Revised instructions: For now post your reflection as a comment to this post. This will publish everyone’s reflection. Once we have full access, you can create your own blog to house this and future reflections.
Remember that the due date means you have completed this exercise–i.e., published your blog post–before the start of Monday’s class. During Friday’s class, you will have time to set up your blog and write a test post.
For this first reflection, base your writing on a single poem from chapter one of Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Gioia’s Introduction to Poetry. In the previous assignment for this week, I asked you to pick a poem on which you would like to reflect. As you consider this poem, use the quote from Seamus Heaney, seen in the photograph above. His brief statement comes the introduction to his translation of the Old English narrative poem, Beowulf, which we will start reading in several weeks. I posted his passage in a prominent place because I admire and value the thought and feeling behind it. In his introduction, he describes a particular struggle he experienced during the translation project. He struggled to reconcile apparently disparate parts of his past. His perseverance eventually led to a discovery that produced the statement above our door: “my heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered” (xxvi). I would like to use this statement as guidance for your first reflection.
In other words, use any or all of the statement’s parts as guides for writing a reflection of approximately 200-400 words; this will be the typical length for reflections posted on your blog. Let me explain my thinking about how to use the parts to Heaney’s statement. “My heart lifted”: Consider a poem that lifts your heart in a small or large way. Perhaps the poem as a whole does this, or maybe a single line. You can read “lifted” loosely. In other words, something about the poem satisfied you, or rang true, resonated, or made you say “yes” in some fashion. It made you feel fuller. “The World Widened”: As a result of your heart’s lifting, your understanding of the world, which includes yourself and other people, has widened. To borrow from Rilke, another poet, your orbit has grown wider. You see more because of this poem or this line. “Something was furthered”: This sounds like the previous part of the statement, but it also suggests that the world evolved in some way because your world widened. Some problem was solved, some insight gained. Some larger value was added to the world because of this thinking or feeling you are doing. Admittedly, this last part is probably the hardest to apply, but feel free to give it a go, if you are so inclined.
As you write your reflection, use my explanation of Heaney’s passage as guidance–rather than as a set of questions all of which you must answer. The fun and beauty of such reflective writings is that they give you a chance to notice and follow your responses. Let the associations happen, while challenging yourself to be as clear as possible–to yourself and your blog readers.
Have fun. Enjoy the writing.
ENG 12H 
Your reflections will appear in the comment section, as this statement does. Draft and revise the reflection, before you post it here. Although revising a reflection may appear counter-intuitive, doing this typically enhances clarity.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers by Adrienne Rich
I think that Aunt Jennifer is being abused or controlled in her marriage. In the first stanza, Rich says, “Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen…They do not fear the men beneath the tree; They pace in sleek chivalric certainty” I believe this quote represents how Aunt Jennifer’s tigers are exactly what Aunt Jennifer is not. They are brave and in control yet she is living in fear. In the second stanza, the poem describes Aunt Jennifer’s weak and “fluttering” fingers as she knits. This shows that she is anxious and scared and that’s why she is so shaky and then the fact that she is knitting could show that she is forced to act like a woman and do womanly things such as knitting. Then the next two lines say that Aunt Jennifer’s wedding ring is heavy on her hand. In particular, Rich says, “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band”, and it really emphasizes the word uncle, showing that she really is having domestic problems. In the final stanza, it shows that Aunt Jennifer died in fear. She didn’t have the courage to end her life in a happier way. All she could succeed in doing was letting her artwork speak her desire to be free and unafraid. Rich described the tigers, as they “will go on prancing, proud and unafraid”.
Solid description of the poem’s sections. How do you react to these details? What sort of thoughts or feelings does the poem evoke in you?
As an artist, I can also relate to her in the sense that sometimes you show a piece of yourself in something such as art, music, writing, etc…that you can’t really bring yourself to express in words or actions. I think that doing this is a great way to express someone’s self differently but I also think that there is a limit to how much he or she can do this. In her case, hiding her feelings in her artwork and not expressing them out loud did not help her. I think it’s unfortunate that fear can really take over someone. Normally when I show something in my art that I don’t necessarily show or say out loud, it gives me hope or some sense of comfort. It’s great that she was able to speak in her knitting but it’s sad that it wasn’t enough for her to build up courage herself. I don’t think she really had much hope for it to get better and I think this is what led to her sad ending. It’s almost like she gave up and the knit artwork was there to show what could’ve been. She expressed herself nicely but she probably died with a lot of regret of not freeing herself like she wanted to. Just my thoughts…
I like the connection you made with Aunt Jennifer and her work. I didn’t really think about the tigers being a reflection of herself and who she wished she was but now I really understand. I also think it’s really interesting that you can identify with the character, being an artist yourself, and know how emotions come through in one’s work.
Some people may seem to have “everything” they need in the world, but still stray off from their path of this such perceived gratefulness. In the 1800s, the most important thing for a woman was to get married, have children, etc and you seemed to earn more points if you were lucky enough to marry a man who was very prominent. Robert Browning’s poem My Last Duchess displays this common belief and more. I must say that I was very intrigued by not only the story of this poem, but in the fact that it almost angered me. The main character of the poem is walking, showing another guy a painting of his last duchess. He acts as if she is alive and for a second you believe that he is going to offer kind words of remembrance for his late wife, but instead he goes on a tangent by stating, “Sir, ‘twas not/ Her husband’s presence only, called that spot/ Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek.” From this point, you get the feeling that maybe his wife loved others, and he further makes his point by saying “A heart – how shall I say? Too soon made glad,/ Too easily impressed; she liked whate’ver/ She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.” In my opinion, I believe the speaker goes to far to the point where he starts bashing her to this other guy who seems to be a stranger for all we know. He then talks about the guys she had relations with and explains how he cannot understand why she would cheat on him when he has a “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old-name.” We come to believe that this guy is a very prominent man who is very wealthy. He also seems to be very egotistical in that he believes that his late wife had the best thing she could have ever received. As you continue reading, we see how his very huge ego affects him. After explaining how his wife smiled at every guy, he says “This grew; I gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together.” Could he have killed her? I believe so. The part that angers me is that after he trash talks his late wife and possibly alludes to killing her, he immediately changes the subject as if nothing happened and then goes on into another conversation about getting remarried.
Yes, you have captured his character. Anger seems an apt response to this speaker’s egotism. His comments make me think of the line from ROMEO AND JULIET: What’s in a name?
I also felt this way about this poem. I was also angry at the end. He is very egotistical and he had nothing good to say about her even though he was married to her. He didn’t take any credit for the things that he did but he was quick to point fingers at her.
When I first read this poem, it actually kind of bored me, which is why I skipped over and decided to reflect on something else. However, thanks to your description, I’m actually pretty interested now. I never would’ve caught those underlying themes that you’ve mentioned, such as the haughty and entitled demeanor of the men during that time period, who believe they deserve a “perfect woman” just because of their title or wealth. It’s as if women are prizes or trophies to accommodate their own social status. For him to just toss aside another human being, and, as mentioned, allude to murdering her with such ease, is unfathomable to my 21st century mind. I can totally relate to your anger after reading this poem. What a jerk.
