Questions from Vendler

• What piece of life, private or public, is the poem concerned with? Where and when is this life being lived?
• How does the author avoid cliché? How does he or she bring originality to this moment?
• Where is the moment of disequilibrium in the poem? How is the status quo disturbed?
• What patterns (phonetic, grammatical, syntactic, psychological, temporal, spatial, etc.) appear in the poem? How do these patterns impact the sense of the experience depicted?
• How does the structure of the poem reinforce (or work against) the central contrast or comparison being made in the poem?
• Does the poem have a plot or a narrative? Does it begin at the beginning, in the middle, at the end, or somewhere else entirely? How does the author’s decision to begin at this point affect your interpretation of the action?
• What did you feel and think as you followed the poet on his or her journey? What aspects of the poem--structure, images, argument--generated those feelings and thoughts?
• What is the best (most efficient, most rewarding, etc.) way to navigate the poem using the map Vendler proposed in Chapter 4? What aspects of the map are more or less useful? Why?
• What are the interesting or unusual words in the sentence?
• What speech acts are taking place?
• What is implied in the "white space" between sentences or stanzas?
• Is the organization linear (start-to-finish), radial (a cluster of phrases around a center), or recursive (doubling back on itself)?
• Does the language change from concrete to abstract, or vice versa?
• Where is the speaker in time and space?
• Over how long a period does the poem take place?
• What are the speaker's motivations? How are they typical? Atypical?
• What tones of voice does the speaker use?
• Does the speaker resemble the poem's author or not?
• How does the poem "lyricize" landscape; that is, how is the land made a bearer of human feeling?
• Are there multiple points of view in the poem? How do these points of view represent an emotional or moral quarrel within the poet?
• How does the poet resolve the tension between the copiousness of history and the brevity of lyric?

Africa Theses

Group 1: Countée narrates his internal struggle through mocking the predominantly white culture that dictates him.

Group 5: Carl Phillips implores his audience to allow Africa to be defined by her own voice.

Group 4: Phillips uses numbers as a motif for how outsiders see Africa in terms of statistics, rather than as the woman she is.

Group 2: The narrator is frustrated by her appreciation of Africa but her inability to be a part of Western society or her American culture

Group 3: The rhythm and rhyme scheme pair lines into couplets that reflect the speaker’s unending questions about his heritage.

Group 6: Phillips tells us to forget the stereotypical views of Africa and to turn our backs to it lest we feel obliged to help.

A Litany in Time of Plague

Thomas Nashe’s “A Litany in Time of Plague” induces many different rhetorical techniques to portray a somber, yet uplifting view of the Black Death. First, it is important to note that a “litany” is a prayer in which a series of invocations is made by a leader, followed by fixed responses from a congregation. This can be related to the poem in that the structure of this poem follows just this format. All throughout “A Litany in Time of Plague,” the phrase, “I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us!” is repeated at the end of each stanza. The context of this line seems to change as the poem progresses, even though it is simply the “response” of a people. The speaker in “Litany” consistently makes appeals (to God) concerning death and life thereafter.

The first stanza addresses the frailty of life itself. The speaker (perhaps a preacher of some sort) views life (and death) as uncertain in the sense that it could end in a second. Accompanied with the notion that we are but Death’s toys, this absolute assessment of life sets a mood that, in all likelihood, was motivated by the seemingly eminent death of each person in this time period.

In the heart of the poem (stanzas 3-4), there is an allusion to Queen Helen and Prince Hector, both characters of the Homeric epic The Iliad. Both characters were fruitful symbols of youth and prosperity (though Helen is often viewed as treacherous) whose lives were taken before “their time.” This significant reference brings forth, once again, the belief that life is short and can often end in an instant. Nashe follows this thought with the idea, that although our lives may be coming to an end, we (humanity) were destined to face death eventually.

In the final stanza, the speaker appeals to his audience (the congregation) with this very thought, “Heaven is our heritage, Earth but a player’s stage; Mount we unto the sky.” This conclusion, that we were all born to die and that our time on Earth is simply a buffer between conception and the journey beyond, is, in essence the sad truth that many victims of the plague had to come to terms with. This poem vocalizes the cries of a people.

