We Real Cool

I hate to admit it but until this class I did not know about Gwendolyn Brooks. I really liked her poem “We Real Cool” (746-747) written when she was about 50 years old. Although the lit book suggests that economy (755) of words is a feature of all poetry, Brooks has taken “We Real Cool” to an extreme. Consisting of 24 words (not counting the title and subtitle), Brooks communicates an entire story about the lives and future of young African-Americans (or Hmong, Hispanic or any poor ethnic group). Also impressive about Brooks’ poem is its age—more than 40 years old—and it is still a realistic picture of gangs found in urban areas all over America.

The “we” in the poem suggests that the individuals in the group do not have a separate identity. They judge themselves as a group (“real cool”) and act as a group (lurk, strike, sing, jazz). This type of peer pressure keeps the members in the group from doing more or improving themselves. Such an acceptance of “We Die soon” means that the group members are focused on enjoyment of their lives while they can. Also they do not plan for the future. The ending suggests this image was disturbing to Gwendolyn Brooks, who had a teenager in Chicago in 1967. What is even more disturbing is the image of teenagers without a future is still a reality in America in 2008.

"Porphyria's Lover"

This poem reminds me so much of "Rose for Emily". Both murders, whether assumed or not, or done out of the desperation of someone who needs the person that they are murdering to be with them for all of their lives. They are so overwhelmed by love that they are able to destroy the thing they love in order to keep it, even when the thing they love is already willing to stay. What is so ironic about this poem is that she was already there to be with him, in fact he could tell that, "at last l knew Porphyria worshiped me," (32-33). He was in love with this girl and he was willing to risk a lifetime of "moments" because," That moment she was mine, mine" (36). It is such a dark beauty in the sense that his motive was not at all evil or destructive. He was so captivated by her presence that he couldn't control himself. He had to live in that exact moment, of realizing that he was what she wanted, and she was everything he lived for, that he needed to find a way to capture it. Even with that, I think she knew that he was doing. After he kills her, he kisses her lips and props her head in a certain position, all the while, "The smiling rosy little head, So glad it has its utmost will," (52-53). This poem sticks in my mind, but it isn't sick or demented. It's a shame that they don't get to spend the rest of their lives together, but that moment will live with him, and she died after had professing everything.

Barbie Doll

In the poem “Barbie Doll”, the title is an object representing an unattainable female ideal. From the beginning girls and boys are taught how to act accordingly to their gender. Girls wear pink and play dress up. Boys wear blue and play with trucks. A problem arises when a girl’s body changes, or as the poem states, “Then in the magic of puberty,” (line 5). Puberty is when comparison overshadows everything else and a difference in body type between girls becomes a hindrance instead of something unique to be comfortable with. Men and women are bombarded with images of perfect women. Although the women in these pictures represent a very small percentage of women, they are the only images we have and so they become the standard by which everyone should compare to. The woman in this poem could be any woman because every woman has had to deal with playing into gender roles and expectations of an ideal woman. The woman in the poem was smart and strong but she didn’t believe this was good enough, “She went to and fro apologizing/Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (lines 10-11).

She can no longer tolerate the charade she is fronting. “Her good nature wore out/like a fan belt/So she cut off her nose and her legs/and offered them up” (lines 15 -18). The irony in this poem is in the end she finally achieved what society wanted from her. Her nose, although fake, was perfect, “Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said./Consummation at last./To every woman a happy ending” (lines 23 – 25).

