Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Acquainted with the night.
This poem had an ABAB rhyme scheme. This poem had a less romantic tone and was very blunt. When I read this poem I wondered what the night symbolized. At first I thought that maybe it was society and then I thought maybe death. Then I ultimately decide that the night was self awareness. The saddest city lane is the dark times in your life and the struggles. The watch man was is Frost older self or maybe his soul. By frost saying he was aquatinted with the night he had been aquatinted with his true self.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Snow Man
To me winter is the best time of the year; I have a fantasy of living in the harsh winters of Alaska. So clearly when leafing through the new semester’s packet of poem my eyes made a b line for The Snow Man. I really enjoyed and all of the visuals, even though the first time I read through it I was left confused.
“One must have the mind of winter”
Looking at the years Stevens lived I noticed he lived during a time period in America that many think is innocent. When we think of the 1879-1955 we think of house wives and children happy to get to watch one TV show or to have a slice of pie. When you think of the early 1900’ you imagine large dinners and festive holidays, complete with roasting chestnuts, ice skating, and lots of innocent winter activates. Then I thought maybe he could mean that having the mind of winter means a cold harsh mind. I kept reading on to find my answer.
“and not to think of any misery in the sound of the wind, in the sound of few leaves”
Stevens is telling us to not look at winter negatively. The snow man wouldn’t think about how cold he was he would appreciate the dancing sparkle of ice stuck to pine needles. It is fascinating that most would say winter is the most beautiful season, because it has no color, there is no life.
“For the listener who listens to the snow”
The listener is the snow man but could be Mother Nature. I could picture a lone snow man standing in a clearing in the forest. Now here’s where you really need to read closely.
“And, nothing himself, beholds nothing that is not there and nothing that is”
Did Stevens steal this from Yoda? After reading this a thousand times I came to the conclusions that the snow man owns nothing that is there and nothing that is not there. Just like winter there appears to be nothing there and that’s why we love it for nothing. Steven’s is asking us to mot beat his poem for the nothing that is not there, and the nothing that is.
“One must have the mind of winter”
Looking at the years Stevens lived I noticed he lived during a time period in America that many think is innocent. When we think of the 1879-1955 we think of house wives and children happy to get to watch one TV show or to have a slice of pie. When you think of the early 1900’ you imagine large dinners and festive holidays, complete with roasting chestnuts, ice skating, and lots of innocent winter activates. Then I thought maybe he could mean that having the mind of winter means a cold harsh mind. I kept reading on to find my answer.
“and not to think of any misery in the sound of the wind, in the sound of few leaves”
Stevens is telling us to not look at winter negatively. The snow man wouldn’t think about how cold he was he would appreciate the dancing sparkle of ice stuck to pine needles. It is fascinating that most would say winter is the most beautiful season, because it has no color, there is no life.
“For the listener who listens to the snow”
The listener is the snow man but could be Mother Nature. I could picture a lone snow man standing in a clearing in the forest. Now here’s where you really need to read closely.
“And, nothing himself, beholds nothing that is not there and nothing that is”
Did Stevens steal this from Yoda? After reading this a thousand times I came to the conclusions that the snow man owns nothing that is there and nothing that is not there. Just like winter there appears to be nothing there and that’s why we love it for nothing. Steven’s is asking us to mot beat his poem for the nothing that is not there, and the nothing that is.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Begining Again
I talked about this poem a lot in class so I thought I would just pick one line that stood out to me the most. "Off all alone again performing brain surgery on himself" When I first read this I actually visualized a twisted man in scrubs performing brain surgery on himself. But then I thought of how I am constantly devoted trying to perform psychological exams on my self. I can think the most simple thing. "Oh I like that girl's shirt." Then I immediately think do I really like her shirt or do I think that to hide that I'm subconsciously think shes ugly? Why do I feel the need to think every one is pretty to raise their self confidence in my mine when in its only in my mind and it wont really help at all? Did I just think shes ugly because I am threatened by her for potential mates? Am I really this shallow and mentally back stabbing? Why do I automatically search for the darkest evilest parts of my personality? Do I want myself to be evil? I will eventually drive my self crazy with my bombarding questions, all because I liked her shirt. Then I wonder dose any one else do this or am I completely crazy, so when Raab mentioned this I felt less crazy and more human.
The title of the poem related to these thoughts as well, because every time I do this I make some goal to work on my personality. I will also make impossible goal to change my life, like oh I'm going to study for this test every day and not be judgemental. These goals are just lies to myself because every time i make them i think this is the new me I'm beginning again, but I all ways stay true to my flaws and not follow through.
The title of the poem related to these thoughts as well, because every time I do this I make some goal to work on my personality. I will also make impossible goal to change my life, like oh I'm going to study for this test every day and not be judgemental. These goals are just lies to myself because every time i make them i think this is the new me I'm beginning again, but I all ways stay true to my flaws and not follow through.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Hallow Men
“Or rat’s feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar”
We always think that rats are lowly and dirty. So I thought that I was interesting whenever T.S Elliot speaks of things we find valuable like crystal or wine cellars there are always rats near. But on a deeper level since we are hallowed and transparent soles, but since we are so empty we can be filled with evil and shattered. The idea of disguises popped in to my mind to because our fake personas eventually shatter.
“Remember us – if at all – not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hallow men
The stuffed men”
At first when I read this I thought that he was speaking to prosperity or humanity. My mind jumped to WWII did the Nazis want us to see them as hallow men? But then I thought is this the dying thought of a man pleading to god? Is he asking to not judge their souls as harshly? Eve did eat the apple is he asking to be saved. When I read this I also thought of Author McCarthy’s quote “Soldiers never die they just fade away.” If we don’t remember these souls fondly do they want to be forgotten? Is it better to be infamous or forgotten? When you look at Hitler do you see a hallow man stuffed with hate or a man who lived for something even if it was for evil?
