my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

this poem has a humerous side to it because the speaker is making fun of someone. he is picking out aspects that we are used to hearing boasted about and instead is downgrading them. he does this in a nonchalant way; not a mean, point-your-finger obvious kind of way. the author uses similies to enhance his picece by comparing red coral to the mistress' lips. he also uses a metaphore where he compares her hair to black wires. this poem makes me think that the speaker must have thought very hard over how much he dislikes his mistress' appearence to be able to come up with words and ideas such as these.

on her loving two equally

i thought the title for this poem was interesting and i dwelled a bit on it before reading the actual poem. it caught my eye becuase of the way it is structured. we don't normally see words phrased like these. the poem has a dramatic tone. the speaker is caught between loving two men. she can't make up her mind which she wants to be with. the poem is structured in a unique way in which she numbers her stanzas. this makes me think that the speaker is having three complete and different thoughts. when i read the poem i got an image of a woman musing over two men, thinking and daydreaming about it at random intervals. the first two stanzas seem more connected than the third one. in the third stanza the speaker seems cross and desperate about deciding which boy she wants to be with.

Emily Dickinson

Idiosyncrasy- a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.

This poem was fun to read because of it’s sing-songy rhyming scheme, and also because it is humorous, and also because it makes a very good point. Emily Dickinson’s work is confusing and hard to read sometimes, but since she was so good at what she did, she got away with it.

Metrical feet

This poem is one of the most interesting I’ve ever read. The first thing that caught my eye was that it almost has two different titles “metrical feet” and “lesson for a boy”. I think this is really significant because the poem does have a double meaning. It teaches the reader about metrical feet and it seems as though it is also a lesson for a young boy. The speaker is someone who cares about the child and his fond of him as hinted in lines 17 through 20. I also enjoyed the creativity with which the author used personification throughout the piece. I wonder if this piece really helped the kids it was written about and for or if they looked at it and rolled their eyes.

the word plum

i think this poem would work great as a slam poetry in mpiece. they way it is written with some words in italics already hints at how different words should be spoken outloud. this poem is tight because the words seem to express what goes on in a person's mind and mouth when they bite into a plum. when i read this poem, in mind i see a person's mouth in profile, their teeth pushing into a purple fruit. i like how the words chosen for this piece are abstract, yet they describe the action of eating a plum perfectly.

i am like a rose

this poem seemed to me to be about a man who is very pleased and proud of himself. he says he is like that one perfect rose that you single out from a bunch of average roses. it seems like he feels he is above anyone right now. like he has worked really hard and made it to the top by his sweat and blood and hard work alone.

song

i really liked this poem becuase it seemed so happy. i really got a sense of young love. roses seem like something that young loves give one another. once the relationship gets older, roses seem to steriotypically end after awhile so it just made me think that this was still a strong, budding relationship. the man is telling the rose what he actually wants to tell his lover. that she should not be shy, but should come with him and go out and about where she can be seen as beautiful.

lenigrad cemery, winter of 1941

this poem was one of those morbid ones about death i deffinatly don't like, but some of the imagery helped to paint better pictures to make it bearable. the similies were cool, like in the third stanza where the speaker compares the wrapped corpses to butterflys in caccoons where a "new life inside is prepared". i interpreted this as these are the me going to heaven, the ones who are saved. they have a new life in heaven. the next two lines after this seem to refer to the men who are not religious and are not saved. the last three lines where interesting becuase they hint that even though life is so hard in this war that these men are in, they don't want to leave it, that they would keep fighting forever if they could.

wild nights-wild nights!

this poem by emily dickinson was amusing to me because there was a definate hint of sexual playfulness in it. i interpreted the first line and title of the piece to mean the speaker is referring to hot, wild nights ful of lustfull loving. the first stanza with the word "should" makes me think that the author doesn't get these wild nights all the time that she speaks about. the lines "done with the compass/done with the chart reminded me of a woma's menstral cycle. some couples keep a chart of the woman's period so that they can have sex when she is least likely to get pregnant. the third stanza seems to speak compleatly about a sexal act. she is saying she wants to be in "Eden" in a place of perfection and bliss with her lover.

