"The Secret"
I love the tone in this poem. :) it is very straightforward and easy to understand, yet so profound at the same time. The author realizes the beauty in poetry and the differences in how it may be interpreted. She loves that her poetry has inspired others, and will continue to inspire them as long as they live. They may forget the "secret of life" within a week, but that is the beauty of the whole thing. For this allows them to discover it again, and again, and again. I believe the idea of discovering and rediscovering a secret within a poem is symbolic of the truths in this world that we so often discover and so quickly forget. What would be the fun in always knowing everything though? Life is a journey, and discovering is what makes it so enjoyable. The last line of this poem is so powerful for it suggests that the secret in her poem may not be discovered if the reader doesn't believe or assume that it's there in the first place. The author loves the girls who discovered this secret for their faith and perseverance. I believe that part of her wishes she had these qualities; there is definitely a strong tone of admiration for these two girls. The antecedent scenario could have involved a letter which the author received from a third party (as she references in the third stanza of the poem) notifying her of the discovery which these two girls had made in the line of one of her poems. Apparently the letter was somewhat vague, as the author does not even know what the secret was or even what line it was from. But such a letter could have absolutely motivated her to write a poem about this discovery, especially since she seems to admire and love these girls so much for what they found.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Weekly Poem Blog - Sun 12/4/11
"The Coming of Wisdom with Time"
This poem is strikingly short- only four lines long. The theme may be a bit obscure from reading just the poem, but the title makes it pretty clear. The author believes that wisdom is gained with time and experience, and this, I believe, is the theme of this poem. The author conveys the message that in his youth, he was focused on the leaves and flowers of a tree or plant, rather than the root. I see this as symbolism for the fancy, luxuries in life which we are so often distracted by. These are not the important things and do not deserve our attention. Rather, the root, which grounds us in our beliefs, symbolizes knowledge and wisdom and truth. The author states at the end of the poem that "now I may wither into the truth." I believe the author's diction here is symbolizing the withering of the leaves of a tree, as in fall, because they not longer matter. They are not what is important, because the truth is in the root.
This poem is strikingly short- only four lines long. The theme may be a bit obscure from reading just the poem, but the title makes it pretty clear. The author believes that wisdom is gained with time and experience, and this, I believe, is the theme of this poem. The author conveys the message that in his youth, he was focused on the leaves and flowers of a tree or plant, rather than the root. I see this as symbolism for the fancy, luxuries in life which we are so often distracted by. These are not the important things and do not deserve our attention. Rather, the root, which grounds us in our beliefs, symbolizes knowledge and wisdom and truth. The author states at the end of the poem that "now I may wither into the truth." I believe the author's diction here is symbolizing the withering of the leaves of a tree, as in fall, because they not longer matter. They are not what is important, because the truth is in the root.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving Pie Poem 11/27/11
Small in scale,
Next to a perfectly browned bird,
You sit humbly,
Waiting in place,
With all the family gatherings
you have seen and heard,
Until you are topped with whipped cream
For a sweet
On top of savory taste.
Next to a perfectly browned bird,
You sit humbly,
Waiting in place,
With all the family gatherings
you have seen and heard,
Until you are topped with whipped cream
For a sweet
On top of savory taste.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Weekly Poem Blog - Sun 11/20/11
The Possibility"
This poem was definitely one that needed to be read through multiple times before i truly started to see some meaning in it. i really enjoyed how the lines at the end tied everything together. i think this poem refers to all the things in life that we have been told are beautiful but we haven't discover for ourselves that they are beautiful. we haven't seen their potential for ourselves, we were just told it was there and believed. James Fenton didn't just believe though. the beautiful flower wasn't beautiful to him, working was just squandering his solitude, and solitude suddenly was no longer helping him to grow. and all at once, the possibility of these things was gone. all too often in life, we second guess things, and in a moments time, it's too late. the opportunity has been missed. Fenton's diction in this poem is very interesting. why does he choose to use the word "boon" in the second stanza? this is a word i was unfamiliar with. it is used to describe a benefit bestowed on someone, especially in response to a request. it is a timely blessing that is helpful or beneficial. this word is very pointed and specific and fits perfectly the definition of work that we have been taught to believe all our lives. you can't survive in this world without having a job and working to provide for yourself. when you invest time in working, it proves to be a "boon" in your life. i believe the antecedent scenario for this poem was a missed opportunity in Fenton's life which caused him to begin thinking about all the other possibilities that this world presents to us and how often they are so easily brushed aside. Fenton doesn't want us to simply believe the possibilities in this world are beautiful because we have been told they are. he wants us to discover for ourselves the true beauty behind things so that we may then use them to their full potential.
