Archive for November, 2008
6th Response “Those winter Sundays”
My sixth response is one to the poem entitled “Those winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. This poem is full of description of a father who works very hard without any praise. I didn’t really understand the part about how he would be angry but I figure when someone works very hard and is not recognized for it then that would be pretty angering. I really like how the author made this poem universal in the way that it can be interpreted in many ways. I’m sure there are many people out in the world who feel like their work is never complete as well as recognized. I mean I somethimes feel that way as well. But the author did a great job describing the fathers hands as worn and cracked and aching. This specific part kind of tugs on my heart because I can’t help but to think of why this father works so hard. Does he support his children on his own? After the description, it goes on to talk about driving out the cold…and gold shoes. I’m not sure what this means because I can’t tell how it relates to the poem. Then again, perhaps the gold shoes are what the father works to provide for the family. The poem end with these closing words, “What did I know, what did I know Of love’s sustere and lonley offices?” I can interpret this part as a misunderstanding of someone who is less apreciateive of this hard working father. I really liked this poem and the contents of its message. Very nice 
Add comment November 28, 2008
5th response “I thank you god”
“I thank you god,” by Robert Hayden was a surprisingly touchy, but wonderful poem. I was sitting here at 10:00 at night, just after I finished all of my other homework. I thought I had better do my blog now in case I lose track of time the rest of this week. Today was a long day…and I start word tomorrow..and i’m way tired..and don’t get enough sleep. So I decide to read my poem for the week. I flipped to the back of my poetry packet and come to this one. Farily short it was in legnth and looked easy for my tired eyes to read. By the end of the poem, I was just about in tears..no joke. I can not belive how a just the right words put together can all of a sudden mean so much. This poem was pretty much a prayer about all the things we overlook throughout our busy days. It mentions the “leaping green trees” and the “blue true dream of sky.” Then it goes on to say how this person was dead but now has eyes awakened to see this beauty. I began to realize and ask myself how I live my life. Do I act as though I’m dead to everything natural? Do I not appreciate the things that might not one day be here? I’m so terrified of getting this gift of natural beauty grabbed away from me..and I would barley even know because I don’t take the time to look anyways. It was practically fate I read this poem tonight because for one, i feel better, and for two I feel as thought I had a revelation. Something clicked and I noticed how lucky I am to have the things I do, and to have a world to walk out into everyday. I can go see it whenever I want to..no charge at all, and it never closes. I don’t want to be dead to this anymore! I want to walk out in the morning and watch for just 5 seconds to catch a glimpse of the things I miss rushing around my busy life. I would reccomend you do it to Have a happy life!
Add comment November 18, 2008
4th response “The Snow Man”
For my third response I decided to read that poem “The Snow Man” by Wallace Stevens. I be quite honest, the only reason I chose this poem was because of the title. I love winter and get reall excited when the christmas, snow, winter time comes around. Then i read the poem and got a bit of a different view on the poem. It began to talk about how snow men just sit all day and do nothing for themselves, yet they watch all the people around them. This wasn’t really revealed until the end though. In the begining, it decribed winter. That was my favorite part! I could just picture the snow and the ice covered juniper trees. I loved how the snow man was described as “the listener who listend in the snow.” Then I got a little side tracked and began to think about my childhood with snow men. I tried to focus on english and analyzing the poem but I couldn’t help but to make a connection as well. When my sisters and i were kids, we would be out in the yard at the first snow fall. Sometimes my dad would be home that day or weekend and he would come out into the snow with us. We would spend all day together making forts out of multiple snow balls and then build a snow man right in front to be the ultimate guard to our fort. I love these memories and they always become refreshed in my mind when the first snow flake falls every year. I can’t help but to think about how different things are now and how there will probably be no more memories like these. I guess thats life… and now I will just have to be the listener in the snow while kids live up their memories.
Add comment November 11, 2008
3rd response- “A work of Artifice”
Hello hello! For my third blog I chose to read “A work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy. This poem had a very catchy title and that’s actually why a chose to read it. It was much like another one I had read. This one also described the life of a plant and how it symbolizes we as people. It begins by describing how this tree is so mighty and huge, but then is detroyed by lightning. A simple gardner then took the tree in and nursed it to health. I think the begining of this poem represents how humans try so hard to be the biggest and baddest but usually end up crashing and failing from too much power. Then the gardner puts the broken tree in a pot where it has different creatures as its company. This section relates to how in life, we end up failing and then someone simple comes along and picks us up and shows us that being ordinary is being successful in a way. The end of the poem describes how the tree ended up growing again, not being as big as it used to, but it is content with what it is. This poem was very eye opening because it describes a true life even that happens with everyone. I feel that this author has a very unique style in the sense that she aims to make people think. The poem made me think in depth about my life and if what I aim for is what will benifit me later on. I hope that in my life, I don’t end up crashing and failing just because greed won me over.
Add comment November 5, 2008
