Great Regulars: Poe creates a fantasy wherein

he places a very young, romantic, newlywed couple "In a kingdom by the sea," and then allows the beautiful female character to die, thus creating his idea of the "most poetical topic in the world." The speaker of this dramatic fantasy is, of course, the bridegroom, who does the poetic suffering because of the death of the lovely young, bride.

from Linda Sue Grimes: Suite101.com: Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee

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The speaker wants this man to be given great vision with his "eye to the telescope of eternity." He dramatizes the salvation of this man asking the Lord to "Fill him full of the dynamite of Thy power,/Anoint him all over with the oil of Thy salvation,/And set his tongue on fire." The speaker begs the Lord grant this man the power to preach the word with great authority.

from Linda Sue Grimes: Suite101.com: Poet for June--James Weldon Johnson

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And he continues to do this two more times: "And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes" to which he again offers the supporting evidence, "it/is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to/kill again"; and finally, "And they tell me you are brutal," to which he answers, "On the/faces of women and children I have seen the marks/of wanton hunger."

But then for the rest of the poem, he slugs back with a brutal repudiation that makes all those ugly characteristics seem like badges of honor.

from Linda Sue Grimes: Suite101.com: Sandburg's Chicago

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The speaker's choice of Cupid is obvious for the god's representation of love, but the speaker also focuses on the "torch" instrument instead of the more common "bow and arrows." The choice of torch is obvious as well, as the speaker has often euphemistically referred to his aroused penis at the sight of the dark lady. The speaker exaggerates his lust by dramatizing its ability to heat water, while water lacks the ability to cool his lust.

from Linda Sue Grimes: Suite101.com: Shakespeare Sonnet 154

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Brian Turner's "Here, Bullet" consists of sixteen unrimed lines. The speaker addresses a "bullet," dramatizing the theme of fear. Although Turner's experience as a soldier in the Iraq War informs his works, it is the universal character of this poem that distinguishes it from other war poems. The speaker of this poem is not necessarily involved in war; the speaker could be anyone who deeply contemplates death by gunshot.

from Linda Sue Grimes: Suite101.com: Turner's Here, Bullet

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