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Tuesday, April 7, 2015
April 7
Write a response to Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" or to Patrick Hicks's "At the Globe with Shakespeare." Focus on at least two individual lines of the poem as you respond. Mention specific words the poet uses.
Lee uses imagery throughout his poem to show different experiences he had with his mother and ones he hopes to have with his son, "When I lay my head in my mother's lap I think how day hides the stars, the way I lay hidden once, waiting." The poem has a stanza of 7 lines and then a one line stanza. The 7 stanzas are more setting up the scene and then the one is a statement, "I don't know what my mother's thinking." and "I've no idea what my child is thinking." Lee is getting his audience to think about being a present being in their lives. He goes back and forth from being cared for to caring for someone and in both he stops to think about moments that he will never forget and wants to almost relive.
After listening to these two poems Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" really stuck in my mind. It really made me think about my future child and how I already want to love it and care for it more than I would care for myself. I love how he wrote about this and how it really connects with how parents and even people who are not yet parents feel about their children.
Lee has a very interesting writing style and words things in an unprecedented way. For example, he describes being in the womb as "waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." His one line stanzas bring a connection to the poem.
Hicks wrote about if Shakespeare was here now, and what he would do. He is described almost like a hippy; one earring, long hair, sipping a latte and scribbling in his notebook. While it is fun to think about Shakespeare adjusting to thrive in our world, I have to think he would probably be disgusted by the way we live our lives, especially compared to how he lived.
I thought that it was nice that Lee used the line "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries/from becoming his?" because it reminds me of what my parents always used to say when I was sick when I was young. They always wanted to take my sickness away from me and by comforting me, they often became sick themselves. I found Hick's poem funny since it looked at Shakespeare in modern day. I can imagine him going into shock at all of the amazing inventions that have come about in the roughly 500 years since he lived.
I very much enjoyed the poem written by Hicks, it gave an interesting look into how Shakespeare would react to modern times. I picture him very "hipster." I specifically find the lines "his earring would be en vogue, so too his long hair" and when it is said he would "sip a latte" to make him seem modern. Next time I go to Dunn Bros or Caribou coffee, perhaps Shakespeare will be waiting there, with his latte and "printing press" of his own.
In Li-Young Lee's poem, two lines that stick out to me are "I don't know what my mother is thinking" and "I've no idea what my child is thinking." This is an interesting thought of how life bridges together. You aren't born early enough to know your mother your entire live just as you (typically) don't live long enough to see everything your child is thinking. This is a nice, uplifting poem on life and the positives that come from it.
I really like Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare", because of the quirks and traits he gives Shakespeare. He hands him the shock of being in our time with "metal birds in the sky", and having him "sip a latte". I would like to believe Hicks is correct in how Shakespeare would react to such a time. There would be a very talented, somewhat snooty writer, with a big mind and a quiet mouth, with his "cell phone turned off."
At the Globe with Shakespeare is a very interesting poem by Hicks. He explains how Shakespeare may be changed due to technology and change in attitude toward life. We have more technology now, what would Shakespeare do with such technology. “There he would take out his notepad” describes that Hicks believes Shakespeare would still be a famous linguist and a great writer. The Hammock by Lee is another great poem with deep meaning. He hides gross things in such kind words to not drive the audience away. He answers several questions with yes because some questions cannot be answered or can go either way. He explains that you really only know what you live through. He tries to make sense of life through words that are kind-hearted and get the audience away from the evil world.
Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" is a poem that I believe I will remember for the rest of my life. In essence, it is saying that in the future there is a lot coming that we are unaware of and it also proclaims the irreplaceable connection between parents and their children. Right now as I am typing this blog task, I am building my future. I am not only building my future for myself, but for my kids. That is truly amazing. Everything that we do now is for our kids. My kids are, as Lee says, "stars we haven't heard from yet."
"When my son lays his head in my lap, I wonder: Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?" These remind me of when I was younger. I was very close with my dad but I was also very curious about adult problems. I worried when I overheard my parents discussing or fighting about something. When I nanny during the summer, I see a lot of this as well without realizing it. I notice my children worrying about what is going to happen or where we are going next. They are quick to shout out solutions when something did not go as planned. If I have children, I do not want them to worry. I want to handle "adult problems" and let them be young. I grew up too fast during some situations and my childhood when fast. I hope my kids can enjoy being young and naive. This poem is a beautiful piece of art. Many people can relate to this poem.
The poem At the Globe with Shakespeare and The Hammock are both thought provoking poems. The first makes you think how Shakespeare would react to modern society and if he would be pleased with how seriously we study his works of art. The latter simply describes the generation gaps as a hammock with light and airy words. Both authors word the sections in different ways than most authors; without the sense of darkness.
The Hammock is a positive poem that helps the reader understand a time gap. Lee uses great imagery when talking about being in his mothers lap and someday hopes to have the same bond with his son. Lee explains things that he never wants to forget and seems as though he would like to relive some of these great childhood memories he shared with his mother.
I really enjoyed Lee’s “The Hammock”. I found it relatable. “Between two unknowns, I live my life”--right now I can relate to this as I’m struggling to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life. “Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me”--this is so true. I am trying to live my life in a way that my mom and dad would be proud of in order to not disappoint them. I can definitely see myself coming back to this poem as I go through college and the rest of my life.
Hicks “At the Globe with Shakespeare” made me think of what Shakespeare would be like if he was in the world today in 2015. What would he think of our technology with writing, acting, and making movies? Would he still like writing or he would rather find himself in the audience enjoying the production being put on in front of him? The phrase “his cell phone turned off” really jumped out at me. In today’s world, people rarely shut their phones off with the fear that they might miss something of importance, would Shakespeare really shut his off in order to focus or would he fear he would miss something?
Burkman 2 I appreciate Patrick Hicks’s “At the Globe with Shakespeare.” I first wondered about a common question asked to individuals. Which person in history would you want to meet? With the modern connections to what Shakespeare may act like is amusing to me. Especially with the introduction of technology to Shakespeare, many ways to do new things yet he would put some on hold or avoid it. “...his cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hands fluttering like mad.” Some people in society today would think it is crazy to turn a cell phone off as it is like a lifeline, you need it.
“At the Globe with Shakespeare” by Patrick Hicks takes a somewhat comical take on what William Shakespeare may do, or think, if brought into modern times. Hicks uses items that would have been common in the 1600’s, and relates them to modern items. For example, rather than “airplanes” Hicks says “metal birds in the sky,” and “living tapestries” in place of “movies” and “television.” Beyond the material aspects of this poem, I love that the author believes that even amongst all the technology, Shakespeare would still be a creative genius, “his hand fluttering like mad.”
I really enjoyed both of these poems. Hicks’ poem is funny and interesting to think about. Shakespeare having a cell phone and a latte would definitely be a sight to see. He would be amazed at how much the times have changed, and would more than likely be overwhelmed with all of the technology. Lee’s poem is a happy and inspiring poem. He writes that, “there are stars we haven’t heard from yet.” I really like this line as it is a wonderful foreshadowing tool to the great future that lies ahead for all of us. Hicks’ and Lee’s poems are marvelous poems full of positivity and happiness.
Patrick Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" really interested me. Hicks speaks of various possibilities that would happen if Shakespeare was alive today. While he may be seen as one of the best play-writers to ever walk the earth, this poem seems to point to the idea that we maybe walking among such greatness this very second. He uses examples in music ("Mozart or the Beatles"), transportation ("metal birds in the sky"), and even technology("living tapestries").
Lee's poem, "The Hammock" puts one's future into perspective. In this poem, Lee says that "there are stars we haven't heard from yet...." Our children that have not arrived yet are supposed to represent the stars, our future exists, but it has not been reached yet. We can not reach the stars, but we can reach for them. When Lee says "Between two unknowns, I live my life" he is saying that he does not know his mother's hopes and he does not know his child's dreams. He believes that his mother's hopes are older than him by years and his child's dream older than him by his child outliving him.
Lee's poem, connects with the reader as to what a parent feels towards their children. Children are so innocent and look up to their parents especially at such a young age. When Lee says, "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?" it really put into perspective how parents want what is best for their children hoping that they won't have the worries that they had when they were young. My parents always try their hardest to provide my brother and myself with what they did not have growing up. Parents give so much for their children and love them unconditionally and I feel this poem captures that.
Lee is very imaginative when he writes because he seems to try and write about the things that we do not seem to think about very often. For example, in on line he says how you live your life between the two unknowns, which is so true because everybody focuses on whats happening in their life, but they never focus on whats has happened or is going to happen. Hicks writing is interesting because he is trying to write as if he is the one who has never seen the futuristic inventions the world experiences on a daily basis. It makes the poem very interesting because of how he describes the future, like the line where he talks about responding to metal birds in the sky. It helps us see exactly how far we have come, which is why it is so fascinating.
Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" is a poem about Humans and our own mortality. We are all only given less than a century to live physically, but our actions live on even after we die.
In the poem Lee asks himself about the nature of dying and living. "Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?"
He answers, in a very Existentialist way, "Yes". Everyone dies, and their "door" is shut. But everyone also has a window into eternity from the ripples of their actions.
I found Lee’s “The Hammock” to be quite insightful. It looks at two completely different perspectives--the mother’s and the child’s. I appreciated Lee’s portrayal of the child in the womb with the line “the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself.” The correlation of the unknown about what their mother is thinking and what their child is thinking was interesting--“Between two unknowns, I live my life. Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me.” As a child, the mother’s thoughts were unknown, and now as a mother, their own child’s thoughts are also unknown. Life seems to be filled with unknowns.
Williams 2 Both poems that we read in class were very uplifting poems and were a nice break from the usually depressing poetry we have been reading. Out of the two poems that we read in class, Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare” and Lee’s “The Hammock”, I really enjoyed Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare” the most. I found it amusing how Hicks put William Shakespeare in the modern world of cellphones and ball point pens and predicted how he would react to such inventions. I think Hicks’ predictions were accurate. I would also be interested to see how Shakespeare’s play would be interpreted if he were still around to give stage directions and see how his work is being portrayed. Maybe his work, in general, would have been different if he would have been allowed to write coherent thoughts with modern quills that never ran out of ink and/or personal printing presses. I think Shakespeare would have mesmerized by the televisions and movie theaters we have today and would be proud to see his work on those devices as well. One of my favorite lines is, “Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?” because I think Shakespeare would be the type of guy that would listen to all kinds of music! From pop, to classical, to rap.
“The Hammock” and “At the Globe with Shakespeare” are my two favorite poems. I really enjoyed reading them. In “The Hammock,” I really enjoyed the uplifting, positivity of it. Lee really uses a lot of imagery.
These two lines really spoke to me: and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet: They have so far to arrive. Amen, I think, and I feel almost comforted.
The stars we haven’t heard of yet are our future kids. They are as numerous as the stars in the sky. I really enjoy how Lee refers to the stars by describing future children. It gives the reader hope. In “At the Globe with Shakespeare”, it was just interesting to see the advancements of our everyday technology.
I highly enjoyed Hicks' "At the Globe with Shakespeare." I liked his sentence "His speech would be of interest to linguists." This has great interest. Of course Shakespeare would sound weird to us. It would also be a great way of tracking the origin of our own language. Another sentence I enjoyed was "His cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad." This is interesting because he is not like our current writers and youth. People are often too absorbed in their phone to write and pay attention to the world around them. Some words he used that were interesting were his use of old words such as ruff and but new words such as scribble and cellphone.
