Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman Book Review

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 745 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 2

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night: The strange country of the night

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, a 2011 Newbery Honor-award winning poetry volume for children, combines factual prose with soaring poetry to demonstrate to young readers that the night is a strange and wondrous place. Long after the reader has gone to bed, a new world of animals creeps out into the woods to eat, play, and grow. Some of these creatures are terrifying; some of these creatures are timid. But what is most impressive about Sidman's work is the way that she grounds even her most fanciful poetry in facts about the animal's biology and actual living habits.

For example, I had never heard of a primrose moth until reading "Love Poem of the Primrose Moth." In the poem, the natural phenomenon of a moth that is small and dainty and feeds only on primrose becomes characterized as a protagonist in a love story between the moth and the flower the moth must eat to survive.

Stuck Writing Your "Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman" Book Review?

View All Our Example Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman Book Review

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

Instead of being a fact about the moth's biology, its feeding habits become the subject of a passionate love story about the insect and the flower. The moth spins forth an ode to the primrose: "At dawn I fold my sherbet-colored wings/and become / a primrose." It is as if the moth, by virtue of eating so many primroses, has become as beautiful as a primrose itself, despite its rather prosaic, insect appearance. There is beauty in the moth because of what it feasts upon and its ability to appreciate the flower. "I have only one true love; / it is the primrose." The moth cannot decide if "night flight" or the "nectar of a primrose" is sweeter, reflecting the fact that the moth flies incessantly and seeks out food at night -- it loves both.

This favorite poem underlines the fundamental theme of all of the poems of the book: the night is beautiful and magic, yet the curiosities we observe are produced by natural phenomena. Sidman underlines these themes by presenting a poem and then immediately juxtaposing it on the following page with….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dark Emperor And Other Poems Of The Night By Joyce Sidman" (2012, June 25) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dark-emperor-poems-night-joyce-sidman-110550

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dark Emperor And Other Poems Of The Night By Joyce Sidman" 25 June 2012. Web.5 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dark-emperor-poems-night-joyce-sidman-110550>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dark Emperor And Other Poems Of The Night By Joyce Sidman", 25 June 2012, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dark-emperor-poems-night-joyce-sidman-110550
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example