This poem is quite simple. Kenyon describes the basic daily routine she goes through from waking up and eating breakfast to walking the dog and finally returning back to bed for the next day. In this poem she constantly states “it might have been otherwise”, as if she has other plans of doing something else. She writes in the first person, using I, making the poem seem extremely person. She also writes the events of her day in chronological order, and uses a lot of detail. The structure of the poem is just as simple as the poem itself. The poem has no specific design to it.
While reading this poem I discovered two interpretations. The first literal one I noticed was that the speaker has no excitement in her life. She is stuck in a routine that she can not escape. At the end of the poem, she states “But one day I know it will be otherwise”, meaning that she is going to break this and do something different.
The second interpretation I received was that the speaker had a condition where she loses her memory. And basically since she does not remember what she did, she assumes that she did the normal thing, that’s why she says “it might have been otherwise”. For instance, she mentions what she ate for breakfast and says it might have been otherwise. Since she cannot remember what she ate, she says what she would have eaten. So whenever she cannot remember something, she imagines what would have been an makes that what she did that day.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Masculine and Feminine Rhyme
Masculine rhyme is what you probably think of when you imagine a standard rhyme. In a masculine rhyme, the final syllable in a line matches the final syllable of the preceding line. Usually, this rhyming syllable is stressed, as in the following examples from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock:"
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
By contrast, feminine rhyme is a multi-syllabic rhyme that usually ends on an unstressed syllable. There are several feminine rhymes in "Prufrock" as well:
Oh, do not ask, "What is it?"
Let us go and make out visit.
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep... tired... or it malingers,
There is nothing inherently masculine or feminine about these types of rhyme (the terminology comes from the gendered nouns in Latin and French), but poets know this terminology and often play with the idea that feminine rhymes are associated with femininity. For instance, Shakespeare often makes a point of using feminine rhyme when he portrays or discusses models of femininity (or alternately, when he wants to question a male character's masculinity). Note this example from Sonnet 20, in which all the rhymes are feminine (as Shakespeare would have pronounced them anyway... some of the rhymes don't quite work with 21st-century American accents):
In the English language, feminine rhyme is also associated with light or comic verse. Note how the feminine rhyme that begins Jonathan Swift's "Description of a City Shower," sets the tone for the rest of the poem:
Careful observers may foretell the hour
(By sure prognostics) when to dread a shower:
While rain depends, the pensive cat gives o'er
Her frolics, and pursues her tail no more.
Returning home at night, you'll find the sink
Strike your offended sense with double stink.
If you be wise, then go not far to dine,
You spend in coach-hire more than save in wine.
A coming shower your shooting corns presage,
Old aches throb, your hollow tooth will rage.
Sauntering in coffee-house is Dulman seen;
He damns the climate, and complains of spleen.
Both masculine and feminine rhymes can be deployed with a wide variety of effects, but noticing what type of rhyme a poet uses can often help you to figure out a poet's attitude toward his or her subject.
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
By contrast, feminine rhyme is a multi-syllabic rhyme that usually ends on an unstressed syllable. There are several feminine rhymes in "Prufrock" as well:
Oh, do not ask, "What is it?"
Let us go and make out visit.
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep... tired... or it malingers,
There is nothing inherently masculine or feminine about these types of rhyme (the terminology comes from the gendered nouns in Latin and French), but poets know this terminology and often play with the idea that feminine rhymes are associated with femininity. For instance, Shakespeare often makes a point of using feminine rhyme when he portrays or discusses models of femininity (or alternately, when he wants to question a male character's masculinity). Note this example from Sonnet 20, in which all the rhymes are feminine (as Shakespeare would have pronounced them anyway... some of the rhymes don't quite work with 21st-century American accents):
| A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted |
| Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion; |
| A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted |
| With shifting change, as is false women's fashion; |
| An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling, |
| Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth; |
| A man in hue, all 'hues' in his controlling, |
| Much steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth. |
| And for a woman wert thou first created; |
| Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting, |
| And by addition me of thee defeated, |
| By adding one thing to my purpose nothing. |
| But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure, |
| Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure. |
In the English language, feminine rhyme is also associated with light or comic verse. Note how the feminine rhyme that begins Jonathan Swift's "Description of a City Shower," sets the tone for the rest of the poem:
Careful observers may foretell the hour
(By sure prognostics) when to dread a shower:
While rain depends, the pensive cat gives o'er
Her frolics, and pursues her tail no more.
Returning home at night, you'll find the sink
Strike your offended sense with double stink.
If you be wise, then go not far to dine,
You spend in coach-hire more than save in wine.
A coming shower your shooting corns presage,
Old aches throb, your hollow tooth will rage.
Sauntering in coffee-house is Dulman seen;
He damns the climate, and complains of spleen.
Both masculine and feminine rhymes can be deployed with a wide variety of effects, but noticing what type of rhyme a poet uses can often help you to figure out a poet's attitude toward his or her subject.
Jane Kenyon - "Otherwise" (Post by Chris Kotecki)
For my blog post, I chose to write about Jane Kenyon’s poem “Otherwise.” Kenyon, an American poet and translator, was born in 1947 and eventually died of leukemia in 1995. In this particular poem, she depicts her own struggle with cancer towards the end of her life. The poem goes in a chronological order, starting from when she wakes up and ending when she goes to bed. She writes about a typical day in her life, citing all the simple things she notices. She describes herself, the food she eats, the activities she does, and the things surrounding her.
Yet, following each of these events or characteristics of her day, she states that “it might have been otherwise.” Noting her battle with cancer, one can interpret the repetition of this line to mean that life for her could end at any moment. Yet, the main goal of her poem is not to express only her own life, but life in general for all. She conveys the idea that one’s life could end at any moment in time, so society as a whole should learn to appreciate everything in each and every day, and make sure to not take anything for granted.
One of the key features of the poem is its simplicity. This idea of simplicity is expressed in a few different ways. First of all, each event and/or characteristic that she comes across in her day is very simple. Kenyon appreciates these daily occurrences, and cherishes them, no matter how repetitive or mundane they may seem. She talks of everyday events such as waking, eating, working, sleeping, and spending time with her “mate.” She knows that one day, she, or the thing that she is describing, may cease to exist. Kenyon wants everyone to appreciate every little thing in life. She makes sure to remind the reader that one day, everything might be “otherwise,” which is why she does not want anything in life to be undervalued.
