Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (5)

"How can i be a princess me a princess." (handout)

This quote comes from the poem "Hazel Tells LaVerne" by Katharyn Howd Machan. This poem lacked punctuation and capitalization just as the one from last week, but in my opinion they were eons apart in terms of level of difficulty. This one seems like a straightforward narrative and spin on the classic tale of "The Frog Prince." The diction in this poem gives me the image of a black woman in the south cleaning the bathrooms before the closing of a restaurant. (This is kind of stereotypical, but it fits the description.) The general tone of the poem is casual and lighthearted. The speaker is simply telling a story. I think the lack of punctuation can be attributed to the speakers eagerness to get to the end of her story because of the suprising ending. The poem is fun and easy to read. A theme from this poem could be that good things can come in unexpected ways.

Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (4)

"We held on tight, and let go." (896)

This quote ends the poem "Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis. This quote is a paradox, which describes the paradoxical meaning of the whole poem. The first two stanzas describe the problems with the marriage and the downhill plummet it was making. The final stanza contradicts the first two stanzas by implying that they still love each other, but they have to split up. The contradictory and paradoxical combination of the three stanzas gives readers a truth about their relationship. To me, this truth is that they still love each other, but they need time to grow up and out. They need to discover themselves before they can be together. The paradox of the whole poem is summed up in the last line (quoted above) because they are still holding on to each other inside, but for the good of both parties, they must go their separate ways and let go. They truly loved each other because they cried the last day they say each other. They loved each other enought to let the other go. I liked this poem because it made sense and told a story. The paradox made it interesting and kept the suspense going until the end.

Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (3)

"The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore"

The above quote is from "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. The poem contains an extended metaphor. The religious world is compared to the coast the speaker is currently standing on. The first stanza talks about the coast. The third stanza contains similar images, but these images are referring to the relgious world. When the relgious faith was in its prime, it was "round earth's shore." Now it is only a long, melancholy roar. The prevalence of the faith is retreating and people are becoming thin in their beliefs and commitment. The speaker wants the religious faith to remain beautifully in front of us like the "land of dreams" that can be seen off the coast. The last few lines reveal the current sad state of the faith. These lines contain images in sharp contrast with the beauty of the coast because the author wants to show how unappealing the thought of no religious faith is. It gives readers a taste of the path the world is headed toward, away from the beauty of having faith, into a world of darkness and struggle. The metaphor is effective because it shows the beauty of strong religious faith with something that most can relate to and see the beauty upon hearing the description.

Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (2)

"And may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out into the sea." (886)

The above quote comes from "Crossing the Bar" by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Even though this is not the imagery section, the images in this poem really stuck out to me. The images conveyed the gist of the poem to me. The images are of sunset, twilight, tide, and flooding. These images all signify an end to me. The poem is about death which is also an end. Also, to me the images are peaceful and calm. This is exactly how the speaker envisions and wants his death to be. He wants to die quickly without moaning (pain). He also wants it to be quick so people are not feeling sorry for him and telling him goodbye rather than embracing his presence now. The images in the poem convey the theme of a wish for a peaceful, noneventful end to his life just as the end of the day and end of the tide come peacefully everyday and without a bunch of hoopla.

Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (1)

"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare." (885)

The quote above comes from the poem, "My mistress' eyes" by William Shakespeare. The central theme of this poem is that the love between the speaker and his mistress is stronger than the love between the people who lie to themselves and each. The speaker knows his love is stronger because he does not have to validify his mistress by the way she looks. The speaker loves his mistress for who she is as a person, not because she fits the fairy tale descriptions and false comparisons like "eyes as bright as the son." The speaker knows that his mistress may not be the most beautiful on the outside, but he loves her for what is on the inside and that is what makes their bond stronger than the bonds built of false comparisons and looks alone. Part of the central theme is evident through lines 1-12 when the author is bashing on his mistress. From line 13 to the end the theme is really clear, it becomes evident as to why he was downing her and that he truly loves her for who she is. The theme is effective because readers know what message the speaker is trying to convey.

