Elizabeth Bishop's work is dense and light at once. This is clear from the first poem of this collection, where she reveals her larger metaphor with a powerful simile in a single line: in exploring the colors of maps and their intricate detail, she describes their printers as "experiencing the same excitement / as when an emotion too far exceeds its cause". Therein lies the motive for her digressive journey from direct descriptions of land to the map in the first stanzas of the poem: the emotion that one retroactively gives their own history, as in the colors of the map; as when an emotion too far exceeds its cause.

Bishop's style alternates throughout the poems from her lifetime, but the same innovation and intensity shine through in each. It's difficult to mention any one poem specifically for fear of having to mention 20 others; almost any work vindicates her as one of the earliest female Poet Laureates, and Bishop’s application of her deep literacy in poetry shows itself in many techniques as varied as they are skillfully suggestive.

In terms of writing that draws on existing literature, Bishop differed from her contemporary Louise Bogan, a similar, primarily formalist poet, in that Bishop more frequently chose modern subjects for her poetry. However, the same discipline and attention to the concept she wrote into existence still made for great poetry. Unfortunately, modern symbols in poetry often convey nothing more than the simple tenor of the anxieties of modern life: a life that can't rest on traditions of the past and where everyone feels lost, which gets old quickly (ironically enough). But Bishop treats "The Shampoo" the same way that she treats a common, literary symbol like the moon.

When Bishop employed conventional symbols such as the moon, her treatment of them was equally creative and intriguing as with her examination of typewriters, a discrete nighttime bus ride, or indulgent yachts. In "Insomnia", the moon she presents is a solitary, defiant being, discerning everything around it, before she eventually connects the moon back to herself, a deserted, former lover, lost in half-dreams of what was. But, as with so many of her other poems, "Insomnia" has many more layers than just the meaning and its symbol. Bishop arranged the syntax of the last stanza such that the last line, seeming to be lulling into regularity (as one lulls into unconsciousness), is snapped into awareness like one experiencing a cyclic and torturous insomnia. Describing the place that her feelings for her former lover descend into, she describes "that world inverted / where left is always right, / where the shadows are really the body, / where we stay awake all night, / where the heavens are as shallow as the sea / is now deep, and you love me."

The only suggestion I have is to read her poems, and then reread them. One of the most satisfying aspects of reading the oeuvre of such honored poets is interacting with such consistent complexity and fecundity of true masters of their craft. You will always be able to find new ways to interpret such great artist’s poems, something easily learned through Elizabeth Bishop’s Poems.

The Last Leaf is one of the more known short stories from the collection of many written by O’Henry, first published in 1905. Set in Greenwich Village, the story follows artists Sue and Johnsy who share a studio together. As the winter sets in, pneumonia begins to afflict the inhabitants of their neighborhood, including Johnsy. It is a particularly bad case and Johnsy is left listless in bed, waiting for her inevitable end. The doctor tells her concerned friend Sue that she must make Johnsy believe she wants to live, and if she does not, then Johnsy will surely die. Sue becomes understandably upset and sobs, prematurely mourning the loss of her friend. When Sue comes back to Johnsy’s room, she hears her counting backwards. It is revealed that Johnsy is counting the leaves left on the ivy vine outside her window. When the last leaf falls, Johnsy believes she will die. She tells Sue that she has been counting for three days. Sue begs Johnsy to close her eyes and no longer watch the leaves, and reluctantly she obliges. Sue goes to their neighbor Mr. Behrman, who at first rages about the foolishness of Johnsy before agreeing to help her. Although considered a fierce old man, he is actually quite kind in regards to his young upstairs neighbors and he feels quite sorry for Johnsy and how ill she has become. The story’s end is bittersweet, utilizing a classic O’Henry twist to effectivley tug at the reader’s heart strings, never not causing a few tears (no matter how many times it is read!). Only a few pages, The Last Leaf is a short yet incredibly moving story, reminding the reader of the selflessness that can be found within people.

Based on a story, the Open Boat by Stephen Crane is an engaging tale of a shipwrecked crew drifting at sea, hoping to be saved. The crew: correspondent, oiler (Billie), cook, and the captain struggle with the idea that they may die. The oiler and the correspondent take turns rowing the boat through the rough waters. The men try to find someone or something that could help them get to safety but to no avail. After days of rowing, they get close to shore when a giant wave intercepts them.

From the first line, we see the characters do not truly understand their place in the universe. They do not see the sky, they do not understand the sea, and they are blinded by their own belief of their importance.

Crane also includes many symbols to mainly develop the concept of death. The shark and seagulls that linger around the men. Throughout the story we learn that the universe and nature do not care about the men, as they are truly insignificant. The waves serve as both a force of destruction and a force for good.

Since Crane experienced the events of the story, the story gains more depth and is truly an interesting dive into the thoughts of death and how it changes a person.

I personally liked the story and some of the humor that Crane adds. So when you have free time, sit down and read this short story!

Where does true horror lie? What depths of the soul give a human his heart? Written in 1843, Tell-Tale Heart tells about a narrator who, disturbed by his strangely, peculiar eye, murders his victim in cold blood to rid himself of his absurd fear, however his undiscovered feelings toward the victim soon haunts the narrator as he yearns to conceal his tale and tune out a supposed sound of the victim’s hideous beating heart.

This horror story is very modern for its time considering in all accounts it is not a horror story. Using spectacular writing and themes similar to defenses in court cases, Poe expertly explains the human complexities of guilt and sanity that lie in the depths of everyone’s soul as well as the complex mindset of cold murder. These themes of guilt and sanity will resonate with readers as they explore the depths of the people they pass off as insane and a murderer. However, perhaps the most expert thing about Tell-Tale Heart is that it could be completely false! The Tell-Tale Heart is told from the perspective of the murderer who is made unreliable as he tries to prove his sanity against all odds. In the beginning, he cries to the reader for sanity all the while proving the opposite. This makes the reader a participant in the story as they are led to question and figure out for themselves if the account is credible. The certain details Poe allows the narrator to tell only heighten its horrific factor as well as make the reader question his belief in this pitiful man. For instance, the narrator clearly remembers, to the non-belief of others, that “it was his eye!” And that it, “resembled that of a vulture — a pale blue eye.” In all totality, this story brings about a wonderful tale that evokes horror in the reader as well as connecting them to the complexity of the human being all the while the narrator urges you to believe him, but in the end, it is up to you whether you believe him or not! Do you?

Winter Dreams tells the story of Dexter, a man trying to achieve the American Dream in the roaring twenties. After only catering to the upper class as a golf course caddy child, Dexter set out to become an upper class member by living life like the rich and building up his business until he is just as wealthy as the upper class members. Dexter’s motivation to reach the upper class mainly stemmed from his experience with Judy Jones, an upper class girl who Dexter liked but knew he couldn’t be with since he was part of a middle class family. As Dexter grew up, his desire to be in the upper class affected his decisions, for example making Dexter attend an expensive college rather than a normal one. Dexter’s return to the golf course he once worked at marks the beginning of his lesson about the reality of the American Dream. By the end of the story Dexter figures out the truth about his “Winter Dreams”, watching his dreams fall apart. Throughout the story Fitzgerald uses the changing setting from winter to summer, to spring and many symbols to make the reader really understand the roller coaster of emotions. This mixed with the odd six section structure of the story and the narrator makes the short story seem like a lesson about one’s dreams. I personally loved the story and the realism that Fitzgerald adds to the story and would recommend it to anyone with time, looking for a good story to read.