marks

marks by linda pastan is a great metaphorical poem that is in someways also humerous. the protagonist is a wife and mother who is being graded rather harshly by her husband and children. she is given a range of grades from an A to an average C, and it is concluded that over all she passes at her position. just passing, however, is not good enough for her and she announces that she will leave them all because they don't appreciate her enough. it is interesting that the speaker doesn't show any hostility or remorse toward her decision. she announces it as if it is her triumph over them. she thinks she's gonna show them all once she is not there to do everything for them.

what time of year thou mayst in me behold

this poem had an immediate tone of sadness to it. the fact that it compared the dying of the year to the dying individual was not unique, but nonetheless it's clever. usually shhakespeare is extreamly difficult for me to understand, but with this poem i didn't have too much trouble. most of it was written in words that we still use today which helped. the first two lines which talked about few yellow leaves refered to autumn or winter, the time when the year is coming to an end and not only the year, but everything is dying. the part about the "boughs which shake against the cold" gave me the impression that the individual is afraid of dying. in the fifth line "the twilight of such a day" seems to refer as well to the protagonist dying because his life is coming to an end. as twilight comes to the end of the day. in the eight line i thought the word "rest" was significat becuase the line refers to sleep taking over, but rest makes me think of how we write "rest in peace" on tombstones and so i relate this line to death as well. the next two lines are interesting because they relate the man's dying youth to his dying self in the present time. i am a little confused as to who the 'he' is in the tenth line. throughout the poem it seems as though the speaker in the poem is talking to someone about how they would see him. the person the speaker is referring to must be a lover as hinted in the last two lines. the speaker refers to her love becoming "more strong" and then refers back to his death when she must leave him before long.

delight in disorder

this poem seemed to me to be about a man who is expressing his love for women who are not perfect but who are all over the place. he calls disorder "sweet"and calls distraction "fine". i think it turns him on to see woman whoe's clothes are all in disarray. i like his use of the word "wantonness". it's very creative and different. when i first read this poem i took the first line literally in that he was refering to a woman as a "sweet disorder" which clothes wants to automatically be on. i'm not sure why the speaker is so infatuated with woman who appear this way, but my guess it's the same raw infatuation that guys find with girls who have just awoken in the morning.

my papa's waltz

i believe this poem was written from a man looking back on his childhood because it was written about in past tense and in an adult voice. i though the use of the word death in the third line was harsh for this poem, but it made the boy sound as if he were afraid. afraid to let go and didnt' compleatly trust his father to support him. in the second stanza we are introduced to the mother and we get a hint in the 8th and 9th lines that she is always unhappy with her husband's drinking behavior. the father is described as having battered knuckles and dirt smudged hands hinting that he is a rough houser and used to difficult work and a difficult way of survival.

slim cunning hands

cozen: To mislead by means of a petty trick or fraud; deceive

this poem caught my attention because poems about death usually to. it's a really common subject, so it's interesting to see how people write about it so differently. the word choice in this poem is awsome. the author used words such as cunning, cozen, and false to constantly declare how deciving this person was in life. the poem says no one could write on her stone how untrue she was. then in the next line it controdicts itself and says that she was more beautful than any flower on earth. what i gathered from this poem that it was about a whore who was killed at a young age who was never true to any man nor herself, but was beautiful even in death.

the golf links lie so near the mill

this poem sounds ironic and sad at the same time. it almost has a sarcastic tone. the children who work in the mills are watching the grown men play golf. the word choice is interesting because the author chose to use "laboring" instead of just labor. the "ing" makes the word slow down and makes it feel like the work the children do is long and tedious. the "men at play" line sounds ironic becuase we are used to hearing children at play instead.

