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Sunday, May 8, 2011

"the lesson of the falling leaves" -Lucille Clifton

          I really liked the style of this poem. It was simple, light, and almost child-like. I've heard the name Lucille Clifton long before this class, probably even since elementary school, which would make sense because of her style. After looking her up I thought this quote from her was interesting and refreshing: "I never thought I would be a poet. The only poets I ever saw were the portraits that hung on the walls in elementary school in Buffalo, N.Y.. Old, dead white men, with beards, from New England." Most poets we've learned about, even from this packet, had hard lives that resulted in their twisted personalities that showed through to their poems. That's why I really like Clifton. She goes back to that simplistic happy idea of poetry that I remember learning about growing up. Someone in class said this too I think, but this poem has the same repetition as a circle poem kind of. How the beginning idea connects with the ending idea that a person agrees with the faith the leaves have to let go. Short and sweet... but I liked it :)

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Guitarist Tunes Up- Frances Cornford

     I really liked the imagery and meaning of this poem. We discussed it in class and some people thought it was sexist and the man was controlling the woman like he would with a guitar, I don't agree with this at all. The last line he says, "Before they started, he and she, to play." Instead of saying that he played the guitar the author says they, as if they are one and pointing out he can't accomplish the music without her, or the man without his guitar.
    This poem is pretty straight forward in the meaning and doesn't really have a deep meaning, yet still makes an impact on the reader. I definitely like Cornford's style because it's different from most of the other poems in this packet.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Nothing Gold Can Stay- Robert Frost

       Since we're talking about allusions....
     This poem is obviously a biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden and how the good things in life are hard to hold onto and don't last long.
      The first two lines Frost says god is nature's "hardest hue to hold" like that innocent birth of something new or even literally, wealth. These things being hard to preserve and keep innocent or stay wealthy. He continues to say that the leaf momentarily turns into a flower, but then turns back into a typical leaf again. Again, referring to those things that are exciting and beautiful when they're new but eventually fade away into the background again when we can't hold onto them. Then the final line really sums up the whole idea: "Nothing gold can stay." Referring to Eden and dawn, nothing that perfect and pure can stay in our world without being corrupted.
      All of the four couplets rhymed and flowed together, which symbolizes that perfection that Frost talks about. Most poems aren't this structured and by the standard "rules" of a typical idea of a poem. Even though it's simple its a very moving poem.

"Many red devils..." -Stephen Crane

      I picture the author, Stephen Crane, sitting at his desk and after keeping his deepest thoughts and struggles bottled up inside, finally letting them out on paper and being in shock what his own mind was really like.  He says, "It was strange/to write this red muck/Of things from my heart." Sometimes I don't think we realize how frustrated and troubled we really are until we get it out on paper or even say it out loud. I picture him just writing and writing until he's let everything out and then rereading it and that's when he realizes how strange it is to pour his heart out and be honest with himself. His imagery really brings the poem and 'red devils' from his heart, to life. It helps bring out the emotion.
      I pretty much agree with everything else that we said during the discussion and this is all I had to add to it!

The Golf Links- Sarah N. Cleghorn

The gold links lie so near the mill
      That almost every day
The laboring children can look out
      And see the men at play.

    This poem is about social classes and how twisted they were in the 1800's and early 1900's.  Cleghorn lived from 1876 to 1959 so we can assume this was the time period she was talking about. She joined the socialist party officially at 35, but had been working on labor issues independently before that. She continued as an activist against lynching, the death penalty, child labor, and more, until she died. This poem is the most well known that was written by her.
      I found this poem extremely sad and eye opening to the extremes back in this time. How children were expected to work to bring home the little money they got for the dangerous and extreme jobs they did. While the men, who probably owned these 'mills', were selfishly out golfing and playing, without realizing the injustices they were contributing to. The children should be the ones at play, not the adults.
      The rhyme scheme reminded me of a childrens song or poem, which is extremely ironic. It has a certain rhythm that makes you ignore the words and just notice the sounds, like the people who turned their backs on the child labor abuse going on during this time and acted like everything was good and happy.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Oh, No- Robert Creeley

If you wander far enough
you will come to it
and when you get there
they will give you a place to sit

for yourself only, in a nice chair,
and all your friends will be there
with smiles on their faces
and they will likewise all have places.

This poem is extremely broad and doesn't give too many clues as to what the author is really talking about. By saying "you will come to it" and using the word "there" instead of a specific place, Creeley leaves room for the reader to interpret. After researching the poem and the author a little bit I realized there are two extreme ideas about this poem, that it's about coming to a positive self purpose and realization, or the complete opposite that you've wandered too far away from your morals and purpose and the idea of temptation. Also alluding to heaven and hell. Before reading these other opinions I thought it was the first of the two. I pictured a person who had been wandering and searching their whole life until finally they found their purpose. As they realized this they could relax in the "nice chair" and be content with their lives, their friends would surround them and find the same happiness. The only think contradicting my thoughts was the title: Oh, No. Why would this cause any anxiety or stress to say "Oh, No?"
        After thinking more about the title I could see the poem in a completely different way. Wandering suddenly takes on a lost and confused tone. Now the person has drifted so far away from this self purpose that they are in a bad place. As they negative influences urge the person to sit and enjoy the comfy chair all to themselves, it shows selfishness and glutton. The so called friends are just planning how to add more corruption as they are smiling.
        Although I'd love to believe it's the first of the two, the second fits with the title and Robert Creeley's typical style of subtle messages. This poem is simply written with hardly any punctuation adding to the quietly bold style.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Turning Pro- Ishmael Reed