Poetry Ch. 7 POUI (5)

"next to of course god, america i"

Yes, I am tackling the intimidating poem with no punctuation or capitilization. (Go me!) Anyways, "next to of course god america i" by e.e. cummings is a very difficult poem. (i am curious as to why the periods after the e's in cummings' name required punctuation by capitalization was not necessary.) So the purpose of the lack of capitalization and punctuation seems to me to have the purpose of describing the speaker. When I read the poem, I pictured the speaker as some drunk old man at a bar slurring his sentences together and lacking emphasis in his words. The glass of water threw this theory a curve ball, but I stand by it because a) he could be sobering up after a long night, or b) it's not really water.
Another thing I noticed was that the basic ideas in the poem was the Star Spangled Banner, the beginning of America, and war. These three things fit together if it is Revolutionary War time. This also makes sense in light of the second to last line of the poem when liberty is mentioned. So I figure that the setting is around that era. I see the basic story like this: the speaker is recalling the time when men were risking their lives at war for America and all of the civilians were gung ho for America. I think that the speaker and Cummings do not admire the men for this. On the contrary, I think that they are calling the men dumb for not even thinking about what they are getting themselves into and they could all die and we will have no voice. This poem is a bit confusing without punctuation and capitalization, but once one gets over the initial shock, it is pretty easy to add one's own punctuation where one sees fit. Chances are one will get some of it right and at least somewhat understand the message. (By the way, I considered writing this whole blog with no capitalization or punctuation to better get a feel for Cummings' purpose, but I decided against it for your own best interest.

Poetry Ch. 7 POUI (4)

"Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new." (840)

I chose this quote from "Batter my heart, three-personed God" by John Donne because it was basically the only comparison in the poem I actually got. The break refers to the Son because He is broken so that we might be healed. (I feel like their is a church song that has it in it because that line keeps replaying in my mind, but I cannot recall the name of the song or the rest of the song.) The blow refers to the Holy Spirit because it is the breath of life and always associated with wind. The burn refers to God who is the light of the world, burning for all to see. (Now I have the "Go Light Your Candle" song in my head. I am not even sure if that is the title of the song, but it is in the chorus, so works for me.) Anyways, that was about the only comparison I could figure out. The other questions asked what the speaker and God were being compared to. I knew they were being compared to something, I just could not decipher what. However, despite my inability to pick out the comparisons, I think I still got the gist of the poem. I think that the speaker is asking God for forgiveness. He wants God to come into his life because the speaker is ready to admit Him. The speaker wants God to divorce him from his enemy (the devil?) and allow him to be married chastely to the church. This is taking the poem quite literally, so I may be wrong, but that's what I got.

Poetry Ch. 7 POUI (3)

"She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle." (836)

The poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy was one of my favorites from this chapter. I think the central theme is: Women are too concerned with their looks and other people's approval that they forget what is important. For the girl in the poem, this was exactly the case. She wanted so badly not to have "a great big nose and fat legs." She went so far as to cut off her nose and legs. This is a bit extreme, but she was so worried about what other people thought that she forgot to consider what it would cost her, her life. I think that the theme here is important because it reminds us that we don't all have to be perfect like a Barbie Doll because they are just plastic and don't have to worry about things like eating and living. Basically, there is more to life than looks. Sometimes girls forget this and in turn forget who they really are and who they are trying to please. I don't know about you, but I want to please myself, my parents, and God, not some petty teenage girls.

Poetry Ch. 7 POUI (2)

"Folding clothes, I think of folding you into my life."

The poem "Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie is an extended metaphor. The metaphor begins in the first stanza (the quote above). After that point, most aspects of laundry that are described can be compared to their relationship. For example, the speaker refuses to "bleach into respectability. The speaker wants their love to be true passion, not just respect for each other. The speaker wants their relationship to remain vibrant and not bleach into a friendship. Also, the "wrinkles to be smoothed, or else ignored" compare to the rifts in the relationship that will be smoothed out between the two of them or forgotten over time. The speaker wants everything to be smooth between her and her partner. The shrunken clothes that are "tough to discard even for Goodwill" compare to the memories that the speaker cannot let go of. The clothes are a sign of where they have been together. In the end, the speaker says that even "a mountain of unsorted wash" cannot replace her lover. I think that this line finishes off the metaphor (and the poem, obviously). The extended metaphor is effective because it gives readers a comparison of how the speaker sees her love. It also gives a picture of the speaker's character and role.

