In "My Last Duchess," Browning offers readers a personal view of an aristocratic Duchess from the mid-1840s. While standing in front of his late wife's portrait, Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara of Italy talks about her failings and imperfections to a member of his fiancee's family. The ironic twist comes when it is realized that the young wife's faults were simply "a heart too soon made glad, too easily impressed." In other words, she was too friendly to others-especially men-and thus the arrogant, jealous and controlling Duke had her killed.

The poem offers an example of the dramatic monologue, since from a formalist standpoint, it includes the three elements of an occasion, a speaker and a listener (sometimes oneself), all its words are meant to be heard and there is one voice. It is also a form of lyric poem where the speaker addresses a distinct but silent audience imagined to be present to reveal a d

"Richard Cory" is one of Edwin Arlington Robinson's best-known poems. It comes from the collection "The Children of the Night." The poem was written in 1897 after Robinson read a newspaper clipping about Frank Avery, who "blew his bowels out with a shotgun." Despite his wealth, Richard Cory "was always human when he talked," and "admirably schooled in every grace." Everyone wishes they are like him, until he "put a bullet through his head." Like "My Last Duchess," the ending of Robinson's poem is very ironic, in that Cory is so capable of maintaining a pleasant front.

Lastly, "My Last Duchess has imagery that provides information and mood. At the end of the poem, the Duke uses the bronze Neptune who is taming a seahorse to explain his need for complete obedience from his future wife. Also, it demonstrates how the Duke sees himself as a God who demands allegiance from everyone. Through such an approach, Browning conveys the crimes and personal deficiencies of the Victorian age.

Browning also relies on a number of different metaphors, or comparisons between two things, to provide information. For example, the Duke reveals his protectiveness of his wife as he talks of curtains that only he has permission to draw. The phrase "spot of joy into the Duchess' cheek" is a metaphor comparing the splendor and beauty of the Duchess that caught everyone's eye.

"We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks is structured with a rhyming scheme, but is very informal yet modern. In this case, the narrators are actually looking at their own lives and what can be expected, not like the monologue or vision from a second -party narrator as those works above.

Whereas, Robinson uses 16 lines to convey his message, Brooks only uses just over half of that to convey hers. In just 32 words, she sums up the whole life of these "real cool" players due to their choices. The poem is short and not sweet, just like their lives. Also, like rap and

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Approximate Word count = 1301
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)