Deconstruction:
Nemrov, Howard. “The Town Dump” The Norton Introduction to Poetry. J. Paul Hunter, Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th edition. New York: Norton, 2007. 195.
Deconstruction lends itself to this poem because of the multiple meanings present in the literary work. The images and meanings can be interpreted in several different ways. While the reader can assume and choose which meaning to follow, one may not choose the correct meaning. Nemrov uses a city dump to represent an actual city but also as a reminder to not take possessions for granted; the “one man‘s trash is another man‘s treasure” complex. This entire poem is a symbol. One object is used to represent another; nothing stands for what the reader thinks it does. Since everything can be interpreted in several ways, one can never be sure of the meaning, and attempting to define what the symbols stand for would be pointless because the reader is not the author.
Critical Questions:
1.) Why did Nemrov feel it was necessary to white this poem based on symbols? Why would he not be straight and to the point?
2.) Could Nemrov have wanted to convey the point that no matter how much certain aspect of life might annoy us, every single part is important to a functioning society?
3.) What other meanings, aside from life, could you conclude this poem is about?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Close Reading: "Paper Matches" by Paulette Jiles
"Written on me was a message,
'At Your Service' like a book of
paper matches. One by one we were
taken out and struck.
We come bearing supper,
our heads on fire."
(lines 9-15)
Jiles uses the simile-turned-metaphor of a match to convey the anger and self-defeating nature of the gender roles enforced when she was a child. Matches are small, relatively insignificant items that are sold in packages, and one is indistinguishable from another. They're nothing except when they're in use, and from the very nature of the job they're put to--being burned down to nothing--they're only good for one flame. These connotations brutally pare down what Jiles saw as woman's status in society when she was growing up. It seemed to her that women were hardly more than servants and not allowed much individuality--they all had one function, one appearance, etc. Another facet of the match-comparison is that matches are passive. Someone strikes up a flame with it, but matches can't do anything of their own decision.
Jiles' anger is conveyed by the final two lines, "We come bearing supper, / our heads on fire." This continues the match-metaphor, but also implies anger directly resulting from the servitude involved in bringing in supper. If someone's angry, they might be called "hot-headed,"--Jiles' women's heads are figuratively on fire, they're so incensed at their position.
Something slightly ironic in the image is that the match's/women's usefulness starts at their heads. In the male-dominated society Jiles describes, women's heads--brains--wouldn't be very valued. That their heads are on fire in the end suggests that their anger at their position is borne out of the fact that they can think, reason and realize the limitations being placed on them, and this in turn suggests a basis for women's equality and the injustice of their situation in this poem.
Jiles, Paulette. "Paper Matches." The Norton Introduction to Poetry. J. Paul Hunter, Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th edition. New York: Norton, 2007. 333.
'At Your Service' like a book of
paper matches. One by one we were
taken out and struck.
We come bearing supper,
our heads on fire."
(lines 9-15)
Jiles uses the simile-turned-metaphor of a match to convey the anger and self-defeating nature of the gender roles enforced when she was a child. Matches are small, relatively insignificant items that are sold in packages, and one is indistinguishable from another. They're nothing except when they're in use, and from the very nature of the job they're put to--being burned down to nothing--they're only good for one flame. These connotations brutally pare down what Jiles saw as woman's status in society when she was growing up. It seemed to her that women were hardly more than servants and not allowed much individuality--they all had one function, one appearance, etc. Another facet of the match-comparison is that matches are passive. Someone strikes up a flame with it, but matches can't do anything of their own decision.
Jiles' anger is conveyed by the final two lines, "We come bearing supper, / our heads on fire." This continues the match-metaphor, but also implies anger directly resulting from the servitude involved in bringing in supper. If someone's angry, they might be called "hot-headed,"--Jiles' women's heads are figuratively on fire, they're so incensed at their position.
Something slightly ironic in the image is that the match's/women's usefulness starts at their heads. In the male-dominated society Jiles describes, women's heads--brains--wouldn't be very valued. That their heads are on fire in the end suggests that their anger at their position is borne out of the fact that they can think, reason and realize the limitations being placed on them, and this in turn suggests a basis for women's equality and the injustice of their situation in this poem.
Jiles, Paulette. "Paper Matches." The Norton Introduction to Poetry. J. Paul Hunter, Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th edition. New York: Norton, 2007. 333.
Response to Theory Question 1: Gender Criticism
I think that Plath wrote about an outcast because at that time, the "outcasts" were not supposed to be talked about but they did exist and by writing about them these "outcasts" knew they weren't alone. The time was considered taboo for that time period because everyone was supposed to be the same and if you were different then there was something wrong with you and no one wanted to be associated with someone wrong. I feel that a fair amount of women and family can relate to this issue because even if only 1 in every 2o women have this problem then everyone who they care for will know and hopefully try to support them.
