jlh+The+Big+Wrap+Up

All four of my poems that I have chosen from __Sound and Sense__ have one binding topic that jumped out at me, and that was the binding topic of nature. Whether it be man to nature or nature of man, all four of these poems include the same thoughts. The poem, "The Sun Rising" binds into the topic of nature because it's the poet talking about the nature of the sun. In this poem, John Donne has a way of describing the sun rising in a very light, powerful way, that is also natural and beautiful. In "The Fish," Elizabeth Bishop has a different way of describing to us the nature of this poem. Throughout the poem she illustrates this fish she has caught, and tells us of its ugly, old, unappealing appearance. The last line of the poem, "And I let the fish go," tells us that Bishop has connected this old fish to an old person, demonstrating that since she set the fish free, it shows the nature of a good person who has respect for other people. Robert Frost's "Tree at My Window," is a little different. In this poem, Frost really describes the connection between nature and man, using the concept of a tree to a human. They are both similar in many ways, one way being that trees and humans are both so alive, with their mind and body. In the last poem I chose that fit into the binding topic of nature was "America." Essentially, Claude McKay is connecting our country of America, to a mother, proved in the first four lines of the poem. "Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!" A mother, and our country of America, are two forms of nature in itself, both caring and looking out for their children.

Out of these four poems, the poem I understood and was able to connect to most was "The Fish." I liked this poem because at first, when Bishop was describing this fish, it seemed as though this fish had no chance of surviving. It was old, unattractive, gross, and all around ugly. Then, at the end of the poem, she lets the fish go free. She has respect for this fish, and I have respect for that. This whole poem, long in context as it may seem, really built up to something that was worth waiting for. Something that will stick with you forever. Having respect for people and not just looking on what's on the outside appearance of a person.