When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay

We think that going to see an astronomer explain the stars and planets would be fun, but the speaker isn't having any of it. He doesn't like the way the astronomer puts the mysteries of nature into...

The poem is written in the voice of a plain-speaking individual. The use of such contractions and other signs of a common, folksy accent stand in ironic contrast to the refined sensibilities of the...

The poem develops around the contrast between two different kinds of "stars" (and, no, not the Hollywood kind). The astronomer's "stars" are abstract ideas that can be reduced to numbers and charts...