Famous poet tht I like Part2

This is part two of the famous poet that I like. Here are some poems.
Easter Day
The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:
The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
'Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest.
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet,
And drink wine salt with tears.'

A Vision
Two crowned Kings, and One that stood alone
With no green weight of laurels round his head,
But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,
And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan
For sins no bleating victim can atone,
And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.
Girt was he in a garment black and red,
And at his feet I marked a broken stone
Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.
Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame,
I cried to Beatrice, 'Who are these?'
And she made answer, knowing well each name,'
AEschylos first, the second Sophokles,
And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides.'

The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Ths is an extremely ong poem. Here's the link:
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/oscar_wilde/poems/11065

A Famous Poet that I Like Part1

1)Ask yourself why you chose this particular poet. Why is he/she intriguing? Begin with an interesting fact, quote from a literary critic, an interview with the poet, etc. and move on to a thesis (yes, a thesis) which is not just a statement of fact, such as Sylvia Plath is a deeply disturbed woman. Think about what you feel about the poet’s work after having done the research; create a claim or opinion about him/her and let the reader know in the thesis what exactly you will be covering in the paper.

2)Background and historical context. Biographical information is fine, but make sure that it provides insight into the writer and his/her work .

3)Three poems by the poet

All outside source material or links must be cited.
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Famous Quotes

I found many of Oscar Wilde quotes, thanks to http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/oscar_wilde/quotes,
but of course I have just chosen the ones I find meaningful, brilliant or simply amusing.

"A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing."

"A poet can survive everything but a misprint."

"A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it."

"A true friend stabs you in the front."

"All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling."

"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much."

"Ambition is the last refuge of the failure."

"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all."

"I have nothing to declare except my genuis."

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."

"No man is rich enough to buy back his past."

I find Oscar Wilde interesting because his life was a pretty tragic one, yet at the same time quirky and amusing. The early years of his life shown him to be very eccentric, as shown from the manner in which his unconventional parents behaved, etc. However, he was a victim of olden-day laws, a society where homosexuality was greatly condemned. His time in jail really changed his viewpoint on human beings, becoming more sadistic and pessimistic.
His quotes are also witty and some of them strike thought in me.
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Biography

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was born in Dublin to parents. His mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-1896), was a poet and journalist. Wilde's father was Sir William Wilde, an Irish antiquarian, gifted writer, and specialist in diseases of the eye and ear, who founded a hospital in Dublin a year before Oscar was born.
Already at the age of 13, Wilde's tastes in clothes were dandy's.
"The flannel shirts you sent in the hamper are both Willie's mine are one quite scarlet and the other lilac but it is too hot to wear them yet,"
He wrote in a letter to his mother. Willie, whom he mentioned, was his elder brother. It has been said that Lady Wilde insisted on dressing Oscar in girl's clothers because she had longed for a girl. In Oxford Wilde shocked many with his irreverent attitude towards religion and was jeered at his eccentric clothes. He collected blue china and peacock's feathers, and later his velvet knee-breeches drew much attention. In 1878 Wilde received his B.A. and on the same year he moved to London. His lifestyle and humorous wit made him soon spokesman for Aestheticism, the late 19th century movement in England that advocated art for art's sake. He worked as art reviewer , lectured in the United States and Canada , and lived in Paris. Between the years 1883 and 1884 he lectured in Britain. In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd (died 1898) and to support his family Wilde edited in 1887-89 Woman's World magazine. In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, fairy-stories written for his two sons. The Picture of Dorian Gray followed in 1890 and next year he brought out more fairy tales. The marriage ended in 1893.

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it," Wilde once said.

Before the theatrical success Wilde produced several essays, many of these anonymously.

"Anybody can write a three-volume novel. It merely requires a complete ignorance of both life and literature," he once stated.
His two major literary-theoretical works were the dialogues 'The Decay of Lying' (1889) and 'The Critic as Artist' (1890). In the latter Wilde lets his character state, that criticism is the superior part of creation, and that the critic must not be fair, rational, and sincere, but possessed of "a temperament exquisitely susceptible to beauty". In a more traditional essay The Soul of a Man Under Socialism (1891) Wilde takes an optimistic view of the road to socialist future. He rejects the Christian ideal of self-sacrifice in favor of joy.
His years of triumph ended dramatically, when his intimate association with Alfred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality (then illegal in Britain). He was sentenced two years hard labour for the crime of sodomy. During his first trial Wilde defended himself, that "the 'Love that dare not speak its name' in this century is nothing unnatural." Mr. Justice Wills, stated when pronouncing the sentence, that "people who can do these things must be dead to all senses of shame, and one cannot hope to produce any effect upon them." During the trial and while he served his sentence, Bosie stood by Wilde, although the author felt himself betrayed. Later they met in Naples. Wilde was first in Wandsworth prison, London, and then Reading Gaol. When he was at last allowed pen and paper after more than 19 months of deprivation, Wilde had became inclined to take opposite views on the potential of humankind toward perfection. During this time he wrote De Profundis (1905), a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Alfred Douglas. "Everything about my tragedy has been hideous, mean, repellent, lacking in style. Our very dress makes us grotesques. We are the zanies of sorrow. We are the clowns whose hearts are broken." (De Profundis) After his release in 1897 Wilde lived under the name Sebastian Melmoth in Berneval, near Dieppe, then in Paris. He wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, revealing his concern for inhumane prison conditions. It is said, that on his death bed Wilde became a Roman Catholic. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel at the age of 46. "Do you want to know the great drama of my life," asked Wilde before his death of Andre Gide.
"It's that I have put my genius into my life; all I've put into my works is my talent."
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Figurative Language: Favourite Song