I enjoyed Patrick Hicks’s poem “At the Globe with Shakespeare”. This poem shows the many differences between Shakespeare’s time and now, as well as showing similarities between the two time frames. The technology of today is obviously much more advanced than it was in Shakespeare’s time. Airplanes were not around in Shakespeare’s time, called “metal birds” in the poem. The music would also be different, with many new choices of music genres. Some of Shakespeare’s styles will still be in style, such as his earring and long hair, but others have changed, such as the ruff that is not popular anymore. I like how Hicks thought about even the simple differences, like the availability of a ballpoint pen and computers to write with. I also wonder what stage directions Shakespeare would give if he saw his plays being performed today.
These two lines from "The Hammock" by LI-Young Lee, "Between two unknowns, I live my life. Between my mother's hopes, older than I am". The lines give the example of how there is always an unknown that will need to be discovered by our curiosity. The second line reminds me of how we are created inside with hopes and dreams of what she wants of me. The first line, "Between two unknowns, I live my life", could be the baby being in the womb trying to decide if it should turn to leave the mother or to stay for a little longer. This is a great poem that has incredible imagery underlying each line.
Listening to "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee I started to think about my future by looking at my past. The line, "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries" my parents would always wait on me when I was sick or when i was injured and have my problem become their problem. This act will always stay with me and I hope to do the same for my children and even more!
Li-Young Li leaves readers questioning existence on Earth. He alludes to his parents' existence before his as well as his child's existence after his. He speaks partially of worries and the fear of the unknown. I am very fond of the conclusion of the poem. After questioning what coming into or escaping from the world is like, Li says, "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." Li creates a peaceful mood by naming the time we are dead as "rests". This is a poem to be read lying on a death bed, maybe it would provide solace.
there are stars we haven't heard from yet: they have so far to arrive. Amen. I enjoy these two lines very much. I like to believe that the future is going to be quite bright with this upcoming generation. Working at Walmart, it is easy to lose hope in this generation, but there are going to be individuals that shine bright like a diamond. These individuals have much to learn, but I believe we will be good teachers, we will show them the way, and their own personalities will shine and become known. We have hope that these future stars will do what we couldn't, what we should have. Our legacy will be continued with these future stars.
Lee's poem is a lighter poem than we have been reading. It is about a mother and child and the thoughts of each that neither knows. In "The Hammock" the two lines that stick out to me are "there are stars yet to arrive" and "I've no idea what my mother is thinking". The first talks about your hopes for your future child that has not yet arrived but when they do are beautiful. Each star is also a little different just like a child. The second quote talks about how the son never will know what the mother always thought or wished for.
In Li-Young Lee’s poem, two lines that really stood out to me were “between my mother’s hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child’s wishes, older than I am by outliving me.” I find these lines interesting because it really makes you think and realize that your life won’t be over when your parents pass away, and that your children someday will continue on after you are gone. This poem is very good about showing how a parent feels towards their child, showing the hopes for the child and how they will always worry a little bit.
In Li-Young Lee's poem, the line,"I think how day hides the stars, the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself" stands out to me because it articulates how we were once there, unbeknownst to many.
In Patrick Hicks's poem, the line, "His earring would still be en vogue, so too his long hair. His ruff, however, would have to go" stands out to me because it would be funny to see how Shakespeare's attire would fit with today's culture and society.
...I think, Dear God, and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet...
These lines are the most powerful of the poem because it shows how much hope she has for her child. You can tell the child just appreciates all that his mother has done for it. Even though the mother only has worries for its life not wanting to ruin or affect all of her child's potential. Li-Young Lee's poem is very relate-able to all families.
I personally enjoyed Lee's "The Hammock" the most of these two poems. This poem connected more with me because I sometimes imagine what life would be like before my time and what will happen well after I leave the earth. Lee says: Between my mother's hopes, older than I am, by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am,by outliving me. I am interested in what the future holds and I hope that someday it will do my children well. What comes will help create the type of people they are. Just as the time of which my parents grew up helped them be the people they are today.
I enjoyed The Hammock. I do want to be a mother someday, and I already think about the aspirations of my children. I hope for not only my own future, but for theirs as well. Listening to my own parents, I know for a fact they think the same of my brother and I. The poem is warm and sweet, like a parent’s embrace. Though we wish we could know what others are thinking, especially people like our parents or our future children, we cannot, and can only wonder about it. I quite enjoy the last stanza of the poem. Death is both a door and a window, depending on how you choose to see it. Personally, I am religious and believe in heaven and souls. I see death as both the door and the window. When I die, I will not be able to go back. However, I will be able to watch over my family through the window of death.
I personally really enjoyed Lee's poem about The Hammock. Although I am definitely not ready at the moment, I am very excited for children. I already love them and have such high hopes for them just as he mentions in his poem. The poem was short and easy which also makes it enjoyable to read. Even if you are not a mother or are male everyone can relate to the poem in some way. I love the way he refers to future children as stars that we have not heard from yet and just about everything else about this poem.
Listening to "At the Globe with Shakespeare" made me think of Shakespeare as a hipster of sorts. Not only does he seem out of sorts than what others would deem normal for today's standards, but he would seem to fit that type of person as he would continue to write and write. That wouldn't make him a hipster but the fact that Hicks had him sipping a latte and marveling at all of the new technology. What we take for granted, like the ball point pen, he is fascinated by everything he sees that is new. I myself see Shakespeare as a man who would go to the coffee shop just to sit and read every day. Hicks did a marvelous job composing this poem. It made me smirk a bit.
I really enjoyed Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock". I think that it was a really nice change of pace from many other poems about death. While most are sad and depressing, this one focuses more on the opportunity we have before it. I especially loved the line "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." I think this line plays directly into the the idea of making the most of life while you still can, not focusing on how short our life is, but rather on what we do with it. I also like how it makes you look at the bigger picture, not just our life, but how our parents begin to plan our lives before we are even born. How what we do with our lives will live on in our children. "Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me." The poem is uplifting in as well as highly thought provoking and insightful.
“The Hammock” is by far the most beautiful poem I have ever read. I enjoyed it immensely and appreciated the imagery that Lee implemented. Thinking of life as a hammock on a summery afternoon creates a relaxed aura to the poem. A nap in a hammock under the shade of rustling trees is a beautiful moment to be enjoyed for the time being, but we all know that it doesn’t last forever. I had never contemplated the time I spent within my mom’s womb while she sang, chose little dresses for me, painted the nursery, and dreamed about my future. Lee’s poem drew a nostalgic picture in my mind of that quiet time and created an enchanting, bittersweet view of the future.
I enjoyed reading Hick’s "At the globe with Shakespeare." I have many times entertained the idea of bringing someone from the past into today and watching them marvel at what humans have created. No doubt Shakespeare would be amazed if he saw computers, TVs, and ball point pens. However, it’s interesting when Hicks says Shakespeare would, “marvel briefly at the ball-point pen, and he would begin to scribble, his cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad.” Shakespeare would be amazed by these inventions, but he would not allow them to distract him from his true purpose of writing plays. Hicks has subtly tried to say that sometimes all of the amazing inventions of the world distract people and prevent them from reaching their true potential like Shakespeare did.
Li Young Lee's The Hammock is a feel-good poem that makes its readers think about their future. His poem makes us realize that most of us will have children of our own someday and hopefully we can make great memories with them the way that Lee did with his mother as a child. I appreciated the positive vibe displayed by Lee in this poem, for most poems we have read so far have been depressing. Patrick Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare" was also a very intriguing poem talking more about the technological advancements of the modern era. It does make you wonder what Shakespeare would think of these advancements.
It would be very interesting to spend a day with Shakespeare. I wonder what he would do or critique. Would he be pleased with society or discouraged with society? It would be interesting to see how he would mesh with our technology and fast paced way of life. "What would he make of our metal birds in the sky?" and "The printing press on everyone's desk." are two lines that would be interesting to visit about with someone from the past. Seeing their reaction would be worth taking the time to slow down and see how the world has changed.
When it comes to "The Hammock" I enjoyed listening to the smooth ascent through life. My favorite lines from "The Hammock" were, "I don't know what my mother's thinking" and, "I've no idea what my child is thinking. The smooth transition between paragraphs connected the poem and paragraphs. In "At the Globe with Shakespeare" reading the differences between today's society and the past was intriguing. Especially hearing how Shakespeare himself would have to change. My favorite line was, "His ruff, however, would have to go."
The poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare" by Patrick Hicks gives the reader a little incite of it would be like if William Shakespeare would visit our present era. The poem points out many of the differences there are now in the modern world than there were back in Shakespeare's time. I thought it was interesting how the author used "metal birds in the sky" to point out airplanes and "printing presses on everyone's desk" to bring to mind computers!
Lee's poem, "The Hammock" is an emotional touching poem. My favorite line is, "there are stars we haven't heard from yet" because it made me realize that there is a lot more to my life than just high school. As it is coming to an end, the unknown of the rest of my life is just the beginning. This poem makes me thankful for my mom and all that she has done for me to prepare me for the rest of my life. She has been the greatest mother possible and I hope to live up to her standards for my unknown stars.
“The Hammock” by Li-Young Lee stood out to me for several reasons. His poem was beautiful and simplistic. It was also thought-provoking, and encouraged me to think about the shortness of life. Lee compares our lives to stars in the solar system. When the child is thinking about “how the day hides the stars,” he is thinking subconsciously about their lives, and the lives of his future children. People subconsciously think about their children, much how they subconsciously realize there are still stars during the day, even though they can not be seen in the light. His mother is thinking of the “stars we haven’t heard from yet.” She may not even see these new stars in her life, but she still worries about them. Eventually, a star will burn out, and cease to exist. In many ways, our lives are like these stars.
"Between two unknowns, I live my life. Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me."
When reading "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee I was forced to look at life a little bit differently than I have previously viewed it. I have never thought about how I am living my life between two unknowns. I also have never considered all the hopes and dreams my mother has for me. Considering my child's future as I work to create my own is another thing that I haven't taken the time to consider. Lee's writing in "The Hammock" helps to put into perspective how every decision affects multiple different people. The decision to do well in school will both make your mother proud, give you a future, and give your future child a greater opportunity to achieve greatness. Likewise, a reckless decision can cause your mother to be disappointed, put you in a bad situation and affect your chances of getting a job and thus supporting your future child.
I really enjoyed reading Lee’s poem, “The Hammock.” Although I do not have any children myself I found it very relatable. It reminded me how my parents will do anything for my sisters and I. “Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?” This line particularly stuck out to me because it shows how much love a father has for his child/children. “I think, Dear God, and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet.” This line made me think about my future children and how the future is such a mystery.
Li-Young Lee is one of my favorite contemporary American poets. He possesses a subtle, sublimely simple way with imagery and language that I can not help but admire.
"I think, Dear God, and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet: They have so far to arrive."
As an individual prone to bouts of exceptional existentialism, there are many thoughts and feelings evoked the passage above. The undeniable human-insignificance in the face of the vastness of our observable universe is a beautiful, freeing thought. A single human life is the proverbial "drop in the bucket" so to fret and worry about existence is to severely overestimate your own importance.
