Editor's note
Ranking is generated by Storgy's classification model, which scores each poem's thematic depth on this subject relative to the rest of the corpus. The list is re-indexed weekly as new poems enter the public-domain corpus.
Best poems about — Storgy
anger.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about anger, ranked by thematic depth. Scored by Storgy's classification model against the rest of the corpus, and re-indexed weekly as new works enter the canon.
The leading three
01
Daddy
Sylvia Plath
“Written in 1962, "Daddy" is Sylvia Plath's intense confrontation with her memories of her father, Otto Plath, who passed away when she was just eight. The speak…”
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02
Lady Lazarus
Sylvia Plath
“Lady Lazarus is Sylvia Plath's bold and theatrical poem about a woman who has survived several suicide attempts, viewing her death and resurrection as a grotesq…”
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03
Black Art
Amiri Baraka
“Written in 1965 during the peak of the Black Arts Movement, "Black Art" is Amiri Baraka's passionate manifesto-poem urging Black poetry to move beyond decoratio…”
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The complete index
- 04
The General
Siegfried Sassoon · 1917
A soldier angrily recounts how a cheerful, oblivious general sent his men to their deaths, all while smiling and greeting them. The general's friendly demeanor starkly contrasts wi…
- 05
Against Maevius
Horace
Horace unleashes a fierce storm upon a ship that’s transporting a man named Maevius, whom he clearly loathes. He hurls one curse after another—raging winds, shattered oars, terrifi…
- 06
A Hate-Song
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A bitter man sits by a ditch, strumming a broken lute and letting out a song — or more like a screech — filled with pure hatred for a woman he sees as cruel. It’s a brief, biting,…
- 07
An Apartment in the Castle of Petrella
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This scene from Shelley’s verse drama *The Cenci* depicts the monstrous Count Cenci as he schemes to ruin his daughter Beatrice—physically, mentally, and socially—while his wife Lu…
- 08
Ballad of the Landlord
Langston Hughes
A Black tenant confronts his landlord, insisting on repairs for a leaking roof and broken steps, even threatening to withhold rent. In response, he finds himself arrested, jailed,…
- 09
Caliban on Ariel
Algernon Charles Swinburne
This is a Shakespearean-style sonnet where Swinburne adopts the voice of Caliban — the brutish, resentful slave from *The Tempest* — and uses Caliban's own harsh words against him.…
- 10
Canidia's Answer
Horace
A witch named Canidia gives an angry, triumphant speech to a man who ridiculed her dark rituals and exposed her secrets to the people of Rome. She informs him that no amount of ple…
- 11
Lines Written During the Castlereagh Administration
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley penned this intense, brief poem as a sharp critique of the British government led by Viscount Castlereagh, whose policies he believed were suffocating the freedom of everyd…
- 12
London
William Blake
Blake walks through London and sees suffering all around him — in the faces of passersby, in the cries of children, and in the weary sighs of soldiers. He contends that the city's…
- 13
The Mask of Anarchy
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Written in intense anger after soldiers killed peaceful protesters at St Peter's Field in Manchester in 1819, "The Mask of Anarchy" is Shelley’s plea for the English working class…
- 14
To the Lord Chancellor
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley unleashes a furious curse aimed at the Lord Chancellor — the judge responsible for taking his children away — wishing every kind of grief and ruin upon him. He enumerates t…
- 15
Witch Burning
Sylvia Plath
In "Witch Burning," Sylvia Plath channels the voice of a woman facing execution by fire, transforming the grim reality of witch trials into a poignant examination of female identit…
- 16
Written on the Occasion of the Massacre at Manchester
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Written in a surge of anger after cavalry charged a peaceful crowd in Manchester in 1819, this poem by Shelley urges the working people of England to stand up against their oppress…
- 17
The Revenge of Rain-In-The-Face
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem recounts the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876), where Sioux warriors under Sitting Bull surprised and defeated Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and his cavalry. Rain-in-the…
- 18
Checking Out Me History
John Agard · 2007
- 19
Against Cassius Severus
Horace
Horace confronts a critic named Cassius Severus, labeling him a coward for going after easy targets rather than facing someone who can push back. He likens himself to a fierce guar…
- 20
America
Claude McKay
Claude McKay's "America" is crafted as a Shakespearean sonnet where the speaker grapples with two conflicting emotions toward the United States: he despises how the country treats…
- 21
At an Extrumpery Caucus in State Street, Reported by Mr. H. Biglow
James Russell Lowell
A fictional political speech, delivered in a thick New England dialect, by a corrupt Whig party insider who is furious that Congressman John Palfrey wouldn’t support the party’s pr…
- 22
Dear John Wayne
Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich's "Dear John Wayne" is a letter-poem directed at the iconic Hollywood cowboy actor, crafted from the viewpoint of Native Americans viewing a Western film at a drive-…
- 23
February, 1848
James Russell Lowell
Written in February 1848, this poem reflects on the surge of revolutions across Europe—particularly in France—where years of oppression pushed ordinary people to rise up violently.…
- 24
, General,
James Russell Lowell
This excerpt is from the satirical index of James Russell Lowell's *The Biglow Papers*, a collection of political verse and prose that lampoons American politicians, critiques the…
- 25
Lines to a Reviewer
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A poet coolly informs a hostile critic that hating him is a waste of energy since he won’t respond with hate — without a struggle, there’s no thrill in the confrontation. He clever…
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