Another area in which Kenyon uses the idea of simplicity is through her language and tone throughout the poem. The poem is very conversational and down to earth. She wrote it in a way that is very easy to understand, possibly to make sure that she is able to get her point across. Maybe it is possible that she knew her life was coming to an end, and had some sort of regrets for not living her life to the fullest. Perhaps she wanted to ensure that the rest of society did not make the same mistake she did. Regardless of her intent, it is easy to see that she is completely content with her life at this particular point in time, whether she had regrets or not. Either way, she has a very simple and honest tone throughout the poem that allows the reader to relate very easily.
One may also notice the simplicity in the specific wording and structure of the poem. Kenyon does not use any difficult or long words. In fact, almost none of the words contain more than two syllables. The lines are also very straightforward and short. In merely a few words, she is able to describe an important event in her day that she cherishes, and immediately follows it with the repeated line, “it might have been otherwise.” This sudden interjection shows the reader that at any given time, life can change drastically, and the simple pleasures of life may be disappeared. No matter how small or simple something may seem in a person’s life, it is a part of who they are, which is why it should be greatly appreciated.
Overall, I really liked this poem. After reading it the first time, I was not entirely impressed. I found it to be too simple, and did not completely see the meaning behind it. After discovering that Kenyon was suffering from cancer, the simplicity of the poem took on a whole new meaning, and made me really appreciate it as a whole.
Yet, following each of these events or characteristics of her day, she states that “it might have been otherwise.” Noting her battle with cancer, one can interpret the repetition of this line to mean that life for her could end at any moment. Yet, the main goal of her poem is not to express only her own life, but life in general for all. She conveys the idea that one’s life could end at any moment in time, so society as a whole should learn to appreciate everything in each and every day, and make sure to not take anything for granted.
One of the key features of the poem is its simplicity. This idea of simplicity is expressed in a few different ways. First of all, each event and/or characteristic that she comes across in her day is very simple. Kenyon appreciates these daily occurrences, and cherishes them, no matter how repetitive or mundane they may seem. She talks of everyday events such as waking, eating, working, sleeping, and spending time with her “mate.” She knows that one day, she, or the thing that she is describing, may cease to exist. Kenyon wants everyone to appreciate every little thing in life. She makes sure to remind the reader that one day, everything might be “otherwise,” which is why she does not want anything in life to be undervalued.
Another area in which Kenyon uses the idea of simplicity is through her language and tone throughout the poem. The poem is very conversational and down to earth. She wrote it in a way that is very easy to understand, possibly to make sure that she is able to get her point across. Maybe it is possible that she knew her life was coming to an end, and had some sort of regrets for not living her life to the fullest. Perhaps she wanted to ensure that the rest of society did not make the same mistake she did. Regardless of her intent, it is easy to see that she is completely content with her life at this particular point in time, whether she had regrets or not. Either way, she has a very simple and honest tone throughout the poem that allows the reader to relate very easily.
One may also notice the simplicity in the specific wording and structure of the poem. Kenyon does not use any difficult or long words. In fact, almost none of the words contain more than two syllables. The lines are also very straightforward and short. In merely a few words, she is able to describe an important event in her day that she cherishes, and immediately follows it with the repeated line, “it might have been otherwise.” This sudden interjection shows the reader that at any given time, life can change drastically, and the simple pleasures of life may be disappeared. No matter how small or simple something may seem in a person’s life, it is a part of who they are, which is why it should be greatly appreciated.
Overall, I really liked this poem. After reading it the first time, I was not entirely impressed. I found it to be too simple, and did not completely see the meaning behind it. After discovering that Kenyon was suffering from cancer, the simplicity of the poem took on a whole new meaning, and made me really appreciate it as a whole.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
In Emily Dickinson’s I’m Nobody! Who are you?, the speaker shows her excitement over meeting a kindred soul. The speaker, who considers herself a “Nobody”, is having a conversation and discovers that the person she is talking to is also a “Nobody.” The pair bond over their shared nature, and agree to keep their secret from all the “Somebody’s” out there. “How dreary—to be—Somebody!”, the speaker declares, ecstatic over her discovery of a friend. Dickinson then compares being a “Somebody” to being a frog, obliged to croak its name all day long to “an admiring Bog.” Dickinson’s portrayal of the “Nobody” is one of private, confident anonymity. The fact that “Nobody” seems to spend most of her time in quiet solitude, assuming that she is the only “Nobody” out there makes her discovery of one like her so exciting. Even in excitement, though, the “Nobody’s” must stay quiet, lest “they advertise—you know!” To preserve their silent anonymity, the pair must keep their status a secret, lest other “Somebody’s” find out and blow their cover, making their names known like the name of the frog in the swamp, thus turning them into “Somebody’s” themselves.
To the speaker and her comrade, being nobody does not carry any negative connotations, as it might in normal conversation. The poetic form allows Emily Dickinson to create a definition of nobody other than the standard dictionary definition. According to the Random House Dictionary, nobody is defined as “a person of no importance, influence, or power.” According to Dickinson’s speaker, though, nobody is a title to be proud of. It is also a self-identifier, rather than an acquired label. There is no evidence that “Nobody” resents her identity, or that name was forced upon her. To the contrary, “Nobody” has reclaimed her identity, redefining the word from a person of no importance or influence to one who treasures their anonymity and status as an outsider. Nobody self-assuredly strives to avoid the limelight and public life, not out of shame or shyness, but by deliberate choice.
Dickinson uses dashes frequently throughout this poem. These pauses present an image of a breathless speaker; breathless because of her excitement over meeting one like herself. The dashes begin in the second line, where the speaker becomes breathless with anticipation because she expects that she is meeting another “Nobody.” The dashes, which represent the natural pauses in the speech of a very excited person, continue throughout the rest of the poem. Dickinson also uses punctuation for the same effect. “Don’t tell!” is punctuated at the end by the exclamation point, which implores the listener to keep listening. The speaker is so excited about finding this kindred spirit that she worries about losing her new pal. The tone of the poem after the first two lines is a mixture of elation and a premature worry: that the speaker’s new friend will lose interest and leave. The breathless enunciation (indicated by the dashes) and the imperative and somewhat worried tone (indicated by the preponderance of exclamation points) are features of the poem that can’t be found in the text itself; rather, they are implied by the syntax and punctuation.