I read Lee's "The Hammock." The poem at first confused me, I wasn't sure if he was talking about the psychological connection of his mother to himself or himself to the unknown future that lay ahead for his son. It sort of struck home with me when I realized that Lee was talking about what will happen to his son when he is gone or when his son see's his father's concern. I do not ever want my own children, nor am I able to have them, so I take my very young brothers as sort of my children. Obviously, they're my brothers, but they're so young that I've often had to mother them and care for them. This poem made me sad because I don't like the thought of them (ages 2 and 5) being without myself or without my parents. I also don't like the thought of them having concerns in life or struggles, I'd much rather them stay young and safe forever. Lee said, "Inside his mother's singing to himself" I see this as children are incredibly affectionate towards their parents as are they dependent on them.
I very much enjoyed Lee's poem, "The Hammock." I find Lee's wording to be very interesting, like the way he talks of his mother's womb "waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." The poem speaks of how human's lives are so very significant and yet so very insignificant at the same time. Hicks's poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare," was interesting to me as well. I enjoyed the comments he had to say, on how exactly Shakespeare would fit in in today's world.
After listening to each poem, Lee's poem, "The Hammock", really stuck with me. I thought this poem was really neat in the aspect of how well it could connect with everyone. Grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers...it affects them all. Everyone can think about what it would be like to have a child, or many. Thinking about a child that belongs to you makes most think about how they would put their child first and make sure that they are provided with all of the necessities in which they need to carry out life. My favorite line in this poem is his response, in which he answers "yes".
I enjoyed both of these poems equally. With "At the Globe With Shakespeare", Hicks gives Shakespeare traits of today which I found entertaining. "The Hammock", however, spoke deeply to me. The journey of life is so short lived but yet in this poem, all of the little things are appreciated. The overall theme is to not let life pass you by, and enjoy every moment. Both of these poems were so simple, yet so complicated at the same time. Making the reader think deeply about the two subjects. These poems were a nice break from all of the dark poetry we have been reading.
What an interesting thought... hanging out with Shakespeare or Abe Lincoln... what would they think of today's society? I personally think they would be appalled. If the founding fathers came back today to see what we have made of America... I think they would be ashamed. But, that is a topic for a different day. Lee's poem really stuck out to me as well though. I always dream about the day I get to start my own family, have my own kids, and be someone's idol. It brings a smile to my face when I think about one of my children laying their head in my lap and all of their worries going away because that is exactly what I did as a child. For a poem to have this kind of personal effect on an individual goes to show how talented Lee really is. As Mr. C said to all of us, I feel like I know Lee through his poem.
Considering the poems that we have read so far, these two seemed to be the most understandable, and I enjoyed them. Lee's poem, being my favorite. "Between two unknowns, I live my life." This line really spoke to me. We have no inclination on when our life will begin or end, we don't know how it will begin or end, and we don't know where our soul is at the beginning or end. Our lives are just a little bump between two points in the history of mankind. This leads to him saying how unimportant, yet vitally important our lives are. To me, my life is everything I will ever know, to a European banker, my life does not have any significance. This is a strange thing to think about, considering the self-centered nature we are born with. We see things through our perspective alone. Lee brings up this idea, and really provokes our thoughts.
I enjoyed both of the poems because they were happy and easy to understand. I could relate to "The Hammock" because I always find myself wondering what my future holds. "Between two unknowns I live my life". If you think about it this line is very true. You don't know the past before you were born so it was an unknown and you don't know the future after you die so it is also an unknown. I also enjoyed the second poem because the idea of someone from the past living in the future has always amazed me. "Then he would take out his notepad, marvel briefly at the ball-point pen". The poem is almost humorous because we know that Shakespeare existed in the past but it also makes you wonder how different the future truly will be. What new inventions will be around 300 years from my own death?
Reading "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee, I began to think differently about everyday things. This poem gives the reader a different view of what their life is like, as a journey "between the two unknowns." "At the Globe with Shakespeare" caught my attention a little bit more than "The Hammock." I often think of what historical people would do if they were placed in a modern scenario. Hicks has the best response to this question. They would just keep doing what they had been doing.
In Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare", many lines stood out to me. I did enjoy this one as I have always wondered what prominent people from the past would think about today's society. Hicks says "metal birds in the sky...that rumble smoky plumage." At first I did not know what metal birds were but when he mentions smoky plumage it made sense. Airplanes have helped our lives. What would Shakespeare think of traveling to America in a day or two rather than by ship which could take months. It makes you realize how far technology has advanced.
I think I prefer the positive poems that we read today instead of the depressing ones we read last week. I especially like the "At the Globe with Shakespeare" poem because I have always wondered what it would be like to meet someone famous from the past and I would like to see and record their reactions to modern days life. The line "his cell phone turned off, his ears open," is a good line because it makes me wonder if they would be easy to conform to modern day life and all of the technological advances that have been made. I wonder if they would marvel at the new things we have invented and taken advantage of such as ball-point pens or modern medicine. The line where the poet asks "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" poses a good question. Would the people of the past approve of the art of today or would they prefer the music and art of their own time periods better.
One phrase I was particularly captivated by in Lee's "The Hammock" was, "I think about how day hides the stars, the way I was hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." I was so intrigued by this phrase because it makes you think in a way that you often do not. I never spend my daytime thinking about the stars, I am only concerned with them at night. This is similar to how I often do not think about my future children and will not be plagued by the thought until they are actually here with me. Lee causes the reader to think deeply and differently, but in a way that is pleasant as well.
Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" is also a perplexing poem. It highlights the possibilities of spending an afternoon with a celebrity. I think the poem also spoke to the disparity between our time periods as it referenced Shakespeare's possible reactions to our new technological age.
I quite enjoyed “The Hammock” poem by Lee as it really is the perfect analogy for the limbo that is life. Some of us choose to go on to have children and everything about them outlives us, even their memory of us. The middle of the Hammock is our brief lives while the edges are those that went before us and those that will come behind slightly slipping into our own time. “At the Globe with Shakespeare by Hicks was another poem that gives the reader a fresh perspective of life. Hicks composes a poem about how Shakespeare would see the world today. My favorite line is the beginning in which a plane is marveled at, “What would he make of our metal birds in the sky, the large ones that rumble smoky plumage?” These lines really give a great description of an airplane, but in a new way. It is certainly a fresh look at the modern world.
I found Patrick Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" to be personally hilarious. Whenever I am with my grandparents the thought always seems to come to mind on how the music I listen to as of right now will soon be known as "oldies" music and the clothes I wear will embarrass my future kids someday when I gladly show them my high school days. Therefore, I felt a connection of some sort when Hicks says, "his earring would still be en vogue, so too his long hair. His ruff, however, would have to go." I found this to be interesting because there always seems to be some elements that stand the test of time and others that absolutely will not do, such as throwing your feces out of the window. Hicks does a wonderful job at imagining Shakespeare as a literary genius of the present--"His speech would be of interest to linguist and he would surely applaud the printing press on everyone's desk." This seems like Hick's knows exactly what Shakespeare would be thinking and that is a lot of confidence to uphold.
Li-Young Lee's poem,"The Hammock", captured my attention the most out of the two. Having children is a big responsibility, and I someday hope to have children of my own. Even though I do not have children, and will not for some time, I can relate to this poem. The lines, "Do his fathers kisses keep his fathers worries from becoming his?" were my favorite lines in the poem. No parent wants their troubles being brought upon their child, so they do not act like they have any. Kisses are comforting, and help us worry less. When a child receives those, there are no worries for them to think about or act upon.
I enjoyed both of these poems a lot. In "The Hammock," I was reminded of the little thrills of childhood when he wrote, "And I remember how she carried me on her back between home and kindergarten, once each morning and once each afternoon." It gives me a warm feeling just thinking about the pure simplicity that childhood is. In "At the Globe with Shakespeare," it focuses on a comical side to what Shakespeare would do and think if he were to appear in present day. His line, "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" brings up a thought that I had never had.
Lee's Poem gives hope and thought to the future. But is does address the worries of a parent in the third stanza,"Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his? I think, Dear God, and remember"(Lee). Parents all worry about their children. My parents show me this with their kind words and correcting throughout my 18 years. Lee shows us briefly what is going through each persons head. The other poem by Hicks is more than thinking. He does make us think what it would be like to have historical people here. What would they be like? In the poem the 2 lines that interest me are, "His speech would be of interest to linguists"(Hicks). This gives thought to what has changed which is everything.
Both poems are about the past, present and future.
Lee’s poem “The Hammock” intrigued me with his lines on singing. His poem relates to the brevity of life, and links directly to the popular phrase “carpe diem.” His last line claims “Yes,” answers all his questions, insinuating a general ignorance of transcendence. However, he adds the phrase “...and a little singing between two great rests.” We have two great rests, as long as the earth, the universe, consciousness exists. The only time we truly have is the between. He relates the time to singing--perhaps singing as the happiness we can derive from our one lifetime. A previous phrase describes his conceivement and development as being “inside [his] mother’s singing to herself.” The most basic and extraordinary creation is procreation--life. Lee points back to the beginning of his poem, saying that all we truly beget from life is our creations--most often our children.
In the poem “At the Globe with Shakespeare” a couple lines stood out to me. The first one being: “Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?”. This line sticks out to me because it is such a good question. It makes you wonder how much impact music would have on an individual’s inspiration. Another good line is: “marvel briefly at the ball-point pen”. I like this line because it expresses the thought that something so simple to us would amaze someone of a different time, however despite this amazement Shakespeare is still quick to use it in the poem. The words “he would” are repeated several times throughout the poem.
While the purpose of Lee's "The Hammock" was to both inspire and relax, for me, it did the opposite. Placing myself in the narrator's shoes,all I feel is an extreme anxiety. "Why?" you may ask. All that I can think about in that situation is the fact that everything has to change. If my mother and son where satisfied in that moment, they were well fed, healthy, and happy, they may never be that way again, because everything changes. I worry about if I have enough money to purchase everything I need to keep my son alive and well, along with keeping him happy. I worry about my aging mother's health, and when I will have to surrender her to the home, and the earth, successively. I worry about whether I should worry about what I am worrying about. I wonder if life as we know it is all that humans were ever designed to do, if we are truly achieving our unknown purpose. In trying to be relaxing, Lee has highlighted every single fear and worry that I have. After a while, however, I had a realization. As it is said, "If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?" No matter how happy I may be, I will be sad again. On the other hand, no matter how sad I am, I will be happy again. This poem expounds on the truth of "This Too Shall Pass."
Lee's "The Hammock" really got me thinking. Despite the fact that I have only a century on this Earth, if I'm lucky, life within my family will still go on without me through the hopes and wishes of my future children, and through theirs, and theirs.
"Between two unknowns, I live my life"
This line speaks to me. The unknown on the left side of the timeline that is my life is even more unknown than it is for most, me being adopted and all.
"Between my mother's hopes, older than I am"
I have little to no idea what these hopes are. I often feel, considering my almost nonexistent connection to my biological family and how little I have in common with most of the elders in my adopted family, as if I am starting a whole new family.
