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| Gwendolyn Brooks |
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| William Butler Yeats |
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| e e cummings |
Paste an intriguing, important poem here, then type 300+ words explicating its every aspect. (Click "explicating" for an example.) See page 836 in the handbook for a marvelous example about the poetry of cummings.
RL.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend
literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
range.
By the end of grade 12, read and
comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of
the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
68 comments:
Story 5,
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me. “
- Emily Dickinson.
This poem clearly revolves around the idea of hope in all aspects possible. Four letters put together stir up a combination of endless meanings. This poem portrays how hope should never cease and be continuous until one lives no more. However, the second stanza gives the illusion of how hope may be destroyed. Hope lives inside the bird as a symbol. Most likely a dove the bird is, as love and hope are bound to be with each other and can never be done apart. Having hope means you also have love, containing love acknowledges the hope for another. The word “abash” in the poem vividly describes how punishing the hit really would be to hope if one becomes lost in the storm. To be lost in the storm may be a reference to conscious or subconscious abuse. To be lost in depraved thought and forget what hope really means would truly abash the bird. If one falls into such a realm of mentality, then never will the bird ask a crumb of them to force upon hope again. That person would have to realize their own downfall and ask the bird for a crumb of hope to restore you, not the bird asking you to restore it. This poem has much depth about the human condition with choices in life and what can become of all with their actions. No matter what choices are made, however, hope will always be around either lingering in the forgotten jungles of the mind or chirping above your head right along with you on the journey. Either way it is always there, so believe in hope and love as it remains a key to the endless adventure life hands out to us.
Marso, 1
Let’s Live Suddenly Without Thinking by E. E. Cummings
let’s live suddenly without thinking
under honest trees,
a stream
does.the brain of cleverly-crinkling
-water pursues the angry dream
of the shore. By midnight,
a moon
scratches the skin of the organised hills
an edged nothing begins to prune
let’s live like the light that kills
and let’s as silence,
because Whirl’s after all:
(after me)love,and after you.
I occasionally feel vague how
vague idon’t know tenuous Now-
spears and The Then-arrows making do
our mouths something red,something tall
This poem dramatizes the conflict between the power of thought. Cummings describes a rural setting, a stream under trees during a night when the moon and its shadows are clearly visible. The first few lines of the poem use simile to convey a world without thought--The stream represents our thoughts throughout a period of time. Cummings is stating that our minds are free to drift, but the boundaries of the dangerous shores must be kept in mind. Also, the trees that hover over the water can be thought of as the wiser and/or God. They are present to keep honesty flowing throughout the river. Additionally, they provide shade and protect the river from the sun and moon directly. It is only when the moon “scratches the skin of organized hills” (similar to the organized stream) that “an edged nothing begins to prune.” Cummings is revealing that within every person, ideas are ready to bloom and only need a motivator to bring them to life for trimming. Finally, the poet asserts that reader should live silent, but as light that kills. I believe the silence puts to rest any assertions to do immoral things, but rather silencing our light that kills to be the same light that provides. Interestingly, this parallels Freudian ideas of the superego and id. Finally, Cummings elaborates in only a few short lines on the power of thought and our words expressing ideas. He opens the reader to his feelings--of vagueness, love, tenuousness--and uses words as a metaphor for arrows and spears, our weapons to be used as we chose. The poem follows an ababcdcdefggfe rhyme pattern. The layout of the poem is extremely unique, and forces the reader to examine it carefully as it is read and studied. In the format, the stream and the moon are placed alone above trees and midnight respectively. The visualization aspect is clear here, but the only other time Cummings does this is his line “because Whirls after all” underneath silence. I feel this is extremely important, as he is proclaiming beneath all silence is chaos ready to unfold. The poem’s ending is equally unique. The “something red, something tall” alluded to could be many things, among them love and hate which both carry a red connotation and have heavy weight associated with them. I feel Cummings is explaining that while our thoughts may get us into trouble and make life far more difficult than that of a stream never venturing beyond the shore, our unique ability to produce thought out of nothing is a gift that should be used to create.
Larson Pd 5
Where The Sidewalk Ends By Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
The main point being dramatized in this poem is that adult’s world is tiresome and dreary while a child’s world is filled with laughter and fun. I believe that Silverstein is telling the reader that adults should follow the path of a child more often in order to find the amount of joy that children find every day in their life. I believe the audience is more centered on children (since it is in a children poem book), but I believe this poem was also written for adults as well. In the beginning of the poem, Silverstein quotes, “There is a place where the sidewalk ends”. I believe this place is the imagination. When he mentions the grass growing cool and white and the cooling of the peppermint wind, I believe this is how a child views the world. “Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black. And the dark street winds and bends.” In a literal meaning, these two lines could refer to the urban setting most adults endure every day. But just like before, I believe Silverstein is using these lines as a state of mind. Quite often, an adult looks at the negative side of every problem instead of looking at the positive like a child. "Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends.” I believe this last stanza is telling the reader that we should follow the children. We should follow them to where the sidewalk ends so that we can find the joy and happiness that they have found. I feel that Silverstein desperately wants adults to leave the black smoke and the dark streets in order to be happy. We all have to take a step back sometimes from our busy and hectic life and go where the sidewalk ends in order to be happy and content.
Van Ede, 5
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost
When I examined this poem, I did as the explication guide directed and imagined a speaker (not necessarily the author) presenting it. In very general and superficial terms, this poem describes two perspectives on how the world will end, through desire or hate. When I first read the poem, I attempted to connect either side to optimism and pessimism, but in vain. Both sides seem incredibly pessimistic; greed and hate are very ugly emotions and correspond with very ugly actions. The speaker also seems overwhelming confident but nonchalant about the world ending in one of these two ways. There appears to be no hope of continuation or salvation in this entire, however brief, work. Wise—the speaker seems to be recalling from a vast amount of experience in reflecting on this debate. The speaker's understanding of desire and familiarity with death support his or her wisdom. Thus, I imagine the speaker as a person who is at the end of his or her life and undergoing a painful sickness (one that they have accepted). I believe the motivation of the speaker to present these words is bitterness—a life cut short or simple anger at the natural behavior of the human race. I also believe that Frost had an odd choice of words to say that destruction by ice would be great. Destruction may be described as great in terms of ferocity and extent, but from my vantage point, it seemed to be describing destruction by ice, as well as fire, as fantastic or splendid—perhaps joyful at the world's termination. Again, this is reflexive of more pessimism and dread at the world. To counteract the negativity, I attempted to perceive the poem in a positive or humorous light. With my comical lens in place, I saw the poem as poking fun at all the "doomsdayers". The words reveal the unimportance of their divided claims and point out that it does not really matter how the world will end; it just will.
Olesen 1
“Alone” by Edgar Allen Poe
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were -- I have not seen
As others saw -- I could not bring
My passions from a common spring --
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow -- I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone --
And all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone --
Then -- in my childhood -- in the dawn
Of a most stormy life -- was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still --
From the torrent, or the fountain --
From the red cliff of the mountain --
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold --
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by --
From the thunder, and the storm --
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view –
Like most of Edgar Allan Poe’s works dramatize, this poem is a dark and depressing sort. I think in the poem Poe explains how life was for him as a child. In the very first line Poe tells us that he did not really have a childhood at all. He goes on addressing how he couldn’t quite fit in with all the other children and their play. In the third line he tells us that he could not fit into what society saw as “normal”. Poe also never had his biological parents around while growing up, which I am sure had an immense impact on his view of life. His father left him and his mother, then she later died as Poe was a young boy. He explains how he might have loved differently than others as well and writes, “And all I lov’d – I love’d alone –“. This poem shows his troubles as a child in that he could not feel the happiness like others did. The visual pattern of this poem is odd in that there is hardly any punctuation, few complete sentences, and he uses many dashes as separation. The rhyme scheme is in the form of aabb. Although Poe does not follow the same number of syllables for each line, they are all roughly eight syllables long.
Tibke 1,
In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed-
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.
Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?
That holy dream- that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.
What though that light, thro' storm and night,
So trembled from afar-
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?
-Edgar Allan Poe
The poem I chose was by Edgar Allen Poe; writer of the famous poem The Raven. This poem is called The Dream. And like many of his others, I believe, it has more sad meaning about him dealing with some sort of grief or feeling sorrow in part of his Past. I believe that Poe is talking about how his life used to be. I think that he was happy in his life when he met a certain girl and then suddenly lost her. He is using his past experiences with her to shape his future. He knows life only with her and gets a feeling of joy being with her; and since she is gone he does not know what to do. He lives in his dreams about being with her again. As he says in the line “walking dream of life and light hath left me broken-hearted” he is explaining how he could possibly be a state between waking and sleeping. Being awake is his reality that she has left him and will not be there for whereas in his dreams he still holds out hope she will come back. Being in between he knows she is gone but is afraid to give up his memories of her with the fear of losing all chances of feeling joy (I have dreamed of joy departed-). In the end I believe that his last statement of this poem is one of hope and or desperation. He is holding hope out that there is still more out in the real world form him to help him get past his depressive state and move on. This poem really stood out to me as interesting because it is just giving us a readers another look in to Poe’s life, and how much of himself he puts into his work.
Tripp 7
The Road Not Taken-Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I believe that poems are made to be interpreted in many ways. To me, this poem by Robert Frost is really about life in general. Taking “the road less traveled” would refer to going down whichever path of life you choose for yourself. Even though your choice may not be the same as everyone else’s, it is your life and making your own decisions is what life is all about. Robert Frost uses clever word arrangement throughout the entire poem to describe his own dilemma with choosing a path. Once the initial path has been chosen, a desire to go back and travel down the other path may occur. But, like Robert Frost said, once you choose a path, it is almost certain that more forks in the road will present themselves. This is why choosing the right path from the start is essential. One must have the strength to stare such a decision in the face and decide without the aid of anyone else. This analogy does make sense once thought about. Decisions must be made every day and sometimes multiple times a day. That “fork in the road” is in everyone’s life. And once the starting point has been uncovered, more forks in the road are sure to appear because life is full of decisions. In general, Robert Frost creates works of art that are meant to intrigue the mind and cause the reader to dig deeper into their own lives. When reading this poem, it would not be uncommon for the reader to finish reading and start to reflect on their own major decisions in life. I feel that this is an important quality in writing. Making the reader stop and reflect on their own ideas or think more deeply about the various means of said work is what makes a mere writing into a true work of art.
Breitzman 1
"Tryin' On Clothes"-Shel Silverstein
I tried on the farmer's hat, Didn't fit...
A little too small -- just a bit
Too floppy.
Couldn't get used to it,
Took it off.
I tried on the dancer's shoes,
A little too loose.
Not the kind you could use
for walkin'.
Didn't feel right in 'em,
Kicked 'em off.
I tried on the summer sun,
Felt good.
Nice and warm -- knew it would.
Tried the grass beneath bare feet,
Felt neat.
Finally, finally felt well dressed,
Nature's clothes fit me best.
When I first discovered the poem “Tryin’ on Clothes” by Shel Silverstein, I thought it sounded like a cute poem written for children. While children may have been Shel Silverstein’s primary audience, I believe Silverstein is trying to convey an intriguing and relevant message as well. In the poem, the narrator discusses how he tried on a farmer’s hat that was too small and floppy. He could not get used to the hat, so he took it off. The narrator then goes on to describe the dancer’s shoes that he tried on, which were too loose and not right for walking. He felt uncomfortable wearing the shoes and kicked them off too. In the last stanza, the narrator expounds upon his experience with “wearing” nature. He says he tried on the summer sun, which felt nice and warm; he also tried on the grass beneath his bare feet, which felt neat. The narrator states that he finally felt well-dressed after trying on “nature’s clothes.” I think Silverstein is using this poem as a sort of metaphor to persuade people to enjoy the simpler things in life. By relaying his experiences with the hat and shoes, he is stating that the material items he tried to wear were uncomfortable and did not suit him. He felt awkward and as if nothing really fit him properly. However, when he stepped out into nature and tried on its “clothes,” he discovered that he felt at ease and comfortable. I really do believe that Silverstein wants to convey a very important message with this poem. He is attempting to tell people that material possessions (symbolized by the clothing), however nice they may be, are not really what matters in life. Nothing of the sort will truly fit a person perfectly and make them feel connected to the world. Nature, however, can bring immense joy. Partaking in the little things, like running in the grass and lying in the sunshine, will provide people with more delight than fancy clothing, cars, or technology. I also believe that Silverstein is trying to state an environmental message with this poem as well, though maybe not as boldly as the one about appreciating simplicity. I think he is trying to tell people to respect the environment and to take care of it, that nature is beautiful and we should not destroy it. Rather than dwelling on negativity, we should all step outside and “smell the roses” more often. Everyone should take time in their lives to be one with nature and be in the presence of God’s finest creation (no matter how cliché that sounds). Though “Tryin’ on Clothes” seems to be just a cute little poem, I personally found it to be most insightful and enlightening as well.
Johnke Pd. 5
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
After looking through over one hundred of his poems, I finally came across this one by Robert Frost. Like most of his poems this one has a subtle story to tell about a life lesson. Obviously, this lesson is about taking the path less traveled on, or in other words forgoing ritual and carving your own path. In the beginning of the poem he mentions coming across two paths. He stands there for awhile and tries to decide which path to go down. Both paths are seemingly the same with no wear. Then he decides to take a certain route and says that he will eventually come back and travel the other, although deep down he knows he will most likely never get the opportunity again. He then decides that when telling the story about the two paths later on he will say he took the path less traveled on. I think that the reason this poem appealed to me was because of the connection I have with it in deciding which path I want to follow as far as my college and future career are concerned. Frost does not endorse taking any path in this poem in my opinion because he clearly states that both paths are the same. Something else ironic I found is that the narrator seems to know that he will second guess himself later on and wonder what the other path had in store for him. Even a little remorse about not taking the other route can be felt in the third stanza. This whole poem speaks about us having to make difficult choices in life and that we will almost always have to live with them, whether they be good or bad.