A very significant feature of this poem is the fact that the word “Nobody” is in uppercase in all its instances in the text. This shows that the “Nobody” in the poem is not a noun or a pronoun, but rather, a proper noun. “Nobody” is a real title, to be proud of, rather than a word used to signify a person who doesn’t matter. “Somebody” is also capitalized, which, in terms of the poem, classifies it as a diametrically opposite category of people. That every person belongs to one category or the other is a key assumption that this poem makes. “Nobody’s” are much rarer than “Somebody’s”, which explains the speaker’s response upon meeting one of her own. The comparison of “Somebody’s” to frogs is telling when working towards understanding the speaker’s perception of herself. Frogs “tell one’s name—the livelong June—to an admiring Bog!” While the description of the bog as “admiring” may seem contrary to the speaker’s negative portrayal of “Somebody’s”, an admiring audience is probably the last thing that the speaker wants. As a “Nobody”, she cherishes her anonymity and her intensely private life, so her characterization of those who are different than her as frogs, who are loud and proclaim their name and location all day long to all who are listening, makes sense coming from someone who prizes her inscrutability and obscurity.
To the speaker and her comrade, being nobody does not carry any negative connotations, as it might in normal conversation. The poetic form allows Emily Dickinson to create a definition of nobody other than the standard dictionary definition. According to the Random House Dictionary, nobody is defined as “a person of no importance, influence, or power.” According to Dickinson’s speaker, though, nobody is a title to be proud of. It is also a self-identifier, rather than an acquired label. There is no evidence that “Nobody” resents her identity, or that name was forced upon her. To the contrary, “Nobody” has reclaimed her identity, redefining the word from a person of no importance or influence to one who treasures their anonymity and status as an outsider. Nobody self-assuredly strives to avoid the limelight and public life, not out of shame or shyness, but by deliberate choice.
Dickinson uses dashes frequently throughout this poem. These pauses present an image of a breathless speaker; breathless because of her excitement over meeting one like herself. The dashes begin in the second line, where the speaker becomes breathless with anticipation because she expects that she is meeting another “Nobody.” The dashes, which represent the natural pauses in the speech of a very excited person, continue throughout the rest of the poem. Dickinson also uses punctuation for the same effect. “Don’t tell!” is punctuated at the end by the exclamation point, which implores the listener to keep listening. The speaker is so excited about finding this kindred spirit that she worries about losing her new pal. The tone of the poem after the first two lines is a mixture of elation and a premature worry: that the speaker’s new friend will lose interest and leave. The breathless enunciation (indicated by the dashes) and the imperative and somewhat worried tone (indicated by the preponderance of exclamation points) are features of the poem that can’t be found in the text itself; rather, they are implied by the syntax and punctuation.
A very significant feature of this poem is the fact that the word “Nobody” is in uppercase in all its instances in the text. This shows that the “Nobody” in the poem is not a noun or a pronoun, but rather, a proper noun. “Nobody” is a real title, to be proud of, rather than a word used to signify a person who doesn’t matter. “Somebody” is also capitalized, which, in terms of the poem, classifies it as a diametrically opposite category of people. That every person belongs to one category or the other is a key assumption that this poem makes. “Nobody’s” are much rarer than “Somebody’s”, which explains the speaker’s response upon meeting one of her own. The comparison of “Somebody’s” to frogs is telling when working towards understanding the speaker’s perception of herself. Frogs “tell one’s name—the livelong June—to an admiring Bog!” While the description of the bog as “admiring” may seem contrary to the speaker’s negative portrayal of “Somebody’s”, an admiring audience is probably the last thing that the speaker wants. As a “Nobody”, she cherishes her anonymity and her intensely private life, so her characterization of those who are different than her as frogs, who are loud and proclaim their name and location all day long to all who are listening, makes sense coming from someone who prizes her inscrutability and obscurity.
"Her Kind"
-Sarabeth Hogshire
“Her Kind” by Anne Sexton is a poem about a woman who challenged society’s expectations of women. She was so different, that she often felt like an outcast. She compares her feelings of exclusion to being a witch during the Salem Witch trials.
The speaker in this poem is motivated by feelings of not belonging. She compares herself to a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century, because she feels like society does not accept her because she violates what they expect of women. The woman accused of being witches in the seventeenth century were women who were different, often because they were modern women who were ahead of their time. Anne Sexton was alive during the 1950s and being the modern and creative woman that she was, she probably had some feelings of exclusion from society, very similar to women who were outcasts during the Salem witch trials.
The speaker’s motivations are typical in the sense that she does not feel accepted. That is nothing new. What is atypical about her feelings is that she is very accepting of the fact that she is an outcast, she expresses no desire to fit in. Typical poems about feeling like an outcast are expressing a desire to fit in, and the fact that this one does not is what makes it different.
In the first stanza she introduces the metaphor comparing feeling like an outcast to being accused of witchcraft. She describes herself as “lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind. A woman like that is not a woman, quite,” conveying that she feels extremely out of place, to the point of feeling inhuman. The “out of mind” comment makes me wonder if Anne Sexton suffered from some sort of mental disorder like depression, bipolar disorder, or an anxiety disorder that made her feel even more out of place.
In the second stanza Sexton says that she has “found the warm caves in the woods,” expressing that she has expelled herself from society. The fact that she describes her escape as “warm” conveys the fact that she finds comfort and solace in her hideaway. She also said that she “fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves,” which probably refers to her friends. By comparing them to worms and elves means that she keeps company with out of the ordinary characters.
In the third and final stanza she describes a woman being tortured and then burned at the stake. She then goes on to say “a woman like that is not ashamed to die.” I interpreted this as Sexton saying she does not regret being different. She was persecuted and outcast, but she was herself and that is worth it, no matter what the cost.
-Sarabeth Hogshire
“Her Kind” by Anne Sexton is a poem about a woman who challenged society’s expectations of women. She was so different, that she often felt like an outcast. She compares her feelings of exclusion to being a witch during the Salem Witch trials.
The speaker in this poem is motivated by feelings of not belonging. She compares herself to a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century, because she feels like society does not accept her because she violates what they expect of women. The woman accused of being witches in the seventeenth century were women who were different, often because they were modern women who were ahead of their time. Anne Sexton was alive during the 1950s and being the modern and creative woman that she was, she probably had some feelings of exclusion from society, very similar to women who were outcasts during the Salem witch trials.
The speaker’s motivations are typical in the sense that she does not feel accepted. That is nothing new. What is atypical about her feelings is that she is very accepting of the fact that she is an outcast, she expresses no desire to fit in. Typical poems about feeling like an outcast are expressing a desire to fit in, and the fact that this one does not is what makes it different.
In the first stanza she introduces the metaphor comparing feeling like an outcast to being accused of witchcraft. She describes herself as “lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind. A woman like that is not a woman, quite,” conveying that she feels extremely out of place, to the point of feeling inhuman. The “out of mind” comment makes me wonder if Anne Sexton suffered from some sort of mental disorder like depression, bipolar disorder, or an anxiety disorder that made her feel even more out of place.
