"And that thou thinkst thee free / From all solicitation from me, / Then shall my ghost come to thy bed" (Lines 2-4)
Creeper alert. This guy is super weird, and he is way too attached to this woman he is threatening. I read this poem as a warning to his wife/girlfriend/woman he met once and is stalking (I can't decide which she is, so we'll call her Woman X from now on.) The speaker is about the die, and he is warning Woman X to never sleep with another man again. This guy has some serious attachment issues, and he just doesn't know when to stop being so clingy. My guess is that Woman X met him a few times, and now he is a bit of a stalker. The image of a ghost following her around during any relationship she will ever have reminds me of the movie Over Her Dead Body starring Eva Longoria, the fantastic Paul Rudd, and Lake Bell. Eva Longoria is crushed by an ice sculpture on her wedding day when she is supposed to marry Paul Rudd. Paul Rudd moves on to meet Lake Bell, but Eva Longoria does not want them to be together. Lake Bell can see Eva Longoria after she is dead for some reason, and that is very unfortunate for Lake Bell. Eventually, the story works itself out because it is a Hollywood product, but the poem doesn't seem to have such a lovely ending in store for the characters. Pity.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
"Getting Out" Cleopatra Mathis
"And in the yearly letter, you're sure to say, / you're happy now. Yet I think of the lawyer's bewilderment / when we cried, the last day." (Lines 19-21)
This poem is like a left-handed love story. It is devastating to think of the destructive marriage that is described, but it is beautfiul to picture a love so drastic that it cannot be. It lasts through a divorce, and it knows when to end. It is not a pure, true love that can withstand anything, but it is still a love all the same. The speaker and her ex-husband are too similar to survive together, yet they realize their respect for each other once their marriage is ended. Personally, this is not something that I ever want to experience. I'm holding out for the best possible love there is: something that can survive situations where even after "heaving words like furniture," I can still say I am in love and the marriage moves forward. Fighting is not desired by anyone, but arguments are inevitable, and moving forward from them is the stuff of a good relationship. I like this poem despite the sad emotions attached to it.
This poem is like a left-handed love story. It is devastating to think of the destructive marriage that is described, but it is beautfiul to picture a love so drastic that it cannot be. It lasts through a divorce, and it knows when to end. It is not a pure, true love that can withstand anything, but it is still a love all the same. The speaker and her ex-husband are too similar to survive together, yet they realize their respect for each other once their marriage is ended. Personally, this is not something that I ever want to experience. I'm holding out for the best possible love there is: something that can survive situations where even after "heaving words like furniture," I can still say I am in love and the marriage moves forward. Fighting is not desired by anyone, but arguments are inevitable, and moving forward from them is the stuff of a good relationship. I like this poem despite the sad emotions attached to it.
"Hazel Tells LaVerne" Katharyn Howd Machan
"well i screams / ya little green pervert / an i hitsm with my mop / an has ta flush / the toilet down three time" (Lines 19 - 23)
The diction in Machan's poem is quite colloquial and informal. The speaker chooses words like "flushm" instead of "flush him" and "sida" instead of "side of." This use of words that would not normally be accepted in a formal writing assignment makes the poem easier to read and more fun too. When I initially read this poem, I thought of the movie, Princess and the Frog that came out a few years ago. The main female character, Tiana, speaks somewhat like the speaker of this poem, and she too was skeptical when the frog asked to kiss her. Here's a clip that accurately porttrays the reaction the speaker in the poem has to the frog from one of the best Disney movies to grace theater screens in a while. (Aside from, of course, Lion King 3D that was absolutely incredible!!)
I find it ironic that this poem was written in 1976, and The Princess and the Frog came out in the last two years. They have such similar storylines: an African American girl with an accent meets a talking frog and is skeptical. The most important difference; however, is that the movie was written by Disney and has a happy ending whereas the poem was written by Machan and did not end beautifully.
The diction in Machan's poem is quite colloquial and informal. The speaker chooses words like "flushm" instead of "flush him" and "sida" instead of "side of." This use of words that would not normally be accepted in a formal writing assignment makes the poem easier to read and more fun too. When I initially read this poem, I thought of the movie, Princess and the Frog that came out a few years ago. The main female character, Tiana, speaks somewhat like the speaker of this poem, and she too was skeptical when the frog asked to kiss her. Here's a clip that accurately porttrays the reaction the speaker in the poem has to the frog from one of the best Disney movies to grace theater screens in a while. (Aside from, of course, Lion King 3D that was absolutely incredible!!)
I find it ironic that this poem was written in 1976, and The Princess and the Frog came out in the last two years. They have such similar storylines: an African American girl with an accent meets a talking frog and is skeptical. The most important difference; however, is that the movie was written by Disney and has a happy ending whereas the poem was written by Machan and did not end beautifully.
