Natural History

Natural History
E.B. White


The spider, dropping down from twig,
Unfolds a plan of her devising,
A thin premeditated rig
To use in rising.

And all that journey down through space,
In cool descent and loyal hearted,
She spins a ladder to the place
From where she started.

Thus I, gone forth as spiders do
In spider's web a truth discerning,
Attach one silken thread to you
For my returning.


This letter (in the form of a poem) was written to "Katherine" from the "King Edward Hotel, Toronto". I'm not sure what that means, but the fact that it's a letter shows some significance. It means that these two people were communicating with one another, most likely on good terms. I would even go as far to say that they were lovers. There is an overall sound to the poem which makes it seem like that, such as "attach one silken thread to you for my returning". This sets the poems tone and automatically makes it come across as a love poem.

An effective strategy that E.B. White characterizes the spider as a woman. This is a metaphor to human life, as it is the woman who is stereotyped to stay at home while the man goes out and does his thing. It also shows how a spider, or woman, can be conniving. They seem harmless but trap you in their web. This poem shows a feminist view, but from a male narrarator. This is powerful because it is a view that is sometimes neglected but showing it from the oppositions view point in a positive manner makes it work really well and unique.

Those Winter Sundays

Robert Hayden
Those Winter Sundays


Sundays too my father got up early
And put his clothes on in the blueback cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?



In this poem Robert Hayden's appreciation for his father shows. He must have had a somewhat awkward connection with him because he makes it evident that he cares about what his dad does but never really is able to repay him, even if it is just keeping the house warm. This shows a part of who Hayden is as a person because he is able to appreciate a small thing that many people over look like keeping a house warm in the winter. His dad is up early every morning looking after his family and Hayden realizes this and looks up to his father for it greatly.


A strategy that Hayden uses in this poem is discribing the importance of something that is often overlooked in everyday life. This things which are often under played like this can have an unknown affect on people if they are put unto a pedestal and shown the signifcance of them. This can help a writer because they can write about a familiar topic of importance to them that many other people would ordinarily not understand. This can give people insight to the troubles in the lives of other people than just their own. Writing about personal sentimental stories can be effective because it lets others feel how the author does.