Shroll 2
MY LITTLE ONE
My little one whose tongue is dumb, whose fingers cannot hold to things, who is so mercilessly young, he leaps upon the instant things,
I hold him not. Indeed, who could? He runs into the burning wood. Follow, follow if you can! He will come out grown to a man
and not remember whom he kissed, who caught him by the slender wrist and bound him by a tender yoke which, understanding not, he broke.
-Tennessee Williams
As the website advised, I read this poem by Tennessee Williams first in my head, then called my vocal cords to attention and read the poem aloud. Upon reading the poem out loud, I discovered the flow and simple yet surprising rhyme of the last stanza in particular. “Kissed” and “wrist” do not visually appear to rhyme, but do when perceived audibly. Repetition also occurs within the last stanza, as well as the second. Stanza number three repeats “tender” to perfectly portray and communicate the love and care and softness Tennessee Williams maintained when raising his son—even though his son does not yet understand his father’s true love and sacrifice and even hurt that Williams experienced in his son’s upbringing; I truly believe (although not a parent myself, so I may actually be quite naive on the subject but do feel slightly knowledgeable in caring for children from much babysitting experience) the most difficult part of raising a child is letting go, trusting that you have flawlessly and effectively taught your child to handle a new situation on their own. Williams is just at the point where he must begin letting go—his son cannot yet speak, but has begun crawling around. This is described by the sentence “He runs into the burning wood.” The next two sentences, “Follow, follow if you can! He will come out grown to a man” paints a picture of a man in a suit returning home from a long day of work and chases his son around the house, as toddlers are exhausting to look after once they discover how to properly use their legs. Williams could chase his son forever, never letting go, or he can stop to catch his breath every so often and allow his child to physically and mentally grow and learn. This is a very powerful poem—powerful in its repetition, powerful in its potency, and powerful in its truth. It has helped me better understand what my parents have sacrificed and experienced for my sake and well being—always, always tender.
Wilde 7
Dreams
The day seems good until you wake up.
The world seems welcoming until you enter it.
When the morning comes nothing seems good
the moment my eyes open and until they are shut
I feel like death would be better, safer, and more peaceful.
But the moment my eyes are closed dreams come and take me.
The dream of peace and happiness, the warmth and love.
It may only last a moment but it gives me strength
Strength for the day to come
No matter what it be, a nightmare or a fantasy
It seems better then life.
Friends in my dreams never leave or change
Time never passes to fast or to slow
You are never forgotten or hated
Nothing seems better and you start to feel happy.
Then the sun comes up and your brought back,
back to the truth of the world.
The pain and sadness,
The hate and fear of life washes over you
and you wish you wouldn't have open your eyes.
You want to fall back into your welcoming sleep
Where nothing goes wrong and you are always loved.
--Katherine Mclaughlin
I chose this particular poem for a number of reasons. First, dreams have always fascinated me immensely. I am fortunate to be able to experience frequently occurring dreams of vivid detail. With my gift (I believe) I have put a bit of time into analyzing the intense dreams I have and actually explicate those as well. Oftentimes these dreams can be very happy and surreal, making reality seem utterly lame. Although I am by no means depressed like the poem above describes, I do have days where I feel like reality is quite underwhelming. Our minds have the amazing ability to create illusions that reality could never parallel. Any talk of the human mind pertaining to dreams captivates my attention. That being said, let’s explicate. I feel that the meaning behind this poem is fairly obvious. Mclaughlin begins the poem by expressing her dream as the seemingly-good day. However, waking up from this happiness brings Mclaughlin into a much less glorious reality. “The world seems welcoming until you enter it.” I love the way Mclaughlin describes her dreams as her prevalent world. Once Mclaughlin begins writing how even “a nightmare or a fantasy” is superior to reality, the reader should become concerned for the author. Clearly she does not have the typical, easy-going life that the reader likely has. I, like most humans, have days that seem inferior to the fantastic dreams I was living out the night prior. However, the problem with our minds is that (as far as I know) we have little to no control over what we dream. Nightmares are generally horrifying. I would much prefer living out my comfortable reality than hiding from demons and all that is scary in my nightmares! Much “pain and sadness” exists in the real world. Dreams provide an easy way for us to shelter ourselves from this. I envision the speaker as being a lonesome woman on a gloomy, rainy night, looking out her window at the sadness all around her. She mourns to return to the happiness and comfort of her dreams. The layout of the poem is intriguing as well. Mclaughlin switches from describing the awfulness of reality to the greatness of dreaming. Comparing the two contrasting perceptions so closely enables the reader to truly grasp the essence Mclaughlin is trying to express. I could only dream to write poetry like Katherine Mclaughlin one day (or night.)
Bender 7
Invictus by William Ernest
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
I have always found this poem to be incredibly inspiring. The poem was written about Henley having to have one leg amputated due to tuberculosis. The poem perfectly represents everybody who has ever had to deal with a rough situation. The poem is a poem of triumph. The writer fights on. The first stanza describes Henley’s rough situation and his stubborn will to continue. The second stanza talks of the horror the hospital was. It goes on to describe the world as not any better. The final two lines of the section are used to detail the lack of fear for death now known by Henley. The most interesting of the stanzas to me is the final one. We see a choice has to be made by all who face this situation. At first I didn’t quite understand the whole strait gate idea. With further digging I found it is more or less a path and almost a funnel, something that we have to follow, our destiny. We then see the author disregarding pain, danger and any possible hindrance to what he wants to do. The scroll charged with punishments is in fact a biblical reference to the list which God will call forth his servants by at the end of time. In my eyes at least, this last stanza is openly mocking religion and God. We see in the second stanza last line he finds no fear in death. In the first stanza his head remains unbowed even after the beatings of such a harsh life. The whole poem seems to be the author’s way of formal telling God he is no longer needed. I have always loved this poem but found it incredibly interesting to dissect. Once you get by the inspiring awesomeness of it you begin to see the deeper meaning.
Gallo 2
Part 1 of 2
It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'cause you were born this way, baby
My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstar
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir
"There's nothing wrong with loving who you are"
She said, "'Cause he made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up girl and you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"
I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Oh there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born this way
Oh there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Don't be a drag ‒ just be a queen [x3]
Don't be!
Give yourself prudence
And love your friends
Subway kid, rejoice your truth
In the religion of the insecure
I must be myself, respect my youth
A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (Hey hey hey)
I love my life I love this record and
Mi amore vole fe yah (Love needs faith)
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're Lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'cause baby you were born this way
No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life,
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to survive.
No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to be brave.
The views about to be expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author or his family.
I have chosen to extricate Lady Gaga’s hit “Born this Way.” You cannot (Robinson 2) deny the importance, the scope of this masterpiece. Over 100000000 people have viewed the music video on YouTube alone. While this is not as many as Psy’s hit “Gangnam Style,” I didn’t know how much meaning could be extricated from “Ope Ope Ope” and “Gangnam Style”. Next time.
The meaning of this work is so deep I barely know where to begin. A full extrication of the song would take theses, add in the music video and you could write volumes.
The prominent theme of the work is homosexuality, undeniably. Of course, this brings religion into the picture also. Gaga herself notes that the song is about revolution, freedom, a lack of prejudice, a light within oneself. Lady Gaga is very much an experimental artist. The music video is over twice the length of the song, allowing for exceptional visual techniques to complement her lyrics. Her audience is vast, the whole world, more or less. At this point in time, she had already amassed a near cult-like following, and people listened to the song solely because she created it. This provided the perfect opportunity for her to showcase and spread some of her own personal agenda in what has now become one of her greatest hits.
The theme/central conflict is introduced in the beginning of the song when Gaga notes that she has been encouraged, stimulated since birth to be the way she was created to be, not the way society thinks she should. She emphasizes that we are all perfect, regardless of orientation, race, or religion. This truly emulates her desire to create a song that fuels a revolution. It tells the vast audience in no uncertain terms that they have no reason to be ashamed of the things that make them different. She highlights this sentiment in the following lyrics:
A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M
This clearly (understatement of the year) shows that Gaga believes that homosexuality is within acceptable—not a sin.
Gallo 2
Part 2 of 2
The poetic nature of this work is undeniable. For example, the last two stanzas consist of eight and seven syllable lines, respectively. A large number of rhymes are present: way and today, queen and evergreen, etc. Half rhymes are also employed. Unconventionally, some of the stanzas appear to have no particular syllabic count or meter. Perhaps these lines are intentionally free-flowing, lending a slow, artistic quality to the flow of the words.
Intentional use of Him/him is used repeatedly throughout the work. This serves to draw attention to the view that we are all the same, regardless of whether we choose to love God, those of our same sex, or both. Vocabulary utilized includes the phrase “drag queen.” As suggested by the UNC website, I referred to Oxford Dictionaries (albeit online) to discover that a drag queen is “a man who ostentatiously dresses up in women’s clothes.” The phrase “drag queen” is hinted at repeatedly in the phrase, “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen.” This only adds to the exploration of the taboo elements of homosexuality.
To conclude, I hope I have not offended anyone. I have only tried to extricate the poem. These are not necessarily my views.
Guthmiller, Period 2
Somewhere in the bottom of the rain
the news said that a family got lost in a corn maze
and was still in there at night and
they called 911
to get out of the maze
the news said that most people finish the maze in 25
minutes but this
family was in there for 4 hours and
i will kis you sitting on the pier of the
shalow river and
i will kis you in your
cars back seat on the gravel turnaround in the
rain and i will even kis you
another time
pushed against a dead tree in the back of a graveyard
im sory i like you better than everything
i want to whisper into your smile
come watch cops
with me
you make me need to write love poems
this is what i might whisper in the rain
come over and
nap with me i want you
i sleep like a raccoon in you
i sleep in you
like i am a raccoon somewhere
do you ever want
to climb into a birch tree with me
somewhere
in the bottom of the rain i want you
i turn you with slow animals
i turn you in the
dark trees
i have you with me in the dark trees
i am tryig to put you somewhere else in the
dark trees too
i am like the giraffe of you
wow
i am kising 25 birds when i kis you
four hours of rain in the corn
i kis you and i dream that i am a raccoon
you trip and u
fall and
instead of geting up you stay down and
i kis you on the ground
in a corn field
at night
i am with you pushing flowers in the open mouth
i am with u pressing rain to the
frosted window
it is even hard to cry now
in december michigan there wil be a snow bank
somewhere of u and me and
your warm
legs and i am in between kissing u
sweet drems you are very beautiful
i wil sing to
you justin bieber with my lips
on you and
my hands on you so
thank you i am far into the warm tunnels
of you
i will bring to
you my warm dark we are under a pine
tree and
it is mid night so
thank you i am deep into the rain of you
-steve roggenbuck
. This poem dramatizes over-encompassing, innocent love versus the tragedy of the rest of the world. While reading this poem I began to understand that the speaker is speaking or perhaps even writing, “you make me need to write love poems (19)”, to his lover; intent on exhuming the depth of his love. The speaker is almost definitely male as he makes references to being in his lovers “tunnels”, an obvious allusion to his lover being a female. I also imagine the speaker is young; he doesn’t talk about past experiences, rather he talks about just exactly what he wants to do with his lover—he is dreaming of the future. The tragedy of the world is brought forth in the beginning as the speaker tells his lover of a family that was lost in a maze of corn—an activity that would normally seem harmless but left the community in a panic after they had realized the family had spent much too long in the maze. The speaker, though, can hardly focus on this real world occurrence as he quickly, and suddenly, starts telling his lover of his dreams of being with her. An exceptionally powerful transition, the speaker goes from tragedy to promises of love that have already been fulfilled in his head. Throughout the rest of the poem the speaker takes us through his dreams, telling us and his lover of all the things he wants to do with her. He takes her into dramatic situations and places, with his only intent to make her feel loved and to be with her.
During the main portion of the poem the speaker switches often from future tense to present tense and back; while also blatantly misspelling words that shouldn’t be misspelled. Although erratic and sometimes confusing, the uses of these techniques are oddly charming. They create a more pure atmosphere that lets the reader believe everything the speaker is saying is true; his words don’t come off as necessarily calculated but because of this it makes the words he is saying much more believable.
This poem is one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I have ever read.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqvXqkscQ2w
Here is the video of the Steve Roggenbuck actually reading the poem aloud. It helped me understand the flow and scheme of it.
K. Peterson 7
During class, Mr. C. has talked a lot about how he could throw many poems at us and have us memorize all the poetry terms. He has decided not fill our bucket with information but instead fuel our fires. By giving us the choice of poem to explain and by having us make poems that relate to us will in return give us more interests in poetry. For this reasoning is why I chose a poem about dance. Dance has been a huge part of my life; my mom said I started dancing before I could even walk. So here is what I found:
I twirl, I dream
I move, I sway
Even if it’s not perfect
It makes me complete
I love, I live
I jump, I dart
It’s still not perfect
But I am free to be me
By VVR
This poem is obviously written by a dancer because she truly knows the art and emotion contributed in dance. All her verbs like twirl, move, jump, and dart explain different types of dance movement. Other verbs like dream, live, and love are the more emotional aspects of dancing. The feelings that are behind the movements are almost more important than the actual movements. “Even if it’s not perfect” explains that dancing does not always have to be the exact same as others and competitive team style. Dancing by yourself gives you a sense of freedom and life. Dancing has the power to let out all the emotions filling up inside a human’s heart and the relief of completion of life. VVR wants to try and explain the great emotional release a dancer feels while dancing.
No rhyming is in this poem but it does have pattern. The first two lines are both I with a verb. The third line has a comment about how it is not perfect. Then, the fourth line explains an emotional feeling about dancing and herself. I think the poet did this set up because she wanted to explain the physical and emotion sense of dancing. Visually, the poem is short horizontally. The verb lines are shorter because of their peppiness.
