Childhood Memories

            Gwendolyn Brooks channels memories from her childhood in the poem, "A Song in the Front Yard".  She discusses how as a child she was never allowed to leave the front yard. She states, "I've stayed in the front yard all my life," referencing how strict her mother is (line 1). Her mother cares for her and has set rules and she shares how she was fascinated by the children who did not have to "go in a quarter to nine" (line 12). Brooks experience is a common one for black children who have strict parents, everyone know that you have to beat the street light on or you will get in big trouble. She also shares how she wish she could be like the prostitutes who walk the street. She describes them in a flattering way, "wear the black stockings of night- black lace / and strut down the streets with paint on my face," Brooks found strength  in the prostitutes and their ability to be seen in such a racy way.

Joys of Motherhood

In the poem, Morning Song, Sylvia Plath discusses the joys of motherhood and all the wonders that it brings. Plath goes from the birth of her child and how time starts when a child is born. She states that, "Love set you going like a fat gold watch," sharing how the child is a luxury of time and how deep her love is for it (1). As time progresses from the birthing room to her home she shares how even the little incidents that are usually seen as disturbances she does with joy. "One cry, and I stumble from my bed, cow-heavy and floral/ In my Victorian nightgown," is an example of such incidents that is ironic in a sense (13-14). Plath is well dressed for bed in a gown that is elegant sleepwear, but gets out of bed in an allusion of a cow. She then skips ahead further by talking about her child's development in education. The whole poem shows how her life has been changed for the better when she had her child.

What is the Meaning of This

Philip Larkin's poem, Sunny Prestatyn, is disturbing in that it depicts the defacing of a poster with graphic illustrations that are the result of grotesque actions by different men. A poster that was placed on the wall as a way to invite people to a seaside resort in North Wales and possibly cheer up anyone who may come to pass it is used by the locals in a wholly different manner. The once beautiful girl that sat in an image of paradise urging people to leave and join her, "with a hunk of coast, a /Hotel with palms" behind her and goes through a series of defiling changes that eventually led to an image that is not of a woman nor any other recognizable human (5-6). The only thing left to question is the last line, "Now Fight Cancer is there," one wonders if it is a sarcastic statement written to be another insult on women in general and their abilities or if it is simply someone trying to correct all the negative thoughts that man had displayed on one poster with something positive?

Covering Up History

Robert Lowell's poem, For the Union Dead, would lead one to believe that this poem is a dedication to all the men who lost their lives fighting to save the union and end slavery during the Civil War. But, Lowell specifically writes about the black soldiers who were the first African American regiment organized in a free state who died defending the country and freedom and whose monument is now being turned into a parking garage. Lowell speaks with discontent as he describes what he is observing and tells the story of the men who died alongside their commander, who are not getting the respect they deserve. His dissatisfaction is expressed we he shares how a photograph of Hiroshima and how the "Rock of Ages" is in town and not being covered up, but the history of great African American is alongside a declining black population (54-60. Lowell complains of something that is all too common in history, black people who are the missing elements who helped shape this nation.  

Fighting for Freedom

The poem, "The Fish," by Elizabeth Bishop can have two meanings and interpretations but is more than likely a mixture of both. The poem tells the story of a fish being caught and let go again, which can literally mean that the this occurred. Bishop is known to write poems about nature and landscapes and the fish can possibly be just a story or something that she experienced. On the other hand the story of this fish could allude to something more personal. Bishop could be describing herself in that she has been held by society but somehow continues to be set free. The fish in the story is described as having in his mouth, "hung five old pieces of fish-line," showing that the fish was resilient and fought for his freedom (51). The most likely case is that the poem is a mixture of both nature and personal experience. Bishop probably did catch a fish and saw the results of many fights to survive in it and let the fish go because it reminded her of herself.

