http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/american-poetry Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 20 May 2026 15:43:23 -0400 Wed, 20 May 2026 15:43:23 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1373/robert-lowells-life-studies-the-examination-of-an-ailing-soul By Robert S. Marcus - Largely at fault to aversion held against his parents, Lowell eventually rebels against their religious manipulations by converting to Roman Catholicism. Through his conversion, he adopts and embraces a familiar darkness toward the Puritan community. In his poem “Children of Light” he expresses his bitterness: “And light is where the landless blood of Cain/ Is burning, burning the unburied grain,” suggesting the poison and corruption inflicted upon the “unburied grain” (symbolizing the naïve and impressionable youth) that results from a Puritan upbringing... Fri, 04 Mar 2016 12:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1373/robert-lowells-life-studies-the-examination-of-an-ailing-soul http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/569/emily-dickinsons-my-life-had-stood-a-loaded-gun-revealing-the-power-of-a-womans-words By Kathleen E. Gilligan - At other times, Dickinson’s poetry can seem confusing or strange to even the most careful reader. In such instances it is necessary to sift through the clues she leaves in her words in order to decipher the hidden meaning. Her seemingly random capitalization, lack of punctuation or obsession with dashes, and incorrect use of grammar were all done deliberately, sometimes to highlight the message that would have otherwise gone unheeded. One such poem which has multiple meanings is “My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun—.” To the average reader, Emily Dickinson’s &ldquo... Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:01 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/569/emily-dickinsons-my-life-had-stood-a-loaded-gun-revealing-the-power-of-a-womans-words