I loved reading your interpretation. It made me want to read the poem itself. It was interesting how you began to think that the narrator killed his wife just after hearing all the terrible things he was saying about her.
Jordan McBride
“Lake Isle of Innisfree” by Yeats
The “Lake Isle of Innisfree” is a poem about the author’s happy place. The author explains that he is going to go to Innisfree and build a cabin, where he can plant beans and keep bees, etc. It is a place he can go to live a peaceful and happy life. And he explains that peace is a rare thing to find, which I find very interesting. It immediately makes me wonder about places where I find peace and I feel safe. I think about a place where, for me, life is easy and perfect. He talks about how this is basically all he thinks about and it is almost his destiny to be in this place. I began thinking about this spot at the beach that I go to each summer. There is this house in Hilton Head Island with a hammock that is surrounded by palm trees and you can see the beach; however, it is not in the open. You are somewhat enclosed and I often went there to escape. I could read or write and I felt very peaceful. This poem also made me think about how each person has a particular place where he or she feels safe. It is almost like a sanctuary. Each individual has a particular place, which differs from someone else’s “happy place.” It is interesting to think about how big the world is and how many different people live in the world, each having a place that, deep inside, they believe to be the place they are happiest. In this poem, in particular, my favorite part is when Yeats writes “I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” This quote resonates with me most because I love how he knows about this place and it is somewhere he can go to help his heart rest and somewhat come to a peaceful state. He can feel it from deep within himself.
I love your linking the ideas of happy, peace, safety and sanctuary. Your reflection, in my mind, builds toward this sacred idea of sanctuary. This building creates a powerful last idea of the sacredness, the sanctuary, of one’s own heart–in other words, the worth and dignity of the individual “heart’s core.”
I like what you had to say about how everyone in the world has their own private place where they feel the happiest, and how they are all different from each other. Its kind of cool to think that while there are roughly 7 billion people on earth that there are also 7 billion different worlds where each can feel safe.
As I was reading this poem, I also felt a kind of calming feeling brought about how he reminded me of my “happy place”. This happy place for me is basically anywhere outdoors and it seems like that is yours as well. I think that you captured exactly what he was trying to say in your reflection.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers by Adrienne Rich
An impudent woman is restrained in her life through her marriage being a burden. She uses knitting to allow her to clear her mind and get away from the pressures and responsibilities she has in this relationship. In the first stanza, Aunt Jennifer is sewing tigers symbolizing what she wants to be—brave, fierce, and fearless like a tiger. The tigers represent her need for freedom and need for a carefree life through the line “[t]hey do not fear the mean beneath the tree.” She wants to escape her marriage and feels trapped inside a life where she can’t be herself or be free. In the second stanza, Aunt Jennifer’s fingers are “fluttering through her wool” symbolizing that she is anxious and her mind is racing. Her head is somewhere else making the needle “hard to pull.” “The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand” represents that being married is weighing her down as a woman and is a burden for her. In the third stanza, the poem lines represent that Aunt Jennifer will never be fully free even when she dies because her ring will always be on her finger in memory of her marriage that overpowered her. The only freedom she had was through knitting and through her imagination of what she wishes she could be. She will always wonder, what if, with the reminder from her ring that will always remain on her finger until she dies. The quote from Seamus Heaney, “my heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered” can be used to analyze this poem. My heart lifted in this poem because it affected me in a somewhat big way. I could see the woman hiding in her knitting from her marriage that took away everything from her. The world widened by opening my mind to relationships and the strain that some can bring to women. Something was furthered in this poem because it taught me that a healthy relationship is not built upon changing yourself for one person or becoming trapped in a life that you do not want.
I am glad to hear this poem teaches you something about relationships. Also, I’d like to notice that her art–her knitting–helps her express part of herself.
I like how well you grasped the meaning of the poem and explained it. You went into great detail about what Adrienne Rich is trying to say and it was very interesting to see what your opinion is. I also really enjoyed how you related it to yourself and how the poem made you feel. It seems as if the poem taught you a lot about relationships and its nice to see that. All in all a really great job! 😛
“The Lake of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats describes a serene place for relaxation where the author feels comfortable and at home. This place gives him a feeling of belonging and is a place where he can go to have alone time. Seamus Heaney’s quote “My heart lifted again, the World Widened, something was furthered” relates to this poem. “My heart lifted again” refers to the fact that the Lake of Innisfree is the place where the author can go to just be. The place lifts his heart as described in the line “I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” Yeats is saying that he can hear the lake deep within his heart because it is a place where his heart is lifted and he feels at peace. “The world widened” relates to the author’s inclusion of the “bee-loud glade” and “linnet’s wings.” The author includes these animals in his poem as a sign that when he is there he appreciates all of God’s creatures and does not just focus on himself. His world widens as he sees the other living things enjoying the same place as he. “Something was furthered” corresponds with the thoughts of the author. When relaxing in a peaceful place, people usually do most of their thinking. While Yeats is resting in his favorite place, what is furthered is his thoughts and perspective about himself. He comes away knowing more about himself as he spent his time thinking. This poem relates to that one place in the world everyone has where they can think, relax and come away knowing more about themselves.
I especially enjoy your focus on the growth of self-knowledge that comes from such places.
I like how you relate Seamus Heaney’s quote the author of the poem and how it applies to him rather than to yourself as the reader. I also like your take on “the world widens” and relating it to his focusing on other living things rather than just his view of the world widening.
“Those Winter Sundays”
by Robert Hayden
Jennifer Tregellas
This poem made me feel sad when I thought about the fact that some people do some much for others and not only do not expect anything in return, but never get anything return either. I think that this poem could relate to many people who have or do live in a struggling home where the people in it have to sacrifice a lot of themselves just to make it by and to provide for the people that they care about. Another part of the poem that made me feel for the speaker in the poem is the fact that he now has to live the rest of his life feeling regret because of the way he treated someone that he loved and can never say what he wants to say to that person. In the second and third lines, the author uses harsh consonant sounds when he uses the words “ached”, “cold”, and “cracked”. It “evokes” the harshness of the life that the father lived. The visual of the father’s hands also made me understand better how hard the father worked for his family. There is meaning when the author talks about how his father woke up early on Sundays, the day of the week that any working person should be able to sleep in and rest for the following week. The “cold” chill that he uses to describe the house also described the feelings in the house and the families attitude, specifically the author’s attitude, towards his father.
It came off to me as being very (down) and with a sense of mourning. In the line “No one ever thanked him”, it brought my attention to the level of his ungratefulness towards his father.