"Porphyria's Lover"

As i began to read this poem I thought it was going to be a nice descent story about man and a woman. As I continued to read it seemed like he was not interested in Porphyria and wanted nothing more to do with her. The statement that made me question his love for her was, "And, last, she sat down by my side/ and called me. When no voice replied."(Lines 14-15). I thought why didn’t he answer or was there something wrong with him so he wasn’t able to answer? Backing up to the beginning I wondered why did he split up the word "To-night"(line 1), is there a specific reason which ties in with the poem some how? The next statements " The sullen wind was soon awake/it tore the elm-tops down for spite/and did its worst to vex the lake"(lines 2-4). These lines gave me an image a storm, with the wind blowing hard knocking on the trees. I looked up the word "Vex" (line 4), which means to bring trouble, which also goes with the storm and it brought trouble to the lake. I cam imagine then the waves crashing and water flying. When I continued reading from the pleasantness of not knowing the ending, to finding out that he kills her! I did not see that coming at all! One big question of this poem is how much we should consider that “Porphyria” is a disease. Is this poem actually talking about killing a disease? Or is it merely a love story horror?

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"The Man He Killed"

In the poem “The Man He Killed” written by Thomas Hardy, the point of war is hidden in there, “I shot at him as he at me/”I shot him dead because-/Because he was my foe. (Lines 7-10)” Basically if you don’t kill the other person, who is trying to kill you, more than likely that person would end up killing you. Hardy has a point; however, I don’t like the point of war. I have family such as dad, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, and I have seen how much they change. I could never image what terrible things they have went through in a war. When we read about wars in history books and even now in the newspapers and on the News, we can only get a tiny glimpse of what is going in a war, and most of the time the things that we hear about may not even be the worst things that are happening.

Stop All the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephone - Blog 4

This is my favorite poem so far! For some reason I really like it when the words at the end of a line of poetry rhyme. It creates a sing-songy-kind-of-lilt that I really like.

After the first reading to me it sounded like this poem is talking about someone very special to the speaker who has died. "Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come." (line 4) T0 me, this speaker is basically saying, the world should stop because this person has died. "The stars are not wanted now: put out every one/ Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun." (13, 14)

When I read the poem through a second time, it also spoke to me in a way of lost or trampled dreams (my marriage is something that came to mind; as it feels rather lost and trampled on). "I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong" (12) Looking at it this way, the beginning of the poem creates an imagery of the death of something that was very important to the speaker, and the rest of the poem creates the scene of the world of nature also mourning this loss; "Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood." (15) The speaker seems to feel so sad, mournful and hopeless: "For nothing now can ever come to any good." (16) In some ways its hard to read that because sometimes I feel the exact same way...

"Moving camp too far"

With the area that we live in , I feel that a lot of us can relate to this poem. No we can't go back in history and see what it was really like for Native American's. There are a lot of stereo types about Native American's today and how we view the culture today. For example the second paragraph that starts out with "I can" all of those lines point to the stereotypes of modern times. At the end when the speaker says "I can & unfortunately I do" (lines 21-23) this refers to how sad it is that these stereotypes are the closest ways of being in touch with the culture. I feel it can also be a respect issue, that we've lost a sense of dignity for the culture as well. Eating buffalo burgers hardly compares to having the audacity to actually hunt buffalo. I feel that this poem was kind of a reawakening about how we as a society get lost in modern stereotypes and take for granted the history before us.

"Jump Cabling"

This poem was different from poems I'm used to reading. I liked the format with the space in between. I don't recall seeing that before. I feel as if this poem gave a different meaning by using the space. In one sense yes it was about cars but with a pause it broke away to another meaning such as a relationship or intimate moment between two people. For example "When our cars touched" (1) It could also mean when our hearts touched or when you touch someone for the first time. I liked this poem in that is was simple yet very cleaver at the same time. I think the last line represents an intimate journey and it brings both meanings together, perhaps.

"Moving Camp Too Far"

In the poem, "Moving Camp Too Far", the speaker appears to be melancholy. She is not able to live the life that her ancestors once did. Her ancestors were once proud to be free and live off the land. There was plenty of buffalo and eagles. Northsun writes, "i can see an eagle/almost extinct/on slurpee plastic cups" (lines 12-14). The times have changed for her generation. She is not able to go back and do the things that generations did before her. She can do them in another form. This is supported by the quote, "i can eat buffalo meat/at the tourist burger stand"(17-18). The speaker is trying to do all she can to keep her heritage alive. "i can/& unfrotunately/i do"(21-23). She feels it is unfortunate that she has to do it in this way.

