At first glance, upon reading this poem the reader gets the impression that someone is reprimanding a black, woman of low social standing. This person could be her mother, boyfriend or a rejected suitor. However, since the poet herself is Wanda and through,
tone, diction and structure we may assume that Wanda is speaking to herself.
The tone of the poem is scolding and insulting. This single black woman, “being black” who has a poor standard of living, “why ain’t you rich: and “can’t you afford to move out of this hell hole”, is having a hard time to raise her children, “ready made family” under slum like conditions. She may have been abandoned by the father and is being judged by society. Being black is a discrepancy in itself, add to this the stigma of being a single parent and to top it all being fat and perhaps unattractive puts the icing on the cake as far as societies pre conceived notions and prejudices.. It is possible she is repeating in head the insults she hears repeatedly from her former lover or mother or due to her frustrations is beating her own self up. All in all she wonders why she is not dead under these horrifying conditions of hardship and self loathing and revulsion.
The diction which has bad English shows that she is from a low family background and has received little education. The use of “ain’t,” “gonna,” and “you joking girl” show local colloquialisms of her community. Word usage to insult her feet, “how come your feet are so goddam big,” may be further proof that she herself and not a third party is looking at her own body and has full view of her feet. It is interesting that she has chosen the word usage” black” but does not enter into any racial slurs but tells us that being black has its own way of life “what is it like being black”. She does not like black men revealing her own prejudices or bias due to past experience. She has removed herself from herself and is looking at herself almost in a mirror, “if I were you”.
The structure of the poem is revealing to the story being told. Wanda and I is never capitalized. Of course this could be due to lack of education. However, more profoundly, it shows that she sees herself in a self demeaning manner and feels she is not at a level to be given importance or respect. The poem lacks punctuation to give it a sing song conversation and the lack of a question mark means she does not require any answers, it is a statement not a question. Repetitions, “were you” and “that” may not be stammering but reinforcement and confusion. The spacing at the end shows her thoughts are fading but emphasis on “ALWAYS” protrays anger.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
What If This Were My Final - Old Pond
If today was May 23rd and I was faced with the poem Old Pond by Gary Snyder for my final, my process would be as follows;
1) Firstly, I would read the poem repeatedly until I have the gist of it.
2) Along the way I would make note and mark obvious metaphors, repetitive language, unique structure, and identify the speaker and audience;
a. Structure of the 2 stanzas is similar where the first 2 lines are indented further towards the right, and those 2 lines are the descriptive segments of the poem. The poem ends with the word Splash, which is indented in the same manner. This word is made to stand out in the poem and brings the readers attention to it, it is also the only action that occurs. Also, you can notice that short, and choppy sentences are used throughout, which are fairly descriptive
b. A lot of alliteration is found in the 2 stanzas; for example hemlock half, ragged rocky, little lake to name a few, which adds rhyme and beat to the poem
c. As the poem is highly descriptive, there is imagery of; Blue mountain white snow gleam, and use of several colors; blue, white, brown, which are all tranquil and peaceful colors
d. The setting is evidently at Five Lakes Basin, which is an old pond surrounded by mountains
e. The audience is perhaps someone who is currently present at the lake, who is providing a description of the place. Perhaps, by using ‘up through time’ it indicates a definite time period has passed since this person has visited the lake. Perhaps by using ‘a naked bug’ it represents the person’s closeness to nature
f. The diction consists mostly of adjectives and lacks verbs
g. The mood/tone of the poem appears to be tranquil and serene
h. I don’t see any metaphors or similes, and also any irony.
The poem, at first glance seems very simplistic in styling, and almost child like. I seem to imagine a white male youth who is enjoying nature, though age is not indicated. The poem in my mind has an American feel to it though technically the beginning as the commentator has mentioned could be anywhere in the world which houses scenic beauty of lakes and mountains. It is for me reminiscent of the protagonists of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckelburry Finn, as it conjures up the imagery of small town boys enjoying nature on a hot Summer’s day. The commentator is very detailed and prolific in his analysis and makes some very thoughtful comments. He sums up the poem’s theme as being contemplation to action, where the first 12 lines are dedicated to contemplation and only the last two are given to action. He likes to compare many parts of the poem to the style of leading poets such as Wordsworth, Kafka, Basho and Byron which is perhaps unnecessary in the analysis of a poem of a stand alone poet. The poem starts with colors and the commentator says rightly that these colors represent nature, but I disagree with his statement, “The sky that’s blue and not the granite mountains”. While it is apparent the snow covered peaks of the mountain do hit the blue sky, it is also possible the poet did refer to the mountains as blue and not the sky. After all the light reflecting from the sky to the white peaks could appear blue to the eye, and further in America there are the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
I like his interpretation of calling the mountains “ragged” which suggests unraveling rather than the expected highly strong and masculine, jagged. His analysis of the bird was a surprise to me as I was not aware of any flute like substitute of a Judeo-Christian God. I also would have thought the short sharp sound of the bird would disturb the tranquility of the mountains and not lead one into a trance of luxurious silence. I was also intrigued to learn that the title is reminiscent of a phrase from a classic Japanese haiku.