It is comforting to know that, since I have turned out better than my biological parents, my children will live on in my family after my death and follow their hopes and wishes.
These poems have a sense of humor and are easier for me to understand and relate to. My favorite is Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare”, because to a certain extent it has a sense of humor. In the poem he questions how Shakespeare would function in today's society relating him to the average people that sit in coffee shops, sipping drinks, minding their own business while working on something. He talks about his style and how he would blend in with the rest with a few minor adjustments “His earring would still be en vogue, so too his long hair. His ruff, however, would have to go.” I think Hicks is some what saying that people today are really not that different from the people that lived a few hundred years ago. Lee’s “The Hammock” made me nostalgic of my childhood. The years that I was able to go to school and only worry about who I would play with on the playground. It made me realize the beauty and innocence of childhood and how it should not be taken for granted or wished away.
The line that spoke the most to me in, “The Hammock,” was the first line. When I lay my head in my mother’s lap… This line especially stuck out to me because I understood this line as referring to a grown adult wanting to be a kid again. This thought stuck out to me because I have had similar thoughts lately. I have been incredibly blessed by God with my first 18 years of my life. I would not want to change those years in any way. Why would I want too? They have shaped me into who I am to this very day. It makes me a little sad to think that my years of being a “kid” are pretty much over. Not that I am worried or afraid of what my future. Honestly it is quite the opposite, I am excited about my future. The reason I feel sad at times is not because I am worried about the future, but rather because I know that a chapter in my life is coming to an end and that I will not be able to rewrite or change this chapter. Instead my only choice is to look at this chapter and try to remember memories, while I am busy continuing to write this book known as my life. There is something about knowing that your limited time is up and you can not go back that makes a guy a little anxious and almost depressed. But not become too worried because there is a bright future ahead.
The first three lines "When I lay my head in my mother's lap I think how day hides the stars, the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." spoke to me the most. When I think of these lines, I think about my childhood. I am turning eighteen very soon and will be leaving home next fall for school. I am excited to be leaving home and venturing new places, but also scared. I haven't known any other real place except home. I will miss my parents a lot and these lines make me think about the new chapter of my life that I will be starting soon. The last lines also speak to me. Life is short, live it well. My grandmother almost used to tell me this. She told me this on her death bed, and I have lived that way ever since and plan to for the rest of my life.
And I remember how she carried me on her back, between home and the kindergarten, once each morning and once each afternoon.
These three lines got my attention the most because I remember when my mom dropped me off to school on my first day of kindergarten. When I got older, she told me that she had cried when she got into the car because I was growing up so fast. Now I am a senior in high school and my mom does not bring me to school, even though she still does a tremendous amount of things for me. I think that most of us take our childhoods for granted and finally realize how important and great our parents actually are to us. They work hard to make sure that my siblings and I have everything we need. We need to truly thank our parents for all of their sacrifices they have endured to make us safe and happy growing up.
Huizenga 7 In Hicks poem, he opens with this line, “what would he make of our metal birds in the sky, the large ones that rumble with smoky plumage.” I find it very interesting that Hicks never mentions in the poem the name of the person he is wondering about, yet through the title it is established that the poem is referencing Shakespeare. I also like how in these lines he does not mention the name of the airplane, but defines it through description. The farther through the poem the reader goes, the more blatantly Hicks mentions items of today (i.e. sipping a latte, cell phone turned off), giving me the feeling of Shakespeare acclimating to life in the modern day throughout the story. I like the progression of confusion to complete submersion into the culture of the current world.
For me, The Hammock by Li-Young Lee stuck out to me the most because of some of the things he says. "I don't know what my mother is thinking." I have no idea what my mom is thinking most days. Sometimes I wonder what she's thinking, sometimes I don't. This poem makes me wonder about when I'm older and start having children. I hope that I am a good mother. Will my children wonder what I'm thinking when they're older? Will they write a poem about me and the good times that we had? I don't know, but I hope so.
Following our reading of Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock", I found the line, "I think, and I feel almost comforted" to be the most compelling. He is trying to say there are unknowns to life such as past his lifetime. He doesn't know what will come to be with the next generation, and he feels comforted of the future. He uses "almost" considering he has no idea what is to come of future. The next line I found to be rather interesting would be, "between two unknowns, I live my life". Lee has no idea what is to come, but regardless must live his life. There isn't anything in which he'd be able to change about the past or future. He must live in the present and live deliberately.
“The Hammock” was a very positive and warming poem. “I don’t know what my mother’s thinking.” I’ve no idea what my child is thinking. Between two unknowns, I live my life.” These lines from the poem are very powerful for me. It makes you think about your future children and how you will pass away and they will be on their own. I also think about how I do not always know what my mother is thinking but sometimes that is good and bad. Between these two unknowns we still seem to live on.
"Between my mother's hopes, older than I am coming before me..." A part of this line stood out to me because my parents are trying to give me advice about their experiences from college, but they went to college during a different time so it is hard to relate. Also, I don't know how my parents feel about me moving four hours away for college. Again, they can't relate because they went to college an hour from home.
The three lines that spoke to me the most in Lee's poem "The Hammock" were, " Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side? Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." These few line tell the reader that life is unknown, we say goodbye to the life that we know and accept a life that we have yet experienced. I like the fact that he says life is singing between two great rests because it does tell us that life is good and positive.
Both poems focused on the unknown, such as what is my mom thinking or what would it be like to visit with or spend time with Shakespeare in modern time. Lee uses words like " I wonder" or " I think" to show his understanding of the future. Hicks asks questions like "what would he make" and "Would he listen". Both authors sparked a great amount of curiosity in my mind of what the future holds are what it would be like to do some of the things discussed in the writings.
Lee uses bright imagery within his poems that evoke strong thoughts from the reader. “Do his father’s kisses help keep his father’s worries from becoming his? I think, Dear God, and remembering that there are stars we haven’t heard from yet. Hicks uses terms that are more modern while also using terms from many years ago to create almost parallels with those times. “There he would take out his notepad, marvel briefly at the ball-point pen, and he would scribble, his cell-phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad. Both poets wrote about lighter and more positive topics which was a refreshing change from the dark and depressing yet beautiful poetry from last week.
After reading both poems I feel that "The Hammock" by Lee spoke to me the most. The line "I don't know what my mother's thinking" is very interesting to think about. I feel as if I come across this confusion every day with mine. You feel as if you know somebody so well that you can predict their every action and thought, but in reality, you may know them too well to not be able to recognize their true wishes. Although, I feel that the true mystery of her not knowing my thoughts and vice versa is what keeps the relationship unique.
In The Hammock I enjoyed the line “Yes, and a little singing between two great rests”. It is a great way to answer the questions that were placed before it, “Is it a door, and goodbye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?”. It is the perfect answer for these questions no one knows. To me, its like saying we will see; an answer to the unknown.
A specific line that interested me from the Poem "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee was "Between two unknowns, I live my life." I like this line because there are people that come before us and people that will come after us, but we are in the middle, the now. We use what was given to us (technology, knowledge, ect.) and it is our job to prepare these things for future generations. It is all connected and we are just one dot on a line that extends back hundreds of years and that will continue down for centuries.
In Li-Young Lee's poem "The Hammock", the use of the word singing really stood out to me. Singing is mentioned twice in the poem. The first time is in the line that says "the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself. The second time is the last line in the poem--"Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." The idea of singing that Lee portrays, I believe, symbolizes the mother's dreams in her son. She sees the beauty in him and his future.
The sentence, “Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me,” stood out to me because it is saying that his child and his mother are both older than him though in different ways. Its interesting how he uses this word choice when comparing them. He is saying his life is very short in perspective. The other phrase that stood out to me is, “Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?” Its also fascinating how he compares both of these sentences using the words “either side.” He shows that a door and a window have two sides and that humans can be a door, a window, or both. If you have a legacy, your legacy lives on past your death. If your a door, you die and you never live on even with a legacy.
Darrington 7 In "The Hammock", Li-Young Lee presents an immensely debated philosophical dilemma. "Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?" I like these lines a lot. Is our life simply over, only existing between the confines of birth and death, or is it more eternal. . . it is hard to know. He goes on to conclude the poem with "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." By ending the poem this way, it takes the focus off of what happens before and after the life, and puts the emphasis on what you do during your life. This is liberating. He also references the rests he took as a kid in his mother's lap and also the nap his son took in his own lap.
These were pretty interesting poems. I did enjoy (as the author may have intended) the poems, as they seemed to be a departure from the previous poems, which were pretty dark. I did have some comments though.
In Lee’s “The Hammock”, Lee writes “I think, Dear God, and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet: They have so far to arrive. Amen, I think, and I feel almost comforted”.
While this lack of complete comfort seems to be related to the immensity of time, they could also be related to the predestination of the future that comes with Christian faith. Many people wish to believe in free will, and the power of their actions, but Christianity is at odds with the idea of free will. Perhaps these lines are about the insignificance of Lee’s actions, and his feelings on that.
I absolutely love the idea of future souls being "stars we haven't heard from yet." To think of each person, past, present, and future, as a star, puts into perspective the vastness of existence and how ours are so terribly insignificant, yet wholly eternal at the same time. Another line that puts that thought into perspective is "Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am, by outliving me." Existence in terms of legacies and such is decidedly infinite, I'd like to think. One's life in cosmic terms is an idea so much bigger than those we are used to - but that's part of the beauty of it. Something so great and so grand, bigger than ourselves, an overarching concept of the scheme of things that can so easily be applied to our infinitesimal, substantial lives.
I enjoyed reading both of these poems, they were uplifting compared to the ones we have previously read in class. In Lee's "The Hammock" I enjoy the very first line of the poem. "When I lay my head in my mothers lap." This line makes me think of my time with my mother when I was younger and how grateful I am to have her as my mom. I also like how the rest of the poem talks about the narrators past time, current time, and future time. How he talks about his children, and thinking about the generations to come that he has not yet met. In Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare" I enjoy that the poem creates great imagery in your head about what it would be like to hang out with Shakespeare. And wondering what he would think about what we have today "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" Reading these poems makes me hope that I may be able to write such poems.
Hillestad period 7 I enjoyed the poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare." The line "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" was my favorite. It made me think about how much music has changed since Shakespeare was alive. Not just music, but many things have changed since the 1600's. The poem makes me think about how much will change after all of us die and connects to the other poem "The Hammock."
Humans are completely meaningless on a cosmic level.
This is why I enjoy Li-Young's "The Hammock" so much. It confrontationally analyzes the vastness of our observable existence by showing the reader, in a touchingly personal way, that although the world has gone on for googols of years before us, it will continue to move; but, not without the amount of influence we put into the vat of human construction.
95 comments:
Lee uses imagery throughout his poem to show different experiences he had with his mother and ones he hopes to have with his son, "When I lay my head in my mother's lap I think how day hides the stars, the way I lay hidden once, waiting." The poem has a stanza of 7 lines and then a one line stanza. The 7 stanzas are more setting up the scene and then the one is a statement, "I don't know what my mother's thinking." and "I've no idea what my child is thinking." Lee is getting his audience to think about being a present being in their lives. He goes back and forth from being cared for to caring for someone and in both he stops to think about moments that he will never forget and wants to almost relive.
