"I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar." Lines 15-16
I can finally interpret a poem easily! For once in my short career of poem analysis, I believe I completely understand what the writer's purpose was. The "sand bar" being crossed is death. The ocean, which is "asleep" and calm, is heaven. Finally, and most obviously, the "pilot" of the ship is God. The "call" the speaker hears is God calling him home, the time of his death. The speaker wants "no sorrow" when he leaves. He wants only simplicity and a calm departure, which could be interpreted as a quick and easy death. However I doubt that this analysis is entirely true, since he speaks of "returning home". You don't return home after dying, do you? Unless of course "home" is heaven and unity with God. In any case, I am confusing myself even more. I'll quit while I am ahead.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
"The Apparition" by John Donne
"Then shall my ghost come to thy bed" Line 4
This is the first scary, ghost-story poem we have read so far. However it is not at all the first poem inspired by a woman. It seems the speaker is telling the woman responsible for his murder that he will return to haunt her. Since the woman's husband won't wake up, she will be left to fend off the ghost herself. This man obviously has no sympathy for this woman. However I am not sure if he literally means a murder or perhaps merely a figurative one. Furthermore the haunting itself could just be figurative. This woman could be a former lover of his, and he is saying because of his heart being broken, he will never rest until she feels the pain he felt. Maybe his "ghost" is merely memories of their relationship, and her "haunting" is his making her regret the decision she made.
This is the first scary, ghost-story poem we have read so far. However it is not at all the first poem inspired by a woman. It seems the speaker is telling the woman responsible for his murder that he will return to haunt her. Since the woman's husband won't wake up, she will be left to fend off the ghost herself. This man obviously has no sympathy for this woman. However I am not sure if he literally means a murder or perhaps merely a figurative one. Furthermore the haunting itself could just be figurative. This woman could be a former lover of his, and he is saying because of his heart being broken, he will never rest until she feels the pain he felt. Maybe his "ghost" is merely memories of their relationship, and her "haunting" is his making her regret the decision she made.
"Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis
"Every night another refusal, the silent work of tightening the heart." Lines 2-4
I guess it's true that marriage is a truly horrid time. At least that's what Mathis implies. In the poem, the speaker starts right off talking of the horrors of marriage, calling her and her husband "inmates", implying that marriage is like a prison. She says that words are "heaved like furniture", hinting that harsh things were said between the two. However, she soon changes her negative diction. By the end of the poem it is apparent that she misses her ex-husband. She tells the reader that she and her husband cried on the last day and unwillingly separated and went on their final ways. Her diction goes from angry to remorseful, which is a reflection on the life of the speaker. Although she seems to be doing all right by herself and still keeps in touch with her ex-husband, she misses him.
I guess it's true that marriage is a truly horrid time. At least that's what Mathis implies. In the poem, the speaker starts right off talking of the horrors of marriage, calling her and her husband "inmates", implying that marriage is like a prison. She says that words are "heaved like furniture", hinting that harsh things were said between the two. However, she soon changes her negative diction. By the end of the poem it is apparent that she misses her ex-husband. She tells the reader that she and her husband cried on the last day and unwillingly separated and went on their final ways. Her diction goes from angry to remorseful, which is a reflection on the life of the speaker. Although she seems to be doing all right by herself and still keeps in touch with her ex-husband, she misses him.
"My Mistress' Eyes" by William Shakespeare
"And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks." Lines 7-8
Shakespeare and his sense of humor! Actually to be honest I'm not really sure if this is a joke or not. I am going to assume this is satire. I believe old Bill is simply saying that although his lover is not perfect, he looks past her flaws and still loves her all the same. He seems to point out in every feature of her that there is something bigger and better. Perhaps that is his point. Or he could be poking fun at her. What I do know is that he states at the end that he, "think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare" Lines13-14. He means that he still appreciates and loves this woman just as much as a man who has ridiculous comparisons for the features and characteristics of the girl they love.