Gary Soto History, by Juan Hernandez

Gary Soto History

When one first thinks of history images of grandeur pop open: the Million Man March, the fall of the Berlin Wall, or even the death of JFK. These images are pronounced and inarguably historic, but what is so special about them that makes them historic? Is it the literal event, is it to whom it happened to or is it just one of many events in history that are more pronounced than others? The narrator of the poem History by Gary Soto would say that these events are historic not because of their insurmountable importance, but because of the everyday sacrifice, and the love that is poured out by others is historic in nature and should be something that needs to be followed.

In this poem a day in the life of an older woman, a grandmother, in her 50’s is described in all of its facets. This creates a direct polar opposition to the title History; this would suggest that in the mind’s eye of Soto that the natural and the daily are historic, and it is because of the value it brings to people. This diametric opposition to the cultural norm is strong and can be seen in how the narrator even seems to glorify the woman as if he was writing her biography. It even seems to fit the stereotype of a biography; a woman faces a tragedy and responds heroically, but continues to face her demons every day. In his poem Soto uses enjambment throughout and simple diction to convey the lasting and historical importance of the quotidian and the traditional. What brings her this historic quality is her sacrifice and the love she pours out to her grandchildren whether it’s just some “Tiny chocolates” she brings to the kids or the fact she is infested with tapeworms and is mentally distraught, but she still struggles on. So I would say that Soto is commemorating his grandmother and many others who have brought great things to life for others and declaring that they too are historic. His ignorance of major life changes like the movement of her from city to city seems to show this as well. He only mentions this in passing sort of glossing over it and saying that the little things that she does are more historic than the huge things that occur, for example he uses a whole stanza to just describe the grandmothers morning from cleaning the pavement to shopping while the movements from city to city get 2 measly lines. The persona also states that he knows the stories from the grandmothers past, but he fails to mention them with the exception of the death of her son which he also glosses over, but emphasizes the sorrow felt by the grandmother. This declaration that applauds the caretakers and the small act of love of family affirms the claim that to him love and sacrifice are important enough to be called history and this can also be seen through a look at the syntax.

This poem traps the day in a very poetic prose making it seem like her life is indelibly historic. This entrapment in the historic is also seen in the language and how it even reads slowly demonstrating its everlasting nature. The words in the poem are simple, but they are hard consonant sounds such as “knobs,” and “tapeworm” which slow the poem down and unlike some poems about history that use alliteration and rhyme to show the fluidness of history and force people to only see the huge picture, this poem emphasizes the small aspects of history and proposes the idea that the small things are historic and worth stopping for and honoring.

Apart from the claim that little things in life are deemed historic and worth stopping for there is another resounding aspect in the poem the reference to the heritage of the grandmother. These allusions to the Mexican and the fact that she lives out being Mexican every day in her life such as when “She sliced papas,/ Pounded chiles/ With a stone/Brought from Guadalajara” affirm the fact that heritage is something you carry with you and is everlasting. This is also reflected in the enjambment and the language, the flip flop to some Spanish words and the allusions to a Spanish life demonstrate that the personal heritage is something that like history should be appreciated and looked upon as something that is to be learned from.

The saying goes “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” but Soto says that we should learn from History in a different way, not to learn about it so we know not to repeat it, but learn from it so we can continue with the great traditions that have already been set. He deems the small acts of love as historic and something worth learning and states that heritage is something that needs to be kept and treasured.

The Little Black Boy - Ian Shackelford

The poem The Little Black Boy by William Blake is from a collection entitled Songs of Innocence. It has five beats per line and has a ryhme scheme of ABAB, and therefore it could actually be sung like a song rather than read like a poem, as the book title suggests. The narrorator of the poem is a child who speaks in a child-like tone, which reinforces the idea and feeling of innocence.
In the first stanza, the little black boy states that his "soul is white." It is as if he wants to believe that he is worthy even though his skin appears to have been "bereav'd of light," which might mean to some people that he has not received the light of God's approval. This poem was written in the 1780's which was a time of slavery, and so many whites would probably have agreed that this boy was not favored by God.
In the third stanza, the little boy's mother tells him to "look on the rising sun: there God does live." This line seems to equate God with the sun, making God something that lives within nature and within creation, rather than someone who makes moral judgements about people. In lines three and four of the third stanza, his mother tells him that all living things receive comfort and joy from God, implying that he in equal to everyone and everything else. She goes on to tell him that he has already received a lot of love from God in that his body has been browned by the sun's heat (God's gift). Also, his mom explains that bodies are really just clouds, and the true soul is on the inside.
In the last two stanzas, the little black boy concludes that when he and the white boy become "free" of their clouds, their souls will remain to worship God together, equally. Also, he will be able to shade the white boy's skin from the heat until the white boy's skin gradually adjusts to the bright sun. The white boy will then thank him and love him.
The tone of this poem is significant in that it sounds like a simple, little song with a simple, innocent, child-like understanding of race and prejudice. It also communicates the ideas held by William Blake, as he was a white man who was against slavery.