Nice notice of the harsh consonant sounds that echo the cold climate in the house and family.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich
The poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” was confusing to me at first. I did not know why tigers were being talked about along with Aunt Jennifer’s hands and wool. It took me a few times of rereading to understand the full meaning. I did not know what was going on and I was lost. Finally my heart was “lifted” at the last line, which reads: “The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.” I started to understand the meaning of Adrienne Rich’s poem more and more each time I read that line. After I read that line a few times I started to understand what the poem meant as a whole and “my world widened”. I understand that the poem is about a lady, stuck in a bad relationship, who is sewing a panel with tigers on it. The tigers represent the woman in the poem. The poem states, “[t]hey do not fear the men beneath the tree,” which relates to the woman who feels as if she is stuck in her horrible relationship, constantly fearing her husband. I also understand that this lady is obviously declining in her health because of the various hints throughout the poem like, “find even the ivory needle hard to pull” and “sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.” Both of these lines indicate that Aunt Jennifer is weakening and her health is declining. And then “something was furthered”, I understood that Aunt Jennifer passed away, but her sewing of the tigers will live on forever. After finally understanding the full meaning of the poem it became a much more beautiful piece.
Your persistence pleases me, and you offer a compelling case for reading and re-reading; the valuable poems deserve such time and attention.
I like how you did not give up on reading the poem and eventually understood it better after rereading it a couple times. Sometimes the meaning of a poem take a while to grasp depending on the person. I was confused at first too! Poems can be so beautiful when you dissect them piece by piece to get the full meaning. Good job! 🙂
This poem by William Butler Yeats is one that I can easily relate to. He is alluding to a special place that he built. It seems as if he uses this place to relax and live in peace. Through his descriptive words, the reader can depict the serenity and peacefulness of this place. It relates to me well because; I too have a special place. My special place is a lake house on Lake Martin, in Alabama. To me, going to this place is almost like going to another planet. Like Yeats, I find peace and relaxation in my special place. The lake has the ability to take away all the worries and concerns you could possibly have. Yeats describes some specific things about the Lake Isle of Innisfree that makes it so special to him. For example, he says, “And the evening full of the linnet’s wings.” This helps the reader connect with Yeats and see what he is writing about. I too have certain things about my lake house that lift my heart and widen my world. Yeats shows his readers that there is always a place that you can go to when the need arises. Whether you just take your mind to a new place or actually physically go there, it doesn’t matter. Yeats portrays to his audience that the luxury of a personal, relaxing place is invaluable.
I am glad to learn a bit about such a place for you. By calling it almost another planet, you capture its healthful effect.
I like the way you wrote your reflection. I love how you draw parallels between Yeats’s sanctuary and your own. Also, it is interesting to see how you believe each person has a particular place that somewhat widens his or her own world. I especially like the last line you wrote, “Yeats portrays to his audience that the luxury of a personal, relaxing place is invaluable.” It provides an interesting outlook; basically, you’re awesome! 🙂
I enjoyed reading your post and learning about your special place. It was enjoyable because I have visited it before and I am able to know exactly what you are talking about.
I agree that Yeats wanted to tell his readers that everyone has a place to escape to. It makes me think about my own place, whether it is a physical place or not. Great Job!
The biggest aspect of the poem “Sir Patrick Spence” that resonates with me involves the dialect and syntax. How the author manipulates words to imitate the sounds and stresses of a Scottish accent impresses me. At the same time, I find the poem somewhat comical. At first glance, the dialect induces a light tone that is more amusing than alarming. As I read further and begin to pick apart the meaning, I come to see the solemnness of the poem and the sadness in its plot. When comparing the poem to our culture and way of speaking it becomes a silly, rhythmic tale, but when examined more closely, its plot is almost saddening. Initially, I found the poem entertaining and laughable, but I soon discovered the more melancholy nature. In the story itself exists an existential dilemma. The King sends Sir Patrick Spence and his crew to their graves in the midst of a terrible storm for no apparent reason. The poem does not describe the circumstances of the King’s necessity to send out a ship, therefore Spence and his crew die and serve no purpose but to add despair to what appear to be their wives. One way or another, their deaths do not affect the success or failure of a defined purpose, and that lack of purpose constitutes a lack of importance in the value of human existence. The reader continues to ask what the purpose could have been to send one’s best men to their deaths, and its subtle absence stresses the insignificance of human life in the natural purpose of the universe. I believe the author utilizes this poem the make suggestions about the futility and disparity of the human condition.
I admire your openness to looking beyond those first impressions, especially given the chronological and cultural differences between you and the original audiences. Speaking of such differences, I am tempted to say that the speaker embodies or demonstrates the Scottish dialect rather than imitates it.
I would completely agree, I should have chosen my words more carefully there.
I enjoyed your reflection. I particularly enjoyed your parallel between the king’s apathetic attitude and the disparity of the human condition. I too found the poem initially to be humorous and enjoyable, but as I read it, I discovered the sadness that embodies this story.
In Hayden’s poem he gives the reader a detailed description into his early life. The lines “blueblack cold” and “cold splintering” helps me to clearly see the winter setting Hayden is trying to capture. I can see in my mind waking up in the morning to the sound of the cold splintering in a wooden house. This poem made me feel as though Hayden thought he should have been more grateful to his father. Hayden mentions many chores and tasks that his father accomplished but still he recognizes that he spoke ”indifferently to him” even though his father did so much. Hayden exposes some of the darker sides of his life as he notes the “chronic angers of that house”. The reader gets a sense of the harsh life the speaker and his father lived through. The first line was very impactful to me “Sunday too my father got up early” because it showed that not only did he work hard throughout the week but also on Sunday, a day of rest, he was still hard at work. The third and forth lines also reference how his hands already “ached” because he had worked so hard during the week. In the last stanza I can further see Hayden’s reflection as he asks, “What did I know”. I feel as if now that he is older he understands the reason for his father’s stern nature and he regrets not ever thanking him. “My heart lifted” when Hayden writes of “love’s austere” I feel like he is acknowledging that even though his father didn’t show it he still loved him. Hayden’s recognition of his own failure to thank his father and his father’s hidden love rang true to me. I could understand the point he was trying to make. Hayden’s father never shows his true affection and for this Hayden never thanks him. To me this is how “the world widened” as I realized the importance of showing emotions instead of hiding them away.
Thank you for acknowledging a part of the poem that rang true. This is exactly what I hope for you and your classmates, as you encounter and consider our poems–both the published poems you read, as well as those original ones you compose.
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree”
The poem starts out by the narrator describing a pleasant place where the narrator is alone, but he seems to want to be alone there. This place that the narrator is describing seems to be his “happy place”. The middle stanza of the poem talks about the feeling he gets from the happy place, saying, “I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow”. After reading the description of the “happy place” in the first stanza, just hearing the narrator talk about the peace it brings him makes me feel peaceful. Picturing this place in my head, I imagine a very calm and relaxing place. However, we find out in the last stanza that this “happy place” is used by the narrator to escape the city life that he is stuck in. He can hear, feel and picture this place “in the deep heart’s core”. The part that I think resonates with me the most is in the middle stanza when the narrator says, “for peace comes dropping slow” or the last line of the poem. These resonate with me most because I can relate to them. I also try to go to my happy place occasionally, but at times it can be difficult in the midst of busy city life. I chose this poem because of how I feel like I can relate to what the narrator is trying to portray. I think the narrator adding in the last stanza makes the fantasy more realistic and relatable.