It is particularly interesting when the commentator muses if the poet who dives in the water will emerge or not but contradicts himself by stating the poets recollection by writing this poem tells us the answer.
1) Firstly, I would read the poem repeatedly until I have the gist of it.
2) Along the way I would make note and mark obvious metaphors, repetitive language, unique structure, and identify the speaker and audience;
a. Structure of the 2 stanzas is similar where the first 2 lines are indented further towards the right, and those 2 lines are the descriptive segments of the poem. The poem ends with the word Splash, which is indented in the same manner. This word is made to stand out in the poem and brings the readers attention to it, it is also the only action that occurs. Also, you can notice that short, and choppy sentences are used throughout, which are fairly descriptive
b. A lot of alliteration is found in the 2 stanzas; for example hemlock half, ragged rocky, little lake to name a few, which adds rhyme and beat to the poem
c. As the poem is highly descriptive, there is imagery of; Blue mountain white snow gleam, and use of several colors; blue, white, brown, which are all tranquil and peaceful colors
d. The setting is evidently at Five Lakes Basin, which is an old pond surrounded by mountains
e. The audience is perhaps someone who is currently present at the lake, who is providing a description of the place. Perhaps, by using ‘up through time’ it indicates a definite time period has passed since this person has visited the lake. Perhaps by using ‘a naked bug’ it represents the person’s closeness to nature
f. The diction consists mostly of adjectives and lacks verbs
g. The mood/tone of the poem appears to be tranquil and serene
h. I don’t see any metaphors or similes, and also any irony.
The poem, at first glance seems very simplistic in styling, and almost child like. I seem to imagine a white male youth who is enjoying nature, though age is not indicated. The poem in my mind has an American feel to it though technically the beginning as the commentator has mentioned could be anywhere in the world which houses scenic beauty of lakes and mountains. It is for me reminiscent of the protagonists of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckelburry Finn, as it conjures up the imagery of small town boys enjoying nature on a hot Summer’s day. The commentator is very detailed and prolific in his analysis and makes some very thoughtful comments. He sums up the poem’s theme as being contemplation to action, where the first 12 lines are dedicated to contemplation and only the last two are given to action. He likes to compare many parts of the poem to the style of leading poets such as Wordsworth, Kafka, Basho and Byron which is perhaps unnecessary in the analysis of a poem of a stand alone poet. The poem starts with colors and the commentator says rightly that these colors represent nature, but I disagree with his statement, “The sky that’s blue and not the granite mountains”. While it is apparent the snow covered peaks of the mountain do hit the blue sky, it is also possible the poet did refer to the mountains as blue and not the sky. After all the light reflecting from the sky to the white peaks could appear blue to the eye, and further in America there are the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
I like his interpretation of calling the mountains “ragged” which suggests unraveling rather than the expected highly strong and masculine, jagged. His analysis of the bird was a surprise to me as I was not aware of any flute like substitute of a Judeo-Christian God. I also would have thought the short sharp sound of the bird would disturb the tranquility of the mountains and not lead one into a trance of luxurious silence. I was also intrigued to learn that the title is reminiscent of a phrase from a classic Japanese haiku.
It is particularly interesting when the commentator muses if the poet who dives in the water will emerge or not but contradicts himself by stating the poets recollection by writing this poem tells us the answer.
The Harlem Dancer
The Harlem Dancer by Claude McKay, makes use of the literary terms, metaphors, diction and irony among others to set the tone and overall theme of his sonnet.
The theme of the poem shows itself strikingly in the irony of the couplet at the end of the sonnet.
But,looking at her falsely-smiling face
I knew her self was not in that strange place.