How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear by Edward Lear

In this poem, the author is met with conflicting feelings on his/her attitude toward Mr. Lear. Is it really pleasant to know Mr. Lear to the writer? The answer lies in that the writer is envious of Mr. Lear and uses the poem to accurately depict the writer’s point of view of Mr. Lear and how truly pleasant it is to know him.
This envy can be seen in the manner in which the poem is structured. Every other line in the poem is typically characterized by describing Mr. Lear through facts, while every line following provides personal opinion to expand the readers understanding of Mr. Lear. For example the line “his mind is concrete and fastidious,” is an descriptive statement that describes what Mr. Lear’s intelligence, but immediately following that line is “His nose is remarkably big.” In reading this I was perplexed as to why you would talk about how intelligent someone is and then switch to insulting remarks about their physical features. The structure of the poem, allowed the reader to not only understand Mr. Lear has a remarkable, smart, and knowledgeable individual, but also allowed the reader to see his more normal and less desirable characteristics. In doing this the reader is conflicting on how they feel toward Mr. Lear. This is exactly what the writer hopes to do to the reader. I feel as if the writer almost is trying to discredit Mr. Lear by pairing all of his great qualities with that of some of his flaws.
Another way in which one can see the envious behavior that the writer has toward Mr. Lear is through the descriptive manner of this poem. Every stanza, sentence, and word in this poem is used to describe Mr. Lear. The constant use of the personal pronoun he and his, makes it clear to the reader that this whole poem is all about Mr. Lear. As a reader this can establish thoughts of why Mr. Lear is so important. At first some readers might conclude that this poem is written to illustrate all the greatness that Mr. Lear represents, but as you read deeper it becomes clear that the writer is envious of Mr. Lear. When jealous of an individual, we often times talk about them constantly and try to dismiss any of their good qualities by reminding people of their flaws. In writing a poem all about Mr. Lear, this allowed the writer to portray Mr. Lear in the negative light that they desired for Mr. Lear to be in. Even lines in which I thought were illustrating Mr. Lear’s great qualities such as “but few think him pleasant enough” still has a tone of Mr. Lear not quite being good enough.
“How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear”, appears to be a sarcastic approach to viewing Mr. Lear. I think the writer recognizes the emphasis that is placed on Mr. Lear, but uses this poem to view Mr. Lear in a different type of light. I think that the writer is jealous of Mr. Lear and how society has constructed him, so the writer has taken it upon him/herself to construct Mr. Lear in the image that they desire.

How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear by Edward Lear

This poem, at first glance, hardly seems serious enough to be included in such a volume as Vendler’s, but subsequent readings –and the context of this chapter on social identity- show it to be an interesting and thoughtful approach to self-characterization. Though belied by apparent self-effacement, this is a very self-affirming poem which manages to honor its subject without being grandiose. It does this by creating the speaker’s social identity in modest and humble ways, and by pairing it with a light-hearted style and a wry, mocking tone. This author, full of nonsense rhymes, still addresses serious subjects in this poem. In the last stanza he discuses his death; “ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,” but he ends with the refrain, “how pleasant to know Mr. Lear.” This poem is definitely not devoid of sorrow –“[h]e weeps by the side of the ocean”- but it is balanced by the idea that any regrets he has are a result of taking himself too seriously. This poem seems to want to reform such tendencies. The recognitions of his shortcomings are plentiful: “Some think him ill-tempered and queer, But a few think him clever enough.” These shortcomings are balanced by the assertion that it was pleasant to know him. This is a modest claim, and might seem as though it were covering-up a general dissatisfaction, but it really seems to be a recognition of realistic expectations. His playful tone and nursery rhymes treat fondly his “many friends, laymen and clerical.” He seems to have experienced dissatisfaction, due perhaps to his awkwardness, as a young man, but is enjoying his Mediterranean retirement greatly. He now “drinks a great deal of Marsala” but has come to terms with his “spherical” body. His trips to the ocean to weep merely seem like recognition of a human need for catharsis.

