In the poem “Blackberry Eating”, Galway Kinnell uses many
techniques that add to the sound of the poem. The poem has many instances of
alliteration, such as “black blackberries” (2) and “blackberries for breakfast”
(3). The “b” sound is harsh, which adds emphasis. The alliteration continues
when the blackberries are described as “prickly” (4) which the author considers
a “penalty” (4). Here, more harsh syllables represent the negative connotations
of these words. Kinnell also uses the words “stalks” (7), and the phonetic
intensive of the morpheme “st” shows the strength and stability of the
blackberry stalks. Kinnell says that the blackberries get “squeezed” (12) or
“squinched” (12). Here, the alliteration sounds cacophonous because the
language sounds negative. The poet continues to say that he eats blackberries
in the “silent, startles, icy, black language” (13). The alliteration sounds
softer, and is thus euphonious. The poem itself is written in free verse and
thus has no meter. Kinnell uses the word “icy” (2) twice to describe the
blackberries, which reinforces the idea that the blackberries are fragile, just
like something made from ice. Kinnell also personifies the blackberries, saying
that they have earned a penalty for “knowing the black art of blackberry-making”
(5-6). Here, personifying blackberries as if they have a unique knowledge helps
add to the idea that they are special. Kinnell also provides a slight contrast
in that the blackberries are “many-lettered” (11) yet “one-syllabled” (11). This
shows the true nature of the blackberries. While the process of growing and
gathering the blackberries may seem complex, in reality the blackberries are
simple products of nature. This illustrates that blackberries are refined in
that they turn the strenuous growing process into a straightforward result. Kinnell
also uses specific diction, calling blackberry eating a “language” (13). This
implies that like a language, eating blackberries is an art form that is done
stylistically and thoughtfully. This shows his respect and gratitude for this
experience.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Explication of "Africa" by Maya Angelou
The poem “Africa” by Maya Angelou tells the history of Africa. The poem is broken up into stanzas that
illustrate different points in history. The first stanza is about the natural
beauty of the continent, and mentions the deserts, mountains, and Nile River
(3-6). This stanza starts out with the line “Thus she had lain” (1). In this
line, the word “lain” is unstressed, showing the passive and calm nature of Africa. In the last line, the work “black” is emphasized,
which shows that Africa was beautiful before
white intervention. The second stanza is a shift in the tone, and the topic
shifts to white intrusion in Africa. Angelou
mentions that people crossed the “white seas” (9), and she refers to the white
people as “brigands ungentled/ icicle bold” (11-12). Brigands have an obvious
negative connotation, and words such as “icicle” (11) and “cold” (10) have
connotations of lack of sympathy. The second stanza has trochaic meter to
emphasize the important words. Angelou says the white people “took her young
daughters/ sold her strong sons/ churched her with Jesus/ bled her with guns” (13-16).
In these lines, the natural stress is on the first words. This emphasizes the
cruelties that took place in Africa during the
slave trade and civilization missions.
The last
stanza switches to present day, and expresses a hopeful, optimistic attitude. Many
of the lines start with the word “remember” to show the importance of
acknowledging Africa’s history. The words
“pain” (19) and “losses” (20) are stressed to further show the importance of
the history behind Africa. In the line “now
she is striding” (24), the words “now” and “striding” are stressed to show the
improvement the Africa has made in the present
day. The last line, “although she had lain” (25), relates back to the history
of Africa and shows that Africa is still
prospering despite the cruelties that occurred.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Explication of "Rite of Passage"
The poem “Rite of Passage” by
Sharon Olds describes her condemnation of the violent impulses of children. She
starts the poem by referring to her son’s birthday party guests as men, showing
how the children try to act older than their actual age. Before the party
starts, Olds notices that “small fights/ breaking out and calming” (5-6), which
shows how the children fight for no reason, so the fights eventually stop. One
child says to another “How old are you? Six. I’m seven. So? (7). The children
are trying to impress and one-up each other. The children “eye each other” (8)
like “a room of small bankers” (9). This metaphor compares the children to
bankers, which have a negative connotation for being greedy and deceitful. Olds’
son tells all the party guests that “We could easily kill a two-year-old” (22),
once again showing the desire for dominance. After this comment, “the other/
men agree, they clear their throats/ like Generals (23-25). Olds uses a simile
to compare the children to Generals because she is relating how both are
associated with violence. At the end of the poem, Olds says the children “relax
and get down to/ playing war, celebrating my son’s life” (25-26). This
statement is a paradox because war is associated with death, but they are
simultaneously celebrating a birthday, which represents life. Olds uses this
contrast to support her point about the impulsivity of children’s violence.