I love how you described your personal connection to the poem when you said “I also try to go to my happy place occasionally, but at times it can be difficult in the midst of busy city life.”
When I first read “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” I was really confused as to what it could mean. After rereading it, I’m still not sure I understand what exactly Adrienne Rich meant when talking about how the “tigers prance across the screen”, but “my heart lifted” with the meaning I got from the poem. In the last stanza when Rich writes about Aunt Jennifer’s death I saw that she left behind all the pressures and fears that were with her in life and yet the things she created and the work she dedicated her life to (the tigers) continued to prance “proud and unafraid”. After reading this, I really believe that “something was furthered” because of this writing. I thought of all of the people in the world who go through life with troubles and fear and yet do amazing things with their life through writing or art and even after death they are remembered. Aunt Jennifer may have had troubles in her life but she made a mark on the world with her work and that work will go on “prancing, proud and unafraid” even when she is gone. I’m not sure if thats what Rich wanted her readers to take away from this poem but it definitely left a mark on me.
I like the connection you made with what the author meant when talking about the tigers. At first, I did not understand what the author was even trying to talk about either. Your view on this poem is really interesting and I understand how you made that connection. I agree with your view of the poem and I think it helps the reader to talk a lot away from the poem.
I like how you interpreted the poem in your own way and learned a truly organic lesson. I didn’t understand the poem at first either, but eventually I grasped a theme of woman’s rights and the poem made sense. I love taking your interpretation and adding a feminist theme, which makes the poem truly profound.
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats
Yeats poem describes his favorite place, Innisfree, where he goes to escape life in the city. He talks about a small cabin, honeybees, and bean rows that all make this place special to him. Seamus Heaney’s quote begins with “my heart lifted again,” perfectly describing how Yeats feels when he goes to Innisfree. Leaving the city life behind and going to some place with fresh air, flowers, tall grass, and calm water allows his heart to be lifted. He explains how his passionate love of Innisfree never leaves him, even while he stays in the city: “I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;/While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,/I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” The main reason I chose Yeats’ poem was because I can relate to this feeling. Whenever I escape from the city, I go to my lake “cabin.” I can listen to the water hitting the shore and breathe in the fresh air. It is almost as though my heart is lifted, just as Seamus Heaney said and as Yeats described in his poem. Yeats’ line, “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow” nearly perfectly describes how I feel. Peace is an amazing feeling, but it takes time to be peaceful. Seamus Heaney may agree and would probably say peace is a way to lift one’s heart. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is a special poem; Yeats opened his heart to describe a place he loves and shares close to him. The also allows any reader to reflect on their favorite place and have their heart lifted, even if for just a moment.
After reading this I understand this poem a lot better than I did before. Your interpretation of it makes sense to me and I liked reading about why you chose it and what you think someone can take away from the poem after reading it.
The golden phrase for me in your reflection is this: “it takes time to be peaceful.” That simple observation attests to how fully you hear Yeats’s poem. Congratulations, and thank you. In our hurry-up digital daily lives, we can easily forget your statement.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats:
After reading The Lake Isle of Innisfree, I connected with what Yeats was attempting to get across to the reader. “My heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered,” a line from Beowulf, is a quote that I can relate to after reading this poem. Once I read Yeats’ poem, my “heart was lifted.” I felt a special connection with this piece of poetry, as it is discussing a favorite place. I, too, have a favorite place or two, and one of these is Vermont, where I spent four years of my childhood growing up. It was such an important part to my youth, and is one of the reasons why I admire New England so much. I still return every summer and winter, and the reason that Vermont is so special to me is because of what I accomplished while living there, the admirable people I met, and the beautiful scenery that constantly surrounded me. I was “lifted” while reading this piece of poetry because it resonated with me so greatly, and was so relatable. I know exactly how the speaker feels. The world also “widened” for me because I now see that other people have places that they cherish and love so much, similarly to me. Overall, I could sympathize with this piece of poetry, and it really allowed me to connect to Yeats and his ideas.
I liked how you described how the poem made you feel. It was nice seeing the connection with Vermont and how you related your understanding of the poem back to Heaney’s quote. The example for how your world “widened” also added a nice comparison between your experience and this poem.
I liked how well you described your place of serenity because it made me think of mine and it put me in a happy place. I think it’s really important for everyone to have that one special place that they can turn to in order to get away from whatever they want to escape. It’s interesting how everyone’s place can be so different because of different little things about certain places that appeal to them. For example, my place of peace is when I’m on the Holy Innocents basketball court by myself, which is extremely different from Vermont, but it’s the place that appeals to me, just as Vermont appeals to you.
I am grateful to Yeats and you for working together to bring this realization about other people and their favorite places. Such realizations are worth a lot, in my opinion. As you read more poems, keep watching for such moments of empathy generated by the poet’s work.
Ask Me, written by William Stafford, evokes emotion of what mark I will leave behind. Stafford begins the poem by describing a river, and the questions that it asks him. He then notes the silence of the water, and the comings and goings that are part of it. His ending sentence states that he will listen to what the river says and apply it to his life as guidance.
In my opinion, the river is an analogy to life. The world itself will not speak to one telling him or her what to do; rather, one will have to listen to it to find out the right course of action. In my life, I am constantly thinking about what others will remember of me when I leave somewhere. As my mom always says, “you only have one chance to make a reputation.” Within this analogy, I feel that the current represents the different choices one can make in life. In reality, there are no right or wrong answers to how one lives; rather there are many different ways.
I feel that it is extremely to relate Ask Me to Seamus Heaney’s quote, “my heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered” (xxvi). While reading, paraphrasing, and deciphering this poem, I was able to reflect on myself and the life that I am living. The river analogy made me consider the world as a wide object, rather than the small Sandy Springs that I live in. I furthered my thoughts to a broader spectrum.
While I am not exactly sure what Stafford wanted the message in this poem to be, it had a good meaning in my mind and I feel that he successfully got a message across
I am especially grateful for your discussion of the river and the value of listening to it. Your reflection has given me an idea for a future writing exercise–for original poems. Incidentally, I wonder about the claim that there are no right or wrong answers to how one lives. None?
