Thursday, September 30, 2010

"The Apparation"

After reading this poem for the first time, I was really confused about what it meant. After the group discussion today, we figured out that the narrator of the poem is trying to persuade and seduce the woman in the poem. Because Donne incorporated the word "solicitation", I began to understand the relationship between the two people in the poem. My group also questioned whether the narrator is dead or living in the poem because of the reference to death and ghosts. As we read closer though, we began to comprehend that the reference to ghosts and death was all figurative language. The repetition of those two words or themes in the poem also allowed me to better understand the tone of the piece. The narrator in the poem shows great anger and frustration toward the woman, which creates a tone of haunting and vengeance. Basically, the speaker was trying to convince the woman that he would haunt her as a ghost in the future if she did not give him what he wanted. There is also a suspenseful side to the poem, because the speaker states "what I will say, I will not tell thee now, lest that preserve thee". If he told her what he would say or do, then she would be able to prepare herself. Lastly, the title of the poem adds to the overall tone, because apparition means a ghost or an invisible spirit.

"My Mistress's Eyes"

When I first read this poem, I thought that the speaker was just completely insulting his love. I thought that Shakespeare was basically calling her ugly through different physical features and comparisons. But after looking further into the meaning of the poem in discussion, I realized that Shakespeare made this poem a satirical piece. During this poem, he was making fun of all of the cliché compliments that men tell women who they are in love with. Through the comparisons of his love to other superior things, Shakespeare shows honesty in this poem. He is being a realist;therefore, he does not flatter his love with things he does not mean or compliments that simply aren't true. There is a transition or shift in the poem in lines thirteen and fourteen. Even though he realizes that his love is not perfect or anywhere close to perfect, he still considers her as "rare". Shakespeare basically states that his love is as beautiful as any of the other women who have been compared falsely. Shakespeare refuses to lie to his love, which is a quality that many women would appreciate greatly in a relationship.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

"Crossing the Bar"

This poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is all about how the speaker wants to die when his time comes. The speaker uses the metaphor of seeing death as a journey or a voyage out to sea. The author makes the attitude of the speaker toward death known through the metaphor of the journey, which extends throughout the entire poem. The speaker realizes that each person is given a certain amount of time on earth, and he or she believes that God knows when time is up. The second line states "and one clear call for me", and this line implies that the speaker will understand when it is his or her time and will accept it. In the second stanza, the speaker wants the tide that he takes to "seem asleep" with "no sound and foam". From these lines, the speaker in the poem clearly wants to die a peaceful and calm death. In the third stanza, the speaker describes how he wants others to react after he passes away. He doesn't want "sadness of farewell" when he takes his journey, so he wants people to celebrate his life and look at the positive. The last stanza of the poem incorporates the faith of the speaker. When the speaker says that he or she hopes to "see his Pilot face to face", the reader can infer that this is an symbol for God, especially since the word "Pilot" is capitalized. The meaning and connotation of the word "Pilot" is also significant. When people think of a pilot, they usually think of someone that they trust to guide them and lead them to a final point or destination. The speaker definitely believes in everlasting life or life after death as well as reuniting with God in peace and happiness.

"Letting Go"

This poem is all about a married couple who are dealing with the trials and tribulations of a divorce. The author employs similes that describe the relationship of the couple and irony that describes the couple's end. The author compares the couple to "inmates". When I think of this word with a negative connotation, I think of a prison. This made me think that the couple felt trapped in their marriage. Also, I thought that this could be interpreted as possible violence because it is followed by the phrase "beat the walls". The other simile occurs in the second stanza of the poem. The author speaks of the behavior of the couple as "heaving words like furniture". This statement also brings about the idea of violence and high levels of anger and frustration within the couple's time together. Even though the majority of the poem talks about the dissension between the two spouses and why it was best for them to separate, the end of the poem focuses on the positive note and happy days of the relationship. The only detail of the marriage before it collapsed, the matching hair and eyes, is in this last stanza. This stanza is where the irony of the poem comes. Even though the couple knew it was best that they separated, they cried on the final day before their divorce. As they parted, they held on tight to each other and then let go. This is ironic because the two spouses were so unhappy, yet wanted to hold on as they went their own ways.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