This poem also has examples of
alliteration with the words “jostling” (5) and “jockeying” (5). The “j” sound
sounds like fighting, which adds to the tone of the poem. There is also a lot
of repetition of phrases such as “they cleared their throats”. This phrase
shows that the children are mimicking actions they observed from adults, and
they are repeating it to make themselves seem mature. Overall, the title of the
poem shows the children are trying to transition themselves into adulthood.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
"The Old Man of the Sea" Analysis
The short story “The Old Man of the Sea” by Maeve Brennan
tells about an old beggar who comes to the Brennan home selling apples. Mrs.
Brennan feels sorry for the old man and buys two dozen apples. Maeve’s uncle
Matt warns Mrs. Brennan that “now that [you’ve] encouraged him, he’ll be on
[your] back for the rest of [your] life” (22). Maeve silently agrees that the
beggar could be similar to the Old Man of the Sea. Maeve alludes to the story
of Sinbad the Sailor, who allowed an old man to stay on his back. However, the
old man grew stronger and heavier, and Sinbad could not get rid of him. The old
man becomes progressively evil and he continues taking advantage of Sinbad. The
beggar comes back once a week and every week Mrs. Brennan cannot bring herself
to take fewer apples from the man. Maeve continues to look for signs of evil in
the man, yet finds nothing each time. One day, Mrs. Brennan decides she will
not answer the door, and the family hides from the old man. However, a neighbor
spots the family in the garden, saying the old man told her that “he comes
regularly and he knows [you’re] depending on him” (27). Mrs. Brennan gives the
man less money than usual, and after that he never returns.
One
afternoon, Uncle Matt returns and says that he saw the old man wearing an
expensive suit and not carrying any apples. Mrs. Brennan does not believe him,
but Maeve believes her uncle and realizes the man had been taking advantage of
her family the whole time. The end of this story is similar to the allusion to
Sinbad. Maeve’s story shows the corruption and deceit in Dublin. The old man was pretending to be
poor, but in actuality he is a wealthy con man. Maeve learns that things are
not always as they seem.
"The Morning After the Big Fire" Analysis
In the short story “The Morning
After the Big Fire” by Maeve Brennan, Maeve recounts a time when a house near
her home burned down. The house was next to a garage where a majority of the
neighborhood stored their cars. Maeve finds the fire fascinating, saying “it
was a really satisfactory fire, with leaping flames, thick, pouring smoke, and
a steady roar of destruction, broken by crashes as parts of the roof collapsed”
(16). However, in spite of this great danger towards the family, the concern of
Maeve’s parents is whether or not someone had saved the cars. In the morning,
Maeve’s father goes to the scene of the fire and tells the family that most of
the cars were damaged, but “some of the fellows connected with the garage had
been very brave, dashing in to rescue as many cars as they could” (17). Once
again, instead of reporting on the safety of the family, Maeve’s father and the
neighbors were more concerned about the cars. This shows that during this time
in Dublin,
money and material goods were very valuable. Since poverty was widespread
throughout the city, people valued their possessions.
Maeve also found pleasure in
telling all the neighbors about the news, since many people had slept through
the fire. However, once the other children come outside, Maeve remembers that
“the fire was [mine] no longer” (18). Maeve “pretending to lose interest” (18),
since she became upset that people were paying less attention to her story.
Once a new garage is built, Maeve secretly hopes that it will catch on fire
again. However, it never does, and the garage still remains standing when the
family moves out of the house. While waiting, Maeve recalls thinking that “it
some child should steal around with a match one night and set it all blazing
again, [I] would never blame her, as long as she let [me] be the first with the
news” (20). This shows the dullness of everyday life in Dublin. The most exciting thing that happened
in Maeve’s childhood was a fire, and even that became less exciting after the
news spread. Overall, this story shows that growing up in Dublin was boring and uneventful, and thus
left the children looking for some form of excitement.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Explication of "The Apparition"
The poem “The Apparition” by John Donne describes a ghost’s
vengeance, which is later undermined by the ghost’s love. The ghost starts off
by addressing a woman, saying “O murderess, I am dead,/ and that thou thinkest
free from all solicitation from me” (1-3). Here, the ghost’s tone is angry. The
poem continues on saying “then shall my ghost come to thy bed” (4). The ghost’s
threats add to the angry tone, and the ghost seems to want revenge on the woman.
The ghost then implies that the woman has been seeing another man since he
passed away. This angers the ghost even more.
