When Lilacs Las in the Dooryards Bloom'd

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It took reading through this poem a few times for me to understand it. At first I was getting lost in the different parts of it. There were lilacs, death's song, a coffin, a western star, a battle scene, and a singing bird. Once I read the little commentary that followed the poem that said it was about the death of Abraham Lincoln it became much more clear. What I like about the poem is what caused my confusion early on. I like how Whitman uses his description as a way to build an atmosphere; the mood is established through snippets of one scene and snatches of another. It is a poetic montage. The first image is that of the lilacs in the yard. This established the setting of late spring and a neighborhood setting. These symbolize the time of Lincoln's death in April and the neighborhood bonding that the nation experienced following his death. Later he uses spurts of emotional passages to express the feelings of mourning. The repetition of phrases helps convey that pouring of emotions: "O powerful...O shades...O great...O cruel...O harsh".

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There is also some very strong imagery, "song of the bleeding throat", later balanced out with delicate images of flowers, "O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies." Just for kicks I looked up some flower symbolism. One website (http://www.teleflora.com/about-flowers/lily.asp) says that lilies are the May birth flower. Roses represent secrecy/ confidentiality. Perhaps that statement was meant to say, let us quietly remember the late president, and welcome the new president.

Dante's Inferno

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This book is similar to Shakespeare's plays in that it has an odd combination of the modern Christianity of the time, ancient mythology, and literary figures combined in one setting. It reminds my of dreams. There are many character that are very familiar, but they interact in a setting were it is unlikely that they wold ever meet. The characters cross cultures and time periods. The book as a whole is very anti-biblical. This could be because during this time period common people did not have access to the bible and had to rely on the small bits of Latin text that the clergy would share. It is very interesting how Dante is so literal in the punishment he chooses for the characters. It shows how sin is hurtful on Earth, but in Hell all pleasure from it is gone and all that is left is the hurtful part of the sin. I imagine Dante's Inferno was even more amusing to read to its first audience. They would be able to pick up on all the references to the people. It would be the Saturday Night Live of Renaissance Florence: political jabs with a Hellish twist.

I Want You Women Up North to Know ...Continued

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The "bourgeois poet" section is an odd shift in style. "Bourgeois" means middle class or relating toward mediocrity. The bourgeois poet could represent the average citizen, one who is in the middle ground having objectivity and the ability to distinguish right from wrong. This poet has a strong usage of metaphor. The first metaphor compares the sewing women's hands to the motions of gulls, then to lightening, then to a dance. Next the motions are compared to music, even her cough is put in a good light being "gay, quick, staccato", tremolo of pain.

The bourgeois poet then mimics the wage decrease for the women. Naming this as the reason for prostitution "for five cents (who said this was a rich man's world?) you can get all the lovin you want." The next line shows the desperate reasoning that the women have. "clap and syph aint much worse that sore fingers, blind eyes, and t.m." Clap is a slang term for gonorrhea and syph is short for syphilis. Therefore they are saying that s.t.d.'s aren't that much worse than the pain they put into the low wage labor of sewing so the money of prostitution seems worth the risk in their situation.

The Screwtape Letters

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The Screwtape Letters is an awesome book. I really admire how C.S. Lewis can intertwine deep meaning into a very interesting and relatable narrative. He does this most notably in The Chronicles of Narnia through the traditional prose format. However, in The Screwtape Letters his format is a very large part of the success of the work over all. The book is a collection of letters from an experienced demon to a new inexperienced demon. The elder, known as Uncle Screwtape, gives the younger advice on how to tempt a soul to join "their father's" (the Devil) side. We only get the letters from Screwtape, and none from the young demon. Therefore perspective is very important to the telling of this story. Everything seems so ironic because Screwtape is cheering for Hell's side of the spiritual battle. All his advice focuses on the perversion of natural and good things. The concept that he reiterates is that the demons cannot create anything, they can only take what is already created and change the intended purpose to cultivate ungodly characteristics in humans. He has a solid grasp of spiritual truths, however he has one concept that he cannot grasp that keeps him on Hell's side: the Enemy's (God's) love. His tragic flaw is that he believes that God must have some hidden motive; why else would give give such complete love and grace?