"next to of course god america i"

When I first read this poem, I didn't like E.E. Cumming's punctuation styles and methods. There are only two words that are capitalized in the entire poem, but they are outside of the quotation marks in the piece. This was very strange for me because the title of the poem was not even capitalized. Words that are emphasized with respect such as God and America are not even capitalized in the poem. Overall, I wasn't a fan of the lack of punctuation and capitalization of Cummings. Although I didn't like Cumming's writing style and format, I did appreciate the meaning of the poem. I liked how the author incorporated allusions to two famous patriotic songs, The Star Spangled Banner and My Country 'Tis of Thee. I liked the fact that the author basically called out people who say things just to say them but don't actually mean what they say. I saw this poem as criticizing a politician who is giving a speech. The idea of a glass of water at the end of a rapid speech just reminded me of a debate atmosphere or setting. Also, politicians are known for saying what people want to hear and saying what sounds good, so I think this poem was a satirical piece emphasizing the practices and methods of politicians in society today.

"Sorting Laundry"

Through a metaphor of daily routine and daily life, the author describes her feelings for her lover. The author's relationship with her lover is very precious and important to her. When the author says that she wants to fold her lover into her life, the reader becomes aware of how deep her appreciation and passion is for relationship. The author incorporates small parts of a household such as pillow cases, sheets, and towels and gives them significant meaning when those items belong to two people in love. The woman in the poem seems so happy, delighted, and captivated by the joy she gets from the little things in life. However, there is a change in tone in stanza fourteen. The speaker of the poem brings up a "strangely tailored shirt left by a former lover". The author then trails off after this statement, so this format and change in punctuation stood out to me. The woman in the poem then talks about how even her daily life would change drastically if her lover left her. The imagery given about the mountain of unsorted wash not being able to fill the empty side of the bed showed how alone the woman would feel without her lover. That picture presented by the author shows that the woman's life without her relationship with her lover would be meaningless. An unfixable void would take the place of her happiness and love. I liked the fact that this poem showed how the simple things in life can make us happy and give meaning to our lives.

"APO 96225"

I think the title of this poem could be considered an allusion. APO 96225 was an address of one of the most important bases in the Vietnam War. This allows the reader to better understand the context and setting of the poem. Along with the title, I also thought that the form or pattern of the poem was extremely important. The way that the author separates the stanzas shows the progression of the depth and truth of the son's letters to his mother. At first, the son is very brief and chooses not to reveal any gorry details of the war. As the poem goes on and the parents of the soldier beg and beg for more information, the son finally cracks and gives his parents vivid and graphic descriptions of his daily activities. The next stanza is the dad's response to the son telling the truth. This part of the poem is ironic because the parents continue to ask the son for more information, but when he is blunt and to the point they don't want to hear about it anymore. His parents change their mind because they cannot handle the depression and sadness of the war, so the son goes back to talking about the weather. I think this poem symbolizes the distance of the soldiers who actually experience the reality of the war and those back at home who know little or nothing about what war is really like.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

"Barbie Doll"

This poem was very ironic, and a remorseful and reproachful attitude and tone are conveyed by the poet. The title of the poem itself shows how ironic the piece is. This girl "with a great big nose and fat legs" was stereotyped by others around her. Everyone looked past her positive traits, and they always emphasized the negative attributes of her. The poem shows remorse and sadness as its tone because of the setting of a funeral in the final stanza of the poem. Marge Piercy incorporates even more irony throughout the poem by calling the girl pretty and describing a happy ending when she was dead. The major use of irony in this poem shows that the poet is trying to criticize society's idea of a stereotypical girl. The world today expects so much from women, but, in reality, women are different from barbie dolls. We cannot be perfect, because we all have our weaknesses and flaws. The barbie doll in the title is an inanimate object without thoughts and feelings, but the girl in the poem is a human being with a desire to be accepted for who she is. The title chosen for the poem and the way the author portrayed the progression of the girl's life created the effective tone of the piece.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

