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A Psalm of life
A Psalm of life
"A
Psalm of Life", by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was published in October
of 1838. It is a poem of encouragement, telling the reader not to waste
life. Longfellow is sure to establish that life is real, and it will end
soon. He wrote this poem at a fairly young age, yet he has a deep and
accurate insight of life. The content of the poem is not especially
unique. The speaker is involved in the first person perspective, where
he is directly addressing the reader. The tone is neither positive nor
negative, but is strictly honest. The tone remains the same
"encouraging" style from beginning to end, and there is no change of
tone. The only tension found in the poem is that between life and death -
Longfellow writes about how every living thing is affected by both
conflicting states of being.
The word choice in "A Psalm of Life" was obviously carefully picked. An adjective is never repeated, yet the poem reads perfectly. Each word has its own meaning, and its own unique take on life, and every word adds something important, even vital, to the "life" of the poem. The rhythm also flows flawlessly. The rhythm scheme is an eight syllable line followed by a seven syllable line. The poem does not stray from that simple rhythm once.
Imagery is the sole method of expression in the poem. Longfellow paints a word picture in each stanza that allows the reader to see more clearly what he is describing. Metaphors and Symbolism is rampant - in fact, the poem is almost entirely comprised of these things.
The form of the poem is very basic. Each stanza is four lines long, making the poem a quatrain, and the rhyme scheme follows the pattern "ABAB, CDCD, EFEF..." etc. for each of the nine stanzas. Each stanza also has a recurrent rhythm pattern: 8 syllables, 7 syllables, 8 syllables, 7 syllables.
Analyzing the poem even deeper, you will notice that even the punctuation plays an important role. Exclamation points are used to establish emphasis on a particular line. There is no pattern to the punctuation, which makes it even more beneficial to strengthening the meaning of a phrase. Overall, it is very obvious that "A Psalm of Life" is a well thought out poem.
The word choice in "A Psalm of Life" was obviously carefully picked. An adjective is never repeated, yet the poem reads perfectly. Each word has its own meaning, and its own unique take on life, and every word adds something important, even vital, to the "life" of the poem. The rhythm also flows flawlessly. The rhythm scheme is an eight syllable line followed by a seven syllable line. The poem does not stray from that simple rhythm once.
Imagery is the sole method of expression in the poem. Longfellow paints a word picture in each stanza that allows the reader to see more clearly what he is describing. Metaphors and Symbolism is rampant - in fact, the poem is almost entirely comprised of these things.
The form of the poem is very basic. Each stanza is four lines long, making the poem a quatrain, and the rhyme scheme follows the pattern "ABAB, CDCD, EFEF..." etc. for each of the nine stanzas. Each stanza also has a recurrent rhythm pattern: 8 syllables, 7 syllables, 8 syllables, 7 syllables.
Analyzing the poem even deeper, you will notice that even the punctuation plays an important role. Exclamation points are used to establish emphasis on a particular line. There is no pattern to the punctuation, which makes it even more beneficial to strengthening the meaning of a phrase. Overall, it is very obvious that "A Psalm of Life" is a well thought out poem.
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