Common Occurrences that Shape Us

The poem, "The Hunchback in the Park," by Dylan Thomas resonates most with me in comparison with all the other poems provided by this poet. It does not have any dark ideas about death  or mourning which I find to be more pleasant. It is noted that this poem is based on real life experiences from Thomas' childhood which is different and welcomed because most poets discuss their youth in vague idealized manners but Thomas in this case just speaks of experiences in the park. The hunchback something that is exemplified as ugly and grotesque in this case seems refined even though he is homeless. Thomas states that the man stood "straight and tall from his crooked bones," alluding to his character (34). The children in this poem are described as innocent but do evil things to the good man, something that is just nodded off as children not knowing the true pain their actions may cause. This poem says a lot about society and how people can be ignorant to things they do not understand and see something for less than its true value.

It is Within You

The poem, The Perfect High, is unique for the poet we have all grown to love, Shel Silverstein. It has the same nursery rhyme feel but with a completely different story than what one would share with children. The main character is a junkie who tries every drug imaginable in search for the perfect drug that will give him the best high. Gimmesome Roy is a name that fits with most of Silverstein's characters, a name that fits the character and is unusual for any common person. The poem has a underlying message, which is the perfect high of life resides within each of us. The guru states in the last line of stanza three, 'Son, if you would seek the perfect high- find it in yourself,' basically sharing that all this time Roy has been searching for something through substance abuse that has basically cost him his life when all the while it has already been with him.

Insanity Driven by Tradition

In the poem, "Howl," Allen Ginsberg discusses the various life experiences of the Beat Period. Although, I am sure that this poem was quite radical for its time in the conventional 1950's America, one cannot help but view Part I of the poem as examples of what drugs can do to people. I can appreciate that the poem is different and reflects a time when people were beginning to defy the commonalities of tradition by standing up for what they viewed the world should be, but I cannot ignore that some of the occurrences described were glorified in the poem when they should have been viewed as tragedies. Part II digs deeper into what the underground beliefs of the Beat Period were. Ginsberg talks of Moloch throughout this section which is noted in the bible as a god that children were sacrificed to. He states, "Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running/ money!..." this as well as the entire section describes that American with its industry and capitalism is what is destroying our futures and killing children because they as well as us are the future (83). Part III is the most reflective in that it describes how Ginsberg although free and writing still feels a strong connection with Carl Solomon, whom the poem is dedicated to, and is still locked away struggling to keep himself in the mental hospital

Golden Flower

I am choosing to write about the poem, "Sunflower Sutra," by Allen Ginsberg because I agree with his view of the flower. The sunflower has unusual power that is shown through its awkward beauty and strength that is strange to the usual daintyness that is common for flowers. Ginsberg compares an old dead flower that he found in San Francisco with American people. He does use this comparison as a means to describe the population in the United States as weak or gone but as a way to see that as a nation although we are stained we have power like the sunflower. Ginsberg states, "We're not our skin of grime, we're not dread bleak dusty imageless/ locomotives, we're golden sunflowers inside..." which refers to our hard dirty exterior as humans but that we must look within in order to see our true selves (24-25). This poem was written in a time of great American struggle that seemed to touch every facet of life, I believe that it is Ginsberg's calling to the population to remember the beauty that lives within them.

An Uneasy Read

The poem, "The Bath," by Gary Snyder is different than the poems we have read thus far in this course. It breaks away from modernism in a sense because the imagery is not clear throughout the work and there is no longer a pessimistic view of the world. The poem begins with an awkward eroticism that is almost unbearable to read with lines like, "his penis curving up and getting hard" (16). The reader is unsure if this is a strange love scene or something else. It turns out to be bath time in which an entire family, mom, dad, and two young sons bathe together in an innocent way. Their love for one another is exchanged at this time and the whole setting and manner of expression puts the reader in the mind of the sixties and seventies when hippies showed their compassion and feelings for each other in free mannerisms that would seem foreign to people of modern times. Although the sheer erotic undertones were uneasy to read at times, I can appreciate its place in post modernism literature.