All in all the tone is one of great humility. He sees that hoping for more than he has out of life will only lead one to greater dissatisfaction. The poem is hopeful, but the objects of his aspirations are modest; he merely hopes that a few think pleasant enough.

Langston Hughes “Me and the Mule”

Hughes expresses his frustration with stereotypes seemingly in both the Black and White communities. He expresses his displeasure with society through comparing a mule to himself. A mule is an animal that is the offspring of the breeding of a horse and a donkey. It is possible that these two animals can represent the two types of dominant races of people in the United States during the time Hughes wrote this poem, bringing out more the social problems Hughes was compelled to write about.

After the audience understands that Hughes has compared himself to the mule, the line “He got a grin on his face” shows Hughes’ ability to overcome the stereotype. The grin seems to be implying that has learned how to overlook those people who show him disdain. Also the grin seems to be implying something further. The mule is not considered an intelligent animal. Society tells Hughes to be quiet and to not show his intelligence. Hughes is aware of this. He knows what people are saying about him. He chooses to laugh at his oppressors. I believe that laughter is his reaction because he has been able to experience freedom and walk in confidence with the knowledge of who he is a person and their words are simply words. It as if he almost scoffs at those who look on him with condescension and low expectations.

Think of a mule. It is an animal used for hard labor. It is not beautiful. It is not fast. It cannot win races or gather fame for its owner. The Black experience until Hughes’ time can be a comparatively similar experience based on the fact that Blacks in America were laborers for centuries, commanded by others, and not acknowledged. The mule is grinning because no matter what command he is given he still has a choice to move. Even as an animal, he might still have a small amount of control over one aspect of his life. Similarly, Hughes, who is bombarded on a daily basis about what mold he must fit into, has still chosen to be who he knows he is; not that he is neither stereotypical Black, nor White, but that he is Langston Hughes. His knowledge of this realization makes him smile as well. The freedom to be an intelligent, educated, and socially aware Black man is the resolution of this poem. Hughes has found comfort in a difficult social situation and is able to cope with it through poetry.

Yanneka King: "An Argument: On 1942"

On its face, this poem seems to provide the reader with a very nonchalant perspective of Japanese internment camps during the second World War. However, when one looks into it deeply, it seems that this poem covers up a sense of loss or anger about the situation. It is an even that the author will never be able to forget, no matter how hard he attempts to trivialize it and the structure and rhyme scheme of the poem seem to suggest just this.

The author begins the poem with an introduction much like that of a Shakespearean play. He instills upon the reader a scene, a time, and a place, all in rhythm and rhyme. He urges readers to place themselves in, what one may assume to be, his youth. With this entrance, the author immediately sets forth the tone of the entire poem. By choosing a Shakespearean play-like entrance, he almost trivializes the poem (just as his mother will try to trivialize the events later), but the content of his entrance makes it memorable and utterly unforgettable, perfectly placing the reader into the exact scene he is describing. The rhyme-scheme of the entrance seems very whimsical and much like a nursery rhyme, further presenting a trivial face. However, when one takes a deeper look into the introduction, at the imagery presented by the author, the beginning of the poem is almost made unforgettable, just like the events described by the poem.

Another significant way that the author tries to present a trivial face is by presenting the reader with a set of very trivial images along with very subtle and more unforgettable images. The author tells us of "women cooking and sewing" and "children hunting stones, birds, wild flowers," but also presents us with images of "barbed wire" and "guards in the towers." The contrast shows us that although the mother is attempting to forget all that she had seen during that period, she has still seen it and recalls the vivid imagery of it. Although the mother can trivialize it with the gentle images of her childhood, she still cannot forget the unpleasant images of her youth. Lastly, by ending the poem with the phrase "David, it was so long ago - how useless it seems..." the author again presents us with this contrast of the trivial versus something unforgettable. Although the mother tells David it was so long ago that it was useless, the ellipses suggest that it is something that she continues to think about. It is something that she can't really let go of. The content of this poem is laden with the contrasts of trivial versus memorable.

The complicated rhyme scheme of the body of the poem also seems to suggest this theme. Although it is very difficult to decipher, the poem begins with a very simple and non-complicated aabb. The author then changes the scheme to aabc and aaba, until finally ending with one simple line. The beginning of the rhyme scheme suggests that the poem should be simple and easy to read through (and poems with simple rhyme schemes are often very hard to remember), however the author really switches it up by the end of the poem. This gives the reader a sort of jolt and at least left an imprint upon my memory.