In the second stanza Sexton says that she has “found the warm caves in the woods,” expressing that she has expelled herself from society. The fact that she describes her escape as “warm” conveys the fact that she finds comfort and solace in her hideaway. She also said that she “fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves,” which probably refers to her friends. By comparing them to worms and elves means that she keeps company with out of the ordinary characters.
In the third and final stanza she describes a woman being tortured and then burned at the stake. She then goes on to say “a woman like that is not ashamed to die.” I interpreted this as Sexton saying she does not regret being different. She was persecuted and outcast, but she was herself and that is worth it, no matter what the cost.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Blog 2
Nathan Grey Diefes
William Butler Yeats wrote this poem in honor and memory of Major Gregory. Major Gregory was an Irish airman who fought and died in the air battles against Germany during World War I. Major Gregory was the son of Lady Gregory, who was a supporter of the arts and a good friend of Yeats.
Yeats writes the poem as though he is the aviator, about to meet his demise. The first two lines prepare the reader for the fact that the pilot will die. However, Yeats does not spend much time on the pilot’s imminent demise. He moves on to establish the pilot's motives. The pilot chose to fly and fight in the war, not because he hated the Germans, nor because he loved his country; and he didn't do it for fame or fortune. The pilot flew for one reason only; the sheer joy of flying. Yeats does not try to portray Major Gregory as a heroic character, sacrificing live and limb for the greater good of mankind. With the line, "I balanced all, brought all to mind," Yeats is trying to relate to the reader what Major Gregory has to tell us about life and death. In this line, Yeats is not merely saying that Major Gregory’s life flashed before his eyes. He balanced ALL, brought ALL to mind. It is a waste of time and energy to live in the past, as well as to live always for what might be (the future). In reality, and especially at that moment before death, all that matters is the present. Perhaps that moment before death is the only moment when one can truly realize and wholeheartedly believe that.
In this poem, Yeats uses a very simple ABAB rhyme scheme that does not alter during the poem. This seems to emphasize the simple nature of the airman’s choice. He chose to fight only for the simple delight of flying. This poem also uses very simple language, which may served to highlight the fact that everyone at one point or another has a choice similar to this. The choice is whether we slowly grind our way to death, or like the Irish airman do we jump on a “lonely impulse of delight” and seek an exciting way to live doing something we enjoy even though it may lead to our death.
This poem also has some words in the lines that seem to have significance in the meaning of this poem. Almost every line ends with a strong word such as fate, hate, love, fight, ect. Maybe this serves to add emphasis to the poem, which seems to have a lethargic tone. I believe that this contrast between the mundane language that is used in most of the poem and the powerful words at the end of some lines serves to highlight the choice we all have. We must choose between slowly winding our way to a dusty death or grabbing an opportunity to make our life fleetingly bright and exciting.
Yeats is also dealing with time, and where within time should we focus our attention. Yeats repeats certain words or phrases in the last four lines, “I balanced all, brought all to mind, / The years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind / In balance with this life, this death.” He seems to be saying that we must not linger on the past, nor should we always be concerned with what could happen in the future.
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
William Butler Yeats wrote this poem in honor and memory of Major Gregory. Major Gregory was an Irish airman who fought and died in the air battles against Germany during World War I. Major Gregory was the son of Lady Gregory, who was a supporter of the arts and a good friend of Yeats.
Yeats writes the poem as though he is the aviator, about to meet his demise. The first two lines prepare the reader for the fact that the pilot will die. However, Yeats does not spend much time on the pilot’s imminent demise. He moves on to establish the pilot's motives. The pilot chose to fly and fight in the war, not because he hated the Germans, nor because he loved his country; and he didn't do it for fame or fortune. The pilot flew for one reason only; the sheer joy of flying. Yeats does not try to portray Major Gregory as a heroic character, sacrificing live and limb for the greater good of mankind. With the line, "I balanced all, brought all to mind," Yeats is trying to relate to the reader what Major Gregory has to tell us about life and death. In this line, Yeats is not merely saying that Major Gregory’s life flashed before his eyes. He balanced ALL, brought ALL to mind. It is a waste of time and energy to live in the past, as well as to live always for what might be (the future). In reality, and especially at that moment before death, all that matters is the present. Perhaps that moment before death is the only moment when one can truly realize and wholeheartedly believe that.
In this poem, Yeats uses a very simple ABAB rhyme scheme that does not alter during the poem. This seems to emphasize the simple nature of the airman’s choice. He chose to fight only for the simple delight of flying. This poem also uses very simple language, which may served to highlight the fact that everyone at one point or another has a choice similar to this. The choice is whether we slowly grind our way to death, or like the Irish airman do we jump on a “lonely impulse of delight” and seek an exciting way to live doing something we enjoy even though it may lead to our death.
This poem also has some words in the lines that seem to have significance in the meaning of this poem. Almost every line ends with a strong word such as fate, hate, love, fight, ect. Maybe this serves to add emphasis to the poem, which seems to have a lethargic tone. I believe that this contrast between the mundane language that is used in most of the poem and the powerful words at the end of some lines serves to highlight the choice we all have. We must choose between slowly winding our way to a dusty death or grabbing an opportunity to make our life fleetingly bright and exciting.
Yeats is also dealing with time, and where within time should we focus our attention. Yeats repeats certain words or phrases in the last four lines, “I balanced all, brought all to mind, / The years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind / In balance with this life, this death.” He seems to be saying that we must not linger on the past, nor should we always be concerned with what could happen in the future.
Questions to Answer About Your Section of Prufrock
1. When is the action taking place? In what tense is it written?
2. Where is the action taking place? How is the location significant?
3. How is the speaker’s attitude toward life in this passage? What is his tone?
4. What stands out among the section’s formal elements? How is this significant?
2. Where is the action taking place? How is the location significant?
3. How is the speaker’s attitude toward life in this passage? What is his tone?
4. What stands out among the section’s formal elements? How is this significant?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Yeats "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"
“An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” tells a story of a pilot, or airman, who is fighting in a war that neither he nor his countrymen care about. He explains that he is not fighting because he hates the enemy, nor is he fighting to protect anyone he truly cares about. He continues to tell us that his countrymen will be no better or worse for this, and that he was not even forced to fight. Lines 11 and 12 finally explain his reasoning, which to most would seem absurd, he is fighting and flying because of an “impulse of delight.” Ultimately, he seems careless about the fact that he is about to die.
