Dover Beach

To try to understand this poem, I did a little bit of research. Besides looking at poetic anaylsis, I looked at the author and the setting. Arnold was an Englishman who, as evidence in this poem, saw the dwindling amount of religious in his time: "The Sea of Faith/ Was once, too at the full,...lay...furled." I also read that Arnold too had his doubts and anxieties about faith and questioned it. This brings me to the setting and such that is adresses in one of the questions in the book about setting and such. Dover Beach, from what I found, is the shortest way across the English Channel and France is visible from England and vice-versa. So, Arnold is pondering questions of religion as he stares across the English Channel on a moon-lit night. Now, I have my doubts about God like any Christian. But, wouldn't that scene seem a little too perfect and surreal to dispute some sort of supreme being?

Diction in Hazel Tells LaVerne

In reading through this poem the first time, I realized a re-read probably wouldn't be necessary. This poem was easy to follow, easy to read, and simple to understand due to the diction. Words like "cleanin", "musta",and "ta flushm" are informal and would have me sent to English hell had I used them, but they add flavor to the poem. I got the impression of an uneducated, blue-collar, country woman seeing this frog and not knowing any fairy tales or princess stories and getting rid of this talking frog. This poem is one where there is very little room for interpretation and guess work; it's pretty staightforward. But the diction is carefully crafted to be informal to give it the feel of a simple, funny story.

Tone in Getting Out

One thing I've really started to notice about poetry is that, more than any other genre of literature, it is pure emotion. Most poems we read have to do with hapiness, sadness, beauty, depression, love, and in this case, failed love. The speaker talks of difficult days when the couple was battled for a divorce. They hated each other as expressed in the first like when the woke" like inmates". They fought "heaved words like furniture". Similes like these two created a tone of hatred and frustration. But the real feelings are revealed when the tone switches in th last few lines when the speaker speaks of them crying and reaching for each other on the last day. What this revealed to me was that the woman hated this man and couldn't stand to be with him any longer and had to struggled in "getting out"; but, she still loved him.

Symbolism in Crossing the Bar

Initailly, uopn reading this poem I thought it was literal: a man out at sea. But, with a hint from the questions following the story, I quickly began to understand the real meaning. I think he compares his trip into the ocean to life, starting with Sunset and ending with Twilight. What really made me understand the meaning of this poem was the God symbol at the end. He says, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face/ When I have crossed the bar." The God reference rang a bell because we always talk about seeing God "face to face" when we enter heaven and the fact that God is the Pilot that guides us to our place in the afterlife. The speaker speaks of his death as one of peace that he hopes will not bring mourning. But, what doesn't make sense is how is crossing the sandbar like death? I don't really get the whole sea metaphor.

Metaphors in My mistress eyes'

Oh how I hate Shakespeare. But, this is the first work of his that I've read that wasn't a play and its not too bad. Characteristic of his plays, he uses a sort of dry humor in this poem. He describes his mistress as everything but ideal in saying metaphors like "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" and "I have seen roses dmasked, red and white,/ But no such roses see I in her cheeks." All of these are a play off the typcial love poems that talk compare a woman to the beauty of nature, like the sun and roses. His metaphor serve a purpose in that they aren't lofty and idealistic, but more realistic. He still calls her great and "rare" in the last line, but he isn't over-the-top with her beauty and his infatuation of her. This is more of a love poem than any I've heard in that he points out the flaws and still accepts her as rare that no other woman compares to.

Metaphor in Mr. Z

Mr. Z seems to be a man who struggles with who he is. Sometimes people feel that in order to get ahead, they can't embrace their heritage. I feel that Holman really places the blame on both the man and the society, but mainly the society. He says that this man had success ditching his African American heritage. The metaphor "An airborne plant, flourishing without roots," explains this perfectly. He still became great, even though he didn't have his roots. He was freed of his roots, his color and race, and was able to fly. So, within this metaphor, it seems the author is placing the blame on society.

Vietnam in APO 96225 (response to #2 in the book)

In U.S History last year, I learned quite a bit about the war in Vietnam, far more than what I had learned just from Forrest Gump. One of thing that I thought was especially interesting was that it was the first war that had national media covering live events and such. Everyone knows war is bad, but I think the American public was really shocked to actually see how mad Vietnam was. Some people wanted to know but probably regretted asking, like the soldiers mother. Stories of dropping napalm on innocent civilians and raiding civilian houses was in part what turned the country against the war, along with the devastating casualties. This war in a foreign and obscure place against an unclear enemy dragged on for too long in the public's eyes leading to many deaths of Americans. Sound familiar?

Overstatement in Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie

In reading this poem, I got a tone of sadness and it finally became real in the last line when the speaker mentioned "the empty side of the bed". This is the second poem we've read about a widow who is reminded of her husband through things. The trees and flower in "Spring" or "Autumn", I forget which one, reminded the widow of her husband. In this poem, a few items remind her of her husband, like the shirt from Kuwait, but she seems more overwhelmed by the clothes and her loss. In line 49, she mentions "a mountain of unsorted wash". This overstatement is a little more significant I think than just describing how much clothes she has to fold. I think the author uses it as a comparison to the emotional mountain this woman will have to get over to get on with her life.