An Argument: On 1942 is a very complicated, but enjoyable poem with many different possible interpretations and ways of thinking. Although, the author may definitely be suggesting that the reader simply leave the past as it is, it is also interesting to consider that the author is demonstrating how hard it is to forget some parts of the past. Even by simply recalling different parts of her stay in the camps, the mother shows the reader that no matter how hard she tries to make it seem as if it were a simple part of life, the camps have impressed upon her more than that.

A Litany in Time of Plague

This narrator of this poem is apparently living through time of plague, most likely the Black Plague, and is looking back over life and telling the audience’s lessons that he or she has learned. These lessons are explained tactfully through personification and the repetition of rhythmic patterns allows the reader to actually retain the lessons that are being taught.

Throughout each stanza, at least one inanimate object is personified in order to create a larger impact and meaning on the lesson that the narrator is attempting to tell the reader. In the first stanza, “death” is personified: “Fond are life’s lustful joys/ Death proves them all but toys”. The narrator’s lesson is of course that the lusts and sinful desires occur throughout a lifetime but after one dies then they do not matter. However, since death is personified, it adds an eerie realization that after death all of those sinful joys are unimportant. Another instance of impactful personification is in the fourth stanza where “strength, swords, and earth” are all actively playing roles in the cycle of life.

The grammatical pattern of ABAB is evident in every stanza. As easy as it is to notice the pattern and the repetition of “I am sick, I must die/ Lord, have mercy on us”, the narrator does this consciously in order to allow the reader to internalize these seemingly humorous, yet very important life lessons. Just as a nursery rhyme may seem like just child’s play, one such as “Ring Around the Rosies” could have more than just a melodious tune, it could have a very serious meaning behind it.

The Little Black Boy

I chose to analyze William Blake's The Little Black Boy. This poem caught my attention because it is centered around discrimination towards African Americans during the 17 and 1800s. The little black boy gets a strength from God and what he has been taught from his mother to overcome his "inferiority" from his slave years and "repay" the little white boy with fellowship.

Primarily, the poem presents a past and present identity for the little black boy. The poem starts off as him being a younger child, just big enough to sit on his mother's lap as she tells him the greatness of God and all he has given to us on this earth. His mother is conversing with him up to stanza 6, and stanza 6 tells of him in "present day" imagining of his newly acquired knowledge. The two different "versions" of the little black boy help put the poem in perspective because I feel like he is a feeble, young mind towards the beginning, but he matures and his mind somewhat transforms in the last two stanzas. His feelings towards whites, I feel are different than many slaves back during these years, and this also shows strength because he is taking his own side and being the "leader" not the "follower." The boy has been exposed to God's strength, along with the love of his mother in the past (those few moments of the story telling), and these two powers allow him to look past the inferior state many African Americans were in during this time period. The little black boy realizes that the little white boy is one of God's children, and he wants to "be like him, and [the white boy] will then love him."

He also utilizes the first person point of view frequently in the last two stanzas, portraying he is truly confident in himself on the inside and out. The last line of the poem states "[the little white boy] will then love me." After reading this line, I felt like it cemented the fact that the black boy has fully transformed into a "little white boy" in a way. In stanza 6, the little black boy uses "lambs," referring to both him and the white boy, and he also references him and the white boy together in three consecutive lines, also illustrating a growing "strength" of relationship.

This poem really illustrates the true strength of God's love and how it can really transform people's mindsets. This little boy, most likely enslaved, looked through the hardships whites have put him through and has now put joy not only in his life, but in another's life as well.

Jiwon Lim: "The Applicant"

Sylvia Plath’s The Applicant is a witty poem that seems to catch the reader’s attention by the interrogation method. I can imagine the poem in my head: a man has come in “applying” for a wife, and the speaker of the poem is going through a set list of features he should have. After going through the list, the speaker finally offers him “a living doll (line 33),” which I presume was a woman.

