Module 7: Comparison of 3 Poems

The first poem that I read was "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. This poem was a metaphorical poem about the paths that you choose in life. Throughout the poem the speaker discusses a fork in the road that he was stuck at and he has to make a choice to either go left or right. He compares the two paths and is eventually forced to choose one. When he does finally choose he says that no matter what he will always tell the story as if he choose the road less traveled, even if it turns out that he didn't at all. 

The second poem that I read had a much different tone. This poem was called "Preciosa Like a Last Cup of Coffee" by Martin Espada. This poem was a touching story where the author was paying tribute to his grandmother who was dying in hospice. This poem described her final days and her final request of simply having a cup of coffee…a request that no one seemed to want to grant her. Throughout the poem his grandmother hallucinates and flashes back on her life while showing the reader that in the end all you really have is your memories. 

The third poem that I read was a religious poem called "No" by Mark Doty. This poem used a figurine of a wooden turtle to represent God and the spirit and beliefs that he represents. The children in the story bring the turtle with them everywhere to try and allow everyone to gain the same spiritual belief that they have. They consistently mentioned how strong the turtle's power is by relating it to the different types of power that people feel everyday. The turtle hiding in the shell is representative of how we cannot see God but he is still there. 

Reading and comparing all of these poems just shows me how unique poetry is. Poetry can be written about anything and used for just about anything. The power of poetry goes far beyond the words on a paper.