Elegy in Elegy for My father, who is not dead

In strict terms, this poem isn't really an elegy. Technically, it has to be for someone who has died, but the speaker almost considers his father dead so it is close enough. Also, it isn't really a poem of mourning either but Hudgins calls it one. This speaker and his father have two opposing views on death. The father accepts that his time has come and "his reservations have been made". But, the son sees death not as a reunion with his father rather he doesn't want to die. I think his opinion is one that is driven out of youth. He is obviously relatively young, at least not old, if his father is alive and feels he has life to live and things to achieve. But, his father has done what he needs and knows his time has come. He's not as sure as his dad that he will ever see his father again, which makes him uneasy.

Edward

In reading the 1st stanza, I reasonably thought Edward was a child. The fact he had to explain to his mother why he did something was my first clue. My second thought was that he was killing animals randomly, which seemed childish. When he said he killed his dad I thought he was crazy, frustrated adolescent with some daddy issues. But, when he said he would "let them (his family) beg through life"  and cursed his mother to hell, I realized it was a grown man with real bad issues. I have some theories I want answered, because when I typed "Edward poem" into google poems about Robert Pattinson flooded my screen (ugh). When I heard the name Edward, I immediately associated it with royalty for some reason and my first thought was that this was a true historical tale about a prince killing his father and sailing away. But, usually princes kill their kingly fathers for the throne and Edward says he will sail away in this poem. Maybe this is just a poem about a random psychotic Edward. But, I can empathize with Edward in that he gets a little frustrated in explaining himself to his mother all the time. But, I don't see myself cursing my mother to Hell anytime soon.

Refrain in Lonely Hearts

Begging doesn't really work, at least when it comes to finding love. That seems to be the approach the speaker takes in "Lonely Hearts". The speaker keeps telling these descriptions of people that make me question his/her gender and sexuality. In any case, the speaker repeats two lines multiple times, which ties in with the main idea of the poem. The lines "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" and Can someone make my simple wish come true?" are repeated at the end of each stanza after the description of people. These lines are asking or begging for a companion. In the 1st phrase ("Do you live..."), the speaker asks two questions to cover all his?her bases and see if this person is it. Also, the 2nd phrase is trying to console the speaker in a sense because she calls her wish "simple". Never is finding love or companion simple. But, it seems that the speaker is trying to reassure himself/herself that he/she will find love.

Personification in Death, be not proud

Once again, the speaker in this poem harps on the sureness of death. But, this speaker gives us hope defeating death. He tells Death: "Death...some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so." This is a bit of a change-up from the usual doom and gloom that usually follows a poem about death. One way he really makes Death human is by calling him a slave, "slave to fat, chance, kings, and desperate men." Death is not all-powerful it too has masters and limits. But the greatest argument the speaker gives about death is in the last stanza. Once we do die, "we wake eternally,/ And death shall be no more;death , thou shalt die." Death always wins, but, according to the speaker, its victory is short-lived when we live in eternity. Then, death meets its own end.

Simile in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

In this poem by Dylan Thomas, the speaker reveals his own view on death. One way he uses show this is through a simile in line 14: "Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay". The paradox used in the line before, "blinding sight", explains the speaker's theory about death. Death is a fact of life that none of us can avoid. Often times older people or people with a terminal disease say they have come to grips with death and have accepted it. They know they will be home when they die and look forward to that. The speaker says these people have "blinding sight" so blinding that they have accepted death. But, even these people will fight death. We all fight death, even the wisest of the the wise; because, we are human. He uses this to help his father to have the courage to "rage, rage against the dying of the light".