Nicole Jakobowski AP Literature Summer Reading Assignment The face that launch'd a thousand ships Christopher Marlowe (1564

- 1593) Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss. Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies! Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again. Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips, And all is dross that is not Helena. I will be Paris, and for love of thee, Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd; And I will combat with weak Menelaus, And wear thy colours on my plumed crest; Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel, And then return to Helen for a kiss. O, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars; Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter When he appear'd to hapless Semele; More lovely than the monarch of the sky In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms; And none but thou shalt be my paramour!

Weep no more John Fletcher (1579 - 1625) WEEP no more, nor sigh, nor groan, Sorrow calls no time that 's gone: Violets pluck'd, the sweetest rain Makes not fresh nor grow again. Trim thy locks, look cheerfully; Fate's hid ends eyes cannot see. Joys as winged dreams fly fast, Why should sadness longer last? Grief is but a wound to woe;

Fletcher utilizes a variety of figurative language devices to convey his thoughts on sadness. He begins by the repetition of the words no and nor in his first line to emphasize that all bad feelings must be pushed away. He continues by creating the imagery of a plucked flower that can longer grow. Instead of this destruction, Fletcher conveys that instead the sadness should be trimmed away, such as the pruning of a bush. Finally, he uses the comparison of grief to a wound to show that grief eventually heals. Overall, these devices contribute to Fletchers message of embracing happiness.

To My Dear And Loving Husband Anne Bradstreet (1612 - 1672)

If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee. If ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me, ye women, if you can. I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold Or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that Rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence. Thy love is such I can no way repay. The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Then while we live, in love let's so persever That when we live no more, we may live ever. Anne Bradstreet emphasizes her love for her husband through a variety of comparisons. First, the metaphor of her prizing her love more than a mine of gold creates a powerful imagery of the richness of her marriage. This comparison is continued by saying that her love is more prized than all the riches of the East. The East therefore may be an allusion to the riches of China and of the power that they held at the time. Finally, she ends the poem with a parallel statement of that when we live no more, we may live ever (Bradstreet 12). This powerful closing expresses her desire to be with her husband forever.

On Virtue Phillis Wheatley (1753 - 1784) O Thou bright jewel in my aim I strive To comprehend thee. Thine own words declare Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach. I cease to wonder, and no more attempt Thine height t' explore, or fathom thy profound. But, O my soul, sink not into despair, Virtue is near thee, and with gentle hand Would now embrace thee, hovers o'er thine head. Fain would the heav'n-born soul with her converse, Then seek, then court her for her promis'd bliss. Auspicious queen, thine heav'nly pinions spread, And lead celestial Chastity along; Lo! now her sacred retinue descends, Array'd in glory from the orbs above. Attend me, Virtue, thro' my youthful years! O leave me not to the false joys of time! But guide my steps to endless life and bliss. Greatness, or Goodness, say what I shall call thee, To give me an higher appellation still, Teach me a better strain, a nobler lay, O thou, enthron'd with Cherubs in the realms of day.

Cupid Sleeping Mary Darby Robinson (1758 - 1800) CLOSE in a woodbine's tangled shade, The BLOOMING GOD asleep was laid; His brows with mossy roses crown'd; His golden darts lay scatter'd round; To shade his auburn, curled head, A purple canopy was spread, Which gently with the breezes play'd, And shed around a soften'd shade. Upon his downy smiling cheek, Adorned with many a "dimple sleek," Beam'd glowing health and tender blisses, His coral lip which teem'd with kisses Ripe, glisten'd with ambrosial dew, That mock'd the rose's deepest hue.His quiver on a bough was hung, His bow lay carelessly unstrung: His breath mild odour scatter'd round, His eyes an azure fillet bound: On every side did zephyrs play, To fan the sultry beams of day; While the soft tenants of the grove, Attun'd their notes to plaintive Love. Thus lay the Boy-when DEVONS feet Unknowing reach'd the lone retreat; Surpriz'd, to see the beauteous child Of every dang'rous pow'r beguil'd! Approaching near his mossy bed, Soft whisp'ring to herself she said:" Thou little imp, whose potent art " Bows low with grief the FEELING HEART;

" Whose thirst insatiate, loves to sip " The nectar from the ruby lip; " Whose barb'rous joy is prone to seek " The soft carnation of the cheek; " Now, bid thy tyrant sway farewell, " As thus I break each magic spell: " Snatch'd from the bough, where high it hung, O'er her white shoulder straight she flung The burnish'd quiver, golden dart, And each vain emblem of his art; Borne from his pow'r they now are seen, The attributes of BEAUTY'S QUEEN! While LOVE in secret hides his tears; DIAN the form of VENUS wears!

