Frog Prince - Poetry Blog 5 (Hazel Tells LaVerne)

"kiss me just kiss me once on the nose well i screams ya little green pervert an i hitsm with my mop an has ta flush the toilet down three times me a princess"

The last poem for this week is Hazel Tells LaVerne by Katharyn Howd Machan. This is probably one of the most unique poems I have read yet. First of all, the lack of punctuation yet easily understandable material was very refreshing. I got a clear image of what was happening, and it was actually a bit entertaining to imagine. I wonder, though - does the author actually write like that or did she write in a dialect to give personality to the character? Either way, it worked. I also liked that it was a story I had heard several times before, but with a twist - she gets rid of him instead of taking him up on his offer. I can tell that she is a very realistic person by the way she is so shocked at the thought of being a princess; she even repeats it. Overall,  I enjoyed this poem. It was a nice change compared to the rest of the stuff we have read in the last couple of weeks.

Approaching Death / Symbolism - Poetry Blog 4 (Crossing the Bar)

"Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea."

The poem Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses a lot of symbolism throughout. During the poem, he is talking about what he wants to happen at his imminent death. He doesn't want anyone to mourn for him; his death should be quiet and peaceful. He says this several times when he states "And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea," and "And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark." The sea is used as a symbol for death, and as he crosses the sandbar into the sea, he is dying. The poem brings about the idea of the "circle of life" as a never-ending cycle when Tennyson says "But such a tide moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home." God is also represented in the poem as the Pilot when Tennyson expresses his desire to see God when he dies.

Time Flies / Oxymoron - Poetry Blog 3 (To His Coy Mistress)

"Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run."

In Andrew Marvell's poem To His Coy Mistress, in the title, immediately we see an oxymoron. "Coy mistress" is strange because someone who is coy is holding back, but "mistress" is associated with giving in to carnal desires, especially when there is a separate marriage involved. In this case, the mistress and man just haven't done the deed yet. While the speaker never directly says that he wants sex, the oxymoron reveals what he is asking of his mistress. He is telling her that if they had an infinite amount of time, he would have no problem waiting, but time is running out - carpe diem! What better time than the present? She is trying to preserve her honor, but he is doing everything he can to destroy it. The diction in this poem creates a sense of urgency that supports the speaker's opinions on time.

The Great Escape / Tone - Poetry Blog 2 (Getting Out)

"Every night another refusal, the silent work of tightening the heart. Exhausted, we gave up."

In Cleopatra Mathis' poem Getting Out, she describes two people imprisoned in a relationship. Eventually, they divorce and go their separate ways although it is difficult to split. The tone throughout the poem can be described as exasperated. Whenever they were married, they were called "inmates." The relationship definitely wore on both of the people as it progressed. Instead of benefiting the couple, it  brought resentment that would ultimately lead to the demise of the marriage. The tone could also be considered poignant. The two had an emotionally destructive relationship, but they had also shared a lot of experiences together that could never be replaced by anyone or anything else, so there would be mixed feelings about the divorce.

Realistically Romantic - Poetry Blog 1. Week Four. (My Mistress' Eyes)

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red."

First up, we have William Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes. William is known for his romantic writings (Romeo and Juliet, the most classic love story of all time), but this poem could appear to be quite... normal. He's saying throughout the whole poem that his lover's physical attributes aren't comparable to the beauty of nature. Many other poets describe their significant other as divine - but William takes a more realistic approach to his poem. He defies the quintessential romantic similes often used in poetry by saying, "Hey, my girl doesn't look like a sunset, but I would choose her over any other woman out there." By saying this, it gives the poem a very genuine tone - he isn't just making up crap or blatantly over-exaggerating a woman's  looks. He is truly acknowledging her beauty and what he loves about her; he knows how much he loves her. You've done it again, William - you've turned the everyday into something extraordinary.