Shakespeare and his sense of humor! Actually to be honest I'm not really sure if this is a joke or not. I am going to assume this is satire. I believe old Bill is simply saying that although his lover is not perfect, he looks past her flaws and still loves her all the same. He seems to point out in every feature of her that there is something bigger and better. Perhaps that is his point. Or he could be poking fun at her. What I do know is that he states at the end that he, "think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare" Lines13-14. He means that he still appreciates and loves this woman just as much as a man who has ridiculous comparisons for the features and characteristics of the girl they love.
"Hazel Tells Laverne" by Katharyn Machan Aal
"when all of a sudden up pops this frog" Lines 4-5
Aal cleverly writes this comical and ironic poem. The reader is first subjugated to the dialect, which is African American. Furthermore, irony is used to make the reader laugh. This woman Hazel encounters a magical talking frog, as one would find in a fairy tale. However she is not impressed by this. She seems more concerned with the fact that the frog showed up at all! When asked by the frog to kiss him in order to turn into a prince, Hazel responds by calling him a "pervert", again seeming to miss what the frog is saying. She is focused on the literal implications of what he says, not paying attention to his words. She later scoffs at the frog's words, saying, "me a princess" in lines 24-25, as if the concept is simply unbelievable. Aal's sense of humor is present in her spunky character of Hazel.
Aal cleverly writes this comical and ironic poem. The reader is first subjugated to the dialect, which is African American. Furthermore, irony is used to make the reader laugh. This woman Hazel encounters a magical talking frog, as one would find in a fairy tale. However she is not impressed by this. She seems more concerned with the fact that the frog showed up at all! When asked by the frog to kiss him in order to turn into a prince, Hazel responds by calling him a "pervert", again seeming to miss what the frog is saying. She is focused on the literal implications of what he says, not paying attention to his words. She later scoffs at the frog's words, saying, "me a princess" in lines 24-25, as if the concept is simply unbelievable. Aal's sense of humor is present in her spunky character of Hazel.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
"Mr. Z" by M. Carl Holman
"'One of the most distinguished members of his race.'" Line 26
What a truly remarkable poem. This Mr. Z appears to be a man who refused to be tied down by racial discrimination and insensitivity. He lived his life cautiously, being careful to present himself in a respectable image to all. Even in what he ate and who he kissed, along with who he married, all was planned out. He was compared to an "airborne plant", implying that although the entire society, the world's way of life, was against him, he refused to be kept down and in fact flourished as a man and a character. He was honest and reliable, in that "Not one false note was struck- until he died:" However, the true irony lies in the inscription on his gravestone, "'One of the most distinguished members of his race'". The entire work of Mr. Z's life was to tear down the walls of racial discrimination, and yet even after his remarkable life, his death was overshadowed by that horrible phrase. They classified his life based on his race. This defeated his entire life's mission and goal, showing that even despite radical influences such as this man, the road to equality was a lengthy and difficult one.
What a truly remarkable poem. This Mr. Z appears to be a man who refused to be tied down by racial discrimination and insensitivity. He lived his life cautiously, being careful to present himself in a respectable image to all. Even in what he ate and who he kissed, along with who he married, all was planned out. He was compared to an "airborne plant", implying that although the entire society, the world's way of life, was against him, he refused to be kept down and in fact flourished as a man and a character. He was honest and reliable, in that "Not one false note was struck- until he died:" However, the true irony lies in the inscription on his gravestone, "'One of the most distinguished members of his race'". The entire work of Mr. Z's life was to tear down the walls of racial discrimination, and yet even after his remarkable life, his death was overshadowed by that horrible phrase. They classified his life based on his race. This defeated his entire life's mission and goal, showing that even despite radical influences such as this man, the road to equality was a lengthy and difficult one.