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Through the correspondence a few stories are told. The most prominent story is that of the soul that the young demon is in charge of tempting. His story starts with him as a young man and continues until his death. The reader sees his struggles and successes, presented as opposite. At the same time the young demon has his own struggles in becoming a good tempter. Uncle Screwtape tells little bits of his story on how he got to the high rank he's in over the years, as well as his pondering of the "Enemy's" true intentions.

The book has serious themes of life's struggles and temptations, while still often maintaining a very humorous tone. It always seemed odd to me how the elder demon signed his letters "your affectionate Uncle, Screwtape." They're demons, you'd think they are only evil and never "affectionate." Lewis personifies the demons very well while still maintaining logical motives for their work as tempters. Altogether I thought the book was genius! Lewis presents very deep theological concepts in an interesting and relatable way.

Dover Beach

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This poem is a classic example of Romanticism. It has a very detailed description of nature, in this case Dover Beach. The author seems to feel a sad longing toward the ocean. It personifies the waves and the waves saying that the "waves draw back, and fling" as if they are playing throwing and catching game and pebbles were just toys to throw around. The second stanza changes tone from that of peace and tranquility to quick activity. There are some very active images filled with drama, the "grating roar", "tremulous cadence", "turbid ebb and flow". From the end of the second stanza to the third there is another tonal change from exciting activity to melancholy thoughts. Arnold also references Sophocles description of the Aegean. This allusion contributes to the tone because Sophocles' stories of Oedipus and Antigone are characterized by their depressing tragedy. The Sea of Faith references the Mediterranean sea. Throughout the poem there is some rhyme: "tonight/ light", "fair/air", "land/strand". However there is no clear pattern.In the end there is a lesson learned from the sea: nothing is certain, therefore let us be loyal to each other. Armies are ignorant and just like the waves they crass against each other in the night.

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

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This poem has an interesting point. The man who has lost his love forbids mourning over her, or at least in the traditional way. His point seems to puritan. He argues that crying and wailing over someone who has died is disrespecting them. This is because the physical mourning comes from physical loss. For instance a physical lover's absence is felt and missed in a physical way because that's all they were. The one who mourns misses this "eyes, lips, and hands" not their spirit. Therefore they express that loss through "tear floods". To John Donne it is better to "let us melt" as a more respectful way of mourning. The loves he speaks of is "so much refined". This kind of mourning comes from the heart, because the lost were with them in heart. Now that they are gone he imagines that their (singular) heart has grown because of the new distance, instead of a physical breach between two bodies.

I find this entirely impossible and impracticable. If you really loved the one that died you feel it in your heart. The pain of the heart causes the "tear-floods" and "sigh-tempests".

Donne uses a consistent AB AB rhyme scheme throughout. It is a very rhythmic poem. He employs imagery that enhances the theme of mourning and uses the extended metaphor of the compass. He also uses simile: "like gold to airy thinness beat", "as stiff twin compasses are two". Alliteration is also used in his poem: "lover's love", "men pass mildly", "melt and make".

King Lear

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"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). In King Lear pride was the tripping stone that caused the ultimate destruction of King Lear, Regan, Goneril, and Edmund. Lear's pride first caused the chasm between he and Cordelia. Because of his pride he wanted to hear public statements of love from his daughters, despite their true feelings. Ironically the ones who didn't love him complied with his wishes (for their own gain). The one who did love him was disgusted by the who affair and spoke honestly. She proclaimed her love, but as a modest fair statement of true love rather than the showy and embellished lies that the others lied with. Lear was embarrassed by the modest truth and he valued his pride more than his daughter. In the end he suffered because he rejected her love.

Goneril and Regan displayed their pride in a few ways. They thought they could have it all. By taking advantage of their father they got more land and more power that fueled their pride. Each fueled the other to more cold, cruel, hostel behavior. They had the mentality that 'if she wasn't going to let you ____, then I won't either.' As their pride increase any trace of the gentleness of femininity was eliminated and eventually all human compassion was forsaken. This completely contrasts Edgar. As he had less and less he became more and more compassionate. The same concept was apparent in King Lear as well. As his pride act brought him to more and more desperate situations the pride of being rich royalty decreased. He found in himself some compassion for the homeless. Ironically the one that he thought was a beggar was Edgar himself! Meanwhile Edmund was prideful enough to think all his scheming and betrayal would earn him a place of leadership and honor. However this path lead to the deaths of many and heartbreak to all.