Rebecca Zinsser
I think that Plath wrote about an outcast because at that time, the "outcasts" were not supposed to be talked about but they did exist and by writing about them these "outcasts" knew they weren't alone. The time was considered taboo for that time period because everyone was supposed to be the same and if you were different then there was something wrong with you and no one wanted to be associated with someone wrong. I feel that a fair amount of women and family can relate to this issue because even if only 1 in every 2o women have this problem then everyone who they care for will know and hopefully try to support them.
Rebecca Zinsser
Friday, April 18, 2008
Introduction: "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
1) Coleridge, Samuel, T. " The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel T. Coleridge Illustrated by Gustav Ublmann. Yellow Springs: Kahoe & Spieth,1927
2) This is a very long and complex poem published by Coleridge in 1817. The poem begins with the "mariner" stopping a man on the way to his relatives wedding and compelling him to listen to his tale. The "mariner's" tale is of a sea voyage around uncharted waters. At one point the ship is guided safely by a Albatross. The "mariner", for no apparent reason kills the Albatross. His crew members force him to wear the Albatross around his neck and one by one they die. Ultimately the "Mariner" is the only survivor and he is compelled to carry on and tell all he can about his ordeal.
3) I have found this poem interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, growing up I had often heard my father say something like, "we all have our own Albatross". I never knew what he meant. Now I see it is much like saying, " "we all have our own cross to bear". To the mariner the Albatross is symbolic as his cross. I recently read a historical account of "The Essex", ( the ship of "Moby Dick"), after the wreck of "The Essex" the crew drifted aimlessly at sea and eventually resulted in cannibalism of their fellow crew members. The voyage of the "Mariner" is very similar to that of the "Essex". The Essex was a whaling ship out of Nantucket and had travelled to unknown territory around Cape Horn around the same time period. I got a feeling that maybe the Mariner's "Albatross" was a symbolic representation of this same scenario. I can think of no heavier cross to bear than eating a person.
4) I can't think of a poem that we have studied in this class that correlates with this poem. However, I would suggest reading the book " The Loss of The Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First Person Accounts". I think if you do you too will make some correlations.
1) Coleridge, Samuel, T. " The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel T. Coleridge Illustrated by Gustav Ublmann. Yellow Springs: Kahoe & Spieth,1927
2) This is a very long and complex poem published by Coleridge in 1817. The poem begins with the "mariner" stopping a man on the way to his relatives wedding and compelling him to listen to his tale. The "mariner's" tale is of a sea voyage around uncharted waters. At one point the ship is guided safely by a Albatross. The "mariner", for no apparent reason kills the Albatross. His crew members force him to wear the Albatross around his neck and one by one they die. Ultimately the "Mariner" is the only survivor and he is compelled to carry on and tell all he can about his ordeal.
3) I have found this poem interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, growing up I had often heard my father say something like, "we all have our own Albatross". I never knew what he meant. Now I see it is much like saying, " "we all have our own cross to bear". To the mariner the Albatross is symbolic as his cross. I recently read a historical account of "The Essex", ( the ship of "Moby Dick"), after the wreck of "The Essex" the crew drifted aimlessly at sea and eventually resulted in cannibalism of their fellow crew members. The voyage of the "Mariner" is very similar to that of the "Essex". The Essex was a whaling ship out of Nantucket and had travelled to unknown territory around Cape Horn around the same time period. I got a feeling that maybe the Mariner's "Albatross" was a symbolic representation of this same scenario. I can think of no heavier cross to bear than eating a person.
4) I can't think of a poem that we have studied in this class that correlates with this poem. However, I would suggest reading the book " The Loss of The Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale: First Person Accounts". I think if you do you too will make some correlations.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Theory Question 1
Gender Criticism:
Plath, Sylvia. “Barren Woman.” The Norton Introduction to Poetry. J. Paul Hunter, Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th edition. New York: Norton, 2007. 563
Gender criticism lends itself to this poem because it emphasizes the social struggles that women of the time period had to deal with. Many women were not thought of as much. Many thought women were only good for making a house a home and having children. Plath using the term “barren” suggests the cultural values placed upon fertility. Not only is the speaker not having children, she is unable to; “empty” in a sense. The speaker will never have children, which is a very hard fact for one to accept and cope with. “Barren” also refers to the lack of the ability to create life. It is a right bestowed on the majority, and not being able to singles the speaker out. All in all, this poem represents the social standards women had to live up to and how one comes to terms with accepting they one is different.
Critical Questions:
1.) Why do you feel Plath chose to write a poem about being an outcast? Was this subject considered a taboo for the time period? Do you feel many women or families related to this situation?
2.) Why does Plath use an empty museum as a metaphor for being a barren woman? Could it be because museums are places used to house creativity and once they are empty they become somewhat pointless?
3.) Are the images of stone statues representative of the feelings one has when one finds out that they are different; solitude, alone?