After listening to these two poems Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" really stuck in my mind. It really made me think about my future child and how I already want to love it and care for it more than I would care for myself. I love how he wrote about this and how it really connects with how parents and even people who are not yet parents feel about their children.
Lee has a very interesting writing style and words things in an unprecedented way. For example, he describes being in the womb as "waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." His one line stanzas bring a connection to the poem.
Hicks wrote about if Shakespeare was here now, and what he would do. He is described almost like a hippy; one earring, long hair, sipping a latte and scribbling in his notebook. While it is fun to think about Shakespeare adjusting to thrive in our world, I have to think he would probably be disgusted by the way we live our lives, especially compared to how he lived.
I thought that it was nice that Lee used the line "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries/from becoming his?" because it reminds me of what my parents always used to say when I was sick when I was young. They always wanted to take my sickness away from me and by comforting me, they often became sick themselves. I found Hick's poem funny since it looked at Shakespeare in modern day. I can imagine him going into shock at all of the amazing inventions that have come about in the roughly 500 years since he lived.
I very much enjoyed the poem written by Hicks, it gave an interesting look into how Shakespeare would react to modern times. I picture him very "hipster." I specifically find the lines "his earring would be en vogue, so too his long hair" and when it is said he would "sip a latte" to make him seem modern. Next time I go to Dunn Bros or Caribou coffee, perhaps Shakespeare will be waiting there, with his latte and "printing press" of his own.
In Li-Young Lee's poem, two lines that stick out to me are "I don't know what my mother is thinking" and "I've no idea what my child is thinking." This is an interesting thought of how life bridges together. You aren't born early enough to know your mother your entire live just as you (typically) don't live long enough to see everything your child is thinking. This is a nice, uplifting poem on life and the positives that come from it.
I really like Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare", because of the quirks and traits he gives Shakespeare. He hands him the shock of being in our time with "metal birds in the sky", and having him "sip a latte". I would like to believe Hicks is correct in how Shakespeare would react to such a time. There would be a very talented, somewhat snooty writer, with a big mind and a quiet mouth, with his "cell phone turned off."
Chmela 2
At the Globe with Shakespeare is a very interesting poem by Hicks. He explains how Shakespeare may be changed due to technology and change in attitude toward life. We have more technology now, what would Shakespeare do with such technology. “There he would take out his notepad” describes that Hicks believes Shakespeare would still be a famous linguist and a great writer. The Hammock by Lee is another great poem with deep meaning. He hides gross things in such kind words to not drive the audience away. He answers several questions with yes because some questions cannot be answered or can go either way. He explains that you really only know what you live through. He tries to make sense of life through words that are kind-hearted and get the audience away from the evil world.
Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" is a poem that I believe I will remember for the rest of my life. In essence, it is saying that in the future there is a lot coming that we are unaware of and it also proclaims the irreplaceable connection between parents and their children. Right now as I am typing this blog task, I am building my future. I am not only building my future for myself, but for my kids. That is truly amazing. Everything that we do now is for our kids. My kids are, as Lee says, "stars we haven't heard from yet."
"When my son lays his head in my lap, I wonder: Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?" These remind me of when I was younger. I was very close with my dad but I was also very curious about adult problems. I worried when I overheard my parents discussing or fighting about something. When I nanny during the summer, I see a lot of this as well without realizing it. I notice my children worrying about what is going to happen or where we are going next. They are quick to shout out solutions when something did not go as planned. If I have children, I do not want them to worry. I want to handle "adult problems" and let them be young. I grew up too fast during some situations and my childhood when fast. I hope my kids can enjoy being young and naive. This poem is a beautiful piece of art. Many people can relate to this poem.
The poem At the Globe with Shakespeare and The Hammock are both thought provoking poems. The first makes you think how Shakespeare would react to modern society and if he would be pleased with how seriously we study his works of art. The latter simply describes the generation gaps as a hammock with light and airy words. Both authors word the sections in different ways than most authors; without the sense of darkness.
The Hammock is a positive poem that helps the reader understand a time gap. Lee uses great imagery when talking about being in his mothers lap and someday hopes to have the same bond with his son. Lee explains things that he never wants to forget and seems as though he would like to relive some of these great childhood memories he shared with his mother.
House 2
I really enjoyed Lee’s “The Hammock”. I found it relatable. “Between two unknowns, I live my life”--right now I can relate to this as I’m struggling to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life. “Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me”--this is so true. I am trying to live my life in a way that my mom and dad would be proud of in order to not disappoint them. I can definitely see myself coming back to this poem as I go through college and the rest of my life.
Hicks “At the Globe with Shakespeare” made me think of what Shakespeare would be like if he was in the world today in 2015. What would he think of our technology with writing, acting, and making movies? Would he still like writing or he would rather find himself in the audience enjoying the production being put on in front of him? The phrase “his cell phone turned off” really jumped out at me. In today’s world, people rarely shut their phones off with the fear that they might miss something of importance, would Shakespeare really shut his off in order to focus or would he fear he would miss something?
Burkman 2
I appreciate Patrick Hicks’s “At the Globe with Shakespeare.” I first wondered about a common question asked to individuals. Which person in history would you want to meet? With the modern connections to what Shakespeare may act like is amusing to me. Especially with the introduction of technology to Shakespeare, many ways to do new things yet he would put some on hold or avoid it. “...his cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hands fluttering like mad.” Some people in society today would think it is crazy to turn a cell phone off as it is like a lifeline, you need it.
“At the Globe with Shakespeare” by Patrick Hicks takes a somewhat comical take on what William Shakespeare may do, or think, if brought into modern times. Hicks uses items that would have been common in the 1600’s, and relates them to modern items. For example, rather than “airplanes” Hicks says “metal birds in the sky,” and “living tapestries” in place of “movies” and “television.” Beyond the material aspects of this poem, I love that the author believes that even amongst all the technology, Shakespeare would still be a creative genius, “his hand fluttering like mad.”
I really enjoyed both of these poems. Hicks’ poem is funny and interesting to think about. Shakespeare having a cell phone and a latte would definitely be a sight to see. He would be amazed at how much the times have changed, and would more than likely be overwhelmed with all of the technology. Lee’s poem is a happy and inspiring poem. He writes that, “there are stars we haven’t heard from yet.” I really like this line as it is a wonderful foreshadowing tool to the great future that lies ahead for all of us. Hicks’ and Lee’s poems are marvelous poems full of positivity and happiness.
Patrick Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" really interested me. Hicks speaks of various possibilities that would happen if Shakespeare was alive today. While he may be seen as one of the best play-writers to ever walk the earth, this poem seems to point to the idea that we maybe walking among such greatness this very second. He uses examples in music ("Mozart or the Beatles"), transportation ("metal birds in the sky"), and even technology("living tapestries").
Lee's poem, "The Hammock" puts one's future into perspective. In this poem, Lee says that "there are stars we haven't heard from yet...." Our children that have not arrived yet are supposed to represent the stars, our future exists, but it has not been reached yet. We can not reach the stars, but we can reach for them. When Lee says "Between two unknowns, I live my life" he is saying that he does not know his mother's hopes and he does not know his child's dreams. He believes that his mother's hopes are older than him by years and his child's dream older than him by his child outliving him.
Lee's poem, connects with the reader as to what a parent feels towards their children. Children are so innocent and look up to their parents especially at such a young age. When Lee says, "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?" it really put into perspective how parents want what is best for their children hoping that they won't have the worries that they had when they were young. My parents always try their hardest to provide my brother and myself with what they did not have growing up. Parents give so much for their children and love them unconditionally and I feel this poem captures that.
Lee is very imaginative when he writes because he seems to try and write about the things that we do not seem to think about very often. For example, in on line he says how you live your life between the two unknowns, which is so true because everybody focuses on whats happening in their life, but they never focus on whats has happened or is going to happen. Hicks writing is interesting because he is trying to write as if he is the one who has never seen the futuristic inventions the world experiences on a daily basis. It makes the poem very interesting because of how he describes the future, like the line where he talks about responding to metal birds in the sky. It helps us see exactly how far we have come, which is why it is so fascinating.
Danny Eitreim
Period 2
Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock" is a poem about Humans and our own mortality. We are all only given less than a century to live physically, but our actions live on even after we die.
In the poem Lee asks himself about the nature of dying and living. "Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?"
He answers, in a very Existentialist way, "Yes". Everyone dies, and their "door" is shut. But everyone also has a window into eternity from the ripples of their actions.
I found Lee’s “The Hammock” to be quite insightful. It looks at two completely different perspectives--the mother’s and the child’s. I appreciated Lee’s portrayal of the child in the womb with the line “the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself.” The correlation of the unknown about what their mother is thinking and what their child is thinking was interesting--“Between two unknowns, I live my life. Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me.” As a child, the mother’s thoughts were unknown, and now as a mother, their own child’s thoughts are also unknown. Life seems to be filled with unknowns.
Williams 2
Both poems that we read in class were very uplifting poems and were a nice break from the usually depressing poetry we have been reading. Out of the two poems that we read in class, Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare” and Lee’s “The Hammock”, I really enjoyed Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare” the most. I found it amusing how Hicks put William Shakespeare in the modern world of cellphones and ball point pens and predicted how he would react to such inventions. I think Hicks’ predictions were accurate. I would also be interested to see how Shakespeare’s play would be interpreted if he were still around to give stage directions and see how his work is being portrayed. Maybe his work, in general, would have been different if he would have been allowed to write coherent thoughts with modern quills that never ran out of ink and/or personal printing presses.
I think Shakespeare would have mesmerized by the televisions and movie theaters we have today and would be proud to see his work on those devices as well. One of my favorite lines is, “Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?” because I think Shakespeare would be the type of guy that would listen to all kinds of music! From pop, to classical, to rap.
“The Hammock” and “At the Globe with Shakespeare” are my two favorite poems. I really enjoyed reading them. In “The Hammock,” I really enjoyed the uplifting, positivity of it. Lee really uses a lot of imagery.
These two lines really spoke to me:
and remember
there are stars we haven't heard from yet:
They have so far to arrive. Amen,
I think, and I feel almost comforted.
The stars we haven’t heard of yet are our future kids. They are as numerous as the stars in the sky. I really enjoy how Lee refers to the stars by describing future children. It gives the reader hope.
In “At the Globe with Shakespeare”, it was just interesting to see the advancements of our everyday technology.
I highly enjoyed Hicks' "At the Globe with Shakespeare." I liked his sentence "His speech would be of interest to linguists." This has great interest. Of course Shakespeare would sound weird to us. It would also be a great way of tracking the origin of our own language. Another sentence I enjoyed was "His cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad." This is interesting because he is not like our current writers and youth. People are often too absorbed in their phone to write and pay attention to the world around them. Some words he used that were interesting were his use of old words such as ruff and but new words such as scribble and cellphone.
Kuehn 2
I enjoyed Patrick Hicks’s poem “At the Globe with Shakespeare”. This poem shows the many differences between Shakespeare’s time and now, as well as showing similarities between the two time frames. The technology of today is obviously much more advanced than it was in Shakespeare’s time. Airplanes were not around in Shakespeare’s time, called “metal birds” in the poem. The music would also be different, with many new choices of music genres. Some of Shakespeare’s styles will still be in style, such as his earring and long hair, but others have changed, such as the ruff that is not popular anymore. I like how Hicks thought about even the simple differences, like the availability of a ballpoint pen and computers to write with. I also wonder what stage directions Shakespeare would give if he saw his plays being performed today.