Poetry Ch. 7 POUI (1)

"And the father wrote right back, 'Please don't write such depressing letters.'" (846)

The poem APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann contains situational irony. The poem has situational irony because the soldier is trying to protect his mother. He does not want his mother to know the horrid details of what is really going on over seas. He tries to make her think that everything is fine and it is just time away from home, when in reality he is killing people everyday. The mother thinks that she wants to know exactly what is going on in Vietnam. Ironically, she is too overcome with the truth and gets upset. I think that the irony of the poem is important because it basically describes the attitude of the American public during the war. No one wanted to admit to or recognize what was going on in Vietnam. The irony's purpose is to show the difference in sentiments from one perspective to another. I liked this poem because I understood its theme and what it was trying to get across. Also, it was more of a story than random words put into stanzas.

Poetry Ch. 5 Figurative Language (5)

"Winter. Time to eat fat and watch hockey."

I think the poem "February" by Margaret Atwood is a very strange poem from line twelve on. I think that the basic idea is that sex is the way to stay alive and well during the winter months. The hockey, cat, and eating analogies are present throughout. Sex is compared to hockey when the speaker says "He shoots, he scores!" The poem also mentions the conquest of a cat marking his territory. The eating analogy is also related to sex when their is famine in the bedsheets. All of these analogies work together to make sex seem like a conquest to score, quench hunger, and mark territory. I think that this poem is kind of bizarre and has a weird theme. One of the questions from the book asks if this is what I associate with winter. I can assure you that I have never even considered these things with winter or any time of the year. This poem has an interesting theme to say the least, but it is very well portrayed through analogies and imagery.

Poetry Ch. 5 Figurative Language (4)

"Dull sublunary lovers' love
(Whose sould is sense) cannot admit
Absence, because it doth remove
Those things which elemented it." (802)

This quote is from the poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne. The central theme of this poem is that true love, once refined, is so strong that even when one lover dies or leaves for a while, the bond cannot be broken. This is apparent when the whole message of the poem is taken into consideration. I think that the message that true love will never die is timeless and evident in this poem. The poem really reveals the bond between lovers and recognizes that they become one after time. I think that this poem shows the significance of love and how it influences people. The poem also shows that lovers depart in different ways, but that does not make their love any less. Some lovers (laity) part with no noise, no tears, and no sighs, rather, they give a profanation of their joys. Other lovers are fixed footed and do not move without their other half. This poem stays true to its theme and describes how true love can be shown in different ways, but is so strong that the bond never falters.

Poetry Ch. 5 Figurative Language (3)

"Inebriate of Air-am I-And Debauchee of Dew" (797)

The poem "I taste a liquor never brewed" by Emily Dickinson contains an extended metaphor to which the speaker compares alcoholic intoxication to intoxication with the beauty of nature. The comparison to nature has many instances throughout to support it: "yield," "Debauchee of Dew," "Butterflies-renounce their 'dreams,'" "leaning against the-Sun." I think that the comparison is effective because everyone understands the feeling of being overcome with the beauty of nature and God's creation. The speaker describes alcoholic intoxication using the extended metaphor of intoxication of nature because people experience the same feeling of being on top of the world and happy when they are alcoholicly intoxicated and naturally intoxicated. Some of the descriptions of the beauty seen in alcoholic intoxication are beautiful occurences in nature that one can't help but see as beautiful. Some of these images are: "Tankards scooped in Pearl," "inns of Molten Blue," and "snowy Hats." I think that the figurative language of an extended metaphor is effective in this poem because it not the typical way we see drunks until the last stanza. It is almost letting us see the drunks from a new perspective.