"Pink Dog"

This poem by Elizabeth Bishop is both satirical and criticizing. The poet begins with an address to a dog by using an apostrophe. The poet, with the eyes and viewpoint of society, looks down upon the dog and sounds very condescending. By doing this, the poet conveys that society treats the dog as an outcast because he is different from everyone else. The people of society stopped and stared at the dog because he didn't meet their standards. Bishop then compares the treatment of the dog in the poem to the treatment of the beggars. The society described in the poem makes a huge joke out of the poor, so the poet is concerned about what they will think about the dog and how they will react to his presence. By making a connection between a dog and the poor, Bishop turns a fictional problem into a nonfictional problem that can be applied to Rio de Janeiro, where the poet is from. Bishop attempts to give the dog advice in the piece. She recommends that he change himself in order to fit in or conform to society. The poet's image of the hairless dog allows the reader to understand how narrow-minded society can be. The people in this poem are conveyed as superficial, and the poet emphasizes this social issue that she thinks needs more attention.

"February"

In this poem, Margaret Atwood places emphasis on her cat immediately from the beginning. She then jumps to the actions of other cats, which she describes in a very negative manner. She blames cats' behavior for ultimately "finishing us off in the long run". By saying this, the poet begins to equate cat behavior and human behavior. Atwood then goes on to say that human love and relationships are what we have to blame for reproduction. From the title of this poem, the reader knows that these thoughts and feelings from the poet are all taking place in the month of February. When Atwood describes the month of February as "the month of despair", she adds irony to the piece. When people think of February, many come up with happy thoughts of love and, most importantly, Valentine's Day. Instead of looking for love, the author of this poem is looking for some "french fries with a splash of vinegar". Although the tone of this poem seems depressing up to this point, the author changes her mindset in the end. Through advice given to the cat, the author indirectly advises herself to search for the positives and happiness in life. She has a new desire for "spring", or new beginnings.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

"Bright Star"

In this poem, John Keats expresses the positives and negatives of being a star. Keats likes the fact that the star is unchanging, constant, and can always see what is going on below it. Also, he thinks that seeing all of the beauty of the earth from a panoramic view would be enjoyable. Although this is true, Keats does not think that being alone and living a life of solitude like a star would be something that he would long for. He doesn't like the idea of being distant from others, especially his lover. In the end of the poem, Keats poses a question, both for himself and for the reader to think about. Would you rather live forever, or would you rather experience love and die when love is at its peak? I really like the fact that Keats would choose a short amount of time with love in his life rather than all of the time he could ever ask for without those feelings or experiences. It shows how passionate Keats is about love. I also liked this poem because it makes me think of life in a whole new way. Keats helped me understand that life may be short with many ups, downs, positives, and negatives, but the relationships and memories created and built during that time make the journey worth it.

"I taste a liquor never brewed" #8

The tone that is conveyed in this poem is exhilaration, elation, and lighthearted. From the very beginning of this poem, Emily Dickinson establishes these feelings toward earth and nature, but uses drunkness and intoxication to do so. Dickonson compares the "liquor" that she is experiencing to the value of a pearl,which is very precious. She describes the "liquor" as better than the wine of the Rhine, which is a very respectable wine. The "liquor" that Dickinson is referring to is a metaphor of the beauty of nature. The reader begins to realize this in the beginning of the second stanza. Dickinson states that she is "inebriate of air" and "debauchee of dew". Through these phrases that are combinations of nature and drunkness, the reader can infer that Dickinson has a great appreciation for nature. By finishing stanza three with the phrase "I shall but drink the more", Dickinson shows the reader that this tone or attitude toward nature will exist for a long time. The tone of this poem is achieved through Dickinson's figurative language and powerful imagery.

