Poems, and novels, and AP English. Oh My!

1. Describe the form and structure of the poem.  What is the occasion of the poem?  What two reasons does the speaker give for refusing to promise a committed love? What compromises does she suggest at the end?

Answer:

The occasion is that the speaker is breaking up with her lover.  The reasons she gives are: they don’t know each other’s pasts, and that their future is not known.  Whose to say if they will still love each other in the future?  In the end the compromise she suggests is, can they just be  friends?  The poem is three stanzas that are eight sentances long.  The rhyme is ababcdcdefefghgh.

2. Analyze the effect on meaning of such devices as syntax, repetition, parallelism and paradox.

Answer:

Repetition is used by repeating the word “promise”.  The repetition helps supprt the poet’s view point on promises, they are meant to be broken (like a pie crust), so don’t bother with them at all.  Parallelism is located in lines 7/8, 17/19, and 4/6.  Parallelsim is used so that what ever applies the poet also applies to her lover.  Paradox is located in the last four lines, they can be nothing more then friends, but nothing less too, meaning their friendship won’t ever truly be there, it will be weak because of their past.(let’s be friends never really works).

3. Anaylze the effect on meaning of imagery and figurative language.

Answer:

Imagery is first in the title, she compares promises to pie crust, they are meant to be broken.  Imagery is also used in the second stanza.  She compares her previous relationships to sunlight and her lovers to warmth.  She briefly felt the sun once before, and the sun disappeared, so whose to say that it won’t happen again?  She compares her lover’s relationships to warmth, he was warm to others before and he stopped. So whose to say that he won’t stop loving (being warm to her as well?) (he actually sounds like a cheater).  The poet says the future is like a mirror, foggy. Whose to say that they will love each ohter in the end? You can’t see the future.

I did this some time ago, Feb.27.

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