In the first stanza, the speaker asks the applicant about his physical features. The speaker then gives the applicant “a hand.” It is important to notice how Plath portrays the man throughout this poem. The speaker tells the man to “stop crying (line 8).” The man is portrayed as being needy and unworthy of respect. Stanzas three, four and five describe the way men treat their work. The speaker hands the man a suit, claiming “it is waterproof, shatterproof, proof/Against fire and bombs through the roof (lines 23, 24).” This shows how much importance society puts on a job that requires a suit. This makes it seem like ALL men are required to have a job that requires a suit. In stanza six, the speaker prepares to give the man a woman for his empty head. It is interesting to note how the speaker summons the woman. First, the woman is summoned from inside a closet, which notes Plath’s views on women’s importance in society. Next, she notes that “in twenty-five years she’ll be silver,/In fifty, gold.” It is tradition to give a woman silver for the twenty-fifth anniversary and gold for the fiftieth anniversary. Thirdly, the woman is considered to be “a living doll” that can sew, cook, and talk. All of these features are the traditional duties assigned to women. She is expected to be seen, and not heard. The woman is expected to perform her womanly duties as tradition has dictated.

By the end of the poem, it is easy to see that the point Plath is making is clear: women are still viewed as generic domicile housekeepers. There is to be no sense of individuality. The question “Will you marry it?” comes out throughout the entire poem. This constant question takes the view that marriage is a binding contract that is non-negotiable. It’s interesting because the applicant, the man, doesn’t have a say in the matter either. In the end, the question of “Will you marry it?” turns into a statement disguised as a question: “Will you marry it, marry it, marry it.” There is only one choice left, and that is to marry IT (notice the reference to the woman as it, not her).

Overall, this poem explores the institution of marriage and how it is expected that everyone marry. Given the situations in Sylvia Plath’s life, it is easy to see why she wrote this poem the way she did.

"Otherwise" by Jane Kenyon

Rather than using elaborate metaphors or abstract imagery to describe her cancer, Kenyon employed a realistic, appreciative tone and use simplistic, concrete imagery to describe her life. The point of her poem wasn’t to inspire people to make the most of everyday; instead she suggests that even though she knows her life is going to drastically change eventually, she is just going to live her life the way she always had until “otherwise” actually happens.

She uses past tense to describe each action she did throughout the day. By using past tense she shows a completed, concrete action. This is what she did and now that action is over. In contrast, her repeated phrase, “it might have been otherwise” uses the present progressive tense, imploring “otherwise” as a state that began some time ago but is still continuing. The word “otherwise” represents the unknown consequences and life that accompany her cancer. By using the present progressive “have been” she is expressing that the debilitations, consequences, and lifestyle due to cancer are continuing and may happen at any point in time. These actions have no definite ending unlike the actions she expressed using the past tense which are no longer continuing. This contrast between past tense and the use of “have been otherwise” shows the contrast in her life now and her future life as the cancer progresses. The word “might” coupled with “otherwise” furthers the indefinite and irresolute feel of life with cancer. They contrast with her concrete examples of what she did during the day, expressing the uncertainty of her future life as the cancer progresses verses the certainty of her life now. However, at the end of the poem, Kenyon changes this repeated phrase adding “I know” to “it will be otherwise.” In doing so, she emphasizes her certainty of the uncertain happening one day.

I thought “Otherwise” took a refreshing approach to dealing with a disease. Even though the poem was specifically about her cancer, by never mentioning that she had any kind of disease, Kenyon allows every reader to empathize with her, rather than gaining merely the sympathy of readers. Because of this, the reader is able to adopt the same appreciative, realistic outlook on life that Kenyon has.

Group Activiity 2/16

Work together as a group to choose a poem from this week’s reading.

Read back through your poem as a group and answer the following questions about it:

1. After your initial read-through, what are your “first impressions” of the narrator? What is s/he like? Do you like him/her? If you met this person at a party, would you want to hang out with them? Why or why not?

2. Now try to delve into the narrator’s persona more deeply. Answer these questions that Vendler asks us to consider:

a. Where is the narrator in time? Space? What happens before, after, and near the action of the poem?

b. Where does the poet display his or her “imagination” in constructing this persona? What is surprising, unexpected, or curious about it?

c. What are the narrator’s motivations? Are they complex? Simple?

d. Describe the narrator’s tone. how does the tone contribute to your perception of the narrator’s persona?

3. After examining these details has your perception of the narrator changed? If so, then how? How does the narrator allow you to get to know him or her more deeply? What aspects of the poem complicate your first impression?

Reading Quiz 2/16

This week’s reading was about persona. For 5 minutes, write about the narrator with whom you most identified from this week’s reading. Think about the aspects of persona that Vendler wrote about, and note how these aspects of the narrator’s persona allowed you into his or her world.

Emily Dickinson "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?

This poem from Emily Dickinson is very interesting to me. This poem gives the reader an inside look on the way that she views the outside world and how much she values the peacefulness and tranquility that not being famous provides. Emily Dickinson lived a kind of reclusive lifestyle and this poem shows just that side of her.