Walking the Line - Poetry Blog 5 (Mr. Z)

The last poem I read provoked a lot of thought for me. Mr. Z is about a Jewish man who is defying racial stereotypes. However, he may be taking this idea too far. One could definitely argue that he is losing touch with his heritage. The poem reveals that the line between breaking through the glass ceiling and losing oneself is shockingly thin. Yes, we should try to integrate other cultures into our own and be tolerant of everyone. Even considering this, it's important for other races to embrace their heritage. They shouldn't pretend to be white or any other majority race just to fit in - that would be denying their own identities. Even at the end of the poem, the critics who wrote about his death explicitly categorized him as a Jew despite his efforts to be seen as more than that. While people shouldn't stereotype or focus only on color, different races should really accept and take pride in their race while also achieving something more.

Blissful Ignorance - Poetry Blog Number 4 (APO 96225)

People are stupid. They think they want to know everything, but then they just block out anything that is slightly unpleasant. That's exactly what is happening in APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann. The son goes off to war and, no doubt, experiences things that the average American wants nothing to do with. He tries to protect his mother, so he hides all the horrible things that happen out there with remarks about the weather. The mother thinks she wants to know what he isn't telling her, but she doesn't know how bad it is. When he actually does tell her, his father writes back to him: "Please don't write such depressing letters. You're upsetting your mother." Okay, mom, don't ask for what you can't handle. Why would people want to be ignorant? Isn't it much better to know things so you can be prepared to face them sometime in the future? I would much rather know the truth than be taken by a surprise attack later. Ignorance is just avoiding a problem, and it will catch up with you later - no matter how unpleasant.

To the Linen Closet / Overstatement - Poetry Blog 3 (Sorting Laundry)

Next, I read Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie.

I really liked this poem! It was cute. I loved how the different pieces of fabric and clothing represented different parts of the speaker and her man's life together. The overstatement in this poem is the line "a mountain of unsorted wash could not fill the empty side of the bed." Before this line, the speaker was talking about how if her significant other left her, she would be devastated and left empty inside. The overstatement itself is saying how much she really needs the other person and how no one else would ever replace what they had together. It gives the reader a mental image of the largest pile of clothing he/she could imagine never being enough for the reader. This just re-emphasizes the fact that their memories together amount to more than anybody else's could.

Life Is Plastic, It's Fantastic! / Irony - Poetry Blog 2 (Barbie Doll)

First of all, hahahahahahahahahahahaaa -------->

Caesarean-section Barbie!


Next, I am a bit conflicted during this poem. I have moments when I think I know exactly what is happening, but then something comes up and I'm ridiculously confused. I get that it's about a girl who isn't perfect and who traditionally wouldn't be considered beautiful. The poem emphasizes the vanity of humanity (I'm sorry, I had to). The last stanza is confusing to me though. I'm not exactly sure what just happened - did she get plastic surgery, or is that metaphorical? Did the plastic surgery go awry and contribute to her death? Was she just made over by the mortician?

As I promised in the title, I will now talk about the irony. While I don't know all the details of her death, apparently, she is really attractive when she is dead. "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said" contrasts to their opinions of her when she was alive and ugly. "Consummation at last" reveals the irony that she finally got the praise that she wanted, but she was dead when it came about. Also, "To every woman a happy ending" is dark irony because we don't associate death with a "happy ending."

Fear the Unorthodox / Paradox - Poetry Blog 1 (Much Madness is Divinest Sense. Semaine Trois)

To start off week 3, I am once again going to look at a Dickenson poem. Much Madness is Divinest Sense is pretty typical - a sea of unnecessary capitalization and hyphens. Let's start:

Emily pulls a fast one on us and states society's consensus; however, she completely disagrees with her peers. Instead of assenting with this common belief, she thinks that "Much Madness is divinest Sense" - that insanity is sensible. When we think about insanity, we usually think of chaos and irrational actions or thoughts. When we think of sensibility, we think of organized thought and rational decisions. Because of the contrast between these two words, a paradox is created. Insanity is sensible because it's human - we overreact to situations and people, and we make mistakes and screw ourselves over sometimes. If someone is completely calm at all times, that may be a warning sign that he or she is kind of crazy. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, right?