Reflection on Robert Frost’s “Out, Out—“
One of the things that first struck me was the poems unique structure. Although practically none of the lines in the poem rhymed, its flow was very interesting. For example, the speaker ends line 4 with the word “count” and then ends line 6 with the “Vermont.” Even though the two words do not rhyme, they both end in “nt.” There are a lot of other small connections just like this throughout the entire poem, which is what made it engaging and pleasant to read for me. The second thing I like about the poem is the persisting calmness present throughout it. Currently I am moving houses, and that combined with school starting, and my tough academic schedule this year, and a host of other things is putting me under a lot of stress. The surprising serenity present in this poem gave me comfort, even if just for a few seconds. Not even a horrifying accident involving a buzz saw cutting a child’s hand off, resulting in his death, could disrupt the even vibe of the town and its people. The final thing I got from this poem was a connection to real life. The boy never saw this coming, it was just a regular day, and he did not even realize what had happened to him at first. When tragic things happen to us, we normally have the exact same response. For example, a couple of months ago, I was driving home one morning after I had just dropped my brothers off at camp when I looked down to check the map on my phone for a second when I slightly bumped the car right in front of me as I was stopping. Granted, it wasn’t serious, there was no damage to either car, and nobody even came close to being hurt, but it was still a huge shock to me, as I’ve never been in an accident before. I have come to realize that, often, bad things happen right when we stop expecting them.
Accidents happen when you least expect them, and come out of no where. I got in the exact same car accident last year not far from school, which scared me to death. I can only imagine how scared the boy was, especially while not wanting to see the doctor. However, in life we must have these unexpected incidents to teach us lessons, and hopefully we are able to learn from them. I learned to be more careful when I drive and not rush places.
I enjoyed reading your reflection, and totally agreed with you. The poem did have a mellow tone which made it fun to read, and the change of moods at the end when the boy cut off his hand was very unexpected. I can definitely see the connection to real life as accidents occur everyday. Although I have never been involved in an accident, it is one of my fears. Sometimes, they are just inevitable.
Wonderfully full response; thank you. I am especially grateful for your description of the “even vibe” of this poem about an horrific accident. Sometime in the future, we, as a class, can use your observation about the tension between rhythm and subject.
“Out, Out”
By: Robert Frost
The bizarre nature of the poem really captured my attention. The poem does not begin with an over jubilant tone, however, the poem’s ending is not expected. It begins with a young boy using a saw, when his sister tells him that it is time for supper. The saw leaps towards the boy, cutting off his hand. The boy lets out a loud cry, pleading for the doctor not to cut off his already missing hand. He eventually bleeds to death. Shortly after the boys dramatic death, the narrator says, “And they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.” This last statement was very shocking. Through out the play, Frost personified the saw that ultimately killed the boy. In the second stanza, Frost says, “And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled…” In a sense, Frost made such a serious matter like death, represented by the saw, seem trivial by giving it human qualities. I contemplated over its meaning for a while, and suddenly “the world widened” as I realized that Frost was trying to convey the western hemisphere’s complacency with death. Even today, while watching the news, when we hear about someone’s death, we may feel sympathetic for a brief moment, but we continue on with our day as if nothing ever happened. As expected we mourn over close family members and friends, but most times we do not mourn over deaths of strangers.
The poem’s mood changes very suddenly. It goes from mellow to harsh within seconds. This poem is anything but conventional, but it has a twist that makes it very interesting.
I particularly like your mention of the shocking twist in the poem. Your observation helps me see two shocks: the saw jumping at the boy and the onlookers’ final response. Both are unexpected. Incidentally, I am curious about your comment on the Western hemisphere. I see some forces at work in the US that desensitize people toward death, but I wonder about the hemispheric reference.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich
In Adrienne Rich’s poem, Aunt Jennifer seems to escape the burdens of her marriage through the panels she makes. The scenes that she illustrates display life without oppression where the individuals, in this case tigers, are fully free to do as they please. I think the tigers are obvious indications of her own hopes and desires. Rich starts the poem off in this joyful manner only to bring her readers back to reality in the second stanza. The focus shifts from a fictional world of carefree tigers to the real one where an old woman lives day to day afflicted by marriage. In reality, just as how “Uncle’s wedding band / Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand,” everyone has one thing or another that holds them back from fulfilling their deepest desires. For Aunt Jennifer, her marriage prevents her from living a life of absolute serenity. Aunt Jennifer’s struggles make me think about the wide variety of hindrances present in other people’s lives. For many, it may be a matter of income that impedes their ideal lifestyles. However, just as easily as money plays a limiting factor for some, other circumstances including abusive relationships, lack of education, and physical ailments have the potential to do the same for others. With a seemingly endless list of restrictions ever present in our world, the “weight” of Aunt Jennifer’s marriage represents a small yet significant portion of the problems in society that people must learn to recognize and address.
Excellent reflection, Will. One thing I am having a problem with is how it connects to you… What is a hindrance in your life?
Valuable observations, and equally effective phrasing. I appreciate your thoughtful reading and writing. Especially valuable for me is your noticing that “the focus shifts” in the second stanza. We can use that observation in later class work.
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats
Yeats’s poem speaks to me for he is describing feelings of peace and love when near the lake. For me, this poem as a whole reflects Seamus Heaney’s quote “My heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered”. The feelings and images Yeats creates in this poem really hit home for me for they remind me of my lake house, a wooden cabin buried in the woods, on Norris Lake in Knoxville, Tennessee. The lines “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,” rings true to me for it is the exact feeling I have when I’m at the lake. Being so separated from the main roads and civilization gives me a huge sense of security and peace. This line “lifts my heart” for it really rings true to me and is relatable. The emotions he describes speak to my heart for these feelings of security and peace are something I have grown up experiencing in my so called “backwoods sanctuary”. As for the line, “the world widened,” I believe this poem opens my eyes to see that these feelings I experience at my lake house do not only apply to me. In the last stanza Yeats describes a deep, heartfelt longing to be at the lake by the water: “I will arise and go now, for always night and day… I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavement gray, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” This stanza illustrates the exact feeling I have when I am stressed, worried, or scared at home in this concrete jungle: the desire to be at peace by the lake. The line “the world widened” also describes how this poem widens my view of myself and shows me how much the lake really means to me. While I have known Norris Lake is a large part of my life, this poem shows me how often I am reminded of the lake. Finally, the last part of Heaney’s quote, “something was furthered,” shows me that some insight was gained by this poem for I truly see how valuable all the time spent at my lake house with my family is to me and how it has affected my life. From the beautiful sunsets and star filled skies similar to the funny times I’ve spent with my family and friends, my time at the lake has shaped who I am.
Very good insight on the poem, I liked how you picked a poem that was very relatable to you so it obviously made it easy to right about. The last part of your reflection referring to the quote that something was furthered; is both easy to connect to and meaningful. You definitely brought the poem in on a more understanding reality. good job!!!
I am a huge fan of reading this poem because every single person who reads the poem can pull something from their memories to relate. Not a single person in the world can say they have not had a place where they feel comfort and happiness. I love how you related the quote from Heaney to the original poem; a fantastic parallel.
