Analysis of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “What lips my lips have kissed‚ and where‚ and why” In the 1923 sonnet‚ “What lips my lips have kissed‚” Edna St. Vincent Millay speaks about several loves coming to an end and the emotion its gives her while she reminiscences through her past. Two major themes of this sonnet are change and loss. The theme loss is throughout the entire sonnet. Some parts of this sonnet are traditional while other parts are untraditional. This is a modern Italian sonnet. The
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Marya Williams English 120 Professor Israel Written assignment 2 23 October 2012 Analysis of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “What lips my lips have kissed‚ and where‚ and why” The poem entitled [What lips my lips have kissed‚ and where‚ and why] by Edna St. Vincent Millay‚ is a very forward thinking sonnet of its time. Most sonnets are dedicated or about one single person. This one in particular is about the memory of several lovers. This poem is written in iambic pentameter‚ with
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From time to time all a person thinks about is the person they love and on bad days they are thinking about what they could have done to save their relationship. In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem “What lips my lips have kissed‚” the speaker comes to a conclusion that everyone changes and it is great to accept what has come your way. She informs the readers that she “only know that summer sang in me‚ / A little while‚ that in me sings no more” (lines 12-13). Initially this statement proposes that
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the late Edna St. Vincent Millay‚ an American poet born in the late 1800’s. As Millay was entering her prime of both emotional enlightenment and sexual power in the 1920’s‚ she began creating a series works transformed from expression of strong-willed individuals and independent women in some works‚ (The Lamp and the Bell‚ 1921)‚ to more of a reflection of human emotion in others. Just as seasons go through an inevitable change‚ so do people. In her sonnet‚ “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed‚ and Where
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Jessie Teskey In Edna St Vincent Millay’s Petrarchan sonnet “What lips my lips have kissed”‚ the speaker talks about past lovers that are in her life no more. Millay uses a variety of poetic devices such as‚ imagery‚ tone‚ and metaphor. She uses imagery of pleasure‚ intimate love‚ and nature. Her tone alters throughout the poem from feelings of wistfulness in the octave‚ to loneliness and abandonment in the sestet. The sestet signifies a shift from the speakers internal to external perspective
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An effective short poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay‚ What Lips my lips have kissed‚ and where‚ and why‚ portrays the dissonance between ideal young love and aged heartbreak. Millay starts this theme by looking back on the affairs she has had and realizes she has aged‚ "What lips my lips have kissed‚ and where‚ and why‚ I have forgotten " (1-2). Then Millay explains how her past lovers continue to haunt her‚ " but the rain is full of ghosts tonight‚ that tap and sigh upon the glass and listen for
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poem‚ “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed and Where and Why?” by Edna St. Vincent Millay‚ indicates that she has become an older woman who can’t remember the loves in her past that have come and gone. Throughout this poem there are hints and reasoning behind my thoughts on why Millay has described herself in this poem. I will go through this poem dissecting short parts of the poem to prove my point. “What lips my lips have kissed‚ and where and why‚ I have forgotten‚ and what arms have lain
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poems I chose to write about are Elizabeth Bishops “One Art” and “What my lips have kissed” by Edna St. Vincent Millay’s. I chose both of these because they both in a way are describing love‚ and loss for something or someone. Even though they do not come right out and say it‚ both poems deal with love and the loss they have experienced. In Bishops poem she talks about how losing comes at ease and how nothing that has been lost has been disastrous. However‚ in the last stanza of her poem I believe
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Edna St. Vincent Millay‚ a poet and playwright ‚ was best known for her lyrical poetry. She wrote many poems‚ on topics such as love‚ fidelity‚ erotic desire‚ and feminist issues. The part of Millay that wasn’t highly publicized is that she addressed herself as a bisexual and had many affairs with woman before her marriage. It is not said if she continued sexual involments with women after her marriage (though it is quite possible)‚ nor it is not said which of her poems are written about women
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Edna St. Vincent Millay’s life was limited to fifty-eight short years‚ but she clearly made a substantial impact in the literary world expressing lifestyle choices for women indicative of the societal changes precipitated during the Progressive Era. Millay and her two sisters were raised primarily by a divorced mother who was often forced to leave the girls alone as she traveled as a nurse. The marriage of Millay’s parents was destroyed by the financial recklessness of her father and it is likely
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