Episodes

  • “Excelsior” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    “Excelsior” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    May 4 2019
    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem "Excelsior" in the early morning hours of September 28, 1841, and it was published for the first time in a periodical four months later. Excelsior is a Latin word which loosely translated means "ever upward" or "always higher". With that in mind, this poem could be interpreted as a sort of allegory on perseverance and always striving against the odds, or alternatively, blindly following your own desires without heeding the advice and counsel of others. Either way you choose to read the piece, it is beautifully written with lots of vivid imagery as the narrative unfolds.

    Full notes: https://verses.porchlightfamilymedia.com/2019/05/excelsior-by-henry-wadsworth-longfellow.html
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • “Christmas At Sea” by Robert Louis Stevenson

    “Christmas At Sea” by Robert Louis Stevenson
    Dec 22 2018
    First published in a periodical just a few days before Christmas in 1888, "Christmas at Sea" is a vivid narrative poem that pulls the reader into the scenes. The stark contrast between the warm, domestic scene and the freezing weather onboard the ship is very poignant and is the most interesting part of the piece to me. While the Scottish writer is known more for his novels, he also wrote three volumes of poetry with the first one, A Child's Garden of Verses, being the most known to casual poetry fans.
    Show More Show Less
    4 mins
  • "In School-days" by John Greenleaf Whittier

    "In School-days" by John Greenleaf Whittier
    Nov 29 2018
    Born in rural Massachusetts in 1807, John Greenleaf Whittier began to write poetry at a young age with his first poem being published in the summer of 1826. Shortly thereafter, he began working as an editor of various periodicals. The poem "In School-days" was written in 1869 and Whittier may have drawn a bit on his own experience as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. The poem was praised by the public as well as by other poets with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow commenting, "There is something more in education than is set down in the school-books. Whittier has touched this point very poetically in that little lyric of his." Oliver Wendell Holmes said of the poem in a letter to Whittier, "...I had no sooner read them [the lines] that I fell into such ecstasy that I could hardly find words too high-colored to speak of them to my little household. I hardly think I dared read them aloud. My eyes fill with tears just looking at them in my scrapbook, now, while I am writing."

    Full notes: http://verses.porchlightfamilymedia.com/2018/11/in-school-days-by-john-greenleaf-whittier.html
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

    "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
    Apr 20 2018
    Probably the most well-known poem by Walt Whitman, "O Captain! My Captain!" is a moving metaphor for President Abraham Lincoln's leadership of the country during the Civil War and his assassination which shocked the nation. This poem is actually only one of a handful that Whitman wrote in honor of Lincoln, whom he greatly admired. "O Captain" was written in 1865 shortly after the death of the President and was published later the same year in a small booklet containing a collection of 18 of Whitman's poems.

    Complete notes: https://verses.porchlightfamilymedia.com/2018/04/o-captain-my-captain-by-walt-whitman.html
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • "The Crucifixion and Resurrection. An Ode." by Mary Leapor

    "The Crucifixion and Resurrection. An Ode." by Mary Leapor
    Mar 29 2018
    Mary Leapor was a young poet born into Britain's working class. She died at the young age of 24 and therefore her body of work is not very large, but it contains some lengthy pieces which are quite respected and have received much acclaim to this day. Published posthumously in 1748, "The Crucifixion and Resurrection. An Ode." is a beautiful and vivid depiction of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Leapor recounts this event in her signature style and the poem's first three stanzas seem to focus on the effect Jesus' death had on the natural world and then in the second half she shifts to show what His resurrection means to humanity.
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins
  • “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe

    “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe
    Feb 21 2018
    The poem "Eldorado" was first published in 1849 in the Boston-based periodical, The Flag of Our Union, a publication which also printed works from Louisa May Alcott. Incidentally, this poem was published just a little over five months before Edgar Allan Poe would meet his untimely–and still unexplained–death. Poe is, of course, known for his melancholy and dark writings and although there are some gray undertones in "Eldorado", they are far less overt than those in many of his other pieces. The text of the poem has been set to music in its entirety as well as adapted into song by many musical acts over the years.
    Show More Show Less
    2 mins
  • "Autumn Fires" by Robert Louis Stevenson

    "Autumn Fires" by Robert Louis Stevenson
    Nov 23 2017
    "Autumn Fires" was first published in 1885 in a volume titled Penny Whistles which contained over 60 poems, including "My Shadow", "The Lamplighter", and "The Land of Story-books". The collection was later re-titled A Child’s Garden of Verses and has been reprinted many times. Robert Louis Stevenson is, of course, well-known for his short stories and novels, such as the pirate adventure story, Treasure Island, which was published two years prior to the aforementioned poetry collection.
    Show More Show Less
    1 min
  • “Afternoon” by Emma Lazarus

    “Afternoon” by Emma Lazarus
    Oct 15 2017
    While she wrote dozens of poems, Emma Lazarus is most known for "The New Colossus" and information about much of her other work is scarce. Indeed, information regarding "Afternoon" is almost nonexistent online. This beautiful, narrative piece is filled with vivid visuals that draw the reader into the scene. It takes very little effort to feel as though one is walking alongside the unnamed "her" in the poem. Whether the woman Lazarus refers to is herself or if it is a more general usage of the pronoun we may never know. Regardless this is a wonderful poem which conveys an emotion that most of us can relate to in some way.
    Show More Show Less
    3 mins