I found Yeats’ choice of a single stanza to be appropriate for this poem. I believe in this case a single stanza represents the neutrality of his reason to be in the fight. There are always opposing sides in a fight, but he is not for or against any particular side. One stanza could also represent his single mindedness in that only “[a] lonely impulse of delight / Drove to this tumult in the clouds;” this single mindedness again brings into account his lack of allegiance towards either side, rather his own delight is his reason. I believe there is even a third possible reason for the use of only one stanza, it is to show there is a natural balance of life and death. There is a carelessness that the speaker seems to have with his life and eventually his death.
This poem has a simple rhyming scheme of ABAB, which I believe helps move the poem along. This enforces the idea of a balance of life and death since every line has another line that rhymes. The use of the rhyme scheme makes it easier to follow and emphasizes each line in the poem. The most interesting lines to me are the final four which state “I balanced all, brought all to mind, / The years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind / In balance with this life, this death.” These lines have the same rhyme scheme as all the previous lines, but many words are repeated in those four short lines. It seems to be where he realizes that he has not done much in his life besides this current act of fighting, but he quickly comes to terms with that for he knows he is about to die.
I find that the speaker also uses strong, powerful words to emphasize his point throughout the poems. Some of these words include “fate,” “hate,” “love,” “fight,” and “death.” I believe he uses these words to grab the attention of the reader in case they are lulled by the easy flow of each line. They add more power and strong feelings to a poem that seems to focus on neutrality and acceptance. I believe that this poem is ultimately trying to tell the reader to make the most of life rather than have it be a “waste of breath.”
I found Yeats’ choice of a single stanza to be appropriate for this poem. I believe in this case a single stanza represents the neutrality of his reason to be in the fight. There are always opposing sides in a fight, but he is not for or against any particular side. One stanza could also represent his single mindedness in that only “[a] lonely impulse of delight / Drove to this tumult in the clouds;” this single mindedness again brings into account his lack of allegiance towards either side, rather his own delight is his reason. I believe there is even a third possible reason for the use of only one stanza, it is to show there is a natural balance of life and death. There is a carelessness that the speaker seems to have with his life and eventually his death.
This poem has a simple rhyming scheme of ABAB, which I believe helps move the poem along. This enforces the idea of a balance of life and death since every line has another line that rhymes. The use of the rhyme scheme makes it easier to follow and emphasizes each line in the poem. The most interesting lines to me are the final four which state “I balanced all, brought all to mind, / The years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind / In balance with this life, this death.” These lines have the same rhyme scheme as all the previous lines, but many words are repeated in those four short lines. It seems to be where he realizes that he has not done much in his life besides this current act of fighting, but he quickly comes to terms with that for he knows he is about to die.
I find that the speaker also uses strong, powerful words to emphasize his point throughout the poems. Some of these words include “fate,” “hate,” “love,” “fight,” and “death.” I believe he uses these words to grab the attention of the reader in case they are lulled by the easy flow of each line. They add more power and strong feelings to a poem that seems to focus on neutrality and acceptance. I believe that this poem is ultimately trying to tell the reader to make the most of life rather than have it be a “waste of breath.”
Anne Sexton Her Kind
In Anne Sexton’s poem “Her Kind,” the speaker talks about her life as a witch which comes to an end toward the end of the poem. In the first stanza, the speaker describes what actions and characteristics make her a witch. She mentions that she goes out at night more bravely than during the day. Furthermore, she states that she dreams of evil, another action we expect typically from a witch, and that she has twelve fingers which confirms her witch status. In the second stanza she describes her lifestyle in the woods where she lives and cooks dinner for “the worms and the elves.” She also notes how she is misunderstood which I assume must be why she is outcaste from her society. The third stanza leads to her death. She waves goodbye to villages, and she notes the flames which burn her and the wheels which break her.
Although the poem superficially is about a witch’s demise, the poem truly is about the life of a woman who dared to be different from others. The speaker’s status as a witch represents society’s negative view toward her different way of life. Sexton alludes to this notion when she states in her first stanza, “A woman like that is not a woman, quite. I have been her kind.” The speaker is not the woman society expects. She lives life alone as an outcaste which ultimately leads to her insanity. The second stanza set in the woods, meant to allude to her solitude, exemplifies her insanity; she makes new friends, the worms and the elves, for who she can cook dinner since no real member of society will accept her. She also notes that she is misunderstood; although she is different, she is not truly evil or possessed. In the last stanza she indirectly directs the blame of cruelty on society as whole, not her fellow town members. After all, she still waves goodbye as she passes the villages.
The first formal feature which supports the notion of the speaker as an outcaste in society is the rhyme scheme in the poem. The first and third stanzas present a rhyme scheme of ABABCBD, yet the middle stanza presents a rhyme scheme of ABABCAD. The change in rhyme occurs as the speaker notes that she has been misunderstood. Just as the rhythm is different in this stanza, the speaker is different and misunderstood in society.
Although the poem alludes to the speaker’s inevitable insanity, the structured repetition exemplifies her belief that she is misunderstood and still sane to some extent. The speaker begins the first line of each stanza with “I have…,” the second to last line with “A woman like that is…,” and always ends each stanza with the phrase, “I have been her kind.” This repeated structure gives the poem cohesiveness. By repeating the lines within the poem, she shows that she still has coherent thoughts. She has not completely gone insane thought society may think she has reached this point.
The last formal structure which I would like to talk about is the language within the stanzas and how each break in the poem marks a change in her thoughts about herself within society. The first stanza explains how she is initially upset by the label which she is given. Society believes she is a “witch,” or an outcaste, and she is afraid to face such harmful assumptions. She is “braver at night,” and she is a “lonely thing.” She longs to be a part of the daytime crowd, yet she is not strong enough emotionally. As the poem moves to the second stanza, she argues on her behalf that that society misunderstands her. Although she goes on to make her own life “in the woods,” she still feels the need to explain herself. The third stanza marks the moment in her life which she merely accepts that things will not change. She embraces the good things around her such as the “bright roads” and the “villages,” and she is no longer ashamed; she is “not ashamed to die.” She finally understands that she is just different, not inferior like society might believe.
That Love Tune...
In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” T.S. Eliot presents the persona of a hopeless romantic. Prufrock is a man who realizes that he is now old and becoming increasingly unattractive to women he meets. All his life the women have been within reach, “in the room” and “talking of Michelangelo” but Prufrock was indecisive and waited too long, believing there would always be time. But now he is growing bald and thin, and wishing he had only acted when he had the chance. Eliot offers an insight on life; the importance of “now” and not waiting as life passes you by. Prufrock fails to act on impulse, and while he contemplates his options he misses opportunities, and wallows in regret.