Brantley, you did a magnificent job connecting Heaney’s statements to the emotions you experienced reading the poem. You way of thinking opened me up to a whole different approach to reflecting on a poem using those lines as a guide. Your reflection also stood out to me because of your mentioning your lake house and how you feel when you are out there. I can relate to how you feel since I too love to spend time away from Atlanta and find peace through my family’s isolated, off-grid hunting cabin. The way you talked about your lake house reminded me of my hunting property and the emotions I experience when I am out there.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich
In the poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,” the wild cats “prance across a screen,” showing no fear to the men who hunt them. Aunt Jennifer, unlike the tigers, greatly fears her husband, a man known only to the reader as “Uncle.” Jennifer is expressing herself through her needlepoint. The tigers in her designs are strong, proud, creatures, certain of their ability to best the enemy. She wishes that she could be unafraid like the tigers, but she will never stand up to her husband. She will always be living in fear. This poem resonates with me for several reasons. The first is that I really enjoy the rhyme scheme. When I write poetry I have a tendency to write in couplets, like the author of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,” Adrienne Rich. I also really enjoy the fabulous adjectives and descriptive words that the author chose. The language and rhythm of the poem are so beautiful. It could almost be a children’s nursery rhyme if it were not for the content. The third, deeper, reason it resonates with me is this: I read a book entitled The Perks of Being A Wallflower over the summer, which is all about how a teenaged boy grows up and deals with the affects of being abused as a child. Now, whenever I read a poem or other work that includes abuse (of any kind) it makes me wonder how it affected the people in the situation. When reading this poem, I wonder: what lead to the abuse, why did Jennifer accept the abuse, why didn’t she stand up to her husband, was her husband abused as a child, if they had any children did he abuse them as well, and so on. For me, this is a poem that creates more questions than it answers, which I don’t consider to be a bad thing. I love poems like this because you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks. Paul Valery once said, “a poem is never finished, only abandoned,” which I think is always true in terms of storytelling, especially if the poem has a specific plot like this one. It’s a beautiful, albeit sad story, that evokes in me a sense of terrible loss; the loss of Aunt Jennifer’s strength and personal empowerment. The beginning of the last stanza is especially woeful (“When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie / Still ringed with the ordeals she was mastered by”), though I find the end to be hopeful: “The tigers on the panel that she made / Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.” Though she dies, her spirit lives on through the beautiful needlepoint pieces that she created. Maybe, those little tigers were her one small act of rebellion against her formidable husband.
Often I have the same reaction to poems. They usually raise a lot questions, usually about the circumstances of one of the character. Why did they decide to do a certain thing? What was their motive? Why are they the way they are? Etcetera. When I first read this poem, it is safe to say I did not learn much from it, but your summary, particularly the last sentence, offered some insight to me. When I first read the poem, I had no clue what the tigers represented or how they fitted into the story (although I knew they did because the title of the poem is “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”). I hadn’t thought about it, but I definitely like the idea that the small, needlepoint tigers were her sole act of rebellion against her abusive husband. It makes complete sense.
“Ask Me” by William Stafford
Reading this poem, it made me think about the stillness that I like to have in my own life in different places throughout nature. Nature can be interpreted any various different ways, and in this poem readers can feel the difference. Stillness is something that is very important for a human being to witness in order to gain the power to live life and experience it the best way possible. In this poem, Stafford talks about people’s judgments of him; “ some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made”. This reflects upon the idea that he that is not affected by the words that others have put upon him. Stafford is trying to exercise that he is strong and does not let this affect him. He is true to himself and keeps going down this path along the river and he does not turn back. This river he talks about, to me seems like he is talking about the path of life in which can be different for everyone.
The quote “My heart lifted again, the world widened, something was furthered” can be related to this poem in many ways. In this poem Stafford shares some of thoughts about judgements and world in which we live in today. The way that people treat one another these days is not like it used to, people change say mean words that are hurtful to others but to not realize that their judgment of that person can have an effect. Stafford is trying to forget the past and move on down this path of live referred to as the river and we must further move on. If I was to choose a line in this poem that “my heart was lifted”, it would be what the River says, that is what I say. This line is the final line and describes that whatever we run into in life is what happens and that we should not let the outside influences effect this path. This poem has really made me think about taking time in life and focus on being still not on what the thoughts of others have said. Silence and the knowledge of the coming life is also what people need to do.
I like your take on the poem and I agree with all the points you made. The quote “some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made” also resonates with me. I agree with your take on this quote and I think people are too judgmental towards others. I also think that people need the confidence to ignore hurtful things that others say about them. People need to focus more on what they have and the qualities that make them who they are instead of worrying about other people or what other people think about them. Good job MW!! You’re awesome!
“Ask Me” by William Stafford
When reading the poem “Ask Me” by William Stafford, I felt as if the author was taking a step back from reality to reflect on his life and the world around him. He discusses a few topics in the poem, but the one that stuck out most to me was that there’s more significance to life than we, as people speak of. I feel very strongly about this because it is extremely true in my opinion. People get so caught up in themselves and so caught up in what’s around them, that their vision becomes narrow and their minds become small. The author also speaks of mistakes he has made in his life and the impact of people’s good and bad intensions in his life as well. He then dwells on whether they were important or not. I feel as if he concludes they did not matter because in the end, his life went on regardless of the mistakes and good and bad intensions of others in his life, just as a river does (what he compares his life to in the poem). Ultimately, this poem has encouraged me to look outside of myself and to become worldlier. Also, because of this revelation, I shall encourage others to do the same.
Glad to hear your response to his poem. Good for you. Two thoughts come to my mind, as I read your reflection. One, the profile picture for one of my gmail account shows the Missouri River. Second, your comments about narrow vision remind me of a poem in chapter two called “Monologue for an Onion.”
Yeat’s poem “The Isle of Innisfree” is about a man’s personal sanctuary. Innisfree is a place where I believe exists for everyone. Everyone has his or her own private world to retreat to. A place where you feel fully connected too, an escape from reality and the fast pace world, a place to be free. I too, have a place. As a musician, music is my escape world. When I play music, I create almost a parallel universe in my head. I may open my eyes as I play, but I am not really there nor do I consciously see what is in front of me in the real world, nor do I want to see. I truly feel the notes pulsing in my body, not just hear them. The speaker in this poem speaks of not just having this retreat spot but of also feeling it deep into his “heart’s core.” Like a musician, the speaker feels his surroundings, which I believe is a much more interwoven connection than those of the senses. Although this may not be correct, but I noticed that the name “Innisfree” sounds very similar to “Inner” “Freedom”, perhaps suggesting that it is the land from within that you are free. In life, we don’t need to feel locked in place, we all have our own personal hiding spots from reality, an island where you are free.
Nice. At first, the combination of “fully connected” and “escape” is paradoxical. The you draw the distinction between hearing and feeling, opening the door to your later idea of the inner self and the “heart’s core.” Also, thank you for hearing, or should I say feeling, the possible meanings of the island’s name. You have helped me hear something in the title that I never have or have forgotten.
I never really made the connection of Innisfree being a parallel universe that every person has. But now that you’ve stated that it makes me think even more about the deeper meaning of the poem. I now begin to wonder where my Innisfree is?