hawthorne

young goodman brown was a hard story for me to get through. i found it compleatly boring and the fact that i had so fuch figurative language in it made it difficult to get a jist of it at a glance. it requires some deep thinking to really understand the story the way the author intended. im not sure if i believe goodman brown actually met with the devil or if he simply went into the forest and had a dream. i'm curious to know if his father and his father before him really met up with the devil as the evil man said they had, if they had been as profoudly effected as goodman brown was. it seemed significant in the story that the goodman was so shocked that his elders whoem he thought so highly of, were to go the same evil path that he was taking. i think using the name Faith in the story really enhanced it because it has such a double meaning. we know the husband is literally afraid of loosing his wife, as well as he is afraid of loosing his faith with God. all the symbolism, such as the devil carrying a stick that looks like an evil respresenting snake, made this story so deep and powerful.

the lady and the dog

I'm glad that we had to do the questions associated with this story because they gave me a new insight to its fundamentals. In question 2 we were supposed to pick the story apart by section and determine how the setting related to the action. In section three the weather is cold and everything is dead because it is winter in Moscow. I thought this was a great reflection of the Anna and Dimitri's relationship because by this time she has gone back home to her husband and their relationship is pretty much cold and dead as well.

the way of life

This poem has officially taken the spot as most confusing to date! After our class discussion, I can see how it is about a man watching television. I had an idea that it might be about him flipping through a magazine from the line that were he "waited for teh next ad." I had a feeling the "ad" was somehow significant, but couldn't quite put it all together. As I read through the poem, I wasn't sure if the lines were meant to be taken literally or figuratively. For example, i wasn't sure if the first stanza was talking about a criminal flooring another after their escape, or if the stanza referred to people in general being backstabbers to one another.

the night wind

I really enjoyed this poem I think because of how abstract it is and therefore it can be interpreted in so many different ways. I got an image of death as I read it. The wind seemed to be telling the girl to live her life while she is able to and to come out and play while she is still alive and able. I think it had an underlying message about taking chances and being able to take risks.

on the late massacre in piedmont

Martyred-One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle

i didn't like this poem for the simple fact that it was so depressing. the tone of the poem expressed sadness over the lives that were lost on the battlefied, but also anger and a promise of vengence. i think the speaker is determinee. the way the poem is written, in sonnet form, helps to give this feeling becuase it is a steady flow. if it had been written freehand it would sound all over the place. this way the words have a rhythem, like the march of soldier's feet going to war.

the flea

maidenhead-virginity

this poem is humerous because the man is trying to convince the woman to have sex with him, but she won't. to make it even funnier, he refers to a flea as already mixing their blood for them. this poem is interesting because it could take place anywhere at anytime. there is no real setting that is described at all. the only thing that is described in detail is the flea which the woman ends up squishing. the man takes this beyond just killing a flea and becomes all dramatic, saying that the woman had no right to kill the bug. the poem makes we wonder how the woman and the man wound up in the awkward situation they are in. i think that would have made a facinating poem in itself.

situation and setting

cheerylog road

Chassis-Automotive. the frame, wheels, and machinery of a motor vehicle, on which the body is supported

Envoy-a diplomatic agent

convoy-The act of accompanying or escorting, especially for protective purposes

i liked this poem becuase i thought it was a very different take on a love scene. the poem is so different because the speaker doesn't go into any kind of detail about how the love scene unfolds. instead, he focuses on the cars in the junkyard which make up the setting around them. i think he beings to feel something as soon as he walks in just because he anticipates what always comes when he goes there. i think he feels excited by the prospect that he's doing something he shouldn't be doing, like a teenager consuming alcohol.

the cask of amontillado

The main aspect of this twisted story that confused me was why Montressor would want to kill his "friend" in the first place. In my opinion, he shouldn't be refering to Fortunato as a "friend" at all. People don't kill thier friends. Montressor says that he comitted his sick act because Fortunato "ventured upon insult", but what the actual insult was is never never revealed. The story is still very successful without it becuase the harmful act is not what is important. The fact that Montressor committed this fearful dead is what is important and what makes the story.

The story seemed to be to be a confession. I believed Monstressor was speaking to God and trying to justify his innocence. I believe he still feels guilty after all these years that he committed this horrible crime.