Poetry Ch. 5 Figurative Language (2)

"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" (805)

The poem "Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes uses many similies. The similes propose different options about what could happen to a dream that is deferred. The deferred dream is compared to a raisin in the sun, rotten meat, a syrupy sweet crusting over, a sore, and a heavy load. These are all things that have the connotation of being lost and forgotten. This similes are effective because it shows that the speaker thinks that his/her dreams will be forgotten like meat and rot away somewhere. The speaker thinks that the dreams that are not realized will be forgotten by all involved and become some rotten thing just sitting somewhere without a purpose or hope. The similes are followed by one metaphor that concludes the poem. This metaphor is strategically placed at the end because it introduces another idea entirely. All of the similes dealt with something being forgotten and becoming old and gross. The metaphor "or does it explode" at the end compares the deferred dream to something that blows up and leaves nothing behind. I think that this ending metaphor may be what the speaker is hoping happens to the dreams that are deferred because he/she doesn't want his/her old dreams hanging over his/her head for the rest of his/her life. The speaker wants to be able to move on and forget about it.

Poetry Ch. 5 Figurative Language (1)

"I have prepared my sister's tongue."

The poem "The Joy of Cooking" by Elaine Magarrell uses metonymy. The speaker uses metonymy to describe the shortcomings of his siblings. In the first stanza, the speaker prepares his sister's tongue. The tongue's description allows readers to infer things about his sister. One thing the metonymy hints at is that his sister uses foul language. I gathered this because he prepared it and scrubbed it. Usually, children get their tongues washed with soap to teach them not to curse. The fact that the tongue needed to be "scrubbed and skinned" implies that it was dirty. The speaker uses metonymy to describe his sister's bad habit of using foul language. The speaker also uses metonymy in the second stanza when he has his brother's tongue. I think that the metonymy hear is describing his brother when he describes the heart. The heart is "firm and rather dry, slow cooked." This implies that according to the speaker, his brother's heart is not used often and isn't very appealing. Also, the heart only serves two, unlike the beef heart that serves six. This implies that the speaker's brother's heart is small. By the speaker's metonymy, we can gather that the speaker has some background in food and has some pent-up feelings about his siblings.

Poetry Ch. 4 Imagery (5)

"It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world." (The Panther)

This is the first poem that I can use Perrine's logic and account for every detail in the poem with my interpretation. For this reason, I am going to take this post to offer up my interpretation of the poem with all of the details and what they stand for. First of all, the panther is a prisoner on death row. The author chooses a panther instead of a lion becuase lions have more of a powerful connotation because they are the kings of the jungle. The constantly passing bars are the bars of the jail cells. His vision is weary and can see no world because he has been in prison so long that he does not remember anything beyond the bars. He paces in cramped circles because he is trapped in a tiny cell with nothing else to do. His movement is powerful soft strides because he wants to appear confident, strong, and calm even though he is really freaking out. The mighty will standing paralyzed is the prisoners belief that their might still be a way out. He has to keep this will strong and steady because otherwise he will go insane. The curtain of people lifting is the inmate being alone for a little while and being able to think, and he is left alone. The image that enters in is the end. The injection has tensed and arrested the muscles, so the end is left to rush through them and into the heart where the heart stops and everything is over. This may not be the most correct interpretation, but I feel that it is valid because I followed Perrine's guide and accounted for every detail in a not outlandish way.

Poetry Ch. 4 Imagery (4)

"Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well." Pg. 782

The poem "Those Winter Sundays" has a nostalgic tone to it. I believe that the tone is established throughout the poem because the speaker is reflecting back on a previous time in his/her life. I think that the author is longing to return to the past to thank the father who warmed the house and polished shoes even on Sundays when he was tired and ached from labor. The speaker wants to go back to this time to thank his/her father. I think the nostalgic tone is achieved with the flashback to the past and through the question at the end: "What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?" This question is the speaker calling upon his/herself to think about the past and how it made him/her feel then and now. The speaker is also a bit resentful about the way he/she treated his/her father. This is evident when the speaker mentions the way the father was treated even after he drove out the cold and polished shoes. I think that the tone may be nostalgic because the father might have recently passed away and now their is no apologizing or making up for the past now that he is gone.

Poetry Ch. 4 Imagery (3)

"And as the smart ship grew
In stature, grace, and hue,
In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too." Pg. 779

The poem "The Convergence of the Twain" has an interesting form and pattern to it. The stanzas consist of two short lines followed by one longer line. I think that the author does this to demonstrate the way things can happen with little expectancy. The two shorter lines preclude the longer line and give little warning to what is really happening. The sinking of the Titanic also sunk with little warning. All three lines in each stanza rhyme. To me this helps the flow of the poem going forward. It also shows that the three lines are a set.

