Kubla Khan, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is my favorite poem. From the title one can discern that Coleridge's poem is about Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China when it was conquered by the Mongols' great land empire. This is one of the reasons the poem first caught my interest, as Kublai Khan has been one of my favorite historical figures ever since I did a report on him in fourth grade. There seems to be no occasion for this poem. Coleridge just had a creative idea and turned it into a poem. The poem shifts attitudes drastically from the first stanza to the second. In the first stanza the tone is dreary and trance-like. The second stanza is suddenly much more serious and dramatic. The final stanza returns to the dream-like tone while maintaining the seriousness of the second stanza. The arrangement and wording of Kubla Khan give an impression of exotic wisdom. It reads a little like something Yoda might say, and feels like something the Caterpillar might recite to Alice in Alice in Wonderland. The most significant device of the poem is its imagery. The imagery is what makes the first stanza so calm and intelligent, while the second is frantic and revering. Contrasting imagery is used for dramatic effect: "That sunny dome! Those caves of ice!" (Line 47) In addition to imagery, Kubla Khan contains a number of similes. The Aha! moment is found in the final stanza, where the theme becomes apparent. In the last lines of the poem, Coleridge marvels at Kubla Khan's great acheivements and wishes he could have done them himself.
-C. Gilchrist
Collin! I loved your video on the poem project, it was easy to understand and I liked how you incorporated tostada into it. It helped us understand you train of though! Good job
ReplyDelete-Miriam Rizk(:
Thanks Miriam! I'm glad you liked it. I think this post helped me understand my poem a little more too because the TOSTADA model really lets me look deep into all aspects of the poem, whereas the video was a little free form.
ReplyDelete-Collin G.
Tostada makes it so much easier to analyze any text! I'm glad you were able to apply it to your poem. Coming from another AP English class at the beginning of the semester, I was very surprised that there is such an ingenious way of analyzing any work with ease.
ReplyDelete-Christopher Lee