# Famous Poems – usable in Essays

1. Maya Angelou’s - ‘Still I rise’

“You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise…….”

• Theme: women empowerment, vulnerable sections- casteism and racism, even

nations/nation state making their identity, anyone which is trying to rise through
difficult circumstances – Hope, optimism, resilience, courage.
• Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist.
(Poem is too long, the first stanza is mentioned here, poem is written in context of
racism and oppression of Blacks in America)

2. Maya Angelou’s ‘Caged bird’

“ ………..The caged bird sings

with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.”

• Theme: Freedom, unprivileged vs privileged, Human rights, refugee crisis

• The poem describes the opposing experiences between two birds: one bird is able to
live in nature as it pleases, while a different caged bird suffers in captivity. The
latter bird sings both to cope with its circumstances and to express its own longing
for freedom. Using the extended metaphor of these two birds, Angelou paints a
critical portrait of oppression in which she illuminates the privilege and
entitlement of the un-oppressed, and conveys the simultaneous experience of
suffering and emotional resilience. In particular, the poem's extended metaphor
can be seen as portraying the experience of being a Black person in America.

3. Invictus by William Ernest Henley

“…………It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”

• Theme: Resilience in face of difficult situations, will power, courage, fortitude.

• William Ernest Henley was a Victorian era British poet
(Poem is long, the last stanza is mentioned here)
• The poem is drawn from Henley's experience recovering from the amputation of his
left leg in an Edinburgh hospital at a time when hospitalization often meant death.
A memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism—the "stiff upper lip" of self-discipline
and fortitude in adversity, which popular culture rendered into a British character
trait—"Invictus" remains a cultural touchstone.
• Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who was jailed 27 years for his activism
and in 1994 became President of South Africa, regularly recited the poem Invictus
during his imprisonment. Invictus, meaning unconquerable or undefeated in Latin,
was written in 1875 by William Ernest Henley.

4. Robert Frost’s The Road Not taken

“………….I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

• Theme: Unconventional decisions, choosing uncommon path, taking risk, success

• Robert Frost was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life
and his command of American colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about
settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century, using them to
examine complex social and philosophical themes
(Poem is long, the last stanza is mentioned here)
• Written in 1915 in England, "The Road Not Taken" is one of Robert Frost's—and the
world's—most well-known poems. Although commonly interpreted as a celebration
of rugged individualism, the poem actually contains multiple different meanings.
The speaker in the poem, faced with a choice between two roads, takes the road "less
traveled," a decision which he or she supposes "made all the difference." However,
Frost creates enough subtle ambiguity in the poem that it's unclear whether the
speaker's judgment should be taken at face value, and therefore, whether the poem
is about the speaker making a simple but impactful choice, or about how the speaker
interprets a choice whose impact is unclear.

5. Robert Frost’s Stopping-By-Woods-On-A-Snowy-Evening

“…………. The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

• Theme: Duty, responsibility, symbolizing - a long journey, Dharma and Karma

• This poem evokes a sense of serenity and isolation as the speaker pauses in a snowy
forest. The speaker acknowledges the owner's absence and respects his privacy. The
horse's curiosity and the jingling of its harness bells provide a gentle contrast to the
stillness of the forest. The poem's tone shifts from peaceful contemplation to a sense
of duty as the speaker remembers their obligations and the long journey ahead.
Despite the beauty of the woods, the speaker must prioritize their responsibilities
and continue their travels.

6. ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ by Dylan Thomas

“Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
…………….
 And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

• Theme: Not accepting defeat, facing circumstances through courage

• Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer of 20th century. The “Do Not Go Gentle
into That Good Night” poem takes its name from its opening sentence, which suggests
that people should not go willingly to death or “gentle into that good night,” in other
words. The poem comprises six stanzas in which the speaker categorizes men into
four classes: wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men, with the intention of
offering the reader a peek into the minds of such men as they near death. Throughout
the poem, the speaker dissuades those facing death from succumbing without a fight,
an effort evoked predominantly by the speaker’s repeated plea that they should
“rage, rage against the dying of the light.” All the while, the speaker acknowledges
that death is unavoidable. Despite this acknowledgement, the speaker maintains that
people should not give in and accept death so easily. Many Hollywood movies have
referenced it , specially ‘The Interstellar’.

7. ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling

“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
………………………………..

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!”

• Theme: It's important to maintain integrity, resilience, and humility in the face of
adversity. Confidence, showing maturity when world is doubting you.
• “If” is an inspirational poem that provides advice on how one should live one’s life.
The poem takes the reader through various ways in which the reader can rise above
adversity that will almost certainly be thrown one’s way at some point. Throughout
the poem, the speaker gives the reader multiple scenarios, both positive and
negative, along with a glimpse into how one should conduct oneself, including lessons
in manhood, humility, willpower, composure, and living a virtuous life.

8. ‘Harlem’ By Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
 Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

• Theme: When dreams are deferred or delayed, they can have a profound and often
negative impact.

9. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(it’s not a poem but a ballad , you can’t write the exact words)

• Theme: This poem is one of the most well-known poems. It is in the form of a ballad. The
poem is a story of sin, punishment and redemption of an old sailor. Can be used where
moving forward, being optimistic and a hope for a bright future is needed.

• The character of the old mariner is very relatable to many of us who feel that we are
held back by our mistakes and cannot move forward from the guilt we get from such
mistakes. The old mariner tries to move from the mistake he committed by telling his
feelings and his story to every random person he meets. Similarly, he stops the man
attending the wedding and persuades him to listen to his story. The story tells us that
no matter what, we need to move forward and find our ways to come out of the guilt and
forgive ourselves. It is much needed to have self-love and be gentle with our feelings.
The story also reminds us to enjoy little things in life and also to appreciate everything
that God has created. This can be done to take a minute from rushing to achieve things,
we can do this by realizing that human beings are not the only creation of God but one
among many creations.

10. Homer’s poems

• Homer was a classical Greek poet and author of such epic prose as The Iliad and
Odyssey. For many, Homer is the beginning of poetry and one of the literary gods who
set the standard for the future of literature.
• Epic poem The Iliad is set during the Trojan War when Troy was under siege by the
surrounding Greek states. The story covers a few weeks towards the end of the siege
and alludes to many of the legends of the time most notably the story of Achilles. It’s a
grand tale of kings and gods, betrayals and triumphs and the eventual fall of Troy itself.

• Seen as a sequel to The Iliad, The Odyssey follows the adventures of the hero Odysseus
and his many tribulations as he returns home after the Trojan War, a journey that has
taken ten years. The influence of the work can be seen in later poems and works such as
the Epic of Gilgamesh and Dante’s Inferno that includes Odysseus as a character in one
of the cantos.

11. Shakespeare’s sonnets are famous

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have
their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts. His
acts being seven ages.”

12. Emily Dickinson , famous poet and her famous quote “Hope is the thing with
feathers that perches in the soul — and sings the tunes without the words — and
never stops at all.”
13. John Keats , famous poet quoted: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its
loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.”