The poet is one of many youths lapping up the erotic song and dance routine of a young prostitute. So captivated is he by her mesmirizing performance that his senses focus on her voice and her young sexually attractive body. Only at the end he makes the epiphany that she is putting on a false show of happiness and engagement for the sake of the drunk audience who fail to look beyond the glitz and false smiles. The young prostitute has sold her soul to the devil for reasons known to her but could be due to economic need. While she is ready to give her body to the audience for a paycheck she keeps her heart, emotions,and her soul to herself as these are commodities not for sale. And here lies the irony as the audience in their eagerness fail to recognize that she is not revealing all to them and had duped them to part with their money on false pretences. She gives them a fantasy but the reality is far removed from this fantasy. Further, irony is shown in the choice of words to describe her such as "danced gracefully and calm". You may be mistaken to think the audience is watching a graceful ballet dancer giving an elegant performance in the opera house, instead of a highly erotic dance to feed the rowdy audience in a seedy, backstreet smoke filled dark club of dubious nature.
Further irony is further portrayed by the usage of metaphors.
/similes which helps to set the tone and theme.
" her voice was like the sound of blended flutes
Blown by black players upon a picnic day'
Her voice is being compared to blended flutes which conjures up the imagery of the Pied Piper of Hamlin who was able to hyptonize rats into following him. Here the rats are the uncouth youth who come to look at a cheap show for their own satisfaction. While the flutes signify dignity of a sophisticated recital the truth belies this. The imagery of picnic day allows us to think of the outdoors on a bright Summers day where children with their families play happily. This is in stark contrast to a musty nightclub in the wee hours of the morning where families would be tucked in bed safely at home not gawking at scantily clad ladies of the night.
Another metaphor is striking in it's usage,
"to me she seemed proudly swaying palm
Grown lovelier for passing through the storm"
The imagery again reveals daytime and the beach setting. The storm refers to the blowing breeze that dishevels the palm in the same way the prostitute who is working long hours is now disheveled in appearance but loses none of her appeal as this look adds to her sexuality. Like her a palm stand alone and tall and is difficult to touch the fruits she bears and proudly displays. The storm may also refer to the storm that rages within her which denotes her unhappiness and is hidden by her outward calm.
The diction is used to show the overall sexual tone of this sonnet. The audience are high testosterone youths drugged by sexual desires. This is shown by, "tossing coins in praise", and "eager passionate gaze " they are lusting after a woman they have objectified. They believe her she exists only to fulfill their desires and have no regard for her feelings or any respect for her. Their lust is shown by "wine flushed bold eyed boys " this shows that the boys are young and do not yet have maturity or the wisdom of age. They follow their hormones and basic carnal instincts with gay abandon. However, such is her power that " even the girls" are amazed at this creature that can with her magnetism captivate an audience into submission. Use of "devoured " again brings the image of animalistic nature in the same way a carnivore devours it's victims the prey.
And here lie the real irony and theme of this sonnet. The actual victims are the audience who have fallen for the sexual prowess of a prey that teases and taunts them while keeping her distance and is far removed from the debauchery of their antics.
"I knew her self was not in that strange place"
Often prostitutes and strippers are thought of badly by the general public. And yet their lives remain a fascination to us, and so many books aand movies are inspired by their lives. I remember watching the Bollywood mmovie Umrao Jaan and reading the book Lace. Both detail young girls sold into prostitution for no fault of their own but circumstances that lead them to lead this unhappy life. We often hear about human trafficking and hear stories of child abuse that forces women to make lifestyle choices they themselves do not approve of. Rather than condemning we need to understand and help these women support themselves with dignity.
The theme of the poem shows itself strikingly in the irony of the couplet at the end of the sonnet.
But,looking at her falsely-smiling face
I knew her self was not in that strange place.
The poet is one of many youths lapping up the erotic song and dance routine of a young prostitute. So captivated is he by her mesmirizing performance that his senses focus on her voice and her young sexually attractive body. Only at the end he makes the epiphany that she is putting on a false show of happiness and engagement for the sake of the drunk audience who fail to look beyond the glitz and false smiles. The young prostitute has sold her soul to the devil for reasons known to her but could be due to economic need. While she is ready to give her body to the audience for a paycheck she keeps her heart, emotions,and her soul to herself as these are commodities not for sale. And here lies the irony as the audience in their eagerness fail to recognize that she is not revealing all to them and had duped them to part with their money on false pretences. She gives them a fantasy but the reality is far removed from this fantasy. Further, irony is shown in the choice of words to describe her such as "danced gracefully and calm". You may be mistaken to think the audience is watching a graceful ballet dancer giving an elegant performance in the opera house, instead of a highly erotic dance to feed the rowdy audience in a seedy, backstreet smoke filled dark club of dubious nature.
