The Beatles record, Eleanor Rigby, which is a part of the Revolver 1966 album expresses life living in solitude. This song was one of the first introductions to psychedelic music and shares many connections to poems written by Emily Dickinson. The Beatles used this song to empathize for the lonely, particularly by focusing on an isolated old woman and the limited connections she had made. To many, this song felt as though it was telling a short story, possibly because it was based on real characters but also because of the many literary techniques packed in it. The most substantial elements being the use of imagery, repetition, metaphors and allusion. 

Imagery is used as a mechanism to bring to life and illustrate lonely women. At the beginning of the song Eleanor “Picks up the rice in the church where the wedding has been” and “lives in a dream”. Further reiterating the image of a lonely unmarried woman who despises such social events. 

Another example of literary devices is the line describing Eleanor by one who keeps “wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door”. In other words, this implies the facade she puts on and specifically the fake smile that she often leaves“by the door”. Although she appears happy, in reality she is miserable and finds ways to cover up the internal pain she truly faces. Later, Paul McCartney states that she was buried along with her name,” suggesting both literally and metaphorically her isolation after death. Essentially, when she is buried her name is too, and she is completely forgotten. Given these examples, the idea entailed is that even when Eleanor helped in the church and attempted to help others, ultimately she is easily forgotten once she died. 

Another important aspect is the repetition of “lonely people” which is seen throughout the song. The word “lonely” helps guide the audience to understand the sadness and despair within the story, and the particular ways in which this word promotes the struggles of those in solitude. 

Both “Eleanor Rigby” and A Noiseless Patient Spider obtain many overarching concepts following the struggles of those who are lonely.  A Noiseless Patient Spider is based upon an isolated spider trying to find connections while building its web. “Eleanor Rigby” is a parallel example as she struggles to form connections and is quickly forgotten due to her life in isolation.

By: Estefania, Grayson, Elijah and Camila

n Leaves of Grass a collection of poems by Walt Whitman, readers become immersed in romanticism. One poem from this collection, “Song of Myself”, uses the concept of romanticism to depict the speaker’s journey of self discovery and the influence of nature to the regeneration of the body, soul and mind. You may be wondering what could Michael Jackson and a poet from the 1800’s possibly have in common. The truth is, their work has more similarities than you think. In Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”, he addresses the issue of global warming and the loss of animals. He uses poetic devices to vocalizes his concern for animals and nature. For example, in one verse he says, “What about flowering fields? // Is there a time? // What about all the dreams that you said was yours and mine?”. Here flowers symbolize a greater theme of love and, “flowering fields” suggest that love is growing as the flowers grow. Walt Whitman also uses aspects of nature to symbolize subjects such as the ongoing cycle of life. Some may say a “Song of Myself” is the epitome of transcendentalism because it highlights the experience of nature over material things. This same idea can be seen in “Earth Song” when Jackson said “What about nature’s worth? (Ooh) // It’s our planet’s womb (What about us?) // What about animals? (What about it?) // Turned kingdom to dust (What about us?)”. The reference to “our planets womb” demonstrates the use of personification to show the personal connection between him and the nature. It also applies the ideas of transcendentalism because he views human’s actions as detrimental to nature. By doing so he is asking readers to view nature as something powerful and worthy of love and respect. This can lead to a deeper discussion about how the identification of ourselves and other selves will bring us to understand and cherish life more. Walt Whitman also utilizes personification to give meaning to nature and animal life and the concept of death and immortality. All in all, both Whitman and Jackson use romanticism to show their appreciation for nature and comment on how earth provides us with so many things while also highlighting the importance of preserving it.

“Autumn Serenade” is a jazz piece by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman from their 1963 collaborative album: John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman. Despite being released almost 150 years after the publication of John Keats’ “To Autumn,” the two works share a very similar sentiment, supported by many similar poetic devices. 

First of all, both the song and poem clearly express simple appreciation for fall, which certainly reflects humanity’s intrinsic love of nature and urge to celebrate it via art, even across multiple generations. But the pieces also both personify the season in similar ways; in “To Autumn,” Keats addresses the season directly, and in “Autumn Serenade” the season is described as a woman who comes “through the trees” with her “serenade.” In both cases the poets characterize autumn in order to connect the audience to the fall time they are describing. By using personification they are able to ground a very abstract idea—a time of year—in the very familiar concept of a person who can be directly interacted with. 

