Despair

Part of speech: Noun and Verb

Definition: A feeling of being without hope or of not being able to improve a situation (Noun) ;                       To lose hope or be without hope (verb)

Found In “My boy Willie” in line 26: “.. / And she sobbed and sighed in despair, / and with every sob she let fall a tear, /  and every sigh was for her Willie dear.. / ”

The definition of the word despair allowed me to understand what was being said in lines 26 – 28. It allowed me to understand that she wanted to hear good news about her “boy willie”. She wanted to believe he was alive but when the sailor said: ” Oh, then your boy Willie, I am sorry to say, / Has just been drowned the other day,” (Lines 21-22) it allowed me to see that all the hope she had was gone. So in my opinion the word despair was used as both a noun and a verb in this case.

Part of Speech: Adjective

Definition: too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous

Source: Words at Dictionary

Found in “Success Story” by Mark Strand, Line 2

“Had I known at the outset the climb would be slow, difficult, at times even tedious, I would have chosen to walk the length of one of the local valleys, resigning myself to limited view, low thoughts and a life that inspired none of the loftier disenchantments.”

The word “Tedious” means too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous. The author is explain how slow and difficult his climb was compared to the local valley.

Part of Speech: Adjective

Definition: lower in station, rank, degree, or grade. lower in place or position; closer to the bottom or base

Source: Words at Dictionary

Found in “Power” by Andrei Codrescu, Line 1

“Power is an inferiority complex wound up like a clock by an inability to relax.”

The word “inferiority” means lower in place or position; closer to the bottom or base. When reading the poem I got a small idea of the meaning of the word inferiority but I wasn’t too sure so it was the idea that I had from using context clues.

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: A watercraft bigger than a rowboat.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vessel

Found in: “My Boy Willie” by Anonymous line 14 – “When a man o’war vessel she chanced to meet,”

The word vessel mean a ship or large boat. This helps me better understand the poem because it can tell me what kind of transportation she meets at sea.

Part of Speech: Verb

Definition: To feel or express grief or sorrow; to feel or express grief or sorrow.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mourn

Found in: “My Boy Willie” by Anonymous line 36 – “Ye must mourn in black for my sailor boy”

The word mourn means to feel upset because of a  close ones passing. This can help me understand the poem better because it explains why everyone has to wear black, and what they are doing for the speakers dear sailor boy.

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: An affectionate name for someone you truly care about and would take bullets for.

Source: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Turtledove

Found in: “My Boy Willie” by Anonymous line 31 – “And in the middle a turtle dove”

The word Turtle Dove means a sign of love. This helps me understand the poem better because it helps me further understand what the speaker means when she says she die of love.

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: Any of a genus (Fuchsia) of ornamental shrubs of the evening-primrose family having showy nodding flowers usually in deep pinks, reds, and purples.

Source:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuchsia

Found in: “Instructions on Not Giving Up” by Ada Limon line 1 – “More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out”

The word fuchsia means a shrub with deep pink, red, and purple showy flowers. This helps me better understand the poem because it helps explain why the author choose to compare the fuchsia funnels to not giving up.

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: One whose flowers have a short corona and are usually borne separately.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcissus

Found in: “Persephone, Falling” by Rita Dove line 1 – “One narcissus among the ordinary beautiful”

The word narcissus in the poem means a yellow or white spring flower. This is help us better understand the poem because it helps me understand why the narcissus stand out among the other flowers.  

Part of Speech: Verb

Definition: to be scattered or sprinkled over (a surface)

Source: Dictionary.com

Found in America by Claude McKay line 12

“…Love is no more…/Than the great tide that treads the shifting shore,/Strewing fresh wreckage gathered in the gales:”

The speaker is comparing love to the effects of wind and water in this part of the poem. The speaker is stating that oceans tides are spreading wreckage(remains of something) gathered in the wind. Understanding this word helped me understand the analogy in these lines.

Part of Speech: Verb

Definition: to attack vigorously or violently; assault.

Source: Dictionary.com

Found in Pity me not because the light of day by Edna St. Vincent Millay line 10

“This have I known always: Love is no more/Than the wide blossom which the wind assails,…”

When I first read these lines, I thought assail had something to do with a sail boat. I was wrong. After looking up the word, I was able to understand what the speaking was saying. The speaker is stating in line ten that the wind assaults flowers when it blows, kind of the way love assaults the heart sometimes.