Further irony is further portrayed by the usage of metaphors.
/similes which helps to set the tone and theme.
" her voice was like the sound of blended flutes
Blown by black players upon a picnic day'
Her voice is being compared to blended flutes which conjures up the imagery of the Pied Piper of Hamlin who was able to hyptonize rats into following him. Here the rats are the uncouth youth who come to look at a cheap show for their own satisfaction. While the flutes signify dignity of a sophisticated recital the truth belies this. The imagery of picnic day allows us to think of the outdoors on a bright Summers day where children with their families play happily. This is in stark contrast to a musty nightclub in the wee hours of the morning where families would be tucked in bed safely at home not gawking at scantily clad ladies of the night.
Another metaphor is striking in it's usage,
"to me she seemed proudly swaying palm
Grown lovelier for passing through the storm"
The imagery again reveals daytime and the beach setting. The storm refers to the blowing breeze that dishevels the palm in the same way the prostitute who is working long hours is now disheveled in appearance but loses none of her appeal as this look adds to her sexuality. Like her a palm stand alone and tall and is difficult to touch the fruits she bears and proudly displays. The storm may also refer to the storm that rages within her which denotes her unhappiness and is hidden by her outward calm.
The diction is used to show the overall sexual tone of this sonnet. The audience are high testosterone youths drugged by sexual desires. This is shown by, "tossing coins in praise", and "eager passionate gaze " they are lusting after a woman they have objectified. They believe her she exists only to fulfill their desires and have no regard for her feelings or any respect for her. Their lust is shown by "wine flushed bold eyed boys " this shows that the boys are young and do not yet have maturity or the wisdom of age. They follow their hormones and basic carnal instincts with gay abandon. However, such is her power that " even the girls" are amazed at this creature that can with her magnetism captivate an audience into submission. Use of "devoured " again brings the image of animalistic nature in the same way a carnivore devours it's victims the prey.
And here lie the real irony and theme of this sonnet. The actual victims are the audience who have fallen for the sexual prowess of a prey that teases and taunts them while keeping her distance and is far removed from the debauchery of their antics.
"I knew her self was not in that strange place"
Often prostitutes and strippers are thought of badly by the general public. And yet their lives remain a fascination to us, and so many books aand movies are inspired by their lives. I remember watching the Bollywood mmovie Umrao Jaan and reading the book Lace. Both detail young girls sold into prostitution for no fault of their own but circumstances that lead them to lead this unhappy life. We often hear about human trafficking and hear stories of child abuse that forces women to make lifestyle choices they themselves do not approve of. Rather than condemning we need to understand and help these women support themselves with dignity.
Honey's Love
The sun shines down on God’s golden garden on a bright Summer’s day,
The Beauty and peace, the cooling breeze deceive the nearby dangers lurking beyond,
And the mother looks on lazily watching her innocents, carefree, happy at play,
Evil rears its ugly head to threaten the tranquil, waters of their pond,
A mother’s instinct perks up, radar comes on high alert, ready to defend,
Love bears no cross, no hesitation, no doubt as her body belies fear,
A tower of hope, she prepares her powers, strength, and defenses to lend,
Game set to play, she rises, to protect all that she holds dear,
A mother’s inborn love, comes forth selfless, sacrificial, gracious and always giving,
Willing to do what it takes to ensure her babies go on living……
Happy Mother's Day!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Look Who's Talking!
Amiri Baraka essay deals with how speech is linked to our cultural background and its social aspects. Words exude power, a well spoken person is revered is seen as educated, influential and perhaps wealthy. Whereas, a person who uses incorrect grammar, local slang will be perceived as uncouth or illiterate and ill informed about the world, and therefore will not be in a position to command respect. It is often our inability to speak the language of another country that causes a gap in understanding a different culture which leads to suspicion and misunderstanding. As the article explains, the Blacks bought as slaves were unable to speak English and therefore were termed as “heathens.” In modern terms when the US invaded Iraq United States and the United Kingdom New York
Language is all powerful and has many serious connotations. An insult thrown at a group of people can bring on a war, not just of words but physically. We need to understand the power of words and think before we speak of any ramifications Communication with each other is how the world operates and functions and we need to respect and not abuse this most powerful of tools.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Blog Portfolio March 2011
Here it is!