Beckman 1
Figuring out life
Starting Over...
© Tatum
I’m trying to find something to base my life upon,
Something in this strange world that goes on and on.
As the years go by and time fades away,
What used to be "good days" are now filled with dismay.
Tomorrow comes, and then again, it goes,
And my ambition to become something more, grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
The life I want now, gets closer each day.
All I've ever wanted was something to live for,
I don’t want to be this little person anymore.
I’ve been basing my life upon what others think,
I wish I could go back and redo everything, every time an eye would blink.
I've fought to become who I am and what I want to be,
I have to remind myself that one day, I will be free.
Free from the rules I followed as a child,
When everything was a game and life was so mild.
Now times have changed and I realize nothing is fair,
And sometimes it seems like nobody even cares.
It’s like no one pays attention to what I feel is best for me,
And what I think about the way some things should be.
I understand now, that I’m pretty much on my own,
And I know a lot of what I can do will never be known.
All the time, I think about everything I can’t say, what I have to keep in,
And by doing this, my thoughts only get more complicated and deepen.
Soon I hope to find out who I am, and what I am meant to become,
I want to know where I’m going, I don’t need to be reminded of where I came from.
Source: Starting Over, Change Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/starting-over#ixzz2OnvpEVSM
www.FamilyFriendPoems.com
This poem has an AA BB rhyme pattern choosing simple yet powerful words; the great thing about the Speaker in this poem is that it can be anyone you want it to be. If you are a 45 year old woman the speaker can be a 45 year old woman looking back on her life wishing she would have done more. Or if you are a senior in high school getting ready for graduation the speaker can be a senior in high school looking back on the last 18 years of his or her life. He or she can be sitting back secluded from everyone else—lost in a day dream we all fall into—wondering who will ever accept them for the person they truly are, or the one they wish they would have become. This speaker is lost in thought, talking to himself, keeping himself from falling down, knowing that the life he truly aspires for is coming one day soon. Sticking with the graduation them I believe, his motivation for speaking is looking back on the last 18 years of his life and knowing that it is all about to change. Nothing will be exactly as it has been for so long—“good days”—the life he wants gets closer each day and college is a place where he can make that happen and where he will be on his own. The speaker has also been forced to conform to society, he thinks of everything he has had to keep inside of his mind and not said because then what if someone did not like that side of him? Then he really would be on his own, struggling to find the person he wants so greatly to be—the one he knows he is meant to become. Everyone knows their past but no one knows for sure where they are going, it’s one big mystery that we would all like to know and this speaker phrases it perfectly.
Voigt 7
The Path That Leads To Home
Edgar A. Guest
The little path that leads to home,
That is the road for me,
I know no finer path to roam,
With finer sights to see.
With thoroughfares the world is lined
That lead to wonders new,
But he who treads them leaves behind
The tender things and true.
Oh, north and south and east and west
The crowded roadways go,
And sweating brow and weary breast
Are all they seem to know.
And mad for pleasure some are bent,
And some are seeking fame,
And some are sick with discontent,
And some are bruised and lame.
Across the world the gleaming steel
Holds out its lure for men,
But no one finds his comfort real
Till he comes home again,
And charted lanes now line the sea
For weary hearts to roam,
But, Oh, the finest path to me
Is that which leads to home.
‘Tis there I come to laughing eyes
And find a welcome true;
‘Tis there are care behind me lies
And joy is ever new.
And, Oh, when every day is done
Upon that little street,
A pair of rosy youngsters run
To me with flying feet.
The world with myriad paths is lined
But one alone for me,
One little road where I may find
The charms I want to see.
Through throughfares majestic call
The multitude to roam,
I would not leave, to know them all,
The path that leads to home.
Always a fan of Edgar A. Guest’s poetry, I have chosen to explicate and discuss one of my favorites. The Path That Leads To Home is among my favorite of poems because I believe its meaning can be taken in a quite literal sense as well as with a more broad viewpoint. The premise of this particular work of art is that we are searching for something. Yet in our journey and throughout the wanderings of life, we will surely discover that nothing will ever be able to comfort us quite like home.
Guest’s poetry is dear to my heart for many reasons. One of the primary reasons being that my grandfather who passed away last year was an avid fan as well. Guest’s poetry is marvelous because it appeals to all ages, all walks of life. Nevertheless, while appeal exists throughout the spectrum of ages, it is interesting too, to dissect the difference of interpretation or appeal amongst the different age groups as well. For instance, for my grandfather, I know this poem reminded him of his literal home. The farm he grew up on, the farm he worked on, the farm he raised a family on. But, for me, “home” is where the people I love are. I have not lived in the same house all my life. I enjoy where I live, but I have little to none emotional attachment to my physical house. Rather, “the path that leads to home” for me contains all those that I love, as well as the truth that no matter where I go in life, the things that matter to me - security and love - lies amongst these individuals. To me, if I am with that and aware of how blessed I am, then I am home.
The format of this poem includes rhyming and often repetition of the beginning of phrases. When read aloud or within my head, it moves with marvelous flow. The poetry of Edgar Guest is also jam-packed with moral lessons that he must have first learned or become aware of himself. In this poem, he describes how people will wander, and search for happiness in many different ways all over the world. But, Guest reminds the reader that true happiness can be found where we feel love. Where we feel we are home.
In Haiti
By: Malle Stephens
"Rushing, running, flowing, spinning, clamoring, stomping
Where timeliness is foreign and life is Hell.
The eyes. The abyss. The pools of lost hope.
The feeling of never having a dream
Yet perseverance conquers.
As if in a dream where you run yet arrive nowhere
This is where dreams go to die.
I love you Port-Au-Prince
I love your fluidity and chaos
I love the face of your children
I love the tongues in which
you speak, lapping at my ears
I love your strength
Vulnerability
Beauty
Pain
Honesty
I love you my dear Haiti
Forever you will remain.
A knife in my heart."
I wrote this poem originally to mimic In Hades, but also the poems written by London. After that, it just sort of took a life of its own. I began with the image of Haitian traffic. There are no laws. No speed limits. Nothing. So driving is terrifying and fast, but everyone knows what they are doing and it works. The line about timeliness is referring to the Haitian tendency to take fashionably late to the extremes. The eyes are something that impacts almost everyone when they go to Haiti. People’s eyes are so empty. The line about perseverance was written because it amazed me that Haiti has a 0% suicide rate. Taking their own life is completely foreign to them, while in America we have almost everything and people are committing suicide every day. If you heard some of their stories, I promise you would appreciate your life better and see how petty the things we get so worked up about are. The dream part is a commonly used tool for imagery. People in Haiti are always working toward a goal, yet they are still in this horrific country and can never really amount to anything. “This is where dreams go to die.” People in Haiti have no reason to dream. I love everything about Port-Au-Prince and Haiti. It will always be there and I will always remember and have it in the back of my mind. Yet, the memories of my time there are painful. I met so many beautiful, amazing people. But I went back to the U.S. and they had to stay behind.
Albertson 5
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Though I have not studied very much poetry in my life, I felt like I was familiar with this poem before I even read past the title. And indeed the line “I took the road less traveled by” recalled the jaded aphorism “take the road less traveled.” As I read with this prior knowledge, I became confused. We are never advised to take any road. Surely the poem states “the passing there had worn them really about the same”, suggesting that there is no road less traveled, and that the author simply chose on a whim (leaving the possible theme that life is an output chance). His only motivation being the grassy path looked more appealing than the path through the undergrowth. The traveler tells himself he will come back to the other road another day, even though he knows there will be other forks and that his return is unlikely. “Somewhere ages and ages hence”, or in the future, he will remember which road he chose and he says “I shall be telling this with a sigh…I took the road less traveled by.” Together these lines make me believe that because the roads were equal, he will doubt his decision, but he comforts himself by inventing a reason for his chosen path: that he was being individualistic and taking the road less traveled. By choosing not to make the title “The Road Less Traveled”, as one might have expect Robert Frost to do, Mr. Frost makes the emphasis of the poem not result the road that he chose, but instead the doubt about the road he didn’t. Visually, the poem does not make any apparent statements. The rhyme follows an ABAAB pattern. The natural and simple depiction of the scene that the author remembers allows the situation to fall into the well-known archetype that represents a classic dilemma.
Woodward 5
A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Edgar Allan Poe, known for his morbid stories of horror, composed this thought provoking poem about dreaming and life itself. The entire poem is composed of couplets, except for the first three lines which is a triplet. Oddly, Poe does not keep a constant rhyme scheme in terms of syllables per line; instead, he varies between six and seven syllables per line, which seems to keep the poem flowing well enough. I find the last line of the first and second paragraph particularly intriguing as they have the same words, but a different meaning. By adding that question mark, Poe changes the narrator's stance on life, therefore altering the poem. In the first paragraph, the narrator is certain that he understands life and is voicing his understanding to himself or someone else. He or she seems to think that life is no more important than a dream and that we are all just along for the ride. But in the second paragraph, the narrator begins to question himself, and starts to wonder if he does truly understand life. The sand most likely represents the people of nineteenth century England being crushed under the wave of tyrannistic rule. The narrator weeps for their loss of life and hope and wonders if there is not a way to save them. Beginning to question his understanding, the narrator hopes that what is happening is only a dream, or rather a nightmare. On the other hand it could be that the narrator has recently had a loved one die and the two paragraphs are the two stages of grief. At first comes denial, in the form of false acceptance. The narrator tries to come with terms with what has happened and then move on. The second paragraph though, shows the narrator overcome with hopelessness because he or she could not save the loved one. While this poem is not a morbid story typical of Poe, it is still one of much sadness.
Myrlie
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
I remember first seeing this poem in fifth grade. Mrs. Strand, my teacher at the time, had a book of poetry by Shel Silverstein. Where the Sidewalk Ends was the main poem in the anthology. On the cover, there was an illustration of a young girl walking on a sidewalk that unexpectedly ended in the sky. By reading this poem seven years later, I am able to really understand what it means. Silverstein conjures up an image of a place one can take shelter in. In the first stanza the reader gets a feel for this magical getaway. With unearthly descriptions, I believe this place is not concrete, but rather in the head of the writer. The grass is not green, but instead white – pure, sacred, clean. The wind has a fresh peppermint quality. The “holy land” perceived is a stark contrast with the landscape viewed daily. The writer lives in a black, smoky slum where one must follow a white arrow to escape. With the obvious contrast of black and white I immediately think of race. A black child trying to escape the discrimination and poor conditions that he fails to understand. To follow the white arrow, the white man, is the only way out of the hellish conditions.
Throughout the poem there does not seem to be any pattern – some lines rhyme, others do not. Taking a closer look, one will find that there is indeed a method to the madness. There is no rhyming in the first lines of stanzas one and two. However, the second and last lines rhyme with each other. The third, fourth, and fifth line also rhyme with one another.
Lenz 7
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
-Shel Silverstein
This poem is a current day one that contains an extremely lighthearted nature. Shel Silverstein starts off the poem with an exclamatory insult. He continues to describe the room in deep detail and uses vivid imagery to prove just how messy this particular room is. As I started this poem, I thought that the speaker was a parent scolding a child for not cleaning the room. The more I read, the more I realized that the speaker is, in fact, a kid who is looking from the outside almost as a parent would. He is like the little kid at daycare that tries to take charge and tell the others what to do when in reality, they have no authority. This conclusion of the speaker being a kid is sealed in the last two lines when the reader discovers that the messy room is actually his. I believe that the audience being spoken to here is other kids. This poem serves as an eye opener to kids who have messy rooms, which is most of them. Shel Silverstein, through this poem, is using a humorous approach to try and persuade kids into cleaning their room. Even as an 18 year old, as I read through this poem, I surely related to much of the imagery. I feel that the poet was trying to prove that kids never see their own room as messy, but to everyone else, there is not even a way of navigating through to awful mess. I quite enjoyed the lighthearted nature of this poem, and since Shel Silverstein is not one of the poets we have studied in class thus far, I decided to explicate one of his poems.
VandeBerg 5
"God's Wheel"
God says to me with kind of a smile,
"Hey how would you like to be God awhile?
And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.
Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"
"Gimme back that wheel," says God,
"I don't think you're quite ready yet."
-Shel Silverstein
I think the author is conveying the message that we all would like to play God; that is to say that we want to run our lives the way we want to live, not necessarily how He wants us to live. We try to be God and make decisions for ourselves that may not be the best decision in the long haul. We are all too caught up with the immediate satisfaction rather than doing something that would pay off for us in the long run. The author helps show us that God knows we are not ready to play Him. The author has us give the wheel back because we cannot handle that type of responsibility. The line "When can I quit?" really sticks out to me because we always think something is easier than it really is and we get caught over our heads and want to quit when it gets too difficult for us to deal with. Once we realize that we cannot control our own lives and responsibilities, we turn to God and how He will help us with our everyday lives. When we cannot handle out toughest responsibilities then we in turn, turn the wheel over to God.
Herrick 5
No Difference
Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.
Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite, we’re all worth the same
When we turn off the light
Red, black, orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light
So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!
This poem tries to address the problem of being different. At times, everyone can feel like a lesser person compared to someone else. The speaker could be anyone trying to convince someone else that they are worth it. The audience is anyone with a low self-esteem. They could also be a child, or even a young adult who struggles with being insecure. How do you solve the problem of being different? Well the poem tells you to turn off the light. If you can’t see the other people around you, how can you be insecure? How can you feel different if you can’t see the differences in you and another? This poem seems to be freestyle, but it also has some rhyming to go with it. The speaker keeps saying at the end of each stanza, Turn off the light. I think the speaker really wants to get into the readers head; you are the same as the other person. You can’t think of your differences, because if you did, life would not be as fun. The action can occur at really any time of the day, because being insecure doesn’t just happen at certain times of the day. The speaker may have been trying to get younger kids to understand that things are not going to be so easy. You will have to overcome the challenges of not having everything that other people have. I believe this poem should be not just in a children’s book. This poem should be in books that young adults read. I know that I could take something away from it.