Digging

As I read this poem, I realized that this poet is the grandson and is talking about his father and grandfather. After reading the poem, I realized that he was looking back on his past and remembering his grandfather and father. The poets grandfather and father were farmers and the poet referred to his grandfather as being a hard worker and better then he would ever be. Heaney talks about how the farming has been around for generations. In lines 17 and 18 Heaney states, "My grandfather cut more turf in a day Than any other man in Toner's bog." It shows that his grandfather was a fast worker and a hard worker too.

After reading the poem I was brought back to the stories of my grandparents and how hard they worked compared to now, granted we have advanced technology compared to a 100 years ago. It goes to show that I don't think we could live the way our grandparents did, especially in the field. They would pick by hands and now we use tractors and all the extra accessories that we have that they didn't have. Heaney shows his readers that working hard in life allows to achieve anything.

Heaney pointed out that our grandparents worked hard and that we should appreciate what they did. My grandparents always tell me stories about how hard and long they would work in the field just to get a row done, now days it takes little time. Their hard work has showed and it allows us to be where we are at in the world today.

Jump Cabling

This poem can be very passionate in a way of showing mechanics love for vehicles. Although i'm not a mechanical person and don't know much about vehicles, I could see the love from mechanics on vehicles. There is a white spot that is blank that in a sense almost seems as if the poet wants us to fill in our own sentence for that spot. But then again it could represent something within the poem as well. As I continued to read the poem, the last few lines, lines 6-8 showed that it was about something or someone else too. When it says, "When my car like the princess...." it shows that someone else is involved. So therefore it is about the love for a vehicle and the love for a, "princess."

"Digging" - Poetry Blog 1

When I began reading the poem “Digging”, by Seamus Heaney, I was a bit thrown by the first couple lines. “Between my finger and my thumb/ The squat pen rests; snug as a gun” (lines 1-2). I thought that this was an interesting way to start a poem discussing digging. However, as I read on I realized that Heaney was actually looking back on his childhood.

The poet’s grandfather and father were both potato farmers. Seamus Heaney is showing his gratitude towards them both through this poem. One example of this appreciation is show towards the middle of the poem. “My grandfather cut more turf in a day/ Than other man on Toner’s bog” (line 17). I also found it interesting how Heaney said, “But I’ve no spade to follow men like them” (line 28). The impression that I got from this line was that Heaney had neither an interest nor the desire to work as a potato farmer.

The poet goes on to state that, “Between my finger and my thumb/ The squat pen rests./ I’ll dig with it” (line 29-30). These last three lines are, for the most part, repeating the first two lines. This shows that he has already made the decision to become a poet. Another sign that he has already become a poet is in line seven where Heaney states, “Bends low, comes up twenty years away”. This tells the reader that he is looking twenty years into the past.

I thought that Heaney did a great job of gratifying his grandfather as well as his father. In lines fifteen and sixteen Heaney states, “By God, the old man could handle a spade./ Just like his old man.” Through the descriptive words of this poem, I got the sense that Seamus Heaney is very proud of both his grandfather and father, he could just not bring himself to follow in their footsteps.

So Mexicans (are?) Taking Jobs from Americans

A poem about immigrate workers seems very fit for the time. So it shocked to me to see that "So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans" by Jimmy Santiago Baca was actually written in 1977. Th author writes this poem from an aggressive, angry point of view. He seems sick of how Americans treat Mexican workers and being accused of stealing jobs. "Do they mug you, a knife at your throat,/saying, I want your job?" (Lines 10-11). This line made me think about how we, as Americans, treat immigrate workers. "I see this, and I hear that only a few people/got all the money in this world, the rest/count their pennies to buy bread and butter" (Line 29-31). Is making money or scraping by the reason America started? My belief is that this county was started on the bases of making a better life for your family and to be able to live the life you want. Whether that is the freedom to practice your own religion, job or to speak your mind, everyone should still be able to move to America to experience those freedoms today as well. I feel that the author was reminding us of what we have forgotten. Nevertheless, America has become a country controlled by money and the search for it. Looking at the stock market will show how crazy we can feel when we see the greedy we have created slipping away. Back to the poem, so are Mexicans taking jobs away from Americans? Maybe, but isn't that the American way?

