Lonely Hearts

This poem was like a newspaper for personal ads. Each stanza was about a different person, but all of the people have something in common. They are lonely and want someone to be with. Each stanza ends with 'Do you live in North London? Is it you?' or 'Can someone make my simple wish come true?' Each person has very specific needs so their wish is not simple. They have certain requirements. The lonely people say that the person must live in North London so they narrow their chances of meeting someone. They really want to meet someone, but they are leaving it up to someone else to answer their ad.

Edward

In the beginning of the poem, Edward's mother asks him why his sword is bloody. He lies and says he killed his hawk. She asks again and he says it was his red-roan steed and then he admits he killed his father. The mother does not seem surprised Edward killed his father and Edward blames his mother for his actions. She was putting the idea into his head and he cursed her for it. He loved his father. He referred to him as 'father dear' and he just called his mother 'mother.' He regretted killing his father. By the end of the poem, I felt bad for Edward even though he murdered his father.

That Time of Year

This poem contains a paradox on lines 10-12, "That on the ashes of his youth doth lie as the deathbed whereon it must expire, consumed with that which it was nourished by." This is in the quatrain about fire. Wood fuels fire and wood burns down to ashes. The ashes then extinguish the flames. In youth, people are full of life and energy. The older one gets, the less energy one has. Death approaches each day. The speaker begins talking about fall, then twilight, and then a fire. Each image portrays a shorter time period. He is getting closer and closer to death.

Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead

This poem's tone cannot be described as optimistic or pessimistic. There are aspects of both within the poem. The son has a pessimistic attitude towards death and the father has an optimistic view towards death. The father is ready for death and the son is not. The father has an 'itch to see fresh worlds." The son is not condescending towards his father's view on death. He states what his father believes and he states he does not believe it. The son is not ready for death or for his father to die.

To His Coy Mistress

This poem is about a man urging a woman to tell him she loves him. He knows that they do not have all the time in the world to be coy. He speaks of all the things they could do if they had all eternity, but they do not. He doesn't want to waste time to find out she loves him. Eventually time will run out and they will die. He wants to live with her as his love. He does not want to die before they get to share in their love together. He wants to spend as much time with her as possible and make the most of their time together.

My Mistress' Eyes

When I first read this poem, I thought that the speaker was calling his love ugly. I reread the poem and I understood that the speaker truly loved his mistress. He believes she is as beautiful as the women who are showered with praise. He would not shower her with empty or false praise. He does not exaggerate her looks or give false comparisons. The author is mocking those who shower people with praise and say things like "Your eyes are as bright as the sun." He knows that someone's eyes cannnot be that bright. He is realistic.

Crossing the Bar

This poem has a tone of acceptance. The speaker thinks of his death and how he would want to die. He wanted a peaceful death without sad goodbyes. The sand bar eventually ends and leads to deep water. This means that in death he looks to the afterlife. He hopes to see the 'Pilot', which is God. The pilot of a plane controls the plane and God controls life. He is accepting of his death and is fine with dying.