Irony in Ozymandias

As Christians, we hear numerous times throughout the Gospel of Jesus criticizing the kings and rulers of his day. He knew that their earthly power really meant nothing, they will fade and another king will soon take over. To me, it seems like the central theme of Ozymandias is the deterioration of power and wealth. Ozymandias is the "king of kings" and his pedestal reads "look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!" The irony of this is that Ozymandias in lying a desert and nothing is around him. Power and might on Earth is temporary. Ozymandias was cruel and harsh ("frown and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,") and the people he ruled probably only remembered for that. Shelley conveys this message through his poetry through this kind of comedic irony.

Satire in Barbie Doll

I think Marge Piercy is speaking for the general American woman in "Barbie Doll". She tells of an imperfect but normal girl who can't live up to society's absurd standards. She was told my some classmate as a teenager that she had a big nose and fat legs. I'm sure most people have either been told or recognize their imperfections and some people, like this girl, hold on to them and let them define who they are. This girl is a typical American girl unfortunately compares herself to the perfect, idealistic, and flawless Barbie image that the public wants. Disgusted with herself, she has to kill herself. At then end Piercy satrizes sociey when talking about this girl in her casket: "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending." Piercy is trying to eliminate the notion that every girl must look like Barbie through these last couple lines and the poem in general. No one can be perfect, even Barbie has chips in her paint sometimes.

The Joy of Cooking

It is an understatement to say I am appalled and freaked out by this poem. As grotesque as it is, it's really funny how the poet makes it sound appetizing. Just a bit of seasoning with any human body part and a delicious feast is waiting. This poet, like Dickinson, is either completely insane or completely genius. How this idea popped into Magarrell's head is a mystery I want answered. But, the most disturbing part is where she talks about her brother's heart only being able to feed 2 instead of 6. Why is this? My guess was that her brother is really young and has a small heart and bring back flashes of A Modest Proposal. Like Swift's essay, I hope there is some irony or some really deep buried symbolism. But, my gut tells me this is actually about preparing human body parts.

Langston Hughes goes simile crazy

Langston Hughes tries to explain or examine what happens to a dream not lived or deferred. I thought it was a little curious that Hughes chose the word "deferred" instead of "unattained" or another word that meant incapable of being reached. It gives me the impression that Hughes isn't talking about crazy dreams: but rather, he's talking about dreams we put off or defer. I think he is sort of saying that all dreams we have are attainable, but we only put them off. He ponders what happens to these dreams we leave out "does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?" Sometimes we put dreams off to much and save them for a more stable and clear time in our life that we never get back to them. Then, they get dried up like a raisin. They are still good, but lose the fullness and sweetness that a fresh grape has. This is only one of the scenarios Hughes offers in the entire poem that is similes. Does it sit and just stink (meat)? Or get better (syrupy sweet)? Does it burden us (heavy load)? Or eat us up inside until we explode?

Couplets in Pink Dog

This poem contains many different couplets throughout the different stanzas. Not only does it have quite a few couplets, it has a few lines that have 3 rhyming lines. I never really understood the meaning or purpose of rhyming in poetry. Is it just for fun or entertainment? Or does it serve a deeper purpose? "If they do this to anyone who begs, / drugged, drunk, or sober, with or without legs," These lines don't really seem to serve a purpose to me, but they do elaborate on the habit of throwing people into rivers. The entire poem seems comical to me and maybe the practice of throwing beggars and the low members of society actually happened, in that case it isn't real funny. Maybe, the rhyming lightens the mood or possibly is used to draw emphasis to an idea or a problem.

One more on "Bright Star"...oxymoron

In reading through this poem, after my first blog, I have to come to the realization that this "star" is actually the moon. Hints like "the moving waters at their preistlike task" clued me in. But the biggest clue I realized on about my third read through was line 12: "Awake forever in a sweet unrest". The oxymoron "sweet unrest" helped me now realize that this is the moon. The moon is always out and never sleeps, even during the day, when we can't see it. The moon is never really dimmer one night to the next, unless interfered with by the night air. It never has an off night where it looks like it needs sleep. It should be "unrest" because it is "awake forever" but never really is because it still shines every night.

Personification in "Bright Star"

I think we all look at things and nature and idolize or at least long for an aspect of something. For me, I would like to be as tall as a tree, but that would be a bit inconvenient. But, I think what Keats sees in the stars is very meaningful and desirable. He longs to be as "steadfast as thou art". To be steadfast, consistent, unchangeable, and unwavering is something that all people strive for. The way in which he makes it seem like some exception to nature is through making the star alive. "And watching, with eternal lids apart...Or gazing...Awake forever" all make the star come to life. Through making it come to life, Keats is able to give it movements and effect other things throughout the poem.