Wick, I think you nailed it on the head. Your description of the title is very creative. It’s interesting how closely the title ties in with the poem itself. After reading your insight to the poem, there’s no doubt that Yeats knew what he was doing with the title.
Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden depicts a father-son relationship despite the fact that there is hardly any relationship there. The narrator’s father is a hard worker, stern and well respected. However, he does not get any thanks for all that he does. The narrator knows what his father does for him but I get the sense that the narrator fears his father based on the imagery that is shown in the poem: “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking…the chronic angers of that house”. The last lines almost make me believe that the father and son used to have a great relationship until something turned it around. When the narrator says “What did I know, what did I know”, seems like he/she is reflecting back on how things used to be or maybe trying to get a sense of understanding. The narrator wishes that things were different or maybe how things used to be. I feel bad for the narrator because it’s almost as if he longs for the love he needs from a father.
I like your reflection about the son (assuming he is a boy) being afraid of his father which is why he doesn’t act as appreciative. I also like that you pulled a deeper meaning out of “What did I know, what did I know”, believing it is about the father and son’s former relationship. Their relationship does not seem very comforting and loving, yet the father still loves the son enough to get up early everyday, slaving away so that the son will be comfortable. It sounds like an example of a parent’s “unconditional love” for its child. No matter what kind of relationship they are in, the father still loves the son and wants him to be happy.
Marvelous, McKay. You have given me an idea for a future class writing. While citing several details from the poem, to illustrate your idea, your overall reflection keeps returning to a longing in the speaker’s voice. Your empathetic response makes a case for this wishfulness as a major thread of the tone. Thank you.
“Out, Out” Robert Frost
The overall meaning of the poem is the fact that no matter what happens life goes on. The boy in the poem was cutting wood with a saw, but once he was called to dinner by his sister, out of excitement he accidentally cut off his own hand. He pleaded for his sister not to tell a doctor, but it was too late. He lost so much blood that he died. After his death, everyone moved on who were still alive. The meaning is that in life, we should always remember to look forward, no matter what may be in our way. We need to learn to accept death as a life process, and not forever morn their deaths.
I really like the way you looked at this poem — when I first read it I looked at it as critical of the family for being so indifferent to their sons death. The manner in which you examined it definitely gives the poem more meaning than just criticism
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats
This poem is about a man’s escape to his favorite place. While reading this poem, I envision Lake Innisfree as an escape from reality. William Yeats describes this lake as a serene, beautiful spot, to which he yearns to go. He spends most of the poem describing the lake’s peaceful and calming nature and how its beauty consumes him. Towards the end of the of the poem he says, “While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray…”, when I read this line, I immediately envision a man on a six-lane highway in bumper-to-bumper traffic on his way home from work. As his car slowly crawls towards home, his mind wanders to Lake Innisfree – a place that no matter where he is, he cannot forget. This poem really resonates with me because I have those days where I wish I could escape as well. For me, I wish to escape to the beach, where the hypnotizing sound of the waves is like the “bee-loud glade” for Yeats. All of us have that place we dream of when we need an escape from reality.
Elizabeth, I really resonated with your insights for Yeats’ poem. I think that you did a great job analyzing what the author meant and why he said certain lines in the poem.You were truly able to visualize certain parts of the poem and relate to when you would like to escape to the beach, your favorite place. Using specific lines from the poem and relating them to something more concrete was extremely helpful to me when trying to analyze your response.
I may have already written this comment; if not, I imagined doing so. Anyway, your modern analogy of Atlanta traffic well illustrates your response. I also like your mentioning the “calming nature” together with the claim that the “beauty consumes him.” That combination shows that the speaker has become calm; the serenity has consumed him, has become part of who he is. Therein lies the meaning of the place. A valuable reflection you have offered.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”, is a metaphorical poem about women’s rights and the struggles women must go through with abusive husbands. In the poem, Aunt Jennifer creates a needlepoint picture of tigers as they gracefully and fearlessly pace through trees. She is suppressed by the “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band”, but through her tigers shows her strength and determination to live through her husbands abuse. Rich goes on to explain that even after Aunt Jennifer is dead, her tigers will continue to look unafraid and strong, just as she was through her marriage. This poem rings out to me because it is inspirational to think of a woman’s strength to live through abuse. In the 1920’s, women were still working towards equal rights, even though they had already gained suffrage. They were technically equals, but men still treated them as lesser beings. It would have been especially risky for Rich to have authored a poem like this in that time period, which further augments the strength meaning of the poem. When evaluating the poem at face value, I would like to take away that it is about a repressed person overcoming the suppressor through determination and courageousness.
On the one hand, I value your comments about the strength presented in the poem, while on the other hand, I wonder about the term “abuse,” which you soften somewhat with the use of “suppression.”
“Sir Patrick Spence” Anonymus
The author uses many different writing techniques to reflect the culture in this poem. First off, he writes so the poem reads with a Scottish accent. This diction is important because it is unique and adds to the Scottish spirit. The poem is told as a story and its mood is somber because of the ominous future that awaits Sir Patrick Spence and his men. The author also uses a rhyming scheme throughout the entire poem that makes it uplifting, however, it still carries a somber tone. This poem is about a Scottish King who needs a royal errand done. One of his court hands informs him that Sir Spence is the best sailor and could run the errand. Sir Spence is weary of doing this because it is winter and a storm is imminent. Sir Spence embarks on the journey and makes it halfway before the storm gets the better of him and he sinks to the bottom of the sea. The rhythm and rhyming scheme of the poem suggests that this poem is most likely a famous story that has been past down by Scottish storytellers in the form of a song. I chose this poem because it tells a sad story of a king sending his best sailor to certain death. I was uneasy at the cruelty of this concept but then realized that Sir Spence could have said “No”. He could have denied the kings request or asked for another sailor to make the voyage. This shows the unwavering devotion that men had to their kings and the bravery that existed among men and sailors.
It’s great that you identified how important the diction and word choice was to this poem, especially since it was a lyric poem. That’s often how people first identify with a poem; they like the way it sounds when they hear it. This poem reminds me a bit of MacBeth, because of the Scottish King. It’s not a direct reference, that’s just what it reminds me of personally. You summarize all of the important parts of the story perfectly here. Nothing is left out. I like your analysis at the end as well, about how loyal Sir Patrick is. You’re right, he could have said no. However, because he was such a brave, loyal man, he took the perilous journey.
Yes. I especially like the end of your reflection because your noticing the what-if factor leads to an understanding of Sir patrick’s devotion to the king. I wonder if he is unusual in this level of devotion, or if all subjects of the king behaved so, or were expected to.