This poem was definitely one that needed to be read through multiple times before i truly started to see some meaning in it. i really enjoyed how the lines at the end tied everything together. i think this poem refers to all the things in life that we have been told are beautiful but we haven't discover for ourselves that they are beautiful. we haven't seen their potential for ourselves, we were just told it was there and believed. James Fenton didn't just believe though. the beautiful flower wasn't beautiful to him, working was just squandering his solitude, and solitude suddenly was no longer helping him to grow. and all at once, the possibility of these things was gone. all too often in life, we second guess things, and in a moments time, it's too late. the opportunity has been missed. Fenton's diction in this poem is very interesting. why does he choose to use the word "boon" in the second stanza? this is a word i was unfamiliar with. it is used to describe a benefit bestowed on someone, especially in response to a request. it is a timely blessing that is helpful or beneficial. this word is very pointed and specific and fits perfectly the definition of work that we have been taught to believe all our lives. you can't survive in this world without having a job and working to provide for yourself. when you invest time in working, it proves to be a "boon" in your life. i believe the antecedent scenario for this poem was a missed opportunity in Fenton's life which caused him to begin thinking about all the other possibilities that this world presents to us and how often they are so easily brushed aside. Fenton doesn't want us to simply believe the possibilities in this world are beautiful because we have been told they are. he wants us to discover for ourselves the true beauty behind things so that we may then use them to their full potential.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weekly Poem Blog - Sun 11/13/11
"Disillusionment at Ten O'Clock"
This poem seemed very very strange to me.... but there is some insight to be seen in it. I think that this poem is trying to say that people in America are too common place. nobody is living their dreams or breaking away from the conformity of everyday life. all of the night gowns are white. "not purple with green rings, or green with yellow rings, or yellow with blue rings." there is no individualism in our culture. everyone is just a blank white slate, waiting to be discovered. the drunken sailor refers to the sense of lost hope in our country and the red weather seems to be referring to the threat of communism. the antecedent scenario for this poem could have been the oppression of communism in other parts of the world which frightened Wallace Stevens because he saw the conformity in our society and feared how we would react to the threat of a new form of government.
This poem seemed very very strange to me.... but there is some insight to be seen in it. I think that this poem is trying to say that people in America are too common place. nobody is living their dreams or breaking away from the conformity of everyday life. all of the night gowns are white. "not purple with green rings, or green with yellow rings, or yellow with blue rings." there is no individualism in our culture. everyone is just a blank white slate, waiting to be discovered. the drunken sailor refers to the sense of lost hope in our country and the red weather seems to be referring to the threat of communism. the antecedent scenario for this poem could have been the oppression of communism in other parts of the world which frightened Wallace Stevens because he saw the conformity in our society and feared how we would react to the threat of a new form of government.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Weekly Poem Blog - Sun 11/6/11
"The Gift"
I love this poem :) i think this is what life is all about: learning little "gifts" as a child that will stick with you forever and benefit you again in your future. this boy learned from his father how to carefully remove a splinter while distracting the patient just enough so they wouldn't fell any pain. later on in life, when he was married and his wife got a splinter, he remember this "gift" he had learned when he was a child and he pulled it back out again. the antecedent scenario for this poem definitely could have been simply that his wife got a splinter, and it reminded him of his childhood. in the last stanza, Lee refers to a "Little Assassin." at first i was not sure what he was talking about, not now believe the little assassin is his father, carefully trying to "take out" the splinter, as stealthily as possible. he then has some words in italics: "Metal that will bury me." and "Death visited here!" this use of italics gives emphasis to the boys thoughts and the fact that they were not scared or dramatic. the father had successfully soothed his son's fears of the splinter, and now the son remembered his father's gentle touch. the last line state that the boy "did what a child does when he's given something to keep." he kissed his father. and i bet his wife kissed him :)