I think this is a fantastic piece to use to show point of view. The speaker is untrustworthy becuase we only see his side of the story. Never do we get to hear Fortunat's side. We can't believe everything that this speaker tells us.

this is what it's supposed to look like...

As you read, keep a journal in which you jot down (and look up) words you do not know, your questions about the piece and its context (both within the course and within the literary canon) and your ideas inspired by the piece. PLEASE WRITE LEGIBLY or TYPE. Your journal can also be kept online in the form of a blog.

i just put this in here because i have to keep looking it up anywayz....

A Good Man is Hard to Find

My initial reaction to this story was one of complete disguest. I detest murder, and this story was all about killing and dying. Ok, enough being spiteful. I think the piece was a good one in the sense of our learning about characterization, because there were all different types of characters in the plot. The characters interacting with one another were from different walks of life and of all different age groups so the way they communicated with one another was interesting to observe. Not much detail was given about the character's personal lives, so it was up to us to glean what we could from their actions and speech.

One aspect that struck me right away was the hints of the time this story was written/occured in. What caught my attention was that of the language and the car ride. The author refers to the comics the children are reading as "funny papers". I've heard my grandmother use this term to refer to comics in the newspaper. Later, the Grandmother refers to an African American boy as a "Nigger" which is a thowback to her age and the age of the piece. Another incident is when the author describes the seating arrangements in the car. The baby sits in the middle seat in the front of the car. This is certainaly illegal today.

weeks 1 and 2

Barbie Doll

Dexterity- skills in physical movements

Consummation- the act of consuming; fulfilling

I think this piece speaks about all girls who have ever felt they weren’t pretty enough. The title is significant because it relates to children growing up believing they should look like Barbie who is the perfect human. Unfortunately most people don’t have perfect bodies. The girl as related in lines 7-9 is portrayed as being smart and in good health, but in todays world these qualities don’t count for much. The poem has a sad tone even though it doesn’t convey remorse outright. The events themselves show us how unhappy the girl was.

Leaving the Motel

I don’t think this poem is about love as most of us view love to be. I believe it is about a sexual act between two people that is supposed to be forbidden. I see a young couple who are engaged to different people having a one night stand. I draw this conclusion from the last line where the author talks about “other names”. It’s as if the two people are getting married later and their last names will change later. This piece is written like a list poem and like most lists, it is not detailed, but generalized. As such it is very open to interpretation.

The Ruined Maid

This poem is difficult to interpret because of the language it is written in. It was written in the mid 1800s and we just don’t talk this way anymore. The whole poem seems to be ironic because Melina, the “ruined woman” is proclaiming that to have all these good things her friend points out like a new dress and new gloves one must be ruined. She says the reason her nameless friend is still a poverty stricken farm girl is because she is not “ruined.”

Death of a Young Son by Drowning

Bathysphere- A spherical deep-diving chamber in which persons are lowered by a cable to study the oceans and deep-sea life.

Cairn- A mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker

The tone of this piece is defiantly sad, but I think it’s passively sad because the father’s grief is never actually spoken of. I believe this poem to be about a son who travels to see his father in “this country” which I interpreted to be America because of line 6. In the line the speaker refers to how he doesn’t have a claim to the land he resides on. He can’t claim the land of his own because he is a foreigner, an immigrant. Te son fell into the water and the mission set out to rescue him failed. The son’s life was the father’s future. The father was to live on through his son, but now that dream is over. It’s spring, and life goes on, and the father travels to get his son and to bury him in America like a flag, which I took to mean he buried him free.

Soliloquy of the Spanish cloister
Abhorrence- One that is disgusting, loathsome, or repellent.
Refection- a portion of food or drink; repast.

This has been the most confusing piece yet! This poem is another good example of how people used to talk differently. It’s so hard to understand this piece because no one talks like that anymore. This manner of speaking reminds me of Shakespeare: Difficult yet beautiful. The poem seems to convey anger. Poems like this make me think about poems in omniscient form because the reader can’t completely trust them because we’re only given one point of view. Maybe Brother Lawrence is the good guy after all, we’ll never know.