1)How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

2)Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

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There’s a woman crying out tonight
Her world has changed
She asks God why
Her only son has died
And now her daughter cries
She can’t sleep at night

Downtown another day for all the suits and ties
Another war to fight
There’s no regard for life
How do they sleep at night
How can we make things right
Just wanna make this right

We believe(x6)
In this love

We are all the same
Human in all our ways and all our pains
(So let it be)
There’s a love that could fall down like rain
(Let us see)
Let forgiveness wash away the pain
(What we need)
And no one really knows what they are searching for
(We believe)
This world is crying for so much more
We believe(x6)
In this love
We believe(x5)
In this love
So this world is too much for you to take
Just lay it down and follow me
I’ll be everything you need
In every way
We believe(x6)
In this love
In this love

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Similes
1)'There’s a love that could fall down like rain'
The lyricist chose this phrase to express how love could spread so easily and quickly, just like rain on a cloudy day

Personification
1)'Let forgiveness wash away the pain'
Here, the lyricist uses the term 'wash away' to compare forgiveness as perhaps some one who eases (washes away) the pain that she is going through.

2) 'This world is crying for so much more'
The world doesn't cry. So here it is implying that the world is going through much suffering, because of the many natural disasters and wars going on.

Symbolism
1)'There's a woman...'
In this case, the song does not point out to any specific woman, but utilizes the term 'woman' to symbolise victims from natural disasters and pointless wars.

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Why I like this song
I find this song beautiful as it touches me greatly. This song was set in 2005, and was dedicated to the many who suffered in the '04 tsunami crisis. Also, the lyrics gives a message to some that violence does not solve anything, and only brings about "no regard for life". It also tells us that love really makes you the ultimate victor, and a compassionate soul will go far. Also, it gives me the inspiration to carry on and keep believing when I'm down. Last but not least, it sets light to me that through helping others in need, we can also instil belief in that person and make the feel loved. This is anawesome song and one of the best y good charlotte.

Music video embedding was disabled, so watchthe video for yourself.
Thanks.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbD0gIUE3cs

Philosophy: What is Beauty?

Dictionary.com:
1.The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).
2.A beautiful person, esp. a woman.
3.A beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.
4.Often, beauties. something that is beautiful in nature or in some natural or artificial environment.
5.An individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm
6.Informal. a particular advantage: One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects.
7.(usually used ironically) something extraordinary: My sunburn was a real beauty.
8.something excellent of its kind: My old car was a beauty.
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Beauty seems to be a very complicated thing, as you can see from the many definitions. However, I'm sure that many tend to liken beauty as a skin-deep prospect, what you can see on the outside. Also, there is inner-beauty,the sort of "deeper" beauty, it cannot be seen, but ironically is beautiful at the same time. Most of the time, many people will agree inner-beauty strikes more importance in their life, or at least, gives much more of a lasting impression.

This is what I mean:
Skin-deep beauty is what you see on the outside; but however pleasant it is to the eye, what does it tell you about the person? Character traits, personality and many other abstract qualities are hidden behind skin-deep beauty, and only the inner beauty of a person can unveil all those.

I'm sure in your life, you have hardly judged anyone solely by skin-deep beauty. Probably you have, but that might only be an initial opinion of the person or thing, but as you get to know he/she/it more you start to realise whether it was right for skin-deep beauty to have a higher standing over inner beaty when it comes to judging of one's placing in your life.

After all this, I feel it comes down all to a matter of different people's perspective. Hence the idiom "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." Personally, I feel that this idiom lead me to a thought. Beauty, whether superficial or deep, gives each person an individual speciality because of how they view it. It is an individual's opinion of beauty that proves how different one is from the rest. Basically, our personal take on beuaty illuminates our style and uniqueness.

As for my very own take on beauty, I think it is the representation of what we think is pleasant in life.
Thank You.