"Dreams Deferred" #11

Throughout this entire poem, Langston Hughes uses figurative language to get his point across to the reader. There are five similes and one metaphor used in this poem. When a dream is compared to a raisin in the sun, the author means to say that the opportunity for action is now. The dream is then compared to a sore that festers, meaning that it could spread profusely among people if shared with others. The third simile, that compares a dream to rotten meat, symbolizes the fact that dreams that are not taken into action can leave a person with a feeling of unforgettable regret. Next, the author compares a dream to a syrupy sweet. In this simile, the author is implying that deferred dreams can cause people to sugar coated their circumstances, which would result in no change or action. In the final simile, the dream is equated with a heavy load. I think the author is trying to say that a dream left inside of one's head can weigh a person down or inhibit them from reaching their full potential. The only metaphor used in this poem is separated from the rest of the piece. It is italicized, and therefore stands out as the stressed point of the poem. In this metaphor, the dream actually explodes. This has a very negative connotation, especially after learning about the background of the poet. The figurative language in this poem convey's the writer's attitude toward dreams. Through his combination of similes and metaphors, he calls the reader to action so their dreams can become reality instead of becoming deferred.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

"Those Winter Sundays"

After studying the collection of eigth poems, I thought that this poem was one of the easiest ones to understand. I really liked this poem because of the nostalgic point of view of the speaker looking back on his or her past experiences. I could relate to the regretful and ashamed tone of the poem, because I have been in situations that are similar to the speaker's situation numerous times in my life. I also liked the fact that there could be more than one interpretation of this poem. When I initially read this poem by myself, I took it very literally. I saw no symbolism or deeper meaning. But when my small group discussed the poem in class, one member of my group thought that the father in the poem represented God and the son or daughter represented all of God's children on earth. I thought it was very interesting that there could be two completely different opinions about the meaning of the work. I'm not positive which one is correct or if either of them are correct, but I loved the universal message behind both interpretations. I liked how the poem gave the advice or the message to be thankful, grateful, and appreciative of the many things that others do for us.

"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" #15

After reading this poem a few times by myself, I was very confused about what was going on in it. When I went back through the poem and looked for patterns that stood out to me, I saw that there were sound repetitions incorporated in the work. This occurs three times in three different stanzas of this poem by Dickinson. In the first stanza, the word "treading" is repeated back to back. Following that, in the second stanza, the word "beating" is also repeated twice right next to each other. Finally, in the last stanza, the word "down" is used twice in the same line. Because these terms were used more than once, I realized that they were supposed to be emphasized and had further meaning. After reading the poem again in class with my small group, I realized that the poem should not be taken literally, and those repeated phrases started to make more sense. My group came up with the idea that the speaker was talking about his or her progression from reality and sanity to madness and insanity. All three of the repeated words collectively make me think of a huge weight on someone's shoulders. "Treading", "beating", and "down" make me picture someone losing a fight to some burden, problem, or issue in his or her life that they can no longer control. These significant examples of sound repetition helped me as a reader better understand what occurs in the poem. For my interpretation, they served almost like context clues by helping me fill in the blanks for what I didn't understand.

"The Convergence of the Twain" #6

I think that the central purpose of "The Convergence of the Twain" is to point out and ridicule human vanity and human glory. I think that Hardy understood that the sinking of the Titanic was a serious accident, but I don't think that is the main focus of his poem. Many people who read this poem probably thought Hardy was looking back and reflecting on the tragedy of the Titanic, but there is a deeper meaning than that. He does not go into depth or detail about the deaths of passengers on the boat, about the moment that the ship and the iceberg collided, or about the actual destruction and sinking of the boat. Hardy's main focus is on the luxury and elegance of the boat. In the fifth stanza, the fish that are near and that are looking at the boat ask "What does this vaingloriousness down here?". Of all the things that the fish could have noticed and said, Hardy chose for them to ask question why the boat was the way it was. In addition to the fish, Hardy also brings attention to "the Pride of Life" that planned and created the boat. Hardy's main point of this poem is to criticize human desire for pride, material things, and invincibility.