Also, the first five stanzas focus on just the Titanic, her previous beauty, and her situation now. The sixth stanza focuses on the iceberg. And the last five stanzas focus on the meeting of the two. I think that author fashions the stanzas in a reverse chronological order. I think it makes sense though because usually readers know what happened in the past and move forward with a work to find out what happens next. In this situation, I feel that the author starts with the Titanic's fate because nearly everybody already knows how the tale ends. The author then goes back in time to that fateful point when the ship and Iceberg collide because that is the point that most people overlook because they just focus on the end tragedy.

Poetry Ch. 4 Imagery (2)

"And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul." Pg 776

The poem "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" by Emily Dickinson is an allegory. There are many symbols throughout the poem that contribute to the overall allegory. The overall allegory is that the speaker's funeral is a symbol for the speaker losing her mind and going crazy. The funeral is not a literal funeral because if the speaker was actually dead, he/she could not hear; it is symbolic of the burial of her current state of mind. A symbol in the poem that helped me arrive at this conclusion is the "Funeral, in my Brain." This explicitly tells readers that the funeral is not real. I concluded from this that the funeral was for her brain in her brain. Also, "Sense was breaking through" suggests that something is breaking into her mind and it was not going well. "My Mind was going numb" explains that the speaker's mind is not longer working properly; it is almost as if it is not their because the speaker cannot feel it the way he/she once could. The "strange Race Wrecked" symbolizes the beginning of the end. This point identifies the breaking point for the speaker. After that, everything goes down hill, or is "dropped down, and down." The last thought concludes the allegory of the poem with a symbol that is very relevant to the idea the speaker losing her mind: "And Finished knowing."

Poetry Ch. 4 Imagery (1)

"A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden. -Have, get, before it cloy," Pg. 774

"Spring" by Gerald Manley Hopkins contains an alliteration to the Garden of Eden. I believe that this allusion also connects to the girl and boy mentioned in later lines. From the allusion to the Garden of Eden, readers can deduce that the girl and boy are Eve and Adam. The allusion to the Garden of Eden creates a comparison between the innocence of Adam and Eve at the beginning before they ate from the tree of knowledge and the innocence of springtime. Both are beautiful and uncorrupted. I think that the allusion helps us make a connection to how the author views spring because he alludes to an event that most people are familiar with. "Long and lovely and lush; Thrush's eggs look little low heavens." This quote is an alliteration that focuses the reader to the harmonious sounds and sights of spring. The alliteration and allusion work together to emphasize the harmonious innocence of spring.

Perrine Poetry

"More than one meaning may be valid, but not just any meaning can be."

Before reading Perrine's article, I was one of those students who believed that any interpretation of a poem was just as good as any other. However, after reading this article, I realized I was 100% wrong. After being completely wrong about all four poems that we were originally assigned, I figure that Perrine's criteria for interpreting a poem could be a huge help. I think that Perrine's approach to determining the "correct" interpretations of poetry are valid and have the potential to be very helpful. However, I think it is more easily said than done. It seems like one of those skills that requires a great deal of practice to become reasonably good at. For instance, when Perrine was describing they correct interpretations for the poems that we read to introduce us to poetry, his interpretations made total sense, and much more sense than my ideas. Hoever, I would have never come up with those things on my own.

Perrine also states that words in poetry have richer meaning and purposeful ambiguities, but the meanings are still confined to a certain area. I agree with Perrine on this because I believe that the amibuities are meant to call readers to a deeper thinking that will allow them to truly enjoy the work. I disagree with the comparison to a scientific hypothesis. For one, I find it totally irrelevant to the topic and an invalid comparison. To me, scientific hypotheses are based on a large amount of research and scientific knowledge. The hypothesis is formed by the most likely possibility based on the research, not the simplest or most economical way to interpret the facts without contradicting any known facts. This article will help me study poetry in this class because now I know to look beyond the literal meaning and search for something deeper. It will help me discover the meaning behind symbols because now I have any idea of the types of things to look for like similarities between nouns and adjectives and the usage of plurals. I think that overall Perrine's article is very helpful in teaching people how to correctly interpret poetry.