A Rant. - Poetry Blog 5 (February)

This is probably the single worst poem I have read in.... forever. It's February by Margaret Atwood.

First of all, there are probably fourteen different things happening at the same time. She talks about winter, then her psycho cat, then war between the neighborhood cats, then castrating the cats, then love, then hockey, then environmental problems, then depression, then french fries, then certain unpleasant regions of her psycho cat, then outlooks on life, then spring. At the end of the poem, the reader is left with a few less brain cells than when he/she started. It just doesn't make sense - is she just telling us about her life, or is there some twisted symbolism in this? I don't like it. Here is a list of things I would rather be doing than reading this poem.

1) Enjoying a nice piece of fiction that is easy to understand.
2) Watching Accepted for the 200000000948th time.
3) Being at work.
4) Buck Buck - ing.
5) Doing my Government homework.
6) Writing yet another college scholarship essay.
7) Walking into incoming traffic.

The one thing I may get in this poem is that the cat is like winter. Both represent pessimism. The cat itself represents immorality and physicality (physical pleasure/triumph that lacks any emotional/intellectual/mental depth) What I don't understand is that if the cat is that depressing, why don't you just get rid of it? It's not like it's a baby.

Margaret Atwood, I have no idea what your point is, and I do not look forward to reading your poems in the near future.

This Lady is Sick - Poetry Blog 4 (The Joy of Cooking)

When you first read The Joy of Cooking by Elaine Magarrel, you may cringe in response to the grotesque methods of the narrator. However, Magarrel's "[scrubbing] and [skinning]" of her sister's tongue is not literal. The tongue is her sister's words, her ideas and thoughts. When the narrator is preparing her "tongue" in a dish, she is actually degrading her thoughts, dreams, opinions, etc.; she is destroying them. Like the tongue, her brother's heart represents something intangible. His heart is her brother's ability to give love. However, when she describes it as "firm" and "dry," she means that he is a cold person. Her brother puts up a tough front, or he just is a mean person who seems to lack emotion. Either way, the narrator is insulting her sister's ideas and her brother's personality.

Under the Influence... of Life? / Irony - Poetry Blog 3 (I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed)

Emily Dickenson wrote the poem I taste a liquor never brewed. Throughout the whole poem, she uses alcoholic words to describe a somewhat different experience. It reminded me of the expression "high on life." She uses words like "inebriate," "debauchee," "drams," and "vats" - all which relate to alcohol. The only part of this I'm not quite sure about, however, is what she is getting drunk off of. It seems like there's no logical reason, but that may be part of the poem; she is just feeling good. In addition, her reference to religious figures is ironic because drinking in excess is usually considered very immoral (especially when she describes herself as a debauchee) in most religions. The "Seraphs" and "Saints" take interest in her drunken actions when traditionally, they would have been disappointed or ashamed of her.

Well, This Is a Stretch / Extended Metaphor - Poetry Blog Number 2 (Pink Dog)

So I definitely used the word "also" much more than necessary on my last blog. I will work on that for this one. Also, I would like to point out that my analysis for this poem is a little wild and probably wrong. But here we go. 

I think that the poem Pink Dog by Elizabeth Bishop is actually not even about a dog. It is an extended metaphor for a homeless woman trying to survive. The woman has just had a baby, or may have multiple children, and she is trying to provide for them. ("In what slum have you hidden them, poor bitch, while you go begging, living by your wits?")  She's probably a prostitute ("Startled, the passersby draw back and stare" - not because she's naked, but because they know what she is; when the poem says "naked" it means that she is exposed, not unclothed). The poem says "In your condition you would not be able even to float, much less to dog-paddle. Now look, the practical, the sensible solution is to wear a fantasia. Tonight you simply can't afford to be an eyesore," and this represents society's negative attitude toward her conditions - they want her to hide her poverty during their celebration. If she's trying to beg on the street to get more money, her lack of funds and bad clothing will drive people who are focused on wealth and partying away instead of evoking sympathy; she won't survive through the festival/season. 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star / Mood - Poetry Blog 1 (For Week 2!) (Bright Star)

The poem Bright Star, by John Keats, describes a man who looks into the sky and sees a star; he tells how he would act differently if he behaved as the star. The way I see this poem, it can be divided into two parts.