Macbeth

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Macbeth explores the mystery of the supernatural. What truths do the supernatural hold? Are they inherently right because of their superhuman nature? Should they be heeded or avoided? I think in Macbeth the witches caused more trouble by their "prophesies" than would have occurred had they not "prophesied." In fact I would argue that they prophesy was self fulfilling. If Macbeth had not been told that he would have all that power, I believe as a character he does not have the boldness to make it happen on his own. The role of the prophesy was to give Lady Macbeth an excuse that her cruel actions were justified. Also it gave her the boldness to call on the devil to "unsex" her, to take away the gentle and sensitive nature that is characterized by the female sex. Without the prophesy she may have became more sensitive rather than more cold, and she and Macbeth would not have gained the power that they did.

The supernatural played a role similar to Greek mythological gods and goddesses. They had a part in human "fate", but were not so omnipotent that they controlled exactly what happened. Also they had more interactions with humans where they held a more even role with the humans. They even had human flaws. Similar to Greek mythology the witches used humans as a source of amusement.

Because of the prophesy both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffered from extreme psychological ailment. Macbeth has extreme paranoia, both suffer from constant anxiety, and both have delusions. Macbeth hallucinates seeing a bloody dagger. Lady Macbeth sees blood on her hands, "Out damn spot"! It seems that both their mental problems were self caused because of their ambition. Their ambition was encouraged because of the prophesies. Without the prophesies I believe that neither characters would take action as they did. I also believe they would have been satisfied with the power they already had. Since they believed they could have more they became thirsty. In a sense the prophesy was like salt water, once they tasted it they became thirsty for more.

Gilgamesh

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I really do not like this story! The whole thing is based on the animalistic nature of man especially man's pride. Gilgamesh runs his kingdom based on his pride and passion taking all with out regarding others. He takes the lives of others on a whim and rapes the women of the nobles. He and Enkidu fight, just as dogs do to confirm their friendship. Enkidu is "tamed" by sex with a prostitute. The woman is used as a trap for him, as if he is a bear that they were luring by the waterhole with a smelly fish. They live by their pride with the carnal need to show he is "man enough", to show "I'm stronger than the strongest". Of course they can defeat Humbaba, they are the Beast of the beasts! The men although "above" the animals are animals themselves. They are constantly in nature and of nature, in reality and symbolically. After Enkidu's death even Gilgamesh, previously the more "refined" man reverts to a more animalistic nature, rejecting royal clothes for animal skins instead.

Kubla Khan

Coleridge


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This poem is very fantastical. It seems like one of those images of (artistic) inspiration that pops into your head. The poem kicks off with a fictional river, called Alph. About a hundred years after the poem was written Griffith Taylor named a river in Antarctica after the fictional river of the poem (Wikipedia). The "sacred river" could also be a biblical allusion to the Jordan River. The "sunless sea" could also be a biblical allusion to the story of creation. "Now the earth was^a]"> formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2). As the stanza continues land is added, as well as plants, and light sunny areas. It's not a mirror image as far as the perfect order to the creation, but it does allude to it.

I'm entirely confused as to what Coleridge meant by " holy and enchanted/as e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted/by women wailing for her demon lover!" Perhaps he was referring to the "face" on the moon and how it seems to be speaking (or wailing) toward the shadowy part of the moon. The imagery of the Abyssinian (Ethiopian) maid with the dulcimer evokes images of angels playing harps. This ethereal image is supported with the image of the sunny dome of ice, a very bright white light image. "Weave a circle around him thrice", who is the he? Perhaps "He" refers to God. The use of "thrice" or three could also refer to the trinity.

Coleridge uses repetition throughout the poem as a means of tying the very abstract plot together. Recurring phrases include: "sacred river ran", "caverns measureless to man", and "dome of pleasure. Alliteration is used in many places: "measureless to man", "sunless sea", "With walls", "sunny spots", "cedarn cover", "women wailing", "mazy motion". Rhyme is also used throughout: "ran/man", "ground/round", "rills/hills", "tree/greenery".

