Lee-James Bovey Poetry Expert

Lee-James Bovey

Lee-James, a.k.a. LJ, has been a Poem Analysis team member ever since Novemer 2015, providing critical analysis of poems from the past and present. Nowadays, he helps manage the team and the website.

The Rear-Guard

Read Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘The Rear-Guard’ with a complete summary, analysis, and context to the war poem, about a soldier’s journey.

Chrysalis

Chrysalis is a contemporary poem that examines the human response to the coronavirus (Covid-19). At times it is bleak and

The British (serves 60 Million)

‘The British (serves 60 Million)’ is a quirky and amusing poem celebrating the diverse cultural heritage of Great Britain.

The Race Industry

‘The Race Industry’ by Benjamin Zephaniah is, at least in part, autobiographical. It is a commentary on how society is quite authoritarian.

A Far Cry from Africa

‘A Far Cry from Africa’ is a poem based around the struggles in Africa. One would presume it is at least partially autobiographical.

The New Bride

The New Bride is told from the perspective of a woman who overdoses. The majority of the poem is the

Puppets

The poem, Puppets, is about love and it draws on the puppets to make a comparison between them and how humans

Awake By Jim Morrison

Interestingly, Awake has been one of the hardest poems I’ve had the pleasure of commenting on. In Morrison’s poetry, he uses

Goblin Market

‘Goblin Market’ is one of Christina Rossetti’s most famous and well-studied poems. The symbolism in the poem has led to a number of interpretations. One could argue that it is a metaphor for drug addiction or female purity.

Over

The poem ‘Over‘ is from Duffy’s ‘Rapture‘ collection and actually has a lot in common with the title poem from that

Rapture

‘Rapture‘ has a religious significance – it is supposed to be the time when the living and the dead ascend

Hello Lust

Hello Lust is about lust and the nature of the emotion. It is filled with glorious metaphors that really dig

The Last Rites

The Last Rites may well be autobiographical and describes the feelings and emotions of the narrator who loses their Grandmother.

The Eleven O’clock News

The Eleven O’clock News is about watching reports of a war taking place on the news. The poem then describes

The Night

‘The Night’ is ostensibly about heaven and the angels. It is laden with references to nature and the natural world as you would expect from a romantic era poem.

Time

‘Time’ contains an almost cruel irony as it talks of the perilous nature of the sea and it would later

Ascetic

The poem’s title, ‘Ascetic’, is basically the practice of going without, usually this means leading a Spartan lifestyle and avoiding

Identity

‘Identity’ is a poem that focuses and explores the concept of a person’s image not just their physical appearance but

Bars Fight

‘Bars Fight’ is a ballad about an attack on two white families by Native Americans. The title of the poem

Ring Out Wild Bells

Ring Out Wild Bells is about the new year and all the ways the world could change for the better.

Praise Of Creation

‘Praise Of Creation’ is about the creation of our universe. There are lots of biblical references in particular to the

A World Of Light

‘A World Of Light’ explores the idea of dark and light and contravenes the traditional use of these two with

Night Sister

‘Night Sister’ is a fantastic poem. It describes the narrator’s view of the eponymous Night Sister. The narrative appears to

The Best-Kept Secrets of Poetry

Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox

Discover and learn about the greatest poetry, straight to your inbox

Start Your Perfect Poetry Journey