      I feel like these past couple weeks have been all about baseball; school's baseball team, the Rockies, and ironically I just watched part of the Rookie this weekend... so I figured this was an appropriate poem! If you've ever seen the movie it's about an older guy who feels as if his baseball glory days are over, then suddenly he's recruited and becomes pro. Although that doesn't have a whole lot to do with the analysis of this poem, it just seemed like a crazy coincidence and was put the mental image in my head.
      I really liked how this poem was written, more like an inspirational story then a typical poem. He builds on top of every line to add to the suspense that the man in the story will walk away with a happy ending. His style was what made me like this poem so much though. The way he describes the events creates mental images from the old man to the crowds to the final game home run. He uses the word 'you' instead of 'he' which isn't typical, but really makes the audience feel as if he's talking to them, instead of just telling the story. Although I haven't exactly experienced the exact emotions in this poem, I still can say that I can relate. The feeling that we're not appreciated for all the day-to-day hard work and only are noticed when something big happens, or on the other side that joy when we do something right and get the recognition we deserve and the feeling pure happiness.
       I like that this poem was different from most of the others we've been reading. Breath of fresh air to read something happy! ha.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Emperor of Ice Cream- Wallace Stevens

     If I hadn't done research on this poem and the author, I would've interpreted this in a completely different way. He never really comes out and says straight up the setting or event where this poem is taking place, which in a way makes the reader have to look deeper and come up with their own theories. Maybe because this was written in 1922, and we don't have the same customs that they did back then it was harder for me to understand, either way it made it interesting to try and interpret.
       This poem is about the death of a middle class woman and how her family and friends are preparing for the funeral. The women show up in their usual funeral dresses, cigars are made, and the flowers are brought in old newspapers. The sheet was put over her body, but the feet were left uncovered as a tradition to show mortality. Clues like "Let be be finale of seem," "to show how cold she is," are more apparent that he is talking about a funeral after I looked more into this poem, but at first I didn't really think anything of them. The thing that threw me off was the title, and why ice-cream would be mentioned. Apparently he is referring to the man they hired to make ice cream for the wake, although there has to be a deeper meaning because the poem revolves around this theme. Although I couldn't find proof that he was religious or an atheist, but I think the emperor is either referring to God or just death in general. No matter what anyone does, in the end nobody can control death besides God (or death itself).
           I liked the small descriptions that Stevens uses. Most of them don't add any meaning to the poem, but still have an impact. By saying call the muscular cigar roller, or describing that the dresser was missing knobs, and the flowers were in last months newspapers really create a mental image of what's going on. The sentences are broken up by the lines without a whole lot of rhythm, but other then that the structure is pretty standard. He repeats the last line "The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream" at the end of both stanzas to create emphasis on its' meaning, which I really liked. This poem was really interesting and I liked the way he described the event, definitely unique.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Parting Poem

As the parting time creeps nearer and nearer
I take a look around.
To the familiar smell of cinnamon spice candles,
And to my mothers home made cooking.
As it will soon be replaced by mac & cheese and take out.

To the familiar sight of my cozy room,
Filled to the ceiling with pictures and memories.
As it will soon be replaced by a bunk bed and a shared bathroom.

To the familiar warm welcome as I walk through the door,
Hugs from my parents and a wet kiss from my dog.
As it will soon be replaced by a new greeting
from a new room mate.

As I look upon these memories and smile,
I am just as anxious to create new ones.
A blank new chapter is about to begin
And as the parting time creeps nearer and nearer,
I am becoming more and more ready to say good bye.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Questions We Have About the Future

Questions We Have About the Future....

Where will I be in 10 years?
Will I be happy?
Will I make it through college in 4 years?
Will I travel?
When will I get married?
When will I die?
Will I have kids?
Will I not have kids?
Will my dreams come true?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Song of the Powers- David Mason

      
       This poem is about the struggle for power and the sacrifices that come with it. I thought it was interesting that Mason took a simple game to create such a big message, although I think it was a little bit of a stretch and over thought, it was still interesting. Personally, the only time I use this game is to determine power when something can't be solved by talking. I've never thought about it any farther then that until this poem. Each of these objects can be used on one another to defeat the other, yet there is always something that can defeat them too. It's an endless circle that only ends up with being alone. Victory doesn't always mean happiness when you are destroying someone else.
      At the beginning of the first three stanzas, the first word is "mine" which is symbolizing that each aspect of the game is only concerned about themselves which eventually leads to them being alone. The structure is extremely basic with each of the first four stanzas having the same amount of lines, 6, and the same rhyming scheme. I think this poem falls short compared to the rest in the packet, it's a no-brainer and won't leave a lasting impression for me personally.