Digging

"Digging" by Seamus Heaney reminds me about my own life. The author writes about his grandfather and father's potato farm. He compares his job, being a writer, with working on a farm. While those occupations are very different, they both require digging. "Over his shoulder, digging down and down/For the good turf. Digging" (Lines 23-24). This passage shows that the author appreciates the work of his father and grandfather. They dig in the potato field all day for a living. "The squat pen rests/I'll dig with it." (Lines 29-30). These final lines show the author's connection of being a writer and growing up on a potato farm. He uses his pen as his father and grandfather used their spades in the field. Even though the author did not take over the family farm, I felt that the author greatly appreciated the work and admiration of his family's work. "By God, the old man could handle a spade" (Line 15). I can relate to the same appreciation and reasons for admiring my family's work as the author. I grew up watching my grandfather and father work on our family farm. Like the author, I do not plan on going into the same business. I hope to be able to "dig" in my own career rather then in my fathers'. I know that growing up on a farm has affected my life and my future, "But I've no spade to follow men like them" (Line 27). I may have different goals then farming, but in the end farming will effect my life just as in the poem.

Moving Camp too Far

In the poem "Moving Camp too Far" by Nila Northsun, the narrator cannot speak or tell of the past moving experiences or how there were battles fought by their ancestors. "I can't speak of" (line 1). Probably because he never lived that kind of life. Cannot tell the story of the battles because he was not there. "I can't tell" (4). Maybe they are not allowed to bring it up in a conversation, in fear of starting another battle. There are a few things he can do now that is is the future. "I can see an eagle/almost extinct/on slurpee plastic cups" (12-15). I feel as if the narrator is Indian but lives a more civilian life. Although he can do all those things that native Americans do, I get the impression that he does it because he feels he has to but doesn't like to. "I can/and unfortunately/I do" (21-23). The word unfortunately tells me that the speaker doesn't look at himself as being fortunate to be Indian and is not so proud like most others would be. Also when using the lowercase "i", this could mean that he feels small and not so popular.

So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans

In the poem "So Mexicans are Taking Jobs from Americans" by Jimmy Santiago Baca, it almost sounds like the narrator is being sarcastic in asking the questions he asks. "Do they sneak into town at night" (line 8). If they need a job bad enough they may arrive at night but not to be sneaky. They too need to feed their families just like we do. We may even sneak into town at night, it's not the Mexicans. The children are the ones suffering. "The children are dead already, we are killing them/that is what americans should be saying" (38-39). We can't save the world but we can be compassionate to others and help out whenever we can. Don't stereotype because others take our jobs too and even some of us don't want to work period. So we give them our jobs. This is America where we are free, and that means all of us are free. Free to tackle a job fit to work and that is available.

digging down and down..

I do not think that our generation can live the way our grandparents lived. We are used to a different life style especially with all this technology. But this does not mean that we are having an easy life. The more technology and knowledge we gain, the more responsible we become. Life is getting complicated more and more every day. Things, beliefs and methods change because life is changing. To survive we need to cope with these changes and adapt ourselves.

Seamus Heaney’s poem “Digging” emphases this idea, that past generations worked hard to support themselves in a harsh life. But we are also working hard like they did in a different time and with different means. What matters is to work hard to achieve our goals in life. The speaker says, “Over his shoulder, digging down and down/For the good turf/Digging”. I believe that the speaker is making an interesting connection between the words “good” and “digging”. He wants us to understand that the more we “dig” or the more we work hard, the more we get good results or achievements.

The speaker in this poem asserts that our grandparents worked hard. We are not supposed to do their same job to be classified as hard workers. We can just learn from them concepts and values that we can apply in our life.