I Want You Women Up North to Know

Tillie Olsen

"Let's Start at the Very Beginning, A Very Good Place to Start"- The Sound of Music, (great musical btw).Tillie Olsen starts the poem with a direct call out to her audience, northern women, specifically those that shop at the major department stores. She then exposes the cute image of "dainty children's dresses" to their real origin- the blood of working women. This juxtaposition is made through the imagery of "blood" and "wasting flesh"; and through the metaphor of the process of fabric-making using the words "dyed" and "stitched". The image is also ironic because San Antonio, the place where the dresses are so painstakingly made, is "where sunshine spends the winter"

The second stanza starts in a similar way with "I want you women up north to see" (instead of know). This shows Olsen's desire for northern women not just to have a factual understanding of the suffering of southern worker women, but to see their faces so it as personal of an issue to northern women as it is to southern women. If they were to look through the sales woman's cheery facade they would see one getting rich at the expense of others getter more destitute. The "bloated face" shows that one is getting fat by "ordering more dresses", consuming more and more, as the workers are wasting away from "consumption". Consumption is defined as the progressive wasting away of the body. So in other words southern women suffer from consumption (wasting away) because of northern women's consumption (consuming resources). At the end of stanza two Olsen employs repetition with the phrase "in blood, in wasting flesh".


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There is a tonal shift going into stanza three as Olsen now describes the woman of the south that the northerners should now be picturing when they go into a northern department store. "Dawn to midnight" is repeated as well as the sewing metaphor; the "blood embroiders" and the rain is "stitching the night". She also uses descriptions of weather (in San Antonio) to show the plight of the working women. There is a "fog of pain", "parching heat", and "white rain".

This poem is similar to I Stand Here Ironing in theme and imagery. Both contain themes of sacrifice, desperate situations, and the strength of women through adversity. Also both works use a repetitious motion to move the piece along. In I Stand Here Ironing it was through the motion of ironing and in I Want You Women Up North to know it was through sewing/fabric-making.

To be continued......

Hamlet- interpretataions

Just for kicks and giggles I rented the Kenneth Branagh movie version of Hamlet from the library. I've been watching it little bits at a time. The characters in it are played a bit differently than I imagined. Polonius was presented as a well respected old man in the movie, whereas the play seemed to make him seem foolish. This is especially apparent in the scene where Polonius is confronting Hamlet about the book he is reading in attempts to find out if he is "mad" or it is his love of Ophelia that makes him act so distraughtly.

Speaking of Ophelia, the movie makes it clear that she had already given away her "chaste treasure" to Hamlet when Polonius spoke to her. Their relationship was definitely that of lovers. The book only implies that that may have been. All in all the most evidence in the book that their relationship was already sexual are the love letters Hamlet had written Ophelia. This is not solid evidence either. In my opinion it is more likely that through the two growing up in the royal household, Hamlet fell in love with Ophelia. Ophelia did not know how to react to him, so when Laertes and Polonius spoke to her she decided to take their advice. If they were already lovers I don’t believe she would have abandoned him so easily, especially after the death of his father.

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While watching the movie is struck me how Laertes's death was just like the ironic death of Sykes in "Sweat."Both characters intended to harm another, (Laertes wanted to kill Hamlet, Sykes wanted to torment Delia), and in the end they died by the harm they meant for the other. Laertes was killed by the poisoned tip of the sword, and Sykes was killed by the rattlesnake. They both were aware of the fact as well. As Laertes dies he says, "I am justly kill'd with my own treachery". In "Sweat" the end say he "must know by now that she knew."

Chicago

Carl Sandburg The first thing that struck me in this piece was the structure. There are essentially five sections. The beginning section is the "worker" section, personifying the city as its occupational role, its contribution to the world. Within the main section "1" lines four through five use the listing of adjectives to describe the worker (that is to say the city). This listing technique is repeated in the main section "3". It is notable that Sandburg uses active verbs, giving the description of the city the feeling of movement, a perfect feeling for the city that is always working. Section "2" is characterized by the accusation, response format. By using the "they" versus the writer/the city tension is created, giving the poem more emotion and power in the response. If Sandburg simply wrote "I have seen...I have seen..." it would be very flat and would lose interest quickly.

I love some of the images he uses: "Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action"- a nasty carnal image- "dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth"- once again gross, yet a perfect black (dust)/ white (teeth) contrast. Finally the repetition of laughing/laughs provides a contrast to the stark images of the prostitutes, gun violence, hunger, savageness preceding section "4." Within section "4" there is a sharp contrast with the use of laughing. Without laughing/ laughs the section would read as:

Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, --- with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny --- as a young man---,
--- even as an ignorant fighter --- who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and ----- that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs
the heart of the people,
------!
Laughing also becomes a smooth transition into section"5". This is the conclusion section, incorporating all of the earlier elements used. First Laughing, then active verbs, and ending with the same worker roles that started the poem. In this way the poem goes full circle.