Truth in Nudity

William Carlos Williams discusses truth in the poem, "Danse Russe". He discloses how he, being the man of his home is not free from societies bindings until no one is watching. Even his wife and children must be asleep, "my wife is sleeping/ and the baby and Kathleen/ are sleeping," he states that he is finally able to be naked (1-3). His transformation of feeling is present. First he discloses that he is lonely in song, "I am lonely, lonely./ I was born to be lonely./ I am best so!" (11-13). This internal reflection of his current state of feelings he freely exposes as something that must be. To Williams being lonely is his most suitable option. Then remarkably he is nude; facing the truth that is himself, and he is "the happy genius of [his] household"(18). This poem shows that facing the truth and coming to terms with life can be more comforting than hiding from one's self.

Submission

Although in its entirety it is only a quatrain, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, “Grown - Up,” is powerful in that it is relatable to all. The poem discusses the transformation from adolescence into adulthood that every human being goes through. At this time youth usually rebel against their parents and pray for a time when they can stay up late and do as they please without the heavy controlled lives that they are forced to live by their parents. Millay discusses this rebellion by stating that she, “…sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs,” clearly a young girl that wanted to live life in a different manner (2). As much as we despise our parents in adolescence we begin to act accordingly with their views the older we become. Millay questions why she behaved in such a rebellious manner if she would eventually submit to the way society would have her to behave and even go to bed “at half-past eight” (4).

Prefer Nothing to Painful Feeling

Memories seem to play a key role in the development of plot in T.S. Eliot’s, “The Waste Land”. It also seems to be the source of pain throughout the development of the characters and their stories, and I find it to be particularly relevant to part I, The Burial of the Dead. Eliot dwells in hurt and shows his depression of memories that are sweet but in the negative present only causes pain. He shares a familiar beginning line, “April is the cruelest month…,” but takes an unusual path in his description of an upcoming season that is usually regarded as a positive outcome (1). Instead of looking forward to the upcoming blooming season that is typically an allusion to the renewal of life and new beginnings, Eliot dreads its arrival. He would rather feel nothing as apparent in his reflections of the winter, than deal with the upheaval of emotions that the new season will bring. He describes the “forgetful snow,” as a better alternative than the “memory and desire, stirring/ dull roots with spring rain,” clearing showing that Eliot would be more content with the act of forgetting (6, 3-4).

Confusion and Anxiety

The Waste Land is a connected jumble of interrelated stories and thoughts that reflect T.S. Eliots depression and terrible state of mind. Although is has been noted to be his greatest work, I cannot get over the extreme complexity that is seemingly on purpose. Eliot fills the poemm with different languages that cannot be easily translated, as well as, many references to other works including Chaucer and Tristan and Isolde; all these elements come together, at least in the mind of Eliot, but is not true for all others reading his work. The feelings of confusion and frustration arise when reading this poem and I believe that it is impossible to faintly comprehend without notes explaining what he means. T.S. Eliot being a poet, who is known to be an intregral part of the modernist period brings all of the main characteristics into this one work. It is most clearly noted as experimental due its form and complex plot.

Unlike Any Love Song I Have Ever Known

T.S. Eliot's poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock," does not read as a typical personified view of a love song. In fact, the narrator seems to distance himself from his potential love interest as the poem progresses instead of drawing closer. This distancing is showed in two distinct ways. The first way being his description of location. He begins by inviting his love interest to certain places like in the second stanza, "Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets," which shows his intense want for immediate interaction (4). Then in the end, brought on by a gradual change of heart Eliot shows great distance through references to vast oceans. The second way that distancing is displayed is Prufock's view of himself. Although the narrator describes and seems to be quite educated in the world, Eliot shows that he is not confident in himself. He states that, "Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse/ At times, indeed, almost ridiculous-/ Almost, at times, the Fool," which shows his seemingly defeat brought on not by dismissal from the potential lover, but by himself (117-119). This is unlike any love poem I have ever known and focuses solely on lack of self-love and not the pursuit of love from another.