The poem is divided into a series of twelve, eight, four, three, two and one line stanzas. Eliot most likely varies the length of his stanzas to emphasis the thoughts expressed within them, giving longer thoughts more lines to develop. For example, the sixth stanza centers on the eternal question “‘do I dare?’” and how Prufrock’s indecision prevents his action. This stanza is one of the longer ones at twelve lines, using the length to develop Prufrock’s major flaw. Here we see that Prufrock thinks critically of himself and how he is perceived by women. Now compare this stanza to the tenth stanza, which is a three line stanza. This stanza describes the lonely men of a back alley with whom Prufrock relates. Since the point of this stanza is much more obvious, Eliot only uses three lines for conciseness.
“Prufrock” also includes some crucial examples of inclusio. Eliot uses inclusio to enclose key themes of this poem. The most obvious is the couplet “In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo,” which appears after the first and the fourth stanzas. Between the occurrences of this couplet, Prufrock focuses mainly on his conception of time. The women come and go, but he believes he has infinite time. After the reprise of the couplet, he realizes that time is passing him by as he fails to take action with relationships. Another example is the line “So how should I presume?” Here Prufrock conveys his low self esteem, believing that women have labeled him for failure. This is his reasoning for hesitation, the underlying notion of rejection. The inclusio expresses Prufrock’s frustration and really hammers the question that plagues his life: “So how should I presume?”
The most unique part of this poem is the last five stanzas. All of these stanzas are three lines or less, creating a choppy rhythm for the conclusion. Eliot uses the repetition of “I grow old” and ellipses to signify the passage of time. We find Prufrock contemplating how his life will be when he has finally grown old and more detached from society. Eliot alludes to John Donne’s poem with a similar persona, “Song,” with the line “I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each,” but adds the Prufrock pessimism with the following one line stanza: “I do not think that they will sing to me.” The final two stanzas are characterized by the surreal imagery of mermaids and the sea, further accentuating the impossibility of Prufrock’s chance for romance. Finally, the poem ends with a serious deflation of emotion, as he shakes out of his dream and realizes it can never be.
Otherwise by Jane Kenyon
I choose to write about the poem Otherwise by Jane Kenyon. This poem really spoke to me after the first read through and touched on something that I think about a lot. In literal thoughts, this poem is simply about a person that is living the life that they love. Except the person leaving this life knows that everyday will not always be as great as the day he/she is living today. The author describes this person’s life in nearly every aspect from the morning he/she wakes up until the moment he/she goes to sleep. This poem reminded me of a ‘to-do list’ because everything the author stated went in order of when he/she did it and it was easy to follow along.
One of the aspects of this poem that I had trouble figuring out was whether or not the subject in this poem is a male or a female. There were many different lines that could have thrown the reader off by trying to differentiate between what gender the subject really was. For example, “I got out of bed on two strong legs”. The majority of women in this world would not describe their legs as strong, because most women want slim looking legs. This was the first reason why I assumed the subject was a male. The line “I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless peach”. This statement makes me change my opinion to the subject being a female. I believe that a man with ‘strong legs’ would eat more than just cereal. This meal sounds very feminine and as if a healthy woman would eat. My opinion changes again with the line, “At noon I lay down with my mate”. Because of stereotypes, I assume that only a man would call a woman a ‘mate’. Women tend to give men cute names such as ‘pumpkin’, ‘boo’, ‘baby’, etc. After reading this poem through its entirety, I have come to the conclusion that the subject is a woman, because throughout her day she never went to work or did any true work. This makes me assume that she is a stay at home wife that takes care of the house and her husband.
A unique aspect of this poem is its structure and sentence format. This poem consists of two stanzas. The stanzas are split based off of the time of the day; the first stanza starts from morning to noon and the second stanza is from noon to night time. The stanzas could have also been separated by the number of subjects that were introduced to the reader. In the first stanza it was all first person and simply about what the woman was doing in the morning time. Once the second stanza began the author introduced a lover, or in this case, a ‘mate’. To me, this sort of changed my feelings toward the poem. It was as if it went from a woman waking up to a great day by herself, to her having a great day with the person that she loves. One of the best feelings in the world is to not only be happy, but having somebody to enjoy your happiness with together.
From that idea, it made me realize that there was more to this poem than just happy feelings and having the perfect day. It made it seem as though she knew that happiness is not forever so she is really enjoying her time with her ‘mate’ and is not taking it for granted. People tend to take those happy moments for granted, and may wake up the next day and there may not be another chance for that happy moment. That is why the author repeats the line, “It might have been otherwise”. This one line is repeated five times throughout the poem to show that there is great emphasis on this line and that the author wants the reader to truly understand the deeper meaning behind this poem. Some days we have good days, and some days we have bad days. We tend to always be stuck on those bad days that we are not grateful and do not take full advantage of our good days. This poem is telling the reader that when your day is going ‘perfect’ that you should be happy for it, because happiness and ‘perfect’ days do not come every day.
One of the aspects of this poem that I had trouble figuring out was whether or not the subject in this poem is a male or a female. There were many different lines that could have thrown the reader off by trying to differentiate between what gender the subject really was. For example, “I got out of bed on two strong legs”. The majority of women in this world would not describe their legs as strong, because most women want slim looking legs. This was the first reason why I assumed the subject was a male. The line “I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless peach”. This statement makes me change my opinion to the subject being a female. I believe that a man with ‘strong legs’ would eat more than just cereal. This meal sounds very feminine and as if a healthy woman would eat. My opinion changes again with the line, “At noon I lay down with my mate”. Because of stereotypes, I assume that only a man would call a woman a ‘mate’. Women tend to give men cute names such as ‘pumpkin’, ‘boo’, ‘baby’, etc. After reading this poem through its entirety, I have come to the conclusion that the subject is a woman, because throughout her day she never went to work or did any true work. This makes me assume that she is a stay at home wife that takes care of the house and her husband.
A unique aspect of this poem is its structure and sentence format. This poem consists of two stanzas. The stanzas are split based off of the time of the day; the first stanza starts from morning to noon and the second stanza is from noon to night time. The stanzas could have also been separated by the number of subjects that were introduced to the reader. In the first stanza it was all first person and simply about what the woman was doing in the morning time. Once the second stanza began the author introduced a lover, or in this case, a ‘mate’. To me, this sort of changed my feelings toward the poem. It was as if it went from a woman waking up to a great day by herself, to her having a great day with the person that she loves. One of the best feelings in the world is to not only be happy, but having somebody to enjoy your happiness with together.