When the ghost visits the woman’s
bed, he sees her in “worse arms” (5) with “feigned vestal” (5). The ghost is
implying that the woman is lying about being a virgin. This angers the ghost
because he claims to know the truth about her virginity. The ghost also thinks
that he was a better man than the woman’s current lover. The ghost threatens to
scare away the woman’s lover, telling her that the man will become “bathed in
coldwater sweat” (12).
However, at the end of the poem,
the tone shifts. Instead of expressing anger, the ghost expresses love for the
woman. The ghost says “since my love is spent/ I had rather thou shouldst
painfully repent,/ than by my threatenings rest still innocent” (15-17). The
ghost says that if the woman repents for lying and losing her virginity, then
the threats are empty. The ghost still has feelings for the woman, and it
irritates him that she is lying to everyone. Perhaps the woman lost her
virginity to the ghost while he was still alive, and by repressing this memory
the ghost feels like the woman is repressing her feelings for the love they
once shared.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Themes in "The Sisters"
In the short story “The Sisters”, there are some apparent
themes. The first is the luminosity of light. When the narrator passes by the
priest’s house, the house is “lighted the same way, faintly and evenly” (1). To
the narrator, this is a good sign because if the priest is dead, the narrator
would “see the reflection of candles on the darkened blind…two candles must be
set at the head of the corpse” (1). The narrator goes to mourn for the loss of
the priest after sunset. Since the sun is no longer up, the sky is dark. The
darkness represents the lack of life. In the room with the coffin, there are
candles that look like “pale thin flames” (7). Here, the candles are letting
out a “dusky golden light” (6), placed there by those who are trying to keep
the memory of the priest alive. This light is artificial, yet it is the last
attempt to bring life where there is sadness and mourning. The narrator
recounts a time when they found the priest “sitting up by himself in the dark”
(10). At this point, even though the priest was physically alive, he was no
longer mentally connected to the world.
Another
theme is the inability to speak. When Mr. Cotter visits the house, he says some
things that anger the narrator. Instead of speaking out, the narrator continues
to eat “for fear that I might give utterance to my anger” (3). The narrator
here is choosing not to speak. The priest, on the other hand, is unable to
speak. The priest has suffered three strokes, which have left him with
paralysis. This contrasts the choice to not speak and the inability to speak.
There is
also the use of color to show liveliness. When thinking about the priest, the
narrator remembers “the heavy grey face of the paralytic” (3). This imagery is
repeated again when the narrator sees the priest in the coffin. The priest is
described as having a “very truculent, grey, and massive” (7) face. Grey is
typically a lifeless color, which shows the lack of vitality in the priest.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Explication of Paired Poems
The poems
“My Number” by Billy Collins and “I had heard it’s a fight” by Edwin Denby have
different views on the idea of death. Collins paints death as something to be
feared, while Denby’s view on death is less serious.
Collins
personifies death as a person who roams around looking for lives to end.
Collins asks “Is Death miles away from this house,/ reaching for a widow in Cincinnati” (1-2). Collins blames unfortunate accidents on the
secret work of Death, who is “too busy making arrangements,/ tampering with air
breaks,/ scattering cancer cells like seeds” (5-7). Collins then uses imagery to describe Death as
“shaking open the familiar cloak,/ its hood raised like the head of crow;/ and
removing the scythe from the trunk?” (13-15). Here, Death is illustrated as the
popular figure the Grimm Reaper. This imagery creates fear in the reader
because the scythe is commonly associated with death. The narrator then reveals
his plan to distract death, saying “Did you have any trouble with directions?/
I will ask, as I start talking my way out of this” (16-17). The narrator has
clearly put in a lot of thought about how he will avoid death, showing that the
fear of death dominates the narrator’s life.
Denby, on
the other hand, illustrates the fight with death as playful, saying “you
wrestle with it, it kicks you/ in the stomach, squeezes your eyes” (3).