The Purpose of Our Existence: Gerontion

The poem “Gerontion,” by T.S. Eliot is filled with so much information that a whole host of different interpretations can be derived from it. For the sake of space I will only discuss it in its most literal term. The word Gerontion means old man in Greek, which is the narrator of this poem. The old man, seemingly near the end of his life discussed the issues of life and questions his existence. He himself not doing anything of great importance in his life and although he questions why he was even placed on earth, he knows that he will still continue on. Eliot describes this continuation in his allusion to the spider. He states, “What will the spider do,” the old man comparing to himself, which questions will he continue his menial existence of a life that has no special meaning or continue as the spider does in the same manner he always has. Eliot digs into the inner questions of every human; why are we here, what is our purpose, why do we value certain aspects of our culture, which make takes this poem deeper and more relatable.

Strong Men

I most closely related with the poem, “Strong Men,” by Sterling Brown. Brown discusses the struggles of African Americans who seem to be overcoming every hurdle that is thrown at them by white people. He begins the poem with the voyage of Africans, Brown even states that, “they broke you in like oxen,” which is the breaking of the Africans spirit and culture like they were wild animals only good enough for labor (675). Through his discussion of the black struggle, he gives us hope by implementing old spirituals that represent the unbroken spirit of the people. Inspiration is provided in lines like, “walk togedder, chillen, dontcha git weary…,” which shows how Africans Americans push each other to keep going (676). With time Brown know that as a people we will eventually break through, “The strong men gitten’ stronger” (677).  He also shows that with each struggle conquered by blacks as a people we are getting closer to that goal. 

Maybe Lonely Is Not So Bad

Valentine Ackland expresses the duality experienced by single women in her poem, “Lonely Woman”. She discusses how part of the woman’s feelings dwell on her loneliness and anger because of this fact. She states, “Teased by its fancies and angry at being alone,” which explains how a woman who would like to share her day has no one to share it with and has nothing to do but think about how lonely she is (Dowson 36). Ackland also talks about how the woman unbeknown to her is also independent and free from most other problems faced by people who have a companion. She writes, “But now I am happy, and read, and do not think,” which shows how the woman’s feelings in one sitting drastically changes and she is comforted by simple thinks like a book (Dowson 36). This poem displays Ackland’s poetry style in that it describes feeling multiple ways at once and while happy with one aspect a person can also feel sorrow in another.

The Piano

D.H. Lawrence discusses part of his childhood in the poem “Piano”. In this poem, Lawrence seems to have a bitter sweet memory of his mother and part of him longs for the past while another part is seemingly disgusted by it. Lawrence does not intend to make his poem about the past glamorous with perfect form but there is a natural beauty in the way his free verse flows. Although he has been known to despise his mother’s power over him, in this poem he still yearns for the past time that he spent with her. Lawrence states this feeling when he discloses, “In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong” (329). He openly suggests that although his mother was overbearing at times there were still times in his life that he just wanted to be a part and belong in areas like piano playing. Although the poem has sadness it is honest in that memories always bring feelings that are good and bad.

A Very Valentine: Significance in Repetition

Gertrude Stein makes an art out of repetition and seemingly broken stanzas. More meaning is placed in simple words, which makes her poems about everyday life and occurences appear to have greater importance. General feelings about emotion and relationships is discussed in the poem, "A Very Valentine." Stein continuously repeats the words, "very," "fine," "mine," and "valentine," but the order in which she places the words in different lines just signifies to the reader the heightened experience the author is feeling about the ownership of her significant other. "Very mine is my valentine very mine and very fine," states Stein with words that have the most importance also rhyming and somehow the repetitiveness does the emotion justice. Short and to the point this poem represents imagism in that it is a moment in time that expresses the current feeling in an exact and to the point kind of manner. 

The Pike

Amy Lowell seems to stay true to the imagist style of writing in the poem, "The Pike". It contains no apparent illusions and simply seems to vividly describe the fish in its natural habitat. From my understanding of the freshwater fish, it is usually described as being aggressive and not as beautiful as Lowell suggests in her poem. She places most of the emphasis of this poem on colors like, "a green- and- copper brightness," and "came the olive- green light;" which really makes it easier for the reader to imagine the image that she sees (199). The contrast between what I imagine when I think of a pike in comparison to the description that Lowell gives is sharp, but also shows both sides of the fish. The pike is beautiful in color but has been known for its predatory like hunting. Lowell seems to state this as well when she says, "A darkness and a gleam," seemingly discussing both natures of the fish.