Rist 2
The Voice
There is a voice inside of you
That whispers all day long,
"I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong."
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What's right for you- just listen to
The voice that speaks inside
Although this poem is not very long, I find it very interesting. First, I believe it is strange that each one of us has a voice inside our head. Without it, we would not be able to read or make up scenarios in our minds of what we wish would happen. Imagine life without a private voice of your own! In this poem, the author describes a voice inside our heads that whispers all day long. That voice guides us in what is right and what is wrong. Even though we control what our voice inside our head says, sometimes we subconsciously tell ourselves what is acceptable and what is not. Today, society tries to shape us into being something we are not. I see this everyday in the high schools and middle schools primarily. Each of us has been judged and tried to fit in. Also, each of us is guilty of judging others, even if we do not try to or notice that we are. The author of this poem wants us to listen to the voice inside our head. It does not matter what anyone else thinks of you or what they tell you to do. In the end, you are the only one that can control your actions and the voice inside your head knows the right choice. I am guilty of giving in to peer pressure and knowing what I did was the wrong decision. I did not listen to the voice inside my head and was punished for it. I believe if I listen to myself, as I have been lately, my life will be easier and more distinguished. Our morals that we learn at a young age will always be the morals we need to stick to. The main lesson of this poem is to always listen to yourself because only you know what is right for you.
Kirkus 2
At His Execution
I am made all things to all men--
Hebrew, Roman, and Greek--
In each one's tongue I speak,
Suiting to each my word,
That some may be drawn to the Lord!
I am made all things to all men--
In City or Wilderness
Praising the crafts they profess
That some may be drawn to the Lord--By any means to my Lord!
Since I was overcome
By that great Light and Word,
I have forgot or forgone
The self men call their own
(Being made all things to all men)
So that I might save some
At such small price to the Lord,
As being all things to all men.
I was made all things to all men,
But now my course is done--
And now is my reward...
Ah, Christ, when I stand at Thy Throne
With those I have drawn to the Lord,
Restore me my self again!
Rudyard Kipling
In the first stanza, the man who is being executed (in this case St. Paul) is saying how he has traveled around, spreading the word of God to all sorts of people in many countries: “…Hebrew, Roman, and Greek—[i]n each one’s tongue I speak, [s]uiting to each my word….” This somewhat seems like he might just be saying what the people want to hear so they will more readily listen and follow. He goes on in the second stanza to further describe the places he traveled—"In City or Wilderness"—and he uses any means possible to get as many people as he can to follow God. Again, this may mean that he is saying what he thinks will encourage people to have faith. I’m not going to say that these things were complete lies, but he may have slightly altered or stretched the truth. The third stanza goes into how faith has affected him: "...I have forgot or forgone [t]he self men call their own...." This means that since he has been a follower of Christ, he has become selfless, unlike non-Christians, in order to save these people and show them the Lord. This may be in the form of giving up his time, putting in the effort, suffering personal discomforts/inconveniences, or all of them and more. In the fourth stanza, he comes out of his thoughts and into the reality—that is his execution. He has done his part, and now will go to heaven—“…Christ, when I stand at Thy Throne [w]ith those I have drawn to the Lord, Restore myself again!”—to be rewarded for what he has done on Earth. He either knows or thinks that because of his actions, he will have a higher place in Heaven than any regular person. The repeated line, “I am made all things to all men…” is confusing to me. Lines like this are common in the Bible, but I really am not sure what St. Paul would mean by it.
Schwint 7
Nature's Hand
© Carol Lafreniere
Walking towards a wishful dream,
By your side a crooked stream,
Above, the clouds are fluffy cream,
No longer do you want to scream.
The air it smells so sweet.
The birds go, twitter tweet.
Soft grass to place your feet.
You groove with nature's beat.
Out here, there are no cars.
Out here, there are no bars.
Nighttime brings you Venus, Mars;
Uncountable amounts of stars.
Take it all in friendly stride,
Don't ever feel you have to hide.
This is where you reach inside,
And spread your wings; feel them glide.
Your life is yours, not theirs to take.
Light a fire by the lake.
Always love, with whom you wake,
Never let your friendships break.
Always live without regret.
Don't give up, not now, not yet.
Know the future isn't set.
Appreciate what love you get.
I know that nature's trees are tall,
There's some you cannot climb at all-
Full in Spring ''til Autumn's Fall,
Covered in a winter shawl.
And as the seasons come and go,
You'll see the stream begin to grow.
Filled by your whole life you know,
Carried in the winds that blow.
Listen to the song it sings-
Love and peace is what it brings.
Sharing all the little things,
Smoothing over dents and dings.
That’s what living's all about.
Never fill it up with doubt.
Look real close to find this out-
Always seek the kinder route.
And you will see, my oldest friend,
This dreamy life, it has no end.
There's always more beyond the bend,
Nature's hand, a limb, to lend.
The theme of this poem is a spiritual, nature poem. Embracing the simplicity and beauty of nature, this poem describes the soothing comfort of nature. Life is simpler and less stressful without all the hustle and bustle of human civilization. Also, the speaker brings up the theme of self-expression. It encourages you to be yourself and never stop dreaming/pursuing your dreams. Whenever life gets your down, nature is there to help you discover yourself. This is the poetry I enjoy most; poetry that is smooth, rhymes, sends a message, and inspires its readers. The poem is describing the beauty and simplicity of nature to an “old friend”. The author talks about the soft grass, fluffy clouds, and shining stars at night like it was a wishful dream. Also, the author describes how nature brings peace, love, and happiness. Nature is the best inspiration for your dreams.
This poem has eleven sections of four sentences. All four sentences in each section have an end word that rhymes. The vocabulary is vivid to stress the beauty and wonder of nature. It paints a picture in the reader’s head to make them imagine the feeling of the grass and breeze; and to imagine the clear, pristine stars at night. The smooth flow of the poem represents the flow of nature. It is steady and always pushing on, just like the poem. The lines are roughly the same length and the poem never feels choppy. As for visual patterns, the poem is very linear and the poem is not very long or short. I do not think the author really used a certain visual pattern to fit in with the poem. It could symbolize the “balance of nature”. Animals and plants keep each other balance in nature to control overpopulation of one species. The poem’s balance of lines and sections might correlate with the balance of nature.
The poet expresses nature throughout this poem, but spirituality is another theme the poet is using to inspire. She describes nature as “soothing over the dents and dings”. I also agree; I believe that nature can sooth your emotional and physical heath (“dents and dings”). Most medicines are the bounty of nature, and the relaxing atmosphere helps your emotional health and reduce stress. The final line “nature’s hand, a limb, to lend.” is also powerful. It expresses natures warm acceptance. Even after all the atrocities we commit against nature, she will always be there with open arms, lending a hand.
Hallstrom 1
A Dream
In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed-
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.
Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?
That holy dream- that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.
What though that light, thro' storm and night,
So trembled from afar-
What could there be more purely bright
In Truth's day-star?
Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream is written in the Shakespearean quatrain form by using perfect rhymes. The tone and content Poe has created seems introverted, as if spoken or muttered in a monologue. In this poem, Poe presents a narrator who is a troubled soul and wishes for something other than reality. The theme presents the inner struggle with oneself. A Dream shows depression and pain of real life, how he must tolerate it, and how he almost teaches us that the only way to escape the hardships is through dreams. As I see it, the tone may suggest that death, even through suicide, could be a possible option to obtain this “other than reality”. The second verse then reveals his possible fear of death because it would cause him to lose his memories of the past. Poe explores the mystery and magic of dreams. Rather than death, Poe created the narrator as one who wishes to escape from reality through dreams and fantasies. Verse one and three give the scenario of the safety of the dream-world, and the dangers of the real world. The darkness is safety from others, possibly even from the narrator himself. Lightness is described as shedding the light on the storm and night, which would then reveal the weaknesses he’s trying to hide from. The repetition of “That holy dream – that holy dream” gives the impression that the speaker desperately wants to cling to that dream-world. This quote also shows how important Poe believes his dreams are. His dreams were his way of escaping to his own utopia but he knew when he woke he would have to confront the misery the world has created. Poe wishes he could live in his dream forever so he wouldn’t have to face reality. However, when he awakes, he appears broken hearted because he realizes that his dream was not his reality.
Clemenson 2
“Spoiled Brat” by Shel Silverstein from Falling Up.
The spoiled brat cut a hole in her hat,
The spoiled brat put a coat on the cat,
The spoiled brat got into a spat
‘Bout whether a rodent’s a mouse or a rat.
The spoiled brat broke a bike with her bat,
The spoiled brat told the policeman to scat,
The spoiled brat said her sister was fat,
And sat on her birthday cake ‘till it was flat.
The spoiled brat, she cussed and she spat,
The spoiled brat pulled the wings off a gnat,
The spoiled brat fell into a vat,
Got cooked up for dinner and that was that.
But in spite of the pepper,
The salt and the sage,
The onions and garlic and oil,
Nobody would touch
A bite of that brat
Because she was so spoiled.
I figured that this poem would be fitting since we have been attempting to write poems about being the change for next week. Shel Silverstein describes this little spoiled brat that has no respect for anything but herself. She abuses everything she owns because she holds the power to. She cuts a hole in her hat and breaks her bike with her bat. Most likely anything she owns will be replaced so she can abuse it if she so pleases. She is mean to other people and calls them names. She bullies her sister by calling her fat and pulls the wing off of a gnat. She seems to always get her way because she is not afraid to mouth off to a police man or curse. Eventually she falls into a vat to be cooked in for dinner. Even though she was been cooked and boiled, nothing can make her taste better. I believe that Shel Silverstein says this to show that she is bad on the outside and on the inside. She is a bully to everyone and people do not feel sympathy for her being cooked like they do not feel sympathy for bullies. Some bullies and brats can attempt to disguise themselves with spices and seasoning but nothing can completely mask their personalities. This poem shows people how not to act and then people will feel more sympathy for them. Shel Silverstein wants to teach people to treat other better so that they will treat you better. Children are taught to treat others the way that they want to be treated and as people grow, some people forget that lesson.
Andersen
Period 2
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is telling you about having to make a difficult decision and not knowing what to do. It is showing the pondering on which choice is correct when either seem appeasable at the time. He chooses the road that is not less traveled, but equally traveled, hopefully being able to get the chance to go back and take the other path someday, knowing fully that the chance will probably never come. The color of the wood could represent the cowardliness, as it is the representation of the color yellow. Frost relates to many when he is explaining the situation of having a difficult decision and not knowing what to take. He could also be saying that he choose the road for he thought that one would make the greatest difference later on life. However, he had to also make the decision to leave the fork in the woods and choose a road to take. Eventually, to figure out what awaits you at the end of the journey, you must take one road, whether it is the right or wrong, you will not know until later. You can only see so far down each path before it curves. This is the decision making in life, not everything can be seen ahead and life itself is all about the choices we make including what paths to take. There are many ways to analyze this poem and each way allows you to come with a different outcome.
Etrheim 5
Gentle Lady, Do Not Sing
Gentle lady, do not sing
Sad songs about the end of love;
Lay aside sadness and sing
How love that passes is enough.
Sing about the long deep sleep
Of lovers that are dead, and how
In the grave all love shall sleep:
Love is aweary now.
James Joyce
After reading this poem, many thoughts ran through my mind. I wondered who the speaker of the poem was. My initial and concluding thought is that an older, much wiser man is speaking to a younger woman. The older man is telling her to not “sing sad songs about the end of love.” He is trying to explain to this inexperienced woman that love “‘til death does us apart” is significantly more important than a quick lustrous relationship. This poem’s audience is all of the young adults out there who do not truly understand the real meaning of love. The older and wiser man is trying to explain the meaning of true love to not just the young lady but to all other young adults reading this poem. The older man speaking in this poem is saying that true love lasts forever. Death cannot break true love. There is not much action involved in this poem. An older and much wiser man—at least I believe—is explaining to a distraught younger woman what true love is. No setting is given to the poem either. Because of this, I am free to let my imagination run wildly of where the story is taking place. When I first read this poem, I instantly thought of the younger woman sitting on a park bench—alone and upset. The older man approached her as he sensed something was wrong. This is when she tells him of her troubles and the wise older man helps by telling her of his experiences. The speaker (wise and older man) compels himself to speak as he knows the feelings that the woman is going through. He has matured and experienced much usefulness throughout his lifetime. The speaker is no grouch either. He is kindhearted and can tell that the distraught woman could use some good advice.
Arrowsmith 5
Water, is taught by thirst.
by Emily Dickinson
Water, is taught by thirst.
Land -- by the Oceans passed.
Transport -- by throe
Peace -- by its battles told
Love, by Memorial Mold
Birds, by the Snow.
In six lines of twenty-six words Emily Dickinson conveys a very powerful message. This poem shows us that we take the importance of things in our life, no matter how big or small, for granted. We do not realize the importance of water until we are thirsty, we do not realize the importance of land until we are stranded at sea, peace until there is war, love until the loss of it, or the beauty of a songbird until it migrates and is replaced by snow. Dickinson reaffirms that you never really know how much you truly cherish, love, or need something until you do not have it anymore. Then, all you can think about is how much you miss that thing/person. Even the simplest of things to us, such as having a place to sleep or clothes to wear, would be considered commodities to others. For me, this life lesson was taught at a very young age to cherish what I had, and not take the little things for granted. You could also take from this poem that you cannot be happy without first being sad and you cannot be rich without first being poor etc. You cannot obtain one without first obtaining the other, and if you do obtain happiness without first having sorrow or riches without first being poor, you will not and cannot comprehend what you have and how lucky you are to have it. This poem has taught me to look around at all the things I have in my life and cherish them because one day they may be gone. That is why poetry is starting to grow on me. Tremendous lessons and stories can be told in very few words.