"Much Madness is divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson
"Much Madness is divinest Sense-" Line 1
Oh, Dickinson, you never cease to thoroughly confuse me. Yet again, I am left with a poem of yours that makes absolutely no sense. You are deliberately and paradoxically contradicting yourself. How could Madness be sense? And sense madness? I suppose it is all in how one looks at it. From a madman's perspective, what is madness to him could indeed be sense to a normal person. If this is true, then why write from the perspective of a madman? The more of your poems I read and study, the more I am convinced that you yourself didn't have all of your fish swimming in the same direction. However, I can connect what you're saying to the movie my Mom is currently watching. In "Inception", the main character's wife kills herself, believing the real world to be yet another dream, and she desired to get out of it to get back to her real life. Death in her dream worlds brought one back to reality. To the audience, she seemed perfectly insane. However to her, her logic was flawless. If it was a dream, there was no harm in jumping off of a building. She would simply wake up and live her life to the fullest. I still stick with what I said though. I don't understand at all what you're trying to get at.
Oh, Dickinson, you never cease to thoroughly confuse me. Yet again, I am left with a poem of yours that makes absolutely no sense. You are deliberately and paradoxically contradicting yourself. How could Madness be sense? And sense madness? I suppose it is all in how one looks at it. From a madman's perspective, what is madness to him could indeed be sense to a normal person. If this is true, then why write from the perspective of a madman? The more of your poems I read and study, the more I am convinced that you yourself didn't have all of your fish swimming in the same direction. However, I can connect what you're saying to the movie my Mom is currently watching. In "Inception", the main character's wife kills herself, believing the real world to be yet another dream, and she desired to get out of it to get back to her real life. Death in her dream worlds brought one back to reality. To the audience, she seemed perfectly insane. However to her, her logic was flawless. If it was a dream, there was no harm in jumping off of a building. She would simply wake up and live her life to the fullest. I still stick with what I said though. I don't understand at all what you're trying to get at.
"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
""'Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'" Line 11
This entire poem is one giant metaphor for the inevitability of man's mortality. Shelley uses vivid imagery, talking of the "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand[ing] in the desert..." to show the loneliness and barren atmosphere of this spot that was once a great center of a mighty kingdom. There is no doubt ancient Egypt was a powerful and innovative civilization that ruled the world for thousands of years. Their vast empire was remarkable in its efficiency and organization. However, it too, as all great civilizations do, fell. Greece followed this pattern, followed by Rome, and in our modern world, the British Empire and the Soviet Union. The irony is in the words on the engravings that remain, that this Pharaoh was so conceited as to tell others to despair when they saw the might of his kingdom. He is now the king of sand and desert, and his once great civilization is nothing more than ruins now.
This entire poem is one giant metaphor for the inevitability of man's mortality. Shelley uses vivid imagery, talking of the "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand[ing] in the desert..." to show the loneliness and barren atmosphere of this spot that was once a great center of a mighty kingdom. There is no doubt ancient Egypt was a powerful and innovative civilization that ruled the world for thousands of years. Their vast empire was remarkable in its efficiency and organization. However, it too, as all great civilizations do, fell. Greece followed this pattern, followed by Rome, and in our modern world, the British Empire and the Soviet Union. The irony is in the words on the engravings that remain, that this Pharaoh was so conceited as to tell others to despair when they saw the might of his kingdom. He is now the king of sand and desert, and his once great civilization is nothing more than ruins now.
Monday, September 19, 2011
"APO 96225" by Larry Rottman
"'Dear Mom, sure rains a lot here.'" Line 3
War is hell. And this poem makes it quite obvious. We all know this familiar story. We see it all over the news today. A young man goes off to war. He writes back home, expressing all of the positive aspects of the hostile environment he lives in so as not to worry his loved ones back home. However, this poem takes it a step further by the young man literally describing some of the horrors of what he goes through. His mother and father are horrified at what he says. Their son, their beloved son, killed a man. he murdered innocent civilians: women and children were burned by napalm because of him. It is also ironic in that his mother repeatedly asked him to tell her how it was. She knew war was terrible, and wanted him to express the things he did and saw to her; however, when he reveals the true nature of his work, his mother was "upset" and he again reverted to his vague letters back home.
War is hell. And this poem makes it quite obvious. We all know this familiar story. We see it all over the news today. A young man goes off to war. He writes back home, expressing all of the positive aspects of the hostile environment he lives in so as not to worry his loved ones back home. However, this poem takes it a step further by the young man literally describing some of the horrors of what he goes through. His mother and father are horrified at what he says. Their son, their beloved son, killed a man. he murdered innocent civilians: women and children were burned by napalm because of him. It is also ironic in that his mother repeatedly asked him to tell her how it was. She knew war was terrible, and wanted him to express the things he did and saw to her; however, when he reveals the true nature of his work, his mother was "upset" and he again reverted to his vague letters back home.