Both poems also evoke a sense of timelessness in order to highlight the recurring nature of a yearly season. Keats does this with phrases like “with patient look’ and “last oozings hours by hours;” Coltrane and Hartman do it more explicitly with lines like “Let the years come and go/ I’ll still feel the glow that time cannot fade.” Either way, both pieces use time-related language to pay homage to the time-related element of seasonal change and the reflection on years past that a change in season can cause. I, personally, think there’s a unique beauty to these two separate works commenting on the timelessness of autumn 150 years apart. It just goes to show that humans will always need to create art, and nature is something that’s always been there to appreciate and (hopefully) always will be (sans global warming).

All of Me is a contemporary romantic song by singer John Legend, in part of the Love in the Future album. The song is an emotional ballad that expresses deep love and devotion, as well as vulnerability and fear of losing your loved one. The speaker in the song is John Legend himself, who addresses his then-fiance, Chrissy Teigen with heartfelt and vulnerable lyrics. The audience for the song is not only his lover but likely anyone who has experienced the highs and lows of being in love, as the song’s themes are universal and relatable. The occasion for the song is a personal expression of love from John Legend to his partner. The song employs a range of literary techniques to convey its emotional impact. For example, it uses vivid imagery, such as “smart mouth,” “curvy roads,” and “perfect imperfections,” to paint a picture of the speaker’s love for his partner. The use of repetition, such as the phrase “all of me,” emphasizes the speaker’s willingness to give himself completely to his beloved. The song also uses metaphors, such as “my head’s underwater,” to convey the feeling of being consumed by love. Overall, “All of Me” is a powerful and emotive love song that resonates with audiences due to its universal themes and relatable lyrics.

In Hank Williams’ singing of “I’ll Fly Away” , the song carries a meaning of not just life and death, but a greater understanding and acceptance of this inevitable path taken by everyone, a shared theme emphasized not only in William’s song, but in Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” as well.

“That some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away (fly away, fly away)
To that land on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away (fly away, fly away)”

Rather than seeing it as something to be feared, Williams looks upon his eventual death as the beginning of an afterlife where he can fly through the skies forever and no longer carry the sorrows of human life. This is a similar meaning demonstrated in Whitman’s poem, where he feels a sense of contentment upon reaching his end. His description of his “white locks” in section 52 exemplify the long life he had lived, writing poetry and putting his work out into the world so that a part of him will always be kept alive.

“Like a bird from prison bars flown
I’ll fly away (fly away, fly away)
To a land where no sorrows are known
I’ll fly away (fly away, fly away)”

Williams compares his death to a bird flying free from a prison, finding peace beyond the world of the living. Whitman similarly compares his death to a tranquil departure in section 52, feeling still as he becomes one with the earth “to grow from the grass I love”. They share a more relaxed view on death than many others, not viewing it so much as them dying, but as them moving on the their next life as their impact on earth remains.

“When I die, Hallelujah, bye and bye
I’ll (fly away) fly away
Thank you fellas”

In both Williams’ and Whitman’s work, they each take a moment to address the audience/reader and choose to speak directly to them as if saying their goodbyes to a loved one. Williams ends his song with “Thank you fellas” and Whitman ends his poem with “I stop somewhere waiting for you”, switching the focus from themselves to the audience and reaching out beyond the words of a song and text of a poem.

Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles was released in 1967 and was a reflective and nostalgic look back on John Lennon’s childhood, much like Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death”. The song is a melancholic reflection on Lennon’s adolescence, particularly of an orphanage he lived near called “Strawberry Field” where he felt connected with the other children. Strawberry Fields Forever is reportedly one of the most analyzed songs ever with it’s psychedelic instrumentals as well as the meaning of the lyrics themselves. Strawberry Fields Forever is an almost surreal expression of nostalgia and letting go.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to
Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever

These lines of chorus reinforce the idea of remembering and reflecting but ultimately letting go of that. Lennon uses a bit of humor here with “nothing to get hung about”; one one hand, it’s a humorous, little dig but on the other, it’s suggesting that if nothing is real, we shouldn’t be so uptight and worrisome (I think it’s also important to note that while there are no direct references to drug use in this particular song, Lennon admitted to being heavily under the influence of a psychedelic, LSD, while writing it). The allusions to the orphanage from his childhood also add to the melancholic feeling the lyrics and instruments create.

Strawberry Fields forever
Strawberry Fields forever
Strawberry Fields forever

These 3 repeated lines occur at the end of the song just as the instrumentals start to derail. While the phrase has been repeated continuously throughout the song, they are particularly powerful in this instance because it could be interpreted a few different ways. In one sense, Lennon could be calling for his childhood to continue, given that Strawberry Field(s) was such an important location of his youth, as reinforced by the multiple allusions to it. However, it could also be interpreted as statement of continuity and immortality; even though we all age and die, it’s possible that certain parts of us never die. In this case, that would be this figure of Lennon’s youth, but the concept of parts of us and our lives being immortal is universally applicable.