Westcott, 5
Dead Man’s Clothes by Ivan Donn Carswell
Growing up, I propose,
is like wearing a dead man’s clothes.
Death has a way of levelling the ground.
I have found the closer your relationship
the closer the fit;
the unsettling bit is the fear
of not fitting the role, or where
your forbear made a name or leashed
a reputation, which by imputation
of the clothes is yours as a crown, to wear
or not to wear, to possess or disown; whereas
I was first bequeathed a pair of shorts, a T shirt
and some thongs, items which rightly belonged
both to the man who was and the man to be,
though I had worn his suit before I reached
his height, and though I might pretend I was,
I never was that man despite the formal suit.
Today I use a woollen fishing jersey from
a man I hold in huge regard but sadly
now departed, a man whose friendship
touched my heart and with the most humble
respect I know
I gladly wear his clothes
Ivan Donn Carswell compares growing up to wearing a pair of clothing. In order to have a metaphorical tight fit, a close relationship is necessary. He makes the reader or listener realize that everyone is fearful of not fitting in or having close relationships, which he relates to non fitting clothing. As he goes into talking about wearing a pair of shorts, t shirt, and thongs, he wants us to know that he was more comfortable than in the man’s suit. The suit was too big because he was not ready to fulfill the requirements of having a close enough relationship. The wollen fishing jersey represents a man he had been friends with but now has left him. I feel that Ivan Carswell wants us to realize that every friendship is different, just like every pair of clothing. We must be able to grow in our relationships and find new ways of looking at things and thinking of ideas. Carswell wants his reader to know that he is proud of every friendship he has, but for different reasons for each. I hope to have the same life experiences as the author, because his different friendships have molded him into the person and poet he is now. The relationships you have could give you a certain reputation, and you need to be aware of these friendships before getting too involved. I feel that Carswell has a very strong grasp on the idea of friendship. He realizes the importance and the impact it makes on everyone’s lives.
Rollag 5
“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep”
Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” By Mary Elizabeth Frye is a poem telling the friends of the dead to not stop living because they have died but to continue because they will be with them always. The line of the poem basically point out that no matter the season or time of day will stop the dead person’s spirit from being with those they loved. The poem consoles those that are still living for the grief of the loss and by using happy, vivid descriptions of events convinces the reader that it is a better life they live after death than before. The last line of the poem is the dead has gone to heaven and they are not died but moved on. The poem also implies that the body is not the final resting place of the soul but in all the makes this world beautiful that is where the soul resides after death. I first saw this poem at the Vietnam War Memorial among the other letters of remembrance which judging by the wear upon it suggests that many weeping people have found its soothing words. The origin of the poem is much earlier written in 1932 about a Jewish woman whose mother was in Germany and how she died but the woman could not like the speaker we heard say a final good bye. That is the sorrow and hope this poem embodies for it suggest that people can cry but the world is full of good thing and those good things are the spirit of the loved one trying to make them smile.
Lipper 7
There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Ok, here we go. I believe the place where the sidewalk ends is a place that is free from the toils and pains of everyday life. It may be heaven or it may even be just a nice place. The end of the sidewalk represents the end of our industrial society, shown by the words the smoke blows black and the dark street winds and bends. The grime and the filth of the city are left behind for the sweet serenity of where the sidewalk ends. I find it interesting that it is the children in particular who know where the sidewalk ends; I believe this represents the purity and the innocence of children. They do not yet know the troubles of this world; all they know is the place where the sidewalk ends. They can turn the grime and filth of a situation into something bright and cheerful. And maybe it shows how children can suffer most from society; they can be the most vulnerable in situations and end up being the ones who are hurt by those who are around them. The place where the sidewalk ends is maybe, as I mentioned before, heaven. And the fact that children know it so well can symbolize how childhood is untimely ripped from the minds of the young, forcing them to become too old too fast. Our society has turned into serial killers, killing the youth that is so vibrant in our young. Yes I believe the children know the place where the sidewalk ends so well since they are so happy, the blissfulness of this place is a very good reminder of heaven, of what awaits us when we cease to be. Their childhood is gone, gone to where the sidewalk ends and yet the children must remain, remain in that place that is so full of sorrow, so full of grime, so dull, and so sad. They must remain where the sidewalk never ends while their innocence lingers, just out of reach, where the sidewalk ends.
Heisel 2
One of the many unnamed limericks by Edward Lear
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, 'It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!'
I obviously chose this poem because I found it humorous. Big surprise. There isn’t much to intemperate in this poem, but I’ll give it a go. Limericks are often paired with more light-hearted messages. Most are geared mainly for entertainment. This limerick is most likely the same way. No hidden message, no profound effect on society. But that wouldn’t make a very good blog task, so to me (for the sake of this assignment) it can be interpreted heftily!
The old man represents to older generation, still concerned with societal issues. Birds in my beard would hardly concern me, but to someone more socially driven it may be a concern. The owls are his wisdom—he has two because he’s super wise and the whatnot. The hen represents how society has “domesticated” him—it made him into something other than what he would have chosen for himself. The lark is the wild side of the old man. The large quantity implies his extreme devotion to his id side. The wren is small and helpless. It symbolizes his insecurity, even when he has reached such a level of wisdom in his age. He still lacks confidence. The beard they all live in is his life, and the fear he feels is dying in his current state. In the begging of the poem, it uses past tense. This implies, tragically, that the old man has lost his beard…meaning he lost his life. So sad it is that this man still had four larks.
Another way to interpret this masterpiece is through a feminist lens. In this, the beard is the man’s world, and the birds are the women. The women can reside in the man’s world, but ultimately the man (the more powerful man that is), will be displeased with the woman. Always just the birds in the beard of society, women aren’t equal yet.
Ullom 7
Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson
This poem—since the fifth grade—has always been my favorite. That was when my grandpa died. He had served in the marines and there was a memorial service for such men at the VA Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. When the speaker said my grandfather’s name, my family got up to receive an award and this poem on a laminated sheet. I sat and read the poem over and over. Surprisingly, the poem helped me deal with his loss. Now and again when I find myself thinking about my grandpa, I read the poem. The poem starts off with a speaker describing a dream. You must look much deeper into the scenario. This “dream” is most certainly not a dream. The speaker was visited by God. The interesting aspect is that at some points, there is only one set of footprints. Why is that? Did God leave him all alone to fend for himself? This makes the reader question. The first time I read this I even wondered—Is God really there when I need him? Then, at the very end, God speaks up and says that he carried the speaker in his times of trouble. God is the tech crew to our musical, he works in the backgrounds helping us along the road so that we can put on one heck of a show, making sure our show goes off without a hitch, making sure we have a standing ovation. Yet, like a tech crew, he does not always receive the recognition he so dearly deserves and yet this doesn’t phase him. He is happy in the background, happy that we succeeded, happy to help, and happy to see us smile. Yes, god stands in the background making sure we always remain in center stage. And all we have to do is say amen.
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
I chose to explicate Jabberwocky, which is a poem written in 1871 by Lewis Carroll. I chose to write about this poem because of its confusing word usage and memorable excitement—it is one of the few poems that I can remember the name of from long ago. Looking at this poem and trying to see it as a dramatic situation is not very hard. The language in the poem—which is by far the most interesting part because large portion of the words do not even exist—is made up mostly of words that Carroll chose based on what he thought people would think they meant. Some examples include: frabjous meaning possibly joyous and fabulous, it just sounds like a happy word; and mimsy which sounds weak (flimsy) and pathetic. When Carroll does this he gives the reader a chance to make the story what they want. Next I will address the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. It seems as though a father and son have gone hunting in a forest.. The conflict is the hunting of dangerous creatures—it may be the struggles of growing up. The animals in the story are definitely being dramatized which makes the poem more interesting then using common animals. In the poem it gives a setting in the first stanza and then goes on to have the father warning the son to be careful. The son then—probably to impress his father—pulled out his sword and waited for the jabberwocky. He kills it when he sees it and comes galumphing—probably a mix between triumph and gallop—back with its head. I believe the father is telling this story to a friend and is probably bragging about his son in the process hence the over dramatization. Although the poem uses unknown words, its imagery makes it easily understood. Jabberwocky is one of the best poems I have ever read.
Rise pd 2
I wanted to find a poem important to me so I searched for Zumba poems—a lot of my life revolves around teaching Zumba. The Zumba poems I found contained: sweating, shaking, swinging and crazy women. This was not at all what I was looking to write about. I decided to search dancing, in general, because there is more to zumba than sweating, shaking, dancing women. I want to look at the emotional factor of Zumba or Dance.
In This Dance...
by: Kassandre Renee
down my face, tears fall
like notes in a sad, sad song
I move to the music that is my life
and it makes everything right that is wrong
I jump and spin
like the craziness within
I leap and I fall
like my attempts of getting over a blocking wall
sometimes I turn and lose my spot
I forget where I am suppose to be going
dizziness sets in and as I move
I forget to be ever flowing
but sometimes there is beauty in being ungraceful
because to the art I am being faithful
there is a passion in the oddness, the uniqueness
I am an abstract art
dancing the feelings of this world as my life falls apart
but in this dance I find the answer
I find the pieces I need to keep my life together
I picture someone dancing, without even trying the image is vivid to me. Feeling the music and allowing yourself to move with the beat is natural, normal and therapeutic. Amongst others who have already let go of their inhibitions and embarrassment, you feel comfortable to do the same in a room full of “Zumba-ers” Once you know the routines by heart it becomes fully physical, a trance, and a kind of utopian high. There is no thinking, no speaking, and nothing is expected of you but to have fun. Almost anyone you ask will say Zumba puts you in a better mood. Third from the bottom, the line puts my thoughts into words. If I am having a bad day, unhappy etc. being able to do zumba and just dance helps me forget for an hour; I focus on my breathing, the next move—purely physical needs. “ I am an abstract art.” I see that line as meaning: I am not understood, I probably don’t even understand myself, and I do what I want, when I want. “I jump and spin like the craziness withen.” I imagine strings interlaced in turmoil, wriggling around inside, and cause someone to jump and spin around from the craziness. It is Someone so unhappy, and so uncomfortable that they just to explode, to get rid of their thoughts building up inside. Back to the last line, “I find the answer I find the pieces I need to keep my life together,” There are no answers in a dance or routine; I think the poem means, taking that hour to work out, and to focus on something other than the terrible events occurring around them helps keep the writer’s life together—some sanity.
N. Peterson 7
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" dramatizes the conflict of having to make a choice between two paths (both of which lead to a future that is uncertain) and the fear of making the wrong decision. This poem stuck out to me because of all the important decisions I have had to make recently and the tremendous amount of stress I felt making them. The speaker is immediately characterized in the first stanza as a man who dwells upon a decision that he must make. A feeling of apprehension is portrayed by the words "long I stood," as well as the indirectness of the word yellow, which could also imply cowardice. Instead of ending the stanza with the decision being made, Frost ends the stanza with "To where it bent in the undergrowth;" which leaves the reader wondering where each road might really lead. In the next stanza, the decision is made and it is implied that the act of making the decision was much easier than made out to me. Frost underlines the foolishness of worrying too much over what might have been. The fourth stanza begins with the line, "I shall be telling this with a sigh". This stanza tries to force the reader to make a choice, and the speaker expects be relieved by the outcome of his decision to take the road less traveled. The speaker has already admitted that there is no difference. Upon looking back, the two paths were found to be "really about the same." This adds irony to the poem. Robert Frost is using the poem “The Road Not Taken” to poke fun at the human need to worry so much about the choices we make, but I found it to also be inspiration to make the choices we want to even if others are choosing to make a different one.
Pham 7
Never Gonna Give You Up
We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but
You're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you x2
(Ooh, give you up)
(Ooh, give you up)
(Ooh)
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
(Ooh)
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but
You're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you x6
~Matther Aitkan, Peter Waterman, Mike Stock
I chose this for I hold this piece of literature very close to my heart—because it is a poem about heart. In the first verse, the composers blatantly state that we are all familiar with love. No matter how much we deny it, we have all had a crush, even we have never had a significant other. Following this, the authors reveal a sad truth of modern society—the lack of commitment. In the context of this situation, a full commitment seems scarce and is seen as a burden or misgiving. The composers are attempting to reveal a fallacy in our society. Other lyrical compositions such as Drake’s “Started from the Bottom,” center life around obtaining money and women—as if women were objects.
In addition, the repetition of the chorus (once, then twice, and finally three times) shows the finality and seriousness of the statements. Not only does the repetition of the chorus provide emphasis but the repetition within the chorus exemplifies the actions stated.
Within the second verse, an exposition of the relationship between a male and a female is described. This concept, much like that of “the elephant in the room,” is one that everyone is aware of, but (as the authors state) are “too shy to say it.” However, this can also be what pseudosocial scientists call “the friend zone.” In the “friend zone” theory, one party realizes that the other party has developed a particular fondness of the initial party, yet chooses not to react to it. Perhaps the composers are trying to reveal the human fear of change. This fear of change causes a cycle of repetition, a common theme throughout the song.
Throughout the bridge, we are met with phrases in parentheses. Howbeit, these do not mean that these phrases should be ignored but rather it emphasizes, the weakness and faintness of the thought. Although these negative thoughts still exist, they are suppressed and weak in strength. With this honesty, the promises made in the chorus are fulfilled. At the risk of making the subject cry, they establish that they are never going to give up. They establish they are never going to let us down. They establish that they are not going to run around.
This poem is an expose of human nature. The chorus allows us have faith in love but the verse reveals our fear of change and the darkness of human nature. Yet the bridge shines with honesty that renews are faith in humanity. “Never Gonna Give You Up” proves the unrelenting love of human nature and truly brings us closer to love.