"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy
"Her good nature wore out like a fan belt." Lines 14-15
Piercy expresses a theme that's hard to miss. Moreover, she does it satirically. Piercy shows the problem with the media's idea of what a woman should be. The young girl in the poem grew up with kitchen sets and baby dolls, following the ideal girl's childhood traditions. However, at the age puberty set in, although she was perfectly normal, her appearance was brought to the attention of others in her class. One must question why she was "apologetic" over her differences, since otherwise she was intelligent, dexterous, and behaviorally normal. this social isolation, this bullying, drove this girl to do the unthinkable. Piercy brings to light the struggles young women face all over the world to live up to the standards set before them on womanhood. She also warns of the dangers of keeping this standard, and shows the extremes that it can lead to.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
"Toads" by Philip Larkin
"Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life?" Lines 1-2
Larkin cleverly uses a toad as a representation of stress. Stress, like a toad, "Squats" on everyone's lives. It uses its "sickening poison" to take up the days of our week, just to "pay the bills". the "Folks who live on their wits" are intellectuals who seemingly overcome the struggles of stress. In reality, is this true? From the poor working man's perspective, it certainly seems that way. They don't feel the stress of a low income job. On the other end of the spectrum, those who live "up lanes", who live simply and quietly in the country, seem to live without toads bothering them. This man, caught in the middle of the two worlds, is obviously bitter about it. He feels it deep in his soul, "cold" and "hunkering". It restricts him from finding life's real luxuries and inhibits his success. What a cynical poem this is.
Larkin cleverly uses a toad as a representation of stress. Stress, like a toad, "Squats" on everyone's lives. It uses its "sickening poison" to take up the days of our week, just to "pay the bills". the "Folks who live on their wits" are intellectuals who seemingly overcome the struggles of stress. In reality, is this true? From the poor working man's perspective, it certainly seems that way. They don't feel the stress of a low income job. On the other end of the spectrum, those who live "up lanes", who live simply and quietly in the country, seem to live without toads bothering them. This man, caught in the middle of the two worlds, is obviously bitter about it. He feels it deep in his soul, "cold" and "hunkering". It restricts him from finding life's real luxuries and inhibits his success. What a cynical poem this is.
"Pink Dog" by Elizabeth Bishop
"Oh, never have I seen a dog so bare! Naked and pink, without a single hair..." Lines 4-5
Bishop's poem is much more than a simple tribute to Carnival in Rio de Janerio. She uses the pink dog as a metaphor for a human. The speaker of the poem, speaking to the dog, is a metaphor for society and media influences. She repeatedly tells the dog how pathetic and strange it looks. Furthermore, she tries to frighten the dog, saying that beggars, cripples, idiots, and drunks are murdered for their social undoings. She says, "what would they do to sick, four-legged dogs?" in an attempt to frighten the dog into wearing something for carnival. She tells it to dress up nice, just as the media tells us to do certain things and act certain ways. In my opinion, there is a naked pink dog inside each and every one of us.
Bishop's poem is much more than a simple tribute to Carnival in Rio de Janerio. She uses the pink dog as a metaphor for a human. The speaker of the poem, speaking to the dog, is a metaphor for society and media influences. She repeatedly tells the dog how pathetic and strange it looks. Furthermore, she tries to frighten the dog, saying that beggars, cripples, idiots, and drunks are murdered for their social undoings. She says, "what would they do to sick, four-legged dogs?" in an attempt to frighten the dog into wearing something for carnival. She tells it to dress up nice, just as the media tells us to do certain things and act certain ways. In my opinion, there is a naked pink dog inside each and every one of us.
"Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes
"What happens to a dream deferred?" Line 1
Hughes' work is one of shattered dreams and cool anger, compressed into a very short-yet very effective- poem. Imagery is widely present in the "what if"s in the reading. This particular poem also uses many similes in its short span. These describe the possibilities of what happen to a dream. Though not literal, they are all significant in that they represent what can happen if a goal is put off for too long a period of time. Perhaps the goal will "dry up", in that the motivation needed to pursue it no longer exists: it runs out, dries up. Or the dream could "fester like a sore", become something terrible and deformed, no longer driven by good intentions but with a wayward objective. Maybe the dream would "stink like rotten mean", again becoming foul from not being taken advantage of at the proper opportunity. If it "sags like a heavy load", perhaps it is now such a burden it cannot be loved or appreciated any longer. Hughes effectively emphasizes the bitterness and disappointment of a lost dream through his similes and imagery.
Hughes' work is one of shattered dreams and cool anger, compressed into a very short-yet very effective- poem. Imagery is widely present in the "what if"s in the reading. This particular poem also uses many similes in its short span. These describe the possibilities of what happen to a dream. Though not literal, they are all significant in that they represent what can happen if a goal is put off for too long a period of time. Perhaps the goal will "dry up", in that the motivation needed to pursue it no longer exists: it runs out, dries up. Or the dream could "fester like a sore", become something terrible and deformed, no longer driven by good intentions but with a wayward objective. Maybe the dream would "stink like rotten mean", again becoming foul from not being taken advantage of at the proper opportunity. If it "sags like a heavy load", perhaps it is now such a burden it cannot be loved or appreciated any longer. Hughes effectively emphasizes the bitterness and disappointment of a lost dream through his similes and imagery.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
"The Joy of Cooking" by Elaine Magarrell
"I have prepared my sister's tongue," Line 1
Magarrell satirically speaks of preparing her siblings' organs as a meal. Her central theme is that she is fed up with her brother and sister, tired of their obvious flaws and short comings, and decides to write about it. She accomplishes this by describing her brother and sister through characteristics of the body part she is preparing. She implies that her sister is foul-mouthed, since she had to "scrub and skin" her tongue. Also, she calls her cheap, saying she is "economical", and that the tongue perhaps will "grow back". Her brother she describes as having a "dry" and "firm" heart, implying a meanness and cruelty in him. He is also boring, since his heart needs "apple-onion stuffing to make it interesting at all". Furthermore, she describes him as unkind, saying his heart is small, in that it "feeds only two". She is calling out her siblings, telling them to open their eyes and see the wrong of their attitudes and ways.
Magarrell satirically speaks of preparing her siblings' organs as a meal. Her central theme is that she is fed up with her brother and sister, tired of their obvious flaws and short comings, and decides to write about it. She accomplishes this by describing her brother and sister through characteristics of the body part she is preparing. She implies that her sister is foul-mouthed, since she had to "scrub and skin" her tongue. Also, she calls her cheap, saying she is "economical", and that the tongue perhaps will "grow back". Her brother she describes as having a "dry" and "firm" heart, implying a meanness and cruelty in him. He is also boring, since his heart needs "apple-onion stuffing to make it interesting at all". Furthermore, she describes him as unkind, saying his heart is small, in that it "feeds only two". She is calling out her siblings, telling them to open their eyes and see the wrong of their attitudes and ways.
"February" by Margaret Atwood
"February, month of despair, with a skewered heart in the centre." Lines 25-26
This poem creates a tone of listlessness in the heart of the winter months. Atwood expresses a cynical attitude not only toward the weather, but towards seemingly every aspect of life, from humans to cats to warmth to holidays. However, she is also longing for the spring. Ironically, the poem begins with the word "Winter" and ends with the word "spring". Atwood shows her disdain towards Valentine's day (the "skewered heart in the centre" of February), a holiday normally associated with love. Even the concept of warmth, she puts down, saying "pollution pours out of our chimneys to keep us warm". Nothing seems to be positive, and nothing seems to be optimistic to her, a feeling all can relate to in the long, dreary, winter months.
