"an how i can be a princess
me a princess"
This poem was an allusion to the fairy tale, The Princess and the Frog. However, in this version, the speaker does not accept the Frog's invitation. Instead, she flushes the Frog down the toilet. To me, that speaks of how often something good and we simply flush it away. We have to be able to distinguish the "Frogs" from "the little green perverts." I thought the way the poem was written was really interesting, but I honestly didn't really understand what the point of it was.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
"To His Coy Mistress"-Andrew Marvell
"For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at a lower rate."
This poem is all about time. The speaker wishes he had enough time to court his lover slowly. However, he, like everyone else, only has a limited time. If he could, he would adore her forever. He wants to have more time. He is saying that they should get together now while they are young instead of wasting time with other potential lovers. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised this poem was allowed in the 17th century. It basically just sounds like he's trying to get her in bed.
Nor would I love at a lower rate."
This poem is all about time. The speaker wishes he had enough time to court his lover slowly. However, he, like everyone else, only has a limited time. If he could, he would adore her forever. He wants to have more time. He is saying that they should get together now while they are young instead of wasting time with other potential lovers. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised this poem was allowed in the 17th century. It basically just sounds like he's trying to get her in bed.
"Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis-Tone
"...Every night
another refusal, the silent work
of the tightening of the heart."
The tone of this passage is somber and regretful. The speaker is experiencing a divorce with her husband. She describes the time before the divorce with words like "exhausted" and "escaped." The anecdotes she relays are full of fights and sad moments. Obviously, the divorce was not easy on either of them. Then, after the divorce, the couple is hesitant to let go. Even if they weren't able to make it work in marriage, they obviously still care about each other. The ex-husband writes letters saying he is happy, but if he feels the same as the speaker, then that is doubtful.
another refusal, the silent work
of the tightening of the heart."
The tone of this passage is somber and regretful. The speaker is experiencing a divorce with her husband. She describes the time before the divorce with words like "exhausted" and "escaped." The anecdotes she relays are full of fights and sad moments. Obviously, the divorce was not easy on either of them. Then, after the divorce, the couple is hesitant to let go. Even if they weren't able to make it work in marriage, they obviously still care about each other. The ex-husband writes letters saying he is happy, but if he feels the same as the speaker, then that is doubtful.
"Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson- Imagery
"Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!"
When I was first reading this poem, I took it to literally mean the speaker was going on a journey at night. It is, of course, full of imagery of night. Words like "evening," "twilight," and "the dark," left a picture of the setting sun and the coming night. However, once I reached the last stanza, I realized that the entire poem had been a metaphor for death. "The bar" would be the line between life and death. The "Pilot" is God, and the "one clear call" is God's call to the speaker. The speaker is dying, but is not mourning this death. He or she wants a peaceful death with "no sadness of farewell," and views it simply as the next step to take.
And one clear call for me!"
When I was first reading this poem, I took it to literally mean the speaker was going on a journey at night. It is, of course, full of imagery of night. Words like "evening," "twilight," and "the dark," left a picture of the setting sun and the coming night. However, once I reached the last stanza, I realized that the entire poem had been a metaphor for death. "The bar" would be the line between life and death. The "Pilot" is God, and the "one clear call" is God's call to the speaker. The speaker is dying, but is not mourning this death. He or she wants a peaceful death with "no sadness of farewell," and views it simply as the next step to take.
"My mistress' eyes" by William Shakespeare- Simile
"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;"
Most poems that describe love often resort to describing the lover's physical beauty. At times, this becomes the main theme of the poem. However, this sonnet by Shakespeare is nothing like that. The speaker mentions all the typical comparisons that poets describe their lovers as, but then negates every one. My first impression was that the speaker wasn't praising his love, but actually trying to be offensive. However, once I read the last line, I understood. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." The speaker is saying that although she isn't society's version of beauty, he loves her for what she is. He sees the beauty in her face, even though others may not, and he also sees the beauty inside of her.
Most poems that describe love often resort to describing the lover's physical beauty. At times, this becomes the main theme of the poem. However, this sonnet by Shakespeare is nothing like that. The speaker mentions all the typical comparisons that poets describe their lovers as, but then negates every one. My first impression was that the speaker wasn't praising his love, but actually trying to be offensive. However, once I read the last line, I understood. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." The speaker is saying that although she isn't society's version of beauty, he loves her for what she is. He sees the beauty in her face, even though others may not, and he also sees the beauty inside of her.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
"Barbie Doll" by
"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs."This poem was of personal interest to me. It was a relevant and totally understandable commentary on today's society. I've played with Barbies all my life, and I remember how I idolized them. Every day, girls have that same image put in their face. They see that and think that's what they have to look like. Then, when they grow up, and they don't look like that, they get plastic surgery or wear makeup to change themselves. Girls don't realize that they don't have to look like Barbie dolls.
"Mr. Z" by M. Carl Holman
"Taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error,"
Question 6 asks what color Mr. Z was. At first glance, I thought he could be any ethnicity (besides Caucasian). However, after rereading the poem, he is an African American. "Cornbread, yams, and collards" are foods traditionally associated with the south, and "jazz and spirituals" are more specifically associated with African Americans. However, since it is only his mother's skin that is the "sign of error," his father was probably Caucasian, and Mr. Z was the child of these two races. The irony in the last line is that Mr. Z is "One of the most distinguished members of his race" yet, that is the last thing he would have wanted. He tried all his life to escape his mother's culture and heritage. He cast aside that part of him to act as if he were completely white.
Question 6 asks what color Mr. Z was. At first glance, I thought he could be any ethnicity (besides Caucasian). However, after rereading the poem, he is an African American. "Cornbread, yams, and collards" are foods traditionally associated with the south, and "jazz and spirituals" are more specifically associated with African Americans. However, since it is only his mother's skin that is the "sign of error," his father was probably Caucasian, and Mr. Z was the child of these two races. The irony in the last line is that Mr. Z is "One of the most distinguished members of his race" yet, that is the last thing he would have wanted. He tried all his life to escape his mother's culture and heritage. He cast aside that part of him to act as if he were completely white.
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