These two lines from "The Hammock" by LI-Young Lee, "Between two unknowns, I live my life.
Between my mother's hopes, older than I am". The lines give the example of how there is always an unknown that will need to be discovered by our curiosity. The second line reminds me of how we are created inside with hopes and dreams of what she wants of me. The first line, "Between two unknowns, I live my life", could be the baby being in the womb trying to decide if it should turn to leave the mother or to stay for a little longer. This is a great poem that has incredible imagery underlying each line.
Listening to "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee I started to think about my future by looking at my past. The line, "Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries" my parents would always wait on me when I was sick or when i was injured and have my problem become their problem. This act will always stay with me and I hope to do the same for my children and even more!
Li-Young Li leaves readers questioning existence on Earth. He alludes to his parents' existence before his as well as his child's existence after his. He speaks partially of worries and the fear of the unknown. I am very fond of the conclusion of the poem. After questioning what coming into or escaping from the world is like, Li says, "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." Li creates a peaceful mood by naming the time we are dead as "rests". This is a poem to be read lying on a death bed, maybe it would provide solace.
there are stars we haven't heard from yet:
they have so far to arrive. Amen.
I enjoy these two lines very much. I like to believe that the future is going to be quite bright with this upcoming generation. Working at Walmart, it is easy to lose hope in this generation, but there are going to be individuals that shine bright like a diamond. These individuals have much to learn, but I believe we will be good teachers, we will show them the way, and their own personalities will shine and become known. We have hope that these future stars will do what we couldn't, what we should have. Our legacy will be continued with these future stars.
Lee's poem is a lighter poem than we have been reading. It is about a mother and child and the thoughts of each that neither knows. In "The Hammock" the two lines that stick out to me are "there are stars yet to arrive" and "I've no idea what my mother is thinking". The first talks about your hopes for your future child that has not yet arrived but when they do are beautiful. Each star is also a little different just like a child. The second quote talks about how the son never will know what the mother always thought or wished for.
In Li-Young Lee’s poem, two lines that really stood out to me were “between my mother’s hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child’s wishes, older than I am by outliving me.” I find these lines interesting because it really makes you think and realize that your life won’t be over when your parents pass away, and that your children someday will continue on after you are gone. This poem is very good about showing how a parent feels towards their child, showing the hopes for the child and how they will always worry a little bit.
In Li-Young Lee's poem, the line,"I think how day hides the stars,
the way I lay hidden once, waiting
inside my mother's singing to herself" stands out to me because it articulates how we were once there, unbeknownst to many.
In Patrick Hicks's poem, the line, "His earring would still be en vogue,
so too his long hair. His ruff,
however, would have to go" stands out to me because it would be funny to see how Shakespeare's attire would fit with today's culture and society.
...I think, Dear God, and remember
there are stars we haven't heard from yet...
These lines are the most powerful of the poem because it shows how much hope she has for her child. You can tell the child just appreciates all that his mother has done for it. Even though the mother only has worries for its life not wanting to ruin or affect all of her child's potential. Li-Young Lee's poem is very relate-able to all families.
I personally enjoyed Lee's "The Hammock" the most of these two poems. This poem connected more with me because I sometimes imagine what life would be like before my time and what will happen well after I leave the earth.
Lee says: Between my mother's hopes, older than I am, by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am,by outliving me.
I am interested in what the future holds and I hope that someday it will do my children well. What comes will help create the type of people they are. Just as the time of which my parents grew up helped them be the people they are today.
I enjoyed The Hammock. I do want to be a mother someday, and I already think about the aspirations of my children. I hope for not only my own future, but for theirs as well. Listening to my own parents, I know for a fact they think the same of my brother and I. The poem is warm and sweet, like a parent’s embrace. Though we wish we could know what others are thinking, especially people like our parents or our future children, we cannot, and can only wonder about it. I quite enjoy the last stanza of the poem. Death is both a door and a window, depending on how you choose to see it. Personally, I am religious and believe in heaven and souls. I see death as both the door and the window. When I die, I will not be able to go back. However, I will be able to watch over my family through the window of death.
I personally really enjoyed Lee's poem about The Hammock. Although I am definitely not ready at the moment, I am very excited for children. I already love them and have such high hopes for them just as he mentions in his poem. The poem was short and easy which also makes it enjoyable to read. Even if you are not a mother or are male everyone can relate to the poem in some way. I love the way he refers to future children as stars that we have not heard from yet and just about everything else about this poem.
Listening to "At the Globe with Shakespeare" made me think of Shakespeare as a hipster of sorts. Not only does he seem out of sorts than what others would deem normal for today's standards, but he would seem to fit that type of person as he would continue to write and write. That wouldn't make him a hipster but the fact that Hicks had him sipping a latte and marveling at all of the new technology. What we take for granted, like the ball point pen, he is fascinated by everything he sees that is new. I myself see Shakespeare as a man who would go to the coffee shop just to sit and read every day. Hicks did a marvelous job composing this poem. It made me smirk a bit.
I really enjoyed Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock". I think that it was a really nice change of pace from many other poems about death. While most are sad and depressing, this one focuses more on the opportunity we have before it. I especially loved the line "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." I think this line plays directly into the the idea of making the most of life while you still can, not focusing on how short our life is, but rather on what we do with it. I also like how it makes you look at the bigger picture, not just our life, but how our parents begin to plan our lives before we are even born. How what we do with our lives will live on in our children. "Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am by outliving me." The poem is uplifting in as well as highly thought provoking and insightful.
Burch
Pd. 3
“The Hammock” is by far the most beautiful poem I have ever read. I enjoyed it immensely and appreciated the imagery that Lee implemented. Thinking of life as a hammock on a summery afternoon creates a relaxed aura to the poem. A nap in a hammock under the shade of rustling trees is a beautiful moment to be enjoyed for the time being, but we all know that it doesn’t last forever. I had never contemplated the time I spent within my mom’s womb while she sang, chose little dresses for me, painted the nursery, and dreamed about my future. Lee’s poem drew a nostalgic picture in my mind of that quiet time and created an enchanting, bittersweet view of the future.
I enjoyed reading Hick’s "At the globe with Shakespeare." I have many times entertained the idea of bringing someone from the past into today and watching them marvel at what humans have created. No doubt Shakespeare would be amazed if he saw computers, TVs, and ball point pens. However, it’s interesting when Hicks says Shakespeare would, “marvel briefly at the ball-point pen, and he would begin to scribble, his cell phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad.” Shakespeare would be amazed by these inventions, but he would not allow them to distract him from his true purpose of writing plays. Hicks has subtly tried to say that sometimes all of the amazing inventions of the world distract people and prevent them from reaching their true potential like Shakespeare did.
Breitzman 3
Li Young Lee's The Hammock is a feel-good poem that makes its readers think about their future. His poem makes us realize that most of us will have children of our own someday and hopefully we can make great memories with them the way that Lee did with his mother as a child. I appreciated the positive vibe displayed by Lee in this poem, for most poems we have read so far have been depressing. Patrick Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare" was also a very intriguing poem talking more about the technological advancements of the modern era. It does make you wonder what Shakespeare would think of these advancements.
It would be very interesting to spend a day with Shakespeare. I wonder what he would do or critique. Would he be pleased with society or discouraged with society? It would be interesting to see how he would mesh with our technology and fast paced way of life. "What would he make of our metal birds in the sky?" and "The printing press on everyone's desk." are two lines that would be interesting to visit about with someone from the past. Seeing their reaction would be worth taking the time to slow down and see how the world has changed.
When it comes to "The Hammock" I enjoyed listening to the smooth ascent through life. My favorite lines from "The Hammock" were, "I don't know what my mother's thinking" and, "I've no idea what my child is thinking. The smooth transition between paragraphs connected the poem and paragraphs. In "At the Globe with Shakespeare" reading the differences between today's society and the past was intriguing. Especially hearing how Shakespeare himself would have to change. My favorite line was, "His ruff, however, would have to go."
The poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare" by Patrick Hicks gives the reader a little incite of it would be like if William Shakespeare would visit our present era. The poem points out many of the differences there are now in the modern world than there were back in Shakespeare's time. I thought it was interesting how the author used "metal birds in the sky" to point out airplanes and "printing presses on everyone's desk" to bring to mind computers!
Lee's poem, "The Hammock" is an emotional touching poem. My favorite line is, "there are stars we haven't heard from yet" because it made me realize that there is a lot more to my life than just high school. As it is coming to an end, the unknown of the rest of my life is just the beginning. This poem makes me thankful for my mom and all that she has done for me to prepare me for the rest of my life. She has been the greatest mother possible and I hope to live up to her standards for my unknown stars.
Palmer Pd. 3
“The Hammock” by Li-Young Lee stood out to me for several reasons. His poem was beautiful and simplistic. It was also thought-provoking, and encouraged me to think about the shortness of life. Lee compares our lives to stars in the solar system. When the child is thinking about “how the day hides the stars,” he is thinking subconsciously about their lives, and the lives of his future children. People subconsciously think about their children, much how they subconsciously realize there are still stars during the day, even though they can not be seen in the light. His mother is thinking of the “stars we haven’t heard from yet.” She may not even see these new stars in her life, but she still worries about them. Eventually, a star will burn out, and cease to exist. In many ways, our lives are like these stars.
"Between two unknowns, I live my life.
Between my mother's hopes, older than I am
by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am
by outliving me."
When reading "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee I was forced to look at life a little bit differently than I have previously viewed it. I have never thought about how I am living my life between two unknowns. I also have never considered all the hopes and dreams my mother has for me. Considering my child's future as I work to create my own is another thing that I haven't taken the time to consider. Lee's writing in "The Hammock" helps to put into perspective how every decision affects multiple different people. The decision to do well in school will both make your mother proud, give you a future, and give your future child a greater opportunity to achieve greatness. Likewise, a reckless decision can cause your mother to be disappointed, put you in a bad situation and affect your chances of getting a job and thus supporting your future child.
I really enjoyed reading Lee’s poem, “The Hammock.” Although I do not have any children myself I found it very relatable. It reminded me how my parents will do anything for my sisters and I. “Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his?” This line particularly stuck out to me because it shows how much love a father has for his child/children. “I think, Dear God, and remember there are stars we haven't heard from yet.” This line made me think about my future children and how the future is such a mystery.
ZeKe WieseR PD 3
Li-Young Lee is one of my favorite contemporary American poets. He possesses a subtle, sublimely simple way with imagery and language that I can not help but admire.
"I think, Dear God, and remember
there are stars we haven't heard from yet: They have so far to arrive."
As an individual prone to bouts of exceptional existentialism, there are many thoughts and feelings evoked the passage above. The undeniable human-insignificance in the face of the vastness of our observable universe is a beautiful, freeing thought. A single human life is the proverbial "drop in the bucket" so to fret and worry about existence is to severely overestimate your own importance.
I read Lee's "The Hammock." The poem at first confused me, I wasn't sure if he was talking about the psychological connection of his mother to himself or himself to the unknown future that lay ahead for his son.
