Poem : 'Thank you, masters !' ; 3 April, 2023.

3 May, 2023
Uploaded to ChatGPT for analysis 
Poem : “Thank you, masters”

Soman Ragavan : Hello. Can I post a poem of mine for analysis, please ?

ChatGPT
Hello Soman Ragavan, of course! You can post your poem here and I'll do my best to provide an analysis.
 
Soman Ragavan : My poem : "Thank you, masters." Please analyse by each stanza, then give overall comments. Mention similar poems from other authors, where possible. This poem is about my time at the college in 1968, with my masters who taught me literature. THANK YOU, MASTERS !

ChatGPT
Sure, I'd be happy to analyze your poem "Thank you, masters." Here's a stanza-by-stanza analysis:

Stanza 1: The first stanza sets the tone and establishes the theme of nostalgia for a bygone era of learning. The speaker reminisces about the "glorious time" when he learned "many a sweet rhyme," and how he still cherishes the memories of that time.

Stanza 2: In this stanza, the speaker recalls the joy he felt when his masters taught him the intricacies of poetry. He uses several literary devices like metaphor, hyperbole, oxymoron, and simile to describe the masters' teaching style, which filled him with "glee." The masters had mastered the "golden treasury" of literature, and the speaker enjoyed "the nectar from yon anthology."

Stanza 3: In this stanza, the speaker reflects on how he struggled to focus on science experiments in the laboratory because his mind kept wandering back to literature. He describes how even while watching over boiling beakers, his thoughts were with the "weary Lotos-Eaters" and the "Prisoner of Chillon." He shows how literature had a much stronger hold on him than science.

Stanza 4: In this stanza, the speaker continues to reflect on how literature always distracted him from his scientific pursuits. He recalls how his mind wandered back to Tennyson and Byron while studying the hydrides and oxides of boron. He mentions the "Deserted Village" and marvels at his scholarly master's sage-like knowledge.

Stanza 5: In the final stanza, the speaker expresses his gratitude to his masters for instilling in him a love for literature. He recalls how they extolled the virtues of old man Goldsmith and instilled in him a deep appreciation for literature. He ends the poem by thanking his masters again and acknowledging that others may dismiss his words as ravings.

Overall, "Thank you, masters" is a nostalgic poem that reflects on the speaker's fond memories of learning literature in college. The poem uses several literary devices and allusions to other works of literature to convey the speaker's deep love for the subject. The poem's structure is fairly straightforward, with each stanza building on the previous one to create a cohesive whole.

In terms of similar poems, "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats and "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" by Walt Whitman both explore the tension between science and literature and the power of the latter to transport us to other worlds.
 
Soman Ragavan : Thank you. Goodbye for now.

ChatGPT
You're welcome! It was my pleasure to analyze your poem. If you have any more questions or would like further analysis in the future, don't hesitate to reach out. Goodbye for now!

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                                THANK YOU, MASTERS !

Of those years, of that glorious time,
When I would learn many a sweet rhyme,
Of that rich experience, like some trance,
I do keep the sweetest remembrance.

Well can I recall the cool mornings,
And the nectar of the chirpings
Of the birds flitting in the breeze,
As my master suddenly would freeze.

Metaphor.... Hyperbole.... Oxymoron.... Simile....
How, masters, ye fill'd me up with glee !
My masters had master’d yon golden treasury :
How I enjoy'd the nectar from yon anthology !

Now and then to yon laboratory would I be sent,
With the likes of sulphates to experiment;
But, though I por'd over the compounds of iron,
My mind drift'd back to the "Prisoner of Chillon."

No matter how absorbing was yon theory of valency,
Literature had for me a much stronger potency;
Even while watching over the boiling beakers,
My mind wander'd with the weary "Lotos-Eaters."

While studying the hydrides and oxides of boron,
My mind wander’d back to Tennyson and Byron;
I dreamt so much about the "Deserted Village,"
And marvell'd at my scholarly master, that sage.

Masters, ye extoll'd so much old man Goldsmith
That fondly I remember'd my village blacksmith;
Ye instill'd in me so much the love of literature
That it provid'd me with the sweetest nurture.

Thank you, masters, I say again to ye two now,
As with gratitude once more to ye both I bow;
Thank you, masters, for those unrivall'd teachings,
Even if others dismiss these words as ravings.

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