Weidenbach 1
justice
justice is for the people who are bad
justice is the people who have done
justice is for the cruel people of the world
justice is what people will need if they don’t learn
justice is what people deserve every once in a while
brandi reissig
Justice is defined as the administration of the law in the quality of being fair and reasonable. Brandi talks about how justice is for the bad and those who have done. When she speaks of people who are bad she is clearly talking about criminals. When she discusses how justice is for the people who have done, it could be taken in two ways. First it could be for those who are accused and awaiting trial. Or it could be those who fight to uphold justice and the belief in being fair and reasonable. When she says how justice is for the cruel people of the world, she is talking about the inhumane of the world like Adolf Hitler. No matter what one person has done, true justice will always stay fair and reasonable. That is why justice is expressed as a blindfolded woman holding scales and a sword. Justice has the biggest effects on the bad, but it is equally for all. When people do not learn from their past mistakes of crime, justice is needed to correct them and hopefully straighten them onto a more righteous path. Lastly she says justice is what people deserve every once in a while. By stating (every once in a while) she could be implying that some people get by with things for a while, but eventually get caught and brought to justice. Either by dying and answering to God or by being caught and tried by other humans. She could also be implying that some people have done something so cruel and inhumane that they do not deserve justice. In my mind no matter what crime a person commits they should have to answer to justice – sooner or later. And for those who have been wronged, justice serves as revenge.
Backer 2
I Choose the Mountain
The low lands call
I am tempted to answer
They are offering me a free dwelling
Without having to conquer
The massive mountain makes its move
Beckoning me to ascend
A much more difficult path
To get up the slippery bend
I cannot choose both
I have a choice to make
I must be wise
This will determine my fate
I choose, I choose the mountain
With all its stress and strain
Because only by climbing
Can I rise above the plane
I choose the mountain
And I will never stop climbing
I choose the mountain
And I shall forever be ascending
I choose the mountain
Howard Simon
As the website advised, I read the poem both silently and out loud. When I read the poem silently, I was able to indicate the possible deeper meanings placed within the words. I determined that the “low lands” could very well resemble hell or a life without faith, and the “mountains” could be used to describe heaven or a life containing faith. The low lands and mountains can also be a way to describe how we face various situations in our lives. We can either take the “high road” or simply let life drag us down. The difficulty in climbing a mountain provides us with an image of how sometimes the right thing to do is not always the easiest. As I read the poem out loud, I was able to recognize the rhyming scheme. I noticed that the last word in both the second and last line of each stanza had a similar ending. I thought this not only allowed for the poem to flow more easily, but allowed the reader to better sense the power behind each word. In the first stanza, the speaker tells of his/her call to temptation. They are able to dwell in the low lands without putting forth any sort of effort. The low lands are illustrated as far more promising than the mountains that are described in the second stanza. The journey up the mountain provides travelers with a wider range of challenges and setbacks. If you were to look at these stanzas from a religious aspect, you could say that they are similar to the struggles we face today. We are put to the test constantly as the world tries to drift us away from God. Whether we choose to succumb to society’s hold or not is up to us. However we cannot go both ways, stanza three explains that we have to make a choice. At the end of the poem, the speaker chooses the mountain. They choose a life of faith. They choose the road less travelled. They choose the path WORTH taking.
Coyle 2
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I have a gun
Get in the van
~Anti-Joke.com
I chose this poem as a joke and found it fairly easy to analyze potential, yet unlikely hidden meanings and motifs. This poem is a parody of the “Roses are Red” poem thought to have originated from a poet named Sir Edmund Spencer. The poem has no rhyme scheme like that of its predecessor. I first heard this poem from my sister about three or four months ago when she found it on anti-joke.com. While we all laughed at the poem, it’s clear that the content is far darker than we fully grasped. While supposed to be funny, this poem provides a much more morbid view. The red of the roses alone could be analyzed deeply. The redness could symbolize either the complete control of the gun holder and in that sense equate to communism. On the other hand the redness could also represent the crimson tone of blood. I also thought that maybe the fact that they are roses could be linked to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. In the story the cards accidentally planted white roses in the Queen of Hearts’ garden. In an attempt to fix the situation and save their lives, the cards begin to paint the white roses with red paint. I believe that this poem could also function in this way. The rose could have been white to symbolize innocence, and the red may represent the blood and fear of the situation of being forced into the van at gunpoint. The violets being blue could potentially stand for fear. The dark hue of the violet flower also could symbolize sadness. Fear and sadness could clearly be translated into this poem. Anyone being held at gunpoint would undoubtedly feel fear and likely would feel some sort of sadness. Of course the ending is self-explanatory; clearly it is a detrimental experience regardless of who is involved. Anyone held at gunpoint and forced into a van would end up with severe psychological problems.
Petersen 7
“The Tyger”
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!
When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
William Blake (1757-1827)
Reading through this poem I noticed the religious theme stood out the most. There are two animals that are portrayed in this poem. There is the tiger and the lamb. The lamb represents good and innocence and the tiger is the evil. In the poem Blake questions "Did He who made the lamb make thee?"(Stanza 5, line 20), in which he is talking the tiger. God created everything on earth. Blake sounds surprised God could make such a fearful creature as a tiger and then such a passive creature as the lamb. Another religious reference occurs in Stanza 2. The deep could represent hell and the skies heaven. Blake also uses He and His which is referring to God in stanza 5. Overall I believe this poem is questioning how God could create something so fearsome and evil when all He made was suppose to be good. God was able to tame the "fire" and create this creature. The poem asks many questions; there is at least one question stated in every stanza. This poem is made up of many alliterations such as Tiger, tiger, burning bring and frame thy fearful symmetry. The poem mainly consists of seven syllables in every line. There are six stanzas. Allusions are also present such as the line Immortal hand or eye most likely referring to God and the devil. Another one is Distant deeps or skies which is referring to heaven or hell. This poem is also very organized and neat. It does not lead the reader all over and simply gets to the point. As a reader you can in vision the tiger clearly. Personally I can picture the tiger as a flame being molded into a living creature. This poem emphasis God's powers. He can control even the most fierce of His creations.
Rogen5
[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]
By E. E. Cummings 1894–1962
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
E.E. Cummings work addresses love from a man’s perspective. The poet expresses the love between these lovers using graphic metaphor. His use of no capitalization emphasizes the scrambled thoughts of the poor guy reading the poem. Yet it is Cummings’ use of parenthesis that allows him to give power and meaning to his words. The main emphasis and punch of this poem dwells in the parenthesis. Lurking between the curves, the raw feelings of the readers are exhibited. The last stanza is nearly all in parenthesis—honestly, this was my favorite part in the poem due to its mystery and beauty. Yet there is some fog in this poem for the reader to sift through. The poem reads as if the man’s woman could be dead, alive, or oblivious. This lack of clarity is due to the work of the last stanza. The beauty portrayed in the first two thirds of the poem is then met with new information. The poet states “here is the deepest secret nobody knows.” This is then followed by the main chunk of the stanza that remains in parenthesis: “(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)” After reading this stanza numerous times my personal opinion is that the poet loves this wonderful woman, yet he is the only one that knows of this immense love. A secret admirer. A man that loves this woman without anyone knowing of his affection. Perhaps he has been thrown in the “friend-zone” by this woman. To her he may seem as a brother…or a lamp…but if it were up to him, they would be honeymooning in Italy sipping wine and laughing together in the canals of Venice. But “this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart” keeps him from this desired bliss. Wishing they were star crossed lovers; fate is keeping the stars apart. The poet’s ability to portray this scenario is spectacularly accurate.
Hanzel 7
Alone
Alone I sit,
Alone I think,
Alone I experience,
Alone I cry,
Alone I reach for the knife,
Alone I cut,
Alone I watch the blood,
Alone I feel the pain.
Alone I sit,
Alone I think about cutting deeper,
Alone I experience my sadness,
Alone I cry my eyes out,
Alone I reach for the knife,
Alone I cut my wrists just a tiny bit deeper,
Alone I feel the pain.
Alone I sit,
Alone I think about slicing pictures,
Alone I experience my emptiness,
Alone I cry for all I’ve lost,
Alone I reach for the knife,
Alone I cut nice drawings for all of those who want to watch,
Alone I feel the pain.
Alone I sit,
Alone I think about finishing it all,
Alone I experience a new kind of numb feeling take over me,
Alone I cry for all that’s been and never will be again,
Alone I reach for the knife,
Alone I cut through the vein,
Alone I no longer feel the pain.
Doris Johnson
Following the bullying poetry composition during class today, I found this poem about an outsider (a cause of bullying) and feeling alone. To me, this poem is extremely intriguing. This poem addresses the taboo of self harm. The perspective of the poem only adds to its depth and meaning. Reading from the perspective of those in sorrow is more influential to me because I do not experience this in my life but I see and hear about others fighting against themselves and the world to save their lives daily. Reading this poem, you can feel the ache in the speaker’s voice as she cuts away her pain. Speaking out about this topic is a loud cry for help. Beginning each line with the word “alone” is a constant reminder to the reader about the dangers of loneliness. The short length of each line immediately captures your attention and forces you to continue reading to the end. Through the passing of each stanza, the speaker experiences more pain and sorrow. I found it interesting that the only two lines that rhyme in the entire poem are the final two. Ending the poem with a couplet leaves the reader with a thought to ponder. Many lines in this poem have strong emotion but the final line sticks out to me the most. Although the speaker is no longer in pain, no problems have been solved. This poem not only provided a great amount of knowledge, but it is also a great reminder that my own peers suffer through these emotions and all they need is for someone caring enough to take their hand and pull them out of their sorrow and pain.
Callahan, 7
A Man Young and Old: X. His Wildness by W.B. Yeats
O bid me mount and sail up there
Amid the cloudy wrack,
For peg and Meg and Paris' love
That had so straight a back,
Are gone away, and some that stay
Have changed their silk for sack.
Were I but there and none to hear
I'd have a peacock cry,
For that is natural to a man
That lives in memory,
Being all alone I'd nurse a stone
And sing it lullaby.
This blog task had definitely been the most time-consuming for myself thus far. Fortunately, this is because I really enjoy Yeats' poetry and have been reading much of his works. Unfortunately, a couple that I really liked were either much too long for 300 words (Vacillation), or much too short (A Man Young and Old: III. The Mermaid). Still, I do very much enjoy this poem as well. The first part that really caught my eye was the mention of the name Meg and the "that had so straight a back" part, which shows how some of the word choices of poems can strike people differently and on a much more personal level than intended. After reading and thinking about this poem however, I enjoyed it for a much different reason. I have interpreted it to mean this:
Yeats has gone through an emotional struggle where something that he loved and thought to be steadfast is now gone—"For peg and Meg and Paris' love/That had so straight a back/Are gone away". The something that used to be of great value to him has now lost his respect and its worth ("Have changed their silk for sack."). Though this poem seems very depressing upon first impression, I instead looked upon it as being optimistic, after much thought. Yeats starts the poem by saying he is leaving Paris, (Yeats is from Ireland, so I am assuming he took a trip to Paris at some point, or maybe the poem isn't even about him. If it isn't, I'm going to pretend it is anyways.). I think he is leaving Paris to start anew and to avoid being reminded of his heartbreak of some sorts. The second stanza explains what would happen if he would stay in Paris: he would be left there with no one, dwelling on his past and therefore living his present in loneliness. Left in self-inflicted solitary, he would be so desperate for company that he would "nurse a stone/and sing it a lullaby.". I think that Yeats is making a difficult choice; he is making the choice to leave behind his loves, but for the sake of finding happiness again. I like the message of not dwelling on the past, but instead of moving forward and overcoming pain.
Pederson 7
“Tears, Idle Tears”
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather in the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
Much like the speaker, I too am filled with despair at the end of autumn, although it may be for different reasons. While I am filled with grief over the harsh weather that is to come, this speaker looks at these happy autumn fields and laments the past. The first stanza has the speaker wonder where his tears have come from. Idle tears seem to suggest that there is no present cause to his grief. However, saying that they are from the depths of some divine despair makes me wonder if it is God in despair or whether it is a divine action to have despair. When the poem details how his tears rise in his heart and gather in his eyes, it signals that these tears are over who he was lost, those who were in his heart. While happy autumn fields suggest that the present contains joy, the speaker only thinks of what the previous summer and spring kept. In the second stanza, continual use of words like “fresh” and “sad” highlight the recent, withered relationships of his past. Also, this section alludes to the boat that transferred the dead to Hades. In the third stanza, meanings of sad and strange are utilized. Sad thoughts are created while reading about a dying man hearing birds for his last time. However, it is strange how the man for the first time fully listens to the bird’s tune, as this is the last time he will hear the bird sing. This section could refer to Arthur Hallam who was engaged to Tennyson’s sister, but died a sudden death. It caused overwhelming despair for Tennyson as Hallam was a dear friend. The final stanza links the whole poem together. The use of the word deep links to the “depth of some divine despair,” which is the speaker’s source of tears. “Death in Life” creates the idea of how dying is intermixed with the rebirth of life by morning. Tennyson had the ability to link scenery to states of mind. While reading, we are given autumn days filled with despair as well as detailing the mornings before our last breath.