From that idea, it made me realize that there was more to this poem than just happy feelings and having the perfect day. It made it seem as though she knew that happiness is not forever so she is really enjoying her time with her ‘mate’ and is not taking it for granted. People tend to take those happy moments for granted, and may wake up the next day and there may not be another chance for that happy moment. That is why the author repeats the line, “It might have been otherwise”. This one line is repeated five times throughout the poem to show that there is great emphasis on this line and that the author wants the reader to truly understand the deeper meaning behind this poem. Some days we have good days, and some days we have bad days. We tend to always be stuck on those bad days that we are not grateful and do not take full advantage of our good days. This poem is telling the reader that when your day is going ‘perfect’ that you should be happy for it, because happiness and ‘perfect’ days do not come every day.
Questions from Vendler Chapter 6
Where is the speaker in time and space?
Over how long a period does the poem take place?
What are the speaker's motivations? How are they typical? Atypical?
What tones of voice does the speaker use?
Does the speaker resemble the poem's author or not?
Over how long a period does the poem take place?
What are the speaker's motivations? How are they typical? Atypical?
What tones of voice does the speaker use?
Does the speaker resemble the poem's author or not?
One Art- Elizabeth Bishop
I found this poem to be very effective, starting out with the loss of small things and progressing swiftly to devastating losses. We all know how easy it is to lose things, even if only temporarily, on a daily basis; whether it be car keys or a cell phone among other things. It is interesting how Bishop compares the act of losing something to an "art". When I think about someone being skilled, or mastering an art, I see it as someone putting forth a large amount of effort in order to become the best they possibly can at this act. The way Bishop continues with the poem is almost as a "Losing Things for Dummies" help book. For example, she mentions that she never had the chance to travel where she wanted to. This is sad, but she assures us that "this will not bring disaster." She continues on with a family heirloom that was given to her by her mother. This would definitely have hurt someone very much, but they would get past it. In the last line, she refers to what I assume is a person she loved very much. She says that she lost this person, and that it is almost like every other thing she has lost. However, the difference lies in that fact that Bishop has come face to face with something she cannot look past, and that she has to force herself in the end, judging by the words "Write it!" in parentheses to admit that this loss is no joke, and is not humorous. The fact that she has to force herself to write that it is a disaster displays how important her loss of the person was, and how hard it is for her to stay strong.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Blog Prompt #2
Now that everyone has gotten their feet wet with the blogging thing, I'm going to get more strict about by expectations for your posts. While many of your first blog posts were great, many others engaged far too much in summary, and many also did not meet the length requirement outlined in the original blog assignment. For your second blog post, I will expect you to fulfill the demands of the following prompt, and your posts will be graded based on how well you meet the expectations outlined here.
For your second post, I want you to concentrate on the ways in which poets use the formal features of a poem (its rhythm, structure, grammar, etc.; i.e., all of the things we've talked about in class and studied in the Vendler book) to reinforce, question, or even contradict what the poem's words mean on a literal level. Choose one of the poems we will read for class that day, and begin your post with a paragraph briefly summarizing what the poem is, literally, saying. If the poem makes an argument, summarize that argument; if the poem tells a story, summarize that story; if a poem merely presents a series of images or sounds, summarize the sequence.
Now that you have established your interpretation of the poem's literal meaning, I want you to write 3-4 substantial paragraphs examining how specific formal features within the poem either support or contradict your literal interpretation from the first paragraph. Within these paragraphs you might approach a single formal feature in 3 or 4 separate ways or you might analyze separate formal features in each paragraph. For instance, if a poem's rhythm shifts abruptly (as Shakespeare's does in Sonnet 129), you might write one paragraph analyzing or explaining the rhythm in the first part, then another paragraph on the rhythm in the second half. Alternately, you might devote one paragraph to a poem's structure (Where do the line and stanza breaks appear? How does the poem move from one theme or topic to another? How does the rhyme scheme link certain words or concepts?), another to its rhythm, another to its diction, etc. Each paragraph should identify a specific formal feature and make some type of argument about how you interpret that formal feature. This can be something as simple as "the rhythm is choppy" or something much more complex. If you get stuck, re-examine the questions Vendler has proposed at each chapter, many of which have been summarized on the course blog.
As I said, your post should be 4-5 substantial paragraphs in length, or about 2 pages in a normal 12-point font in Microsoft Word. As always, your post is due by 8AM the morning of class.
For your second post, I want you to concentrate on the ways in which poets use the formal features of a poem (its rhythm, structure, grammar, etc.; i.e., all of the things we've talked about in class and studied in the Vendler book) to reinforce, question, or even contradict what the poem's words mean on a literal level. Choose one of the poems we will read for class that day, and begin your post with a paragraph briefly summarizing what the poem is, literally, saying. If the poem makes an argument, summarize that argument; if the poem tells a story, summarize that story; if a poem merely presents a series of images or sounds, summarize the sequence.
Now that you have established your interpretation of the poem's literal meaning, I want you to write 3-4 substantial paragraphs examining how specific formal features within the poem either support or contradict your literal interpretation from the first paragraph. Within these paragraphs you might approach a single formal feature in 3 or 4 separate ways or you might analyze separate formal features in each paragraph. For instance, if a poem's rhythm shifts abruptly (as Shakespeare's does in Sonnet 129), you might write one paragraph analyzing or explaining the rhythm in the first part, then another paragraph on the rhythm in the second half. Alternately, you might devote one paragraph to a poem's structure (Where do the line and stanza breaks appear? How does the poem move from one theme or topic to another? How does the rhyme scheme link certain words or concepts?), another to its rhythm, another to its diction, etc. Each paragraph should identify a specific formal feature and make some type of argument about how you interpret that formal feature. This can be something as simple as "the rhythm is choppy" or something much more complex. If you get stuck, re-examine the questions Vendler has proposed at each chapter, many of which have been summarized on the course blog.
As I said, your post should be 4-5 substantial paragraphs in length, or about 2 pages in a normal 12-point font in Microsoft Word. As always, your post is due by 8AM the morning of class.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"Since there's no help" by Michael Drayton
“Since there’s no help” is a poem that deals with a lot of emotions, with Love as its main focal point. What I gather is going on in this poem, is that the speaker is in a failing relationship, with no hope of a recovery. Since he knows what is eventually going to happen, he realizes that it would just be best to go ahead and end it for good. He wants to completely cut all ties with his lover and get to a point where, if the two meet again, they cannot tell that the other ever loved them at all. He says that he is glad that he can so cleanly cut all ties with this person, because being with them, yet knowing it’s going nowhere is a lot more painful than just ending it completely. One thing I really liked about this poem was the very well-formed metaphor in the last half, depicting Love as a dying person: “When, his pulse failing, passion speechless lies/When faith is kneeling by his bed of death.” I also like how Drayton uses other emotional terms, such as passion, innocence, and faith to describe this “death” of Love. I thought Drayton makes a pretty clever statement when he places the blame on Innocence, as the sort-of last straw that causes Love to perish: “And innocence is closing up his eyes.” This poem has a really solid ending as well that brings the reader to closure. He’s saying here…“Now if thou wouldst, when all have given him over/From death to life thou mightst him yet recover”…that if he can succeed in going through with this completely and really cut all ties with this former flame, then once he gets past the hurt and heartache, he will finally be able to love again someday.