This poem creates a tone of listlessness in the heart of the winter months. Atwood expresses a cynical attitude not only toward the weather, but towards seemingly every aspect of life, from humans to cats to warmth to holidays. However, she is also longing for the spring. Ironically, the poem begins with the word "Winter" and ends with the word "spring". Atwood shows her disdain towards Valentine's day (the "skewered heart in the centre" of February), a holiday normally associated with love. Even the concept of warmth, she puts down, saying "pollution pours out of our chimneys to keep us warm". Nothing seems to be positive, and nothing seems to be optimistic to her, a feeling all can relate to in the long, dreary, winter months.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
"Spring" by Gerard Manley Hopkins
"A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning In Eden garden." Lines 10 and 11
Hopkins is extremely upfront about his meaning in this poem. It is poetry written in praise to God. He describes the scenes he sees, focusing on the senses extensively. He speaks of the sight of "weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush". He also talks about the noise one hears, of the Thrush's call that "does so rinse and wring the ear". He references "Eden garden", further demonstrating the lush beauty of the Spring. Furthermore, he describes it as pure, with lambs symbolizing innocence and happiness. What's more to this poem is not simply the glorifying of the Lord, but a question of favor. Hopkins asks God to return to him the innocence of youth, in order that his sins won't take away from the beauty and purity of the spring.
Hopkins is extremely upfront about his meaning in this poem. It is poetry written in praise to God. He describes the scenes he sees, focusing on the senses extensively. He speaks of the sight of "weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush". He also talks about the noise one hears, of the Thrush's call that "does so rinse and wring the ear". He references "Eden garden", further demonstrating the lush beauty of the Spring. Furthermore, he describes it as pure, with lambs symbolizing innocence and happiness. What's more to this poem is not simply the glorifying of the Lord, but a question of favor. Hopkins asks God to return to him the innocence of youth, in order that his sins won't take away from the beauty and purity of the spring.
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden
"Speaking Indifferently to him" Line 10
Hayden, in this poem, speaks of his being unappreciative towards his father. It is obvious that as an adult, he realized the many sacrifices his father made for him. He also recognizes how hard he worked, as seen in the lines "then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires ablaze". He regrets the disrespect he showed him, as in line 10 when he "spoke indifferently to him". Moreover, he recognizes his foolish behaviors and wishes he could have known some things back then, when he says "What did I know, what did I know, of love's austere and lonely offices?" He looks back at this man he now admires with a gentleness, and remembers him as a selfless and caring father, for when "the rooms were warm, he'd call". He let his son enjoy the comfort of bed until the warmth was comfortable enough for him to get up in. I feel as if everyone feels this way throughout their life, in which one wishes they had treated their parents with more respect than they did.
Hayden, in this poem, speaks of his being unappreciative towards his father. It is obvious that as an adult, he realized the many sacrifices his father made for him. He also recognizes how hard he worked, as seen in the lines "then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires ablaze". He regrets the disrespect he showed him, as in line 10 when he "spoke indifferently to him". Moreover, he recognizes his foolish behaviors and wishes he could have known some things back then, when he says "What did I know, what did I know, of love's austere and lonely offices?" He looks back at this man he now admires with a gentleness, and remembers him as a selfless and caring father, for when "the rooms were warm, he'd call". He let his son enjoy the comfort of bed until the warmth was comfortable enough for him to get up in. I feel as if everyone feels this way throughout their life, in which one wishes they had treated their parents with more respect than they did.
"I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain" by Emily Dickinson
"A Service, like a Drum- Kept beating-beating" Lines 6 and 7
This poem uses figurative language to get its point across. Dickinson ingeniously used a repetition of words to get across the meaning of her poem. I personally interpreted the poem being about a mental breakdown one has. Her repetition of words, such as "beating-beating", "down, and down", and "treading-treading" are all words implying a journey being made. Additionally, she describes her irrationality through the synecdoche, "And Being, but an Ear" in which she classifies herself as a human based on being an ear. Dickinson also impies a funeral for her sanity, speaking of "mourners" and a "Box", or casket. Furthermore, through her use of personifying silence, Dickinson implies that this was her only companion through this time. Silence being a companion hints at someone who spends much time in solitary spaces.