Give All To Love Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) Give all to love; Obey thy heart; Friends, kindred, days, Estate, good fame, Plans, credit, and the muse; Nothing refuse. 'Tis a brave master, Let it have scope, Follow it utterly, Hope beyond hope; High and more high, It dives into noon, With wing unspent, Untold intent; But 'tis a god, Knows its own path, And the outlets of the sky. 'Tis not for the mean, It requireth courage stout, Souls above doubt, Valor unbending; Such 'twill reward, They shall return More than they were, And ever ascending. Leave all for love; Yet, hear me, yet, One word more thy heart behoved, One pulse more of firm endeavor,

Keep thee to-day, To-morrow, for ever, Free as an Arab Of thy beloved. Cling with life to the maid; But when the surprise, Vague shadow of surmise, Flits across her bosom young Of a joy apart from thee, Free be she, fancy-free, Do not thou detain a hem, Nor the palest rose she flung From her summer diadem. Though thou loved her as thyself, As a self of purer clay, Tho' her parting dims the day, Stealing grace from all alive, Heartily know, When half-gods go, The gods arrive.

Cat J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973) The fat cat on the mat may seem to dream of nice mice that suffice for him, or cream; but he free, maybe, walks in thought unbowed, proud, where loud roared and fought his kin, lean and slim, or deep in den in the East feasted on beasts and tender men. The giant lion with iron claw in paw, and huge ruthless tooth in gory jaw; the pard dark-starred, fleet upon feet, that oft soft from aloft leaps upon his meat where woods loom in gloom -far now they be, fierce and free, and tamed is he; but fat cat on the mat kept as a pet he does not forget. I choose this poem by J.R.R. Tolkien because he describes a simple house pet that is known to most, a cat. He says how although the cat has been domesticated, it will never lose its wild nature as the giant lion with iron (Tolkien 13). Tolkien uses rhyme at the end of each short verse to create a rhythm that

successfully transitions the topic from housecat to lion, and then back to housecat. This smooth transition conveys Tolkiens thoughts that the housecat does not forget his ancestors ways (27).

WALKING WITH ANGELS Emanuel Xavier (1971 - present) AIDS knows the condom wrapped penetration of strangers and lovers, deep inside only a tear away from risk knows bare minimum t-cell level counts, replacing intoxicating cocktails with jagged little pills knows how to avoid a cure thanks to war how to keep pharmaceutical corporations and doctors in business AIDS knows the weight loss desired by supermodels, knows the fearless meaning of a friends genuine kiss or hug converts non-believers to religion and spirituality comprehends loneliness values the support of luminaries smiles at the solidarity of single red ribbons knows to dim the lights to elude detection how to shame someone into hiding from the rest of the world to be grateful for the gift of clothing and shelter, to remain silent, holding back the anger and frustration

AIDS knows that time on earth is limited for all of us that using lemons to make lemonade is better than drinking the Kool-Aid but no matter how much you drink you are always left dehydrated knows working extensive hours to pay hospital bills, the choice of survival or taking pleasure in what is left of life knows the solid white walls you want to crash through and tear down the thoughts of suicide in the back of your head AIDS knows the prosperous could be doing more with their wealth and that everyone still thinks it is a deserving fate- for gays, drug addicts, prostitutes, and the unfortunate children of such born into a merciless world of posh handbags and designer jewelry knows how to be used as another percentage to profit politicians knows it doesnt only affect humans but animals too, without bias -providing fodder for art and something to be left behind if there is a God he has disregarded our prayers left his angels behind to journey along with us -none of us knowing exactly

where we are headed Emanuel Xavier explores the misconceptions and deadly nature of the AIDS disease in his poem Walking With Angels. He explains this complicated disease through the eyes of an AIDS victim. For example, he conveys the pull between fighting the disease with high hospital bills to choosing to taking pleasure in what is left of life (Xavier 36). He also talks about the how the general public wrongly defines AIDS as a disease for gays, drug addicts, prostitutes or the children born into it (45).