Daily Archives: March 16, 2025

When I began reading Poetry it was a challenge but upon learning some techniques from the martial “How to read a poem”. What stood out to me was the reassurance that poems are ment to be read multiple times and having in correct assumptions on the first or second read is normal “The first is assuming that they should understand what they encounter on the first reading” , reading the poem out loud in order to hear any rhymes or clusters of sound, I also learned that each broken line in a poem is called a stanza and I learned how important it is to ask the questions in order to properly interpret the poem. I feel as thought when first reading my last duchess, it was a bit of a challenge and with the classes input I was able to fully comprehend the poem in it’s totality. In regard to both “The last duchess” and “Oedipus the king” there are some similarities one example is the themes of power and control. In my last duchess the duke is possessive and controlling. Seeing his late wife as an object or possession to be admired, instead of an individual with autonomy.  “She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed.”(Stance 21) and in Oedipus the King, Oedipus held significant power as king.

After the past two weeks, I’d say my ability to read poems has restored and gotten a bit better. After graduating High School in 2023, I failed to keep up with my indulgence in poems as readings. After these past two weeks of reading poems in class, I feel like I’ve refreshed myself with the writing style, and also accepted the new idea of reading the lines as many times as we need to. That was previously not an idea that’s been spoken of in my grade school classes, so I do appreciate that. This experience can help me with the reading of Oedipus the King, as the language it uses is a little more tricky, that being it isn’t modern-day English, and by re-reading the lines, I find myself almost singing along to what is being said. For instance, Sophocles writes in Oedipus the King, “Even in this my actions have not been sluggard / On Creon’s word I have sent two messengers / and why the prophet is not here already / I have been wondering” (lines 308-311). In these lines, at first I only understood that Oedipus is simply disappointed that he who he has sent out to find who the killer is has yet to report back. After re-reading it however, a couple times at that, I found that yes, he was disappointed, but he reveals how he has taken quick action as well. This situation is of great concern to him, and considering the use of the word sluggard as well as his respect for “Creon’s word”, there is a sense of urgency in his character. These lines reveal characteristics, as well as add to the story structure with anticipation, rather than just explaining that Oedipus is disappointed to not hear anything despite his attempts. […]

I would think that my ability to read and analyze poetry has increased after spending the last two weeks reading poetry, which is challenging to grasp. My ability to identify and understand literary techniques like metaphor, symbolism, and rhythm has improved. My understanding of poetry has helped me to better understand Oedipus’s multiple levels of importance. One of my favorite poems from the past two weeks was “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks. It has helped me in analyzing complicated feelings and the significance of a challenging choice like abortion. My review of “The Mother” has also helped me better understand the emotional depth of the characters in Oedipus the King because it has made me aware of the profound effect that guilt can have on a person’s thoughts and actions, even when those actions were uncontrollable or unknown to them.

After reading the first two poems from week 6, I was a bit confused about how to interpret them, but when reading “The Last Duchess” in class, it became much easier to tell the underlying meaning in the words. In other words, I learned to read between the lines. It wasn’t just about what was being said, like the direct meaning, but what could be said. I think these experiences have helped me read between the lines and look for more context clues while reading “Oedipus the King”. As mentioned, “The Last Duchess” helped me immensely in regarding understanding and interpreting other poems and the play. It showed me how much can be said of a person through the narration and what they say, for example how the duke talked of his wife helped us understand he’s very arrogant self centered man and in contrast how Oedipus speaks of the plague and how it troubles him or how he must find the killer for it will benefit him in many ways (saving his skin, solving the plague and protecting the previous kings family and bringing justice as he see’s him as his father) shows how he is honest and righteous in his ways.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve found poetry difficult to understand, but I think I’ve gotten better at looking for deeper meanings. Poems often use figurative language, which can be confusing, but I’ve learned to slow down and think about what the poet is really trying to say. This will help with Oedipus the King because Greek tragedies also use symbolism and hidden meanings that aren’t always obvious at first. One poem that connects to the play is “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. In the poem, the speaker pauses in the quiet, snowy woods but remembers he has “promises to keep” and must continue on his journey. This reminds me of Oedipus because, even when he tries to escape his fate, he keeps moving forward, only to realize he was following the prophecy all along. The idea of being on a path that can’t be avoided connects both the poem and the play. Reading this poem helps me understand Oedipus the King because both show how, even when we stop and question things, we still have to keep going toward what’s meant to happen.

I would rate my ability to read poetry after the past two weeks as a 6.5/10. I understand the main ideas and can recognize poetic devices, but sometimes I still need to reread or translate certain words into French to fully understand the meaning. My experience with poetry can help me read Oedipus the King by making me more comfortable with older language and figurative expressions. Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare relates to the play because both use strong imagery and formal language. In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare writes: “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” This line describes how time and nature can change beauty, similar to how Oedipus the King shows how fate changes a person’s life. By reading poetry, I have learned to pay attention to language and rhythm, which will help me understand Oedipus the King better. Overall, I think my understanding of poetry is improving!

Reading poetry over the past two weeks has helped me get used to paying closer attention to language, which I think will be really useful for reading Oedipus the King. Poetry isn’t like regular writing, I have to slow down and think about how each word is chosen and how the structure affects the meaning. One of my favorite poems from the past two weeks was “First Poem for You” by Kim Addonizio. This poem helped me notice how small details in language can carry a lot of meaning. The way she describes tattoos as something permanent and untouched by time made me realize how poets use simple, everyday things to express bigger emotions. It also made me pay more attention to how words are placed in a poem and how that affects the way we experience it. This has helped me with Oedipus the King because Sophocles also uses poetic language to create impact. Just like Addonizio carefully chooses her words to create a strong emotional connection, Sophocles does the same in his writing. Reading poetry has made me more aware of how language shapes a story, and that has helped me understand the way Oedipus expresses himself and why the people trust him so much.