Beaming Notes
Your Guide to Literature

Taking its cue from Homer’s epic Iliad, the analysis of The Shield of Achilles conjures an image of a meditative poem which seeks to draw a comment on how brutal and violent the world is. The poem begins with an unknown woman looking over the shoulder of another man whose identity is also unknown and is only… Continue reading The Shield of Achilles Analysis by W.H. Auden

Emily Dickinson is considered as one of the most acclaimed 19th century American poets. She explored her own spirituality through poignant verses and personal poetry. She was born on 1830 to an affluent family of Amherst, Massachusetts. Dickinson’s interest lied on philosophy, Geology, Latin and Botany apart from poetry. Success is Counted Sweetest is a philosophical… Continue reading Success is Counted Sweetest Summary by Emily Dickinson

‘Still I Rise’ is a typical Maya Angelou poem in terms of its subject matter, but what really sets it apart is the kind of visual stimulation it provides to readers. We shall find evidence of this time and time again in our analysis of the poem. The first seven stanzas of the poem show… Continue reading Still I Rise Analysis by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) is an African-American woman poet. Her poetry thus addresses two kinds of oppression – both racial oppression, and sexism. A contemporary of Angelou’s named Zora Neale Hurston has said that the black woman is the mule of the world, bearing all the disrespect imaginable on her own feeble shoulders. In ‘Still I… Continue reading Still I Rise Summary by Maya Angelou

Robinson. Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson re-introduces the classic theme of pessimism where a man; Richard Cory is pen pictured as the pivotal character of the poem. The poem follows a classic narrative pattern where the speaker belongs to the lower class of the society &Richard Cory is depicted as an individual who has everything; apparently… Continue reading Analysis of Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson

‘Spirits of the Dead’ was first published under the name ‘Visits of the Dead’ in the 1827 collection of Poe’s poetry known as Tamerlane and Other Poems. The title was changed for re-publication in another collection entitled Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems, which was published two years later. The rhyme scheme of each of… Continue reading Spirits of the Dead Analysis by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is an American author and poet belonging to the Romantic era. However, his most common theme of choice is horror, unlike other Romantics perhaps. His depiction of nature makes use of fear-inducing imagery, and his poems are often mysterious and ambiguous in their meanings. ‘Spirits of the Dead’ is no exception.… Continue reading Spirits of the Dead Summary by Edgar Allan Poe

Maya Angelou (1928-2014), an African-American woman poet, writes passionately about the experiences of women of her own community. While often focusing on the story of one particular African-American woman, Angelou makes it clear that the story is not, in fact, the story of an individual, but of many like that woman who live in despair… Continue reading Momma Welfare Roll Summary by Maya Angelou

‘Momma Welfare Roll’ has no identifiable rhyme scheme in either of the two stanzas that it is composed of. Instead, the poem is written in free verse with the lines flowing from one to the next in a stream of passion. Hence, no shortcomings in poetic craft are perceived by the reader. Angelou here speaks… Continue reading Momma Welfare Roll Analysis by Maya Angelou

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is one of the best-known exponents of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement shaped by African-Americans in the 1920s. The Harlem Renaissance increased community visibility, and aimed at greater acceptance of the rights of African-Americans, who till then had been treated as second class citizens by the dominant white, upper class, male… Continue reading Let America Be America Again Analysis by Langston Hughes