POETRY AROUND THE WORLD

France: Culture
- influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe, and other countries
- primary language is French, 80% of pop. establish French as 1st language
- people tend to speak corresponding language next to borders of different countries
- most popular religion: Catholicism~ 64% Roman Catholic; also large followings of Muslim, Judaism, & Hinduism

France (cont.)
Some values that express French culture and social climate glorifies the idea of "Love" and romance. For example, the openness of love leads to the statistic of "half of children being born to unmarried couples". And in harmony with love comes equality, because France is known to support equality. The French people stick to their country's motto of "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite".

France (cont.)
French people tend to value and respect friendship more than the typical American. As it is custom to be polite to everyone, friendship is very private and a sense of trust and commitment. A French friendship tends to require many encounters, whether it be in person or by phone. Unlike in the United States, where anybody can choose to be "free" and themselves in public, a relationship or friendship is the time and place to express ones true self.

Sully Prudhomme
- Born: March 16, 1839 - Paris
- His real name is René-François-Armand Prudhomme but his pseudo name is Sully Prudhomme
- He sought to restore elegance and balance to poetry as a leading member of the Parnassian Movement

Sully Prudhomme (cont.)
- He first studied science, but due to an eye illness had to stop. This is ironic because this poem talks about losing all sight
- He won the first Nobel prize in literature in 1901
- Died: September 7, 1907 - Châtenay, France

WRITING STYLE

• Reflective, contemplative
• Sad but sweet
• Rhyme Scheme (ABAB)

POEM SUMMARY

• A person's life
• Life & death
• Growing older
• Losing one's self
• Remembering the past

~ 1st Poetic Device: Personification
(Attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea)

~Personification

The eyeballs fall in sleep supine, Yet always will their life regain

~2nd Poetic Device:
Contrast
(Closely arranged objects/ideas with strikingly different characteristics)

~Contrast

The stars will always shine at will, And yet the eyes filled with darkness

~3rd Poetic Device:
Synesthesia
(An attempt to fuse different senses by describing one kind of sense impression in words normally used to describe another)

~Synesthesia

The nights than days are sweeter still, Have delighted the eyes countless

Works Cited:
~"Sully Prudhomme | Biography - French Poet." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 May 2015.
~"France - French Culture, Customs and Etiquette." Kwintessential. Kwintessential U.K., 2014. Web. 7 May 2015.
~"French Culture: Customs & Traditions." LiveScience. Purch. 21 Jan. 2015. Web. 7 May 2015.
~California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. "Poetic Devices." Chaparral Poets, n.d. PDF file.