Ivor Gurney: Mixed Feelings

Ivor Gurney has an interesting viewpoint when the subject manner is war. Some might believe that he is glorifying war in the poem “First Time In,” however I believe that he is simply expressing real feelings that seem to come together in a peculiar manner in situations such as war. He mixes beauty with fear when describing how he felt when he first entered action. Unlike some of the other war poets, Gurney seems to be very in tune with and up close and personal with the war and what occurs. Being that Garney was a private instead of an officer works as a way to remove the distance felt in other similar poems written about war. He discusses the warmness felt from the folk music of the Welsh which seems to be even better with the guns going off. He states “Beautiful tune to which roguish words by Welsh pit boys are sung—but never more beautiful than there under the guns’ noise” (496). Gurney displays how even in something as scary as war beauty is all around and is mixed in with that fear.

Edgar Lee Masters: The Realities of Life

Edward Lee Masters depiction of small-town life and the incidents thereof are spoken for clearly with his two poems, “Elsa Wertman” and “Hamilton Greene”.  Things that are not usually discussed are brought to the light. Masters does so by subtlety expressing a woman’s feelings about her child, and how he came about in “Elsa Wertman”. Elsa seems to be dealing with mixed feelings common of peculiar situations that occurred frequently. She feels sorrow in seeing her son who does not know her but in a sense joy that her mistress gave him a good life. In the end she expresses her wants to say, “That’s my son! That’s my son!,” like any proud parent but holds back because of society (161). In an ironic connection her child in “Hamilton Greene,” knows nothing of his mother’s sacrifice or how we came into the world and is immensely proud of his parents and life. Masters shares a truth that is hidden in life; how things are never as pretty as they seem and how full they are of misconceptions and misunderstandings.

W.B. Yeats the Chameleon

William Butler Yeats poetry is unique in comparison with the other poets work in that he goes back and forth between what is real in his life and the image he would want to be himself. The other poets seemed to use dualism to show differences between major symbolic ideals like light and dark, joy and sorrow, etc., but, they did not change their personal view of self in the process. Yeats actually does this and his work shows his chameleon- like personality. Yeats writes a lot about things in his past and is represented in his poems “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” and “The Wild Swans at Coole.” Particularly in “The Wild Swans at Coole” Yeats description of the swan’s lifestyle and personality is so intense that it is as if he is yearning for their youth and freedom that has passed away in his life. He writes, “Their hearts have not grown old; passion or conquest, wander where they will,” and shows his admiration for a bird that has not changed since he first visited them nineteen years ago (107). He of course finds sorrow in that fact. “I have looked upon those brilliant creatures, and now my heart is sore” (107).

Thomas Hardy gift in tragedy

I find Thomas Hardy to be a very gifted as well as very troubled poet. First and foremost his views about a higher power are stated quiet clearly in a lot of his work and his battle with defining God is shown in his prose. Although my views differ from his in that respect I can still appreciate the duality that he brings when describing life such as good and evil, bitter and sweet, and joy and sorrow. The poem “I Found Her Out There” represents how the author constantly goes back and forth between opposite feelings. In the case of this poem, he describes why he decided to bury his wife at this location; Hardy transitions between joyful reminisces and the sorrowful present. The land reminds him of how his wife enjoyed the place with lines like, “Where she once domiciled, and joy in its throbs, with the heart of child” (57). To more melancholy thoughts that expressed his want for her to rest peacefully, “I brought her here, and laid her to rest, in a noiseless nest,” which constantly reminds the reader in a somewhat jarring manner to not get comfortable with his thoughts of a pleasant past because now his love is gone (56). The duality of his poetry is a representation of reality and life in that with everything there is good as well as bad and we must take them both.