It sort of struck home with me when I realized that Lee was talking about what will happen to his son when he is gone or when his son see's his father's concern. I do not ever want my own children, nor am I able to have them, so I take my very young brothers as sort of my children. Obviously, they're my brothers, but they're so young that I've often had to mother them and care for them.
This poem made me sad because I don't like the thought of them (ages 2 and 5) being without myself or without my parents. I also don't like the thought of them having concerns in life or struggles, I'd much rather them stay young and safe forever.
Lee said, "Inside his mother's singing to himself" I see this as children are incredibly affectionate towards their parents as are they dependent on them.
I very much enjoyed Lee's poem, "The Hammock." I find Lee's wording to be very interesting, like the way he talks of his mother's womb "waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." The poem speaks of how human's lives are so very significant and yet so very insignificant at the same time. Hicks's poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare," was interesting to me as well. I enjoyed the comments he had to say, on how exactly Shakespeare would fit in in today's world.
After listening to each poem, Lee's poem, "The Hammock", really stuck with me. I thought this poem was really neat in the aspect of how well it could connect with everyone. Grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers...it affects them all. Everyone can think about what it would be like to have a child, or many. Thinking about a child that belongs to you makes most think about how they would put their child first and make sure that they are provided with all of the necessities in which they need to carry out life. My favorite line in this poem is his response, in which he answers "yes".
I enjoyed both of these poems equally. With "At the Globe With Shakespeare", Hicks gives Shakespeare traits of today which I found entertaining. "The Hammock", however, spoke deeply to me. The journey of life is so short lived but yet in this poem, all of the little things are appreciated. The overall theme is to not let life pass you by, and enjoy every moment. Both of these poems were so simple, yet so complicated at the same time. Making the reader think deeply about the two subjects. These poems were a nice break from all of the dark poetry we have been reading.
What an interesting thought... hanging out with Shakespeare or Abe Lincoln... what would they think of today's society? I personally think they would be appalled. If the founding fathers came back today to see what we have made of America... I think they would be ashamed. But, that is a topic for a different day. Lee's poem really stuck out to me as well though. I always dream about the day I get to start my own family, have my own kids, and be someone's idol. It brings a smile to my face when I think about one of my children laying their head in my lap and all of their worries going away because that is exactly what I did as a child. For a poem to have this kind of personal effect on an individual goes to show how talented Lee really is. As Mr. C said to all of us, I feel like I know Lee through his poem.
Considering the poems that we have read so far, these two seemed to be the most understandable, and I enjoyed them. Lee's poem, being my favorite. "Between two unknowns, I live my life." This line really spoke to me. We have no inclination on when our life will begin or end, we don't know how it will begin or end, and we don't know where our soul is at the beginning or end. Our lives are just a little bump between two points in the history of mankind. This leads to him saying how unimportant, yet vitally important our lives are. To me, my life is everything I will ever know, to a European banker, my life does not have any significance. This is a strange thing to think about, considering the self-centered nature we are born with. We see things through our perspective alone. Lee brings up this idea, and really provokes our thoughts.
I enjoyed both of the poems because they were happy and easy to understand. I could relate to "The Hammock" because I always find myself wondering what my future holds. "Between two unknowns I live my life". If you think about it this line is very true. You don't know the past before you were born so it was an unknown and you don't know the future after you die so it is also an unknown. I also enjoyed the second poem because the idea of someone from the past living in the future has always amazed me. "Then he would take out his notepad, marvel briefly at the ball-point pen". The poem is almost humorous because we know that Shakespeare existed in the past but it also makes you wonder how different the future truly will be. What new inventions will be around 300 years from my own death?
Reading "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee, I began to think differently about everyday things. This poem gives the reader a different view of what their life is like, as a journey "between the two unknowns."
"At the Globe with Shakespeare" caught my attention a little bit more than "The Hammock." I often think of what historical people would do if they were placed in a modern scenario. Hicks has the best response to this question. They would just keep doing what they had been doing.
In Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare", many lines stood out to me. I did enjoy this one as I have always wondered what prominent people from the past would think about today's society. Hicks says "metal birds in the sky...that rumble smoky plumage." At first I did not know what metal birds were but when he mentions smoky plumage it made sense. Airplanes have helped our lives. What would Shakespeare think of traveling to America in a day or two rather than by ship which could take months. It makes you realize how far technology has advanced.
I think I prefer the positive poems that we read today instead of the depressing ones we read last week. I especially like the "At the Globe with Shakespeare" poem because I have always wondered what it would be like to meet someone famous from the past and I would like to see and record their reactions to modern days life. The line "his cell phone turned off, his ears open," is a good line because it makes me wonder if they would be easy to conform to modern day life and all of the technological advances that have been made. I wonder if they would marvel at the new things we have invented and taken advantage of such as ball-point pens or modern medicine. The line where the poet asks "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" poses a good question. Would the people of the past approve of the art of today or would they prefer the music and art of their own time periods better.
One phrase I was particularly captivated by in Lee's "The Hammock" was, "I think about how day hides the stars, the way I was hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself." I was so intrigued by this phrase because it makes you think in a way that you often do not. I never spend my daytime thinking about the stars, I am only concerned with them at night. This is similar to how I often do not think about my future children and will not be plagued by the thought until they are actually here with me. Lee causes the reader to think deeply and differently, but in a way that is pleasant as well.
Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" is also a perplexing poem. It highlights the possibilities of spending an afternoon with a celebrity. I think the poem also spoke to the disparity between our time periods as it referenced Shakespeare's possible reactions to our new technological age.
I quite enjoyed “The Hammock” poem by Lee as it really is the perfect analogy for the limbo that is life. Some of us choose to go on to have children and everything about them outlives us, even their memory of us. The middle of the Hammock is our brief lives while the edges are those that went before us and those that will come behind slightly slipping into our own time. “At the Globe with Shakespeare by Hicks was another poem that gives the reader a fresh perspective of life. Hicks composes a poem about how Shakespeare would see the world today. My favorite line is the beginning in which a plane is marveled at, “What would he make of our metal birds in the sky, the large ones that rumble smoky plumage?” These lines really give a great description of an airplane, but in a new way. It is certainly a fresh look at the modern world.
I found Patrick Hick's "At the Globe with Shakespeare" to be personally hilarious. Whenever I am with my grandparents the thought always seems to come to mind on how the music I listen to as of right now will soon be known as "oldies" music and the clothes I wear will embarrass my future kids someday when I gladly show them my high school days. Therefore, I felt a connection of some sort when Hicks says, "his earring would still be en vogue, so too his long hair. His ruff, however, would have to go." I found this to be interesting because there always seems to be some elements that stand the test of time and others that absolutely will not do, such as throwing your feces out of the window. Hicks does a wonderful job at imagining Shakespeare as a literary genius of the present--"His speech would be of interest to linguist and he would surely applaud the printing press on everyone's desk." This seems like Hick's knows exactly what Shakespeare would be thinking and that is a lot of confidence to uphold.
Li-Young Lee's poem,"The Hammock", captured my attention the most out of the two. Having children is a big responsibility, and I someday hope to have children of my own. Even though I do not have children, and will not for some time, I can relate to this poem. The lines, "Do his fathers kisses keep his fathers worries from becoming his?" were my favorite lines in the poem. No parent wants their troubles being brought upon their child, so they do not act like they have any. Kisses are comforting, and help us worry less. When a child receives those, there are no worries for them to think about or act upon.
Guhtmiller pd. 6
I enjoyed both of these poems a lot. In "The Hammock," I was reminded of the little thrills of childhood when he wrote, "And I remember how she carried me on her back between home and kindergarten, once each morning and once each afternoon." It gives me a warm feeling just thinking about the pure simplicity that childhood is. In "At the Globe with Shakespeare," it focuses on a comical side to what Shakespeare would do and think if he were to appear in present day. His line, "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" brings up a thought that I had never had.
Lee's Poem gives hope and thought to the future. But is does address the worries of a parent in the third stanza,"Do his father's kisses keep his father's worries from becoming his? I think, Dear God, and remember"(Lee). Parents all worry about their children. My parents show me this with their kind words and correcting throughout my 18 years. Lee shows us briefly what is going through each persons head.
The other poem by Hicks is more than thinking. He does make us think what it would be like to have historical people here. What would they be like?
In the poem the 2 lines that interest me are, "His speech would be of interest to linguists"(Hicks). This gives thought to what has changed which is everything.
Both poems are about the past, present and future.
Lee’s poem “The Hammock” intrigued me with his lines on singing. His poem relates to the brevity of life, and links directly to the popular phrase “carpe diem.” His last line claims “Yes,” answers all his questions, insinuating a general ignorance of transcendence. However, he adds the phrase “...and a little singing between two great rests.” We have two great rests, as long as the earth, the universe, consciousness exists. The only time we truly have is the between. He relates the time to singing--perhaps singing as the happiness we can derive from our one lifetime. A previous phrase describes his conceivement and development as being “inside [his] mother’s singing to herself.” The most basic and extraordinary creation is procreation--life. Lee points back to the beginning of his poem, saying that all we truly beget from life is our creations--most often our children.
In the poem “At the Globe with Shakespeare” a couple lines stood out to me. The first one being: “Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?”. This line sticks out to me because it is such a good question. It makes you wonder how much impact music would have on an individual’s inspiration. Another good line is: “marvel briefly at the ball-point pen”. I like this line because it expresses the thought that something so simple to us would amaze someone of a different time, however despite this amazement Shakespeare is still quick to use it in the poem. The words “he would” are repeated several times throughout the poem.
While the purpose of Lee's "The Hammock" was to both inspire and relax, for me, it did the opposite. Placing myself in the narrator's shoes,all I feel is an extreme anxiety. "Why?" you may ask. All that I can think about in that situation is the fact that everything has to change. If my mother and son where satisfied in that moment, they were well fed, healthy, and happy, they may never be that way again, because everything changes. I worry about if I have enough money to purchase everything I need to keep my son alive and well, along with keeping him happy. I worry about my aging mother's health, and when I will have to surrender her to the home, and the earth, successively. I worry about whether I should worry about what I am worrying about. I wonder if life as we know it is all that humans were ever designed to do, if we are truly achieving our unknown purpose. In trying to be relaxing, Lee has highlighted every single fear and worry that I have. After a while, however, I had a realization. As it is said, "If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?" No matter how happy I may be, I will be sad again. On the other hand, no matter how sad I am, I will be happy again. This poem expounds on the truth of "This Too Shall Pass."
Lee's "The Hammock" really got me thinking. Despite the fact that I have only a century on this Earth, if I'm lucky, life within my family will still go on without me through the hopes and wishes of my future children, and through theirs, and theirs.
"Between two unknowns, I live my life"
This line speaks to me. The unknown on the left side of the timeline that is my life is even more unknown than it is for most, me being adopted and all.
"Between my mother's hopes, older than I am"
I have little to no idea what these hopes are. I often feel, considering my almost nonexistent connection to my biological family and how little I have in common with most of the elders in my adopted family, as if I am starting a whole new family.
It is comforting to know that, since I have turned out better than my biological parents, my children will live on in my family after my death and follow their hopes and wishes.
