011) 1970 Poem: â€Å"Elegy for Jane† (Theodore Roethke) Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe the speakers attitude toward his former student, Jane. 1971 Poem: â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† (W.H. Auden) Prompt: In a brief essay, identify at least two of the implications implicit in the society reflected in the poem. Support your statements by specific references to the poem. 1972 NO POEM 1973 (exam not available) 1974 Poem: â€Å"I wonder whether one expects