                                                         http://www.toddlittleton.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/rock-paper-scissors.png


I completely spaced these blogs for the past two weeks, sorry! :(

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Cottonmouth Country- Louise Gluck

Fish bones walked the waves off Hatteras
And there were other signs
That Death wooed us, by water, wooed us
By land: among the pines
An uncurled cottonmouth that rolled on moss
Reared in the polluted air.
Birth, not death, is the hard loss.
I know. I also left a skin there.
Louise Glück,

After rereading this poem a couple times I think Gluck is talking about dealing with negative change, which could be a death, but I think it's much bigger and broader than that. A cottonmouth it a large snake that lives in dry, barren places which paints an image for the reader. The pollution is referring to the negative changes that have spread to infect the rest of her life and how that "birth" of a change is even harder then losing something. The skin she left was referring to the cottonmouth again and how snakes shed their skins and leave parts of themselves behind to reveal the change of the new skin. This poem says so much in a way that you have to decipher and analyze which was interesting. I didn't like this poem as much as the others because I felt the writer was trying too hard to be creative and original, but it still had a good message.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Book- Miller Williams

          My first reaction to this poem, besides it being completely creepy, was that the book could possibly be about the bible. The skin binding representing Jesus and the self sacrifice he made that brought all of the stories in the Bible together. As the owner of this book read on and went through life, he realized the depth and enormity of what it was about. After reading it a couple more times, I changed my mind.
           My second reaction was that a young man found a book and carried it with him through life. As he went through more experiences, he documented them into this blank book. It became fuller and fuller as the real world corrupted him throughout time. When the book keeper told him that this book was bound in human skin, it forced the man to take a step back and think about it's contents and his life. He realizes that he has been selfish in the way he has been living and looked out for himself, and sacrificed others for hims own happiness. It's a reflection on humanity and the desire to get ahead at any cost.
        Both of these views still being demented, and again, extremely creepy, I like that this poem can be taken in lots of different ways. I'm sure when we discuss it in class everyone will have their own ideas, which are interesting to hear.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Untitled- Stephen Crane

      Although this poem uses simple language and is extremely short, it has probably made the most vivid picture in my head out of all the other poems we have read so far. It's a pretty gruesome and depressing image, but still a huge impact is made. I feel this poem is saying how man easily destroys himself and yet while it's disturbing and he knows it's wrong, still somehow finds joy in that self pity and does nothing about it. We complain about things in our lives on a daily basis, yet don't fix something that is so easily fixable. I like that this poem leaves just enough room for the reader to make their own interpretation, yet is long enough to create a image vivid enough to want to look deeper to make that interpretation. The title also leaves another question of what this poem is really about. The title is what sums up the poem and brings it all together, without that piece the reader has to do that for themselves. I could've taken this a completely different way then another reader given the exact same poem. Stephen Crane is an amazing writer for being able to do all this in such a limited amount of words, I really liked this poem because of that.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

It was a dream- Lucille Clifton

       Lucille Clifton was an African American writer who was known for writing about fighting through feminism and racism. She believed in fighting for what you believed in and holding yourself to a high standard and not failing. She creates a large message out of little words, she doesn't use correct punctuation or structure, which adds to the matter-of-fact way that she writes. She leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
      In this poem she talks about a dream she had where she was criticizing herself on the life she had led and how she could be doing better. It reminded me of the Christmas story where the ghosts come back to tell Scrooge what he had done wrong in his past and how it will affect him in the future. She uses figurative language to describe how she looked like "with her extra finger whirling in a gyre of rage" and "sparked her wild eyes." It was one of those self realization moments where she was looking back on her life and realized she hadn't really done anything significant or important and wantd to change but didn't know if it was too late or not.
         I liked this poem because I feel like we all have these thoughts and need to think about what we can do that's actually important before it becomes too late.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Personal Helicon- Seamus Heaney

In Greek mythology Helicon was a river that ran across the land until Orpheus, a hero back in that time, was killed and the women who did it went to the river to wash off the bloodstains. Now it's said that this river runs under the Earth so it can't assist in the killing of men. This relates to the well in Heaney's poem because no reflection from above ground can be seen at the bottom, and it refers to Greek mythology by saying that it's beneath Narcissus. Also as a child he is so facinated my wells which seem to have no end and go underground like the Helicon river.
     At first it seemed that this poem was just strictly descriptive about a young boy who was intrigued by wells and reflecting back on it as an adult. As an adult he's grown out of this juvenile obsession and now focuses his efforts on writing. He makes a connection when he was a child he would yell into the wells to hear his own echos and have "a clean new music" in his voice. Now as he's matured he looks at himself by his writing, and that writing is the echo back that is a self reflection of who he is. Both ways allow him to look at himself as a second party. Now, hes just realized a more mature way of doing it.
      He picked such a dark way of seeing himself, instead of looking into a clear pond or shouting in the mountains to see the reflections and echos of himself. I thought that was definitely interesting. I liked this poem and the hidden meaning that you had to work at to figure it out.