"The Widow's Lament in Springtime" #8

When I first read this poem, the tone was one thing that stood out to me from the very beginning. The tone of this poem by Williams is grief, anxiety, and entrapment. This tone is achieved throughout the piece through Williams' diction and repetition. The wife in the poem who is grieving for her husband shows her emotions by using words such as "sorrow" and "cold fire". She implies that she is trapped in her grief and other mixed emotions when she states that the cold fire "closes round me this year". Also, telling how long she had been with her husband (thirty five years) added to the tone because it made the longing for the past that much stronger. Lastly, her desire of "falling into the flowers" and "sinking into the marsh near them" can be linked to death as her only option to get away from her negative emotions. The repetition used in this poem plays a key role in contributing to the tone. The phrase "masses of flowers" is used in the twice right next to each other. This repetition emphasizes the amount of flowers present in the spring. After focusing on this, Williams then compares the widow's grief to the masses of flowers. Her grief is said to be stronger than the number of flowers, which makes the tone of the poem so much more effective. The second word that is repeated in the poem is "today". I think the purpose of this use of repetition is to compare the widow's reactions to and feelings toward spring now and in the past. "Today", the widow has no appreciation for spring. In the past, parts of spring were her "joy formerly". The tone of anxiety and grief in Williams' poem is made clear through both rhetorical strategies of repetition and diction.

"Spring" #9

I think that Hopkins' diction is a very important component of his poem. His diction serves two main purposes in this poem. First, Hopkins' diction paints a picture of the beauty of spring and why he appreciates the season so much. He conveys what goes on during spring, including the activities of plants and animals. Hopkins expresses his love for spring by calling it "beautiful"and comparing it to "juice" and "joy". He also describes the weeds as "long and lovely and lush". In addition, Hopkins conveys how pleasant spring sounds by describing the song of the birds and the enthusiasm of the people who hear that song. Second, Hopkins' diction suggests that he is from a strong Christian background through his references to holy figures and his symbolism. He talks about "Christ, lord" as well as the "Eden Garden", which are very strong and apparent allusion to religion. I think that the lamb mentioned in the poem is a symbol and stands for the Lamb of God, or Christ. Lastly, I think that this poem not only expresses love for spring, but also appreciation for new life, new starts, and renewal.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Perrine Poetry Blog

Before reading this essay, I had the typical view of poetry analysis. I thought that poetry means whatever you as an individual want it to mean (within reason), so different types of people could potentially see different meanings for the same poem. While reading the beginning of this essay, I had the impression that Perrine was narrow-minded in his methods to poetry interpretation. His chosen diction (critical commonplace and critical heresy) in the second paragraph may cause readers to take offense. But after reading Perrine's essay, I now understand poetry and its meanings in a new way. One of Perrine's ideas that struck me and opened up my mind was his opinion on symbols. Perrine states that "the cone of light is the area of meaning". This metaphor and vidual picture definitely made sense to me. It showed me that there may be multiple interpretations of an idea, but some interpretations are more correct and closer to the point of the cone than others. I think that this view of literary analysis can allow me to be less intimidated by poetry units this year in class.
Although there were multiple methods of ideas introduced by Perrine that I agreed with and liked, there were a few strategies and concepts in his piece that I did not agree with. The one idea that bothered me the most and stood out to me was his criteria used for judging an interpretation of a poem. I hated the fact that two answers can be correct. What also irritates me is that one answer is more correct than the other. If they are both correct in some way, then how can one be superior to another. That concept is really hard for me to grasp, understand, and apply. If poetry is going to be this way, as well as other tests, how can I learn to tell which interpretation or answer is more correct? I don't recall Perrine going into depth or explanation of how to do this. If our class is going to be working with poetry for the remainder of the first quarter, than I want to be able to better understand and utlilize this concept that Perrine introduces in his essay.