So what does this have to do with Emily Dickinson’s poem? Well, when it comes to tone and the overall theme, the works are actually quite similar. Dickinson makes references to relevant childhood locations as the speaker passes on to death and in the last stanza, she also speaks of “eternity”.

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess-in the Ring-
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain- 
We passed the Setting Sun-

I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity 

Both Dickinson and Lennon refer to locations that one would experience as a child and the experience of letting go of those moments. In Dickinson’s case, at least, the speaker is dying or already moving on to whatever happens after we die, but the similarity remains. Another interesting similarity is Lennon’s repeated use of “forever” and Dickinson’s use of “Eternity”. Both suggest that while some things die and change, others don’t and will always remain.

After analyzing the song “All the Single Ladies” by Beyonce, an intriguing contrast is revealed between this song and our poem “A solemn thing it was” by Emily Dickinson. While “All the Single Ladies” celebrates female independence and agency, “A Solemn Thing” mourns the responsibility of women in this time period to get married. Emily Dickinson’s writing on this subject is what allowed women like Beyonce to write songs about women’s empowerment. 

Beyonce’s anthem empowers women to embrace their freedom and not feel obliged to be in a relationship. The lyrics, “Don’t be mad once you see that he want it/ If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it,” emphasize that women have the right to choose their partners and not be bound by societal norms. They have the power to recognize their worth and not settle for a man who doesn’t treat them right.  This is exactly what Emily Dickinson’s fighting for. 

The chorus of the song is 

“All the single ladies, all the single ladies

All the single ladies, all the single ladies

All the single ladies, all the single ladies

All the single ladies”

The repetition of “all the single ladies” emphasizes that Beyonce thinks that being single is a positive thing. This connects to Emily Dickinson’s poem because Dickinson shows that she doesn’t want to be married and would rather be single and free. 

“I can care less what you think

I need no permission, did I mention”

After researching Emily Dickinson, our group came to the conclusion that she was a woman before her time period. She pushed against social norms and expectations from her family to get married and create a family of her own. She ultimately wanted to have her own career writing poetry. Dickinson can relate to these lines because she didn’t care what people thought of her. She was happy creating her own way in the world; living freely and away from societal pressure. 

When reading “I taste a liquor never brewed”, one of the main themes that we noticed was the speaker’s fascination for nature and apparent lack of interest in more mundane, anthropocentric parts of life. The speaker likens being out in nature to being incredibly, and happily drunk, as if the emotional revelation or fulfillment to be found in nature is greater than any human construction. 

A song that is a bit different in context, but that I thought actually pulled on a lot of the same strings is “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana, performed by Auliʻi Cravalho and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. (https://genius.com/Alessia-cara-how-far-ill-go-lyrics)

This song represents a key transition point in the movie, where Moana officially declares her desire to explore the sea beyond her island home. Throughout the beginning of the movie, Moana is constantly reminded that the sea is dangerous, and that there is no need to venture beyond her home island because the island provides everything the people need. Moana feels like an outsider because her father insists that she stay safe on their island and not risk traveling on the sea. However, Moana is inexplicably drawn to the water, and the island seems to be less productive than normal, prompting Moana to want to leave to find a solution.

During this song, Moana decides to completely embrace the romantic inside of herself. Moana’s desires here are indicative of many of the desires that seem to be embraced by the narrator of “I taste a liquor never brewed”. Both focus on the grandeur and splendor of nature; Moana remarking on the “light as it shines on the sea” and the “water”, in general. Similarly, the narrator remarks on “molten blue” and generally uses a metaphor of alcohol to describe the feelings they have in nature. The motifs of alcohol and water are used to show the fascination that the narrator and Moana have with nature, respectfully. The narrator frames their assessment of nature within the lens of being so happily drunk that the grandeur of nature is ever apparent, and the “saints” and angels, representing status-quo society, fade into the background. Similarly, Moana uses the water to frame her infatuation with nature. She keeps coming back to the “edge of the water”, and she literally juxtaposes her experience on the island with her feelings by the sea, clearly reasoning that a life of adventure and nature would be more profound than just living on the island her entire life. In the actual movie, this is even more apparent as she spends a lot of the song walking around her island home, only to end the scene by leaving. 

Ultimately, Moana and the narrator share a lot here in terms of their beliefs in nature and their framing of nature as more important or grander than a more traditional societal existence. Both characters realize that an existence out in nature is more stimulating, and they address that through poetry/song. By analyzing both of these characters within these literary works, we can learn more about what each one fears and each one seeks.