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders: [1]

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys. And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again. And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger. And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them: Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning. Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the little soft cities [2]
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted
against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding, [3]
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse. and under his ribs
the heart of the people,
Laughing! [4]
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweat-
ing, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player
with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation. [5]

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The way Sandburg describes the city is very personal. It is very reminiscent of the song "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Sometimes I feel
Like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

I drive on her streets
Cuz she's my companion
I walk through her hills
Cuz she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds and
She kisses me windy
I never worry
Now that is a lie

I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
(repeat)

Yeah
(repeat x2)

It's hard to believe
That there's nobody out there
It's hard to believe
That I'm all alone
At least I have her love
The city she loves me
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

I don't ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all that way
(repeat x2)

Yeah yeah
Mo no no no
Yeah yeah
Love me I said
Yeah yeah

Under the bridge downtown
Is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
Forgot about my love
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away

Yeah yeah yeah
No no no no no
Yeah yeah
No no I said
Yeah yeah
I stand

http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/lyrics/red_hot_chili_peppers/what_hits_1995.html#s10

We Real Cool

Gwendolyn Brooks

THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

Rather simplistic, is it not? The simplistic nature f this poem reminds me of the play, "Breath" by Samuel Beckett. "Breath" starts with the cry of a baby, then a breath in and a breath out as lights brighten, then dim, then there is another cry. (http://www.bradcolbourne.com/breath.txt) It is so basic yet is a symbol of life, from a bleak perspective. It says you are born; you grow, then decay, and cry out as a babe as you die. Just like "We real Cool" the simpleness gives the poem more meaning.

So what is "We Real Cool" all about? The poems just gives little snapshots of thoughts and images. It is a poem of the "delinquents" of the 50's. It makes me think of Rebel Without a Cause (one of the movies we watched in APUSH thanks to Mr. Hiles) and West Side Story as far as in theme. "Strike straight" could mean gang fighting, at night "lurk late". "Sing sin", clearly means they are singing ballet dancing gangsters...just kidding : ). It could mean that they sin so much that it happens as fluidly as words come from their mouths. Also it could mean that sin is their "theme song". "Thin gin" means that they drink so much gin that their supply is "thinned" . The simple words of the poem could symbolize the simpleness of the young pool players. Also it shows how they have run out of words to say because their lifestyle is so routine and grim.


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The most prominent rhetorical devices are the alliteration, rhyming, and syntax. "Pool Players", "Lurk Late", "Strike Straight", "Sing Sing", and "Jazz June" are all examples of the alliteration. "Cool School", "Late Straight", "Sin Thin Gin", "June Soon" are example of the rhyme. It's also interesting how she has "We" at the end of each line. I read part of an interview of Brooks about this piece. She says that the "we" at the end it supposed to be performed as almost a whisper as if they are questioning their existence. This backs up the idea that they are "delinquents", the restless youth of the 50's and 60's.

Much Madness is Divinest Sense

Much Madness is divines Sense-
To a discerning Eye-
Much Sense-the starkest Madness-
'Tis the Majority
In this, as All, prevail-
Assent-and you are sane-
Demur-you're straightway dangerous-
And handled with a Chain-



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"Much Madness is Divinest Sense" without a doubt this is a piece by Emily Dickinson. She uses all of the elements that are characteristic of her poetry. Such elements include use of Capitalization, dashes, some alliteration, and dark themes. All of these things are found in her poem, "Essential Oils". The use of many dashes is also in Horace Smith's Ozymandias. This could be mere coincidence, but this poem could have been familiar to Dickinson for it was published twelve years prior to her birth. One question I have is, did she name any of her poems? It seems that they are all called by their first line. I quite enjoyed the idea of this poem. She explores the universal question, what is madness? According to Dickinson one that appears mad is really most in touch with the divine Sense. Sense is capitalized, perhaps meaning "divine Spirit". The "discerning Eye" could mean God: divinest Sense= discerning Eye, one that is impartial to the public opinion. When Sense appears the second time I believe it takes on another meaning. Line 3/4 I believe says that using too much reason causes the worst madness, and this is what the majority suffer from. This statement seems very appropriate to be coming from Dickinson who lived during the height of the Age of Reason, when science was embraced over/within religion (deism).