In choosing my poems as a new writer I always try to find a nice balance between understanding and depth. I am still a growing writer in my understanding of symbols and meanings. I do not have the strength in grasping abstract concepts in literature that some people do and sometimes I struggle. This poem appealed to me most because it had emotion and depth, but it was very simple to understand. As an inexperienced writer, I understood it, but through multiple readings I was still able to pick out a few deeper meanings in its three verses. It had a literal meaning in the boy’s discussion of his father’s work, but I also could feel the emotion, and appreciation that the boy has for his father. Even in the title, you can see a little bit of struggle between the idea of the laziness of Sundays, yet the father is working hard through the winter day just to provide. Sundays as the Christian sabbath should be the day of rest, yet the father is still out in the cold doing his daily work. I almost felt sympathy for the father’s hard work in the cold days, this being emphasized by Hayden’s good imagery such as “banked fires blaze” and “cold splintering, breaking”. Even the pain of the father is easily felt through the usage of “then with cracked hands that ached/from labor in the weekday weather made”. With Hayden’s wording, I could easily see how the winter and how the work the father had to do took a toll on him as a person. Although there is no deep description of the surroundings, even through the small imagery I could really understand the atmosphere of the poem and it provided a good environment for the loneliness of the father in the cold weather.
I chose the same poem. I like how you took note of the father’s loneliness. That is something i never took into account in writing my reflection. I also found more meaning through the poem the more I read it. I also liked the way you made the reflection more personal by talking about yourself as a writing that helped me to better understand the connection you made with the poem. I’m also glad you noticed the small imagery Hayden uses. I also talked about that in my reflection because it is so important for understanding the surroundings in this poem. Overall good job Brian.
Thank you for explaining the impact of the imagery; I agree that they evoke the selfless work of the father. Especially, though, I appreciate your reflections on the title. You show strong sensitivity to the tension it suggests; this kind of awareness on your part is exactly what reading poetry requires. It takes time, openness and attention to notice such dynamics.
I decided to use this poem because of it shows how hard parents work to keep their kids happy and healthy. The father in this poem gets up early every morning during the week and works extremely hard during the day. Children do not realize how hard fathers and mothers work without receiving anything from them. This shows their selfless attitude towards the kids. I thought that this poem applied to me because I see this selfless attitude from my parents. My mom does everything for me without asking for anything. And my father works every single day and comes home and cooks dinner and doesn’t expect any special treatment because of it. Also, parents work all week and still get up early to satisfy us during the weekends. Parents are very important to children when it comes to their satisfaction and contentment. Without parents, children would have to grow up too quickly and their selfless attitudes are passed down to the children.
This is to the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden!
Yes, I can see the truth of your last statement because you have written a generous reflection on the value of parents’ love. Thank you.
Chandler Cook-Initially when reading a poem about Aunt Jennifer’s tigers, my mind creates pictures of actual tigers. The first stanza, after a second read through finally makes sense. The description paints a picture of tigers moving. The second stanza describes Aunt Jennifer and her problems with her husband. “Even the ivory needle hard to pull. The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding ring.” This statement is clearly metaphoric. The wedding ring symbolizes the uncle’s bind on Aunt Jennifer. One might ask themselves how the tigers described in the first stanza relate to the introduction of the Aunt. The “massive weight” of the ring most likely symbolizes the feeling of suppression Aunt Jennifer experiences with her husband. The final stanza ties the first two together. The aunt ends up dead, still married to the overbearing husband. Aunt Jennifer is knitting a picture of the tigers. The tiger’s represent the Aunt’s hope of freedom. Even though the Aunt dies, her hope for freedom remains with the knitting of the tigers.
Glad to see mention of the later stanza tying the others together; that’s a helpful observation. Even more satisfying is your idea that hope remains, knitted with the tigers into the fabric of her work.
I chose this poem because I feel that I can really relate to it. While reading I realized that whoever is in this poem is living the life that I like to live: wild and free. I could really connect with it because I have always been a bing camper and outdoorsman so the idea of going out and build a cabin somewhere and live off the land is very appealing to me, even though it might not be the greatest idea. After the first stanza, he almost exactly explains why not only he wants to go out and live in Innisfree, but also why I like the outdoors. It is very peaceful with all the sounds of nature. He also reminds me of one of the most peaceful sounds I know that no matter what mood I am in , whether I am angry or whether I am very peaceful mood, will calm me down and put me to sleep. That sound is the sound of the small lake waves hitting the sand and shore. As I read this poem, it not only reminded me of where I like to be but it also calmed me down from the hustle and bustle of the day. It made me forget the homework that I have to do this weekend. This was only accomplished for a few seconds but those few seconds were serene, and they created in me the feeling that I get when I go camping or go to the lake.
Nice. I especially like, and thank you for, the section describing the poem’s emotional effect on you. Keep that part of your reflection in mind, as you read other poems from our text or elsewhere. Pay attention to the poem’s effect, which then invites study of how the poem creates that effect.
I like how you interpreted the poem in your own way and learned a truly organic lesson. I didn’t understand the poem at first either, but eventually I grasped a theme of woman’s rights and the poem made sense. I love taking your interpretation and adding a feminist theme, which makes the poem truly profound.
Sir Patrick Spence was a difficult poem to comprehend at first, being written in a dialect of English which I have never heard. However, once I dissected it, Sir Patrick Spence became very clear. As I intend to join the Navy, a poem about a sailor rings true for me more so than most we will read. The poem illustrates the danger and lack of control a sailor has over his own life. In a few years, I plan on entering into a similar world, where I will simply have to trust the decision making skills of those above me in the chain of command. Unfortunately, there will be those who lack proper decision making skills, and this could place me in unnecessary danger. This poem reinforces this fact, as Sir Patrick and his crew meet an untimely end due to the King’s impatience and poor judgment. As I move forward in life, I have to keep this in mind, and recognize that I will have to follow the orders I am given regardless of their sanity. This is probably my biggest worry in joining the military, placing my life in the hands of a commanding officer, one who will be in a similar position to myself.
All learning is personal, someone once told me. I agree that our lens determines our lessons; no less true for you here. And to add to the equation, the poem’s title echoes your name. These connections open the door, at least in my mind, to comparisons between medieval kings and modern naval commanders. Such comparisons help prepare me for reading HAMLET, which starts with the impact of the death of a king.
“Out, out – ” by Robert Frost
Commentary by James Best
When reading “Out, out – “, one immediately notices Frost’s first use of many literary devices in his personifcation of the saw’s behavior, particularly the noises it makes. By stating that the saw “snarled and rattled,” the author breathes life into an object that is ultimately inanimate. After introducing the buzz saw, Frost then continues to describe the scenery. Details mentioned include the beautiful Vermont backdrop, complete with “five mountain ranges” blending in with the sunset. Following this brief interlude, the focus switches back to the buzz saw. When describing the moment when the boy’s hand is severed, Frost paints the picture of a mutually agreed upon meeting. In this manner, the boy’s hand wanted to meet the saw to the same degree that the latter wanted to meet the former. As the poem, along with the boy’s life, slowly fades out, the reader experiences an anti-climax of sorts. When his heart finally stops beating, the boy loses all attention that the doctors had formerly paid him, and they simply continue on with their lives unchanged.