Abstract
This is a look at the various literary criticisms of ?Howl?, the famous poem by Allen Ginsburg. The author argues that the criticism is as schizophrenic as the poem itself. Opinions are presented from the following critics and writers: Robert Henson, Diane Middlebrook, Alicia Ostriker and Norman Podhoretz.

From the Paper
"Allen Ginsberg, born in 1926, and often hailed as the poet laureate of "the beat generation" creates in "Howl", a frenzied controversy, among writers, which is the source and subject of much criticism and contradiction. ?Howl,? Published in 1955, perhaps Ginsberg's most famous poem and the center of a highly scandalized censorship case, has been both praised and criticized as a monolith for "the beat generation." Acclaimed by members of what could be considered low culture, the pop cultural masses, as well as by what could be considered high culture, the academic and renown scholar, as a representation of social hypocrisy, "Howl" cannot be categorized by either. The academic and knowledgeable language, references and devices used in a radical and informal style make it impossible to force "Howl" into either high or low culture brackets. "Howl" eludes the past 50 years of criticism as a comprehensive outburst of everything frustrated and repressed in the postwar baby boom era and thus is a deceptively easy yet slippery target for this discussion"

Tags:50, 60, beat, generation, kerouac, poetry

Abstract
This is an explication on Langston Hughes' "I, Too" which breaks the poem down and analyzes its main points, structure, word choice, and universal themes. It discusses its view of racism and survival on a personal level but also gives messages for the rest of humanity who are suffering the same.

From the Paper
"Langston Hughes gives us an inspirational reviving poem in "I, too". He shows us the positive view of an African American when he encounters racism in what appears to be his own family. In this concise poem we see a confident man knowing that he will become better to prove to others his power and beauty. Although the poem is obviously a poem on African American discrimination, it can also be used as an encouraging poem. It also leaves the reader wondering who the speaker is."

Tags:shame, hope, African, American, determination, experience, inspiration, personal, experience, judgemental

Abstract
This essay analyzes the ways in which Wendy Cope has used the elements of poetry to convey the theme of her poem "Lonely Hearts." The poem is in villanelle form because it's the most effective form for expressing the theme of loneliness.

Tags:lonely, hearts

Abstract
This paper is all about prosody. The poem, Countee Cullen's "Incident" is the analyzed work. In this paper, the author looks at the rhythm of the poem, likening it to cinematic scores.

From the Paper
"Countee Cullen was an African-American poet born in New York, and a contributor to the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote of the black experience as he lived it, writing lyrically and imaginatively. His Incident is a short poem describing a brief incident in the speaker's life. While told in retrospect, and with few carefully chosen words, the relation of the experience speaks volumes about racism and how one must deal with it even from a young age. The format of the poem provides meaty contrast to the poem's subject matter, staying at one tempo even when the mood of the poem changes dramatically."

Tags:countee, cullen, poetry

Tags:form, formalism, metaphysical, structure

Abstract
In W. H. Auden's poem, "Funeral Blues," the speaker uses well-constructed poetic language and form to convey her attitude toward the subject of death. It explains how Auden manifests an extremely bitter interpretation of hopelessness and eternal sadness on the part of the speaker as a result of losing a loved one. The speaker in the poem is deeply saddened about the loss of her loved one and the fact that it was a force beyond her control. This person has been taken from her life in haste at a most inopportune time, and she feels as though her life has become pointless. It shows how, through Auden's use of tone, language, and structure, he portrays a very well-defined image of death and its effects on the individual, which is by no means desirable.