Elizabeth Bishop - One Art
In reading the first part of this poem, I thought it was only about how everyone loses things and that loss is a part of the everyday life of human beings. Reading on, the things Bishop started losing became heavier and less common. A normal person might be a little angry about losing two lovely cities, two rivers, and a whole continent, but Bishop clearly continues to say "but it wasn't a disaster" telling the reader that it's not that bad. The final stanza made things clear though, this poem was a dedication to someone very important in her life that she lost. She manages to still relay the message that even though things may seem unbearable, it's not a total disaster. Through the first four stanzas, there is a back and forth flow between stanzas. The first and third stanza end in talking about how loss is no disaster, while the second and fourth say "the art of losing isn't hard to master". The second and fourth stanzas end this way because they talk about different things that the author has lost while the first and third paragraphs are more general toward loss. In the third paragraph, I pictured something very strange while reading. I thought Bishop was speaking about Alzheimer's disease where a person's memory deteriorates. She said "losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel." This instantly made me think of Alzheimer's because those are exactly the symptoms my grandmother experienced. In a sense, the art of losing isn't hard to master in the case of Alzheimer's because it isn't controlled at all by the person. The final stanza is very different from the rest of the poem. Bishop uses the second person in addressing the person she lost. She also gives a command, "Write it!", in between the final line. I am unsure of the meaning of the command, but it does connect with the sentence by sounding similar to its surrounding words.
"Holy Sonnet 14" by John Donne (1572-1631)
As I read this poem I got the sense that it was of some kind of a spiritual plea. With that said, it is identifiable that Donne created a command poem which allows the reader to dissect the poem a little bit better and grasps a better understanding of it. First I would like to look at the structure of the poem; it is clearly a sonnet (hence the title) if you count the lines. What I got out of this play is that the commands are structured around Donne's character-if it is not himself-going through a spiritual conquest with himself, pleading for "God's" assistance and rescue, since the character feels that he cannot do it by himself. In fact, "captivity" is referred to every third line after line one within the character. This character realizes that he cannot have the feeling of being free unless God does it physically (which would be spiritually to God's eyes). This is why "you" is capitalized throughout the poem, in respect for God. Also, when Donne refers to God as a "three-personed God," he is referring to God in his known three states to Christians: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. This also justifies how desperate the character is for God's assistance.
I feel that the character represents man as a whole; the emotional and spiritual favors that we constantly ask of God on a daily basis. I feel that this is why the poem stuck to me so well, because could physically, emotionally, and spiritually devote some kind of relationship to the character's actions in the poem.
Secondly, I would like to discuss the wording of this poem. Reading the poem over and over, and finding myself getting deeply involved with the character, I noticed that there were some thematic and phonemic relations represented in Donne's poem. For example, on line for "break, blow, burn..." gives off the same "b" sound (phonemic) and are descriptions of dissecting something: break down, blow away, and burn up (thematic). For this chapter, I found it most helpful the read the poems first and then read the content and helpful tools second. It showed me the difference in JUST reading a poem than actually "reading" the poem-dissecting and analyzing it.
Finally, I want to talk about the poem's sentence structure. The lines in the poem tend to switch subjects periodically-about every other line, and also changes predicate and tense. For example, on line three through six Donne exhibits his sentence structure of predicate, subject, and tense change, that almost seems contradictory at times.
"That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
. . . . .
Reason, Your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is [captived] and proves weak or untrue".
The character appears contradictory in a kind-of unsure way; it is like he/she seems to be unsure of himself to hold his own without God in some parts, but in other parts he/she seems confident that he/she is doing okay and is strong-minded. Donne gives the character a realistic approach to man's response to stress and exhaustion when we have tried all that we know to do and it fails, man always look towards God or another option to make them feel rejuvenated and confident again.
I feel that the character represents man as a whole; the emotional and spiritual favors that we constantly ask of God on a daily basis. I feel that this is why the poem stuck to me so well, because could physically, emotionally, and spiritually devote some kind of relationship to the character's actions in the poem.
Secondly, I would like to discuss the wording of this poem. Reading the poem over and over, and finding myself getting deeply involved with the character, I noticed that there were some thematic and phonemic relations represented in Donne's poem. For example, on line for "break, blow, burn..." gives off the same "b" sound (phonemic) and are descriptions of dissecting something: break down, blow away, and burn up (thematic). For this chapter, I found it most helpful the read the poems first and then read the content and helpful tools second. It showed me the difference in JUST reading a poem than actually "reading" the poem-dissecting and analyzing it.
Finally, I want to talk about the poem's sentence structure. The lines in the poem tend to switch subjects periodically-about every other line, and also changes predicate and tense. For example, on line three through six Donne exhibits his sentence structure of predicate, subject, and tense change, that almost seems contradictory at times.
"That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
. . . . .
Reason, Your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is [captived] and proves weak or untrue".
The character appears contradictory in a kind-of unsure way; it is like he/she seems to be unsure of himself to hold his own without God in some parts, but in other parts he/she seems confident that he/she is doing okay and is strong-minded. Donne gives the character a realistic approach to man's response to stress and exhaustion when we have tried all that we know to do and it fails, man always look towards God or another option to make them feel rejuvenated and confident again.
Poema para los Californios Muertos
Lorra Dee Cervantes’ poem “Poema para los Californios Muertos” examines the feelings of Cervantes and other Californians of Hispanic descent on the colonization and eventual annexation of their native land. Cervantes, looking at a plaque outside a restaurant in Los Altos, California, gazes into the past and imagines how Mexican-Californian land and people were before the American occupation. In stanzas 1 and 2, Cervantes envisions how California was once a place with “valleys and fertile dust”. Running her finger across the brass plaque invokes the memory of silver buckles, native embroidered shawls and dark rebozos worn by Native Mexican women. In stanzas 3 and 4, Cervantes eventually switches from memories of the past to the California of the present. She is angered that everything was taken from her ancestors and nothing remains, not even their ghost. Throughout the poem, Cervantes switches from English to Spanish. This play of language shows the connection Cervantes shares with her past and also brings the feelings of her ancestors to the present.
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