Coverage
Wild Card: Soul Food
My Writing Process
Method in his Madness
Commentary on Metamorphosis
Short Changed
Hunger Mind Map
Knut Hamsun: Genius or Mad Man
Deterioration of Language
Food for Thought…
Technically, Not Perfect
A New Philosophy
Depth
A New Philosophy
This theory of existentialism is highly complex and difficult to understand. My first thought was to grasp and gain an understanding behind the meaning and philosophy of these ideas and theories before being able to interpret my own thoughts on these ideas. From this I was able to put in my own spin and commentary and further expand and decipher the views expressed.
Interaction
Inspirations Don’t Come Easy
It was interesting that a simple pastiche was able to spark a lively conversation and debate between Julie, Pooja, Javiera, Tom, and myself. This is the beauty of blogs that disagree or agree we all are able to share our thoughts and ideas which stimulates and feeds our minds and forms a bond between bloggers.
Discussion
Knut Hamsun: Genius or Mad Man
It is always heartening when anyone takes interest in your views, thoughts and idea. Whether they agree or not or fawn or criticise it is far better to be noted and recognized than ignored.
Xenoblogging
The Comment Primo
I was invoked to make a first commentary on Monique’s Blog ‘The Relationship Between Father and Son (Part 1)’. The relations that we share with other human beings especially when they are borne of blood is long and complex. It requires depth and greater exploration. While, I did not agree with all the points made, they were inciteful and thoughtful enough for me to respond to. I enjoyed responding and the sparks in my head which took fruit from an interesting topic.
The Comment Grande
I was invoked to make a long commentary Julie’s Blog ‘Self Respect’. It requires depth and greater exploration. While, I did not agree with all the points made, they were inciteful and thoughtful enough for me to respond to in some depth and detail. I enjoyed responding and was inspired by a topic that affects each on of us in our daily lives.
Link Gracious
In Javiera’s Blog “Hunger Artist and Hunger’ I was able to relate to a couple of points she made which allowed me to explore my own train of thoughts from the spark ignited from her insightful commentary. Firstly, she stated, “In other words the psychological effects it has on them. In both texts, the author is able to convey the wide spectrum of emotions and reactions the characters have once in their fasting,” and this allowed me to focus on the psychology the human brain undergoes when under severe stress. A mind does indeed go through the mill of a gamut of emotions as a person can become his own worst enemy. The human mind is a deep cavern with many unexplored by lanes, a veritable maze where often hidden beneath the surface are landmines waiting to be trodden on. A normal person can be under the slightest provocation become a Jekyll and Hyde character or unrecognizable by his normal standards. Hunger or any other physical trauma can play its toll on our mind. Further, her comments that both protagonists became used to their hunger and would almost miss this if taken away from them allowed me to think further on the right or wrong of such a comment. There are people who love to complain such as about an illness, and enjoy discussing their woes to people and even after they recover, they miss the attention and insist on describing the pain when none exists just to obtain pity and attention.
Wild Card
Soul Food
The discussions on hunger’ both in the novel and articles made me think about the relationship we have with food. Food is an integral part of our daily lives and has many connotations that need to be explored and debated over.
Soul Food
It is interesting that we are talking about hunger. In today’s world many people go to sleep hungry while others have far too much to eat and base their life on gluttony and over indulgence. Half the population seem to face starvation while the other half have a problem of rich man, obesity, and high cholesterol. Some will die of heart attacks while others will die of malnutrition. It makes you wonder why God created such a topsy turvy world.
On the other side of the coin in relation to our relationship with food, we have people whose perception and self worth is determined solely by their body image, which brings us back to the food we consume. Millions suffer from diseases such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa which are mental illnesses where the victim develops a hate relationship with food. They perceive themselves as being unfit for society as they are fat. As they lose weight to the point of becoming skin and bone, they still look in the mirror and see a fat person.
Food has many connotations for many people and is related to our mental state of mind, and not just a means to fill that empty feeling in our stomach. At times food can fill the emptiness and loneliness of our lives and acts as a substitute for friends or family. On being upset, we often turn to food for comfort as that chocolate cake, even when we are not hungry can acts as food for our soul. Others, on the other hand can lose their appetite upon any disruption in their normal lives which leads to stress.
Food can therefore, be our friend or our worst enemy. It is not just a biological need that we need to fulfill. At the best it is a way we share our time and thoughts and even discuss business matters over food. It is food that can enhance social gatherings and bring people together. Certainly there is much to chew on when we talk about food.
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