The first part is his description of the star's action. It watches the world and sees the beauty of it - particularly, nature. The star is compared to an insomniac who watches the "moving waters" and "snow upon the mountains and the moors." What the star is observing is later contrasted with what the man would.

The second part describes what the man would do if he were as loyal and constant as the star. He would watch, instead of the world, a woman. He says that if he were to do one thing for the rest of his life, he would "awake forever in a sweet unrest, still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, and so live ever - or else swoon to death." (It was definitely an "aww" moment.)

While the poem is creating contrast, there are several similarities in it. The narrator tells what he would watch forever and what the star continually watches, but they are both unchanging. They both are watching something. Also, the woman and nature are being indirectly compared. Each is the object of something's/one's attention, and each is beautiful enough to be so. Both the woman and nature are depicted as gently moving, which helps the reader make the comparison and creates a soft, peaceful mood. The narrator also uses words like "eternal" and "forever" to make time seem almost non-existent; this also contributes to the peaceful mood.

Workin' for the Man Every Night and Day - Poetry Blog 5. (London)

Finally, I shall analyze the poem London by William Blake. This was probably the one I found most difficult. 

For the most part, I understand the general meaning. "I wander through each chartered street... the mind-forged manacles I hear." He's talking about how oppressive the British government is to the people. It makes sense - at that time, Great Britain was a large, dominant country. Crying is also a big part of this poem - it's used three times ("In every cry of every man, in every Infant's cry of fear... Blasts the new-born Infant's tear"), but I'm not sure what the significance is. Anyway, the poem uses oppression in a couple of different ways, like their jobs and marriage. Maybe it's saying that not only were the people enslaved by their government, but by all aspects of their lives. The tone matches the theme - it's dark and lacks hope. Overall, this poem brings about many questions, but is centered around oppression. 

Pretty Prancing Panthers (Q#12 symbols) - Poetry Blog 4 (The Panther)

Next, we look at The Panther by Rainer Maria Rilke. I thought this whole poem was symbolic of another situation, therefore I will discuss symbolism.

Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical, explain the allegory. (Q#12 from blogging guidelines)

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

Although the poem is entitled The Panther, I really doubt that the poem is about a wild animal. The bars are symbols for prison, while the panther is actually a person in jail.

"As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, the movement of his powerful soft strides is like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stands paralyzed."

When the man is pacing in cramped circles, he is in his jail cell. (It's so small that he can't move much.) He knows that he wants to be free and roam around outside, but he is trapped and can't go anywhere.

"Only at times, the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly - . An image enters in, rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, plunges into the heart and is gone."

When the man opens his eyes and sees the jail cell and realizes his lack of freedom, the bleakness of prison saddens him. It frustrates him and drains him emotionally.

The image of a panther represents the man's movement - he is almost sulking or hunching his back as he paces like a panther stalking its prey. Also, a panther can be a vicious animal like the man was before he was put in prison.

"Jack, I'm Flying!" (Q#10 Imagery) - Poetry Blog 3 (The Convergence of the Twain)

The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy describes the loss of the Titanic (luckily, we had a handy little footnote to help us with that one). To help me come up with a topic for this blog, I've used Question 10 from the blogging guidelines.

Discuss the imagery of the poem. What types of imagery are used? What is the cumulative effect of this imagery in terms of tone and theme? 


Most of the imagery in this poem is the sight of fancy things deteriorating under the sea. "Over the mirrors meant To glass the opulent The sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent. Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind." These lines contain major contrast between extravagance and filth. Mostly we see the opulence transforming in to its antithesis - dirt. The imagery contributes to the tone of hopelessness and loss of the Titanic. It also reaffirms the theme: death doesn't care if you are rich or poor - eventually, it claims us all. Materialism will never prevail, and our material items will deteriorate. The sinking of this seemingly indestructible ship humbles us.

