Poem Analysis
PART 1

5-6 sentence summaries on each poem:

1. “Why I am not a Painter” Frank O’Hara

The poem begins with what seems to be a highlight of the differences between a poem and a painting. The poem is a product of several visits O'Hara made to his painter friend, Michael Goldberg. In the end, the work seems to highlight how a poem and painting are similar by having shared differences. The poet provides an example of a painter starting with the color orange and the poet starting with an image, yet in the end, the poet writes a poem without mentioning color orange while the painter produces a painting of sardines. It is a celebration of the various forms of creative expressions and how these shared differences result in exquisite works of art.

2. “A Good Poem” by Tom Zart

The poem celebrates the creative spirit of writing a good poem. The poem starts by stating that a good poem paints a picture of the heart and brain. The second stanza provides the image of a flower with the lily or the rose as an example and compares their beauty to the beauty a good poem has in one's brain. The use of imagery such as a cardinal or pregnant with the song illustrates the impact a good poem has on the audience. The poem ends by showing how powerful a good poem is as it inspires love and this translates to joy in life.

3. “Water” by Koleka Putuma

Putuma uses water in the poem as a literary device to highlight the issue of slavery and colonialism. The trauma associated with the history of slavery and colonialism is highlighted. She talks of the fear of waving and gurgling and describes the fear as coming out of the slave’s mouth similarly to gurgling out of breast milk. The poem tries to establish the meaning of water. In the end, the poem shows that water can be dreaded and loved, just like a god.

Part 1 Choose two texts and explain how one text could be read...