"Dover Beach" Matthew Arnold
"...the cliffs of England stand, / Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay." (Lines 4 - 5)
The imagery in this poem is very clear and concise. The speaker sees beauty and describes it. I can practically see the water washing onto the shore. The speaker has a precise image of what he wants to reveal to the reader, and he wants the reader to share in his love of the beauty that is this earth. However, there is a twist! Gasp! This earth is lovely, and it has been adored by Sophocles in the past. However, it is devoid of the feeling of love. It does not know the emotions that the speaker feels, and he is sorry for it. He wants his love to feel the same way he does for the sea and its extravagance, but he also wants her to realize that they are lucky in their love. They get to experience this great thing that has been provided for their enjoyment. I have this image in my head of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I have seen them ateast twice, and there is nothing on earth to compare there unique beauty to. They simply drop off into the depths of the luscious sea, and they are breathtaking! Here they are:
The imagery in this poem is very clear and concise. The speaker sees beauty and describes it. I can practically see the water washing onto the shore. The speaker has a precise image of what he wants to reveal to the reader, and he wants the reader to share in his love of the beauty that is this earth. However, there is a twist! Gasp! This earth is lovely, and it has been adored by Sophocles in the past. However, it is devoid of the feeling of love. It does not know the emotions that the speaker feels, and he is sorry for it. He wants his love to feel the same way he does for the sea and its extravagance, but he also wants her to realize that they are lucky in their love. They get to experience this great thing that has been provided for their enjoyment. I have this image in my head of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I have seen them ateast twice, and there is nothing on earth to compare there unique beauty to. They simply drop off into the depths of the luscious sea, and they are breathtaking! Here they are:
"My Mistress' eyes" William Shakespeare
"I have seen roses damasked, red and white, / But no such roses see I in her cheeks" (Lines 5-6)
William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known men on earth, so this poem is preceded by an air of respectability. "My Mistress' eyes" has a tone of imperfect beauty and true love. The speaker negates his love's physical attributes by saying that she is not as perfect as the goddesses described in most love poems. Nor is she as beautiful as the women most poems spend their time documenting. However, the tone is not negative. It is so raw and true that it completely embodies the imperfections that make a person beautiful to his or her partner. The speaker admits that she is not the most ravishing woman in all the earth, "coral is far more red than her lips' red," and "music hath a far more pleasing sound" than her voice. However, all of this is irrelevant in the speaker's opinion. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this poem only solidifies that. The tone of true love is impossible to ignore.
William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known men on earth, so this poem is preceded by an air of respectability. "My Mistress' eyes" has a tone of imperfect beauty and true love. The speaker negates his love's physical attributes by saying that she is not as perfect as the goddesses described in most love poems. Nor is she as beautiful as the women most poems spend their time documenting. However, the tone is not negative. It is so raw and true that it completely embodies the imperfections that make a person beautiful to his or her partner. The speaker admits that she is not the most ravishing woman in all the earth, "coral is far more red than her lips' red," and "music hath a far more pleasing sound" than her voice. However, all of this is irrelevant in the speaker's opinion. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this poem only solidifies that. The tone of true love is impossible to ignore.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mr. Z
"Won scholarships, attended the best schools," (Line 3)
Scholarships! Success! A wife! Climbing the social ladder! Flourishing! This man is exceptionally driven, but I fear for his mental stability more than his credit score. The poor guy has obviously been motivated his entire life, and he has attained great success. But did he ever enjoy life? I found it interesting that his life was so clean-cut: no indiscretions, no screw ups. However, I was appalled for him by the last line, "One of the most distinguished members of his race." This incredible human being works hard for his entire life only to be defined as a successful man of a particular race. This poem is a prime example of the caps that racism and stereotyping puts on society. Even after all of his success, the community as a whole only sees him for the color of his skin, and that disgusts me.
Scholarships! Success! A wife! Climbing the social ladder! Flourishing! This man is exceptionally driven, but I fear for his mental stability more than his credit score. The poor guy has obviously been motivated his entire life, and he has attained great success. But did he ever enjoy life? I found it interesting that his life was so clean-cut: no indiscretions, no screw ups. However, I was appalled for him by the last line, "One of the most distinguished members of his race." This incredible human being works hard for his entire life only to be defined as a successful man of a particular race. This poem is a prime example of the caps that racism and stereotyping puts on society. Even after all of his success, the community as a whole only sees him for the color of his skin, and that disgusts me.
APO 96225
"And the father wrote back, / Please don't write such depressing letters. You're / upsetting your mother." (Lines 16-18)
I thoroughly enjoyed this poem simply because it clearly demonstrates the the phrase, "Be careful what you wish because you just might get it." It almost makes that phrase as easy to understand as the Pussycat Dolls made it! This poem also shows the interesting relationship between a mother and her son. The son in the poem obviously loves his mother, and he does not want to frighten her more than necessary. Odds are, she is already constantly worried because her son is at war. However, the speaker also shows the concern a mother feels for her child. She wants to know every detail of his experiences because she wants to be able to understand and relate to him. She offers sympathy most easily when she can grasp what is going on in her son's life.
I also noticed the repetition of the phrase, "Dear Mom, sure rains here a lot." This is a syntactical method of defining the roundabout flow of the dialogue between the son and his mother.
I thoroughly enjoyed this poem simply because it clearly demonstrates the the phrase, "Be careful what you wish because you just might get it." It almost makes that phrase as easy to understand as the Pussycat Dolls made it! This poem also shows the interesting relationship between a mother and her son. The son in the poem obviously loves his mother, and he does not want to frighten her more than necessary. Odds are, she is already constantly worried because her son is at war. However, the speaker also shows the concern a mother feels for her child. She wants to know every detail of his experiences because she wants to be able to understand and relate to him. She offers sympathy most easily when she can grasp what is going on in her son's life.
I also noticed the repetition of the phrase, "Dear Mom, sure rains here a lot." This is a syntactical method of defining the roundabout flow of the dialogue between the son and his mother.
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