To agree with the majority is to be considered "sane". The word assent enforces this opinion because it implies a passive agreement. In her opinion the ones accepted as sane are the lemmings that jump off the cliff. Next she uses Demur to describe the insane or "dangerous". According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary demur is defined as, "hesitation (as in doing or accepting) usually based on doubt of the acceptability of something offered or propose". Therefore the one that demurs evaluates the accepted norm. Dickinson praises this person. However in life this person is then punished or "handled with a Chain".

Dickinson's style points to her will for readers to think and evaluate. The dashes are a way of saying "stop, this is important and is an essential part of what links (chains?) the poem together." The alliteration provides some auditory appeal to the poem, with the lip-smacking m's "Much Madness", and lingering s's "Sense", "starkest", "Assent", "straightway", "dangerous". [Was line 1 on purpose with much madness starting the poem, then switching the meaning and sandwiching line 3?]

Sweat

Zora Neale Hurston

I was quite wrong in my initial thoughts about this story. For the first page I thought that Sykes very child-like and playful. I perceived that he was threatened by Delia's need to do laundry to contribute to their finances, and his reaction of kicking the laundry about was an outlet of his aggravation that he was insufficient. However, the tonal shift in paragraph 13 ("Two months...her, lovely") took my view of the scene from infantile bullying to full blown spousal abuse.

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The dialect in this story made it more difficult to read; in fact I found it necessary to read it out loud at times. Despite the draw back of slowing down the reading, the dialect was needed to fully establish the setting (in the south) and to contribute to the development of the characters. “Of course I knew! That’s why I did it. If you’re such a big fool that you must have a fit over an earth worm or a string, then I don’t care how badly I scare you” just does not have the same effect as, “Course Ah knowed it! That’s how come Ah done it. If you such a big fool dat you got to have a fit over a earth worm or a string, Ah don’ keer how bad Ah skeer you.”

The scene with the men on Joe Clarke’s porch shows how Sykes behavior was beyond the cultural norm of the time. From their conversation the question of who is “Bertha”, the woman Delia mentions in paragraph 13, is answered. Clarke’s speech where he compares a beaten woman to sugar cane is key to this story. This analogy is proven true in a few ways throughout the story. Yet, his speech still shows the view that women are weak and only objects of pleasure. Through the story it is clear how strong Delia is overcoming the abuse and taking jobs to provide for both of them. The next thing discussed is how to serve justice to Sykes and Bertha, once again with the assumption that Delia is too weak to withstand him. In the end Sykes does get justices served to him, as foreshadowed by Delia in paragraph 14. He was punished by his own doing, a very ironic death. Delia’s part was very small, based on her inaction rather that any vehement action, thus maintaining the woman’s innocence.

The snake is a well known symbol of the Devil. Delia tries to resist the snake, and for this reason is not harmed by it. Delia says in paragraph 14, “whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly. In the last paragraph the story goes full circle with Syke "on his hands and knees," his deed now "under his belly." Delia did however pity him, especially as he was dying he could see the wash tubs, a reminder of his insufficiency in life. In the last sentence says "She could scarcely reach the Chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew." The Chinaberry tree reminds me of the shed outside the house in Beloved that was the place of protection (from Schoolteacher and from Beloved) and death (for Beloved as a baby). The tree is protection from Syke to Delia, and also a symbol of the Sykes' death. On a side note according to dictionary.com "Skye" means "a gully or ditch, esp. one that fills with water after a heavy rain." Perhaps the "cold river" means the poison from the snake, but I think it also means Sykes' evil intentions. The end was hopeful, "She never moved, he called, and the sun kept rising." It was a new day for Delia when the torment of Sykes was over.

Ozymandias

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Excellent, just as I'm reading modern poetry we are starting into some of the classic poems. To start off, I feel the need to translate the poem into modern English.