Plath, Sylvia. “Barren Woman.” The Norton Introduction to Poetry. J. Paul Hunter, Alison Booth, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th edition. New York: Norton, 2007. 563
Gender criticism lends itself to this poem because it emphasizes the social struggles that women of the time period had to deal with. Many women were not thought of as much. Many thought women were only good for making a house a home and having children. Plath using the term “barren” suggests the cultural values placed upon fertility. Not only is the speaker not having children, she is unable to; “empty” in a sense. The speaker will never have children, which is a very hard fact for one to accept and cope with. “Barren” also refers to the lack of the ability to create life. It is a right bestowed on the majority, and not being able to singles the speaker out. All in all, this poem represents the social standards women had to live up to and how one comes to terms with accepting they one is different.
Critical Questions:
1.) Why do you feel Plath chose to write a poem about being an outcast? Was this subject considered a taboo for the time period? Do you feel many women or families related to this situation?
2.) Why does Plath use an empty museum as a metaphor for being a barren woman? Could it be because museums are places used to house creativity and once they are empty they become somewhat pointless?
3.) Are the images of stone statues representative of the feelings one has when one finds out that they are different; solitude, alone?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Close Reading of "The Caged Skylark" by Gerard Manley Hopkins
"As a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage
Man's mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells--
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age.
"Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage,
Both sing sometimes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sometimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage."
(lines 1-8 of "The Caged Skylark" by Gerard Manley Hopkins)
Gerard Manley Hopkins uses sound in his poems to make meaning. Alliteration, repetition, and the occasional cacophony are key. Almost always, the sound of the words directly and overtly mirror what they mean.
In line six, the "s" sound recurs and by "sweetest, sweetest spells," this causes the poem to sound soft and sweet. Yet he uses alliteration for the exact opposite in the second line where the recurring "m" and "n" sounds drone and almost buzz, investing the line with a harsh, defiant tone. The repetition of "bone-house, mean house" makes it all the more insistent. If he had used, say, the "s" effect in that line instead, it would alter the tone and meaning of the whole poem by making it sound more soft and resigned.
My favorite line is "This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age." It's really hard to say, and the hyphenated "day-labouring-out" slows the line down to a crawl. All of this combines to really illuminate the kind of slow, futile, dragging imprisonment of the "dare-gale skylark" and the human soul.
Man's mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells--
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age.
"Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage,
Both sing sometimes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sometimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage."
(lines 1-8 of "The Caged Skylark" by Gerard Manley Hopkins)
Gerard Manley Hopkins uses sound in his poems to make meaning. Alliteration, repetition, and the occasional cacophony are key. Almost always, the sound of the words directly and overtly mirror what they mean.
In line six, the "s" sound recurs and by "sweetest, sweetest spells," this causes the poem to sound soft and sweet. Yet he uses alliteration for the exact opposite in the second line where the recurring "m" and "n" sounds drone and almost buzz, investing the line with a harsh, defiant tone. The repetition of "bone-house, mean house" makes it all the more insistent. If he had used, say, the "s" effect in that line instead, it would alter the tone and meaning of the whole poem by making it sound more soft and resigned.
My favorite line is "This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age." It's really hard to say, and the hyphenated "day-labouring-out" slows the line down to a crawl. All of this combines to really illuminate the kind of slow, futile, dragging imprisonment of the "dare-gale skylark" and the human soul.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Close Reading
Robert Frost
"Fireflies in the Garden"
Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in their size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.
1928
The signifigance of this poem can be found in its tone, alliteration and ryhming. The tone of the poem is rather "matter of fact;" the speaker is assuming that the reader knows the fact that fireflies can only live three weeks before dying. The speaker's opinion on the theme of stars is that there is really only one type of actual star and those are the ones in the sky, the ones on earth seem to be cheap imitations to the speaker. Alliteration in the use of the "s" sound repeatedly keeps the image of a star in you mind but all the "s" sounds also begin to sound like a fly after a bit of reading. The comparison and relation to stars and fireflies is apparent even in the sounds of the words. The rhyming of the lines links the first three lines to how there are stars in the sky and on earth, but the next lines point out the distinct differences about how one can last and the other can not and the change in rhyming at that point is what signals the change in meaning. The rhyme is essential for understanding the poem's meaning and shift in meaning.
Kelly Gore 298
Robert Frost
"Fireflies in the Garden"
Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,
And here on earth come emulating flies,
That though they never equal stars in their size,
(And they were never really stars at heart)
Achieve at times a very star-like start.
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.
1928
The signifigance of this poem can be found in its tone, alliteration and ryhming. The tone of the poem is rather "matter of fact;" the speaker is assuming that the reader knows the fact that fireflies can only live three weeks before dying. The speaker's opinion on the theme of stars is that there is really only one type of actual star and those are the ones in the sky, the ones on earth seem to be cheap imitations to the speaker. Alliteration in the use of the "s" sound repeatedly keeps the image of a star in you mind but all the "s" sounds also begin to sound like a fly after a bit of reading. The comparison and relation to stars and fireflies is apparent even in the sounds of the words. The rhyming of the lines links the first three lines to how there are stars in the sky and on earth, but the next lines point out the distinct differences about how one can last and the other can not and the change in rhyming at that point is what signals the change in meaning. The rhyme is essential for understanding the poem's meaning and shift in meaning.
Kelly Gore 298
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