Redford 7
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost
I chose this poem because it is one that means a lot to me. I still remember being in my sixth grade class and discussing this poem. For some reason, it has always stuck with me. It is intriguing because the speaker is going through a seemingly easy decision—which way to go. He has stumbled upon a fork in a road. He says that they have both been taken, yet he doesn’t know which one he wants to take. The speaker doesn’t seem to know where either of the roads will lead. In the end, the speaker says that he will think back upon that moment and regret the road he took. He said that he’d be able to travel the other road at some point in time, yet deep down, he knows that he never will. I think that the reason why he knows that someday he will regret not going down that path is because of the unknown. He will never know what would have happened or where he would have ended up had he gone down that other path. This seemingly meaningless decision could potentially change his life. This can relate to basically every reader’s life. There will always be the “what if…” after every decision that anyone makes, and this poem seems to emphasize that. Even the title seems to point to this. The fact that Frost chose to entitle this poem “The Road Not Traveled” instantly causes wonder in the reader as to where the road that wasn’t traveled leads. We don’t get told where the speaker ends up or where the other road would have led, so we are unable to determine whether or not the speaker made the right choice in which way to go. Frost’s imagery also helps create a feeling of regret in a way. The yellow wood and leaves on the path leads one to think that it is fall. Fall is when the trees lose their leaves and it slowly becomes cold. It causes one to miss the summer, yet it isn’t cold enough to cause them to hate the impending winter. To me, this is the perfect time to have this poem take place.
Koehn pd. 7
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all was the Dash between those years.
For that Dash represents all the time that she spent alive on Earth,
And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash,
What matter is how we live and love and how we spend our Dash.
So think about this long and hard; Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your Dash?
-Linda Ellis
“The Dash” by Linda Ellis is my favorite poem of all time. It may not be the most symbolic, metaphoric, or witty; but it causes me to consider my own life in a new way each time I read it. From everyone I have heard, we are supposed to be influenced by literature in general, well this poem does precisely that for me. A few rhymes and simple truths go a long way. The first two lines procure thoughts about my own funeral someday—Who will show up? Will they say good things about me? These thoughts are extremely morbid; but if everyone honestly answered they would all say they have thought about their own funeral at least once in their life. Everyone wants to be remembered. Mr. C shared in class that poetry (and literature) is all about continuing a legacy even when the author is dead. The next couple lines are a good reminder that money and material items are not the most important things in life. I find myself and others caught up in some worldly-centered tornado. We feel we must accomplish goal after goal at such a fast rate because society has set the expectation to do so. I am afraid that many forget that life is a journey. Reaching a desired goal means nothing without a memorable process (labored or leisurely). “Are there things you would like to change?” Is another line that hits me differently depending on the day. Some days I wish I could change my situation immediately; but after, I realize I would have never learned the same lesson without the challenge. Also, possibilities exist of a life evaluation—what can I do to change in the future? How can I make myself better? The last remaining lines are my favorite because they pertain to people. “…try to understand the way other people feel” and “If we treat each other with respect and more often with a smile” are two powerful lines. Treating enemies or those we dislike kindly is a difficult task. These lines reveal a perspective—put yourself in their shoes—and also that everyone deserves respect. A bothersome statement (that you never know how long your dash will be) sums up the rest of the poem. It is saying we have to leave each day to the fullest. This poem always produces thankfulness in me of the life I have and motivates me to do better.
Scholten 2
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Searching for a poem to use for this blog task was fun and interesting. There are many poems out there to choose from--some funny and some realistically harsh. However, this poem by Robert Frost stuck out to me. I interpreted this poem being about death, choices, hate, and fear. The conflicts brought up in this poem are fire or ice being the cause of death. It also brings up the question of which one would you prefer to die from. It talks about each type of person associated with that element. The poet compares acts of nature to acts of humans. Fire is desire and ice is hate. He uses a speaker to point out the fact that humans can be just as destructive to the world as nature. The speaker notes that fire would destroy the world first, being impulsive and spontaneous. However, the speaker mentions that the cool deliberation of the ice could and would destroy the world too. The speaker of this poem could be anyone wise and experienced. He or she seems very confident that the world will end from either fire or ice and no other option. I imagine the speaker being someone of old age who is near death. The speaker has a lack of fear when talking about the end of the world. It is almost scary how smooth and comfortable the talker seems dealing with this topic. The voice and tone of this short poem is rather pessimistic and bitter. The topic and the words depict a sad, depressing image in my head. I believe the audience of this poem would be a younger generation being lectured on the results of their actions if they don't change them. This poem reminds me of a hint or a warning given to someone. The motivation for someone to say this poem would be a rough life or illness that caused this person to become angry with human nature. The speaker illustrates the poem from talking from his own personal experiences. One who has felt desire that almost destroyed him and has dealt with the hatred of others and himself. The form of this poem is irregular. Each line contains either four syllables or eight syllables. The speaker includes three rhymes into a nine poem line using iambic meter. The shortest line of the poem seems odd to me. The use of the word "great" is not something I would include when talking about the world's end. Maybe in describing the force or power of the destruction is when I would use it but not about the actual way the world would end. This use of the word "great" makes it seem like the speaker would enjoy destruction by ice. The poet almost makes it a joking matter when he comes back and says that if the world ends a second time, it will definitely be by ice and not fire like the first. Once the world is gone, it is gone. This short and witty poem leaves the reader pondering about the destructive forces of human nature. Which way do you believe the world will end?
Bakke 7
The wind it moves in wondrous ways
Through the tree branches it blows and its sways
It takes all the leaves and flies them so high
Then briefly it lets go and they fall from the sky
Its strength is so varied from timid to strong
The length of the blowing can be short or long
Sometimes it tickles the tip of your nose
Sometimes sends shivers to the tips of your toes
It can bring some surprises with each passing day
The wind will surprise you in many a way
The sweet sound of whistling, the roar of a storm
It can bring you some happiness and also bring harm
The next time you see a bag blow down the street
The next time you feel the wind at you feet
Remember its power, its beauty and grace
For the wind can be anywhere, it can be any place.
-Dee MacDonald
The poem I chose to explicate was By Dee MacDonald about the wind during the fall. Ms. MacDonald speaks about the air as if it is a muse, almost deity-like. The narrator of the poem, the author herself, obviously feels a very spiritual connection with both the autumn and the wind. And though the poem does not have any physical action or human interaction there is a sense of motion and fluidity with the repetition, rhyme, and constant description of the wind. A poem about wind could take any form, but in the current context having the structure that it does gives the reader a sense of familiarity that the author obviously feels she shares with the natural world. The poem has no recognizable rhythm, but not enough to through off the reader. This is where the nebulous nature of the wind can come into play as the audience reads the poem. The true author's true appreciation for the autumn wind does not show completely until the last stanza when she is reminding the reader of the wind's beauty and grace in even the simplest of moments like blowing a plastic bag, and to me I believe that echoed the wind in that there is rarely a quick burst, but a build up of momentum. That is what MacDonald did. When the author speaks about light whistling or the blow of a storm, this is added interest. With these two polar opposite components in this plot-less poem, conflict is added and thus emotional attachment. MacDonald could have been referencing the winds of our lives, of change, of relationships, any number of things that could be thrown off balance in a matter of seconds.
Forster 2
If
If freckles were lovely, and day was night,
And measles were nice and a lie warn’t a lie,
Life would be delight,—
But things couldn’t go right
For in such a sad plight
I wouldn’t be I.
If earth was heaven and now was hence,
And past was present, and false was true,
There might be some sense
But I’d be in suspense
For on such a pretense
You wouldn’t be you.
If fear was plucky, and globes were square,
And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee
Things would seem fair,—
Yet they’d all despair,
For if here was there
We wouldn’t be we.
E.E. Cummings
Though this wonderful and amazing man and poet’s photograph was featured on your blog task instructions, I did not choose this poem for that reason. I have enjoyed his poetry for years now, and am glad to have the opportunity to expand upon one of his great pieces of poetry. If is a poem that centers upon what the world could value, could want, could love. I chose this poem to “explicate” because it has a great take on the world and its values. Throughout the beginnings of each stanza, Cummings seems to be longing for a sort of perfect world—one in which different qualities are valued, lies area not lies, and tears really bring about happiness and prosperity. However, the last line of each shows Cummings true meaning. He is really saying, through this literary work, that these tribulations, failures, and shortcomings in our lives are what make us, us. The despair, the lies, the dirt. All these seemingly terrible spells are what bring about individuality, success, triumph. When Cummings discusses equality and mentions things “seeming fair”, he is stating that our struggles against the “man” or our own internal conflicts that are often referred to as unfair help us to find ourselves.
We are defined by our pain. It shapes our worldview, our outlook and our perspective on quite possibly everything we encounter. If lies were truth, then how would we bask in the glory of completely trusting a loved one? If earth was Heaven, what would we have to look forward to? If dirt was cleanly, how would we feel the relief of a cold shower? And tears joy? Well, what is a little pain when we can feel immense, amazing happiness? After all, we wouldn’t truly understand our joy without a bit of hardship. Finding joy comes with the realization of just how good you really have it.
In short, E.E. Cummings wants this message to prevail:
Be content.
Grant Rasmussen pd.5
A Dog Has Died by Pablo Neruda
My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.
Some day I'll join him right there,
but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,
I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.
Ai, I'll not speak of sadness here on earth,
of having lost a companion
who was never servile.
His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine
withholding its authority,
was the friendship of a star, aloof,
with no more intimacy than was called for,
with no exaggerations:
he never climbed all over my clothes
filling me full of his hair or his mange,
he never rubbed up against my knee
like other dogs obsessed with sex.
No, my dog used to gaze at me,
paying me the attention I need,
the attention required
to make a vain person like me understand
that, being a dog, he was wasting time,
but, with those eyes so much purer than mine,
he'd keep on gazing at me
with a look that reserved for me alone
all his sweet and shaggy life,
always near me, never troubling me,
and asking nothing.
Ai, how many times have I envied his tail
as we walked together on the shores of the sea
in the lonely winter of Isla Negra
where the wintering birds filled the sky
and my hairy dog was jumping about
full of the voltage of the sea's movement:
my wandering dog, sniffing away
with his golden tail held high,
face to face with the ocean's spray.
Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.
There are no good-byes for my dog who has died,
and we don't now and never did lie to each other.
So now he's gone and I buried him,
and that's all there is to it.
I think that this poem can hit home with many people at home. I think the author is trying to portray how perfect dogs are. Not physically by any means but by what they bring into our lives. Dogs are always happy to see us even if the world in not. In the beginning, he starts out just saying that he is just burying his dog in the ground. I view this whole poem as a kind of sudden sadness and sudden realization that his dog was a big deal. After that, he goes into this long poem about what his dog meant to him obviously but I viewed it as if this was the first time he as ever thought what he is saying. The message in this poem in my opinion is that you never know how good you have it until it is gone. He doesn’t realize what his dog has meant to him until it is too late. He says that a dogs time is wasted. I thought of that in terms of maybe dogs are living for the humans. They are there to serve and protect us and they never do anything by themselves. We engineer dogs so maybe this makes sense, maybe not. Is the reason we keep dogs around to make us feel like someone is always there? I think that dogs provide a comfort that nothing else can. They are the only ones that will not be mad at you if you have done bad, they will not judge you for your actions. They will simply just love you. They live to love and I think that is what the author might be getting at when he tells us that a dog’s life is wasted because he feels like he isn’t worthy of a dogs undying love.
Steffen 5
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!
-Shel Silverstein
This poem by Silverstein dramaticizes the importance of a children's worries as they try to fall asleep. We know from these examples that the speaker is a child because it talks about flying a kite and their parents. "Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight? Whatif the bus is late? Whatif my parents get divorced?" I also believe that the speaker speaks for all children, not just one individual. The "Whatifs" come at night, before the children fall asleep. The poem is not to be taken literally, or a "whatif", all of the whatifs being said are all worries and questions that are out of the persons control. It is unnecessary stress you could say, and each question cannot be helped or controled, so it is a persons desire to control and manage each question they may have. asking these questions before bed is when a person is most vulnerable and open minded; by asking these whatifs and stressing the person is showing their vulnerability and being unable to control. That is significant because most nightmares happen before one is able to fall asleep, where their minds are wandering and thinking of random things. I also noticed that the children's worries are insignificant compared to a life spectrum of troubles. I believe the speaker is trying to get adults to worry less about the bigger problems of life and worry more about things like "Whatif the fish won't bite?". I can relate to this poem really well. As a child, I constantly worried about things that did not matter at all. "What if the tooth fairy doesn't find my tooth under my pillow? What if Santa Claus puts coal in my stocking? What if I don't pass the first grade?" Not only did I have worries as a child, but I have them now and will continue to have them in the future. Now I think "What if I don't get into Medical School? or What if my roommate and I don't get along in college?". This poem tells you the importance of knowing your "whatifs" as well as knowing how to cope with them. Some things won't go your way but you still have to deal with them.
Bauer 2
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Robert Frost
In this poem by Robert Frost, describes a traveler coming to a crossroads in a forest. The traveler does not know which path to take. The traveler wishes both paths could be traveled. He chooses a path, which way is never revealed, and stares down the untraveled path to see what lied ahead. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," the line of the poem metaphorically describes a situation in one's life. A crossroad; a decision. The traveler represents the person coming to this important decision. The journey the traveler is on is their life. The second line, "And sorry I could not travel both" is showing that the traveler's choice will be a regret in some way. One choice simply is not enough for the traveler. "And be on traveler, long i stood," this line shows that the traveler had to make this crucial decision by himself, that no one else can or will assist him. The traveler's decision must have had some regret because of the line "And looked down one as far as a I could." This shows that even when the decision is made, the traveler is still not sure of the choice. Even though the traveler has made the decision, they immediately looking down the path of what could it be.