I MET a Traveler from an antique land,
Who said, "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read, (the sculptor saw the frown/wrinkled lip/cold sneer often on the face of the king)
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, (the expression/the hand that mocked still lives on through the dead stone)
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is OZYMANDIAS, King of Kings."
Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!
No thing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This poem ends with an ironic image because his works are destroyed, nothing is left. This can serve as an example of "pride goes before the fall." It also demonstrates how temporary glory on Earth is. Man, is here one day and gone the next with little to commemorate "great" acts preformed in this life. I find these themes very interesting because they are also found in Mary Shelley's (Percy Shelley's wife) Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein's works were nothing to him as he lost all he loved, and eventually dies because of his creation of the creature and the toll it took on him. His pride fueled the creation of it, prevented helping the thing once it was created, and prevented getting help in capturing it after it pledged to be an enemy of mankind.

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I'm a very poor typist, so I looked up the poem's title for some copy/paste help. In the process I found this: http://www.potw.org/archive/potw46.html . According to the website Shelley and Horace Smith submitted similar sonnets to the magazine, The Examiner in 1818. Both of the poems were inspired by Diodorus Siculus. Smith's sonnet goes as follows:

Ozymandias.

IN Egypt's sandy silence, all alone,
Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws
The only shadow that the Desart knows:—
"I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone,
"The King of Kings; this mighty City shows
"The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,—
Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose
The site of this forgotten Babylon.

We wonder,—and some Hunter may express
Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness
Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,
He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess
What powerful but unrecorded race
Once dwelt in that annihilated place.

Smith's poem concentrates more on the leg, whereas Shelley's uses the leg as a springboard to discuss the face and character. Similarly to Shelley, Smith points out the desolation around the destroyed statue. Then he points toward a meaning focused more on the civilization as a whole and relating in to London. He sets up an image of a hunter chasing a wolf through what was London. The chase could also relate to man's chase after glory, thus relating back to the king whose glory was decimated.



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The Irresistible Revolution

Read it!!! Convinced yet?


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Alright, let's have some context, shall we? I've just finished reading The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical by Shane Claiborne. Is a wonderful book on the Jesus movement, a reevaluation of the church today, and the movement to return to the ways of the early disciples. Claiborne's book emphasizes the ideals of community, sacrificial love, peace, and reconciliation. He writes the book, not only as a sharing of his ideals, but as story of his life and how those ideals are actualized. Claiborne writes in a narrative format, using many stories to demonstrate his point. His language is an odd mixture of street slang and theological jargon. Although I don't agree with every statement he makes, I admire that he qualifies the statements with references to well respected theologians, world leaders, and scripture.


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This book is similar in many ways to Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. Bell's book also emphasizes the need for change in the church. Specifically he focuses on this change happening through community. Velvet Elvis also explores the concept of community; what is it, how does it look now, why is it important. Although the two book are closely related in theme, they differ on how they delve into the subject. Bell focuses more on concepts and explanation of what the scriptures say about them. His writing style is more lyrical, employing repetition, syntax, and creative organization to relate to a broad audience. Claiborne focuses more on the concepts in practice, while also incorporating scripture. He writes in prose. To capture readers' interest he breaks up the walls of prose with section titles that evoke reaction. Some examples of this include: "City of brotherly shove", "Holy Mischief", "When grass pierces concrete", and "Jesus wrecked my life". These authors challenge readers to think critically, and live authentically.

"Test it. Probe it.
Do that to this book.
Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it."-Velvet Elvis

"This book will comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable, and invite believers to change the world with Christ's radical love." - The Irresistible Revolution

More thoughts on Poetry

Both poets use a ringing sound, King in the “I love you too bird” and Smith in the telephone. Later King uses literal silence to emphasize the effect of the silence of which she speaks, “Who knew his last word would be ________/A summing up silence of violence interrupted.” Smith uses silence to her advantage as well, “wide questioning silence” in a literal line; but silence is also embedded into the piece because aside from the noise of the undertaker’s thoughts, the whole interaction is fairly quiet. King also uses a slash to bring multiple meanings to “My bleeding fresh/man of twenty one.” This can be read as “bleeding fresh”, an image of blood, “bleeding freshman”, an image of youth, and “My bleeding man”, claiming a relationship to the man who bled.

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I would like to explain the main themes a little more: (sudden) death, street violence, and sacrificial love. Both poem talk about the shock of sudden death. Kings' poem includes the story of a specific incident of stabbing, and Smith's has many stories of shootings. All characters in the poems are victims of street violence. Sacrificial love is also present in both poems . Kings' poems shows how the man sacrificed his own life to defend a mother and daughter. Smith's poem shows how the mothers of the shooting victims and the family were willing to sacrifice in order to provide a proper burial for their family member.