“Eyes I dare not meet in dreams”
This can go many ways. Are the eyes the eyes of men you have killed? But to me I pictured those cheesy scary movies where the killer looks in the mirror to discover that they were the killer. As a human I know I deny the evil inside of me and repress it. If we acknowledge our evil self’s do we become full? Or are the eyes of you self the rebel that wants to break conformity and you dare not acknowledge that? Is being different really what gives our lives meaning? Or are the eyes the eyes of the lord, or the devil? Could the eyes be the eyes of truth, death? You could write a novel on just these seven words.
“Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.”
These were my three favorite lines in this poem! To me these lines mean that mans greatest hope is to ascend to heaven. The next line implies that this is what makes us empty. Does this hope make us empty because we live our lives on earth to prepare for the next? To many religious people that hope and faith is what gives us meaning and substance, but does that faith blind us and leave us hallowed? If that is true then how the faithless live knowing do they are bound for an eternity of nothing. What do they live for? If they arrive at hells gates would they regret not being hallow would they change? Which to me going to hell is the worst thing ever so I raise the question is not being hallowed really worth it? I would rather have faith and be as transparent as air.
“Between the conception
And the creation”
I thought of Adam and Eve, Eve ate the apple dooming humanity to darkness. Do humans not have the choice to be full or are we doomed to putter around this universe for no reason at all. Life is very long I thought this was interesting because we strive to live as long as possible but why? If we have no reason to be here then why would you want to try and keep yourself entertained for longer?
“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.”
We always imagine the world ending with spewing volcanoes the earth ripping open at the seams consuming skyscrapers, zombies roaming rapid, not as a slow aging reaching death. What if the fires ignited by cave men are the flame of humanity that is slowly dying? Why dose humanity think that to destroy us there must be an epic apocalypse? Why do we think we are so special?
In our dry cellar”
We always think that rats are lowly and dirty. So I thought that I was interesting whenever T.S Elliot speaks of things we find valuable like crystal or wine cellars there are always rats near. But on a deeper level since we are hallowed and transparent soles, but since we are so empty we can be filled with evil and shattered. The idea of disguises popped in to my mind to because our fake personas eventually shatter.
“Remember us – if at all – not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hallow men
The stuffed men”
At first when I read this I thought that he was speaking to prosperity or humanity. My mind jumped to WWII did the Nazis want us to see them as hallow men? But then I thought is this the dying thought of a man pleading to god? Is he asking to not judge their souls as harshly? Eve did eat the apple is he asking to be saved. When I read this I also thought of Author McCarthy’s quote “Soldiers never die they just fade away.” If we don’t remember these souls fondly do they want to be forgotten? Is it better to be infamous or forgotten? When you look at Hitler do you see a hallow man stuffed with hate or a man who lived for something even if it was for evil?
“Eyes I dare not meet in dreams”
This can go many ways. Are the eyes the eyes of men you have killed? But to me I pictured those cheesy scary movies where the killer looks in the mirror to discover that they were the killer. As a human I know I deny the evil inside of me and repress it. If we acknowledge our evil self’s do we become full? Or are the eyes of you self the rebel that wants to break conformity and you dare not acknowledge that? Is being different really what gives our lives meaning? Or are the eyes the eyes of the lord, or the devil? Could the eyes be the eyes of truth, death? You could write a novel on just these seven words.
“Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.”
These were my three favorite lines in this poem! To me these lines mean that mans greatest hope is to ascend to heaven. The next line implies that this is what makes us empty. Does this hope make us empty because we live our lives on earth to prepare for the next? To many religious people that hope and faith is what gives us meaning and substance, but does that faith blind us and leave us hallowed? If that is true then how the faithless live knowing do they are bound for an eternity of nothing. What do they live for? If they arrive at hells gates would they regret not being hallow would they change? Which to me going to hell is the worst thing ever so I raise the question is not being hallowed really worth it? I would rather have faith and be as transparent as air.
“Between the conception
And the creation”
I thought of Adam and Eve, Eve ate the apple dooming humanity to darkness. Do humans not have the choice to be full or are we doomed to putter around this universe for no reason at all. Life is very long I thought this was interesting because we strive to live as long as possible but why? If we have no reason to be here then why would you want to try and keep yourself entertained for longer?
“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.”
We always imagine the world ending with spewing volcanoes the earth ripping open at the seams consuming skyscrapers, zombies roaming rapid, not as a slow aging reaching death. What if the fires ignited by cave men are the flame of humanity that is slowly dying? Why dose humanity think that to destroy us there must be an epic apocalypse? Why do we think we are so special?
My Analogy Poem
I stood in the line at the DMV.
Waiting for my glorified piece of paper,
I had all my credentials
birth certificate, social security, economics.
As I looked around, everyone was impaticanlty
fiddling with their phones making
plans for after the dreaded crusade.
I was envious of the ones that stormed out,
I wonderd where they were.
I draged closer, and the warden reached out a decaying hand gripping the scroll.
As I retrieved I thought I would be happy relived that I had received my precious.
But I only found I was late for work and annoyed I had wasted so much time at the DMV.
I even wonderd why I had even gone.
Waiting for my glorified piece of paper,
I had all my credentials
birth certificate, social security, economics.
As I looked around, everyone was impaticanlty
fiddling with their phones making
plans for after the dreaded crusade.
I was envious of the ones that stormed out,
I wonderd where they were.
I draged closer, and the warden reached out a decaying hand gripping the scroll.
As I retrieved I thought I would be happy relived that I had received my precious.
But I only found I was late for work and annoyed I had wasted so much time at the DMV.
I even wonderd why I had even gone.
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