Although the fight with death sounds painful to the reader, Denby’s tone makes
the fight appear to be fun. He enjoys the thrill of the fight, and recalls that
“it sneaked up on me like a sweet thrill” (6). Denby also thinks a person has
control over their own fate, and death can be avoided by living a healthy
lifestyle. This contrasts Collins’ view of death because he thinks a person has
no influence over their own fate. Denby further shows his lighter view of death
by saying “the crazy thing, so crazy it gives me a kick” (13). Here, he finds
parts of death to be humorous, yet he “can’t get over that minute of dying so
quick” (14). Denby shows a small fear of death in this line, because he
realizes that death comes quickly and unexpectedly. This idea is more similar
to Collins’ view of death.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Marlow's Changing Views on Kurtz
Marlow’s feelings about Kurtz constantly change throughout
his recollection of his time spent in the Congo. When he first hears about
Kurtz, he has a strong desire to meet him. This desire slowly fades as he
realizes the cruelties forced upon the natives, all for greed and the
collection of ivory. Marlow meets a Russian trader, who is a loyal follower of
Kurtz. At the Inner Station, Marlow sees severed heads on stakes and learns
they are heads of rebels. Instead of being disgusted, Marlow is not surprised at
this act of savagery. As the trader tells Marlow about his admiration for
Kurtz, Marlow believes that “it did not occur to him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol
of mine” (139).
Once Kurtz
is on the boat, Marlow realizes that the manager came solely to take Kurtz’s
ivory. Kurtz tells the manager that he is “not so sick as you would like to
believe” (143) and does not believe that the manager came to rescue him. However,
he stands up for Kurtz, telling the manager that he thinks Kurtz is “a
remarkable man” (144). This action isolates Marlow from the rest of the people
on board, yet he still remains loyal to Kurtz. Marlow learns from the trader
that Kurtz ordered the attack on the ship because “he hated sometimes the idea
of being taken away” (145). The trader trusts Marlow to maintain Kurtz’s
reputation. Marlow remains loyal to his promise and thinks that “it was ordered
I should never betray him- it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of
my choice” (147).
Throughout
the boat ride back to Europe, Marlow becomes
Kurtz’s companion and develops respect for him. After Kurtz dies and Marlow
becomes ill, he believes he must continue to live in order to “show my
[Marlow’s] loyalty to Kurtz once more” (154). His close brush with death makes
Marlow realize that “Kurtz was a remarkable man. He has something to say. He
said it” (155). Once back in Brussels,
he refuses to release all of Kurtz’s private documents, and tears the
postscript off the report on the Suppression of Savage Customs in order to
maintain his heroic reputation. At the end of the story, Marlow meets Kurtz’s
fiancée, who is still mourning a year after Kurtz’s death. Marlow tells her
that Kurtz’s last word was her name to avoid negative feelings about Kurtz. Overall,
Marlow develops a deep respect and admiration for Kurtz, resulting in his
utmost loyalty, even after his death.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
"Siren Song" Explication
“Siren Song” by
Margaret Atwood shows the continuous process of Sirens seducing male victims
into death. The poem makes several allusions to Sirens, which were creatures in
Greek mythology that lured sailors into shipwreck. The song is “irresistible”
(3), as no man can resist jumping off the boat towards the Sirens, “even though
they see the beached skulls” (6). No one can evade the seductive power of the
Siren’s song, and no one knows it because “anyone who has heard it is dead”
(9). The Siren then asks the reader to “get me out of this bird suit” (10-11).
Sirens were affiliated with birds due to their sweet voices. The Siren
expresses her discontent with her situation. She tells the reader that she
hates “squatting on this island, all picturesque and mythical” (14-15). The
diction here relates to actions of birds, which further illustrates the
bird-like nature of the Sirens. The narrator refers to the other Sirens as
“maniacs” (16) and thinks their song is “fatal and valuable”. These words are
contrasting, since it means the song is both deadly and useful. The Siren uses
the song to attract men, yet these men ultimately die. The Siren implies that
she is lonely and looking for a companion. The Siren teases the reader, saying
she will “only tell the secret to you, to you, only to you. Come closer”
(19-21). The Siren entices the reader to come closer, which is either a trap or
a real attempt at companionship. The Siren claims that the song is “a cry for
help” and the reader tells the reader that she wants someone to save her. At
the end of the poem, the Siren admits that it “is a boring song, but it works
every time” (26-27). This reveals that the Siren was merely tricking the reader
into falling for her trap. Although she is tired of the routine, she continues
to use the song as means of luring her victims. She wishes that men didn’t
always focus on her artificial beauty and the sound of her voice. Instead, the
Siren wishes that men focused on the personalities of women.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Info About the Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was
privately owned by Leopold II, the King of Belgium. Leopold was the chairman of
the Congo
and used the state to exploit copper, rubber, and other minerals. The people
were treated brutally, all to gain capital from the resources. The colonists
severely mistreated the native population to increase rubber production, which
became popular after the increased use of cars. The colony was monitored by the
Belgium
army, called the Force Publique (FP). In
enforce the rubber quotas, the FP would cut limbs off the natives, and this
practice was used throughout the Congo Free State.