I love this poem :) i think this is what life is all about: learning little "gifts" as a child that will stick with you forever and benefit you again in your future. this boy learned from his father how to carefully remove a splinter while distracting the patient just enough so they wouldn't fell any pain. later on in life, when he was married and his wife got a splinter, he remember this "gift" he had learned when he was a child and he pulled it back out again. the antecedent scenario for this poem definitely could have been simply that his wife got a splinter, and it reminded him of his childhood. in the last stanza, Lee refers to a "Little Assassin." at first i was not sure what he was talking about, not now believe the little assassin is his father, carefully trying to "take out" the splinter, as stealthily as possible. he then has some words in italics: "Metal that will bury me." and "Death visited here!" this use of italics gives emphasis to the boys thoughts and the fact that they were not scared or dramatic. the father had successfully soothed his son's fears of the splinter, and now the son remembered his father's gentle touch. the last line state that the boy "did what a child does when he's given something to keep." he kissed his father. and i bet his wife kissed him :)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Weekly Poem Blog - Sun 10/30/11
"Curiosity" by Alastair Reid
I love this poem!!! =D I thought it was fantastic and presented some great advice about life! In this poem, I saw the "cat and dog" idea as a symbol of two different kinds of people in the world. There are those who take life very seriously, always thinking of the consequences of their actions, and generally not taking any chances, playing life very safe. These are the dogs.Then there are the cats. These are the people who want to get the absolute most out of life. They take risks, go on spontaneous adventures, and don't generally think or care about the consequences of their actions because it's worth it! This type of opposition is seen between cats and dogs throughout the poem. I believe the theme of this poem was very plainly stated in a couple different lines throughout the poem. "Face it. Curiosity/ will not cause us to die --/ only lack of it will." The dash in this statement after "die" brings emphasis to the statement, causing it to come across very strongly. The theme was also state when Reid said, "Only the curious/ have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all." So take some risks! Have some fun! That is the point of this poem. What do you have to tell at the end of life when you're lying on your death bed if you've played it safe all your life?? NOTHING. I absolutely believe Alastair Reid was a cat. I think he received endless amounts of criticism and correction for his carefree attitude all his life and he's sick of it - therefore giving him an antecedent scenario to write this poem. I found it interesting that the first word if this poem began with a lower case letter, and the title served also as the first word to his poem. It was different and brought attention and emphasis to the word "curiosity;" after all, that is what this poem is all about isn't it? =P
I love this poem!!! =D I thought it was fantastic and presented some great advice about life! In this poem, I saw the "cat and dog" idea as a symbol of two different kinds of people in the world. There are those who take life very seriously, always thinking of the consequences of their actions, and generally not taking any chances, playing life very safe. These are the dogs.Then there are the cats. These are the people who want to get the absolute most out of life. They take risks, go on spontaneous adventures, and don't generally think or care about the consequences of their actions because it's worth it! This type of opposition is seen between cats and dogs throughout the poem. I believe the theme of this poem was very plainly stated in a couple different lines throughout the poem. "Face it. Curiosity/ will not cause us to die --/ only lack of it will." The dash in this statement after "die" brings emphasis to the statement, causing it to come across very strongly. The theme was also state when Reid said, "Only the curious/ have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all." So take some risks! Have some fun! That is the point of this poem. What do you have to tell at the end of life when you're lying on your death bed if you've played it safe all your life?? NOTHING. I absolutely believe Alastair Reid was a cat. I think he received endless amounts of criticism and correction for his carefree attitude all his life and he's sick of it - therefore giving him an antecedent scenario to write this poem. I found it interesting that the first word if this poem began with a lower case letter, and the title served also as the first word to his poem. It was different and brought attention and emphasis to the word "curiosity;" after all, that is what this poem is all about isn't it? =P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)