From the Paper
In "Funeral Blues" Auden makes the bitter attitude of the speaker toward the subject of death apparent to the readers through the use of symbols, imagery, personification, and the metaphor. In the first stanza Auden states, "stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone..."(Auden 1362. 1). The clock being stopped may signify the fact that he who died has run out of time and also to ask those who knew him to stop what they are doing and reflect. The telephone being cut off brings forth the idea of silence. Auden does this to show the deceased the respect they deserve. She believes in honoring the dead with a moment of silence to pay respect. In the second stanza the speaker states, "let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead."(Auden 1362. 5). She uses this metaphoric image to convey the pointlessness of her life and also her grief. What point is there for aeroplanes to fly in circles? She is comparing the pointlessness of flying in circles to her life without her partner.

Tags:interpretation, poetry, representation, theme

Abstract
This paper begins by providing a brief summary of the storyline of the movie "Wall Street." It then introduces the topic of discussion, which is the controversial issue of insider trading, defined as the purchase or sale of securities on the basis of information that has not been made available to the public. It shows how the movie deals with the issue at hand and how it presents the principles behind the problem.

From the Paper
"In Oliver Stone's film Wall Street (1987), Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young Wall Street trader who wants to get ahead and who admires the successful Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a man who wheels and deals on a grand scale and who buys and sells companies, claiming to improve their financial position but often simply destroying them for short-term profits. The destruction of companies in itself may be legal if of questionable ethics, but in truth, Gekko succeeds by intimidation and the use of insider information. Bud Fox has such information from his father, an aircraft mechanic and union leader, and he gives the information to Gekko to become part of the latter's organization. He continues using inside information to advance Gekko's fortunes and his own until he gets caught and his conscience begins to catch up to him."

Tags:information, public, gekko

From the Paper
""The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe is a grotesque short story of a man's conscience. "The Black Cat combines several themes that fascinated Poe such as reincarnation, perversity, and retribution. This story also carried an implied theme in the superstitious implications of this man's downfall. In this story Poe keeps very strongly to the theme of perversity and superstitions to illustrate the strange conditions that led to the crimes of this "happy man" especially fond of animals" (Poe 103). The theme of superstition is found to be a background motivation to the events and actions performed in the story. Towards the beginning of the story it is first mentioned to us that his wife always tells him "all black cats [are] witches in disguise" (Poe 103). The narrator also mentions that the name of the cat was Pluto. Pluto in "Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld" (Womack 5). The use of this name leads the reader to believe that the cat is somehow responsible for the death that is caused by the narrator himself. This is where the reader is first introduced to the fact that the events of this story could be caused by some superstition and not coincidence alone."

Tags:allen, analysis, critical, edgar, poe, themes, literature, Black Cat

Abstract
This paper is a discussion and critique of the famous Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken". The author includes quotes from the poem when discussing imagery, tone and the use of symbolism. She also evaluates Frost's awareness of nature in his work as a whole and this poem in general.

From the Paper
"Frost's flare for using nature and man's interaction to relate powerful philosophical messages is expressed in his renowned poem, "The Road Not Taken". "The Road Not Taken", by Robert Frost is a very powerful poem with one basic philosophical theme: one should not make a decision because it reflects popular opinion, one should make sound choices because of their benefits to the individual because choosing a unique alternative could make all the difference."

Tags:nature, conformist, poetry, american

Abstract
The paper states that the two main male (Edward) and female (Vivian) characters come from different cultures; but, as people are not that different, they simply react to social norms differently. The author feels that the entire movie's concept is built around the dilemma of coupling someone who is used to conforming to the norms of polite society with someone who is totally clueless when it comes to these norms. The paper presents examples from the film that demonstrate the sociological principles.

From the Paper
"Julia Roberts' character in "Pretty Woman," Vivian, the prostitute, strongly exhibits individualization. She is her own person, acting as she pleases, without worrying about what society thinks of her. Societal norms don't affect her. Edward, Richard Gere's character, however, is different. He is a rich man who has been brought up in the aristocracy and has learned societal norms. He adheres to these norms strongly. He is embarrassed by others around him who do not conform to the norms of "polite society.""

Tags:cultures, dilemma, coupling, polite, high, society, individualization, prostitute, dreaming., hollywood