These severed limbs were supposed to pay back the amount of the quota that
wasn’t fulfilled. Villages would occasionally attack each other in attempts to
gather hands. Officers raided villages that protested Belgian rule. It is
predicted that over half the native population died during the Belgian reign.
Other
international powers, especially Great Britain, protested the
treatment of the locals. This pressure eventually forced the Belgian parliament
to take the Congo Free State away from the
king. The colony was then called the Belgian Congo,
and it was put into the rule of the elected Belgian government.
It is hard
to conceptualize how harshly the natives were treated. It seems as though it
was a game among the officers to see who can collect the most limbs, which were
somewhat treated as currency. Logistically, it doesn’t make sense to cut off
hands, because the person will no longer be able to work. No matter how much
rubber they were producing prior to losing their hands, it is more than what
can be produced without any hands. Overall, the situation sounds like a severe
abuse of power. On the other hand, I am glad that other nations protested
against the inhumane treatment of the locals and demanded that Leopold lose
power of the colony.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
"The Metamorphosis" Close Reading
A turning point in “The Metamorphosis” occurs when Grete
announces that the family should get rid of Gregor. Grete starts the conversation by “striking
the table with her hand” (47). This contrasts from the first image of Grete,
who appeared as a meek little girl crying in her bedroom. When referring to
Gregor, Grete says they “have to try to get rid of it” (47). Instead of
referring to Gregor as “him”, Grete chooses the pronoun “it”. Grete has now
succeeded in further dehumanizing Gregor. However, this may be purposeful,
because it is easier to hate Gregor when he is considered to be a bug rather
than a person. Grete claims that they have “tried all that humanly possible to
take care of it” (47). This word choice is very ironic, considering tried
everything humanly possible to take care of Gregor, who is not human. This
represents the fact that his family didn’t truly do everything they could to
take care of Gregor, especially as more time continued to pass. Grete continues
by saying “when people have to work as hard as all of us, they can’t stand this
perpetual torment at home, as well”. Here is another instance of irony. Before
his transformation, Gregor was the family member who worked endlessly and came
home to an ungrateful family. Gregor was the only family member who worked, and
the other members put off working for as long as possible after the
transformation. Grete is complaining that they work too hard, yet she has no
consideration for the fact that this used to be Gregor’s life. Even now, the
family can’t appreciate how hard Gregor was working to support them.
The father
contemplates the idea that Gregor can understand them, yet Grete “shakes her
hand violently to indicate that was out of the question” (47). The father
happens to be correct, since Gregor can in fact understand what they are
saying. Grete, on the other hand, is incorrect, even though she had designated
herself to be the authority on Gregor. Grete is too self-confident to even
consider that she is wrong in something concerning Gregor.
Overall,
this passage contains irony in the family’s treatment of Gregor. The family
struggles with the contradicting images as Gregor as a person and Gregor as a
bug. In the end, the family decides to completely disregard Gregor’s human
value, and treat him as a pest which must be removed.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Poetry Out Loud Poem Reflection
The poem I chose is “At the Vietnam
Memorial” by George Bilgere. This poem conveys meaning and emotion without
using challenging devices. One of the things that attracted me to the poem was
its seemingly straight-forward nature, yet at the same time the poem
encompasses a lot of emotion. The first two stanzas give no indication of being
related to the title. The narrator describes a boy named Paul Castle, who in
the students’ eyes is perfect. His name is printed in gold on the wall, which
shows that he is revered and special. The narrator recalls watching Paul run,
and even at his age, he would surpass all of the other runners.
However, it
is also implied that Paul is cocky, as he rarely talked to younger students or
athletes who are not near his level. The narrator appears not to care, however,
because he can tell that Paul is planning to do great things with his life. In
the third stanza, the flashback ends and the narrator is reading his name once
again. This time, he is reading Paul’s name on the Vietnam Memorial. He
compares his shadow to the other students when in Paul’s presence, saying they
drift obscurely without recognition. According to the narrator, once again he
is left speechless while in Paul is memorialized.
I like how
this poem honors the soldiers that lost their lives in the Vietnam War, yet
none of that is explicitly stated. The soldiers are described as being the
ideal citizens, who all the other people look up to and strive to become. Even
many years after school, the narrator can remember how Paul symbolized success.
This poem
reminded me of my grandma. He was in the Navy for many years, and he tells me
stories of the friendship and respect between everyone. Whenever something went wrong, everyone was there for each other despite any possible feelings of hostility. Even though the
narrator was not friends with Paul, he still mourns his death.
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