Andrews 6
These poems have a sense of humor and are easier for me to understand and relate to. My favorite is Hicks’ “At the Globe with Shakespeare”, because to a certain extent it has a sense of humor. In the poem he questions how Shakespeare would function in today's society relating him to the average people that sit in coffee shops, sipping drinks, minding their own business while working on something. He talks about his style and how he would blend in with the rest with a few minor adjustments “His earring would still be en vogue, so too his long hair. His ruff, however, would have to go.” I think Hicks is some what saying that people today are really not that different from the people that lived a few hundred years ago. Lee’s “The Hammock” made me nostalgic of my childhood. The years that I was able to go to school and only worry about who I would play with on the playground. It made me realize the beauty and innocence of childhood and how it should not be taken for granted or wished away.
The line that spoke the most to me in, “The Hammock,” was the first line. When I lay my head in my mother’s lap… This line especially stuck out to me because I understood this line as referring to a grown adult wanting to be a kid again. This thought stuck out to me because I have had similar thoughts lately. I have been incredibly blessed by God with my first 18 years of my life. I would not want to change those years in any way. Why would I want too? They have shaped me into who I am to this very day. It makes me a little sad to think that my years of being a “kid” are pretty much over. Not that I am worried or afraid of what my future. Honestly it is quite the opposite, I am excited about my future. The reason I feel sad at times is not because I am worried about the future, but rather because I know that a chapter in my life is coming to an end and that I will not be able to rewrite or change this chapter. Instead my only choice is to look at this chapter and try to remember memories, while I am busy continuing to write this book known as my life. There is something about knowing that your limited time is up and you can not go back that makes a guy a little anxious and almost depressed. But not become too worried because there is a bright future ahead.
The first three lines "When I lay my head in my mother's lap
I think how day hides the stars,
the way I lay hidden once, waiting
inside my mother's singing to herself." spoke to me the most. When I think of these lines, I think about my childhood. I am turning eighteen very soon and will be leaving home next fall for school. I am excited to be leaving home and venturing new places, but also scared. I haven't known any other real place except home. I will miss my parents a lot and these lines make me think about the new chapter of my life that I will be starting soon. The last lines also speak to me. Life is short, live it well. My grandmother almost used to tell me this. She told me this on her death bed, and I have lived that way ever since and plan to for the rest of my life.
The end of the first stanza in Lee's poem states:
And I remember how she carried me on her back,
between home and the kindergarten,
once each morning and once each afternoon.
These three lines got my attention the most because I remember when my mom dropped me off to school on my first day of kindergarten. When I got older, she told me that she had cried when she got into the car because I was growing up so fast. Now I am a senior in high school and my mom does not bring me to school, even though she still does a tremendous amount of things for me. I think that most of us take our childhoods for granted and finally realize how important and great our parents actually are to us. They work hard to make sure that my siblings and I have everything we need. We need to truly thank our parents for all of their sacrifices they have endured to make us safe and happy growing up.
Huizenga 7
In Hicks poem, he opens with this line, “what would he make of our metal birds in the sky, the large ones that rumble with smoky plumage.” I find it very interesting that Hicks never mentions in the poem the name of the person he is wondering about, yet through the title it is established that the poem is referencing Shakespeare. I also like how in these lines he does not mention the name of the airplane, but defines it through description. The farther through the poem the reader goes, the more blatantly Hicks mentions items of today (i.e. sipping a latte, cell phone turned off), giving me the feeling of Shakespeare acclimating to life in the modern day throughout the story. I like the progression of confusion to complete submersion into the culture of the current world.
For me, The Hammock by Li-Young Lee stuck out to me the most because of some of the things he says. "I don't know what my mother is thinking." I have no idea what my mom is thinking most days. Sometimes I wonder what she's thinking, sometimes I don't. This poem makes me wonder about when I'm older and start having children. I hope that I am a good mother. Will my children wonder what I'm thinking when they're older? Will they write a poem about me and the good times that we had? I don't know, but I hope so.
Following our reading of Li-Young Lee's "The Hammock", I found the line, "I think, and I feel almost comforted" to be the most compelling. He is trying to say there are unknowns to life such as past his lifetime. He doesn't know what will come to be with the next generation, and he feels comforted of the future. He uses "almost" considering he has no idea what is to come of future. The next line I found to be rather interesting would be, "between two unknowns, I live my life". Lee has no idea what is to come, but regardless must live his life. There isn't anything in which he'd be able to change about the past or future. He must live in the present and live deliberately.
“The Hammock” was a very positive and warming poem. “I don’t know what my mother’s thinking.” I’ve no idea what my child is thinking. Between two unknowns, I live my life.” These lines from the poem are very powerful for me. It makes you think about your future children and how you will pass away and they will be on their own. I also think about how I do not always know what my mother is thinking but sometimes that is good and bad. Between these two unknowns we still seem to live on.
"Between my mother's hopes, older than I am coming before me..." A part of this line stood out to me because my parents are trying to give me advice about their experiences from college, but they went to college during a different time so it is hard to relate. Also, I don't know how my parents feel about me moving four hours away for college. Again, they can't relate because they went to college an hour from home.
The three lines that spoke to me the most in Lee's poem "The Hammock" were, " Is it a door, and good-bye on either side?
A window, and eternity on either side?
Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." These few line tell the reader that life is unknown, we say goodbye to the life that we know and accept a life that we have yet experienced. I like the fact that he says life is singing between two great rests because it does tell us that life is good and positive.
Both poems focused on the unknown, such as what is my mom thinking or what would it be like to visit with or spend time with Shakespeare in modern time. Lee uses words like " I wonder" or " I think" to show his understanding of the future. Hicks asks questions like "what would he make" and "Would he listen". Both authors sparked a great amount of curiosity in my mind of what the future holds are what it would be like to do some of the things discussed in the writings.
Lee uses bright imagery within his poems that evoke strong thoughts from the reader. “Do his father’s kisses help keep his father’s worries from becoming his? I think, Dear God, and remembering that there are stars we haven’t heard from yet. Hicks uses terms that are more modern while also using terms from many years ago to create almost parallels with those times. “There he would take out his notepad, marvel briefly at the ball-point pen, and he would scribble, his cell-phone turned off, his ears open, his hand fluttering like mad. Both poets wrote about lighter and more positive topics which was a refreshing change from the dark and depressing yet beautiful poetry from last week.
After reading both poems I feel that "The Hammock" by Lee spoke to me the most. The line "I don't know what my mother's thinking" is very interesting to think about. I feel as if I come across this confusion every day with mine. You feel as if you know somebody so well that you can predict their every action and thought, but in reality, you may know them too well to not be able to recognize their true wishes. Although, I feel that the true mystery of her not knowing my thoughts and vice versa is what keeps the relationship unique.
In The Hammock I enjoyed the line “Yes, and a little singing between two great rests”. It is a great way to answer the questions that were placed before it, “Is it a door, and goodbye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?”. It is the perfect answer for these questions no one knows. To me, its like saying we will see; an answer to the unknown.
Ripperda 7
A specific line that interested me from the Poem "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee was "Between two unknowns, I live my life." I like this line because there are people that come before us and people that will come after us, but we are in the middle, the now. We use what was given to us (technology, knowledge, ect.) and it is our job to prepare these things for future generations. It is all connected and we are just one dot on a line that extends back hundreds of years and that will continue down for centuries.
In Li-Young Lee's poem "The Hammock", the use of the word singing really stood out to me. Singing is mentioned twice in the poem. The first time is in the line that says "the way I lay hidden once, waiting inside my mother's singing to herself. The second time is the last line in the poem--"Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." The idea of singing that Lee portrays, I believe, symbolizes the mother's dreams in her son. She sees the beauty in him and his future.
The sentence, “Between my mother's hopes, older than I am
by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am
by outliving me,” stood out to me because it is saying that his child and his mother are both older than him though in different ways. Its interesting how he uses this word choice when comparing them. He is saying his life is very short in perspective. The other phrase that stood out to me is, “Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?” Its also fascinating how he compares both of these sentences using the words “either side.” He shows that a door and a window have two sides and that humans can be a door, a window, or both. If you have a legacy, your legacy lives on past your death. If your a door, you die and you never live on even with a legacy.
Darrington 7
In "The Hammock", Li-Young Lee presents an immensely debated philosophical dilemma. "Is it a door, and good-bye on either side? A window, and eternity on either side?" I like these lines a lot. Is our life simply over, only existing between the confines of birth and death, or is it more eternal. . . it is hard to know. He goes on to conclude the poem with "Yes, and a little singing between two great rests." By ending the poem this way, it takes the focus off of what happens before and after the life, and puts the emphasis on what you do during your life. This is liberating. He also references the rests he took as a kid in his mother's lap and also the nap his son took in his own lap.
These were pretty interesting poems. I did enjoy (as the author may have intended) the poems, as they seemed to be a departure from the previous poems, which were pretty dark. I did have some comments though.
In Lee’s “The Hammock”, Lee writes “I think, Dear God, and remember
there are stars we haven't heard from yet:
They have so far to arrive. Amen,
I think, and I feel almost comforted”.
While this lack of complete comfort seems to be related to the immensity of time, they could also be related to the predestination of the future that comes with Christian faith. Many people wish to believe in free will, and the power of their actions, but Christianity is at odds with the idea of free will. Perhaps these lines are about the insignificance of Lee’s actions, and his feelings on that.
I absolutely love the idea of future souls being "stars we haven't heard from yet." To think of each person, past, present, and future, as a star, puts into perspective the vastness of existence and how ours are so terribly insignificant, yet wholly eternal at the same time. Another line that puts that thought into perspective is "Between my mother's hopes, older than I am by coming before me, and my child's wishes, older than I am, by outliving me." Existence in terms of legacies and such is decidedly infinite, I'd like to think. One's life in cosmic terms is an idea so much bigger than those we are used to - but that's part of the beauty of it. Something so great and so grand, bigger than ourselves, an overarching concept of the scheme of things that can so easily be applied to our infinitesimal, substantial lives.
I enjoyed reading both of these poems, they were uplifting compared to the ones we have previously read in class. In Lee's "The Hammock" I enjoy the very first line of the poem. "When I lay my head in my mothers lap." This line makes me think of my time with my mother when I was younger and how grateful I am to have her as my mom. I also like how the rest of the poem talks about the narrators past time, current time, and future time. How he talks about his children, and thinking about the generations to come that he has not yet met. In Hicks "At the Globe with Shakespeare" I enjoy that the poem creates great imagery in your head about what it would be like to hang out with Shakespeare. And wondering what he would think about what we have today "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" Reading these poems makes me hope that I may be able to write such poems.
Hillestad period 7
I enjoyed the poem "At the Globe with Shakespeare." The line "Would he listen to Mozart or the Beatles?" was my favorite. It made me think about how much music has changed since Shakespeare was alive. Not just music, but many things have changed since the 1600's. The poem makes me think about how much will change after all of us die and connects to the other poem "The Hammock."
"Being two unknowns, I live my life"
Humans are completely meaningless on a cosmic level.
This is why I enjoy Li-Young's "The Hammock" so much. It confrontationally analyzes the vastness of our observable existence by showing the reader, in a touchingly personal way, that although the world has gone on for googols of years before us, it will continue to move; but, not without the amount of influence we put into the vat of human construction.
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