"The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke
"It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world." Line 4
This poem by Rilke contains a certain purpose, brought about through a fictional point. I believe the panther is a representation of man's constriction and imprisonment of nature. The poem speaks of "powerful soft strides", a juxtaposition that shows man is taking advantage of the natural world, through limiting it (through deforestation and pollution). He also figuratively says that the true power of nature is realized- when the "the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly". This demonstration of nature's true...well...nature is quickly and quietly forgotten, when it "plunges into the heart and is gone". This is true in our world today, in which violent hurricanes, earthquakes, storms, and tornadoes regularly cause disasters, yet man is yet to truly fear or respect the power of nature.
"London" by William Blake
"Marks of weakness, marks of woe." Line 4
In Blake's poem "London", his use of syntax reveals much about the direction the poem is heading. Most of the words used have a negative connotation, suggesting a theme of sadness and misery. This implies that London, usually pictured as a center of bustling activity, is under the reign of a bloodthirsty and unjust tyrant. Blake hints at this through his mention of "chartered" streets and rivers. Additionally, he mentions how "Soldier's sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls". Moreover, Blake hints at a complete corruption of authority. the "black'ning Church", suggesting that all authority in London, even holy authority, is corrupted and unjust.
In Blake's poem "London", his use of syntax reveals much about the direction the poem is heading. Most of the words used have a negative connotation, suggesting a theme of sadness and misery. This implies that London, usually pictured as a center of bustling activity, is under the reign of a bloodthirsty and unjust tyrant. Blake hints at this through his mention of "chartered" streets and rivers. Additionally, he mentions how "Soldier's sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls". Moreover, Blake hints at a complete corruption of authority. the "black'ning Church", suggesting that all authority in London, even holy authority, is corrupted and unjust.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Interpreting Poetry
"...for any given poem there are correct and incorrect readings, and to illustrate the process by which the correctness of a reading may be approved or disapproved."
Perrine's claim that there is a correct and incorrect way to interpret poetry sounds ludicrous to me. How can he tell one what to take out of a poem? Is a poem not a work of art? Furthermore, he states himself that a writer "Should not be his own interpreter". If this is true, then that means it is not clear what the poem is actually about. Is one told how to look at a picture painted by an artist? The message or idea one takes away from a work of art, and poetry is indeed art in written form, is simply a personal reflection of the work. Perrine seems incorrect in his idea.
Yet Perrine's interpretation of Dickinson's untitled poem struck me. How did he perfectly decipher Dickinson's true meaning? Was it artistic insight or simply a practiced eye for poetry? I shared the interpretation his students had, and I was almost shamed by his words. His explanation as to why he saw things as he did made them perfectly clear and reasonable. What of Dickinson's vision in writing the poem? She had originally titled it "Sunset", so why is Perrine contradicting himself when he says that although a writer cannot be their own interpreter, their original intention of the poem is what we strive to see? I already had a heard enough time with my immature and untrained explanation of her poem. How can I possibly understand and interpret poems like Perrine?
Perrine's claim that there is a correct and incorrect way to interpret poetry sounds ludicrous to me. How can he tell one what to take out of a poem? Is a poem not a work of art? Furthermore, he states himself that a writer "Should not be his own interpreter". If this is true, then that means it is not clear what the poem is actually about. Is one told how to look at a picture painted by an artist? The message or idea one takes away from a work of art, and poetry is indeed art in written form, is simply a personal reflection of the work. Perrine seems incorrect in his idea.
Yet Perrine's interpretation of Dickinson's untitled poem struck me. How did he perfectly decipher Dickinson's true meaning? Was it artistic insight or simply a practiced eye for poetry? I shared the interpretation his students had, and I was almost shamed by his words. His explanation as to why he saw things as he did made them perfectly clear and reasonable. What of Dickinson's vision in writing the poem? She had originally titled it "Sunset", so why is Perrine contradicting himself when he says that although a writer cannot be their own interpreter, their original intention of the poem is what we strive to see? I already had a heard enough time with my immature and untrained explanation of her poem. How can I possibly understand and interpret poems like Perrine?
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