Diction in London

The diction in "London", to say it midly is depressing. Everyone has "marks of weakness, marks of woe". Not one class of people he mentions from the working class, to the Church, or to the military is happy. Men and infants cry. But, I don't feel this poem's purpose is to be gloomy for the sake of being gloomy. Blake is trying to call attention to something. All the things going wrong in this city are not the fault of the people. They are the curses of society created by the Rulers: "Runs in blood down Palace walls". It is the fault of the detached Palace that causes the afflictions and the downfalls of marriages. This poem may have written to get the attention of the Palace and if nothing else to support the people of London.

Imagery in Those Winter Sundays

The father in this story seems old-fashioned by today's standards. He's tough, rugged, a man's man. But to create this effect, Robert Hayden specifically describes a harsh winter Sunday with words like "blueblack cold".  Hayden sympathized with this harsh man: "...with crakced hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather...No one ever thanked him." The image of this young boy waking up on an ice cold winter day to his father who warmed the house. What really puzzled me was the "chronic angers of that house". Is this a reference to his father abusing him? If it is, it's a little puzzling to me that he would be so grateful and sympathetic of his father. Maybe he is trying to realize why his father is beating him. Not sure, definitely a question I want answered.

Personification in The Convergence of the Twain

I'm sure Thomas Hardy wasn't the first and won't be the last poet to comment on the sinking of the Titanic. Most poems about tragedy take a somber tone, as does this one. But, what gives this poem life among the bleak tone is the personification of the items in the poem. He speaks of fish that swim the sea and "Gaze at the gilded gear And query: 'What does this vaingloriousness down here?'.  These fish wonder, as the rest of the world, how this mass got down there. He speaks of the ship and "A Shape of Ice" on a crash course for destiny that "jars both hemisphere". Although he sees the tragedy, he knows it is the will of the "Spinner of the Years" and on his command that this happened. Through making the Iceberg human, he is able to make it seem as if it was the destiny of both these behemoths to collide

Metaphor in Dickinson's Head

Making no question as to her technique, Emily Dickinson starts off her poem with "I felt a funeral, in my Brain." Since it is impossible to have a funeral in her head, she is trying to create an effect. Talking about this in my small group, we were able to decipher this curious metaphorical poem. Dickinson indicates that she, or whoever the character, is at their own funeral in their own coffin. She goes through the bell tolling and other ceremonious funeral activities, when she finally speaks on her being dropped in the ground and the "Plank of Reason, broke" and she falls farther into the world. What we discussed and decided was that Dickinson is talking about losing her sanity. She loses Reason and is falling deeper and deeper into becoming insane and crazy. This funeral metaphor is drastically better than if she was straight forward; she creates a more serious tone.

Theme of "Spring"

I think the theme of the poem spring is often the idea associated with spring. Spring is a period full of newness and life. Hopkins says in the first line, "Nothing is so beautiful as spring...". The first line is indicative of the rest of the poem that has an optimistic tone. Words like "beginning","shoot","richness", and "blooms" speak of the birth of flowers and the change in the seasons and the optimism that comes with it. What I also found interesting was his religious references. Obviously, he is a Christian and I believe his reference with Jesus is to Easter and Christ's rebirth and renewal of life that coincides with spring. His last couple of lines are centered around Christ and I think he does this for a reason. Often during holidays we miss their true meaning. Hopkins leaves us with the importance of spring, Jesus.

Different Perspective

The first aspect of this essay I would like to comment on is the thesis of this essay. Midway down the first page Perrine says his purpose: "I wish not to advance any new proposition, but only to reassert the accepted critical principle that for any given poem there are correct and incorrect readings...". These thesis is something I've probably been told before but not really believed until this essay. Teachers have told me what poems have meant and I've never really understood why or how they come to the conclusion they do. To me, my confusion and difficulty in reading poetry has been in determining if the poem is literal or symbolic in meaning. Like the Blake poem "The Sick Rose", who really knows what it means? Although I understand Perrines reasoning in determining the correctness of a read of a poem and what things are according to details lining up, I'm not sure any person, besides the poet, could tell me what the things really mean. Perrine can tell me that "The Night-March" isn't about an army, but instead stars. But, what no one can tell me is if those stars are symbolic of something or just stars. So, what I got from this article was that there is correct way in determining what the poem is about but a multitude of ways to interpret symbolism, within reason.

The next aspect I want to comment on is the style Perrine uses. This essay was very similar to the last essay we read about what a good reader does and is by Nabokov. Early in the essay, he says identifying with a character is terrible but later qualifies it. Perrine does a similar thing saying, "That all interpretation of a poem are equally valid is a critical heresy...". A heresy! That seems a bit harsh to me so of course later he concedes. He speaks about the theory that poetry is like abstract art or music and therefore "anything goes" and how the theory that poetry is open to interpretation, when he says the theory came about because, "...withing limits, there is truth in it." So it isn't the work of Satan to interpret poetry in my own way, within reason?