Peltier 5
The Will to Win
Knowing you can…means everything
Playing as a team…means selflessness
Giving all you’ve got…is heart
Playing bloody and hurt…is courage
Taking chances…is guts
Keeping your head up…means confidence
The move forward when times are tough…is determination
The final score…your reward
~Stephanie Mosley
When I read that we needed to search for a poem and explicate about it, I instantly wanted to search for a sport poem. I am so saddened to think that my sports career is over. However, I leave with great memories and more knowledge than I ever thought I could obtain in sports. I picked this poem because I relate my sport years so much to it. In Mosley’s first line, is a powerful start. I believe she started with this line because this can be a powerful phrase for many areas of life. If we do not know we can accomplish something, we have already lost. Her second line brings in the next most important area of sports, and that is team. When she says playing as a team…means selflessness, what she is saying is not making the game about oneself but having fun as a group. In her third line, she talks about heart. Without giving your heart to the game, you will also not win. You have already been defeated. Next, playing through injuring and pain is great courage, showing what a great example is to your team. Sometimes in sports, we have to take chances, as Mosley says in her fifth line. If our basketball team is playing another team and a girl from the other team has an open drive…one of our girls has to take a chance and maybe foul her before she makes it to the basket so they are not given an easy two points. Mosley’s sixth line pertains greatly to the Lynx girls’ basketball team this year. Through everything, we kept our heads up. We remained confident. Going into the seventh line is similar to the sixth, moving forward when times are tough…is determination. Through injury after injuring in our season this year, along with sickness, we kept moving forward. Lastly, the final score…your reward. I remember in 2011 when we won the first ever basketball championship for Brandon we played O’Gorman and beat them 49 to 45. I will always remember the score of that game. It was such a special moment. Mosley’s poem pertains so much to my life. From all of the teams I have been on through middle school and high school I enjoyed every moment. I believe Mosley really wanted to add emphasis when she entered the ellipses. By doing this, she added more meaning to her poem. As simple as this poem may be, it is so true and can play a part in all areas of our life.
Boerhave 7
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Maya Angelou
I love this poem. I agree with the message that Angelou is sending to women and I love the emotion of her strong words. This poem is about a woman showing love for herself even though society doesn’t think she is beautiful. I think Angelou wrote this poem about herself. After I had read this poem, I researched a bit about Angelou and her background. She is a black woman with a strong, confident personality. Now, after I had read this poem for the first time, I thought maybe this woman had gone through some kind of neglect or abuse to make her feel the way the tone is expressed. Later I found out that she had been sexually abused as a child, which seemed fitting for the woman in the poem. After this sad occurrence happened when she was young and suffering the discrimination of being a young black woman, she didn’t really love herself, but as she grew older she began gaining confidence and love for herself. Each stanza starts out with a reaction towards the woman. They question her pride and happiness. Then the stanzas go on describing the confidence of the woman and how she doesn’t care what they think. I think Angelou’s purpose for using so much imagery and descriptions is to emphasis how she sees herself. All stanzas end the same: “I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman. That’s me.” This shows reassurance towards the reader of this poem that she does love herself and that she is a phenomenal woman.
Tew 1
Charge of the Light Brigade
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade ?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Alfred Lord Tennyson
This is one of my favorite poems. It just screams of glory and heroism. The light brigade had no guns at there sides, only sabres. They charged the enemy and broke through their front lines. They did the damage that they could and rode away. However they no longer had the numbers they had previously. They took heavy damage, but they did what was asked of them. They knew at the beginning that someone had made a mistake with this order, but “theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.” This means that they thought it was weird, but they did not ask questions. They simply did it. We read this poem in 8th grade, but it has definitely stuck with me. When I first heard it, I imagined big drums being beat in the background. This is the first poem that I have read that has gotten me fired up and excited. When I think of poetry, I think of slow, boring words that just happen to rhyme. If they do not rhyme, they are often dull to me. This one, however, took me on an adventure! Riding a mile and a half to the enemy’s front line, all while dodging cannon fodder. Who knows if they will make it? How much damage will they cause if they do make it? Will it be worth it? This is a perfect poem to get your blood boiling. Alfred Lord Tennyson definitely did the six hundred justice. It almost gives war a feel of glory and heroism, but the end where it says “all that was left of them, left of the six hundred,” shows the bloody sad side to war. Over all it is a great poem and one to remember. Otherwise it would not have been taught to me in 8th grade.
Volk 5
"The Road Not Taken"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost
The speaker is on a walk through a forest when he comes to a fork in the road. They both have the same amount of wear, but the speaker can only choose one. He states that he will save the next trail for another day, but knows that the chances of him making it back and taking the other trail are slim. He says that in the future he will say he took the road less traveled. This fork in the road is a metaphor for a crossroad in someone’s life, or a big decision that must be made. Both seem like good decisions at the time, but the speaker can only choose one. The speaker debated on which path to take for a long time and tried to see into the future for the outcome, although he could not see far. The last stanza begins with “I shall be telling this with a sigh.” I believe that as he looks back on the decision that he made, he regrets it. He wishes that he would have chosen differently, but there is no going back now. The poem, I believe, shows the speaker at an old age, looking back on his past and thinking about what he could have done differently. In this poem, there is not a road less traveled. It depicts the trail with equal wear and tear. The speaker refers to one of the roads as less traveled as an excuse I think. When people ask him why he made the decision he made, he needs an explanation. He tells them that he made the decision against the norm. I think that he wanted to come across as independent, a leader. He does not care what the rest of the world does. He takes the road not traveled.
Cain 2
The Things They See
Brianna Vorce
She looks frailer each day they come into
the store. Like driftwood drying, she’s lighter,
more brittle. Her thin tank top reveals
pale skin, pulled taunt like a bed sheet,
revealing knobbed vertebrae, bowed clavicles,
smooth sternum beneath. Her husband
drapes his arm around her, thumb rubbing
over her sharp shoulder blade, willing
it to sink again beneath a layer of soft flesh.
He kisses her cheek, calls her beautiful,
but she rolls her eyes or gives a quick sniff as
she piles boxes of laxatives, little pink
Correctol into her plastic basket.
She must not see what he sees. She sees
weight that isn’t there—pinches the skin
of her thighs, her stomach, her arms,
calls it fat. But he and I see the jagged ilium
instead of the hip’s swell, ribs replacing
the supple plain of her torso. And while
she stacks the boxes, he stares at his hand
still resting light on her shoulder, wedding ring
reflecting harsh fluorescence. He watches
his hand so he doesn't have to see her clear the shelf—
twenty boxes today. Twenty boxes for
a week or two, a couple pills for every meal.
I choose this poem from a book of student work I received from a professor at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. It grabs my attention and takes my breath away. After reading Miss Vorce’s powerful words I was taken aback and stared at the page blankly trying to soak in all the emotion and compassion. I gather that the woman has cancer, or some sort of disease that weakens her body tremendously. She doesn’t seem to have much of a chance of beating it. The narrator is indeed a clerk at the store where this man and his ailing wife are regulars. The Things They See contrasts the way each person in the poem looks at the same situation, the same scenery, with a different attitude. The woman is obviously dwelling on her appearance, being almost shameful of how she looks. She “pinches the skin of her thighs, her stomach, her arms, calls it fat.” The husband looks at her with loving eyes; he calls her beautiful. Every time I read this poem I feel an overwhelming sadness when I read the line “he watches his hand so he doesn't have to see her clear the shelf—“. Oh my! That makes me close to tearing up. The clerk watches this, visit after visit. The narrator tells us about the way the woman looks more frail with each outing and yet instead of details about how the woman acts, the way her body is ailing, the man’s role is so much more important. When society puts so much pressure on us, woman especially, to show a “synthetic” sort of beauty, going through something like cancer that breaks down the body to nearly nothing is a traumatic thing to go through. The husband sees the woman he married. He didn't marry her because she looked a certain way; we aren't young forever.
Minihan 7
“Best Regards”
To the ones who excelled-the
Geniuses at the top of the class:
Wishing you luck would be pointless,
As always, your goals you will surely
Surpass.
To the ones who turned assignments
In late and rarely made it to school on
Time:
Due dates and set schedules have
Never been, and will never be, things
You are able to keep close in mind.
To the ones who feared trying,
Because there was a chance you
Might fail:
Do not hesitate in the future, for
Even if you stumble, your greatness
Will prevail.
To the ones who thought they were
“popular” and considered themselves
Better than all of the rest:
Having too much pride in yourself will
Eventually bring you loneliness and
Sorrow, if it has not yet.
To the ones who were bullied and
Made the jokes of most other
Students:
Take comfort in knowing, for their
Cruelty, they will one day repent.
To the ones who still take every
Chance they get to spread all of the
Old rumors and lies:
Hopefully, someday you will be rid of
Your high school mentality, grow up,
And find your own lives.
To the ones who were able to escape
Those hazardous hallways to which
They were confined for four years:
Compliments to you, for you have
Already matured far beyond the
Capacity of your peers.
-Shannon Minihan
As this peom analyzes and points out flaws and habits of the various types of high school students, it reveals the thoughts that we, as humans, do not want to address or relive. Just how the poem “Best Regards” tells about some experiences, high school should be a time for friends, football and basketball games, bonfires, and making memories and friendships to build their young foundation. High school is a time to enjoy, a time to learn. Before going into high school, students dream of a huge, blown-out high school experience. You imagine your class getting along better, drama levels plummeting to the ground, and being able to do “whatever you want”. As this poet points out, high school is full of positive and negative times, events, and people. Shannon wrote this poem about a year after graduating. She expresses how she feels about different types or cliques of people, and where they will end up due to their actions. My favorite paragraph is the one where it states: “To the ones who still take every change they get to spread rumors….hopefully, someday you will be rid of your high school mentality, grow up, and find your own lives.” This statement could not be any truer. People who feel the need to hurt, tease, and harass others need to grow up and get a life. Treating people with no respect like that only shows that the person doing the teasing has their own self-esteem issues. Since this is “Be the Change Week” I thought this poem would work greatly. If we could all just accept each other for who we are, and get past the fact that we are different, school would be much more enjoyable. If we could smile more in the halls, quit talking about others behind their backs, trudging through the halls could be turned into skipping or strolling through with friends surrounding you. This may sound difficult or even impossible, but if we could just learn to think before we act, to smile more often, and to be more respectful our school and world would be such a better place. I think this is what the author had in mind, instead of the reality of her poem.
Grapevine 7
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
-Emily Dickinson
This poem is one of my favorites by Emily Dickinson. I memorized it in seventh grade for extra credit, and it grew to be my favorite poem, because I can relate with being a "nobody", and finding other "nobodies" in the world. Dickinson talks about how horrible it is to be somebody, and I feel as this poem has a lot of satire in it. I feel as if a somebody in this poem refers to a person who follows every one else, does what everyone else does, and is a "somebody", but is really like everyone else. A nobody is unique in this poem, someone who is different, and who the others want to snuff out, make them like everyone else. In this way, it's almost better being a nobody, being unique and different, even if you are shunned and teased for it.
Robertson 2
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
Edgar Allan Poe
This poem speaks to the impact of isolation (whether imposed or selected of one’s own volition) upon an individual. Perpetuating the terms used to gently identify such individuals (euphemisms, if you will, for terms like “outcast”), these misanthropes—“lone wolf” types- experience the world in an entirely different context. In order to be fully isolated, one must turn the lens through which the world is made sensible inward and instead compare oneself to the big picture instead of taking the big picture and weighing it against oneself. This process of comparison creates a feeling of solitude as an individual appears much smaller against the world instead of the world becoming small in the eyes of an individual. (Thus, I-statements give way to hugely nature-based ideas like the red cliffs of the mountain, the sun, the season of autumn, and lightning. In this sense, the vastness of the sky and Heaven create a monstrous, malevolent force against the narrator. Solitude warps perspective and against external forces, braces the solitary for attack from Heaven itself. One sees the world as the demon, when in fact the demon becomes oneself.
Miller 5
The Weaver by: Anonymous
My life is but a weaving Between my Lord and me; // I cannot choose the colours, He worketh steadily. // Oft-times He weaveth sorrow, // And I, in foolish pride // forget He sees the upper, // And I the under side. // Not till the loom is silent // And the shuttles cease to fly, // Shall God unroll the canvas // And explain the reason why. // The dark threads are as needful, // In the Weaver's skillful hand, // As the threads of gold and silver // In the pattern he has planned. // He knows, He loves, He cares - // Nothing this truth can dim; // He gives the very best to those // Who leave the choice with Him.
It took me a little while to understand what this poem meant. I read it many times when I was younger, but I never got the message. In younger days I would say: “God gives us bad things, and good things to make us better.” In a way that was true, but know I see more. It is not just to make us better, but to make us beautiful on the inside, and more like him. I feel lightened when I read this, because it speaks the truth. God is always there through good and bad times, he makes all things happen, because we need both joy and sorrow. ”The dark threads are as needful, // In the Weaver’s skillful hand, // As the threads of gold and silver // In the pattern He has planned”; this excerpt optimizes my realization that God gives us good and bad to build the bigger picture. “He knows, He loves, He cares”; I cried today, because I was reading this poem with new eyes, and I saw the truth and the unending love that God give each of us without question or concern for Himself. I feel as though I can sum up this poem with what in recent years has become a sort of motto for me: “Without heartache, we cannot have love. Without pain, we cannot have healing. Without doubt, we cannot have faith.”
Garrow 1
I chose “Baby Picture” by Anne Sexton. What I took away from this poem is that she is writing about growing old even though she does not want to. The poem starts out with Anne in a photograph that she is looking at when she is around seven years old. She is talking about the smile she has on her face behind her clothes and bow that she is wearing. It then goes on to a deeper side talking about how she is starting to get old and the natural causes of being old like the wrinkly skin and the bent over look she has. It seems as though all of the poems that Anne Sexton writes are dark but this one is not as dark or depressed even though she mentions darkness in the poem. The most important line of the poem however comes at the end when she says, “Merely a kid keeping alive.” That line I believe sums up a person’s life in a whole, a lot of people want to stay a kid their whole life and you do not want to believe it but you continue to act like a kid even though you are aging. By the time you are old you are just a kid still with an old looking body and I think that is what Sexton is trying to point out in this poem. I have also found that there is many critics that say she looks young but she peels away a stressed inner body that is years beyond age. You can read it from either side or you can understand what she is trying to say from both points of you. I think she intended to write from both points of view which can make you look at life in a new way.
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