Poetic Precis: "A Primer of the Daily Round"

Howard Nemerov, in “A Primer of the Daily Round,” discusses in a slightly humorous tone the importance of unity and remembering how we are all connected through an allusion to an elementary style of teaching used in pre-school. In Kindergarten and first grade, teachers teach students the ABCs through coupling the letters with keywords that are easy to remember, like A is for apple. Throughout this poem, Nemerov uses the same style but connects each letter to the following one. In line nine, he says “R lies to S, but happens to be heard By T…,” which shows how each letter of the alphabet is connected. Additionally, this message becomes more clear at the end of the poem, when he says “Who happens just now to remember A.” Nemerov brings the reader back to the beginning of the poem to remember how even A is connected to Z. The point of using this allusion is to depict how each letter is followed by another one, but still together as one unit. Howard Nemerov accomplishes his goal by showing how people can be one unit as well through his allusion to the ABCs.

Poetic Precis: "Biscuit"

In Jane Kenyon’s “Biscuit,” she explains in a powerful tone the importance of not becoming too dependent on someone else through her antithesis and simile. Throughout this poem, a dog and an owner have an encounter at feeding time. In the first stanza, there is a simile where Kenyon compares feeding the dog to a “priest offering the host.” This makes the reader feel as though the owner is at the mercy of the dog. However, this idea is contrasted in the second stanza where the owner has “power” and could have given the dog a “stone.” Kenyon contrasts the word “bread” and “stone” to highlight the power the owner has through his choices for the dog’s meal. It can be seen that the dog is at the mercy of the owner and has too much faith in him/her. Jane Kenyon conveys the idea that over dependence can be detrimental through antithesis and an important simile.

Precis: “Thanks For Remembering Us”

In “Thanks For Remembering Us,” Dana Gioia uses a troubled tone to describe how delicate relationships can be through a key rhyme and a metaphor comparing a relationship to a bouquet of flowers. In the first stanza, there is an end rhyme with the words “blunder” and “wonder.” Gioia draws the reader’s attention to this line because it alludes to the fact that relationships can be fragile because the people in the couple don’t trust each other. However, this idea is made clearer in the second stanza. Words such as “die,” “dry,” “sickly,” and “funeral” are used to portray the dying flower. The comparison is made complete when the couple says how the flowers were “accusing us of some small crime.” The flowers reminded them of their unstable relationship. As can be see from this poem, the metaphors and unique rhymes create the uncertainty couples can sometimes feel in a relationship.

Precis: "Grammar"

In “Grammar,” Tony Hoagland asserts with a jealous tone that young love can be challenging for those who are single and alone through his metaphors and allusions to certain aspects of grammar. In the first stanza, Maxine’s friends describe her sexual acts during the weekend with words like “conjugated” and “doing the direct object.” They feel left out and in a state of solitary. Additionally, the metaphor in the last stanza proves this statement. Hoagland compares fire to love. Just like fire, love is difficult to harness. Maxine’s friends are described as having “burned hands” and people who have “all tried to start a fire.” They haven’t found their true loves and therefore feel depressed by Maxine’s happiness. Tony Hoagland creates the feelings of lonesomeness and desire for love through his comparison and grammar references.

Precis: "The Modern Prometheus"

In “The Modern Prometheus,” JJ Kampf ascertains with a humorous tone that sometimes one must go against the rules to achieve ultimate happiness. He creates the idea through his unique style and allusion to the myth of Prometheus. The poem follows a similar style throughout its entirety. The babysitter discusses what the children are doing wrong, while spliced within the story are the directions from the parents. The children eat “sour chewies,” while the parents cautioned against any “sugary candy.” Although the babysitter goes against the parents, he/she does it for the sake of the children who “smiled.” Additionally, Kampf compares the rebellion of this babysitter to that of the titan, Prometheus, who gave fire to the people. The titan wanted the people to be happy, which is why it is alluded to in the poem. These two characters had the same intentions. JJ Kampf highlights the importance of rebellion for the goal of happiness through his allusion and style.

Precis: "In the Well"

Andrew Hudgins’ “In the Well” describes the importance of the struggle that ultimately leads to the result, by using a suspenseful tone. He uses antithesis and setting to create his theme. In the beginning of the poem, words such as “darkness,” “blood,” “iron,” and “gagged” are used. These words discuss hardship and struggle. However, at the end of the poem, Hudgins contrasts with the words “light” and “breath,” which show how the struggle was all worth it. The task of finding the dog was difficult, but the result is what pays off. Hudgins makes the theme even more relatable by setting the story to the savior of a neighbor’s dog. The child goes into the dark well, but comes out with success. The setting of the well adds to the theme. Hudgins’ choice of setting and antithesis develop the idea that anything worth it in life takes hard work and some pain.

Precis: "Snow"

In “Snow”, David Berman describes, in a personal tone, the innocence of two children, through the imagery and title of the poem. The title of the poem is "Snow", and throughout the poem, Seth and his brother walk across snow as well. The hue of snow is white. White connotes a sense of innocence and purity, which is one reason as to why “angels” are mentioned throughout the poem. The purity of snow helps to depict children and childhood in general as something simple and squeaky clean. The imagery of this poem helps to create David Berman’s message about children in their early stages.