This was a most intriguing and powerful poem because the reader, at least in my case, is unsure as to what the poet has the narrator fighting for. The poem is obviously about death and how the narrator would prefer to die than suffer through the hell they are in, but it does not provide the information as to where or what they are a part of. It begins with "If we must die—let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot." With this line could the narrator be describing what life was like for those who lived in a life of slavery? It is easy to understand that it was a life of fear and sorrow. Of living a life with no joy of being free. So many lines in this poem relate to being "penned," "outnumbered," and the feeling (or reality?) of being "pressed to the wall." These lines could definitely relate to slavery because those who were slaves were quite literally treated thus way. Many lines in this poem point towards the sadness and harsh life of being slave. However, this poem does not show the people backing down and accepting such a cruel defeat, it shows them rallying and gathering up the courage to fight for their freedom. "Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back," is such a strong and honorable declaration because it shows the bravery of a person who is willing to die in order to achieve and gain what they are fighting for.
Word Count: 264 words
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
"A Jelly-Fish" by Marianne Moore
In Marianne Moore's short poem, "A Jelly-Fish," it is brilliant how she describes the beauty of the jelly fish. Moore describes the sea creatures in all of their beauty "Visible, invisible, a fluctuating charm." I love this line because it perfectly depicts how magical a jelly fish appears in real life. The fluid movements as they float in the ocean resembles that of a "fluctuating charm" and how they appear to be both visible and invisible at the same time is extraordinary. The line "an amber-tinctured amethyst inhabits it" could be describing the jelly fish's loose network of nerves. Jelly fish do not have brains, hearts or innards so besides its natural color, the only thing the amethyst could be is the network of nerves? The other bit of Moore's poem on jelly fish is how she captured the reality of how a person, upon seeing such a beautiful creature, would want to reach out and touch it. "You had meant to catch it, and it quivers; you abandon your intent." This line is great because it tells of the person attempting to reach out to touch the beautiful jelly fish, but hesitates and pulls back upon realizing that it is actually dangerous. Such a seemingly innocent creature is potentially deadly if it feels threatened. I really enjoyed this poem because it was so simple, beautiful, and easy to imagine. Marine life is phenomenal and interesting. It is easy to understand why Moore would choose such a fascinating creature to write a poem about. The jelly fish are stunning both appearance-wise and literally.
Word count: 257
Word count: 257
"Poetry" by Marianne Moore
"Poetry" by Marianne Moore
For many poetry comes easily to them whether it is in writing it or understanding it. For me? Not so much. I have never been able to quickly follow reading or writing poetry. When I read Marianne Moore's poem titled "Poetry," the first four words are something I can relate too, "I, too, dislike it." Now don't get me wrong, it isn't necessarily that I dislike poetry more that I just have a little more difficult of a time trying to decipher/interpret it. In my interpretation, the poem continues by describing the narrator's discomfort in reading and understanding poetry. But the narrator also states that, though they "dislike" it, when they are "reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in it after all, a place for the genuine." My translation of this is though they read poetry in contempt, the narrator finds their own meaning for the poem. Many different interpretations are listed in the poem to describe what the narrator feels the poem is trying to relate to readers. Whether it is random interpretations such as "the bat holding on upside down" to "the base-ball fan, the statistician" the narrator cannot help but "admire what we cannot understand." My final translation of the poem "Poetry" is that the narrator believes that poems, when understood, are pathways to the imagination. With this I can agree because like other works of literature, whether it is a short story or a novel, poetry is an excellent key to the world of imagination. I rather enjoyed this poem because, if my interpretation is correct, it helped me realize that I am not alone in attempting to comprehend the often-times "unintelligible" writings of poetry.
288 words
For many poetry comes easily to them whether it is in writing it or understanding it. For me? Not so much. I have never been able to quickly follow reading or writing poetry. When I read Marianne Moore's poem titled "Poetry," the first four words are something I can relate too, "I, too, dislike it." Now don't get me wrong, it isn't necessarily that I dislike poetry more that I just have a little more difficult of a time trying to decipher/interpret it. In my interpretation, the poem continues by describing the narrator's discomfort in reading and understanding poetry. But the narrator also states that, though they "dislike" it, when they are "reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one discovers in it after all, a place for the genuine." My translation of this is though they read poetry in contempt, the narrator finds their own meaning for the poem. Many different interpretations are listed in the poem to describe what the narrator feels the poem is trying to relate to readers. Whether it is random interpretations such as "the bat holding on upside down" to "the base-ball fan, the statistician" the narrator cannot help but "admire what we cannot understand." My final translation of the poem "Poetry" is that the narrator believes that poems, when understood, are pathways to the imagination. With this I can agree because like other works of literature, whether it is a short story or a novel, poetry is an excellent key to the world of imagination. I rather enjoyed this poem because, if my interpretation is correct, it helped me realize that I am not alone in attempting to comprehend the often-times "unintelligible" writings of poetry.
288 words
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)