When Insanity Ensues (Metonymy) - Poetry Blog 2 (I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain)

Now we are going to take a gander at Emily Dickenson's I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain. This poem required a bit more thought and interpretation than "spring is pretty..."

"And Mourners to and fro... And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum - Kept beating - beating - till I thought My Mind was going numb." I think it's funny how she personifies these abstract thoughts. This really helps to give you an image of what is happening in her head - that is, if you know what the thoughts are. Here's my theory:

The mourners are chaos. She's thinking so much, so her thoughts are rushing around "to and fro." When they are seated, the chaos settles, and the service, insanity, begins. The funeral is for her stable mental state which has just died.

"As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, solitary, here."

Theory number two:

Heavens are metonymy for religion altogether - using the word "heavens" just makes the analogy run more smoothly - while the bell is the call to religion. The ear is referred to as beings, so the ear is people who hear the call to religion. Emily, however, compares herself to silence because she can't hear the call and is not religious. By saying "some strange Race Wrecked, solitary here," she reveals that she feels like she is the only person who can't hear God's call, so she is a weak, damaged person. This may have contributed to the death of her sanity.

Seasonal Writings - Poetry Blog Numero Uno (Spring, The Widow's Lament in Springtime, Those Winter Sundays, and To Autumn)

For my first blog, I'm analyzing the poems Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Widow's Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, and To Autumn by John Keats. I really hope you are catching on to the pattern.

Using seasons in poems and other artistic works is particularly common, perhaps because our surroundings and environment contribute so much to our lives. Two of the poems, Spring and The Widow's Lament in Springtime have many similar images and meanings. They both praise creation and life through flowers and colors particularly. To Autumn also praises nature, but emphasizes what it has already given and how we should appreciate that, when the two former poems celebrate the beginning of new life (simply because of the two seasons). The differences between the two spring poems are that Spring holds religious symbolism - it compares spring to the garden of Eden before the fruit of knowledge was eaten. The Widow's Lament focuses on the contrast between the hope and life of spring and the woman's mourning of her husband.

The poem that differs most drastically from the other three is Those Winter Sundays. Initially, the season has no symbolic significance to the poem. However, winter does provide a backdrop needed for the mood and action throughout the poem.

So We Meet Again, AP Lit Blog (The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry)

Well, it's time to blog once again. This first piece I'm reading is called The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry by an interesting fellow named Laurence Perrine.

Laurence Perrine thinks that there is a correct way to analyze poetry - that one is either right or wrong. It seems as if he wants to make this a math problem, and you either can figure out the right answer or you can't. "For logical proof, though not experimental proof, is at least as possible in the interpretation of poetry as it is, say, in a court of law." Well, I've got news for you, Laurence - this is literature, not math, and literature requires a little more depth than correct or incorrect.

Laurence overlooks the ambiguities and grey areas of literature - he assumes that a "far-fetched" answer is automatically completely wrong. The monkey solution he was ranting about? Yeah, it's kind of weird, but it, in this situation, is just as possible as the human thief breaking into the house. Art is not necessarily real or logical, and  it can't be judged that way. Think of how many artists were pathologically insane when they created some of their finest works; that means that the meanings behind those works probably reflected their mental statuses. Let's look at a couple of these great figures and see how crazy they and their works were.



Vincent van Gogh: Obviously, you have to be a little crazy to voluntarily cut off your ear. This guy definitely had some problems, but his work is incredible and evokes emotions that you can't call wrong.

The Beatles: They may not have necessarily been crazy, but tell me, Laurence, could you give me the correct interpretation of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?"  

All I'm trying to say is that poetry isn't ever wrong, and even the professionals know that (T.S. Elliot: "The meaning maybe different with everyone."). Only an artist knows what he or she meant by the work, but a reader's idea may add truth to that initial meaning. If we can gain perspective, knowledge, and understanding from a new idea about a poem or a song, how is that incorrect?