Wild Nights by Emily Dickinson is one of her most famous poems, depicting a night of passion, told by a person in love directly to their lover. In this poem, the speaker wants to stay with their lover forever. They can be wild because they know they have someone to come back to. Dickinson uses an extended metaphor of a boat to convey this theme. In this metaphor, the speaker is the sailor and their lover is the harbor. Her quick repetition and use of exclamation points show the intensity that she wants the reader to feel and dramatize the events of the night. She describes “Futile – the Winds” compared to “a Heart in port,” indicating that nothing can stop them from being together. Ultimately, Dickinson ends the poem with the lines “Might I but moor – Tonight – / In Thee!” Here, the speaker is illustrating their desire to be with their lover and “dock” or stay in the harbor forever. Wild Nights is a groundbreaking poem in the traditionally strict and patriarchal 1800s.

Fast forward a century and a half later, Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift has risen to the top of the charts. This song depicts a relationship with a seemingly perfect man who she has quickly fallen for, but knows is going to end soon. Throughout the song, Swift expresses her wish for her lover to remember her through poetic, multidimensional language. She repeats this sentiment often in the chorus:

“Say you’ll remember me

Standing in a nice dress 

Staring at the sunset, babe 

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you’ll see me again

Even if it’s just in your wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha

Wildest dreams, ah-ah, ha”

She is forced to contemplate the inevitable end of her relationship, but doesn’t fully accept it. She continues to wish that her lover will always think of her, even if never again in real life. Her request to her lover to never forget her is asked in an idealized way. She wants their relationship to be romanticized, saying that he should remember her dressed nice, beautiful, and in the setting of a sunset. Swift goes on to say in the next stanza:

“You’ll see me in hindsight

Tangled up with you all night

Burning it down

Someday when you leave me

I bet these memories

Follow you around”

Again, Swift hopes that her lover will remember her. Overall, the song is bittersweet, talking both about the joy of their relationship, and the difficulty in letting go. She is conflicted in that she knows that they both have to move on, but still wants to remain connected. The title demonstrates that this dream is not realistic, no matter how much Swift wishes it was. 

Both of these poems, one in the traditional sense and the other not, showcase the wild nature of love felt by two similarly independent women. They describe the passion that they feel for their lovers, however the speaker in Dickinson’s poem hopes to be reunited with their lover, while Swift knows that is not possible, viewing the relationship more in the past. Despite these differences, one thing is clear: Wild Nights and Wildest Dreams are both poetry.

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain” was so inspiring that it inspired Andrew Bird, to make a song, out of her poem. He describes the poem as,

I came across this Emily Dickinson poem and found it to be the most vivid description of an inner world I’ve ever encountered. It became an inspiration for the songs on Inside Problems.

Below is Emily Dickinson’s poem

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,

And Mourners to and fro

Kept treading – treading – till it seemed

That Sense was breaking through –

And when they all were seated,

A Service, like a Drum –

Kept beating – beating – till I thought

My mind was going numb –

And then I heard them lift a Box

And creak across my Soul

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

Then Space – began to toll,

As all the Heavens were a Bell,

And Being, but an Ear,

And I, and Silence, some strange Race,

Wrecked, solitary, here –

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,

And I dropped down, and down –

And hit a World, at every plunge,

And Finished knowing – then –

Andrew Bird included all the words from Dickinson’s poem and added music and sound. He made it sound so beautiful. You can’t even question whether poetry is a song, playing in an artist’s head. Dickinson’s poem still has the same beautiful techniques like alliteration, metaphors, and repetition. Dickinson uses alliteration in her poem like “felt a funeral,” “seated, A service, ” silence some strange,” and “dropped down,” (1;6;15;17). Those words have the same letter or sound at the beginning of the adjacent words. Which just adds to the meaning of the poem, and what the speaker is going through. An example of repetition is “treading, treading,” “beating, beating,” and “down, and down,” (3; 7; 17). She has repeated something that has already been said. The rhythmic quality of both alliteration and repetition techniques is in the poem. Therefore, the poetic devices perfectly reflect the theme. Musicality worked because of the way Andrew Bird saw it as a song. It is shown through careful word selections. Finally, Dickinson uses the metaphor of a funeral to represent the way the speaker sense that she is being separated away from herself. A funeral is an appropriate occasion for this poem because it connects with a funeral relating to death.

Bird’s way with music is very fantastic mixed with Dickinson’s poem you see and get a funeral in the brain