The poem follows a rhyme scheme in each stanza, the first being AABC and the second being ABCB. The rhyme scheme is very particular and even odd to me. It is unique that she didn't continue the same rhyme scheme for both stanzas. Switching the rhyme scheme in longer poems I feel is a little more normal but a smaller poem it seems to create a separation or distinction between the two stanzas. She switches perspective in the stanzas and in the first focuses more on being a nobody and wanting to keep it that way while in the second she explains how unfortuante it must be to be a somebody (or famous). She seems to think that it would be a lot of unnecessary work to attempt to stay in the limelight all the time and have people know you. To do this you always have to be getting your name out there for people to know and here. She compares them to a frog which I find interesting because it isn't an animal you think of as being popular but you have to think of why you know frogs so well, it is because at night they are always croaking, which is a way to keep them in the minds of the people nearby which is her comparison of what famous people do. The use of the word bog is also interesting. She states to tell ones name to an admiring bog. Now she could be meaning the actual area that frogs live in which is funny because who would ever think of that area and what is in it as admiring something? But it definitely keeps the analogy alive. Howver, another meaning is to be overloaded with work or bogged down which I find intersting because it could have a double meaning showing that it is too much work and not worth it to be somebody. This poem also has a unique use of dashes, punctuation, and capital letters. I think she uses these tools to really isolate certain aspects or words of the poem in order to make you think of them on an individual level before integrating them into the rest of the poem. I think this is a really neat way to get your point across and get the poem read in the exact way you desire.

After reading this poem it makes me wonder although Emily Dickinson lead a very secluded life if she didn't actually long to have the spot light on her somewhat. To take the time to write such a poem means that the idea weighed on her mind. Kind of makes me think of the attitude people get a lot of times when they don't get things there way and say things like "I didn't want that anyway, I'd rather have this". She hardly had any of her poems published in her lifetime but she did have some. Was she scared of what people may think of them? Scared they wouldn't go over well? Did she not want to ruin a passion of hers by putting herself in the spotlight and a platform to fall from? These are some of the questions that this poem evoked for me.

"Her Kind" by Anne Sexton (Analysis)

Instantly when I read this poem I was connected with it and I knew that Anne Sexton wrote this poem with the purpose of being able to relate to a numerous amount of people all of over the world and throughout the ages. “Her Kind” is eloquently written using vivid imagery to allow her readers to clearly imagine, the suffering that she is enduring by her isolation from society. Also her use of “I”, lets us see that she is giving us a personal testimony of the exclusion she faced, though when she switches the persona to “A woman”, in every stanza: the second to last line, she gives the poem its relatable factor where many other women could have been in the ‘same shoes’ (or even men).

The descriptive nature of the poem brings the poem to life and draws the attention of the reader. Sexton describes the typical witch with “twelve-fingered”, “warm caves”, and all the appliances that a witch may possess. She also describes vividly the killing of a witch, or herself in this case, with “flames [that] still bite my thigh” and “my ribs crack where your wheels wind”. These vivid descriptions coincide and help her transport us (the audience) back and forth from the past (times of the ‘witch era’) to the present where we all can relate to the feeling of being a “lonely thing”

Another essential part of this poem is how Sexton moves us through space and time from a time where the poem seems to place us in a time where The Salem Witch Trials are occurring to a current time where people are being ostracized by their fellow peers. “I have found the warm caves in the woods” has the theme of being lonely while at the same time brings us back to the time where people are in caves. She mentions these caves because they are her seclusion from society, and calls them warm because sees them as her “home”. Also by saying “ridden in your cart” she implies how during the ‘Trials’ the driver takes her to her death because society decided to exclude her by sending ‘the witch’(herself) to her death. “I have been her kind” is a very prominent line in this poem. This line and the line before it in every stanza bring us back to the current time and makes the reader realize that people nowadays sometimes also feel excluded and unwelcome by society.

“Her Kind” lets us imagine the life of a woman who once was excluded from society and looked down upon simply because she was different. Many people can relate to this type of situation because we all have once felt lonely. Also in her poem she conveys the point that throughout time all people (witches and people who are a bit different) can all feel like a “lonely thing” In closing, we should regard this poem, “Her Kind”, as a deep insightful glimpse into the life of Anne Sexton or any person that feels ostracized by society.

(sorry its a couple mins late!)